Lily the pig-catcher

Here's the story of how we discovered Lily's hidden farming talents at Pleasant Grove's very own Hee-Haw farm.

We were just hanging out on Saturday when Uncle Dave and Aunt Erin called to see if we wanted to go to the pumpkin patch with them. They came to Pleasant Grove and we went to the local Hee-Haw farm/pumpkin patch. We had a fabulous day playing together. At the farm, they have a pig-chasing competition, and we happened to be there just in time for it.

First, Lily Jane was invited to compete in the pig-catching by correctly answering a farm animal trivia question.

The Hunters line up.

The hunted...quivering in the opposite corner.

At the whistle, the kids took chase and the the piggies squealed and ran like crazy. After a few times around the pig pen, LJ cornered a swine and gently took a firm hold on its waist.

She held fast for a full five seconds and was declared the pig-catching champion!

Her reward was the pumpkin of her choice from the pumpkin patch.

It was a night to be remembered by all and Lily has gone down in history as the best pigcatcher in these parts. Yay, Lily Jane! You are awesome!

Other Hee-Haw farm highlights: Sam & Drew brave the "giant haystack slide"

Maggie & Lily Jane

Jack & Daddy

Jack learned a new word: "FUN!" which he repeated all evening.

The awesome animal train was enjoyed by all.

Jack found his way through the mini-maze, made of hay bales.

The big corn maze..at each fork in the road we let a different kid choose which way we would go. It made for a long winding path through the maze, but we made it out eventually.

There were lots of animals to see, Jack learned another new word: "bunny!"

The pumpkin patch was pretty picked over but Drew climbed atop the pumpkin shelves to check the possibilities. Each kid ended up with a good specimen to take home and carve.

The verdict: Hee-Haw farm was awesome! Hanging out with the Russells for a day was even better. Thanks guys!

Guess what "wii" want for Christmas?

The other day we had our friends Stacey & Drew (big Drew, John's buddy from High School) over for family night. They brought their Wii, and we had a blast with it! A few days later, Drew (my little Drew, who was named after the aforementioned big Drew) informed me that

he wanted to ask Santa for either a Sticky hand or a Wii for Christmas.

A sticky hand...meaning the thing you can get for a quarter in a vending machine...it stretches and sticks to walls, leaving a slightly greasy spot behind. A Wii...meaning the newest nintendo invention...it is an interactive gaming system costing $249 before you get any of the extra cool additions.

Drew says Santa could bring either one and he would be happy.

What a kid.

Somehow I only got pics of LJ playing the Wii, but trust me--we all enjoyed it!
We'll have to see what Santa decides!

Fall 2008 Group Meeting

For the last 5 years or so, I have been doing one big group get-together for my Stampin' Up! downline each year in October. The 2008 get-together was as fun as ever! We held the event in Logan at the Yorkshire clubhouse, and it was a two-day event. About 55 out of my 188 demonstrators were there.

Friday night was filled with 24 make & takes. Everyone made and took home 24 different cards! Here they are, you can see some better than others, sorry!

Saturday starts with check-in, displays and swapping. Here are the swaps--

We also have a contest for the favorite swap--and Candice Anderson's "eat, drink & be scary" card was the winner. Good job Candice!

This year our 'display queens' did a wonderful job showing off some Stampin' Up! craftiness. Thank you to Candice Anderson, Stephanie Johnson and Deborah Larsen for the fabulous displays.

Our theme this year was "celebrate 2008", we celebrated SU's 20-year anniversary with cake and balloons.

The get-together also happened to be on October 11, Shelli Gardner's birthday. So Mandy Erickson made a giant SU-style birthday card for her and everyone signed it. Each person stamped the card with their fave-ever SU stamp. I gave the card to Shelli a couple days later when I saw her and she was so surprised and excited.

I wish I had a better pic of the card! It was beautiful. And it was poster-size!

All Day Saturday we had activities like business training, awards, demonstrations, project shares, food and much more. Here are a few moments:

Friends hang out for some girl time!
Cute projects to see

Janice shares her wisdom with a business tip about sales

Everyone made and took home a set of 12 X 12 calendar pages

The whole event is a ton of work--for me and others--but so very worth it. I just love being together with all the "Queens of the Stamp Age." At the end of the get-together everyone surprised me with flowers, and I was so touched! My emotions got to me a little bit, it just meant so much to me! Another great group get-together has gone down in history.

Fall Fun

One evening just for fun we pulled out the kites and ran up and down our sidewalk with them...the kids are getting really good at it! It doesn't even have to be windy. If you run fast enough, you make your own wind! :)

Jack just enjoys running around outside. In fact, he runs outside every chance he gets. Now that he can open doors on his own we have to be on high alert at all times!
He only looks innocent!

* * *

One day the kids left the markers out and Jack found them...
...and he knew just what to do with them!

He was so funny with his coloring book, I just took pictures and let him play...then gave him a bath later. That's what washable markers are for!

The Puzzler

Jack is just loving puzzles lately. I was pretty surprised to find that he is not only able, but very quick at assembling our USA puzzle! It is the kind where there is just an open space and the pieces fit together within the space. I would not think that a 20-month old would be able to do this one, but he knows where every single piece goes. It is his favorite puzzle at our house.


What a little smartie!

Lettuce Wraps

Each time Melanie and I get together for conference weekend scrapbooking, John really takes over and makes it easy for me to focus on getting our memories archived. He cooks, he cleans, he takes care of kids...he even switches the DVD for us when necessary. (Because we would not want to stop cropping for even the most mundane task!) Seriously...I have no idea how I ended up so lucky. John is just a really swell guy. And he just got a teeny bit better when he invented his own version of Lettuce Wraps, like our faves at P.F.Chang's. They were enjoyed by all at the scrappin' weekend. Thanks John! Here is how he does it:

Lettuce Wraps:
First make the marinade/dipping sauce by mixing the following in a small bowl:
1 c. Teriyaki Sauce (kikkoman)
2 tbsp. honey
4 dashes garlic powder
2 dashes black pepper
pinch ginger
pinch red pepper flakes
Set aside about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of this mixture in a covered container for your dipping sauce.

What you still have left will become the marinade. To that add:
1 tbsp rice vinegar
Fillet 2-3 raw chicken breasts and marinate in the fridge (in a zip-lock or large covered container) for 1-2 hours. Grill chicken (basting continually with marinade) on outdoor grill until just done. Do not overcook. Dice chicken as small as desired.

Serve dipping sauce, chicken mixture and large clean lettuce leaves. (As pictured) To assemble each wrap, place a few spoonfuls of the chicken into a lettuce leaf. Add a spoon or two of the dipping sauce and roll. Dip in the dipping sauce too if desired. So yummy!!

Scrap-A-Thon!

I just had to share a few pics from my Fall 2008 Scrap-A-Thon!
This was one of my favorite stampin' classes ever! It was at my house on Sept 27, and the class lasted about 4 hours. Everyone got to make 8 full 2-page layouts.
The projects were all themed for the last half of the year. The layouts we did were: Back-to-School, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Autumn, Winter, Camping & Birthday.

The late-night prep: when will I ever learn? Helpers: What would I do without them?
John and Kaylyn both pitched in... I just love this sight so much I had to take a picture!
Everything all organized and ready to go...... The best part--The Projects!This class was a huge success and so fun to do. My job really is fun!
I am planning to host a Scrap-a-Thon again in the spring. Enjoy!