Top COP!

Sometimes it's not what you know, it's WHO you know. I always remember my dad saying that as I grew up. Today, it's true. One of Travis' best friends is a Salt Lake City Police officer. Saying that Nolan loves "cops" is a major understatement! He likes to play the "cop" (funny how he calls them cops not police officers) and "frow" bad guys in jail.


So, he brought over the police car and showed Nolan everything. He got to play with handcuffs, talk over the loud speaker, run the siren & the lights!

Then he gave out crayons & colorbooks, stickers and Jr. Police badges. Phew! What an awesome experience! SO exciting! I'm certain my neighbors loved it too :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday we had family photos taken - I can't wait to see them! I will post them here in the next few days. It doesn't seem possible that the last time we had professional pictures taken was 6 YEARS ago! Honestly, it feels like maybe 2 or 3 at most! But when I look at them, Mira was just 4. Nolan was just a twinkle in my eye and we're coming up on his THIRD birthday. Time slips by so fast....that's why I want to savor each moment and create wonderful family memories for us all.

We have SO much to be thankful for today. I'm grateful for my hubby and our families. Not many can say and TRULY mean that they have the best family in the world...I can and do! My children bring such joy into every single moment of life! They are *the* inspiration for everything I do in life :)

We slept over at my mom & dad's house last night to get a jump on the day. We arrived a bit later than planned (taking pics took longer but WELL worth it) and had a quesadilla bar with all the goodies. We even added one of my favs, asparagus, to throw in :) Yummy! We stayed up late, chatting and laughing, just enjoying the time together. Then we got up early and started cooking.

This is my sausage and butternut squash with wild rice stuffing! So delish!

I made pumpkin cornbread for something different this year. Along with it we had turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole and the traditional sweet potatoes - it's NOT Thanksgiving without these :)

Then came the always coveted turkey induced nap! (this was actually BEFORE we ate!)

No nap for THIS guy. He piled up some of Grandma's pillows, got a running start and jumped on each one on his way down the hall! Nolan didn't stop until he was red in the face & out of breath. He was so tired that he went to sleep in the car and didn't wake up, even through putting on his jammies at 10pm!

Hope everyone had as wonderful a day as we did. Happy Thanksgiving!

Cookie Exchange!

As the holidays approach, I always seem to have so many great ideas and intentions. Unfortunately, time isn't so much on my side. This year I have committed to making an effort to genuinely ENJOY the season! One thing that I've wanted to do for some time is have a cookie exchange. You invite all your BFFs and everyone brings enough cookies for each attendee to take home (or EAT!) 4 cookies that they've made. So you will go home with as many, if not more, cookies as you brought, but you've got an A.MAZ.ING variety.

So this year I'm doin' it! It's a wonderful reason to gather the ladies and begin the holiday FUN! We will have a hot cocoa bar, prizes, etc. And I'm going to use my mad Photoshop skills (and a little Rhonna MAGIC!) to make up a Christmas Cookie recipe book for everyone! Here's the invite:


It's been made into a postcard so it's easy and simple and slightly eco-friendly :) This is going to be a BLAST and I can't wait! It'll be a great kick off to the holiday festivities. Next on my list...the dreaded Christmas cards. But I'm going to ENJOY that too - we are having family photos done this week by a super talented gal - more on that to come! Stay tuned....

New Moon

Of course we went to see this movie! I'm not going to defend our decision to go, but hey, I've got a teenager AND a tween who begged and since I've read all the books I thought it would be an interesting comparison between the literary and cinematic versions...who am I kidding, right?!?

We had to get up at the crack of dawn, throw on our sweats - no make up or hair curling - just dash & go. How could you not like raspberry icee & Kit Kats for breakfast?!? It was for sure better than the first one. The girls loved it :) Maybe I did too....

Let's BRUSH up!

Last night I had the EXTREME pleasure of meeting THE Rhonna Farrer! OMG! Can I just tell you that she is so much more incredible, talented, funny and wonderful IN PERSON that I'd ever imagined?!? I've followed her and her work for the last several years and I'm SO excited that she decided to teach classes locally!

It took place at Dear Lizzy in Alpine. There couldn't possibly be a MORE inspirational place to create than there! Seriously, right? With the chandeliers and beautiful bling-y things and the cupcakes - oh, the cupcakes and goodies!! Plus they've got the greatest holiday inspirations throughout the shop too. And they kept it open JUST for us! Oh, so beautiful and wonderful. I'd been looking forward to it ALL week, but little did I know how great it really would be :)


We brought our laptops and got a complete brush kit from Rhonna along with this incredible cookie, that didn't last much past THIS picture.

She taught us how to use and even create our own brushes in Photoshop, as well as how to resize, recolor, move, flip and manipulate them! My sister in law, Traci, and I both went and seriously, we just kept turning to look at each other every time we learned something we didn't even think possible...which was every minute or two! :) LOL! And Rhonna was so excited and thorough and wonderful to each of us! Such an incredible night.

So, how could it get any better? Just so happens that my all-time number one, favorite scrapbooker/blogger/inspiration is friends with Rhonna and came to hang out & take some pics! Yep, Liz Kartchner! Ahhhhh! Too bad I didn't have the nerve to introduce myself, huh? She's totally amazing and utterly creative! Her blog is THE first one I ready EVERYDAY and I just love how she shares her life and her creative self with us all. Check out her new book here.
Can't wait to get my own copy!

Such a wonderful opportunity and I'm so thankful Rhonna decided to teach locally this time around! Hopefully she'll do more of it! I absolutely LOVE everything she creates! She's an incredibly talented and beautiful person. We should be so lucky as to have a little rub off on us ;0) Thanks Rhonna for everything. It was amazing!

Time for a change

Not only are the seasons changing, but so are many things around here! If you've been following this blog for a while, you'll know that a ways back Lauren & I donated our hair to Locks of Love. Once I had gone "short" it was tough to decide where to go...shorter, medium, or back to LONG. So after a bit of experimentation, I decided to grow my hair back out. Which, as many of you know, is not a fun thing. at. all......ever. Now, after making it through that awkward "resting on the shoulders" phase I had made it past to where things were beginning to settle down. If you know me.....you know that didn't last long. This is me now...


Crazy? I'm not sure, but one thing I do know...it will grow back if I want it to. It's pretty liberating really, considering I had the same long hair for the last 15 years. I don't think my hair has been this short since I was in third grade and all the girls were getting the "Dorothy Hammill" do's!! :) Now I can change, experiment and have fun with it. I'll just have to be sure to bring along my scarf !!

Ladies Luncheon

There's just something about a group of women getting together for some great food, entertainment and fun! Our parish held their annual Ladies Luncheon and fundraiser after mass today. We had a fun Parisian themed event. There were berets, ascots & scarves, and HATS! Everyone was encouraged to wear their favorite hat, for which there was a contest. Big ones small ones, crazy ones...but the winner was one of my favs too - A gold and black NEW YORK YANKEES hat! :)

After a delicious meal of pear & walnut salad, stuffed chicken with risotto and veggies and chocolate crepes with raspberry sauce ( a perhaps a glass of vino ) we had a silent auction and raffle for some incredible prizes!


For the entertainments portion we watched an unbelievable talented group of dancers called VIBE. They perform all over and we were very lucky to have them. From ballroom to break dancing, they did it all and even taught us a few moves (again thanks for a bit of vino!).
Thanks to all the hard working women in the parish who put it all together - a job well done!

Sunday=Family FUNday

One of my recent goals is to try to get all the chores and errands done during the week so that when Sunday comes, we can spend better quality time together as a family. No TO DO lists, no shopping, no agenda other than church. How could you NOT enjoy family time with these girls?!?

They think it's SO cool to say that they shook hands with Jesus :)

So, today we went to spend time with more family...the cousins! We went to Aunties house where all the kids look forward to BIG bubblegum chewing and bubble blowing and having a great time in general. Since it was such fantastic fall weather, the kids played outside and we watched from the kitchen, while chatting and loving little baby Simon.

It's always so comfortable and fun! Traci & I get to catch up on everything from recipes and parenting to computers and business while the kids run around and play together. This is a perfect way to spend a Sunday! I'm so lucky to be part of an awesome extended family - thanks guys for a great day!

The Holidays

Don't look now, but the holidays are sneaking up on you! And on me too! Before you know it we won't be able to stop thinking about it 24/7, thanks to the music on the radio, the non-stop commercials on TV showing twinkling lights, cozy fires and the super expensive toys that "all the kids" want!

What do YOU want this year? When I stop to think about that question, it's like my mind goes into neutral...the motors running but I'm not going anywhere! After a full 24 hours of thinking, pondering and reflecting on years past, I finally came up with an answer. The one thing that I want this holiday season is PEACE. Now that may seem weird and no, I don't mean world peace or for the war to end or any other typical Miss Universe response. Just plain ol' PEACE! Peace in my heart, peace in my soul, peace within my family.

The days leading up to Christmas so often have been spent stressed out about what to buy for whom, struggling to manage the social calendar, bake goodies for neighbors and friends, etc. and so on, that we really forget what it's about. The true heart of Christmas - CHRIST. The one who gave up everything for us...set the ultimate example, ya...that guy :) So THIS holiday season I want to enjoy the reason for the season and be with my family. Just be. Be a loving mother, wife, daughter, Catholic, friend - and feel the peace that comes with having so many blessings and appreciate each and every one.

So, let me ask you again. What do YOU want this year? :)

All Saints Day

Today is the day to honor all of the Saints in the Catholic faith and our parish is having a wonderful "All Saints Festival" with lunch provided by the Knights of Columbus (provided, of course that we all bring non-perishable food donations).


The kids were told last week in their religious ed classes that if they wanted to, they could dress up as their favorite Saint (or make a t-shirt or a shield decorated in their honor) and march in today with the Monsignor. So after a long week of researching, Mira decided that she wanted to honor Saint Luke, the patron saint of doctors & physicians. She really wants to be an obstetrician - not surprising considering how much she LOVES babies! She watches TLC and Discovery Health channels non-stop!

So, we found a great image of a stained glass which depicts the Ox, often seen with or as a symbol of Saint Luke, and made a t-shirt for her to wear. It was a great event and reminder of the wonderful examples the Saints are for us.