{more joy} It's OVER!

We celebrated (and celebrated, and celebrated), we survived and we're done.
Halloween is my least favorite holiday and after celebrating for a week I was happy to see it end--at least until next year. My kids (of course) greatly enjoy Halloween and celebrated by dressing up as Chinese girl, eyeball and pink poodle, respectively. No, when your mother doesn't enjoy Halloween and you are over the age of three you do not have coordinating costumes.
Lesson learned from this Halloween season: 1) If you have strawberry blond hair and spray black dye on it you will look more like an 80-year old grandma than a Chinese girl 2) A pumpkin and an eyeball are the same shape--use the same pattern for multiple Halloween costumes 3) Pine cones, leaves and rocks are 'treats' for a two-year-old--candy is also acceptable.
Lulu the Chinese Girl (Grandma M made this awesome dress as a b-day present and Mom immediately decided it would be awesome--read: FREE--as a Halloween costume):

Buddy the Eyeball (the only costume I made):
Squiggle the Pink Poodle, as her favorite animal is a fa-fa (dog) and all the customers at Costco were overcome by her poodle-cuteness I couldn't resist this costume:
Now onto Thanksgiving--one of my favorite holidays and definitely my favorite holiday for which to decorate. What can I say, I love pilgrims and leaves; yet I don't have massive decorations like Christmas.

{more joy} Let's talk about Christmas

I know, I know. It is only October, but you should really start thinking about Christmas. Thanks to my SIL, Ashley, I have been thinking about Christmas since July! If you want to make Christmas gifts or beat the rush, now is the perfect time to start a wish list for yourself and a potential gifts list for your loved ones. I am here to help you make and give personalized Christmas gifts without breaking the bank.

You may know that I am the Creative Team Leader for Andilynn Designs. As a CT we made a 2010 calendar using Andrea's awesome kits. Each month contains a 'top' portion where you can place pics of your cuties and a 'bottom' portion that has the calendar grid. Each is sized 8.5x11 landscape and can be uploaded to a place like ArtsCow. Just remember ArtsCow has great prices ($8.99 for a calendar) but they are located in Hong Kong, the shipping time is extensive (I recommend ordering before December) and they can't accept debit cards--but do accept most credit cards. I'm not getting paid by them; I've just used them a few different times and really like their quality and prices.

If you are interested in the calendar and don't have photo editing software, you could even manipulate this calendar Microsoft Word. Just email me with any q's. So without further ado, here is the calendar. And it is currently on sale (I don't get any money from it either, just think it's cool)!

Click on the image to navigate to the store and to see larger pics of each month.

{more love} We're getting the hang of it

IT meaning school. I just realized the kids started school over a month ago, and I never posted pics. Lulu started first grade:
Quotes from the first day:

"I LOVE first grade. It is nothing like Kindergarten. I didn't want to come home."
"I already made three new friends."
"Did you miss me? I feel special being gone all day and eating lunch and school. I'm kind of like Dad."

Quotes from week two:

"I HATE first grade. Why do I have to go ALL DAY? It is so long."
"Do I have to go to school today?"
"I don't like eating lunch at school."

Currently she loves school, except when she hates it and tries to fake a tummy-ache so she can stay home. Too bad I'm onto her evil plan and just dump her off at school everyday--then breathe a sigh of relief. At the end of the day, she is always happy--and healthy.

Buddy is A LOT more easy-going (something he inherited from his dad) and still enjoys Kindergarten day after day, week after week. He never complains about going and seems happy when I pick him up at the end of the day. He has learned a lot during his first month. Here he is on the first day of Kindergarten--one L-O-N-G week after Lulu started:
And what do Squiggle and I do with so much (ha, ha) time on our hands? Well, she sleeps and I clean up whatever mess she created right before taking Buddy to school and try and catch up on other 'stuff'--like this blog. She is turning into quite a character and is getting more and more into pretend play. Here she is helping Rob and I hang a picture rod:

And here she orchestrated her own tea party, even found some chips in the pantry for the event. I let her have the tea party before bed--isn't she adorable? Here are some other LOs I completed of our trip to Colorado with Rob's family:

hiking to Lily Lake

hiking with Cousin A and teaching her to make silly faces
one of my favorite pics of the summer--Squiggle and Mom ready for the train ride

{more joy} More Digi-Scrap

If you are looking for something fun to do tomorrow night OR you want to learn more about digital scrapbooking, you should head over the Miller Conference Center for some fun workshops and classes. I have been to these classes before, and they are very informative and fun. Find out more information here (including how to get in for FREE) and maybe I'll see you there!

{more chaos} This is what happens...

...when you don't watch The Relief Society General Broadcast:
You go to church on Sunday and pass around a sign-up sheet for an upcoming "Home, Family and Personal Enrichment" activity. You feel really proud of yourself that you remembered to include the 'full' name, and that you remembered the sign-up since General Conference is next Sunday. Thus, you silently announce to your ward that you DID NOT attend the RS Conference. You do not realize that you may not even have a calling, and the phrase "Home, Family and Personal Enrichment" is so yesterday. You might as well have worn a "I've Got Soul, But I'm Not a Solider" T-shirt to church--yes I had different plans Saturday night.
About six months ago, Rob and I got tickets to The Killers and went with some of his friends to the concert as Rob's birthday present. The concert was awesome--very fun, a lot of energy, clean language, clean lyrics, appropriate graphics and all the band members seemed very lucid. Weird, right? I know, it was awesome. So, although I missed the announcement that I may not have a calling, or that my current calling is "formerly-known-as-Enrichment-leader" (still waiting to hear) I was supporting another Mormon and having a great time with my sweetheart.
We had an out-of-the-ordinary weekend that also included Rob, Elizabeth & Dallin camping with G&G at Little Sahara; me completing my first 5K; and our home teacher coming to visit. What did you do this weekend? If you also missed the Broadcast and have no idea what I am talking about, I recommend watching it online.

{more joy} finding hidden cash

Okay, I'm back for a few more frugal tips:
4. Plant a garden; or at least plant some veggies/salad greens in pots. We are finally reaping the (yummy) benefits of our small garden (and my parents large garden--thanks!) and we love it!

5. Add 1/2 C borax, 1/2 C baking soda to 1 C of your dishwasher detergent. Doubles the life of your detergent, and borax/baking soda are CHEAP!

6. Make your own laundry detergent. I used this recipe; most I found around the web are about the same. I just starting using it this week, and it works great :)

Now it's your turn. I know you have a tip for me...

{more joy} More $$$

One thing I've tried to do this summer is spend less money. Rob and I have always tried to be frugal (thanks to our parents' examples), but this summer we've tried to stretch our pennies even further. I know many of you are doing the same thing, so I thought we could share strategies. I'm going to try and list a few money-saving tips everyday until I run out of ideas. PLEASE share some of your tips as well.

1. Extend the life of computer ink: (I learned this tip from the store where I get my ink refilled) Soak your ink cartridge in warm water for 15-20 minutes, dry off and return to your printer. You can now get an additional 15+ printed pages from your ink cartridge.
2. Bread Crumbs: Blend unwanted bread (e.g. the heel) and place in a ziploc bag in the freezer.

3. Use vinegar instead of Jet-Dry in your dishwasher. It works--I promise!

Okay, now give me some of your tips, and I'll be back tomorrow with more of mine.