Card's

It's time to send out Christmas cards! I don't know what I did with my list from last year so will you PLEASE send me your address at ashleejo@msn.com so I can send you one? Thanks so much!

Where does all the time go?

We have been so busy lately that I haven't had time to blog even though there have been many post-worthy things that have happened lately. The following is a quick review:

I was recently released from my calling in YW. I have felt since the beginning of summer that it was time for a "change"... and it finally happened last month. I am now the Sunbeam teacher and couldn't be more excited! Is there a better place to serve than with 10 four year olds (only one of them is a girl)? J. is a sunbeam and I just realized that he'll move on to another class soon, which is disappointing to me. At least I got to be his teacher for 1.5 months!

Of course there was Thanksgiving, which was wonderful. There were lots of us here this year and we ate tons of good food...It doesn't get much better. :) Hubby, J., and I got up early Friday morning to do some shopping and came back with a few things but nothing that we were hoping to get. I guess that's what we get for dilly-dallying!

The hubby has been extremely busy with work and school. He is very ready for the semester to be over (as am I)! Too bad we have at least 2 more years before he's finished...

I have also been doing vinyl like cRaZy. I think this is what's occupying most of my thoughts and time but I can't complain...who doesn't need extra $$ at Christmas time? Most are readers of this blog so I just want to say a quick THANK YOU! to all of you who let me make signs for you. I've had a lot of fun and I'm impressed with your ideas/creativity.

The Fall decor came down and the tree went up last week. I love the excitement and cheer J. brings to our Christmases. We had lots of fun listening to music while decorating the tree. I love this time of year!

I think I've mentioned this before, but J. HATES having his picture taken and never smiles so we try to do a "funny face" picture and then a "happy" one. This is one of our silly ones...too bad we never got him to do the happy face :).

We have 4 tall trees in our yard and this last Wednesday afternoon I noticed that 90% of the leaves were still hanging on and they were still there Thursday morning. By the time Chad got home from school at 11 they had ALL fallen off. Wouldn't that have so fun to see? Thousands of leaves fell in a matter of hours and I missed the whole thing! Needless to say, we have a yard full of leaves...so we took advantage of it and had some fun.

Shouldn't the Fall pictures come before the Christmas ones? It's crazy to me that it's December and we are just barely playing in leaves!

The Hubby chasing J. around the tree...

It might seem strange, but I love this picture. It's weird ;). That's J. under all those leaves.

J. took this of us...he did a good job! It was nice having someone to take our picture. Usually we have to do one of ourselves but they rarely work out.

By the way...Costco puts 5.5 lbs of frosting on their cakes which is a TON! You know those huge containers they use for cookies? It was almost full... gross!!

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was the hubby's b-day...

It's his last year in his 20's so I hope he enjoys it!


I wanted to make a fun cake for him this year. We love playing games so I made him a "Carcassone" cake. If you have played it you'll probably understand this cake better than if you haven't and if you haven't, you should! Anyway... I was debating about which game to theme it after and Carcassone won because the pieces were square and it seemed like it would be easier than something like Settlers.

I stayed up late baking cakes on Wednesday and neither of them worked for some (frustrating) reason. So yesterday I went to Costco to buy one. I asked them to leave it undecorated. The price is the same decorated or not so I asked them to just put the frosting in a container for me to take home. When they brought out the frosting I was AMAZED! Do you know how much they put on their cakes?? Take a guess! I'll post the answer in a few days. :0) Anyway...

Happy Birthday honey! We love you and hope you had a good one!

I did it!

I have avoided putting vinyl signs directly on my walls for a year now. I love the way it looks but it feels like it would be a waste because we are just renting. When we move we can't take it with us! But I finally put some up today. What do you think?





Also...
I want my vinyl blog to be a place where someone can come use their own imagination to create something that will inspire themselves or someone else. It needs a proper name and I just can't think of one. You wanna help?

Leave me a post with your idea for a name and if its chosen I'll give you a FREE GIFT! The name can be anything at all (as long as it's not already in use somewhere else!)

Painting

Have you ever been to the Kid's Clinic at Home Depot? It's the first Saturday of every month and I always plan to go, but always seem to forget - we have done some of the projects at home though. I have a hard time getting my little one to color or write...he HATES it for some reason. But he LOVES to paint so I LOVE having thing for him to paint.

We got this helicopter at a Home Depot booth a while back. He and his dad built it and then he painted it.

I love this picture :)

They also got this birdhouse at an H.D. booth. I wish I had a picture of the finished project. He put it in a tree at grandma K's house for the birds to live in.

This is J. using paint brushes to finger paint! He hates getting his fingers sticky.
What a silly boy he is!

I thought the pictures were cute so I thought I'd share them. :D Notice how he's wearing a gray shirt in all his pictures? Apparently he only paints on day's he's wearing gray.

BTW...There is a new special for the VINYL posted to the right. Just click on it and it will take you to my other blog!

Is it the Christmas Season Already?

I'm so excited to finally have some new fonts for my vinyl lettering! I now have access to literally 100's of new ones. I'm in the process of posting them on my blog. In the mean time, if there is a font you want something made in, just let me know and I will get back to you on its availability. I also have several new colors.

Did you know that I use high quality Orcal vinyl? Just because I'm a home based "cutter" doesn't mean I use the junky stuff! I used to buy vinyl signs from a large company (that shall remain unnamed) and I happen to know that I buy the same Orcal vinyl that they did!


All through the month of November I am going to have different sales for my vinyl lettering. I will change the sale every week. This week I am offering 25% off your ENTIRE PURCHASE! Plus free shipping on orders of $40 or more.

So, if you've thought of making something to give away, please consider me for your vinyl source!!

Halloween Fun

We had such a fun Halloween this year. Friday I told J. a little story about how witches sometimes turn peoples houses into haunted houses for Halloween (and that they change back after trick or treating) to help set the mood for a surprise lunch we had planned for him. So Saturday the hubby took J. to the park for a few hours while Grandma and Grandpa K., Aunt Peggy, Abby, and Ammon (my cousins) and I got ready.

We blacked out the windows, turned on a strobe light, and put a few streamers up. When they opened the front door we all screamed something like "Boo" and invited him in. He was only a little scared and quickly realized what was going on. We ate some graveyard stew in yummy pumpkin bread bowls, mummy hot dogs, spook root beer, batty dip, witches fingers, and ghouled cheese sandwiches. We had so much fun! Thanks to everyone who helped me make Halloween extra special!

J. went as Agent P. (from Phineas and Ferb) and the hubby and I went as Olsenschmirtz's (like Perry nemesis - Doofenschmertz).

We had lots of fun trick-or-treating and of course got WAY too much candy. J. kept saying, "This is so fun!". I loved every minute of it. We hope you all had fabulous Halloween's as well. :)

How's the weather?

It feels like it's been so long since I last posted. Every few days I sit down at the computer thinking I'll finally do one, but nothing to write ever comes to mind. So here it sat.... lonely and neglected. Until today!

It's finally fall and I'm loving every minute of it. We survived our second St. George summer but honestly, I wasn't so sure we were going to. Starting about now, the weather is perfect lasting until April. There are some rainy days (and even a few snowy ones) thrown in the mix, but it's still great. I always wonder why St. George gets so many visitors in the summer when it's too HOT to really enjoy the beauty of Southern Utah. The fall/winter/spring months are perfect and I'd strongly recommend a visit then instead of summer. You won't regret it and we're always up for visitors. ;)

We spent two weekends Utah County this month. The first weekend was my nephews birthday and so J. and I rode up with my mom. It was busy but fun. We went to my in-laws house in West Valley to go through some boxes they are storing for us until we move back up there. It was good to find stuff I thought I'd never see again! :)

We got to go to my Nephew's soccer game. My brother has 3 boys and J. is right in between two of them in age. They hardly know each other which makes me sad. I hope that someday they will have more opportunities to play. They're great kids. After the game we celebrated another nephews birthday.

I also got to see my grandpa for the last time. He has been sick for a while so I've been anticipating his death. It was sad to see him in such a sickly state. He looked nothing like the grandpa I always knew and he mostly slept. But he did wake up for minute to talk - for which I'm very grateful. We went home on Sunday and he died on Monday. The funeral was in Pleasant Grove the following weekend. One of thing's I'll always remember when I think of him is his love for family. I really think it is the thing he treasured most. He cried every time anyone went away. If he could have had it his way, we all would have lived next door to each other. When it was time to leave after a visit, he, without fail, would say, "Stick around...You don't have to leave yet" in a mui mui cute voice. It was sweet and now I wish I hadn't always been in such a hurry.

It was a long drive home and the weather was so nice that we decided to walk to the temple to get some wiggles out. I've been wanting to take that walk ever since we moved to our current house but it's been much too hot. I'm glad we were finally able to. It's beautiful!

Well, those are the high lights of our lives lately. The hubby is still plugging away at school and work. J. is loving preschool and has learned a lot already. I am battling boredom most days :) but we are all doing well and are very blessed.

I'll leave you with a silly picture in honor of the great month of Halloween. It's amazing the fun one can have with wax lips and stashes. You now have a glimpse into how goofy we are here at the Olsen house...

The Price Is Right

Did you happen to watch The Price Is Right this morning? My SIL Amanda was a contestant on the show today!! She was the first contestant called up and the second on stage. She won the prize that got her on stage, the prize for her game, she spun $1 on the wheel and thus getting the $1000 bonus...and she even won an Elvis package in the ShOwCaSe ShOwDoWn!! How exciting!!

Way To Go Amanda!!

I took these pics from my TV so they're not the greatest...but ENJOY!

Peanut Butter and Pickles

Last night I was reading a book and decided I was in need of a snack...but what did I want??? and then it hit me! A peanut butter and pickle sandwich - yummy! As I sat eating my delicious sandwich I thought to myself, "man, this sure is a crazy sandwich". I really love them (especially if made with Nalley's baby dill's) and I think if you like pickles and peanut butter you would like them too. Come on...be daring and give them a try (but be sure to only use kosher dill's...anything else would be gross :)!

My sandwich got me thinking about all the strange things people eat. And now I'm wondering what the strangest thing you eat is. Is it weirder than peanut butter and pickle sandwiches? Leave me a post...I'd love to find out!

family camping

We had a little family "reunion" last week with the
hubby's family. We spent a few days at Bryce Canyon,
some time at Zions, and some time here in St. George.
Good times were had by all...especially J.
He loved camping and was a lot of fun. :) Good times...

Hubby and J. at the trail head of the Navajo trail in Bryce

J. and his cousin walking down the switch backs on the Navajo trail

view up the trail from a little ways down the switch backs...it was an awesome canyon :)

New Approach

Most of you know that we have had trouble having children. We wanted to get pregnant in March of 2006 for the second time...so it's been more than 3 years now. I started taking fertility medication in April with no luck. I had very high hopes and it was very disappointing that nothing came of it. So...we are now taking a natural approach. I had a consultation with a master herbalist who was highly recommended :) and she gave me some minerals, essential oils, and herbs to take. I started them today and I'm crossing my fingers. Lets all think pregnant thoughts!

Camp

Girls camp was this week... almost missed it because of the flue...but got to go after all. We went to this awesome place somewhere east (I think) of Kanab. It was perfect. Cool temps, hardly any bugs, WONDERFUL girls/leaders, large fence to keep bears/cougars out (Have you ever gone camping and got woken up by a powerful urge to use el bano? I always do and I hate the terrified mad dash to and from the bathroom - praying with whole heart not to get eaten by a bear. The fence sure eased that fear - I think it was my favorite part of the camp ground!). I had a lot of fun getting to know the other leaders and I the girls.

Grandma K. and J. made this cute sign for me. She said he told her what to say and she cut it out on the Cricket. Chad even put together a little wood post to hang it on.

Aren't they sweet? I sure missed them. I'm glad to be home :)

Rainin' Tomatoes

There aren't very many things as great as fresh garden tomatoes and summer thunderstorms. I'm such a lucky gal because today I got to experience both for the first time this summer...

The tomato was DeLiCiOuS! I loves thems :) and I'm looking forward to eating TONS more.


We were badly in need of some rain down in our neck of the woods.... and we got it! At first we thought the storm was going to pass us by. I'm sure glad it didn't!


We had tomatoes, it rained, the hubby had the day off, we made picco...It was a great day. *sigh*

Playing in the Sun

We all know that one of the best ways to stay cool in the summer is to play in water. We were at Walgreens the other day and they had all their "summer toys" on sale for 75% off so we got the pool, the sprinkler, and the beach balls for about $8. What a deal! I'm also super excited that we have a yard to put it in...finally!

J. LoVeS swimming

This sprinkler is pretty cool because it shoots balls up into the air.

Look...there's the new house in the back!

I know we're still renting, but it sure is GrEaT having a yard to play in. The house is old (built in 1922) and has it's problems, but is kind of "charming". We went from living in a 2 bedroom apartment to a house with 4 bedrooms. Wow! It's fabulous to have some space.

This is the living room. It has a great wood floor. All the doors and windows have these awesome wood casings. They're beautiful!

Here is the other side of the room. The glass doors lead into my favorite room in the house...the family room. It has a very cozy feel to it, a great fire place, and brand new carpet! Our living room before was so small that we couldn't fit the entertainment center in it so we put it in our bedroom. There's not a picture of it, but our room is no longer over crowded - I love it!

This is a small peak of the kitchen.

Here is the main bathroom (sorry...I forgot to turn the picture!). It has a claw foot tub which I would LOVE if the porcelain finish wasn't peeling off. I really like the sink as well.

We even have a room just for all J.'s toys (he has WAY too many!)

It amazes me that we get all this extra room for $75 cheaper a month than we were paying, although I'm sure the electricity bill will make up for the difference. We also get to stay in the same ward which is so nice. By the way... this is the 9th home the Hubby and I have lived in since we've been married (6 years). How CrAzY is that? We move way too much! How many times have you moved?

Independence Day

We hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! We had a day full of fun - we went to some festivities in a park, had a BBQ, and of course watched some fireworks. The "Honey" had to work for most of the day, but we're sure glad he was didn't miss it all.

Grandma and Grandpa K. with J.

We played with sparklers while we waited for the fireworks to start and J. was VERY apprehensive. He didn't want anything to do with them. It was a bit funny :)

but finally we convinced him to hold one...for a second!

Our little family

I was watching a program on PBS the other day about North Korean refugees. It reminded me of how great our country really is - Sometimes I think I get caught up in the dishonesty of "Washington" and forget how blessed we really are. I'm so thankful that the Hubby has a job, we have a home, food, family, religion, and FREEDOM! And I'm especially thankful today for those who have and will sacrifice so much for our protection. Happy Independence Day!!