Do they look alike to you?

A layout of Micah's pictures from 10 years ago...

And a layout of Max from last fall.

Just a slight family resemblance, no??!

100 Things About Me

Saw this on my sweet friend Lee's blog. I did have to take out all the extra u's in favorite...Canucks spell funny ;)

1. How old will you be in five years? 45...really?
2. Who did you spend at least two hours with today? Only Mason so far. Everyone else was out the door by 7. Aunt Kay and Colton were here in the guest room, but they slept in quite a bit.

3. How tall are you? 5’9"
4. What do you look forward to most in the next six months? Finishing the Couch to 5K, getting really good with my camera, seeing improvement with my cello playing
5. What's the last movie you saw? Star Trek (the latest one from 2009)
6. Who was the last person you called? Lisa

7. Who was the last person to call you? Shaina - I totally flaked on my VT this week with family staying with us

8. What was the last text message you received? A weird one from my Mom about Ely's eye. She thought she sent a picture, but it didn't come through.

9. Who was the last person to leave you a voice mail? My Dad - missed his call while playing volleyball with the youth at the church

10. Do you prefer to call or text? Text!!! I hate the phone.
11. What were you doing at 12 am last night? Sleeping

12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced? Divorced

13. When is the last time you saw your mom? Up at the cabin two weeks ago when we went snowmobiling.

14. What colour are your eyes? Blue
15. What time did you wake up today? 5:30AM
16. What are you wearing right now? BYU sweatshirt and pj pants
17. What is your favourite Christmas song? O Holy Night

18. Where is your favourite place to be? Home

19. Where is your least favourite place to be? downtown in a big city, with no idea where I'm going
20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere? I'd love to visit Europe, Alaska and Australia
21. Where do you think you'll be in 10 years? I honestly don't know. Walla Walla wasn't the end all, be all that I expected. I don't hate it here, but I honestly don't love it. I do like being close to family!

Matthew will be almost 27, McKelle 26 - holy cow, I could be a grandma by then! I am NOT that old!!! Max and Mason will be teenagers and most likely, the only ones left at home. :(

22. Do you tan or burn? I'm my red-headed grandmother's true descendant. Burn, baby, burn!
23. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? Spiders. It has always been spiders.
24. What was the last thing that really made you laugh? With Mason around, my days are full of laughter. He says the funniest things.

25. How many TVs do you have in your house? Only one that is actually used for TV. There is another TV set in the basement that is hooked up to the Wii.
26. How big is your bed? King

27. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer? Both

28. Do you sleep with or without clothes on? I hate pjs for sleeping! But I love wearing them around the house after I get up.
29. What colour are your sheets? Sage green
30. How many pillows do you sleep with? 1
31. What is your favourite season? Autumn
32. What do you like about fall? The heat of summer is finally gone, crisp, cool nights, brilliant colors, back to school, comfort foods, Halloween!

33. What do you like about winter? Snow, skiing, sledding, cozy sweaters, fuzzy slippers
34. What do you like about the summer? Water sports, picnics, anniversary trips with Michael
35. What do you like about spring? GREEN...finally. Especially here, where the winter is quite ugly. No snow, no evergreens to speak of.
36. How many states/provinces have you lived in? 5 states, 1 province
37. What cities/towns have you lived in? 11
38. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet? Bare feet
39. Are you a social person? Not really - I do great in small groups, but tend to be pretty shy in larger groups
40. What was the last thing you ate? 10 pecans and Organic Flax Plus Granola
41. What is your favourite restaurant? Cheesecake Factory - I miss it!! In WW, the Creektown Cafe is quite good.
42. What is your favorite ice cream? Peppermint or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

43. What is your favorite dessert? All of the above. Oh wait, that wasn't a choice? Definitely cheesecake then.
44. What is your favorite kind of soup? Broccoli Cheese in homemade bread bowls
45. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich? Raspberry

46. Do you like Chinese food? Yes

47. Do you like coffee? Never had it but it smells disgusting!

48. How many glasses of water, a day, do you drink on average? Plain water - 2 or 3. Flavored water - 5-6. (I love Sam's Choice Clear American in Key Lime and Lemon - no calories, no sodium)
49. What do you drink in the morning? Sam's Choice
51. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed? Looking at the bed from the end, I sleep on the left.

52. Do you know how to play poker? No. I know the mechanics of the game, but I don't gamble.
53. Do you like to cuddle? Sometimes. Definitely not when falling asleep. Yes during movies or just lounging on the couch. I do love that Mason and Max (and occasionally Mitchell) will still cuddle up with me.

54. Have you ever been to Australia? No, but it is one of my dream trips

55. Do you have an addictive personality? to cheesecake and chocolate? Unfortunately. Not so much otherwise.
56. Do you eat out or at home more often? At home
58. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you? My Grandma Stott's was the day after mine. I do have a friend in Michigan with the same birthday
59. Do you want kids? Yes, and I have 6
60. Do you speak any other languages? Took some French in high school and college and can understand a little.
61. Have you ever gotten stitches? After surgery on my hand

62. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? No, but I followed behind one when Michael had his head injury playing rugby

63. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool? Pool to swim, Ocean for the sound and view

64. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat? Aisle

65. Do you know how to drive stick? Absolutely. Learned to drive with a stick.
66. What is your favourite thing to spend money on? Camera equipment, scrapbook supplies, home decor and cookbooks. Lately, a little dabbling in jewelry.
67. Do you wear any jewelry 24/7? Just my earrings (which are the original earrings I got when first pierced at age 12) and my very plain wedding band (my ring was lost after I had hand surgery)

68. What is your favourite TV show? I don't watch a lot anymore - Michael and I like to watch Amazing Race, Lost and Heroes. That's about it. I was an ER addict for the entire time is was on and I used to love CSI (the original) but it got pretty raunchy

69. Can you roll your tongue? only to one side
70. Who is the funniest person you know? Mason! And my cousin-in-law Lisa!

71. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? No, just the tricot blanket my Mom and Grandma made me when I was little.
72. What is the main ring tone on your phone? One of the standard choices that comes on the iPhone. I need an app for that!
73. Do you still have clothes from when you were little? Yes
74. What red object is closest to you right now? Max's paper full of red marker numbers. He was practicing last night.
75. Do you turn off the water while you brush your teeth? yes

76. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Open. The closet is not in our bedroom and since I get up before anyone and don't turn on the lights, I would probably hit the door if I didn't leave it open.

77. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees? Neither!! The bees would probably make me hyperventilate, though I'd probably survive. I guess I'll go with the bees.

78. Do you flirt a lot? No
79. What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Honey mustard or ranch dressing
80. What is your favourite food? Cheesecake
81. Can you change the oil on a car? No, I just take it to the shop. Speaking of which....
82. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? Yes, twice. Dove Creek, CO (relatives driving from Utah to Granddad and Grandma Jones' old house will be familiar with that one) and Baker, OR...at 3 am.

83. Have you ever run out of gas? No, but we came awfully closer once. A certain person in this household likes to get to empty before filling up. *I* fill up when it is 3/4 gone.
84. What is your usual bedtime? 10:30 or 11:00
85. What was the last book you read? His Dark Shadows (almost done)
86. Do you read the newspaper? Yes - I was a paper girl for many years and got in the habit of reading the paper
87. Do you have any magazine subscriptions? Probably more than I should, but I love to have little bits to read all over the place
89. Do you watch soap operas? Not since college days
90. Do you dance in the car? Occasionally to embarrass my kids ;)

91. What radio station did you last listen to? Whatever the kids have preset in the car
92. Who is in the picture frame closest to you? I'm in the kitchen, so no frames in here.
93. What was the last note you scribbled on a piece of paper? Something funny Mason said. "Mom, I love you more than bacon."
94. What is your favourite candle scent? Vanilla or cinnamon! But I don't do candles anymore - I just use my Scentsy pots.

95. What is your favorite board game? LOVE Boggle. Mad Gab, Mexican Train, Balderdash, Sequence...I love to play games.
97. When was the last time you attended church? I was there Tuesday night for Young Women's and each and every Sunday for church

98. Who was your favorite teacher in high school? Mr. Haug and Mrs. Carroll (both English teachers) and Mr. Gregorich for AP History and Government
99. What is the longest you have ever camped out in a tent? a week or more. We LOVE to camp!

100. Who was the last person to do something extra special for you? Michael gave me a great back scratch when he got home last night. LOVE a good back scratch.

Swim meet hair and my over-photographed models

I'm taking an on-line photography class taught by the fabulous Maggie Holmes. I think my children are sick of being my models. Mason just runs away. Max can't seem to understand the difference between the video camera and my Canon - end result is lots and lots of blurry pictures. Mitchell? Well this is what I get from him:

At least I'm capturing those amazing eyelashes for posterity (no, sadly, he did not get them from me...or my husband either. I have no clue where they came from!)

And this? This is the result of my oldest son's refusal to cut his hair until swim season is over. I even pointed out that all that hair was slowing him down in the pool. Well, one more week to go...

PS - all of the above shot in Manual mode and SOOC!! Yay me.

More Studio Calico goodness

LOVE this banner paper! It was in Studio Calico's December kit called Orchestra. I believe it is still available, though 2 of the 3 add-ons are sold out. When I first pulled this paper out, I was a bit stumped. Loved it, but had no idea what to do with it. Then the SC gallery started filling up with fussy cut banners and all kinds of ideas popped into my head. On this layout, it reminded me of pennants strung at a race track. Paired with the subtle track marks (made with Maya mist in Cream and the styrofoam cover off of an Asian pear) it was perfect for this page documenting Mason's Big Wheel love.

Another favorite from Studio Calico is the Month's Stamps. I can see using these over and over again. Such a versatile set! So here it is, from my scrap desk on this very gray day, a colorful tribute to my love of October.

Last two Christmas pics scrapped

You would not believe the lengths I went to to get all these pictures. McKelle was a great model, though she did start making a few faces after she tired of me trying to get some custom bokeh pictures. But the boys?? Well...let's just say, boys will be boys and your results may vary. Here's the layouts with Mason and Micah:

Pretty good picture, but I had a hard time convincing him to hold still. He doesn't quite get the difference between the video camera and my Rebel.

This one? You just have to laugh. Maybe 12 year old boys don't 'do' pictures...

Both made with the divine scrappy goodness of Studio Calico's December kit and add-ons.

Back into the swing of things

Holidays always derail my creative endeavors just a bit. This year was especially crazy with the addition of swim team for Matthew (INSANE schedule!) and a nagging cold/allergies/not feeling so great for me since about mid October. Needless to say, I am waaaay behind on my 365 of 365, but I will attempt some catch up in the next few weeks.

Love these pictures of Max. His face was priceless when he got that first scoop of pumpkin guts. I loved these so much, I scrapped them twice (see below!)

I just adore this Studio Calico paper and it was perfect for a layout about Mason and I being together every day, 24-7. The mini chipboard houses from Maya Road are so fun!

An older picture - we don't have this kind of cold or the snow here. Makes me miss the crisp, cold (but sunny!) days in Minnesota. Here, we just get gray, gray, gray...

The other page with pumpkin goop. Wish I had done some misting on this page, but I thought of it too late.

I probably should have skipped the misting on this page because I had already put the snowflake chipboard down. I tried to mask it, but it didn't turn out so well. LOVE the picture of McKelle, though. She is growing up into a most beautiful young lady!

Max is such a goofball. I took about 30 pictures of him with our Christmas tree in the background and this was the best of the bunch. Mmmm, love that gold Maya Mist!

All the layouts I do about Matthew lately make me a bit weepy. I can't believe he will be a senior next year. And he keeps saying stuff like this to me! He's grown so tall (and holy cow, has swimming ever packed the muscles on my previously scrawny kid!) and loves to make sure I know he is much taller than me.

I haven't shown this one to Mitchell yet. His ears are just a wee bit pointy and the Santa hat certainly made it more noticeable. Wish I could steal those eyelashes for myself!

(Yes, one is missing. I have a Micah picture sitting on my table, but didn't quite get to it yet. His Christmas tree picture was even more goofy than Max's.)

Published!!

I'm just a little giddy. One of my pages was noticed over at the Studio Calico gallery and has been published by the on-line scrapbook magazine Scrapstreet.com. You can see my page here. Just scroll down to the first layout.

Go me!

Good Better Best

Always the overachiever, I can't even choose just one word for my 2010 One Little Word. 

2009 began with high expectations. My word was LEARN and I had all kinds of hopes and intentions. On-line classes, a stack of books to be read, various plans to be put into place with my children. Reality struck less than one month into the year when I was called to be the Young Women's President in our ward (church congregation.) I spent the next several months struggling (and learning, for sure!) how to balance this enormous responsibility and still maintain some semblance of order at home. Some of my intended learning venues and plans had to take a back seat - my path certainly took a turn that I wasn't expecting!

But all in all, the year was full of learning. I learned that I love teenagers! I learned to do some very creative balancing of church responsibilities and home life. I learned I can go four days without a shower at Girls' Camp and absolutely love every minute of it (except perhaps the bear!)

And later in the year, I was able to add a few of those things I had been planning from the beginning. I took and finished a fantastic photography course from John Gringo at Creative Techs. I finished two parts of a five part Photoshop class, also at Creative Techs. They have a great selection of classes and best of all, they're FREE!

I plowed through a pile of books, though probably not original goal of 52 and learned that I love the Elizabethan period (thanks, Nyla!!) The Lady Elizabeth and Katherine were definite favorites.

I learned that letting go of some traditions in an effort to simplify was ok. And that skipping others was a huge let down for my family and won't be an option next year.

Which leads me to my choice for 2010. I spent some time this year considering my one word. BALANCE came to mind, but didn't quite encompass what I wanted. FOCUS was another front runner. I thought I had finally settled on PRIORITIZE and even posted it, put it out there in the cyber world in response to a couple of blogs. But there was a little niggle in my brain that said it wasn't quite right.

Then, I recalled this talk given by Elder Dallin Oaks in the LDS General Conference, October 2007. I needed more than a word, I needed this phrase for my 2010 mantra. GOOD BETTER BEST. The brief summary at the top of Elder Oaks' talk says it perfectly: "We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best..."

Obviously, it applies in my spiritual life. But it really is something I want to apply in all areas of life. Too often, I get caught up in something that is good and miss out on that which is better (or best) for me and my family. I can already see that it will be a great tool in my yoyo-ing weight loss/better health journey. Family life, interaction with my children and husband, choices about creative endeavors to fill my time - all can be governed well by keeping this phrase at the forefront of my brain.

Here's to a BETTER year, hopefully the BEST yet!