Big Changes...........

your looking at the newest student at Utah State University!  Go Aggies!!

Yep - its true - i've registered for my first semester of college EVER.  I'm 34 years old and staring from scratch.  Kinda crazy i know - but i've been in the Mortgage industry for over 15 years and had always planned on returning to that when my kids were old enough and in school.  I could make my own schedule and still do some from home.  Well - thats not an option anymore with the economy and the route that the mortgage industry has gone - its to cut throat and the rules and guidelines are changing daily.  I still have my liscense but won't be doing much with it.  I'm going into secondary education - so i can still have the same schedule as my kids and get good insurance!  Wish me luck.

The second change is WE ARE MOVING!  We are in the process of purchasing a beautiful home in Honeyville - which is about 25 minutes north of where we live now.  A much more remote area with alot more land and peace and quiet!

ALot more room for the kids to run and play and for us to spend more time as a family.  I will share the inside later - before and after's.  We are re-carpeting and painting and doing some new counter tops.  But it's a fun home with a layout we will have to adjust too. Here at our house - everything is on one level - there - everything is split between three levels.  So things will function differently - in a good way I think - we won't be on top of each other all of the time.  So WoW!  And if that werent enough...............

We are getting a puppy.   We went and saw them last night............trying to decide between the yellow male Lab or the yellow female.  We went with the intentions of getting the female - but Dean liked the personality of the male better - so in a few weeks we will be the new mama and papa's over here!  Which brings me to this layout i did of Buddy - we miss him sooooooooo much and i wanted the picture to be the main focal point - i used the Lovely line by Lily Bee Designs.  Here is a link to the blog post i did about the layout!

So thats it - my life is going to do a 360 in the next few months.  KInda scared - kinda excited for some change and a new start!

hugs
Brenda

Father's Day.......

we had a great Father's day yesterday - a busy one making the rounds but good.  I have to say i think i may have the BEST DAD ever!  I didn't take any pictures of him yesterday and i'm kicking myself but here are a few from Saturday.  Dean took the boys to Flaming Gorge fishing for the weekend so Baylee and i headed up to the property to hang out with my mom and dad for the day on Saturday. 

I can't say enough about what a great dad and Grandpa he is.  We are lucky to have him.  He always puts us first and is willing to do anything for us.  Love you Dad!

Then there is Dean - who is amazing.  I couldn't have hand picked a better father for my kids.  Even though he isn't around alot because of his calling and job - when he is - he makes it count.  And that is what is most important.  They adore him - and i love to see they interact with him and the way thier eyes light up when he walks in the door.  I took this yesterday after walking home from his parents house.

SO last weekend i decided scrapbook a layout for myself - no restrictions - no rules - no anything.  This is what i came up with - this is a picture of my Grandparents before they were married.  I love how in love they look! 

I grabbed from my Studio Calico Kits - probably 3 different kits here.  But it worked out perfect.  Here is how i did the buckle if your interested.  I just wrapped a piece of ribbon around the ribbon going lengthwise 

Then added one of the self adhesive lace frames to it and then embellished. 

Thanks for stopping by............we have big news and lots of changes going on around our house.  I will come back and share tomorrow. 

Hugs!
Brenda

Lily Bee and Facebook

all of you Lily Bee lovers out there need to go check out their facebook page and become a fan - this is the way to do it:
We want to get to 1600 friends who LIKE Lily Bee Design in the next week on our Facebook Page SO here's the incentive for you to invite your friends. We've teamed up with Jill over at A Million Little Things and are giving away a $25.00 Gift Certificate to her store.

Simply have your friends who LIKE Lily Bee leave us your name over on the Facebook Page and you will automatically be entered to win. The more friends you send over the more chances you have to win.

Good Luck and Send your friends!

A Million little things is a great store - its where i buy all my little extra's that i don't get in a kit or from manufacturers - Jill is great to work with and for me - even though she's online - she's local for me! Got to support that! 

I will leave you with a card i did last month with Lily Bee's Lovely line which i LOVE.  I actually did this camping - tried to spread out on the picnic table but the wind was blowing and it kinda rushed me.  I have one crazy little secret to share - that i found out by trial and error - i had my rubon's out on the table - not in the package - and with the wind blowing like that - it really effected the way they worked.  They did not rub on well after that.  So make sure to keep your rub ons in the package while not using - maybe you knew that!

Have a great day!

summer days...........

so far - the kids are driving me crazy :) But i still love it.  I'm just having a hard time getting them going and out the door and it seems like i tell them in the morning and i'm still telling them in the afternoon.  And my Baylee (3) and Ethan (7) do not get along at all - so strange.  So i seem to be playing the referee for those 2 starting at breakfast.  But other than that - we are good.
I tried to put Ethan in charge of Baylee while we watched Mason's baseball game last night and it didn't go over well.  I couldn't see the park they were playing at from where i was sitting so in the 2nd inning i decided to run over and check on them - the sight was unbearable - i was sooooooooooo embarassed.  Right along this nice trail that people were walking along with thier dogs and jogging were my 2 kids, Baylee with her pants down crying because she had peed all over herself and Ethan letting it all hang out taking care of his own business - that's what happens when you put a 7 year old in charge.  Instead of coming to tell mom Baylee needs to go potty - he takes her to a bush in a public park.  So needless to say - they won't be leaving my sight again at the games - if i can't see the park - they can't play. 
I've been going through a scrapbooking drought latley - i hate it.  I think about it every single day - but havn't found the time or energy.  It's a good thing i have my Design Team assignments to get me moving.........and wanting to do more.  I'm doing prep work after this blog entry so as soon as the kids go down - i can get started on some projects. 
Just wanted to share a few more pictures from Memorial Day - next up are my St. George pictures - need to get them uploaded.  The kids love fishing on this pond my dad put in a few years ago - the fish are ginormous this year.  So the kids spent alot of time there.

This is a new recipe i tried a while ago that my kids LOVED.  I just grilled hamburger, put it in a whole wheat pit and topped with mozarella cheese - then sauted mushrooms and onions and put on top - CHeeseburger pockets!  Yum - easy summer dinner - and of course the home made fries (baked) to go with them. 

Have a great day!
B

New Fancy Pants!

Sorry its been so long...........i've been a slacker this month.  SO much going on - it seems like May is always our busiest month.  First i will share the 2 new Fancy Pants lines- then what we've been up to for the past 2 weeks!

The first of the 2 new lines is called Wishful Thinking - check here for projects from the other Design team members.  I love the soft colors in this line - the floral prints are so fun too!  I used the Silhouette to cut some of the big borders - the others with patterns are Fancy Pants sticker borders. 

Here is a card i made from the same line! The monogram stickers are so fun.

The next line is called Like Father like son - one of my favorite boy lines to date - love the greys in this line.

If you want to check out all the paper with each line - go here for the product catalog!!

So the 22nd of May we had the walk for Cystic Fibrosis - we had a fabulous turn out - more people than i've seen in all the years i've been going.  Its a 5k walk along the riverside- its beautiful - but this year we got hailed and snowed and rained on - it was quite an adventure.  But we finished and raised lots of money  - not sure the total - but thanks to all of those who supported.

We've been busy with baseball EVERY NIGHT of the week but Friday.  Ethan plays Monday and Wednesday and Mason plays Tue and Thurs - keeps us busy.  And Baylee is gearing up for her Dance review this weekend!

This last weekend i we went camping all weekend - just got home last night.  We bought a new 5th wheel - I LOVE it.  It has 4 beds in the back - an actual bedroom with a door for the kids - and our queen bed is on the opposite side of the trailor.  It's the perfect set up - instead of having to go in and put beds down when its time for them to go down and then tip toeing around when you come in for bed.  I can't bellieve i didn't even take pictures of it.  Next time.  I had the flu the first part of the trip and it was pretty miserable but felt better Sunday afternoon and really enjoyed the rest of the trip.  We had alot of family come up and BBQ Sunday afternoon.  Yesterday - we took flowers to Buddy's grave (our lab who passed away last fall).  It was really sad - its crazy how much of an effect he had on our lives and how much we still miss him.

Thanks for stopping by - hopefully i can keep up a little better - who knows - summer is so hard!  Even to find the time to scrapbook- but it is my therapy - helps me relax - i even made a few cards while we were camping.

Hugs
B

Happy Anniversary!

Just wanted to take a quick moment to tell my man how much I LOVE HIM - he is the best.  We met almost almost 18 years ago how crazy is that - crazy since i'm only 34!!  Mutual friends set us up since he had already graduated high school and i was a junior.  We dated for a few years and then he left on a 2 year LDS mission - came back and we were married 6 months later!!  I'm not going to say it was easy- the first 2 years were not the best - but after we had our first baby - Mason - the changes started.  I can honestly say now - 13 years later - that i love him more than i ever have.  He gets me - knows my struggles and trials and still loves me- and me with him.  We have a great relationship and 3 wonderful kids.  So here is many more years ahead!!

Not the best picture - he was squinting - but the most recent.  We went to my nieces wedding up the logan temple on saturday and my SIL took this for me!  Soooooooooo he gave me 10th row tickets to the Tim Mgraw concert which i can't be more excited about!  My all time favorite!  

I will leave you with a few pictures of my cute niece - i was so proud of her that day - she looked beautiful!

Thanks for stopping by!!

hugs
B

Cystic Fibrosis

is a tough disease.  Most days are good - but there are some that it's all i think about - what his future will be like - what will we do when something goes wrong.  We have been so fortunate thus far to have hardly ANY problems with his CF.  We just had a clinic visit a few weeks ago and got the call a few days ago that everything came back normal, blood work and x-rays were all clear, another 3 months under our belt.

I think i get in these moods when we don't get along - its when i feel the worst.  He really is such a great kid - and has a fun personality but we seriously don't get along - he really really likes to push me to my limits.  I think its because it shows - he knows he can get to me - and i let him.  I need to try harder to be better with him - have more patience. I feel like he needs the most love and compassion - and the truth  is - he gets the least.  I'm hoping its a phase we are going through and we will get through it - because i hate feeling this way.  Because then i get on the internet and read sad stories that make me feel even worse. 

This is one of them - it's the story of a 23 year old actress who did a documentary about Cystic Fibrosis (65 red roses) - she past away in March.  She had a lung transplant and her life deteriorated quickly because her body was rejecting them.  She has some very inspiring stories on her blog and there are some clips from the movie.

Here is the link to her blog if your interested in reading more about her life and legacy.  65 Red Roses.

So then i have to move on to more inspiring stories - this man who is living with Cystic Fibrosis and is now 65 - WoW!  How cool is that!

Paul Quinton Ph.D. is a professor of pediatrics at University of California San Diego, and a professor of biomedical sciences at University of California Riverside, where he works to advance the understanding of the chronic illness, cystic fibrosis (CF). Dr. Quinton's interest in this genetic disease stems from his own diagnosis with CF when he was 19 years old. While he is 65 years old, the median lifespan for CF is 37 years. Dr. Quinton is recognized for his work in discovering the defect in the CF gene that prevents chloride molecules from entering and exiting affected cells. His research explained why the sweat of patients with CF is abnormally salty and has helped us understand that this illness is a disease of abnormal salt movement that is associated with abnormal mucus.

And Dean's cute cousin Kara who has Cystic Fibrosis and her husband Jordan - are finally able to adopt a baby - i'm SO happy for them. 

It always makes me think of Ethan's future and makes me wonder if he will find that someone who is so amazing that doesn't let this disease scare them away - who looks past the medicines and the treatments and the fact that he can't have children.  These 2 are what help me get through these times.  Here her blog if your interested in her stories.........Kara's Blog.

One of my very best friends who i've met through this process and has a son with CF always seems to make me feel better too - Love ya Carey!

Okay - i'm ready to get off my soapbox - if you've made it this far - thanks for listening.  And if your interested in donating to a great cause and in making CF stand for cure found - our annual great strides walk is coming up a week from this Saturday on the 22nd.  If you donate through that button it will go directly to Team Ethan!! 

Hugs
Brenda