So this month ive been crafting away. Heres a few of the things ive been doing:

1st. Lei Lani's Baby Shower:


This is a candle holder made out of baby food jars. Just cover with scrapbooking paper and flare with some ribbon. The website I saw used bows, i am not a bow type of girl so I just wrapped around with 2 sided tape and viola!

Some pictures for the gift table, just used some sock monkey scrapbooking paper instead of a mat.

Some more pictures, I did a few collages of Lei Lani and Max as babies with a center picture of Benson. Black picture frames are centerpieces too.

Heres the "B" in Benson, I created these letters to hang up at the shower on a window. I started with a canvas an it took 4 coats of brown to cover it. Then pick your paper and trace out your letters. to make it easier i just printed off my letters on to the paper and cut them out. then glue on with a glue stick. make sure its just really thick to seal it so you dont get bubbles. Then MODGE PODGE, and again podge modge. do thin coats and lots of them. I used a gloss and would recommend using a mat next time.


I found the best thing in the world at Dollar Giant! its a party pack, that contained 8 favors, 8 announcements, 8 thank you's, and 8 invitations. All for just $1! so i bought 10 packs of the boy and girl party packs, so whoever has a shower next you can use these, they are a lifesaver! So thankfully my mom came one night and helped me assemble these (all 40!).


2nd: A peekaboob cover.

I went to Lei Lani's this weekend to sew my own peekaboob cover. I choose to make my own because i wanted to make it a little bigger then the ones you can buy. i made this huge so i will have no oopsies. also i made this for a whole whoppin $9! Where as buying would have cost be around $30!
Here is a picture of the boning in the top to allow you to look at the baby, without the world seeing.


Heres how to sew in the boning to prevent it from sliding.

I sewed a little pocket in the corner to hold breastpads. i used flannel to match this next picture.

I sewed in a little triangle, to use to wipe up any spills. I still need to sew on the strings to hold it around my neck.

Just got home from my 16th week check up and it was a huge success! Blood Pressure is normal woohoooo!!!!! The past 2 check ups its been high, this was a huge scare. High BP can cause premature babies and i am so relieved to be back to normal again! We heard the very distinct little heart beat and again 155. According to the old wives tale its gonna be a girl. We shall find out how correct that is on Feb.18 with the ultrasound. My Dr. had me so excited cause he said lets do it at 18 weeks, but i guess the lab likes you to be 20 weeks. i was so excited thinking oh my i can know in 2 weeks. oh well! i suppose i can have some patience and wait 4 weeks :) Dont fret my friends we will share that news in 4 weeks, i could never know and not tell anyone.

i think this morning was the beloved moment every pregnant women looks forward to : the movement of the baby! im only 16 weeks and didnt expect to feel it for awhile now, but im not complaining! :) the other day i was joking with dave that it felt like something down there was twitching or either thats what it feels like when the baby moves but i was unsure. this morning it was a distinct little kick. i dont know if there is such thing as having pregnancy insomnia, if there is im claiming i have it. i never sleep now and i am a person who needs all the sleep i can get! it must be preparing be for something later on... not sure what or why? :) i am so glad it kept me up last night so i could just lay there and feel the fainest kicks. im excited now, lets see what i have to say when im 35 weeks and all i want is sleep and my little guy wants to play soccer with my ribs. so right now im thoroughly loving this pregnancy!

Ive been thinking lots tonight, i know UH OH! daves out babysitting and was suppose to be home at 6:30 so i didnt go over after i got off of work at 6:15. its past 8:30 now and so ive been home by myself for almost 2 and a 1/2 hours, not a big deal right?! well dave and i are always glued at the hip. we take our lunch at 12 so we can share lunch together everyday. dave worked 8-5 and i work 10-6. so we have always have evenings together. tonight made me realize how lucky we have been, we have only ever spent 2 nights apart in 2 years.

were heading into a big change and turn into our lives this year. dave has school starting tomorrow and once he finds a job he'll be working part time too. i know this is gonna create less "us" time. its gonna be a big change for us not to be together all the time.

also another biggie for us this year is the bun in my oven. thats gonna be a big change for us as well. were just thinking this past week about how much we take for grant-it how we can just get up and go whenever we want. we are so excited to meet this little one and how were gonna have a family of THREE!

sorry for this rant, im just thinking about this new year for us and the past 2. gotta love a new year and how it gives us all a fresh start. what are your new years resolutions?

All the fun and excitement of Christmas has hit our house! Were almost ready and everything is just about wrapped. Its been alot harder to get into the christmas spirit this year. we like to decorate right away, listen to music and watch all of our chirstmas movies to help us get into the festivities. this month we were away from our house for a week and a half and so we didnt have our "little" traditions to do all month. so we are now all ready and in full blown christmas mood! Also we have been so excited to watch one of our family member get a chrsitmas miracle, that has really helped kick off the christmas spirit for us! Our own little one is rapidly growing. The heartbeat was 155-160 yesterday. It was so neat to hear! I cant wait for our next appointment to hear it again so it will be a little more distinct. All is well with "it" and the pregnancy seems to be right on track. Our due date got bumped back a bit : july 13th. At first i was bummed out cause i wanted it to be sooner but now its gonna give me some more time to prepare. We will book our ultrasound at the next docotors appointment and then we will find out what the gender of this little one is.. Hope everyone is doing well and has a VERY merry christmas.

Okay so i have been trying to be patient and hold this in for as long as i can.. but im starting to burst at the seems (literally). drum roll please...... dum dee dum .... Were expecting a BABY the first week of July! We get to hear the heartbeat in a week and we'll find out our exact date. I couldn't wait any longer to tell! I did last until we were 12 weeks along tho! This is the best Christmas present for us!

I thought i would share some of my events from this past week, while babysitting 4 boys for 11 days:

-david does funny accents when he reads.
-ammon, tyler and david made brownies today in a microwave!
-they love the snow ( all 10 mins that they played in it, didnt last long ).
-why did the "everything" cross the road? to get eaten by the dinos on the other side (ammon).
-sugar is a bad idea!
-why did the orange go to the doctor? he didnt "peel" well. (david)
-a little boy (8 years old) ate a whole advent calender in 5 mins.
-ammon sleep walks.
-breakfast is either eggos or cereal. nothing else tastes good.
-we all get cabin fever when its minus -50 with windchill
-i taught bryan who his favourite auntie is ME!
-ammon thinks im cool.
- david loves to give out "i love yous"
- tyler has a contagious giggle.
- i didnt get anything done for christmas, like intended.
- dishes for 6 people is a constant struggle.
- coming up with cooking ideas for picky eaters is hard.
- each child cries at least once a day. even if it is over a mitten not being found.
-dont leave your make-up out if the door isnt locked.
-ammons voice when he reads is hilarious!

-

Blog Stalking... we all do it ... right?

Okay so its blizzarding outside, bryan is down for a nap and the boys are coloring. So why not Blog Stalk?! So i found some new ideas for christmas thanks to a few new blogs.. It just happens you look at a blog and see another one so then you go to that one that looks fascinating and then another... its just a viscous cycle. CHECK THESE OUT! enjoy!


12 days of christmas ornaments.
cuegly ornaments . . miniture sleighs.
fresh poppy ornaments.

Just some fun ideas to craft some holiday love..

Busy Busy Busy!

We have been so busy and loving it (at least that's what we tell ourselves). Dave is now officially accepted to the college and we got accepted for student loans. its been a huge blessing how smooth all the paperwork is going. Dave is absolutely excited to go back to school. Holiday hours have started so the crazy mall begins! I get to miss the first week and a half of December's hustle and bustle in the mall. Dave an I will be babysitting our 4 nephews while the parents go on a cruise. i dont know why we didnt tell them they should just take us and find different babysitters. :) It will be good for us, a crash course in parenting. Thank heavens for a wonderful hubby who helps all the time. Just wanted to update our busy lives before the christmas craziness starts!

Our family.

this is our little boy.

our little girl.

i wasn't sure if this is a boy or a girl :)

Just wanted to show you are family. aren't they adorable!

a wonderful week.

Life has just been a delight this week. we have received so much good news in our family and extended family. We got a surprise visit from mike & mel, it was nice to show them our house. We are almost all decorated for chirstmas! Its nice to come home and have the christmas tree lit up and feel the christmas spirit all ready. The cats are loving the tree too ( not in a good way ). Hair is becoming crazy at home, which is good keeps us on our toes and busy! Just wanted to give an update of your busy lives!

N O E L . . .

So i decided to get crafty today and attempt doing the letters noel. I found the best blog thanks to laura on a bunch of tutorials. i tried my own attempt and changed things to suit the products i had. i learned that a glue stick is not the best, use an actual wood glue. i bought it from the dollar store and found its awesome. has a thickness to it that makes it better to adhere. this isn't the picture i had in my head but the dollar store didn't carry the flat letters so i tried to create my own with letters that have a router edged.













heres my wish list:

bow bag

framed monogram

hip mama diaper bag ( no im not announcing anything )

chucks.

i got new shoes last week.
i wear them everyday.
rascal loves to chew on them.
they are super comfy.
we are in love with them.

an old shelf becomes new.

our lastest reno..

we decided to take our dvd shelf and transform it into a nice display/ shelf for our dvds.

The original book shelf.

Finally putting up pictures.

The shelf on the right of the TV.

the shelf on the left of the tv.

my new do.

this was my goal to achieve this hair again! this is summer 2007.

this is how it turned out. i love it! next time add some more blonde..

this is just the back.

rascal is growing up so fast!

well tomorrow we will have had rascal for 8 weeks now and here is his growth spurt. its hard to tell how big hes getting but if you look at the 2 pictures with hands in them that should help compare sizes. we just love this little guy to pieces!

this is when we first got him.

this is how he sleeps, just sprawls in the crack of the couch. we would have had him for about 4 weeks here.

he is so stinkin playful! this was taken today, so almost after having him for 8 weeks.

i would die for that.

this you tube video is very sad. if you watch it be prepared to have kleenex. my sister in law shared this on facebook and i watched it and just want to share it.

fondue.

pineapple, apples, and oranges.

pineapple and chocolate...

soooo good! we will have to make this a thanksgiving tradition.

we are thankful for . . . .

we are thankful for . . . .

one another.
owning a home.
dvd's.
having jobs.
our kitties.
family.
the gospel.
a microwave.
comfy couches.
nature.
toilets.
our big tv.
clean air.
free country.
healthcare.
cameras.
snowboards.
our talents.
friends.
christmas.
vehicles.
tools.
technology.
books.

JJ's got game.

this is my little brothers football team. hes #18 on the left at the front.

the eventful day.

3am: Cub & Rach have a baby girl. Lauren Lois Wolff 7lbs 3oz.

7am: off to the ER to be diagnosed with pneumonia.

3:00pm: Mike & Mel have a baby boy. Mason Michael Atwood 10lbs 7oz.

what a day! we wanted to go see Mike & Mel but we couldnt with me being contagious. Congrats you guys! cant wait to meet all these babys coming into the family. thats now 4/5 of the coming this year. only Leilani is left and shes due dec.21.

daves new blog.

Dave has started his own blog:

Check it out!
www.davesprojectsandplans.blogspot.com

looking back through our pictures..

my big brother!

This is a post about one of my heros. this goofy picture is of my older brother. were four years apart so when he was graduating i was in my "im so cool im 14" stages. for any of you who are spaced that far apart you know that you dont go to high school together or junior high. so needless to say during high/junior school years we weren't super close. it was after he returned from his mission and i was just graduating that we were able to become best friends. my parents moved to arizona right after i graduated so it was only me and darren in lethbridge. he was the best brother a little sister could have had! he helped me get to know lots of people in YSA ( that big scary world ). he showed me how to be me. darren was always there through all my ups and downs and yet showed be through example of the way things are. sorry this is just such a blab but he had a quote on his status today that really hit home for me and just made me come to miss him so much as him and his "2 cuties" are living in saskatoon.

heres that quote:

"the differnce between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life you're given a test that teaches you a lesson." Lately this quotes really hit home.

Thanks darren for being such a wonderful example and big brother. love ya so much!

Heres darren and his family now..

i have no title.. im lame.

Heres my nice puffy/swollen smile! This is taken about 5 days after i got my wisdom teeth out. somehow i still look stoned!

heres ME! with my new extensions and color.. i know i know. i have been saying im gonna grow out my hair and get to my natural red hair. i cant help it. its a terrible addiction, i know i should quit!

this is what we do for fun! ROCKBAND! this is my brother-in-law Roger.

heres mindy and dan rockin' out! they enjoy wearing matching outfits, just teasing! ;)

heres our babies im sure everyone thinks were obsessed. they are now sleeping next to one another and playing! woohoo! it was scary at first they didnt get along. they are constantly making us laugh. rascal (kitten) is so playful! he is such a spaz (in a good way). bowie (the grey chunkster) would be a good mouser if we let her outside. she talks to the flies and makes such weird noises. we always get asked if there is a baby in the house, nope its just bowie boob. what a terrible nick name, and thats only for a cat. our poor kids.

this is the cat tree dave built! i love my handy man! saved us $100!


heres bowie boob sleeping.. i dont know how she is comfortable?

heres razzy bear. hes getting so big! we cant get over how fast its happening. we have almost had him for 3 weeks now!

i am a chimpunk...

Well yesterday was the BIG day. All 4 wisdom teeth were extracted. We had thought i was being put out, like completely asleep. HA! No it was just IVS, big surprise to me when i woke up and became conscience half way through! thankfully i had awesome dental assistants to help me calm my hyper ventilating and going into shock. they had to help me get my heart rate down before they could finish. it was the worst thing ive ever heard or felt. i could hear them cracking my one tooth because they couldnt get it out. GROSS! then i could feel lots of the pressure and my mouth had started to unfreeze on the right side. poor dave could hear me in the waiting room crying and asking why i was awake? I am so grateful that the drugs have not made me crazy or have any hallucinations. yesterday went fairly well besides the fact my arms and legs were tingly and the left side of my face stayed numb 12 hours longer then it should have. i was nervous because the dentist had never heard of anyone having numbness in any other areas besides the face. but all is well. im starting to look like a chipmunk but i feel awesome and am being spoiled like crazy from dave! just giving an update! thanks for all the phone calls or emails of concern!

the niche...

I am SO in love with doing hair at home! Its cheaper, more relaxing, and comfortable. Just these past few weeks I have been doing more hair at home and I have loved getting to know everyone better and to do hair out of the salon setting. Yes, I do wash hair in the kitchen sink for colors but if you don't mind that the prices are less than half of what you pay for at the salon! We just bought our first place and I now have more room!

The days I that TRY to work are:

Mondays - 9am-7pm
Tuesdays & Wednesdays - 7pm-10pm
Saturdays - 9am-7pm

It never hurts to just message me and ask if any other time works. I'm pretty flexible. I still work full time at Regis Salon in Park Place Mall.

Prices:
Woman's cut: $20
Men's cut: $15
Children's cut: (16 and under) $10

Solid color $35
Half head foils $35
Full head foils $55
Solid and foils $75

Perms $50

Special on right now:
With a color right now your haircut is 50% off.