Card Class

For those that may be interested....I just thought I'd share the cards I came up with for my next RS Enrichment card class. All but two I made a while back and I'm just reusing them for this class. (much easier on me). The butterfly and heart cards are new creations.


















It was requested that I make some Thank You cards so Laurels could be invited to come. All of them can be whatever occasion they want except for one, I gave an option on the baby to be a B- or T with thank you.
I had 12 sign up for the last class and I made a total of 78 card kits (whew)
After I got all these done I realized there was a lot of PINK and GREEN..... oh well, guess if they don't like pink they don't have to get that card. The class isn't until May 22nd so there is plenty of time to get sign ups and kits ready.

Take Child to Work Day

Last night Parker informs us that it is Take Your Child to Work Day today. He has grand plans of staying home with mom and having his friend Brecken come hang out with him.
Hummmm.....do you see anything wrong with that picture.
First of all, if he was going to stay home to work with mom...I would definitely put him to work. I have a lot of chores that could be done around the house.
Secondly, I already had a full day planned and wasn't staying home.
Ryan also had meetings and such that he wouldn't be able to take Parker to work all day with him.
Soooo We came up with a plan.
Parker (and Brecken) would stay home with me and help me get concession food to the venue for the PTA 5th grade track meet tomorrow. We actually ran into Parker's teacher at the school when picking up the food. Parker tried to hide, but Mr. Maranto thought it was pretty fun for Parker to split the day up with both Ryan and I.
Then we met Ryan for lunch and to make the switchRyan took both boys to his office for a little day in the life of a lawyer. Although they mostly helped make copies, hole punch and put binders together. Ryan had a client meeting so the boys entertained themselves by playing on my computer.
I'm not sure what the boys actually learned by staying home today, but hey, It was a great excuse to ditch right?!?
Miranda decided not to stay home today. She's had a lot of choir performances the last couple days and has missed classes for them. She didn't want to get more behind in class. She really dislikes making up homework.

I attended the first day of Nevada PTA convention at Sams Town. I didn't like being there by myself, but I did attend some informative workshops. I'm going to more tomorrow, after the track meet, but not sure if I'll go on Saturday. It really is boring without anyone to chat with.

Tulips and Snow?

I finally have a few minutes to update since my trip to Washington. I just haven't had a chance to sit and blog. Like I said in my previous post, I had a wonderful weekend with my sisters and mom. Here are a few photo's from our trip.
We did go to a tulip farm near Heather's house. They actually had some beautiful tulips in bloom despite the cold weather.












I took the picture of the purple tulips for Miranda's sake. (she loves purple)
I couldn't pass by these beautiful PINK tulips without getting a picture with them.
It's been a while since all my sisters had a picture together. (notice I'm the only one with a winter coat , gloves and scarf...I'm such a whimp) Heather's little boy Ian was such the entertainment for the weekend.
He is quite a talker for a 5 year old.
He NEVER stops!He and I rode in the back of the car a lot of the time so he took a picture of me with his daffodil in my hair and then took one of himself.... He's such a crack up!


















Saturday morning we woke up to SNOW...I was too cozy in bed to get up and get a shot of the ginormous flakes coming down. This is not my idea of a Spring vacation!









After a wonderful Mexican lunch (wouldn't be a vacation without a yummy Mexican meal). We went to the mall and a movie. On the way home Heather's car had issues and had to be towed home (sorry Nathan...he didn't want me to post that)










We didn't let a little car trouble ruin our fun. We had a rousing game of Hand and Foot (similar game to canasta so I'm told) Heather and Nat barely beat Amber & I ...it was a very close game.
I'm sure we could have won the next game but it was waaaayy too late.
Hey...how'd those cards get there? (he he) Too bad it's a Black 3!
I'm lovingly known as the "cheater" in the family...which is funny because I really never cheat!

So there you have it....a rundown of the Smith Girls Weekend!

Too Exciting!!

I'm here posting in Washington. It was a very early morning that began at 4:30am for me. We boarded the plane around 9am and landed save and sound around noon.
It's cold and raining and my teeth were chattering the moment we landed. Good thing I brought my winter coat!
We've been to the Almond Roca Plant (I forgot to take my camera in). We bought some fresh almond roca for our party tonight! We also visited a Tulip farm near Heather's house. Because the weather is so cold the tulips at the Tulip Festival aren't open. We decided not to head over there since it wasn't in bloom.

OK...now I'm just rambling because the real thing I was so excited about is .....
Drumroll please.....
I'm going to get one of my cards published in the Sept. 2008 issue of CARDS magazine!
I checked my email to find a link to show Heather and I saw the acceptance email.
I can't hardly believe it! I'm soooooooo excited I can't even express!
The card they want to use is my Sweet Cupcake card. I already took it off my blog so if you haven't already seen the picture you'll have to wait until the issue comes out!!!!

Well, I better sign off...everyone's mad because I'm on the computer.
I'll add photo's when I get home.

For the Beauty....

Wow! What an amazing day. I spent all day at the church to finish setting up for the Stake Relief Society Enrichment night. It was a night to recognize all the many talents women have in our Stake. The hallways were lined with displays from sewing and handcrafts to photography and scrapbooking. It was an amazing night and I'm so happy I was able to be part of it.
As I mentioned before, I sang a duet in the program (For the Beauty of the Earth)
The entire program was music. I'm always so touched with musical programs and this one was incredible.
I also ended up helping with the food set up and display. The lady in charge wasn't sure what to do so I loaded up my car with all my platters and such to help out.
Here's a few pictures to share of the decorations I helped with.












Because I was involved with the set up all day I haven't had a chance to pack for the trip. I have to be at the airport by 7, but because of Miranda's school schedule, I'm going to be there at 6am.
Ryan is yelling at me as we speak to get busy packing and get to bed.
I think I finally agree. It's been a long exhausting day and I'm looking forward to a relaxing (although cold) weekend.

Girls Just Wanna have FUN

A lot has gone on this week, but not much to blog about. I'm leaving town for the weekend, so I wanted to post before then. I'm going to Seattle, WA with my mom and sisters to the Tulip Festival. It's supposed to be cold and rainy...woo hoo...my kind of fun!
I'm not much for cold weather, but I'm looking forward to a fun weekend with the "girls".
In fact, I can't think of the last time we did anything like this. This may even be a first!
Hummm....if it goes well we may need to make it a tradition.

Tomorrow I'm involved with a stake Relief Society Enrichment night. They are showcasing all the many talents in our stake. Including decorating, cooking, sewing, singing, dancing, and instruments. I'm involved with a couple "talent" showcases. I'm singing a duet, "For the Beauty of the Earth". And I'm also helping with the decorating. I spent all afternoon making arrangements and all evening setting up a giant tent and chandelier. Tomorrow I'll go back and finish with the set up including doing the table settings for all the refreshments. I hope to remember my camera so I can post how it all turned out.

By the way....Miranda and Parker both started blogs today. They are so excited about getting them all set up. They are on invite only so if you want to check them out, let me know and I'll pass the word along. I'm going to change my blog to invite only soon as well, so If I don't have your email, you won't be invited. But I can add anyone at anytime, just let me know.

Busy day tomorrow and it's awfully late!

Cub Scout Day Camp

Parker is now in Webelos in Cub Scouts. Every year they have a Day Camp that lasts for 3 days. The last two years I was part of the stake committee to plan and work at the event. But this year I declined the offer and Ryan and I helped out as Den Walkers on Saturday and helped out Parker's group.
Parker had a great time (I think Ryan did too). Parker's favorite class was the BB Gun. He and I shared a target and got quite a few in the bulls eye! Ryan was quite excited when Parker told him he wants a BB gun of his own.
Parker hasn't had a lot of interest in Ryan's favorite hobby, so maybe this is the start of something big!
Parker also enjoyed the archery class. Ryan is also a bow hunter, so when the teacher told the kids how to hold the arrows, Ryan had to correct him. He had been telling the kids incorrectly all day. We noticed after our class, he changed how he instructed the kids.We all got a little sunburned, but had a wonderful day. Parker also did soap carving, leather engraving and other fun boy scout activities.Tomorrow the kids are out of school. Parker asked Ryan if they could do Breakfast and Golf again. Ryan has a full day at the office, but they have a 6am Tee time scheduled. There's no way Ryan is going to pass up an opportunity when Parker is wanting to go. It's so neat to see Parker and his dad spend time together.

Lions, and Zebra's and Bears OH MY!

OK, I know I had a topic similar to this a few days ago, but I just couldn't resist!
Most everyone knows that Ryan is a big game hunter. He uses hunting to relieve some of the stress from work. (see previous post). So to tell this story I must go back a few years....
In December 2004 we received a phone call at 3:00 AM. (yes you read that right...AM!)
Now usually when someone calls you at 3am there is some sort of emergency. So when we were abruptly awoke by the telephone my heart was pounding. I could hear Ryan's end of the conversation saying, "You're kidding!" and "Where?" and "I'll be right there".
Again my heart was pounding as I was picturing someone in a car accident or something.
He jumped out of bed and started getting dressed. I asked...."what happened?"
He responded.... "Tracy's dogs are on the trail of a lion and he's wants me to come" (Tracy was our bishop and avid hunter/tracker)
Uggghhh! I couldn't believe that THIS was our emergency that woke me up at 3 in the blessed AM!
Well, I went back to sleep and Ryan took off. As I was getting the kids ready for school, Ryan drives up toting a ginormous Mountain Lion. The kids were so excited.
Here's Ryan in the Mountains with Tracy's dogs.
He skinned the lion himself right in our backyard. It was sooooo disgusting! After he skinned it he had to get the hide ready for tanning. So he draped it over our back wall and sprayed it with the power hose. Ewwwww....fat was flying all over the place. Our dog, Gus, couldn't eat it fast enough. It was the grossest thing EVER! Once it was cleaned out he wrapped it up in a garbage bag and put it in our freezer. It was there for quite a while until he decided how he wanted to mount it and take it to the taxidermist. I don't remember how long it was in the freezer, but I do know I got the heebie jeebies every time I had to get something out of there.
So now....the moral of my story..... Yesterday Ryan picked up this Mountain Lion from the Taxidermist and it is now displayed prominently on the Trophy wall in the casita.
I have to admit...it looks pretty good. It's a bit freaky when you stand underneath this thing with it glaring down at you.
Just thought I'd post a few more photos of his Trophy's. I decorated the Casita with the sole purpose of creating a home for these beautiful creatures. Ryan has more animals coming from Africa soon. They include a Leopard and Cape Buffalo. These things are HUGE. Ryan has big plans to add on to the Casita in order to house all these trophys. I'm all for that....anything to avoid them being in the house.
Oh, about the part in the title with the Bears. Ryan might be going to Alaska in a couple weeks to go on a bear hunt. He's still trying to decide if he has the time to be away from the office.

Career Day

Friday was an exciting day. Ryan went into Parker's class to talk about being an Attorney for Career Day. He had a tough act to follow because the dad that spoke right before him was an FBI agent and he brought in his bullet proof vests, guns and even handcuffed Parker's teacher for the kids enjoyment.
Friday's are my usual days to help out in the classroom. Miranda even comes in with me for a while after she is out of school. So our whole family was there to give Ryan support. Ryan was very good with the kids. He answered all their questions (and there were many). Parker looked pretty proud to have his dad there.
We're all pretty proud of Ryan. He works so hard every day to support and provide for our family. He has a lot of stress from work and the big caseload he has. Some nights he lies awake worried if he filed this or that or made a certain phone call. He is wonderful at what he does. He has such wonderful people skills. (As evident from his cell phone bill).
I was so bummed, however, when I realized I forgot my camera. I went to the school straight from the office so didn't remember to grab it in the morning.

Thoughts and Prayers

Today when I finished at the gym I noticed I missed a call from Ryan. I called him back and he told me about a horrible accident. Raynold (Ryan's dad), Eric (Ryan's Brother) and Nathan (Eric's son) were on their way to Toquerville to do some work when they rounded a blind corner and another car ran into them sending them rolling 2 1/2 times down a hill. No one was wearing their seatbelt and they were tossed about inside the truck.
Miraculously everyone survived. Nathan walked away with nothing too serious as he was on the passenger side. He stayed at the accident scene to help Police.
Eric and Raynold were both scraped up pretty badly. Eric was driving and Raynold was sitting behind Eric. The ambulance took them to St. George to be treated. The x-rays revealed that all was well inside. They both needed stitches, and Raynold had some teeth knocked out and lost his hearing aids. They were released from the hospital to go home later in the afternoon.
The lady driving the car that hit them was having surgery and in critical condition. She had a 4 year old daughter in the car with her and she had a broken leg and also having surgery.

It was frustrating to be here in Vegas and not know what was happening. No one called us very well to keep us informed. When we tried to call them, no one would answer.
Ryan and I were nervous all day.
What a blessing that they survived with so little injury.
I couldn't help but think today about how precious life is. How we need to take advantage of every opportunity to be with our loved ones and to always tell them how much we love them.
I always stress to my children to buckle up, but today it was especially on my mind.
My thoughts and prayers are with Raynold and Eric and I'm so grateful they are ok.

Golf, Movies & Bingo...oh my!

Ryan took Parker and Raynold to Paiute Golf Course for Breakfast and Golf on Saturday morning.
They had a 7am tee time and Parker jumped right out of bed bright and early. Last spring he and I took golf lessons. Ryan takes him out to practice and they always have a wonderful time.
I asked Ryan to take some pictures and he actually remembered. However he only took them of Parker instead of everyone. (Guess I can't ask for everything)
Parker's favorite thing was to drive the Golf Cart.
Parker has a wonderful swing and stance. He gets better and better every time he goes.
His follow through is awesome....whoops, what's that.... looks like he left something behind.
Oh well, can't hit 'em all!
The rest of the day was just wonderful. We watched both conference sessions, made a Costco trip for fun...I don't recommend doing that on a Saturday! Miranda went to the movie with a couple of her friends. They call themselves the "Antisocial group". They try to do something once a month because they don't have any other friends to do anything with. They all love the Twilight books so have much to talk about.
Ryan and his dad went to the Priesthood session and then we went out for a late dinner.
Just a beautiful springtime day!
Today we're just relaxing and enjoying the Sunday sessions of conference. Nancie and I decided to prepare a Turkey dinner for later.
For the past few years we play Conference Bingo during each session. In the Friend a few years ago they had a game for kids to play during conference. It has words on each square and when you hear it you cover it with candy (today we're using peanut M&M's). Once someone gets a bingo, everyone clears the board and starts over. Parker loves to do this during conference. And it actually gets him to sit and listen.
I've really enjoyed Conference, there have been some wonderful talks.
Hope everyone also found the words as inspiring and uplifting as I have.

One Tomato....Two Tomato

Yeah....I have tomatoes in bloom! I'm so excited. I check all the plants every day to see if there is anything new emerging. These tomatoes are the first to arrive....
I'm super excited to eat these yummy, fresh, ripe, garden tomatoes. (anyone jealous yet?)
When Parker came home from scouts, Ryan and I were at the movies (Vantage Point). He called me to inform Ryan & I that when we came home we would see a sculpture on the counter. We can look at it, but DON"T EAT IT! (he couldn't stress that enough to us). He wanted me to take a picture of it too. Of course I wanted to take a picture of it with him holding it. I tended this sculpture all week until I finally cornered him to get the picture.
You can see why he stressed to us not to eat it! He was quite proud of his accomplishments but wasn't too sad when I finally tossed it (whew). I did get the photo to remember it by.

I picked up a new cartridge for my Cricut this week. (Found it on clearance at Walmart!)
It's one of the Disney Princess cartridges. Of course I needed to test it out so I made up a couple images....












There is also Jasmine, and Pocahontas. There are all sorts of different images on this cartridge that have to do with these princesses. I didn't think I'd have much use for these, but they are pretty fun. It says that the more intricate cuts are better to do using the Expression machine, so I may eventually need to give in and invest in one.

On a final note...Nancie and Raynold came to hang with us over Conference weekend. I love when they come because I get my rear in gear and clean up the joint! So now I get to relax and enjoy this wonderful Spring Weather!!!