tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-373124622024-03-07T12:20:01.571-08:00Mejojac's MemosMelissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.comBlogger769125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-28180761620248486502015-04-15T22:27:00.003-07:002015-04-15T22:33:46.085-07:00Harry Potter Party: Part 3Time for some of the little things. I know the kids didn't notice or care about a lot of the details, but I love them. (That's what makes Disneyland such an amazing place for me - the details. The big rides and attractions are wonderful, but I love the little things! It just pulls everything together.)<br />
<br />
In the same room with the letters flying out of the fireplace we have a mirror. I took red acrylic paint and let it just kind of drip all over.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipNUQ5eu9O-l4oKSA7prjqy_5R171KH1Cwnvzyy2Fp_FVLBHpOL_ETS0SXQ8Ghdx1EzlDtDIhf-YUY83IpIGkDabNVhVcrLzgZ2nZgzfE6MzYVQOzLVzfIbIdvqKzkUQZDsfI/s1600/IMG_3221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipNUQ5eu9O-l4oKSA7prjqy_5R171KH1Cwnvzyy2Fp_FVLBHpOL_ETS0SXQ8Ghdx1EzlDtDIhf-YUY83IpIGkDabNVhVcrLzgZ2nZgzfE6MzYVQOzLVzfIbIdvqKzkUQZDsfI/s1600/IMG_3221.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
A fabulous friend used her Silhouette machine and cut out the vinyl lettering for the book covers. I just bought some old books from our library. $.25-$1.00 each. Most were $.50 <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQ6iZKGKe1Rh-Y9UCHwiUl8kYv1aKKiioALvQD3CJbl4Rs0hURBx4JxkM962gV7evCUj69LEgWlxR8iGhh9qM-UGf9R__UDMK_hKoj8e0hjVbXtugSArFB3evTiAxja5BJM20/s1600/IMG_3174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQ6iZKGKe1Rh-Y9UCHwiUl8kYv1aKKiioALvQD3CJbl4Rs0hURBx4JxkM962gV7evCUj69LEgWlxR8iGhh9qM-UGf9R__UDMK_hKoj8e0hjVbXtugSArFB3evTiAxja5BJM20/s1600/IMG_3174.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGspELywsOKUhGNFILflgzgTQvVptbBPVm0V7-SWCvBPQ9ig-WzTDS2XygdUKZZ23WD0t0pUmOqhbIIQYpZx7xqCdd4ecMROQBpmprJxX8a_cHGrcqKerR2KqJHLO2M7OS4nv/s1600/IMG_3173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGspELywsOKUhGNFILflgzgTQvVptbBPVm0V7-SWCvBPQ9ig-WzTDS2XygdUKZZ23WD0t0pUmOqhbIIQYpZx7xqCdd4ecMROQBpmprJxX8a_cHGrcqKerR2KqJHLO2M7OS4nv/s1600/IMG_3173.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9omnNBPqHObwOfpvbzQpwU7qWEvxLyX1DbQ7mgUjpvIzjp2zdVYfZ4UxV6spZKM7_sE9LbwwNFnpgsWgKJSreyHa_OZYWfTIFntS6CGrXNyqRTl3rYBbOLBqIC1MSrKaGiRO/s1600/IMG_3167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9omnNBPqHObwOfpvbzQpwU7qWEvxLyX1DbQ7mgUjpvIzjp2zdVYfZ4UxV6spZKM7_sE9LbwwNFnpgsWgKJSreyHa_OZYWfTIFntS6CGrXNyqRTl3rYBbOLBqIC1MSrKaGiRO/s1600/IMG_3167.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lB8isC4qLB_GLnW0WAYJnKcB0WkJZrYsYn1d0TY16TziqRmGN_9FUs4DxGi809uw64IJnvXr3Q-vUbAQN7uQvq1NSEx3wtjEFAKfWRYI5rISvhvl1b3Nbiix8KygugQSjcIg/s1600/IMG_3169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lB8isC4qLB_GLnW0WAYJnKcB0WkJZrYsYn1d0TY16TziqRmGN_9FUs4DxGi809uw64IJnvXr3Q-vUbAQN7uQvq1NSEx3wtjEFAKfWRYI5rISvhvl1b3Nbiix8KygugQSjcIg/s1600/IMG_3169.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wiWVKpPFX4jrWx-N6c_vSa6YLOO-ohYnmLJmPI-hotC0-MDj46nhIlr22rFl3IHR2iT1U5kmbWYlTi1CclCxdySpJCE-MNzYCAtf_57S68KdS9Dsuxoslok6frfzWWbqaqQD/s1600/IMG_3170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wiWVKpPFX4jrWx-N6c_vSa6YLOO-ohYnmLJmPI-hotC0-MDj46nhIlr22rFl3IHR2iT1U5kmbWYlTi1CclCxdySpJCE-MNzYCAtf_57S68KdS9Dsuxoslok6frfzWWbqaqQD/s1600/IMG_3170.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCz8YGe39MytzGKcw6W9DFre9fF7WmxZq3t9ItSX-6yyCLuPkw50HeqrbhF-PhEfVLomWrDIpITkGuYPdLull7mxumwQ14fLGOTljr4Ob_RHFowQyk6Q09id9fUazavRIOCSgD/s1600/IMG_3171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCz8YGe39MytzGKcw6W9DFre9fF7WmxZq3t9ItSX-6yyCLuPkw50HeqrbhF-PhEfVLomWrDIpITkGuYPdLull7mxumwQ14fLGOTljr4Ob_RHFowQyk6Q09id9fUazavRIOCSgD/s1600/IMG_3171.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguI2cXDjtZSENyfWheaRCn_V6JJntJddxwje8om43x7TYE-xacBX1fzN_IoGxLl2H73655HEnCkIMXdgxSfY6X4SllWtiiTGxYpUmAAHmVb-VXw3iz_s3ou_RIO2CoWy2iGH5S/s1600/IMG_3172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguI2cXDjtZSENyfWheaRCn_V6JJntJddxwje8om43x7TYE-xacBX1fzN_IoGxLl2H73655HEnCkIMXdgxSfY6X4SllWtiiTGxYpUmAAHmVb-VXw3iz_s3ou_RIO2CoWy2iGH5S/s1600/IMG_3172.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Displayed on the piano with the sorting hat and a little owl Christmas ornament I picked up in the @ Home store in Phoenix. This was after the party so the hat had been loved and most of the treat bags were gone!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQU2VIJBwK5uxU4SYfRFL0qKbAe-Gu63IJyM3vNmrKHInpsEWt6tyLNuS-edNFFf7lCuiPu4eQfdHmAJkMMRsIP_TjDd3vchn4vE4yy1RE5yr0xFwwcz8Q8Q3cHen14dYuWcJ/s1600/IMG_3296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQU2VIJBwK5uxU4SYfRFL0qKbAe-Gu63IJyM3vNmrKHInpsEWt6tyLNuS-edNFFf7lCuiPu4eQfdHmAJkMMRsIP_TjDd3vchn4vE4yy1RE5yr0xFwwcz8Q8Q3cHen14dYuWcJ/s1600/IMG_3296.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tom Riddle's diary was a composition notebook and I slathered a TON of paint on it to get the texture. I did cut a hole in it to look like I'd stabbed it with a basilisk fang, but that hadn't happened when I took this shot.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-H7oNLXwK1s4MGMU0YY-gDtbgiLnqI2fEYiD8UKkHkLEabyu4MP3erJgX00-lrhjQCOun8BwYBR5yg5whAzLhzOMymCAmvpgC6kGVfnNMeQUUwOMM5hrPS5YtfefMD-0ohj1g/s1600/IMG_3168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-H7oNLXwK1s4MGMU0YY-gDtbgiLnqI2fEYiD8UKkHkLEabyu4MP3erJgX00-lrhjQCOun8BwYBR5yg5whAzLhzOMymCAmvpgC6kGVfnNMeQUUwOMM5hrPS5YtfefMD-0ohj1g/s1600/IMG_3168.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I made wands using wooden dowels and hot glue. We put a base coat on them and then let the kids decorate them with metallic markers</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsi8q3Tt0fFqp-JV5IbRS_Cz8IMCRemsrnyvL6ecJDsCCJWrydaE_Y8zHSyM5N1d94ZpXJrqo1RRYgoCtYci8j0jlhUDxwy9cVL_wexfFZSl08cS-DkvfuJeiQTbzyYRebKuOY/s1600/IMG_3244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsi8q3Tt0fFqp-JV5IbRS_Cz8IMCRemsrnyvL6ecJDsCCJWrydaE_Y8zHSyM5N1d94ZpXJrqo1RRYgoCtYci8j0jlhUDxwy9cVL_wexfFZSl08cS-DkvfuJeiQTbzyYRebKuOY/s1600/IMG_3244.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Again, my wonderful friend cut out the lettering for the Ollivanders sign. The black plastic you see there is a robe and it is the ONE THING I would totally get rid of from the party. I bought a bunch of black plastic table cloths. My mom cut a slit down the front, cut out the neck and then cut the arms. She stapled the seams together. But the plastic was so flimsy that the robes ripped. A LOT. We found staples all over the place after the party for a long time...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdN87x7cOaXKd3Qj2MNYctuFac_kiZhUiZbH1TZ8PcS64qkwNlRgINZbzu2-YpvXQ6-hAFRtDn0wFjsD-DS7Zlatq1YqU7cTm5vkQuZ6d2_DvG1FAjttLr51EMicML_fC1E6W/s1600/IMG_3281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdN87x7cOaXKd3Qj2MNYctuFac_kiZhUiZbH1TZ8PcS64qkwNlRgINZbzu2-YpvXQ6-hAFRtDn0wFjsD-DS7Zlatq1YqU7cTm5vkQuZ6d2_DvG1FAjttLr51EMicML_fC1E6W/s1600/IMG_3281.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
We made chocolate frogs using a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cybrtrayd-A126-Chocolate-Copyrighted-Instructions/dp/B000EBMUNU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429160579&sr=8-1&keywords=chocolate+frog+mold" target="_blank">mold I got from Amazon</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzU67deeNM8zZeKb_wFJplygGhfIFIPFvZNXy-VZvdXxGjrErxBGKI1HsPoeaXLBSok8qgrmFbZA8pjNLylMxwD2zjkA519DowZjeJIvi3EruoeL4mIhhc3JM3KxjjEs4ww4vT/s1600/IMG_3236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzU67deeNM8zZeKb_wFJplygGhfIFIPFvZNXy-VZvdXxGjrErxBGKI1HsPoeaXLBSok8qgrmFbZA8pjNLylMxwD2zjkA519DowZjeJIvi3EruoeL4mIhhc3JM3KxjjEs4ww4vT/s1600/IMG_3236.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFwuuUmYKXbnCmKWbElBPP5BKK8yJNwqAON244_VRlvxxXdDsW69jwZGek0ZnhDJsxYJzJ4k0sUMVb2lvF4r98xfyFDsVIDlsSXUDo9WxL57zX6O_nqv0Rl4BkgUcD-TBly4z/s1600/IMG_3237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFwuuUmYKXbnCmKWbElBPP5BKK8yJNwqAON244_VRlvxxXdDsW69jwZGek0ZnhDJsxYJzJ4k0sUMVb2lvF4r98xfyFDsVIDlsSXUDo9WxL57zX6O_nqv0Rl4BkgUcD-TBly4z/s1600/IMG_3237.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
We also filled some small containers with jelly beans for Bertie Bott's... the real beans were a tad expensive!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylO0RQ9xPT1sh2u6NfKj9avVIdl9D4j7NJaSPAXD06vJB7gbchWaygzAs1vbRBbTZ5ULz3jU43yws6rKduCmAmHUnDWwX8p5EmLQAwhs6vJ4aUDx4f7zgtLTgbbDTHOxy57ck/s1600/IMG_3225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylO0RQ9xPT1sh2u6NfKj9avVIdl9D4j7NJaSPAXD06vJB7gbchWaygzAs1vbRBbTZ5ULz3jU43yws6rKduCmAmHUnDWwX8p5EmLQAwhs6vJ4aUDx4f7zgtLTgbbDTHOxy57ck/s1600/IMG_3225.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
The candy's all went into a bag with a Honeyduke's label sealing it up!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wZzEMndDSqifGMwBz1_a1XwmFDr2f83US2X3FuqW5MzlSoIrpOgCF7GqyBc3lpChcgFKv4mgFRQlIoXqGLNDx4jKEQf-WpTaqiSpQtEwioynOx2t9s1SoshwKFZ2TqkwdAEK/s1600/IMG_3245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wZzEMndDSqifGMwBz1_a1XwmFDr2f83US2X3FuqW5MzlSoIrpOgCF7GqyBc3lpChcgFKv4mgFRQlIoXqGLNDx4jKEQf-WpTaqiSpQtEwioynOx2t9s1SoshwKFZ2TqkwdAEK/s1600/IMG_3245.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-JC_1Vru0wovKUElfGergNHDJzd0X1zSb3bvwOxCTh2EKKstPWweNuP_HRdDhQXGkeiPPUiDwP55QRfWPdNV9P_Y9R4fVldPV79ouKM4wHlP5O7AXqi3xW-UxH1UHqqXvPZk/s1600/IMG_3246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-JC_1Vru0wovKUElfGergNHDJzd0X1zSb3bvwOxCTh2EKKstPWweNuP_HRdDhQXGkeiPPUiDwP55QRfWPdNV9P_Y9R4fVldPV79ouKM4wHlP5O7AXqi3xW-UxH1UHqqXvPZk/s1600/IMG_3246.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
We Googled some Educational Proclamations....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPS4F14KzGHA1p92qIs-M1CtdE9MsewDIeQSOQJyRAymC4MkDrZeBHS0Fow2XMH_DflgdZI64_hmZ5UBtcAHV7ZgEz0c8ZQN5L7eomNVPxSR-amOS7KMkNm5U5TyzzdowBxNeb/s1600/IMG_3243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPS4F14KzGHA1p92qIs-M1CtdE9MsewDIeQSOQJyRAymC4MkDrZeBHS0Fow2XMH_DflgdZI64_hmZ5UBtcAHV7ZgEz0c8ZQN5L7eomNVPxSR-amOS7KMkNm5U5TyzzdowBxNeb/s1600/IMG_3243.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Some Daily Prophet pages...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuvSabwQpNTwlVEYPKAf3QYO1O_lKOCuS7qoPSQ0Nk6eTJZJFZPUk-e3H2xRYfclibdoejDDJEoiTtNxx9m3UxoDg9-aisFkDWR0cYyBu7l9N624gypaYZ1-4vhPWBjHM2dqf/s1600/IMG_3247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuvSabwQpNTwlVEYPKAf3QYO1O_lKOCuS7qoPSQ0Nk6eTJZJFZPUk-e3H2xRYfclibdoejDDJEoiTtNxx9m3UxoDg9-aisFkDWR0cYyBu7l9N624gypaYZ1-4vhPWBjHM2dqf/s1600/IMG_3247.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
And some wanted posters...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjC2D5zQMZF_Mwsm5v3ghkMNcpZ_UO86wYp1P2tTQfk1dqvF5Al39FoyBksUocqeSGhYEufUWWT4Po1yCdGqTZFRZwDZECFEJDQGdipfqY4tChHObeduzyhN5x2VnUUSyyK0R/s1600/IMG_3248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjC2D5zQMZF_Mwsm5v3ghkMNcpZ_UO86wYp1P2tTQfk1dqvF5Al39FoyBksUocqeSGhYEufUWWT4Po1yCdGqTZFRZwDZECFEJDQGdipfqY4tChHObeduzyhN5x2VnUUSyyK0R/s1600/IMG_3248.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURRxfdeTZQZmKcvUCOx9geWQLdN8LodgteelI73ZuhOFJl-yH2-li1LGs885hCmpI27uV44d53B0KZpItswekzLX_QgZYUqb53ocM4887QgOz3I0iCrd1D2mVIDkkvGNtAHis/s1600/IMG_3249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURRxfdeTZQZmKcvUCOx9geWQLdN8LodgteelI73ZuhOFJl-yH2-li1LGs885hCmpI27uV44d53B0KZpItswekzLX_QgZYUqb53ocM4887QgOz3I0iCrd1D2mVIDkkvGNtAHis/s1600/IMG_3249.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
My oldest has some Harry Potter Legos that became part of the decor.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80ImU6-GzSkI8XC7rfNs471Yz-ay6yQ5iJ97JQuAHmzkii0hd36CSZp58SnGMB587wmsvxATQyhjQc_9hBnQ3PX_Cka-FLyE_oMz1EZ6uLLlmfCjbOiZc8zkXQaSMzCVGcbGJ/s1600/IMG_3250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80ImU6-GzSkI8XC7rfNs471Yz-ay6yQ5iJ97JQuAHmzkii0hd36CSZp58SnGMB587wmsvxATQyhjQc_9hBnQ3PX_Cka-FLyE_oMz1EZ6uLLlmfCjbOiZc8zkXQaSMzCVGcbGJ/s1600/IMG_3250.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
I created the Hogwarts Express, Platform 9 3/4 and Diagon Alley signs, again, with help of a friend and her Silhouette machine<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9SkC9KL7v_tNZzvvn_sPg7Wg7bS5I494Vm7Ox9Zx2RJ3yWvzOhcVZgr_6TjZ_G6_OrFJfnYYGnXHEYlXC3CABoisIop_D_9RGc0-DZWqKxAxxltMPwdsUj6dflOSnM8WIyvt/s1600/IMG_3254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9SkC9KL7v_tNZzvvn_sPg7Wg7bS5I494Vm7Ox9Zx2RJ3yWvzOhcVZgr_6TjZ_G6_OrFJfnYYGnXHEYlXC3CABoisIop_D_9RGc0-DZWqKxAxxltMPwdsUj6dflOSnM8WIyvt/s1600/IMG_3254.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVd1vgaJ3nV9QhQpv7gwr1ZJzcpplFnRybmYhsPL8hgkfk5efQ8zP_TvVTQWDTdlE_cEcwEBH_NQOw26SGXQr2MmAWTGeqDb3_jttYHIFF9wO6rSRWK3J7kC55fslvh6R-g9ZB/s1600/IMG_3255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVd1vgaJ3nV9QhQpv7gwr1ZJzcpplFnRybmYhsPL8hgkfk5efQ8zP_TvVTQWDTdlE_cEcwEBH_NQOw26SGXQr2MmAWTGeqDb3_jttYHIFF9wO6rSRWK3J7kC55fslvh6R-g9ZB/s1600/IMG_3255.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HTrzgmG_-PTBC4Rw16JqZqNJQjOZYTXxcwrBF2CNSlg3DhzaxLfHiSVROONFOEStQ9X399wUuzVcnzhE7Bp21fL-4VmEZ8kh-vkl-SSCE5IE96qRH46PqiwRaosS7J1Ec8sS/s1600/IMG_3257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HTrzgmG_-PTBC4Rw16JqZqNJQjOZYTXxcwrBF2CNSlg3DhzaxLfHiSVROONFOEStQ9X399wUuzVcnzhE7Bp21fL-4VmEZ8kh-vkl-SSCE5IE96qRH46PqiwRaosS7J1Ec8sS/s1600/IMG_3257.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
This cute sign was painted by another <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/77365698/halloween-decoration-eat-drink-be-scary?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">fabulous friend </a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiruysPAtMVH7AOtcoXPulqi4m48IPybG0qCdutzMijIFauyZLv-ASorBRgeeakR_QDJ2mEat_YISC_aTAqRnBgLmxYuh4fXNK9dCSkAEbzyhRDaTjbv5QvorJHMGjPUJH7W_hb/s1600/IMG_3256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiruysPAtMVH7AOtcoXPulqi4m48IPybG0qCdutzMijIFauyZLv-ASorBRgeeakR_QDJ2mEat_YISC_aTAqRnBgLmxYuh4fXNK9dCSkAEbzyhRDaTjbv5QvorJHMGjPUJH7W_hb/s1600/IMG_3256.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
I collected different items to try and represent all of the books. Can you name the book(s) each item comes from? It was a fun way to keep the kids entertained as well!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtP74I96lAM6v0EqtR-McKGcZFwKSK3GVROwJrfBjWvfaRjNXfEAxHKnKoJp1GyswNzk_KW6e3Dh-3PYvVseb5Xl8fNFNeILcSp7GOwASYTeKJISUwPlsd-lo1Oq-6fcG2ONAo/s1600/IMG_3287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtP74I96lAM6v0EqtR-McKGcZFwKSK3GVROwJrfBjWvfaRjNXfEAxHKnKoJp1GyswNzk_KW6e3Dh-3PYvVseb5Xl8fNFNeILcSp7GOwASYTeKJISUwPlsd-lo1Oq-6fcG2ONAo/s1600/IMG_3287.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiY23oe2wEsL7B0Ho_0ea7SnGPLlS6v_r5q5yHbCY8pEkxbO1NEZKL1g6eaeLfEQYNPtahfMCehCdsqlQBjykSWQN_c47TAuQgxMegaru8k5waT2jtwKklRLVp5xRDyG5p43d/s1600/IMG_3288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiY23oe2wEsL7B0Ho_0ea7SnGPLlS6v_r5q5yHbCY8pEkxbO1NEZKL1g6eaeLfEQYNPtahfMCehCdsqlQBjykSWQN_c47TAuQgxMegaru8k5waT2jtwKklRLVp5xRDyG5p43d/s1600/IMG_3288.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WdxlZQOLCAoETmD_v4lsu0PUjyWYUKbVTst764gVuIjDYbSc9QECgnuGK1QTvJc-14JmyGqpKKOQYmL1dNqsUxi0Od_seQMBcGY3Dl63XCGVEvGu2JNYL45h8yZmPb7tCjTx/s1600/IMG_3289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WdxlZQOLCAoETmD_v4lsu0PUjyWYUKbVTst764gVuIjDYbSc9QECgnuGK1QTvJc-14JmyGqpKKOQYmL1dNqsUxi0Od_seQMBcGY3Dl63XCGVEvGu2JNYL45h8yZmPb7tCjTx/s1600/IMG_3289.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqa_hEXeXHaHgn4XjX4pNtNohfCJeeCT2ixxy7WefuKkLVOy0woe_wBRy6j1YfrZuG3FiJ-ZMlAKU8Gq5qn5-RW6THUg55uICetnuYgC_1_DRL1wVJ6ir6Dwz0RjmEt5TLo86_/s1600/IMG_3290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqa_hEXeXHaHgn4XjX4pNtNohfCJeeCT2ixxy7WefuKkLVOy0woe_wBRy6j1YfrZuG3FiJ-ZMlAKU8Gq5qn5-RW6THUg55uICetnuYgC_1_DRL1wVJ6ir6Dwz0RjmEt5TLo86_/s1600/IMG_3290.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0H6Ml6fp5urlBJaPw_4SDGM2Y642FX8Nv0MqSU16jYLZYh7SsjUKPCyRg2qAZjjJfW_jyyZ4OCjIfh0tqW62dcSRDVobKkVE2LWy7mhh5DuG0bbZE2eO1ir3pgnwvIj51-lx/s1600/IMG_3291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0H6Ml6fp5urlBJaPw_4SDGM2Y642FX8Nv0MqSU16jYLZYh7SsjUKPCyRg2qAZjjJfW_jyyZ4OCjIfh0tqW62dcSRDVobKkVE2LWy7mhh5DuG0bbZE2eO1ir3pgnwvIj51-lx/s1600/IMG_3291.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
We have snowflakes up year round (because I'm lazy) so we hid a snitch up there. Very few kids found it!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK106vEWmByJs_KmLxSIz0Pdhb1ADNZU_5VxFvrvx30U_8uH-cu0lC3OZl-IgvRdM-ee4LnrlckNxBueiqUfBpTmWWnp5sOs0udOvQIPRQnQQopW6A8_iMo2isvsbURdtnXZRi/s1600/IMG_3297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK106vEWmByJs_KmLxSIz0Pdhb1ADNZU_5VxFvrvx30U_8uH-cu0lC3OZl-IgvRdM-ee4LnrlckNxBueiqUfBpTmWWnp5sOs0udOvQIPRQnQQopW6A8_iMo2isvsbURdtnXZRi/s1600/IMG_3297.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
I had a couple of posters printed up as well<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwVy7jkaxmewI1Fq2RZX2Zht1HwfxywPpYaKl89pbAtWv8o6Oon6s_tFYI98j48uwa-bva-c1inKDGjJ4b7Tg2ZGi3DaAL0N94aSfylKtMtiP-R_asengUeqZzwH64mSt8TjT/s1600/IMG_3299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwVy7jkaxmewI1Fq2RZX2Zht1HwfxywPpYaKl89pbAtWv8o6Oon6s_tFYI98j48uwa-bva-c1inKDGjJ4b7Tg2ZGi3DaAL0N94aSfylKtMtiP-R_asengUeqZzwH64mSt8TjT/s1600/IMG_3299.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aTNRSj0C56VVHodAAmSH6vJtR_CBa70YyLdd1fpZtdGTyIgBap5YWZ5qkjgKpFJ1hlIhyeGcG6x_RfnwqpVkNZu7huDUR6o4XGhYZyObmf8LwgiYfPHVNQS7-J7NWP6hwIgt/s1600/IMG_3300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aTNRSj0C56VVHodAAmSH6vJtR_CBa70YyLdd1fpZtdGTyIgBap5YWZ5qkjgKpFJ1hlIhyeGcG6x_RfnwqpVkNZu7huDUR6o4XGhYZyObmf8LwgiYfPHVNQS7-J7NWP6hwIgt/s1600/IMG_3300.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Next time (meaning eventually) I'll post pictures of all the activities and games that we did. It really was a fun party!!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-79627846320473041662014-10-14T07:45:00.000-07:002014-10-14T07:45:35.043-07:00Harry Potter Party: Part TwoFireplace, Great Hall floating candles, the Sorting Hat and the Platform 9 3/4 brick wall are today! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqI7G5oJ6MXpUUZyn_LN-QEeYYxBdFsvWl_RGFoB3rQ5XP_6jgVH4yqZmry_Da-6u0bgJtIZBEfSNaEsoTug8iE3XhaQUZDrCUBabGYgNS3Gdl6EaWbnLEaYHK4Z4-nGZ1A8M/s1600/Image+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqI7G5oJ6MXpUUZyn_LN-QEeYYxBdFsvWl_RGFoB3rQ5XP_6jgVH4yqZmry_Da-6u0bgJtIZBEfSNaEsoTug8iE3XhaQUZDrCUBabGYgNS3Gdl6EaWbnLEaYHK4Z4-nGZ1A8M/s1600/Image+(3).jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I found the inspiration for the fireplace letters and the brick wall <a href="http://shortiesfunnyfarm.blogspot.com/2011/02/harry-potter-birthday-party.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> and another brick wall <a href="http://www.eatingbender.com/2013/11/07/order-of-the-phoenix-az-a-harry-potter-party-in-the-desert/" target="_blank">HERE</a>(actually, the brick wall was in LOTS of posts that I found), the Great Hall floating candles <a href="http://www.eatingbender.com/2013/11/07/order-of-the-phoenix-az-a-harry-potter-party-in-the-desert/" target="_blank">HERE</a> (again, saw these in lots of different places), and the Sorting Hat was <a href="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/83/eb/de/83ebdec023a8536da898eb37b737b9f0.jpg" target="_blank">HERE</a> (this was just a set of picture instructions).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, let's start with the fireplace! In book one, "The Sorcerer's Stone", Harry's acceptance letters to Hogwarts keep getting intercepted by his Uncle. One day hundreds and hundreds of letters come shooting out of the fireplace. I saw a picture recreating the scene on the blog I linked to and knew I had to try it!<br />
<br />
I didn't want to use actual envelopes. So I found a .png file of the back of an envelope. Then I found a .png of a Hogwarts crest. Pulled them up in Photoshop and created the back<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5rP6H6UXO3qcy0IWJaF59FW6qZQ_KJIj2tX5d4zkPFsGT5YrzgtmiqGkWHTvYcnhyPRQTKq6LMcnP-SRvzWnSF0bp4ywXIw0WVMIX6UO7wmCVtgUSLuDaK2HOSiVSTGdOdut/s1600/envelopeedit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5rP6H6UXO3qcy0IWJaF59FW6qZQ_KJIj2tX5d4zkPFsGT5YrzgtmiqGkWHTvYcnhyPRQTKq6LMcnP-SRvzWnSF0bp4ywXIw0WVMIX6UO7wmCVtgUSLuDaK2HOSiVSTGdOdut/s1600/envelopeedit1.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a></div>
Then I typed up the front and printed 2 to a page on parchment paper.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXnHSia1tBBcm5NWS2A_HLN69R73TOXQtgKTjuAtrrRUyYj5kzgKNlwApJ0nt3MLW6s78nzO-N-4zPzcpTu9iE_4b1Sg-atE2mYZx4dhpeaeoY1Vd6mAaKsZ-biYgLRJI3G4G/s1600/IMG_3233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXnHSia1tBBcm5NWS2A_HLN69R73TOXQtgKTjuAtrrRUyYj5kzgKNlwApJ0nt3MLW6s78nzO-N-4zPzcpTu9iE_4b1Sg-atE2mYZx4dhpeaeoY1Vd6mAaKsZ-biYgLRJI3G4G/s1600/IMG_3233.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
I used invisible quilting thread to hang the letters from the ceiling. I went with the quilting thread rather than fishing line for 2 reasons. 1 - it's pretty strong, but really thin, which makes it less noticeable and 2 - I already had it on hand :) We just used thumbtacks to attach them to the ceiling and tape to hook the thread to the paper. 2 tips for this project -you really need 2 people to do this project. One person to either be on the ladder and the other to be on the ground directing where you hang things. It's really had to judge where the next letter should go when you're on the ladder. It's a pain to get down and realize that it doesn't look right. Tip #2 - take a few pictures as you go. For some reason it gave me a better idea of where the holes or gaps were. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwj_4URLY3AnAOl2W0Txes9E4OAmU5MiZ4Uy499aJtuvHTfb1-XBkZfP-BYqDVtWxF8EQwKp5FRDnG04vUiJ1I76zLoAnbK0InkQNTbTHb_FoXqk5NGrMBB_KweRQ5HyH6JzPj/s1600/IMG_3231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwj_4URLY3AnAOl2W0Txes9E4OAmU5MiZ4Uy499aJtuvHTfb1-XBkZfP-BYqDVtWxF8EQwKp5FRDnG04vUiJ1I76zLoAnbK0InkQNTbTHb_FoXqk5NGrMBB_KweRQ5HyH6JzPj/s1600/IMG_3231.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
My husband had the idea of cutting one of the letters in half and putting it on each side of the glass in the fireplace. It looked really cool!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXGdSoL4JQJTFeL1Wk0HZPo9P4GHgmXROmXjjSDdKU5WATTenVajbLqzKuUcuuJcWyKmWPpHKqf_p-nPH_ylcbhTdbz9O3sZaTBmezdEc0gDcQJWeqzbQbUp3j1KrlLNps5Pl/s1600/IMG_3232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXGdSoL4JQJTFeL1Wk0HZPo9P4GHgmXROmXjjSDdKU5WATTenVajbLqzKuUcuuJcWyKmWPpHKqf_p-nPH_ylcbhTdbz9O3sZaTBmezdEc0gDcQJWeqzbQbUp3j1KrlLNps5Pl/s1600/IMG_3232.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
The Great Hall floating candles were time consuming, but easy to do. I bought battery powered tea lights at W*l-M*rt. They were cheaper there than Am*zon. I was told to check out dollar stores, but ours didn't have any when I needed them. We tied the invisible thread around the flames on the candle, hot glued 1/4 of a piece of paper to the candle to make it look longer and again, hung them with thumbtacks to the ceiling. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvd3h1gyTQ1Ch4bq7b79ICdwuoGnXfxZEUy7VGnYrdDz1p9f6OeAgpZmOPncPrs07iMdWTzwYN5QPv4kKn8mBQKqOwj8JpKJfY_ObbXxK2MbjTxN1LqIFVVyyA_qNIxcfly-q/s1600/IMG_3259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvd3h1gyTQ1Ch4bq7b79ICdwuoGnXfxZEUy7VGnYrdDz1p9f6OeAgpZmOPncPrs07iMdWTzwYN5QPv4kKn8mBQKqOwj8JpKJfY_ObbXxK2MbjTxN1LqIFVVyyA_qNIxcfly-q/s1600/IMG_3259.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHODoodsBwtSHTRh_KLvWGl6_SvmKzoXoKpV7YvUN6aw4tyXhFcxB6XQ79LtVzzaTn8KWwiSsD-ryC5-vUu-71RZlIm1eTvx_QrEgO_xpfxnXpO1uw5x50UbrNvzquYhyWNl0Y/s1600/IMG_3260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHODoodsBwtSHTRh_KLvWGl6_SvmKzoXoKpV7YvUN6aw4tyXhFcxB6XQ79LtVzzaTn8KWwiSsD-ryC5-vUu-71RZlIm1eTvx_QrEgO_xpfxnXpO1uw5x50UbrNvzquYhyWNl0Y/s1600/IMG_3260.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1398117021"></span><span id="goog_1398117022"></span>We chose to have the candles at the bottom of the roll of paper rather than the top. Just a personal preference of the birthday girl :)<br />
<br />
The sorting hat was a project that turned out cool, but not how I had pictured in my head. I started with a dollar store witch's hat, brown felt, fun foam, fake brown leather and hot glue. I had everything on hand but the felt and the hat. So this ended up being a really inexpensive project for me! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaofjtwcnIAFcSOlBB2Pm0tUoD3FVGrI7oGg4cg8njh2vOgtu-GzynUpDmJcypuV-SAioTay9t5w7QGqIS17R7dnf_IuymIATUe4tzL1yZOZ4X8zyVYT8eKnJT7-APloKYea7/s1600/IMG_2905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaofjtwcnIAFcSOlBB2Pm0tUoD3FVGrI7oGg4cg8njh2vOgtu-GzynUpDmJcypuV-SAioTay9t5w7QGqIS17R7dnf_IuymIATUe4tzL1yZOZ4X8zyVYT8eKnJT7-APloKYea7/s1600/IMG_2905.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I covered it in the brown felt first just to give it some stability (dollar store witch hats are rather flimsy). Then I cut out a few shapes out of the fun foam to create the eyes and mouth and glued them on with hot glue.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyDxLHu_APt9T0tSAYvqlRPwb0U3gpsQACnoX6QKyOUlGs-L0tfqrRPR_9C9D4MZ9cMLIQZ7gVwS-H7n8d1N95MBQPooQz51Z6VZuGCaJNNBubHSzG1TnvugdVRkJT75ZWVKz/s1600/IMG_2906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyDxLHu_APt9T0tSAYvqlRPwb0U3gpsQACnoX6QKyOUlGs-L0tfqrRPR_9C9D4MZ9cMLIQZ7gVwS-H7n8d1N95MBQPooQz51Z6VZuGCaJNNBubHSzG1TnvugdVRkJT75ZWVKz/s1600/IMG_2906.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Then I glued the faux leather on and scrunched it around till I kind of liked it<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkMOxRoGgFRMEC7n2vo7ozucVI6L8n8zXb8sQnMvjazrIk_gpv9VxaSd45ZHX4AbCQ8rJGIQ2FCEctth-u9vl4SRBgWyDZfCyp3OinsdtVHs7JuJh0Byj63vdBWR-Tuk8zVB9/s1600/IMG_2910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkMOxRoGgFRMEC7n2vo7ozucVI6L8n8zXb8sQnMvjazrIk_gpv9VxaSd45ZHX4AbCQ8rJGIQ2FCEctth-u9vl4SRBgWyDZfCyp3OinsdtVHs7JuJh0Byj63vdBWR-Tuk8zVB9/s1600/IMG_2910.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
There you go! It doesn't look quite the same after the party. The kids had a great time playing with it and things shifted a little. But I can pull everything back into place. <br />
<br />
Last but not least is my Platform 9 3/4 brick wall. I wanted the kids to be able to walk through the wall to get into the house. This was another inexpensive project since I already had the fabric and the paint. I bought a roll of masking tape for $.97. Then I took an exacto knife to the edges of the tape and cut it up and mangled it a little. I didn't want my "mortar" lines to be really straight. I used my quilting ruler to put the tape down evenly<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGX4e7_fbUkIFOs78uu0rjzo2yz7FtMYPZ2DeqSa6hbiTXXT_7K7r6yqQxhZVaH-M6DLUW0HRdS_jObvghHyS626cvawsmwgmdwo4QsgSJjM21qWANPwM06lkKnWKQrvoe8gt/s1600/IMG_2841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGX4e7_fbUkIFOs78uu0rjzo2yz7FtMYPZ2DeqSa6hbiTXXT_7K7r6yqQxhZVaH-M6DLUW0HRdS_jObvghHyS626cvawsmwgmdwo4QsgSJjM21qWANPwM06lkKnWKQrvoe8gt/s1600/IMG_2841.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
I was using spray paint, so we took it outside<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA36VaY4X-C7tmXwisca6lkGzk0Mf1dfP84uOpm_OLuza1Nw2r7OunkShhzknyf3iPKnQQqvggcbC9BFvPRMTCiUtaX4ifvXnYHTmnnOIgCY9wxvwTL1WdHHe07CGWNR5gG42K/s1600/IMG_2842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA36VaY4X-C7tmXwisca6lkGzk0Mf1dfP84uOpm_OLuza1Nw2r7OunkShhzknyf3iPKnQQqvggcbC9BFvPRMTCiUtaX4ifvXnYHTmnnOIgCY9wxvwTL1WdHHe07CGWNR5gG42K/s1600/IMG_2842.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
I started to run out of paint, but I think it kind of added to the brick look.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkH75BqxNIgGKr7W93xq1-6cihGB6FGJN6_ZETAYa-IE2R4UKTl1iyuLob8D70rdsaAmOqKp3BIK8ucwK1pwbK59FKhyphenhyphentc9moCFxV1Xu1TdRtUmhbhyfcWhjFclatk8CI5r05/s1600/IMG_2843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkH75BqxNIgGKr7W93xq1-6cihGB6FGJN6_ZETAYa-IE2R4UKTl1iyuLob8D70rdsaAmOqKp3BIK8ucwK1pwbK59FKhyphenhyphentc9moCFxV1Xu1TdRtUmhbhyfcWhjFclatk8CI5r05/s1600/IMG_2843.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Pulled the tape off and loved the results!!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0YBiGnxEv3IC79FX5xEZDhrFfsyue1nVattRssOyqZmcsHP2P3UDmgtPXkzwoee7a1s7J4TSGn6xgm2AH318LbAujZzBt4igadFB8NEV10w2djNoX2XrGgLDHnDxc7SwnMos/s1600/IMG_2844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0YBiGnxEv3IC79FX5xEZDhrFfsyue1nVattRssOyqZmcsHP2P3UDmgtPXkzwoee7a1s7J4TSGn6xgm2AH318LbAujZzBt4igadFB8NEV10w2djNoX2XrGgLDHnDxc7SwnMos/s1600/IMG_2844.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
I know that was kind of a lot of information. I'm wondering if I should have broken it into more posts?? Oh well. The next post will probably be the little projects and then I'll do one more that will be a basic walk through of the party in action with pictures my wonderful <a href="http://www.juliesmithphoto.com/" target="_blank">friend</a> took for me!! </div>
Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-72275087754447080922014-10-13T08:47:00.000-07:002014-10-13T08:47:57.189-07:00Harry Potter Party: Part OneIt's been over a year since I've written anything for this blog. I start to think about getting back into it and then life happens and I just don't. <br />
<br />
That being said, I really want to document this birthday party we just threw. <br />
<br />
A year ago I read the Harry Potter books to Baby Girl (and everyone else who wanted to come sit and listen). She realized she would be 11 on her next birthday (the age a young witch or wizard begins to attend Hogwarts) and it's would be a party year (we only do odd years). Now, you must understand, I have wanted to throw a Harry Potter party for years. YEARS I TELL YOU!! So when she asked if we could maybe do a Harry Potter party for her birthday, I jumped on it! This was 10% for Baby Girl and 90% for me, but I think we both loved it! <br />
<br />
So, I'm here to share a few things. Some tricks, ideas, and a few tips on things I would or wouldn't do if I was to do it over again. I'll probably break it into lots of little posts. I'm also going to try to link to the pages where I got the idea or inspiration from. Ready, here we go!<br />
<br />
First off, the invitations. I started by making a seal for the backs of the envelopes. I was going to buy one, but the actual seals were EXPENSIVE! And I was trying to make this party as inexpensive as possible. <br />
<br />
This idea came from a couple of places. Check <a href="http://harrypotterparaphernalia.blogspot.com/2012/01/lettersinvitations-wax-seal-tutorial.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> and <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Hogwarts-Acceptance-Letter-w-Wax-Seal/" target="_blank">HERE</a>. (I didn't do any of the tea staining found in the one tutorial. I bought a packet of parchment paper instead.) <br />
<br />
I took some clay and shaped a kind of handle, flattened one end and then carved the crest and the H with a toothpick and a straight pin. It was then baked according to the directions on the package.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuN3VUGC-sRk_Wtr4Z9rwywfrLreL2OS3JxB8iTCTDR1ivubOS3lS2kY0IRKHBV90-0RE9P6FKGEvSqHymynJwRgjcEQf1b5td4YMEWxOJFlYNktLXzxZUiLn6uTPWaFTteO3W/s1600/photo+(22).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuN3VUGC-sRk_Wtr4Z9rwywfrLreL2OS3JxB8iTCTDR1ivubOS3lS2kY0IRKHBV90-0RE9P6FKGEvSqHymynJwRgjcEQf1b5td4YMEWxOJFlYNktLXzxZUiLn6uTPWaFTteO3W/s1600/photo+(22).JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
To make the seals you need wax paper, hot glue, a shallow dish of oil, a bag of ice, your stamp and paint in the color of your choice. You put your stamp, crest side down, onto the bag of ice. Then you make a good sized blob of hot glue on the wax paper. Dip your stamp into the oil and then press it into the hot glue (I dabbed a tiny bit of the oil off first). Wait for the hot glue to cool and harden. Wa-lah!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUJnrWOVtg8mBDGCy6BOffVMNHg6gYPlyK0v8B-qQGLbHz9oImdHsKpy1SBtnN0gYhlK5by9p7VvJxqPfjtCc0Xf4kqTVU5tLzRL9kg8pj0VzSE1yNaD4_ZU5GCZcyZ71PGd8/s1600/photo+(23).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUJnrWOVtg8mBDGCy6BOffVMNHg6gYPlyK0v8B-qQGLbHz9oImdHsKpy1SBtnN0gYhlK5by9p7VvJxqPfjtCc0Xf4kqTVU5tLzRL9kg8pj0VzSE1yNaD4_ZU5GCZcyZ71PGd8/s1600/photo+(23).JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There was some oil residue on the seal and the wax paper had stuck to the back of the glue, so we washed them all in soapy water before painting. I used a red spray paint for the seals. Just stuck them all in a box and went to town. And this was the result:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlNot-yhvkUPesF0nJplPZ4mEyN_jbyDq909JclliqV5yjlhyphenhyphenfGA60PByy8J0ulT1sKpeB3ARDMsk91QtPOASUI3oIAh1eh0qdEe1HTnafLO4C1m6_tDdxB1Ts5hn_jTzeyHs/s1600/photo+(24).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlNot-yhvkUPesF0nJplPZ4mEyN_jbyDq909JclliqV5yjlhyphenhyphenfGA60PByy8J0ulT1sKpeB3ARDMsk91QtPOASUI3oIAh1eh0qdEe1HTnafLO4C1m6_tDdxB1Ts5hn_jTzeyHs/s1600/photo+(24).JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We used the acceptance letter as our invitations. I printed them up on parchment paper that I had bought from a big box store. I got the tutorials for the letters from <a href="http://www.hellopapermoon.com/2013/03/enchanting-and-magical-harry-potter.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> and <a href="http://harrypotterparaphernalia.blogspot.com/2011/12/lettersinvitations-and-platform-9-34.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> and <a href="http://www.piecesbypolly.com/2013/01/printable-hogwarts-acceptance-letters.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. The bulk came from that last link. I also just Googled it and got tons of ideas on what to do. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCvDyJ2hjRalXkKXpXr-N4QMB6Sv8yZA6n3IThIrn6YhW2gokqVZBqCHVcqRomPf1JkXwHOcS8n3NO19by-WJfK4skWVFTBjBoU4jnXKyHV2F9GefJ5F9jHC8ffpAKjt0ZNc8/s1600/photo_4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCvDyJ2hjRalXkKXpXr-N4QMB6Sv8yZA6n3IThIrn6YhW2gokqVZBqCHVcqRomPf1JkXwHOcS8n3NO19by-WJfK4skWVFTBjBoU4jnXKyHV2F9GefJ5F9jHC8ffpAKjt0ZNc8/s1600/photo_4.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I didn't have parchment envelopes and didn't want to order any. So I just used regular envelopes that I already had and distressed the edges. I contacted the parents to get a detail about the kids rooms. The fonts I used were <a href="http://www.dafont.com/lumos.font" target="_blank">Lumos</a> and <a href="http://www.dafont.com/youreinvited.font" target="_blank">You're Invited</a> (I'm showing the Harry Potter one so that I don't put names or addresses of kiddos out there)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWv6_2at-7Okpp8-dhAswPxAzwxjTS9a1eAltenCjRok20J4LRgoESudsrgxy9yHFpsq1KBEpbqHv758j50RHsJHO3ojX72zVr1fR7nAfgjr4YXBgDsD8XDzjakR6CyfRHz-z6/s1600/photo+(22).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWv6_2at-7Okpp8-dhAswPxAzwxjTS9a1eAltenCjRok20J4LRgoESudsrgxy9yHFpsq1KBEpbqHv758j50RHsJHO3ojX72zVr1fR7nAfgjr4YXBgDsD8XDzjakR6CyfRHz-z6/s1600/photo+(22).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Attached the seal to the back with more hot glue<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKNeF5vDbKFphYGbQ0MpcZ8fUARF5kc6vxoVTic3VCHhUw4_qyPqVblv0N1sOvw5nMYFVcEXoOCqvYN9Mg3JBqGUxOvL78oDfLmeB9l83cq3hT3ptS4y_5dv9WrslSxH4mTTq/s1600/photo_2+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKNeF5vDbKFphYGbQ0MpcZ8fUARF5kc6vxoVTic3VCHhUw4_qyPqVblv0N1sOvw5nMYFVcEXoOCqvYN9Mg3JBqGUxOvL78oDfLmeB9l83cq3hT3ptS4y_5dv9WrslSxH4mTTq/s1600/photo_2+(1).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We also put a Platform 9 3/4 ticket into each envelope. I just did a Google image search till I found one with a good resolution that I liked (apparently I didn't save the link... if I find it, I'll come back and enter it in). </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02fd9BaCxMxtguUcZT8MgCfD1ilMOF82mnOVFsDwvDeRJE2oSA9gBapKw2D3AjoihOFslTRdadsFSz9ukn3E2hE4tzpBKwT2IMqt8Q8P3MEz8LZCBU6RxxV23-6xor2iqtJTs/s1600/Golden_Platform_Ticket.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02fd9BaCxMxtguUcZT8MgCfD1ilMOF82mnOVFsDwvDeRJE2oSA9gBapKw2D3AjoihOFslTRdadsFSz9ukn3E2hE4tzpBKwT2IMqt8Q8P3MEz8LZCBU6RxxV23-6xor2iqtJTs/s1600/Golden_Platform_Ticket.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Baby Girl put on her Hogwarts shirt and our Harry Potter glasses (she thinks they look like the Lobster Bisque guy from Studio C) and we delivered the invitations!<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcebW7ySs1aSvT2mcYiLGkTgBj7bivgTId0SjNp9u7CxuiQApj_a53ceW_8xADvxRsIF7sc6ARriM3x7kVE8u-TLIJNFHQBeXuiiqEi38CY6kEaGbGsTL9wZAVaX1BU_6uL0Xu/s1600/photo_3+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcebW7ySs1aSvT2mcYiLGkTgBj7bivgTId0SjNp9u7CxuiQApj_a53ceW_8xADvxRsIF7sc6ARriM3x7kVE8u-TLIJNFHQBeXuiiqEi38CY6kEaGbGsTL9wZAVaX1BU_6uL0Xu/s1600/photo_3+(5).JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So there's post #1! I'll start working on the next one soon. I have family in town right now so we will see how long it takes me to get the next one up :)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-45114176251271398122013-09-14T21:14:00.000-07:002013-09-14T21:14:20.043-07:00Clean and Safe Media Pledge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I'm getting ready to teach a lesson in YW at church on guarding virtue. I have given this to the girls before, but thought I would again. I got the original idea from a pledge found on the Deseret Book website that can be found <a href="http://deseretbook.com/files/family_mediapledge.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. I reworded it to make it more individual for the girls. Thought I would share it in case it might help someone else... <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6v44i-fxQ1OUduCm4NSgPhFm9FhFECewsM7Gbk-CNJmJkykBuBs9BT7Of1xWSyM2Fh59WdR4VhvsRLmv_F5s5fwKYDxB5cPP-MLbY8s74KfRsLlqegc9VpPuZiIpc5m2coBw/s1600/Cleanandsafepledge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6v44i-fxQ1OUduCm4NSgPhFm9FhFECewsM7Gbk-CNJmJkykBuBs9BT7Of1xWSyM2Fh59WdR4VhvsRLmv_F5s5fwKYDxB5cPP-MLbY8s74KfRsLlqegc9VpPuZiIpc5m2coBw/s320/Cleanandsafepledge.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-9479766819311852692013-01-13T10:49:00.000-08:002013-01-13T10:49:43.603-08:00Better Late than Never<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've had a couple of people ask me about Baby Girl's b-day party this last October. So, I thought I'd throw together a quick, yet picture laden post to show what we did. Sorry some of the photos are blurry. I'm no expert when it comes to photography! And yes... Baby Girl's name is blurred or edited out on the photos (I hope). So, here we go!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
These were the invites I created using photoshop:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmBlh8Mkx59poH8AFXKHh1P1CDsTTJQb-0xcswVBHaDwzkqPSsjrAcxh2nNEiGCKPieJ6JTZWQ8cWwd2fasbElEJYEcBNyuNkUh96-arNI3eG7EleYhCDXGEZgUAyLgXAz7sb/s1600/B-day+invite2edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmBlh8Mkx59poH8AFXKHh1P1CDsTTJQb-0xcswVBHaDwzkqPSsjrAcxh2nNEiGCKPieJ6JTZWQ8cWwd2fasbElEJYEcBNyuNkUh96-arNI3eG7EleYhCDXGEZgUAyLgXAz7sb/s320/B-day+invite2edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I covered the windows with poster board and black garbage bags because when the party started it was still light outside. The decorations were pretty simple, but made a big impact I thought. First I bought a handheld black light and then wandered around different stores seeing what things glowed (paint, papers, pom-poms) and what didn't. I bought three 18" long black lights from Wal-Mart for $10 a piece to place around the main party room. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As far as decorations go, I made a poster for all of her friends to sign when they first got there. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil93RCNkHDNz45rpECn4lhRmI9-6w3SB9ucdtqp2edrs4X_MwuW5ucMAslnuRkrdhBH7I23VN_JQrEdAVdwLQYqIjVdD104BBnWe0dIB5zQAaiTkCtkmojSND6zAL-BD4RbWUE/s1600/October+5+(10)edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil93RCNkHDNz45rpECn4lhRmI9-6w3SB9ucdtqp2edrs4X_MwuW5ucMAslnuRkrdhBH7I23VN_JQrEdAVdwLQYqIjVdD104BBnWe0dIB5zQAaiTkCtkmojSND6zAL-BD4RbWUE/s320/October+5+(10)edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayaBBu_AGxywjQUoAGXBwBkMGMzIqJSecN4Mf06-e2FU-4zWpIW6mqUPGuQlUy1Y-dpwyU0Hvyhg2E8zViYJ2vzfoKMiAd2FdtsjvCO3tZliOtfB75hrHJewVSfF4PvIc_aSo/s1600/October+5+(14)edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayaBBu_AGxywjQUoAGXBwBkMGMzIqJSecN4Mf06-e2FU-4zWpIW6mqUPGuQlUy1Y-dpwyU0Hvyhg2E8zViYJ2vzfoKMiAd2FdtsjvCO3tZliOtfB75hrHJewVSfF4PvIc_aSo/s320/October+5+(14)edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We cut out "Happy Birthday Baby Girl" from neon poster board and hung that on the one wall....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJn6fIyoKNzSMKX-iHCnuzuQCnweczqxrsJ03EK_lmwqA7BL9SGBVcoV3E0_tYX7-aPUDbgLG30lE35y2aEPgXCOvgLBgkwqe8hSvwwGCar0L-fBSTu_fwpCDLPxY8Tywd7SRd/s1600/October+5+(7)edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJn6fIyoKNzSMKX-iHCnuzuQCnweczqxrsJ03EK_lmwqA7BL9SGBVcoV3E0_tYX7-aPUDbgLG30lE35y2aEPgXCOvgLBgkwqe8hSvwwGCar0L-fBSTu_fwpCDLPxY8Tywd7SRd/s320/October+5+(7)edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxzHTfM9_uJxvN05Ptl4eLaGcRRkHryU6sCMUgJwTEDkV6NIBcEQvfvdLTFNvK5cTuqNHDLsZoU4QXzOODoucShUhaiIx1Hk0W5a2LmTs5dCB11q1dMpjuO4aW5KDUw4NY-H-/s1600/October+5+(12)edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxzHTfM9_uJxvN05Ptl4eLaGcRRkHryU6sCMUgJwTEDkV6NIBcEQvfvdLTFNvK5cTuqNHDLsZoU4QXzOODoucShUhaiIx1Hk0W5a2LmTs5dCB11q1dMpjuO4aW5KDUw4NY-H-/s320/October+5+(12)edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
There was clear contact paper on the walls and then tons of neon shapes were cut using a Cricut. When the kids came in they created collages using the shapes....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBelK3k3bESkNYlEUwUaZdBfGG1Qo-3pE2J40cPNzS3Mr4dfWyLnxL8AyDww3YJDPGq4TQPKSazVheE2jkNI9-S1eGmeGoYcSyNtDM6ifUBsSa9AO05lYLZVBj4Eg4Is2gmoTW/s1600/October+5+(9)edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBelK3k3bESkNYlEUwUaZdBfGG1Qo-3pE2J40cPNzS3Mr4dfWyLnxL8AyDww3YJDPGq4TQPKSazVheE2jkNI9-S1eGmeGoYcSyNtDM6ifUBsSa9AO05lYLZVBj4Eg4Is2gmoTW/s320/October+5+(9)edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-v3BXi_-I1W4shheSbdF9QrlxN0N41SFcMUWRaod9_ge00NnI84RzMrL1RwyKzSmAzf5tuk7pSss4o_mHE79YEaLQt91QWrtkXzkXYFq8emlmXSZq-tK-f7LdP0HUGPHas7Wg/s1600/October+5+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-v3BXi_-I1W4shheSbdF9QrlxN0N41SFcMUWRaod9_ge00NnI84RzMrL1RwyKzSmAzf5tuk7pSss4o_mHE79YEaLQt91QWrtkXzkXYFq8emlmXSZq-tK-f7LdP0HUGPHas7Wg/s320/October+5+%25285%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3-Ef23mYNUvlbGYIpmUb4fg7oPyso1Cg8ITT4QY2a72X0mQUn36ex35OFgbK6Kmm1i7J9mQrIgmJVD4IzLP4JDpE8UpJnvAS-FtF-DvvkPKegdrHYMVPaOQAxNe62z7FQPa2/s1600/October+5+%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3-Ef23mYNUvlbGYIpmUb4fg7oPyso1Cg8ITT4QY2a72X0mQUn36ex35OFgbK6Kmm1i7J9mQrIgmJVD4IzLP4JDpE8UpJnvAS-FtF-DvvkPKegdrHYMVPaOQAxNe62z7FQPa2/s320/October+5+%25286%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUN4uUb-YieZKp3eVVHiYHbYl5Oe-yX4LzgYBS7FUc0mE9Ogr_UcH1XGwdfIn4VlYrAzjCr4z8IUE-NliOxHJ5Ph6ZADy5Q48aiPFr6wPJyOJ9yCuOjYAaY57sg1C4FF0qvSHf/s1600/October+5+(22).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUN4uUb-YieZKp3eVVHiYHbYl5Oe-yX4LzgYBS7FUc0mE9Ogr_UcH1XGwdfIn4VlYrAzjCr4z8IUE-NliOxHJ5Ph6ZADy5Q48aiPFr6wPJyOJ9yCuOjYAaY57sg1C4FF0qvSHf/s320/October+5+(22).JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn5W0HyUX4aacKZ3iteu299MQWVYpDirEZbtFEinSCYAZp6OLPg99ewEtbjvRjdFr7UPZByy_pNNQxeuN2jLSF_NJa0vRDNBPkj8p7KuKAFISoVnJHTZD9UXJZXShoLW3fon7n/s1600/October+5+(13).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn5W0HyUX4aacKZ3iteu299MQWVYpDirEZbtFEinSCYAZp6OLPg99ewEtbjvRjdFr7UPZByy_pNNQxeuN2jLSF_NJa0vRDNBPkj8p7KuKAFISoVnJHTZD9UXJZXShoLW3fon7n/s320/October+5+(13).JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdPB3BE_FlPVaSuIFIvOGxm7pyyyLlTp3jc0wxrN74IAx4t-E_kXgBBQ3Si1ZXHt8z8QCJ_sMFaKSYinMSYqbdOpyGSspP3rLoBFjbYptUKJISEWqLUYv0O2dTRtQ4O-Oxx1O/s1600/October+5+(25).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdPB3BE_FlPVaSuIFIvOGxm7pyyyLlTp3jc0wxrN74IAx4t-E_kXgBBQ3Si1ZXHt8z8QCJ_sMFaKSYinMSYqbdOpyGSspP3rLoBFjbYptUKJISEWqLUYv0O2dTRtQ4O-Oxx1O/s320/October+5+(25).JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
I had also found neon sticky notes at the dollar store. 400 flowers and stars for the wall for $4! I strung some glow in the dark beads around the room, used a glow in the dark spray on the mirror, and then used some other odds and ends that I found around the house that glowed in the black light.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwLS2SXgfvFCs0UNwlNIv5v2g-ccSyXmRdMzQgoV0XFyT5czlrBmESdajwCY4sZpofzfyC7a_yxqxq1bgIW_sz6PfBmdl7dPYp4GE-8l_ts8_csnq5OvEy9Qe-uhmYqXu5gv_/s1600/October+5+%25288%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwLS2SXgfvFCs0UNwlNIv5v2g-ccSyXmRdMzQgoV0XFyT5czlrBmESdajwCY4sZpofzfyC7a_yxqxq1bgIW_sz6PfBmdl7dPYp4GE-8l_ts8_csnq5OvEy9Qe-uhmYqXu5gv_/s320/October+5+%25288%2529edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zkz35IrfvGOEQdfYhVZNMiMxWYBAYx1EmUGJZhb6-ekpzn-7tqaztYYcptocoGvp9mXg8jXsyPwr6R0V5YOaeR3u4FWHg2aKiOlvruC4pyEA9f4lXFwpQHZaCQwB3z81AmOt/s1600/October+5+%252841%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zkz35IrfvGOEQdfYhVZNMiMxWYBAYx1EmUGJZhb6-ekpzn-7tqaztYYcptocoGvp9mXg8jXsyPwr6R0V5YOaeR3u4FWHg2aKiOlvruC4pyEA9f4lXFwpQHZaCQwB3z81AmOt/s320/October+5+%252841%2529edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTNlHXJOHtShz_wAA8xJGbBo8cGw1ZuAcAh1MsPZWaAZ8Yt4TqIFL_54UvH5mI20L8K9F0JWmkI8ZZLz4Cn5mH40prWFEf5MpjiylaaXMwpSisZpH5xCRd1paq_jvtWeY9hYY/s1600/October+5+%252842%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTNlHXJOHtShz_wAA8xJGbBo8cGw1ZuAcAh1MsPZWaAZ8Yt4TqIFL_54UvH5mI20L8K9F0JWmkI8ZZLz4Cn5mH40prWFEf5MpjiylaaXMwpSisZpH5xCRd1paq_jvtWeY9hYY/s320/October+5+%252842%2529edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5k7HIznczrkMbChQKGJMLYLWBpiBTzLP4mih8Wjm76eZIq7FS3fd3WMCceTBPgLdqmJbenn6-IAIBkEeEGQwbCYqYnmogXWVo3B3jf8UEc43GFAKCMAkEBu6dbUH2WwRD5DFA/s1600/October+5+(37).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5k7HIznczrkMbChQKGJMLYLWBpiBTzLP4mih8Wjm76eZIq7FS3fd3WMCceTBPgLdqmJbenn6-IAIBkEeEGQwbCYqYnmogXWVo3B3jf8UEc43GFAKCMAkEBu6dbUH2WwRD5DFA/s320/October+5+(37).JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The kids got goodie bags with a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Message-Invisible-Writer-Spy/dp/B000UVNSV2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358101028&sr=8-1&keywords=invisible+ink+pen" target="_blank">black light/invisible ink pen</a> (they were only $.99 when I found them), a notebook, glow sticks, and then a couple of glow in the dark items from <a href="http://www.orientaltrading.com/" target="_blank">Oriental Trading</a>. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBd8umMR06XSlbf8mqXY3daVn6o6z6FHSQBUX3U7SwnFXTbYluJybjq0tiJIjvxui-aiBWDPMdsU-34ouqr1wndsqmK-YpiQUEOEe3HSomNyk-eGL931WVBkQ7WY_JefifmRg/s1600/October+5+%252829%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBd8umMR06XSlbf8mqXY3daVn6o6z6FHSQBUX3U7SwnFXTbYluJybjq0tiJIjvxui-aiBWDPMdsU-34ouqr1wndsqmK-YpiQUEOEe3HSomNyk-eGL931WVBkQ7WY_JefifmRg/s320/October+5+%252829%2529edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I also found some glow in the dark and neon nail polish that I painted her fingers and toes with. Each kid also got a picture drawn on their hands with some neon face paint crayons I had found at Wal-Mart. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjueBPCUjcKfDBrxNID-qWNlG4p_MbD3Dr6nazBn6Lc7GvidQtXIeMQak_E9eHDgrWDkzaYBNCd2vPMob0hIISK2aEm0jAB3OJK6-AAmtnDd1r6GASZU30Y0oBT7sQi2zfmOC09/s1600/October+5+%252826%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjueBPCUjcKfDBrxNID-qWNlG4p_MbD3Dr6nazBn6Lc7GvidQtXIeMQak_E9eHDgrWDkzaYBNCd2vPMob0hIISK2aEm0jAB3OJK6-AAmtnDd1r6GASZU30Y0oBT7sQi2zfmOC09/s320/October+5+%252826%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We also served food that glowed, but the only thing I got a shot of was the potato chips... </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFcEDul67TZvETirbgh1YclnQlyeskSsUmEy-zjkd6gawdaTsAgbiE559873rPLQNmaclJQPPSOsC1p6F7OJRrkHLzRZ8MYTaLvJ2jFHVb8rEz-pyPwBcJQmWo6bNQ2d1nK2A/s1600/September+4+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFcEDul67TZvETirbgh1YclnQlyeskSsUmEy-zjkd6gawdaTsAgbiE559873rPLQNmaclJQPPSOsC1p6F7OJRrkHLzRZ8MYTaLvJ2jFHVb8rEz-pyPwBcJQmWo6bNQ2d1nK2A/s320/September+4+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMmjnUsp58VIVOzZa743NdXDMZ5e6ILs85yNBr0tliugAAq0YAspiUWEuDuLyTSiEkMXek_I1CVpQtykNCUo8Je5kAparI8hSOQjPIwgDpGvMylBQ2kMOxeydWmBSj81D5ukn/s1600/October+5+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMmjnUsp58VIVOzZa743NdXDMZ5e6ILs85yNBr0tliugAAq0YAspiUWEuDuLyTSiEkMXek_I1CVpQtykNCUo8Je5kAparI8hSOQjPIwgDpGvMylBQ2kMOxeydWmBSj81D5ukn/s320/October+5+(4).JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We served pizza (mozzarella cheese glows) the potato chips and then a lime drink that kind of glowed. The hot pink frosting on the cupcakes we served also glowed. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is probably one of the better parties I've done. The kids had a ball and Baby Girl was thrilled! Who could ask for more? </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHmbunsaBZgLWgmvy65_QYM5Kv_5LHN2nhxj81eJgeTED9teHKOYDwiEAPU5-iutumGNwqzwSjavO363l4QOCD76iENUmI1UMblp6SlwRfrS06QvpSF1oNrxWODRvLZo7q_h0/s1600/October+5+%252833%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHmbunsaBZgLWgmvy65_QYM5Kv_5LHN2nhxj81eJgeTED9teHKOYDwiEAPU5-iutumGNwqzwSjavO363l4QOCD76iENUmI1UMblp6SlwRfrS06QvpSF1oNrxWODRvLZo7q_h0/s320/October+5+%252833%2529edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrkvObjCGB-7dpg2WwHn0GhkY_gxXbJkJAr3UG12r35UOPeWs95FPMLAcWuhExB__QqOfKk-ght_oaTfv5iVKU1V_3E-DN-FaH_sx1wNmyXv2iLB-QqzQf8pTAuzd1Oz9ZouZ/s1600/October+5+%252836%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrkvObjCGB-7dpg2WwHn0GhkY_gxXbJkJAr3UG12r35UOPeWs95FPMLAcWuhExB__QqOfKk-ght_oaTfv5iVKU1V_3E-DN-FaH_sx1wNmyXv2iLB-QqzQf8pTAuzd1Oz9ZouZ/s320/October+5+%252836%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-61834819015726839222012-11-24T10:04:00.000-08:002012-11-24T10:04:42.291-08:00Elf on the Shelf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My mom gave us an Elf on the Shelf and I thought I'd share a few of the ideas/tricks he played last year to try and get my brain moving on what to do this year!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
These are just the favorites... stole the Scrabble tiles to give us a message</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vTLDNO1O2PCEhSCI5Wrg-Clq5Pz8Kp6nIeiZkg1u3ZfPIOP0ym_xSAy0kqAa0M53ua1Qi3Szy6WNZpeDfa7O-bCASRppHSyPflosVFW82ZwzMu-Jox85vr_mRhWJlIFJdtmG/s1600/December+18+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vTLDNO1O2PCEhSCI5Wrg-Clq5Pz8Kp6nIeiZkg1u3ZfPIOP0ym_xSAy0kqAa0M53ua1Qi3Szy6WNZpeDfa7O-bCASRppHSyPflosVFW82ZwzMu-Jox85vr_mRhWJlIFJdtmG/s320/December+18+(5).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
A treacherous ride along the top of the cupboards.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEi3TaCyp7RaMb_Um1mjpihSh32ZidKZmkNJwyDN9u5aDFrOb_WvUbs1a3AKs-GoQQn8HEnPVnsMiWPbZk8wHXRoTs90KqaNwUxKgHemPhREIwWWzaXmD9xbziipX4RWeOOMR/s1600/December+21+(158).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEi3TaCyp7RaMb_Um1mjpihSh32ZidKZmkNJwyDN9u5aDFrOb_WvUbs1a3AKs-GoQQn8HEnPVnsMiWPbZk8wHXRoTs90KqaNwUxKgHemPhREIwWWzaXmD9xbziipX4RWeOOMR/s320/December+21+(158).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We had 5 days left till Christmas and he switched back our countdown to 95. (My youngest did freak out just a little bit over this one... but once I assured her it was just a trick then she was able to laugh about it!)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-uQmtKlnk1M3IF8HfUE0Wf5XnyMb3qYU-jqHpOVeN2AQB3oPLAPJ8Aup4r8MJrY0lKsDwdBV5erkhKpgs3BdTSxZxiYN3G3BS9Ue6xYCKXmPCDI3fvDgPv0bpM0iTsNkSsNa/s1600/December+5+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-uQmtKlnk1M3IF8HfUE0Wf5XnyMb3qYU-jqHpOVeN2AQB3oPLAPJ8Aup4r8MJrY0lKsDwdBV5erkhKpgs3BdTSxZxiYN3G3BS9Ue6xYCKXmPCDI3fvDgPv0bpM0iTsNkSsNa/s320/December+5+(5).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
A whipped cream sugar rush.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYllp8lxqdfbCDTEYJrAuHTyDnd732taDVDKXPVPJijjoaDBSqNg0nsTkhK9t74tI5uppENfgj-g3sygO18urF8ufYvvRkwhePkEB6Y_uhP84JQzPnUDLs0v5cO67alklqgYx/s1600/November+28+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYllp8lxqdfbCDTEYJrAuHTyDnd732taDVDKXPVPJijjoaDBSqNg0nsTkhK9t74tI5uppENfgj-g3sygO18urF8ufYvvRkwhePkEB6Y_uhP84JQzPnUDLs0v5cO67alklqgYx/s320/November+28+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Hiding out in the Russian stacking doll nativity.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_nx53bkzsoEKpdUU02jERgN8p58fsXMDzrm1SW96xGF9XflKZMq08fc6Q2O9ZE7_dMaiDMHj78YRH6u7fcg2tHp-4xhGUQPSrQFQLspQamP2c8yVMv6xy-tpq8smZ2f-Bb5G/s1600/November+27+(64).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_nx53bkzsoEKpdUU02jERgN8p58fsXMDzrm1SW96xGF9XflKZMq08fc6Q2O9ZE7_dMaiDMHj78YRH6u7fcg2tHp-4xhGUQPSrQFQLspQamP2c8yVMv6xy-tpq8smZ2f-Bb5G/s320/November+27+(64).JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And the kids absolute favorite from last year... changing out all the animals from the nativity for dinosaurs! (And yes... that's Rex from Toy Story right there in front)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUptUguQpl0ZWbiqq0jbsYB_stimhMdXMgeMO3tRDHAwKVV6jC3OyRA0d4Qqb-7AUCGsFOEQT0XnujmuGdfbrZOlOvudmVfLNDpw1ApKuIK9-g8EpG40qavU5bIAObWbo-HY0/s1600/November+27+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUptUguQpl0ZWbiqq0jbsYB_stimhMdXMgeMO3tRDHAwKVV6jC3OyRA0d4Qqb-7AUCGsFOEQT0XnujmuGdfbrZOlOvudmVfLNDpw1ApKuIK9-g8EpG40qavU5bIAObWbo-HY0/s320/November+27+(5).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2dp93cKMjdrsPkUKEMQyFFjvrFb6qTngmMGdnSQ7gM_4JYSciHWOsO6DrEafbcqfxyD0hczQOz6CLfH8o_pYsey8r0uNGqmD-DPPW3PvJLR-NwbXFNDgc9AbdYHhWK23uqw9/s1600/November+27-2+(11).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2dp93cKMjdrsPkUKEMQyFFjvrFb6qTngmMGdnSQ7gM_4JYSciHWOsO6DrEafbcqfxyD0hczQOz6CLfH8o_pYsey8r0uNGqmD-DPPW3PvJLR-NwbXFNDgc9AbdYHhWK23uqw9/s320/November+27-2+(11).JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWST4GoW6MmxJPGFuivVUosjP7e-4XEfHR4pu22lrTvjDJ0TlXDQNOvDSaHrp3yWh1otpOf2GWVwqVf5-nLz2FuJIgrF8GKxWmp3V1nFxtXnQ45ZEuN137qmB4cIzvRNVQc7AT/s1600/November+27-2+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWST4GoW6MmxJPGFuivVUosjP7e-4XEfHR4pu22lrTvjDJ0TlXDQNOvDSaHrp3yWh1otpOf2GWVwqVf5-nLz2FuJIgrF8GKxWmp3V1nFxtXnQ45ZEuN137qmB4cIzvRNVQc7AT/s320/November+27-2+(4).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2U0txeHuVUj_y6jCVxGDNF2nESzTgIm41eX-Mvl4wgynUtq4oeeVwG4pVz9Z6b8UxlXriXSznAxTOb2ZNCN4Av9U_g6Yew2q20vJeJcHaIu6Z3-51Zt59BmOngQIUyaeXo7w/s1600/November+27-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2U0txeHuVUj_y6jCVxGDNF2nESzTgIm41eX-Mvl4wgynUtq4oeeVwG4pVz9Z6b8UxlXriXSznAxTOb2ZNCN4Av9U_g6Yew2q20vJeJcHaIu6Z3-51Zt59BmOngQIUyaeXo7w/s320/November+27-2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I think the triceratops and T-Rex give it an adventurous feeling, don't you?<br />
<br />
So far this year our elf has been pretty tame. Right now he's hanging from one of the light fixtures using our Monkey's in a Barrel.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTkvhANC_jcCD1GT33ao7ylYQRxYrAociaMav7wHBinn9mdVkmxLvZCEwsFx6T2wrdD02dbIzq9qcE_vttJX_WrPZLCtogH92UwGu52sW1iiyDyzjVlOOHUCO5m2pDVhL1jDq/s1600/Nov+24,+2012+10:24:47+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTkvhANC_jcCD1GT33ao7ylYQRxYrAociaMav7wHBinn9mdVkmxLvZCEwsFx6T2wrdD02dbIzq9qcE_vttJX_WrPZLCtogH92UwGu52sW1iiyDyzjVlOOHUCO5m2pDVhL1jDq/s320/Nov+24,+2012+10:24:47+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Sorry the photo isn't that great. I used the webcam to take it because I'm feeling lazy!<br />
<br />
Well, there you have it! If we figure out anything else super fun for the elf, Oliver, I'll post them. Do you do Elf on a Shelf with your kids or grandkids? What are some fun things you've done?Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-42876527393672716902012-05-28T20:39:00.002-07:002012-05-31T20:27:18.724-07:00Photo a Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I think I'm going to try this out... anyone want to join me?? Here's the link to the original blog - <a href="http://www.fatmumslim.com.au/">Fat Mum Slim</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4z1rRSCXAa5jKfRzxytNKflR1v7ZYbMp9aa26k6RXD0MfeJiZovUzPaLguXGndETQk5wLWiL7D5DkURNlREDFCMGRqf0eG1oK0sxiUTqDcrFvmK81yg_qpdhCcBra2IYJEhpZ/s1600/photoadayjune-list-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4z1rRSCXAa5jKfRzxytNKflR1v7ZYbMp9aa26k6RXD0MfeJiZovUzPaLguXGndETQk5wLWiL7D5DkURNlREDFCMGRqf0eG1oK0sxiUTqDcrFvmK81yg_qpdhCcBra2IYJEhpZ/s400/photoadayjune-list-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
P.S. Please forgive the changes... I'm trying out some new formats. Seeing if I can find something new that I like. What do you think of this??Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-54584134224885660772012-05-25T08:19:00.001-07:002012-05-25T08:19:05.514-07:00LettersDear Lady who screamed like a Banshee,<br />
If you come to a pool party with a couple hundred kids, you're gonna get splashed. If you don't want to get wet, stay home next time.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
The gal who kept her kid FAR away from you<br />
<br />
Dear Tattoo Guy,<br />
Thanks for the laugh! I've never seen a bedazzled mermaid tattoo before! <br />
Best Wishes,<br />
The girl who is still wondering WHY you would get a mermaid tattoo and then get piercings to look like she was wearing a pink and purple necklace... (it seriously did look like someone had attacked him with a bedazzle gun!)<br />
<br />
Dear Kids who kept coming up to Little Bug over and over to say "hi" and give him high 5's, or fist bumps, or hugs, or tried to talk to him even though he didn't respond or even acknowledge your presence,<br />
Thank you.<br />
Love Always,<br />
"Little Bug's Mom"Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-34032655229835653202012-05-20T20:44:00.000-07:002012-05-20T20:44:19.107-07:00Solar Eclipse - May 2012<a href="http://makeagif.com/9bJmoX" title="9bJmoX on Make A Gif, Animated Gifs"><img alt="9bJmoX on Make A Gif, Animated Gifs" src="http://makeagif.com/media/5-20-2012/9bJmoX.gif" /></a><br />
<div style="font-size: 11px;">
make <a href="http://makeagif.com/" title="make a gif">animated gifs</a> like this at MakeAGif</div>
<br />
<br />
Just trying out this Make a gif thing with my pictures from the eclipse. Sorry it's so huge... I have no idea what I'm doing :)<br />
<br />
Gonna try to get back into blogging (quit laughing! I mean it this time!!)Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-9283930736382463762011-12-11T09:30:00.000-08:002011-12-11T09:31:10.045-08:00My New Favorite PlaceSedona, Arizona is on several "Most Beautiful Places in the US" lists. And now that I've been there, especially in the fall, I have to agree. 100%. I'm not going to say much... just going to post enough pictures to make you crazy. You see... we live in the desert. We haven't had fall-like weather for about 6 years now.<br />
Sedona, on the other hand, has fall. They have an INCREDIBLE autumn season! So that's probably part of serious love for this area. I miss the changing of the leaves. The crisp air. The smell... gah! I'm making myself crazy just thinking about it. So. Onto the awesome pictures!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCWeBcR3LBgypdAxVUr9tbOSWhfDGh5wD1w8BoGU1SgUM9V1NiigS5ErLsJxOBEWhyphenhyphenjG5QzvSWzYQsTzDOPoW_JTyc2PqUfpQv4dEioJOLtBUBZqD21zO9kZV8C6LlXQezSEJ/s1600/October+18+%25286%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCWeBcR3LBgypdAxVUr9tbOSWhfDGh5wD1w8BoGU1SgUM9V1NiigS5ErLsJxOBEWhyphenhyphenjG5QzvSWzYQsTzDOPoW_JTyc2PqUfpQv4dEioJOLtBUBZqD21zO9kZV8C6LlXQezSEJ/s640/October+18+%25286%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>Baby Girl with a weird reddish alien tint to her skin... she's still cute though ;)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGATqeWj7VQM2fQPZwIrwn7lTDY9SVEavDCMaZNgDsnk-3ELgHAt0mSnrNKdqhvGkFj6LSd9t1ofzmw8hEE1uelPXwqFx5axxQa0WAdEYRyG0uGMJUx8M7cKSfM6hgChYKdjkK/s1600/October+18+%25288%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGATqeWj7VQM2fQPZwIrwn7lTDY9SVEavDCMaZNgDsnk-3ELgHAt0mSnrNKdqhvGkFj6LSd9t1ofzmw8hEE1uelPXwqFx5axxQa0WAdEYRyG0uGMJUx8M7cKSfM6hgChYKdjkK/s640/October+18+%25288%2529edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-RWU3bC_HKLHckNa2Pwt_4fE8AtWDIpFhWHTuMX3Msiafcn1yXx4_LNZOq7GeScVN6EIxy_1347rQUYdIxUENfMIf4KuJAYHKnvRNVan-v1D03MzJzoVW6oGysOMD-tuNDni/s1600/October+18+%252810%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-RWU3bC_HKLHckNa2Pwt_4fE8AtWDIpFhWHTuMX3Msiafcn1yXx4_LNZOq7GeScVN6EIxy_1347rQUYdIxUENfMIf4KuJAYHKnvRNVan-v1D03MzJzoVW6oGysOMD-tuNDni/s640/October+18+%252810%2529edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>My Dad... and the shoulder of a random stranger (note to self: crop this photo a wee bit)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VChXVRLipxvfopsO24SfX25MT3P59Rl65P3HdpRd3-3Wbsd6uk15oLmR5KWbScmGU5uilur4T1-y-tvb86EJgr-kWQkEF1ZHdLqSRKthWJ7vSHaQIC-X8Ws4d7y3dUPsGFdi/s1600/October+18+%252819%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VChXVRLipxvfopsO24SfX25MT3P59Rl65P3HdpRd3-3Wbsd6uk15oLmR5KWbScmGU5uilur4T1-y-tvb86EJgr-kWQkEF1ZHdLqSRKthWJ7vSHaQIC-X8Ws4d7y3dUPsGFdi/s640/October+18+%252819%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>Little Bug... not a great photo, but hey! He is looking at the camera! I'll take it :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCGeKwvoPBfzI6R4N35KDKrDH81D16xEopu2atgmxRXWCIQeCBMPLg6Fsm3djcCryO_yAbXgF-LLo_5GvPF2_KMFdjQAiW7QriHWAuttTWI-SWIHV3v2bOnZ5KGS9z2cq8O_p/s1600/October+18+%252822%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCGeKwvoPBfzI6R4N35KDKrDH81D16xEopu2atgmxRXWCIQeCBMPLg6Fsm3djcCryO_yAbXgF-LLo_5GvPF2_KMFdjQAiW7QriHWAuttTWI-SWIHV3v2bOnZ5KGS9z2cq8O_p/s640/October+18+%252822%2529edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>My Mom! It was so fun to have my parents on this trip!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtHbfpbWTy0XCgjHopMLWwMYFv0fnwKjEdqvxwXrHvlpSGUHUN5zErXwW-VaVjoXjaVM1u1wKQ3BqfhxnIuXdtMusn1lzsc-nAr1HhvJ8psDRuGx0em0dxLsqE-FiiUGuQuJZ/s1600/October+18+%252859%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtHbfpbWTy0XCgjHopMLWwMYFv0fnwKjEdqvxwXrHvlpSGUHUN5zErXwW-VaVjoXjaVM1u1wKQ3BqfhxnIuXdtMusn1lzsc-nAr1HhvJ8psDRuGx0em0dxLsqE-FiiUGuQuJZ/s640/October+18+%252859%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipXmWMKY_1C8DclD-vlr5ZsX6XeDEIzomtCdLQTuknWZh6F7vKbhm-VSvS9Q_ZtOqzSQ7RdDpGM5sf9qQLdJaPleyEL2kJW52iI0Kgy1frNE7SWltdcH3HYdRcvB_esiDAxlt/s1600/October+18+%252865%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipXmWMKY_1C8DclD-vlr5ZsX6XeDEIzomtCdLQTuknWZh6F7vKbhm-VSvS9Q_ZtOqzSQ7RdDpGM5sf9qQLdJaPleyEL2kJW52iI0Kgy1frNE7SWltdcH3HYdRcvB_esiDAxlt/s640/October+18+%252865%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbuLN2KV6SoAkxLA1LPS6DA9CEpts9BVb7mSJMYfOrZnxsyP5nXRjmMfeZQSSbAhur9D0OB9U91j3qASm91gk0ZR16sYNWYt68ZeLIs3Fzaxi_gNePXSEDQCoP0RbktYTh8g-/s1600/October+18+%252867%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbuLN2KV6SoAkxLA1LPS6DA9CEpts9BVb7mSJMYfOrZnxsyP5nXRjmMfeZQSSbAhur9D0OB9U91j3qASm91gk0ZR16sYNWYt68ZeLIs3Fzaxi_gNePXSEDQCoP0RbktYTh8g-/s640/October+18+%252867%2529edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Little Bug throwing rocks into the stream. He would have stayed there all day long if we had let him!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJe7E6t0CR9K83HCwk0ak7ujQ1uVphyphenhyphenr5_q2gIeLVQYUFSGb4me-w3UlNlinJmtgl4qv4jBK1dZJ03_bxB7DSxb4s_XoTPTKLzMhkIOuh8Neycw9r9IaGQXjXgpnFz59b4jQv/s1600/October+18+%252891%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJe7E6t0CR9K83HCwk0ak7ujQ1uVphyphenhyphenr5_q2gIeLVQYUFSGb4me-w3UlNlinJmtgl4qv4jBK1dZJ03_bxB7DSxb4s_XoTPTKLzMhkIOuh8Neycw9r9IaGQXjXgpnFz59b4jQv/s640/October+18+%252891%2529edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Red...um... helping(?) Baby Girl across the stream.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhat6ocw_SoRG4Xzv6IDBiZyFIrr8rGKHIIl-3o5LpxuMeTc2nrNm4b-e7lFSDwmV2n6aNrp15kg1QoanhTGEHaHHnyM7HahpsBjeJ1PaKknhUzO9N6nFDjC5FJ-wsREpzHkeuO/s1600/October+18+%252896%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhat6ocw_SoRG4Xzv6IDBiZyFIrr8rGKHIIl-3o5LpxuMeTc2nrNm4b-e7lFSDwmV2n6aNrp15kg1QoanhTGEHaHHnyM7HahpsBjeJ1PaKknhUzO9N6nFDjC5FJ-wsREpzHkeuO/s640/October+18+%252896%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7mWCYFmOVcApsKeu8yBIg5YxR3hnXbwTFWclUksTcne3sv2W5ok9ARguYh7CCIBn7Wlq-woxJX6JhMpqhJjz1_eviWB6KDrrknY_AszT6lo_lyzadESHNlMZ6WSx8D7xow5D/s1600/October+18+%252898%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7mWCYFmOVcApsKeu8yBIg5YxR3hnXbwTFWclUksTcne3sv2W5ok9ARguYh7CCIBn7Wlq-woxJX6JhMpqhJjz1_eviWB6KDrrknY_AszT6lo_lyzadESHNlMZ6WSx8D7xow5D/s640/October+18+%252898%2529edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvUWYXrpeJnwJdwAxmj6t1Zh0Nlve9tYMgMRKAl5VNQubArR7SSHmZm_9Uwn9En10v9sm23rahFIjzpfXnuhjwSlKrUtMuoQNr4M-gaac7ZpFyDVWY_udJlvD0BYK6tXaBtwa/s1600/October+18+%2528156%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvUWYXrpeJnwJdwAxmj6t1Zh0Nlve9tYMgMRKAl5VNQubArR7SSHmZm_9Uwn9En10v9sm23rahFIjzpfXnuhjwSlKrUtMuoQNr4M-gaac7ZpFyDVWY_udJlvD0BYK6tXaBtwa/s640/October+18+%2528156%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>Red is not a fan of having his picture taken... can you tell??<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfPUNIJ0ef0gvBlZHItEhjp6TSoVlDares3Y8y6VILMMpKXEGzmE_UxuIugq0CIxktILbDpDw8uqh-NgzBZdaiuQ17hfxxW2gxzNCdBskp1zi4voQvKYwQS9KNvu14FZzdKJ2/s1600/October+18+%2528157%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfPUNIJ0ef0gvBlZHItEhjp6TSoVlDares3Y8y6VILMMpKXEGzmE_UxuIugq0CIxktILbDpDw8uqh-NgzBZdaiuQ17hfxxW2gxzNCdBskp1zi4voQvKYwQS9KNvu14FZzdKJ2/s640/October+18+%2528157%2529edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrCa3Mt1Khhqza-ZNXFKUw0Pb6qnQLQE-j46nHhtSdQaCs2bpbC6WFs4pEadzSpmeLUJL0m5pdmy-u3aO-X-TvPy4Qjtn6KrU4feQbrojVPFbuV2XXVGlSsAyIABfPTkL3jeL/s1600/October+18+%2528162%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrCa3Mt1Khhqza-ZNXFKUw0Pb6qnQLQE-j46nHhtSdQaCs2bpbC6WFs4pEadzSpmeLUJL0m5pdmy-u3aO-X-TvPy4Qjtn6KrU4feQbrojVPFbuV2XXVGlSsAyIABfPTkL3jeL/s640/October+18+%2528162%2529edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RBF0AQDviIeYJgWbxNjYYb0ZarOHfYokGuRth9beFINPFESLQHNkhxLD5IrmDxRoP-WrKCzMT8Sw2WJ6aFOgkHOuyqOElXSQidAmXrvIfkjX9jNxFBMLX-G-Y5GKMovCSkfi/s1600/October+18+%2528166%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RBF0AQDviIeYJgWbxNjYYb0ZarOHfYokGuRth9beFINPFESLQHNkhxLD5IrmDxRoP-WrKCzMT8Sw2WJ6aFOgkHOuyqOElXSQidAmXrvIfkjX9jNxFBMLX-G-Y5GKMovCSkfi/s640/October+18+%2528166%2529edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxkNRmXIZgHJhI6fk0riyIonvazC8H279fhzZR7_NNaFlEVabEuE8bvC-b3ZUBxlpvQJyLHN3-ftQwSV4QQrVUYsFfcEOM8cTgWYHbSuhiGSTo0xVQPgH8OC1jfopICKww4Zu/s1600/October+18+%2528168%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxkNRmXIZgHJhI6fk0riyIonvazC8H279fhzZR7_NNaFlEVabEuE8bvC-b3ZUBxlpvQJyLHN3-ftQwSV4QQrVUYsFfcEOM8cTgWYHbSuhiGSTo0xVQPgH8OC1jfopICKww4Zu/s640/October+18+%2528168%2529edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhje2KY7FbCQwDXLs8qc8OTGcIlDk-OH-epVBaUHxcCtpM1jPw84gNPOLqfCtlA-8IIDpK9qGVYXYaMrJfKGj68Th9dMMWYi1-7B08MZVuCibRrtdUXqYMrETxKfHbKwi-voY1a/s1600/October+18+%2528180%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhje2KY7FbCQwDXLs8qc8OTGcIlDk-OH-epVBaUHxcCtpM1jPw84gNPOLqfCtlA-8IIDpK9qGVYXYaMrJfKGj68Th9dMMWYi1-7B08MZVuCibRrtdUXqYMrETxKfHbKwi-voY1a/s640/October+18+%2528180%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFv9E_3M5TkDZNmFp10Bu93jblyMQKxyLrAQiEg_qYMI6QutcIhOI-2pgIuIDWj9UIw76IQPRhGcibE3ofB_NQZ7cYGtzrKj3vOLG_cV_gTbsBgzf7RMxC6A77QBvW-OppfTU/s1600/October+18+%2528210%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFv9E_3M5TkDZNmFp10Bu93jblyMQKxyLrAQiEg_qYMI6QutcIhOI-2pgIuIDWj9UIw76IQPRhGcibE3ofB_NQZ7cYGtzrKj3vOLG_cV_gTbsBgzf7RMxC6A77QBvW-OppfTU/s640/October+18+%2528210%2529edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73eohyphenhyphenTbnDO1nerQXYazdafaXVFESfPhJ-9vCWXR-vbwc8RO57lnJMHodEvNejVCl9UHSNRddDyqgq0DYuTLMDK5iMiho4r5-zmVsv5LLlodX3rCdwfcyVpnC-2hLCC9C-VKp/s1600/October+18+%2528212%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73eohyphenhyphenTbnDO1nerQXYazdafaXVFESfPhJ-9vCWXR-vbwc8RO57lnJMHodEvNejVCl9UHSNRddDyqgq0DYuTLMDK5iMiho4r5-zmVsv5LLlodX3rCdwfcyVpnC-2hLCC9C-VKp/s640/October+18+%2528212%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3sPXtd7wVyFg9U4jt1uRxhUiQE2axROIV3RDLSzBDjJclp34TCYDuZzLcn3_buVYfOm887B5VvY4VmvNkNzQR_spFZL4XCI7kbIfxIsL_RWcRr8nPs3hdDTXREv_QaEqmI2m/s1600/October+18+%2528220%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3sPXtd7wVyFg9U4jt1uRxhUiQE2axROIV3RDLSzBDjJclp34TCYDuZzLcn3_buVYfOm887B5VvY4VmvNkNzQR_spFZL4XCI7kbIfxIsL_RWcRr8nPs3hdDTXREv_QaEqmI2m/s640/October+18+%2528220%2529edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyrK_LVKc5fD6MnL_3A1wLDjXKcXk-fOADaYOgVEc53sqie1HF1GkLwg_L_wwY6xJrPdXme7LKixG0fTFuV_KilyM84xhA0Lxuo0pZ2WI0pIuhdIVpJQr7mZkhOLblz-PgDfW/s1600/October+18+%2528225%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyrK_LVKc5fD6MnL_3A1wLDjXKcXk-fOADaYOgVEc53sqie1HF1GkLwg_L_wwY6xJrPdXme7LKixG0fTFuV_KilyM84xhA0Lxuo0pZ2WI0pIuhdIVpJQr7mZkhOLblz-PgDfW/s640/October+18+%2528225%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAk7RaEZS9tEWKoudQKQZm2nJzQ3ypr5hqkUdHV0BnfRpl4jhRkfarLsETULY8B-FLWmraLqw39jLTRwc-2ZPAbt-VIEESJk_0xTbs-p1pr8vHPOVNkDM7TbJUz6kiGpy8GkK/s1600/October+18+%2528226%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAk7RaEZS9tEWKoudQKQZm2nJzQ3ypr5hqkUdHV0BnfRpl4jhRkfarLsETULY8B-FLWmraLqw39jLTRwc-2ZPAbt-VIEESJk_0xTbs-p1pr8vHPOVNkDM7TbJUz6kiGpy8GkK/s640/October+18+%2528226%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xvMlyG3yUJv-CPuiDubr3gUta9W1YqcHaUx-fQkbKMT8kV3ZYjGARwAdVaWe8aJWlN4fSLDiKOkl0y1dP5Yp5BxVYuIpf1Wq964JO-hpGkbQwJyEhWfimdXtQ51NzGNoqesZ/s1600/October+18+%2528229%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xvMlyG3yUJv-CPuiDubr3gUta9W1YqcHaUx-fQkbKMT8kV3ZYjGARwAdVaWe8aJWlN4fSLDiKOkl0y1dP5Yp5BxVYuIpf1Wq964JO-hpGkbQwJyEhWfimdXtQ51NzGNoqesZ/s640/October+18+%2528229%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqC4cK_1nkpyUZBbMH2iZ84a48Uv5hz0zBlH1zIrmwnRsyNg-FA6VsASHqBbbiZV_u4rjadoQLDO5WFb23jFFKOKQ0M78URnwVi-LZi_i75cxfXjpcsyzODJkRS3D-OmqZ1Ae8/s1600/October+18+%2528260%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqC4cK_1nkpyUZBbMH2iZ84a48Uv5hz0zBlH1zIrmwnRsyNg-FA6VsASHqBbbiZV_u4rjadoQLDO5WFb23jFFKOKQ0M78URnwVi-LZi_i75cxfXjpcsyzODJkRS3D-OmqZ1Ae8/s640/October+18+%2528260%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxhV1n2vVW9xeYf708j6IVJFbmAo441Gh78lcxoi4NPaUGiIqR_6eQmdzMu_eQ0R7b2osp-Q8cGP1sG3mn6V9G3ybaFvS9wEm2a1GeBHOnIbRhPMpKwnE1zNCtEzjTX8Q46nd/s1600/October+18+%2528263%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxxhV1n2vVW9xeYf708j6IVJFbmAo441Gh78lcxoi4NPaUGiIqR_6eQmdzMu_eQ0R7b2osp-Q8cGP1sG3mn6V9G3ybaFvS9wEm2a1GeBHOnIbRhPMpKwnE1zNCtEzjTX8Q46nd/s640/October+18+%2528263%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>A closer shot of the photo above... it almost looked like one tree that went from green to yellow to red!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZt463oUuhL57-vDmjLVDCs5nmwBXa7wc2ZacqDKI3Y35upXFfpnljol8-5ZV3F-_GQ4hxH-d-EyQPekmWmuBViTSR9rTHuc9h9nP908dkzN1nMF2WT-yfQMPAERX8j7AnPf-k/s1600/October+18+%2528264%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZt463oUuhL57-vDmjLVDCs5nmwBXa7wc2ZacqDKI3Y35upXFfpnljol8-5ZV3F-_GQ4hxH-d-EyQPekmWmuBViTSR9rTHuc9h9nP908dkzN1nMF2WT-yfQMPAERX8j7AnPf-k/s640/October+18+%2528264%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeYuGcBoR1nngI1TiKLmz8aPOWw1eDer73TQXGVznA50ZdFxPL3Mv5_XPNpzHtBHKb3sgpBlB6XqicfFv4KcdW03yPAH_FykAraYX_uHfV_cLcE_CKUqo2ZmjegYE-V8ms6Lf/s1600/October+18+%2528266%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeYuGcBoR1nngI1TiKLmz8aPOWw1eDer73TQXGVznA50ZdFxPL3Mv5_XPNpzHtBHKb3sgpBlB6XqicfFv4KcdW03yPAH_FykAraYX_uHfV_cLcE_CKUqo2ZmjegYE-V8ms6Lf/s640/October+18+%2528266%2529edit.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXmvm6bI6ACnFYfIEdX3p7XDFQOQ5dP27TRk3y8pIm4q2yI3A6F_HX5vuaihvtHIIbex4SuGs8pks53OrYswcNMJwdi6GvHsTcE5JQIq6vJLKNfeNBGMtTTp7zR3zcTa5mQ1W/s1600/October+18+edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXmvm6bI6ACnFYfIEdX3p7XDFQOQ5dP27TRk3y8pIm4q2yI3A6F_HX5vuaihvtHIIbex4SuGs8pks53OrYswcNMJwdi6GvHsTcE5JQIq6vJLKNfeNBGMtTTp7zR3zcTa5mQ1W/s640/October+18+edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Sorry the photos are huge and that there are so many... but... you know. It's my blog and stuff :) <br />
I hope we get to go back to Sedona in the fall sometime! Such a beautiful place!<br />
Do you have a favorite place to visit? Or a place that you think is absolutely gorgeous?Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-33615179784686653562011-12-02T15:50:00.000-08:002011-12-02T15:50:07.387-08:00TrippinWe don't take a lot of vacations, so when we do get out and about, it's kind of a big deal! Every October the kids have a fall break. My parents came down to hang out with us and we decided to head to the Flagstaff area for a few days to see what we could see. And what did we happen to see? Some really awesome stuff! <br />
First stop was Montezuma's Castle and Well....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhaZdu1qkHByjJ6VNucL922SZiOASL6GfBe_QbNAvJjHv8yMiSzCWBMJAv8-pLtGT6V352dEfXN7k8hWWA9Cw5uKySzSKfU1tg4MNh7c9ot7c7wVKkiySEw8c0RYZylRxYtYV/s1600/October+16+%25289%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhaZdu1qkHByjJ6VNucL922SZiOASL6GfBe_QbNAvJjHv8yMiSzCWBMJAv8-pLtGT6V352dEfXN7k8hWWA9Cw5uKySzSKfU1tg4MNh7c9ot7c7wVKkiySEw8c0RYZylRxYtYV/s320/October+16+%25289%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpzLON0XgODNtQ9puj6Pn5j-8RQn018zmiWVxbyVTsfK7FZ8EpxWs7MEZQiA-lgpndVFP5F_lChnSVQhKcTZCBUohUQ_1w4v45MLFQXJ_2-_5LraTuObJNcY0Qmd2saCV1RL2/s1600/October+16+%252831%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpzLON0XgODNtQ9puj6Pn5j-8RQn018zmiWVxbyVTsfK7FZ8EpxWs7MEZQiA-lgpndVFP5F_lChnSVQhKcTZCBUohUQ_1w4v45MLFQXJ_2-_5LraTuObJNcY0Qmd2saCV1RL2/s320/October+16+%252831%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>As we walked around I just kept thinking... how did they build that? It's so cool! The well (it looked like a pond) also had cliff dwellings along the edges. Not sure how they got in our out of their homes (rope ladder from the top, perhaps?), but it was neat to see. We didn't have a lot of time here. We arrived about 15-20 minutes before they closed. We stayed that night in Flagstaff and then spent the next day in Walnut Canyon.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBpk2-MU74hfeqlNGxdBfShecArT31Eyj0XEtJL8FFTvH4ewm2bBM8wY34bzxanaJ71Kl4Bgm24RPtyjc6RsYG_itexMOdUMxuhDnGoTw-Pt40iqH84vHHHtUB15JWHLnU0fZ/s1600/October+17+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBpk2-MU74hfeqlNGxdBfShecArT31Eyj0XEtJL8FFTvH4ewm2bBM8wY34bzxanaJ71Kl4Bgm24RPtyjc6RsYG_itexMOdUMxuhDnGoTw-Pt40iqH84vHHHtUB15JWHLnU0fZ/s320/October+17+%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Aw... 3 cute kids ready to hike :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpG5nUdlGbOE-qfVveX1j-MAaIKEq4wld25cbKA0Ib8TttWwtkrtQ-LoxA8J7nCI76_BOTi8N8e-rMeoA-610-zVq7zH6FoE756v9HBIKdLcHCyCwkQhIOyL_Qb-fWClGphUQx/s1600/October+17+%252810%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpG5nUdlGbOE-qfVveX1j-MAaIKEq4wld25cbKA0Ib8TttWwtkrtQ-LoxA8J7nCI76_BOTi8N8e-rMeoA-610-zVq7zH6FoE756v9HBIKdLcHCyCwkQhIOyL_Qb-fWClGphUQx/s320/October+17+%252810%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Can you see the cliff dwellings in the above photo? All the little dark spots that look like caves... cliff dwellings! And there were TONS of them in Walnut Canyon! The thing I loved the most about this area was that we were able to go inside some of the dwellings....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioknbL0XWSW4Y0uchg6XdTA6r-vrzmXhMJDem6rxKMQzfgcs_BKJ2aJ7gHvp2B2tHXooux-cXE3jXMvMjFYqug23EFXg4_hiUJPrlnv1Lndygio5DQwMhiH40Cr3YntwUYXsFO/s1600/October+17+%252853%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioknbL0XWSW4Y0uchg6XdTA6r-vrzmXhMJDem6rxKMQzfgcs_BKJ2aJ7gHvp2B2tHXooux-cXE3jXMvMjFYqug23EFXg4_hiUJPrlnv1Lndygio5DQwMhiH40Cr3YntwUYXsFO/s320/October+17+%252853%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9Vh2IOCt9pkplNc0WaSSCgVmKVACVxJMTMnU5soF3eSYINiVXgyiA5GAPY8-hJ4lW029cBlhItpQXVwwKWQrwru7WEMNC88Bem53ZTqlCAkTT6j29USjwOhaILVx2S_OKzK8/s1600/October+17+%252880%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9Vh2IOCt9pkplNc0WaSSCgVmKVACVxJMTMnU5soF3eSYINiVXgyiA5GAPY8-hJ4lW029cBlhItpQXVwwKWQrwru7WEMNC88Bem53ZTqlCAkTT6j29USjwOhaILVx2S_OKzK8/s320/October+17+%252880%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5dl_Mz8EbR6LtA9KFfMp38a_gkp1_eD_PPyFCgX5XpY5ab79vzI0CWs8VRBmcXxTRRdmJfpa4o_QxIHZWquG6_uqfun8ZKM09gOT6kx7WPgIK-9M5s8td3gK9oKx9HC_wwXK/s1600/October+17+%252882%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5dl_Mz8EbR6LtA9KFfMp38a_gkp1_eD_PPyFCgX5XpY5ab79vzI0CWs8VRBmcXxTRRdmJfpa4o_QxIHZWquG6_uqfun8ZKM09gOT6kx7WPgIK-9M5s8td3gK9oKx9HC_wwXK/s320/October+17+%252882%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQN9SlsTQwdsoIK_zgeLS3b3D82kfn1y-vy6KgKzhSyCf2qGnbly-mGFg_wDUN2Zoi9shYUk9jCeiJoGK-I2fLPPf-lgGjt8MohEyq0_qHPXkIhoHciRpRNgjDyOJiv7bnVkh-/s1600/October+17+%252868%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQN9SlsTQwdsoIK_zgeLS3b3D82kfn1y-vy6KgKzhSyCf2qGnbly-mGFg_wDUN2Zoi9shYUk9jCeiJoGK-I2fLPPf-lgGjt8MohEyq0_qHPXkIhoHciRpRNgjDyOJiv7bnVkh-/s320/October+17+%252868%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDxad3T822HjV_nZJNk6hY6P7RpJYgoYr9nG46xkpMVuJkYQ_qv85RNk_llZgpc4Ueh9wFvw8bFhPoP8zzBYCKP9olVjmamO4wx0CGhnegszLEoT2D2J05h6clsVNNkm1Kcx-/s1600/October+17+%252877%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDxad3T822HjV_nZJNk6hY6P7RpJYgoYr9nG46xkpMVuJkYQ_qv85RNk_llZgpc4Ueh9wFvw8bFhPoP8zzBYCKP9olVjmamO4wx0CGhnegszLEoT2D2J05h6clsVNNkm1Kcx-/s320/October+17+%252877%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>It was a short hike (under a mile, I think!) but we saw so many amazing things! It was great! After Walnut Canyon we tried to find Wupatki National Monument. We stopped by a visitors center where the kids jumped around and made earthquakes...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnli44w-MUixVxKLz56Ugbg4CAZOnmD2aw1wlFadxf0mL7PMN9Mxpve9ZyggzHS9xzWYXZJhKbMo5Osf73FhDjGkEiXogupycVMtd6PoRFYeZaMJai197_Wik86EXbWCCWxq7F/s1600/October+17+%2528159%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnli44w-MUixVxKLz56Ugbg4CAZOnmD2aw1wlFadxf0mL7PMN9Mxpve9ZyggzHS9xzWYXZJhKbMo5Osf73FhDjGkEiXogupycVMtd6PoRFYeZaMJai197_Wik86EXbWCCWxq7F/s320/October+17+%2528159%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWvfFVlBLjSMMJm4iUuQ5Jzc4T2JsFiUDHlkAh1O9xh0KOzZiDRs23NT7JZPgFhcd9GUW6w1xSEyBpsy2tNTCSdi7fNj4tqfK2qr-xjvOF-UpBRKX7oTQ6HND7PhceJys2r_Q/s1600/October+17+%2528161%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWvfFVlBLjSMMJm4iUuQ5Jzc4T2JsFiUDHlkAh1O9xh0KOzZiDRs23NT7JZPgFhcd9GUW6w1xSEyBpsy2tNTCSdi7fNj4tqfK2qr-xjvOF-UpBRKX7oTQ6HND7PhceJys2r_Q/s320/October+17+%2528161%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-m2grrV_95DH7jbmPOFafbb87W6Letag57jeouDiueUtTovi5SgmsdDlzF6nBWEqyQVIBIJsHdQeZxe45K8LwS1RrtWI4LJWE6cu5YB07KKTKK_cfZnaXIMk2LeecX8mdYSq/s1600/October+17+%2528164%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-m2grrV_95DH7jbmPOFafbb87W6Letag57jeouDiueUtTovi5SgmsdDlzF6nBWEqyQVIBIJsHdQeZxe45K8LwS1RrtWI4LJWE6cu5YB07KKTKK_cfZnaXIMk2LeecX8mdYSq/s320/October+17+%2528164%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>And then I got us lost. How fun is that? I was the navigator who said, "turn left" when I should have said, "turn right"... so, yeah. Fun times. We did eventually arrive at our destination and it was pretty awesome!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBt1jBvAGyWOl6IRz1gcNN6Q3di1qcdPpt1NMVslHY76Bu4eHcLWYumrJnJn_93B4SNVazcjY0QQ6gOg8SEnr8iOHXO7GzPK42VjtrwJ4A6qRiUiHRUCNfFVoZrSgrELeJKMsc/s1600/October+17+%2528275%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBt1jBvAGyWOl6IRz1gcNN6Q3di1qcdPpt1NMVslHY76Bu4eHcLWYumrJnJn_93B4SNVazcjY0QQ6gOg8SEnr8iOHXO7GzPK42VjtrwJ4A6qRiUiHRUCNfFVoZrSgrELeJKMsc/s320/October+17+%2528275%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We couldn't walk up into the ruins, but there was a nice walking path around the whole thing. We had a laminated card that we had grabbed from the gift shop and we found markers along the way telling us about different things. It was amazing! That night we went to Lowell's Observatory and got to look through some really powerful telescopes. We all enjoyed it!<br />
<br />
The next day was the Grand Canyon. And... I'll admit it. While I was super impressed by the immensity and size... the color?? Well... I was expecting really dramatic color. What I saw was pretty much this...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81C4jPZvAvkQXMB9quA6NZzy7EdSaKYB5UGPaWArheYfxHJGYJAsgBn84HV1_9SlUCPsmAAwMOWl6a5s3kZcvP3WN-wxkAf_wLr2Yhe9mycRH1HGGQ0One7SRR5TNfHlEfbNS/s1600/October+16+%252860%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81C4jPZvAvkQXMB9quA6NZzy7EdSaKYB5UGPaWArheYfxHJGYJAsgBn84HV1_9SlUCPsmAAwMOWl6a5s3kZcvP3WN-wxkAf_wLr2Yhe9mycRH1HGGQ0One7SRR5TNfHlEfbNS/s320/October+16+%252860%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>What I thought I would see looked a little more like this...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCRVugYlfMqxtACrf4Cl6CIYfLvPxxMHphP0S9aABLHOW-dE6ZmcMitTREpnOy4SWLEUejBPdFl01AdqFz-TXUDDwXuNGkmtGswTMa4YaXNXL92TnIh306JzZW0hXvmI6ZNwS/s1600/October+16+%252860%2529+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCRVugYlfMqxtACrf4Cl6CIYfLvPxxMHphP0S9aABLHOW-dE6ZmcMitTREpnOy4SWLEUejBPdFl01AdqFz-TXUDDwXuNGkmtGswTMa4YaXNXL92TnIh306JzZW0hXvmI6ZNwS/s320/October+16+%252860%2529+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Okay... so maybe that's a LITTLE over the top of what I expected... but not much. The reds obviously need to be toned down a bit... but STILL! I thought the color would be a lot more pronounced. I went along the way enjoying the day with the family but still feeling this little tug of disappointment. Imagine my joy when the sun started to set and I saw this... (these are unedited)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-5pSiI9SO6IgvyNm03yyz36xCUaV-W6twmXVEj5xF5Zq8UGpeWyYztc3XvWcMCc223IQKsdd4sZtkeUyOQzz9mff2XQrwp6xC_GZdOVYkABj4p6j6EYq2dkBnF8ApdE8-4HT/s1600/October+16+%2528489%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-5pSiI9SO6IgvyNm03yyz36xCUaV-W6twmXVEj5xF5Zq8UGpeWyYztc3XvWcMCc223IQKsdd4sZtkeUyOQzz9mff2XQrwp6xC_GZdOVYkABj4p6j6EYq2dkBnF8ApdE8-4HT/s320/October+16+%2528489%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWfaEQgHoZ-fuhj6mMiv2OSqP-SQ3zQPqqO2NkVvBgVdRKdMxtcP28j369he7YFTUxw0wboP3vjkBFozF7bYupC7MDqj3FirB9X-JBHSI2lOd-Q_EaHRGU1g0vzEIsiufOnO5/s1600/October+16+%2528535%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWfaEQgHoZ-fuhj6mMiv2OSqP-SQ3zQPqqO2NkVvBgVdRKdMxtcP28j369he7YFTUxw0wboP3vjkBFozF7bYupC7MDqj3FirB9X-JBHSI2lOd-Q_EaHRGU1g0vzEIsiufOnO5/s320/October+16+%2528535%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9A1H0G_U4gxqrDBond-_FQJ94bmErYYxnjiSdhUrE3Fap8fV8jMtV0mSW_UvxjEgR26jsBele7qcXQYLKz9fJFHgkMAS2EzRNtMOZJ5rM9FnRgJuPEUzWsnSw5Nr-RXhAygk/s1600/October+16+%2528539%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9A1H0G_U4gxqrDBond-_FQJ94bmErYYxnjiSdhUrE3Fap8fV8jMtV0mSW_UvxjEgR26jsBele7qcXQYLKz9fJFHgkMAS2EzRNtMOZJ5rM9FnRgJuPEUzWsnSw5Nr-RXhAygk/s320/October+16+%2528539%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Much better! It was a great ending to the day! The only down side - Little Bug had a horrible day. He was not at all happy about being at the Grand Canyon and Hubby ended up taking him back to the car rather early in the day. I don't know if he was tired or just as disappointed as I had been ;) But the next day was better. <br />
<br />
And... since the last day of our vacation was my favorite, I'm going to devote an entire post to it in the next couple of days!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-7216338827330119062011-10-31T09:45:00.000-07:002011-10-31T09:45:29.709-07:00Happy Halloween!I have several posts I want to do in the next little while... so hang in there! I'm still not doing so well with this blogging stuff... I am trying though! Just a few Halloween pictures today....<br />
Our witches kitchen and black light decor...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjqIqnGZvznH7QdNmUAHRg_7bu8Z3FzDqyoWs1TWi8Yxdp66HPFeoSr9FVnf7gUzZVI8anVanOyPqnaKjZcbIDBFVEsVnrYnxiGcIu7e0m-YPcvU2jVlI1Qh_qXtJ_nSwFcZI/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjqIqnGZvznH7QdNmUAHRg_7bu8Z3FzDqyoWs1TWi8Yxdp66HPFeoSr9FVnf7gUzZVI8anVanOyPqnaKjZcbIDBFVEsVnrYnxiGcIu7e0m-YPcvU2jVlI1Qh_qXtJ_nSwFcZI/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWjMYtOnJRhh1QvKGgZI17xXIR8lJGZqDL37jsySi2kd1umPFwe2ZYVLCb9-pHYHyM-TcuLhIoQkAgJsCP3whbyHXhM-59BO7z9sFHz_RANL7fmuGQVT2cDy4Loed5hQP7td1/s1600/October+9+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWjMYtOnJRhh1QvKGgZI17xXIR8lJGZqDL37jsySi2kd1umPFwe2ZYVLCb9-pHYHyM-TcuLhIoQkAgJsCP3whbyHXhM-59BO7z9sFHz_RANL7fmuGQVT2cDy4Loed5hQP7td1/s320/October+9+%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraDoRKD2WcsJvvq12XwNg0Eex5E-S8uYmax5ArAtni8h_PQSnI35I556iWEaV0CODP9Cs6XNcgIFTuTYVwmZ11rbFjZseRuRR_LcyO8opOvzVq6B-9RpsCFlmogKQkFp8RG4-/s1600/October+9+%252816%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraDoRKD2WcsJvvq12XwNg0Eex5E-S8uYmax5ArAtni8h_PQSnI35I556iWEaV0CODP9Cs6XNcgIFTuTYVwmZ11rbFjZseRuRR_LcyO8opOvzVq6B-9RpsCFlmogKQkFp8RG4-/s320/October+9+%252816%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>A few of us in costume.... not the best picture, but the only one of all of us smiling! We had a witch, a reporter, and a Newsie. (Little Bug was sick on Friday when we took these pics... I'll put some up of him later today if I remember... and some better ones of the rest of us)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhijanu3_ExqVd7kVh39nfpIhWIO4L6qQib6EQvCPOgj0RzQwy94Vc07zNr07ngThBSkqx1novIDgv-j7R62mPRiXCLUiKH2dHzUEO887zkjvK-i3h8pDvXxKRQsz-ucLV8UN/s1600/October+29+%252812%2529copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhijanu3_ExqVd7kVh39nfpIhWIO4L6qQib6EQvCPOgj0RzQwy94Vc07zNr07ngThBSkqx1novIDgv-j7R62mPRiXCLUiKH2dHzUEO887zkjvK-i3h8pDvXxKRQsz-ucLV8UN/s320/October+29+%252812%2529copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>And last but not least... pumpkins!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CUyvkO5IO_MZPyJYYvO3ocTtT3Ywjx2Od2282557HEcTXMvZQxO5ckFnW6vlI-4agzMIFajNqX2GK_NPYQE3QJOEisJaYg7Kf3eru_mg_POAHADBD2oTH8fDjGKYG_CNgf5r/s1600/October+30+%252811%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CUyvkO5IO_MZPyJYYvO3ocTtT3Ywjx2Od2282557HEcTXMvZQxO5ckFnW6vlI-4agzMIFajNqX2GK_NPYQE3QJOEisJaYg7Kf3eru_mg_POAHADBD2oTH8fDjGKYG_CNgf5r/s320/October+30+%252811%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHERy_0FZxosBHSJpGtCWTScASj-MGu0v-JvYINQ4pAkM7and2yowiRqka0tPuozE-3VZptdPYk0YC8dHkQl86FjIUKwHCNREMnSZqB9wRD9G8d9v7zczGhL0mB2H7iGdJJ4Y/s1600/October+30+%252817%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHERy_0FZxosBHSJpGtCWTScASj-MGu0v-JvYINQ4pAkM7and2yowiRqka0tPuozE-3VZptdPYk0YC8dHkQl86FjIUKwHCNREMnSZqB9wRD9G8d9v7zczGhL0mB2H7iGdJJ4Y/s320/October+30+%252817%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEob1hk4NCk_eKKbSuaK4CF-sQeXOb4NW9VPDpYDxOWRYjpMGjdswszIP4_uARUyowg51S9DEFPxS0QlH0hc2nYeZccLgzhQlJprTMyFf_HD3yclew9ZxlQ3x7NUWKL9pbY3KA/s1600/October+30+%252828%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEob1hk4NCk_eKKbSuaK4CF-sQeXOb4NW9VPDpYDxOWRYjpMGjdswszIP4_uARUyowg51S9DEFPxS0QlH0hc2nYeZccLgzhQlJprTMyFf_HD3yclew9ZxlQ3x7NUWKL9pbY3KA/s320/October+30+%252828%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtnZkRXL2NMVQby6TLvkO4X0CBTmGiQ6E7Ib7Slbz7TJ79L_HYN1N28ENsvInHAn8oUfci6BIYV-SM1eQGTnu9XLX79kSV0wiAgSc-F0d0zy7Mx1UasmIpkuc9WogiugW7vk6/s1600/October+30+%252826%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtnZkRXL2NMVQby6TLvkO4X0CBTmGiQ6E7Ib7Slbz7TJ79L_HYN1N28ENsvInHAn8oUfci6BIYV-SM1eQGTnu9XLX79kSV0wiAgSc-F0d0zy7Mx1UasmIpkuc9WogiugW7vk6/s320/October+30+%252826%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjM57k_acXzeK5FJ5Fx-eXuanO5eSfFrbq-nyeGRN0Str6R62lYbp0dEn35dngOz6LvzoJP3VhQGti0Bz_NX4dmwv-5MPmY8nImMZr5U2ANC_vvlnFaVS6lddfIAF2cvl9TYS/s1600/October+30+%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjM57k_acXzeK5FJ5Fx-eXuanO5eSfFrbq-nyeGRN0Str6R62lYbp0dEn35dngOz6LvzoJP3VhQGti0Bz_NX4dmwv-5MPmY8nImMZr5U2ANC_vvlnFaVS6lddfIAF2cvl9TYS/s320/October+30+%25286%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXKlsV0K1uliZXaWxMnXfWFc0CWZsGhgZGykabKobx_yWCO6FdoqvVmjW9A_Z0M01SJTDqR6KKCavzQWKnDrFh1qJEOJn0SfaXhzTz-Dx-M4uEMCl-xrEtvO4RImAdyqxB_wg/s1600/October+30+%252846%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXKlsV0K1uliZXaWxMnXfWFc0CWZsGhgZGykabKobx_yWCO6FdoqvVmjW9A_Z0M01SJTDqR6KKCavzQWKnDrFh1qJEOJn0SfaXhzTz-Dx-M4uEMCl-xrEtvO4RImAdyqxB_wg/s320/October+30+%252846%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DLq73eSU1UEEcgHLd0W67UNqHCEaYVp68a6B9EYCfp__JlF8ENOQ0RAg68JadCIzw6nQNKvl7ju3f_cRy88TLabQXes_12LRLEDOwJ_zCLrTsphrEgWPVXs-vogNqhjNLydx/s1600/October+30+%252835%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DLq73eSU1UEEcgHLd0W67UNqHCEaYVp68a6B9EYCfp__JlF8ENOQ0RAg68JadCIzw6nQNKvl7ju3f_cRy88TLabQXes_12LRLEDOwJ_zCLrTsphrEgWPVXs-vogNqhjNLydx/s320/October+30+%252835%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYv2haM7lsginavDyfjhnfX0OqlzwhG9r2znpPjcx2HZooVXSc65JSLs_IfmcCKyN69nZvaxF8lZtRkvso-FSibShqz3yaajWY6Hx9HP7toNdJiVz6HRDVkVuZOYkmMZ9Qc7ow/s1600/October+30+%252847%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYv2haM7lsginavDyfjhnfX0OqlzwhG9r2znpPjcx2HZooVXSc65JSLs_IfmcCKyN69nZvaxF8lZtRkvso-FSibShqz3yaajWY6Hx9HP7toNdJiVz6HRDVkVuZOYkmMZ9Qc7ow/s320/October+30+%252847%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeJ1ihg_fcNTsbSCW2FO-apmtwrAvn8ENun79VV43VUhvgDjg8nzQR-m2rLp0f96D0dtD5pW3gXuH_ujYPa_vc9LxnTfnFXs60QrLSHLQak8ePQRuamr7nBfAqMjIMZMya99f/s1600/October+30.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeJ1ihg_fcNTsbSCW2FO-apmtwrAvn8ENun79VV43VUhvgDjg8nzQR-m2rLp0f96D0dtD5pW3gXuH_ujYPa_vc9LxnTfnFXs60QrLSHLQak8ePQRuamr7nBfAqMjIMZMya99f/s320/October+30.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Not the happiest crew here... but they were tired of having their pictures taken and Little Bug kinda hates pumpkins... so yeah :) <br />
<br />
Happy Halloween!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-70222660494431207722011-09-18T08:15:00.000-07:002011-09-18T08:15:21.307-07:00Little Girl GigglesIs there anything better than hearing your kids laugh hysterically over the silliest things?? I think not... <br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GuiwIwSeyMc?hl=en&fs=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-44665433239415079962011-08-29T07:37:00.000-07:002011-09-04T07:58:00.306-07:00Make it WorkI've been searching for a striped knit fabric for a few months now. I found a few things online, but nothing that I really loved... so I decided to create some! I thought I'd share how I did it... just in case there's someone else out there searching for a striped knit fabric (or maybe I'm the only one??)<br />
<br />
You'll need:<br />
solid colored knit fabric<br />
contact paper (I've found this at Wal-Mart in their kitchen section...)<br />
bleach<br />
spray bottle<br />
ruler or quilting square<br />
a bucket for rinsing<br />
(I know not everything is in this photo... sorry! I'm new at this whole tutorial thing...)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CjbR4oPpt1yReay2XdUmxRNP5LfG9I4TPdtbWyNS8vHakZ7G_EWuDVqzgNvGHkfamQ4TysB7HJWLE_Gh03Ep2dr0eWgxnoMoDRM1R4MvGhHN9xNK7iTeR1Dev6U1nygx14jm/s1600/August+25+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CjbR4oPpt1yReay2XdUmxRNP5LfG9I4TPdtbWyNS8vHakZ7G_EWuDVqzgNvGHkfamQ4TysB7HJWLE_Gh03Ep2dr0eWgxnoMoDRM1R4MvGhHN9xNK7iTeR1Dev6U1nygx14jm/s320/August+25+%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Lay your fabric out flat and decide how far apart you want your stripes. Anything <b>not</b> covered in contact paper is going to be the lighter color. Cut strips of contact paper that will go the full length of the fabric. Pull the back off the contact paper and using your ruler or quilters square, space the stripes evenly across the fabric. Make sure that you press the contact paper down firmly so that the bleach won't seep under. I needed a smaller section with skinnier stripes, so that's why my stripes don't go all the way across at the top.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPzNe1XkgX36aUeNoxYSuvHATcjSkF0VCh6tvM473rNXyUyTcC5c9HGwBVtyuMdGMdZFf4o1dt0RU349udG5knWaV-GnGGL7xxRVQvYSeAifFu8oxWc4Sxgz3Dg2j3x3wJgAJ/s1600/August+25+%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPzNe1XkgX36aUeNoxYSuvHATcjSkF0VCh6tvM473rNXyUyTcC5c9HGwBVtyuMdGMdZFf4o1dt0RU349udG5knWaV-GnGGL7xxRVQvYSeAifFu8oxWc4Sxgz3Dg2j3x3wJgAJ/s320/August+25+%25286%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Next, take the fabric outside lay it flat again and spray it with the bleach. Don't put on too much or it will spread under your contact paper.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIn9podHKDDfjdGmLZlwCawMeYWmJYFxzddRWWTfM39noatk0Dg4GudsM3QmekzVScW-lhdAxIdvlcHeDv8p8CfhSu42YDsomsgBd1OoGwjc9z8X5WU6jgcBfczx0Qk1KIbPa/s1600/August+25+%25287%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIn9podHKDDfjdGmLZlwCawMeYWmJYFxzddRWWTfM39noatk0Dg4GudsM3QmekzVScW-lhdAxIdvlcHeDv8p8CfhSu42YDsomsgBd1OoGwjc9z8X5WU6jgcBfczx0Qk1KIbPa/s320/August+25+%25287%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Let it sit for a few minutes till you get the desired color change... but don't let it sit too long or the bleach will eat a hole through your fabric!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0u7u2nfs1yFXDLYOvWLp6frf2uhbMrDDPVvTAko5N1CSJqjNrRlTCcni1543C-E49GVVrWRaM5ehgIYx80EWwhNxoUjBDxvMuxgCdEqugroOq8il1iTVEsugIykI2vc-YFlH/s1600/August+25+%25289%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0u7u2nfs1yFXDLYOvWLp6frf2uhbMrDDPVvTAko5N1CSJqjNrRlTCcni1543C-E49GVVrWRaM5ehgIYx80EWwhNxoUjBDxvMuxgCdEqugroOq8il1iTVEsugIykI2vc-YFlH/s320/August+25+%25289%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Rinse out in your bucket and pull the contact paper strips off. Wash and dry your fabric again and.....<br />
WAH-LAH!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxHpFL1_jatIp2wyMjbz0FO4CkxHKGnClNx73CPmSyuJ2ZgNZKHBIzgRfiwrXdiXYwjg6XNKtkb_2Y_hX0h3UZO8HlFmllh2ZxAabB0nrblM9niq2f-L7wO28qHoOsj91__ue/s1600/August+25.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxHpFL1_jatIp2wyMjbz0FO4CkxHKGnClNx73CPmSyuJ2ZgNZKHBIzgRfiwrXdiXYwjg6XNKtkb_2Y_hX0h3UZO8HlFmllh2ZxAabB0nrblM9niq2f-L7wO28qHoOsj91__ue/s320/August+25.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stripes! The bleached part takes on a kind of heathered look and I love it! I'll show you what I did with the fabric next time :)</div><br />
I've linked up here.... <br />
<a
border="0" href="http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com"
target="_blank"><img
src="http://hadfield.smugmug.com/photos/825895175_xmTVA-O.jpg"
alt="Join us Saturdays at tatertotsandjello.com for the weekend wrap
up party!" /></a><br />
<br />
and here....<br />
<a href="http://www.bystephanielynn.com/search/label/Link%20Parties" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="UndertheTableandDreaming" src="http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv298/theliebertfamily/party.png" /></a> Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-84394371406514721062011-08-23T19:48:00.000-07:002011-08-23T20:00:58.976-07:00Pass or Fail??Some of you may recall that I HATE sewing clothing! I've documented that fact <a href="http://mejojacspot.blogspot.com/2007/08/princess-dress-this-is-how-sewing.html">here</a>, <a href="http://mejojacspot.blogspot.com/2009/10/whats-girl-to-do-at-453-in-morning.html">here</a>, and <a href="http://mejojacspot.blogspot.com/2009/03/not-too-bad-other-day-i-was-at-kohls.html">here</a>. I think there might be other posts declaring how annoying patterns are and how they NEVER EVER end up being the right size, but those were the first posts I found.<br />
<br />
Anyway! I found this <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/">blog - "MADE"</a> that had a tutorial for a <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-circle-skirt.html">circle skirt</a>... you do a little math and make your own pattern. I'm not great at math, but thought I'd give it a whirl....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VSh1QFROv38TZpQ4CxAOPivaCYiwyDGfcmX9b_hcBYWQGKaQdoZQpNuUjoaJs1heLFVHw8sZGeon6k2zeT54fqMD5vEkYAw87OqNPeUAGF6H_qwJA068U83WhGUs7CQm3nR9/s1600/May+28-2+%252835%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VSh1QFROv38TZpQ4CxAOPivaCYiwyDGfcmX9b_hcBYWQGKaQdoZQpNuUjoaJs1heLFVHw8sZGeon6k2zeT54fqMD5vEkYAw87OqNPeUAGF6H_qwJA068U83WhGUs7CQm3nR9/s320/May+28-2+%252835%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>And what do you know? It turned out pretty awesome! I also made one for myself and several others for Baby Girl. <br />
Then I noticed that on the same blog there was a tutorial for <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-pajama-shorts-with-elastic.html">pajama pants</a>... again, making your own pattern using a pair of pj's or shorts that you already have...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLwUJbIQEDq2L8qIFOLxZeMhOJ2txpZ4iOO2rBry-zrErUHEHzdew2m0UIr1bPIjOvdMsP_POPEoNA2-H9i5OhpvNLCOQV4Vr4iOCEJuSrwOxgWSgoyoD3LHkp2o0UbNjBjgQ/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLwUJbIQEDq2L8qIFOLxZeMhOJ2txpZ4iOO2rBry-zrErUHEHzdew2m0UIr1bPIjOvdMsP_POPEoNA2-H9i5OhpvNLCOQV4Vr4iOCEJuSrwOxgWSgoyoD3LHkp2o0UbNjBjgQ/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Another success! They aren't hemmed, but I kind of like them that way!<br />
<br />
Skip forward to today... I had bought some fabric a few weeks ago with the intention of making it into a skirt. But it was so soft and I kept having visions of a shirt in this fabric. I looked around for a tutorial, but couldn't really find anything I loved. So... I made a pattern up all by myself. And guess what?!?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlgxK3UIwMVeCfd7qmesZM8DpyibAluMKCbw_EpsC37R2C0xOo0TRDV1lzWgQAapUEtVFGlxSMltRG3of0yhaLt2s89sdSJq4gx4eCoI1Y4MrXgq3eksiGzyK4ChBHswnuye3/s1600/August+23+%252824%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlgxK3UIwMVeCfd7qmesZM8DpyibAluMKCbw_EpsC37R2C0xOo0TRDV1lzWgQAapUEtVFGlxSMltRG3of0yhaLt2s89sdSJq4gx4eCoI1Y4MrXgq3eksiGzyK4ChBHswnuye3/s400/August+23+%252824%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhZYOiN3oE79vZssoBQ-GDPl8hyYEv-L7cWkIxucVevtS_ktx9y7GN2EU69_tWLUjXSXtnA2GPFt_7RboY5hsuu4YD5B7Ai2LVL_egSCChJGdUTMChqsx7ukM_XQzSS3a_0TR/s1600/August+23+%252832%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhZYOiN3oE79vZssoBQ-GDPl8hyYEv-L7cWkIxucVevtS_ktx9y7GN2EU69_tWLUjXSXtnA2GPFt_7RboY5hsuu4YD5B7Ai2LVL_egSCChJGdUTMChqsx7ukM_XQzSS3a_0TR/s400/August+23+%252832%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>It's not horrible!! I think the neck needs to be a little lower. And I made the shoulder seams too wide so the sleeves kind of hang off a little bit. And I kind of goofed on the gathering at the top of the shirt... maybe if I added some detail around the neck?<br />
<br />
So tell me what you think... is this a pass? or an epic fail??<br />
<br />
p.s. This is technically an EPIC FAIL because I forgot to prewash the fabric... meaning that it is now a "hand wash in cold; lay flat to dry" article of clothing... booooooooo!!!!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-54533954052417497542011-08-07T20:17:00.000-07:002011-08-07T20:17:40.603-07:00AnxietyHave you ever ridden Mickey's Death Wheel at Disneyland? Okay... technically it's called Mickey's Fun Wheel... but since it's one of the only rides that has ever made me feel like I wanted to die... Death Wheel it is!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxUjwIBhUTtEieN6Jqxqyv_dqu2T8_kGw_wAg16Gopqe9dWPXjlFfbRLSR4Jw1B6qA983SQi2gDgPgglT8039UroJl36pCR94dqZ3rjLz1G5so9n68-qYLdQglHxqkNdwtHnz/s1600/October+19+%2528297%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxUjwIBhUTtEieN6Jqxqyv_dqu2T8_kGw_wAg16Gopqe9dWPXjlFfbRLSR4Jw1B6qA983SQi2gDgPgglT8039UroJl36pCR94dqZ3rjLz1G5so9n68-qYLdQglHxqkNdwtHnz/s400/October+19+%2528297%2529edit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Don't let it's bright colors and smiling face fool you. The cars that are stationary are fine. The ones that roll and sway are evil. Completely. The last few days my stomach has been in knots... like I've been on a continuous Death Wheel ride. Let me explain...<br />
<br />
Tomorrow is our first day of school and Friday was the open house for all 3 schools. We started at the middle school and the line to get into the school went out to the parking lot. I dropped off Hubby and Red and the rest of us headed to the next school to figure out who Baby Girl's teacher would be (the schools here are weird... we don't find out who the teacher will be till the Friday before school starts! Insane...). <br />
<br />
We got to the school, scanned the lists and my heart sank. Baby Girl has the same teacher that Red had last year. She's not a HORRIBLE teacher, but she did manage to make me very crazy last year. But I have this kind of weird attitude about teachers. We don't always get to choose the people we work with in life. And some of those people are going to make us crazy...so, Baby Girl will stay in the class. I'm not going to ask for her to be moved... but I think it's going to be stressful. <br />
<br />
Next we headed over to meet Little Bug's new teachers. He was supposed to be in a class that had 2 teachers that would rotate the kids back and forth for different subjects. This last school year was not an easy one for him. There was a little girl in the class who was very aggressive and Little Bug came home over and over with scratches on his face. He also regressed A LOT last year. He stopped reading out loud and we can't get him to do the math he was really enjoying in California. So, we were excited for him to be in this new class.<br />
<br />
Imagine my surprise to see that his name wasn't listed on ANY class list. We went in, asked the secretary, she checked with the registrar, who informed us that they had been told we wouldn't be returning this year. So they didn't have him in a class. At all. They made a few quick phone calls and the district Special Ed put him in a class. The same class as last year. With the same little girl who made things so miserable.<br />
<br />
Can you say Mama Bear?? <br />
<br />
I was in tears and more than a tad angry. I was told I could go visit the district office if I wanted to chat with them about the placement. At that point I was ready for more than a chat. I went and talked with them. They were very nice and listened to my concerns. Then they put him in the class I requested. I didn't even have to shake my fists at them :)<br />
<br />
So, back to the school to meet the teachers. Little Bug wanted to go to his old class. He was not happy about going to the new room. The teacher was not happy to have another student in her class (it's a big class...) and wasn't exactly pleasant. And as I watched some of the other kids come in and out I wondered if it would be the right place for him.<br />
<br />
We were finally able to go back to the middle school to get Red and Hubby and head home. But there has been a pit in my stomach since then... <br />
<br />
That leads us to today... I didn't get to meet any of Red's teachers. I don't know who they are or what they are like. I've heard a few bad things about this middle school and I'm worried for him... a lot. Baby Girl will be dealing with a teacher this year whose moods swing like a pendulum. She's a bit unpredictable and not always easy to get along with. And then... we have Little Bug. I hope this new class will work, but if it doesn't, they will put him back in his old classroom. And when I think of him in that class I start to feel like I'm on Mickey's Death Wheel all over again.<br />
<br />
I can't wait for tomorrow. Perhaps then I'll have a sense of how this year is going to be and then I can get off this crazy ride!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-82493446681165654352011-07-17T11:51:00.000-07:002011-07-17T11:51:59.902-07:00The State of the UnionJust a quick note to let you know that we're still alive... barely though. Did you know that Yuma, AZ was named the <a href="http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/hottest-cities-top6_2011-07-06?page=7">hottest city in the country</a>? Apparently we average 114 days a year over 100 degrees... aren't you glad I told you that? Now that I've given you a random bit of information we can move on... to more random bits of information... mostly in the form of pictures.<div><br />
</div><div>In April I took Red and a few friends to a book signing for <a href="http://brandonmull.com/site/">Brandon Mull</a>. The boys are all huge fans and Brandon was fantastic with the kids. It was a great trip!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vEXmHwO13F5acJklHDF3jXqKc6eM3tezbBkZEwfz-Jf-4I1iB93B7gOyfRW-N3Xzy_T0emrPYFDt6BhW_zlrFlXK0221k8CllMK-t05JB_ZzgS8OKPYn1gMaoaK2UjipLChC/s1600/April+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vEXmHwO13F5acJklHDF3jXqKc6eM3tezbBkZEwfz-Jf-4I1iB93B7gOyfRW-N3Xzy_T0emrPYFDt6BhW_zlrFlXK0221k8CllMK-t05JB_ZzgS8OKPYn1gMaoaK2UjipLChC/s320/April+7.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">April also brought us a broken arm for Little Bug. Once we got the cast on things were good, but getting x-rays and the process of putting the cast on was pretty traumatic for all involved. We've got our fingers crossed that we don't have to do this ever again...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmD0WCG4SBYEK3lNndNnFdh0uhgw_wsjmfRXd8R5UfGMjrHo4SyFkvk09H-TkitxNluxoR5eEdIPIoIfcNunABoUTNJYgmXcqKzcsp61B5zIdrSgtqU5axnxyD_m0zCrWFcYIc/s1600/April+8+%25288%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmD0WCG4SBYEK3lNndNnFdh0uhgw_wsjmfRXd8R5UfGMjrHo4SyFkvk09H-TkitxNluxoR5eEdIPIoIfcNunABoUTNJYgmXcqKzcsp61B5zIdrSgtqU5axnxyD_m0zCrWFcYIc/s320/April+8+%25288%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>Cruddy pictures here... but Baby Girl got her ears pierced in May... <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKCNdOSNG60kceR7Rb6EuoPKzS2FxrfS6U-c3JpurREdJ-amRsZMI-u6kQjrmKoOIsKKK_Z7aTJ4zF8tKYtYq_uazwAEzJokJEXhbWHDH9psTsiFLny03NSIU62LEfnpujFWE/s1600/May+28+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKCNdOSNG60kceR7Rb6EuoPKzS2FxrfS6U-c3JpurREdJ-amRsZMI-u6kQjrmKoOIsKKK_Z7aTJ4zF8tKYtYq_uazwAEzJokJEXhbWHDH9psTsiFLny03NSIU62LEfnpujFWE/s320/May+28+%25285%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIihT0F09bar8iZktJgyMh2HCxf4XyTJbq5DokX9dO6AYPTZa9ss2-jreJS0vkSOvLfs4llhrn7NP1fM9uE0N04v8ibOS_9PEV807MJculhTjFk6i2YokKXFC0Hd-c4k0kvNLe/s1600/May+28.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIihT0F09bar8iZktJgyMh2HCxf4XyTJbq5DokX9dO6AYPTZa9ss2-jreJS0vkSOvLfs4llhrn7NP1fM9uE0N04v8ibOS_9PEV807MJculhTjFk6i2YokKXFC0Hd-c4k0kvNLe/s320/May+28.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The last days of school arrived and we attended several awards ceremonies...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtNB3gSIHBetxoTZCP1tcLSvk7cASl3nacYvrtn-cEcdC1PXgkCe0h2CeqM21Ka-03doaLJjkdKnh8hMi1fF7fUfLAWxeJ_sM0I3YDacgcCC0-F0dpnvX3zJmj5uCDNgsB_xW/s1600/June+8+%25289%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtNB3gSIHBetxoTZCP1tcLSvk7cASl3nacYvrtn-cEcdC1PXgkCe0h2CeqM21Ka-03doaLJjkdKnh8hMi1fF7fUfLAWxeJ_sM0I3YDacgcCC0-F0dpnvX3zJmj5uCDNgsB_xW/s320/June+8+%25289%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>Including a "promotion ceremony" for Red who will be in middle school next year!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ba6clF-krOOxZ7OfnsjRCkfM01MgX0933lN1_FZsJ1uZwHnMuOZTKK7IIP9zcfzF0OQvhCKFX_AsjALIlLR9WdppJAn8HQmGdl7WpjE222xN06ctKNmysk5_F6BdGmkZx0GP/s1600/June+10+%252812%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ba6clF-krOOxZ7OfnsjRCkfM01MgX0933lN1_FZsJ1uZwHnMuOZTKK7IIP9zcfzF0OQvhCKFX_AsjALIlLR9WdppJAn8HQmGdl7WpjE222xN06ctKNmysk5_F6BdGmkZx0GP/s320/June+10+%252812%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>We had our Angry Birds themed Father's Day (I made the birds using <a href="http://obsessivelystitching.blogspot.com/2010/12/angry-birds-plush.html">this tutorial</a>)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMGDujf4tPhLymx069PQvK87VLaoTmbbAimQ0bg85bMJcDu4Lgt2OFbNMXACtEtymuakQP26-ef40cMYrSxRdUBdnMzUr8tj1vsw1dSODoqGfKuivgCDs9Fmki_aEKHIToG4O/s1600/June+19+%252837%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMGDujf4tPhLymx069PQvK87VLaoTmbbAimQ0bg85bMJcDu4Lgt2OFbNMXACtEtymuakQP26-ef40cMYrSxRdUBdnMzUr8tj1vsw1dSODoqGfKuivgCDs9Fmki_aEKHIToG4O/s320/June+19+%252837%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>And then headed to Idaho to spend time with family. We flew kites....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwAyBfWni6s0jwHynkRG94Klcmffwkr4HHgotOTeeUtG6WzY0y1ZNH8W_vuDeO02bPlSKVinLVNSrh0QqxNDn1hWHBuftx5njtMR27xB0cynGPvqliDU3p829UhlqT6qYHI5y/s1600/June+24+%252810%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwAyBfWni6s0jwHynkRG94Klcmffwkr4HHgotOTeeUtG6WzY0y1ZNH8W_vuDeO02bPlSKVinLVNSrh0QqxNDn1hWHBuftx5njtMR27xB0cynGPvqliDU3p829UhlqT6qYHI5y/s320/June+24+%252810%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>visited Craters of the Moon <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQa4svF7S5zl5jycLui0kdwrAy-JK4FV2zqrXYVVwMiovTrI4wmKplUTf343AiKVfHTAjUPKmiCPHFJyAb9-V1jVN0W9w-YpgZCHi8FPoEGd_VNHw4dYXR7BI1R_P0f7hsdGFA/s1600/June+27+%252837%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQa4svF7S5zl5jycLui0kdwrAy-JK4FV2zqrXYVVwMiovTrI4wmKplUTf343AiKVfHTAjUPKmiCPHFJyAb9-V1jVN0W9w-YpgZCHi8FPoEGd_VNHw4dYXR7BI1R_P0f7hsdGFA/s320/June+27+%252837%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjebnA8Nw9MkmXkGJprv_xlVvgQNWhi4WlOqlcTe-yUuKL4Pynh-_zThiPcdbMUCaDCcVBFjegnQYB-YFSUsVwYwzqpa9c1JjXvuOuY-CZ3C2euKBNYC_pqFut47KzQl0drMgu3/s1600/June+27+%252819%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjebnA8Nw9MkmXkGJprv_xlVvgQNWhi4WlOqlcTe-yUuKL4Pynh-_zThiPcdbMUCaDCcVBFjegnQYB-YFSUsVwYwzqpa9c1JjXvuOuY-CZ3C2euKBNYC_pqFut47KzQl0drMgu3/s320/June+27+%252819%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtsFe4OFuqz-U34oy4Hh2HfksYqXW73eZT3ZHqmf3IGAYZ9P_D16p01qYKPyXEJj4cVnkR5AErvc5Mkugxsn_CmyjnXDFcdFfKim8nX_S1Jz2Z7Qcp5NzLUqSJKhPZHa4KCW6/s1600/June+27+%25287%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6EbDMkBmM3gnIYC2GtqpwRmycpBtRdflqgyVneJFht7OSNTHemv8r3jqeKnN1cJVRfKtN_VGXjmVvBx5xsG3BCySXL1_z6Vr-pQvC4xQMyt0iQ4qrnbPm47wFxvzFgzxHmMJ/s1600/June+27+%252845%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6EbDMkBmM3gnIYC2GtqpwRmycpBtRdflqgyVneJFht7OSNTHemv8r3jqeKnN1cJVRfKtN_VGXjmVvBx5xsG3BCySXL1_z6Vr-pQvC4xQMyt0iQ4qrnbPm47wFxvzFgzxHmMJ/s320/June+27+%252845%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VSICPyBe4PGZIE5OUuf9OCCkqUE1JTaIsOalyfx6B_pP-qVL4upCnxnR4JRi7hv_y9XUxpebnyvsCYcxh8dSSreu3GAVRBKnaxJzTWpRjBJNn0lbhdM8-jx0tmBJJEXJVoqC/s1600/June+27+%252846%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VSICPyBe4PGZIE5OUuf9OCCkqUE1JTaIsOalyfx6B_pP-qVL4upCnxnR4JRi7hv_y9XUxpebnyvsCYcxh8dSSreu3GAVRBKnaxJzTWpRjBJNn0lbhdM8-jx0tmBJJEXJVoqC/s320/June+27+%252846%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Some of the caves still had ice in them... nice and chilly on a hot summer day...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7L7qf7pc70rZ6i1VqA8_te7Fe4-6XImv_4jQZG0aMxtYJjwPViytsWxBWDjY8uX7tISSs1hFEaJY8g_360OxyUpu2uzprqspnYL1WNDT7SvyT-YSWI4wk21bDaLd_pYufjQJ8/s1600/June+27+%252849%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7L7qf7pc70rZ6i1VqA8_te7Fe4-6XImv_4jQZG0aMxtYJjwPViytsWxBWDjY8uX7tISSs1hFEaJY8g_360OxyUpu2uzprqspnYL1WNDT7SvyT-YSWI4wk21bDaLd_pYufjQJ8/s320/June+27+%252849%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>And 2 of my nephews were brave enough to crawl through this spot... on their bellies... I couldn't quite bring myself to do it...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_IN5hX4rtAKCN9TCrbiJK0b_zmLEpblrbIEoGFBCPp6LylMmY2OfkCojFbH_lS4b3dyHYZ6E4fqN_H4pwaVePbyLAHLQxPjteLAXtavPDzU3kaX9vhp8e4v5k4yOAAXdYhv6/s1600/June+27+%252853%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_IN5hX4rtAKCN9TCrbiJK0b_zmLEpblrbIEoGFBCPp6LylMmY2OfkCojFbH_lS4b3dyHYZ6E4fqN_H4pwaVePbyLAHLQxPjteLAXtavPDzU3kaX9vhp8e4v5k4yOAAXdYhv6/s320/June+27+%252853%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Little Bug went into all of the caves and on the hikes. He really seemed to enjoy the day...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIFFYM86SAj-M_A9MEMyOgPefDUXgN7ss3P3Dw2a1eojJw5bO9l1ulPIn5sKuqJ1kD6-8eZPo4KH6ivMHJZXQTzTRqrr-QOpOIaHxkrZBNzobIxAbfALqKJR1F43B8lJ8VJDR/s1600/June+27+%252873%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIFFYM86SAj-M_A9MEMyOgPefDUXgN7ss3P3Dw2a1eojJw5bO9l1ulPIn5sKuqJ1kD6-8eZPo4KH6ivMHJZXQTzTRqrr-QOpOIaHxkrZBNzobIxAbfALqKJR1F43B8lJ8VJDR/s320/June+27+%252873%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>Snow in the mountains...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftLJRS_A-dO-G7egk6qXGE8pubBZwnAR3U6a3uOlEllupU7LLrvK-DNJbkeHvNtNtZhisoEA9FyKWuqTkXUv3K9C_5udUVSdlzETZzeHfKtD2o6bIYX4ymb2OQGkpAMK47fwL/s1600/June+27+%252882%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftLJRS_A-dO-G7egk6qXGE8pubBZwnAR3U6a3uOlEllupU7LLrvK-DNJbkeHvNtNtZhisoEA9FyKWuqTkXUv3K9C_5udUVSdlzETZzeHfKtD2o6bIYX4ymb2OQGkpAMK47fwL/s320/June+27+%252882%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Wildflowers everywhere else... must be June in Idaho :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtsFe4OFuqz-U34oy4Hh2HfksYqXW73eZT3ZHqmf3IGAYZ9P_D16p01qYKPyXEJj4cVnkR5AErvc5Mkugxsn_CmyjnXDFcdFfKim8nX_S1Jz2Z7Qcp5NzLUqSJKhPZHa4KCW6/s1600/June+27+%25287%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtsFe4OFuqz-U34oy4Hh2HfksYqXW73eZT3ZHqmf3IGAYZ9P_D16p01qYKPyXEJj4cVnkR5AErvc5Mkugxsn_CmyjnXDFcdFfKim8nX_S1Jz2Z7Qcp5NzLUqSJKhPZHa4KCW6/s320/June+27+%25287%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4th of July brought fireworks at home... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxcYPx5WAFMc4Ci_VrJ95dlTS5THjTGaNqHSJv0t9ApqgE_jx4rmIzjRnMaW0Wjhaoys9ZSVZ0zXqat8doPd7DmRNUUhfjBI0RxXpH7gwX2QeZfeVYBB94aDduGtkypudTWgs/s1600/July+3+%252836%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxcYPx5WAFMc4Ci_VrJ95dlTS5THjTGaNqHSJv0t9ApqgE_jx4rmIzjRnMaW0Wjhaoys9ZSVZ0zXqat8doPd7DmRNUUhfjBI0RxXpH7gwX2QeZfeVYBB94aDduGtkypudTWgs/s320/July+3+%252836%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTpewuJ5XqvgvbzmpV5Bdw8dLBGjh3GKT9JKro1nKVJ4XkFy_VuHossyB9cOD4WBcMhHZH5i6qXTpwNP-kXywgtpHHm9Epnxc6rQh99mUoXCsqIXKfiIiQw4i-fyKTFdmCtrg/s1600/July+3+%252849%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTpewuJ5XqvgvbzmpV5Bdw8dLBGjh3GKT9JKro1nKVJ4XkFy_VuHossyB9cOD4WBcMhHZH5i6qXTpwNP-kXywgtpHHm9Epnxc6rQh99mUoXCsqIXKfiIiQw4i-fyKTFdmCtrg/s320/July+3+%252849%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaFYvTQszFnaRxLVuH3ECDv2vT7Jfg5YqOYpIlsK6tKUeV7_Pzw-eCft-0Lz_kfnnFwtTZL46wD8B3iYBAiLFeFU3Czk7ZSyAsGm6sTh-miZNavCVudodthVnTltNiIf6eT_k/s1600/July+3+%252877%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaFYvTQszFnaRxLVuH3ECDv2vT7Jfg5YqOYpIlsK6tKUeV7_Pzw-eCft-0Lz_kfnnFwtTZL46wD8B3iYBAiLFeFU3Czk7ZSyAsGm6sTh-miZNavCVudodthVnTltNiIf6eT_k/s320/July+3+%252877%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdXqH9Bc8UFsvvANDIHlRZjUUzWetVh4XWddggeh1zXAzcbi4ivKe-SbJuplPFE6QpSwsnElYm1hSuZXI4SsEtRjmd2PUpuPeWUgevoP6m61eEyZuJtpah8MHqAo-u0Y8HVND/s1600/July+3+%252881%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdXqH9Bc8UFsvvANDIHlRZjUUzWetVh4XWddggeh1zXAzcbi4ivKe-SbJuplPFE6QpSwsnElYm1hSuZXI4SsEtRjmd2PUpuPeWUgevoP6m61eEyZuJtpah8MHqAo-u0Y8HVND/s320/July+3+%252881%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtVr9PqPke0-OdNu8s9G-QsdqkAlSqIcOFyTnO8ufA4vT8sI-3qbHxny5ANLadT9ZAG9QHi61TgpLcvRyWdhFUt74bcRrCww9y8wKIcUjFNL7D4i1e3B9KJJHwxRYHynAWKOM/s1600/July+3+%2528100%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtVr9PqPke0-OdNu8s9G-QsdqkAlSqIcOFyTnO8ufA4vT8sI-3qbHxny5ANLadT9ZAG9QHi61TgpLcvRyWdhFUt74bcRrCww9y8wKIcUjFNL7D4i1e3B9KJJHwxRYHynAWKOM/s320/July+3+%2528100%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Yvo_2lIu80fmbGH8JG7FqmKJs6oOHjeaApo5deWHPU4JqBgcOy55BMdCjTlHK6QmTuSZBvd-O5QMIc904rJkZbd9wAbKI5kmNFpvZBpLjzjypmwltnIuMP_d4fCcIZEW_J_L/s1600/July+3+%2528132%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Yvo_2lIu80fmbGH8JG7FqmKJs6oOHjeaApo5deWHPU4JqBgcOy55BMdCjTlHK6QmTuSZBvd-O5QMIc904rJkZbd9wAbKI5kmNFpvZBpLjzjypmwltnIuMP_d4fCcIZEW_J_L/s320/July+3+%2528132%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>Of course, the sparklers were a big hit... <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRtVLsxEkv4GTtkDvJuj4rWCw8_dQ5ui8ygakSB91BT9n7ybtyfpVm44N8eK_JdViEz-vW35A4Duu89LyPHCqsfp5bJYLHOV9xbr2T0kWLXvtwjYD41z_MS0ZAAMNacnRgc4G/s1600/July+3+%2528172%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRtVLsxEkv4GTtkDvJuj4rWCw8_dQ5ui8ygakSB91BT9n7ybtyfpVm44N8eK_JdViEz-vW35A4Duu89LyPHCqsfp5bJYLHOV9xbr2T0kWLXvtwjYD41z_MS0ZAAMNacnRgc4G/s320/July+3+%2528172%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6eDuBm36C8Dr6YG4u6RtQ2DKeF947gZMuK2hvKoAlVd1RmtUIbiViUQ6NWsbKmBrZUqtP6r6NIS6FvTORK3s-RCRlrEKOPlrQuWlTNdJX_VhvvAoMoVc8BG7aWde5PfYrZaCZ/s1600/July+3+%2528184%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6eDuBm36C8Dr6YG4u6RtQ2DKeF947gZMuK2hvKoAlVd1RmtUIbiViUQ6NWsbKmBrZUqtP6r6NIS6FvTORK3s-RCRlrEKOPlrQuWlTNdJX_VhvvAoMoVc8BG7aWde5PfYrZaCZ/s320/July+3+%2528184%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsDucgNJIyWC_fc9v-I-R1T3IIc0WFwYuE4JlfOysaU8G31UyUSW48-ghrMDEjLwb4DYZ_QXCRjnHI0Rt4-x-CC_mTbwXT7gFO0fTkva6MC0KZCkpdoqKIfjWAj8X-ATwrBPX/s1600/July+3+%2528189%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsDucgNJIyWC_fc9v-I-R1T3IIc0WFwYuE4JlfOysaU8G31UyUSW48-ghrMDEjLwb4DYZ_QXCRjnHI0Rt4-x-CC_mTbwXT7gFO0fTkva6MC0KZCkpdoqKIfjWAj8X-ATwrBPX/s320/July+3+%2528189%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWR8um3o4TGKh773YIb4dolbZqxtb-kbs0y4h9kmHyD90muUz1qpfB9GWcUanl3u2D5zq6Qz0V0mzmQaauIn6h2NomMpPrEr64_e23agSXdDHSmzEhOJYYAtVswFKdhTnG5Ww/s1600/July+3+%2528197%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWR8um3o4TGKh773YIb4dolbZqxtb-kbs0y4h9kmHyD90muUz1qpfB9GWcUanl3u2D5zq6Qz0V0mzmQaauIn6h2NomMpPrEr64_e23agSXdDHSmzEhOJYYAtVswFKdhTnG5Ww/s320/July+3+%2528197%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That night we took the kids to see Cars at the drive-in. It was great - we had the movie in front of us and the Idaho Falls fireworks on our right. So much fun! Of course, I forgot my camera for that...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We did a lot of other things while we were there and overall we had a fantastic time in Idaho. It's always great to visit with family and friends. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We've had other things occupying our time here in Arizona too... Baby Girl did 2 weeks of gymnastics camp and is starting her 2nd week of swimming lessons. Red just got back from a week at scout camp and now gets to start his own swimming lessons. We've done a craft day every Monday with friends and I think that might be a new summer tradition. Little Bug has struggled a little this summer, but he has enjoyed time in the pool almost every day. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We have 3 more weeks till school starts and hopefully we'll be able to make the most of what's left of this summer vacation! </div></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-57351159263007931132011-05-13T12:53:00.000-07:002011-05-13T12:53:28.542-07:00Before and AfterI do this every time we move. I get tired of packing/unpacking boxes and go into this creative decorating frenzy! When we bought our home in Oregon I stacked all our unpacked boxes in the middle of the room and started painting the dining room. Hubby wasn't thrilled, but I just had to do SOMETHING other than figuring out where all our junk would go.<br />
<br />
Well, we've moved again (just around the corner from our last place) and I'm tired of boxes... so it was time to get creative!<br />
<br />
First off we have this nasty bench. I bought it at a yard sale about a year ago for $1 and it's just been sitting around my house looking sad. The yellow/gold faux velvet stuff was stiff, dirty and just all around gross!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLs03D-8NQhbZqMAqZ4gd-vI6BkbjSpW0YauNk34D3glUvVlBeuStYzk0h6ez79ebmzGboIoNEvklGoPanutQJx5mIqBIVvsoQbrrXuJCTDx93LivkMZqct7DPk1w0XRosFEI/s1600/May+11+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLs03D-8NQhbZqMAqZ4gd-vI6BkbjSpW0YauNk34D3glUvVlBeuStYzk0h6ez79ebmzGboIoNEvklGoPanutQJx5mIqBIVvsoQbrrXuJCTDx93LivkMZqct7DPk1w0XRosFEI/s320/May+11+%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> There was a small tear in the fabric and the foam was coming out of it...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7WM3U9hjNUkaJ6XeZiTIpmTYrMu98JVXnLdlHHygWFSGTL0UYwPsN0TArZWmXaJg6vzUEIgfvi1dRavozvtibW4szn533Q92ydrUzhPvTj9EdyY4B4igEedy8ezlNqSPgn-X/s1600/May+11+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7WM3U9hjNUkaJ6XeZiTIpmTYrMu98JVXnLdlHHygWFSGTL0UYwPsN0TArZWmXaJg6vzUEIgfvi1dRavozvtibW4szn533Q92ydrUzhPvTj9EdyY4B4igEedy8ezlNqSPgn-X/s320/May+11+%25284%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I'm working on recreating our master bedroom. I'm using browns, tans, aquas and oranges. So, when I saw this orange fabric at JoAnn's, I knew I had to have it for the bench!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiImFeVmjpju43U6fkheFa6CoLsV32H5YWWBpFSIC-lY6zQSPfcI3ZvW8nZNYcYgUIqtBdf8BiDDfoeXTFiglaVyublnX2f2i8Pg7R0OYcxBEtMuXyNnVlBWHtVKdE64zm2No/s1600/May+12+%252811%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiImFeVmjpju43U6fkheFa6CoLsV32H5YWWBpFSIC-lY6zQSPfcI3ZvW8nZNYcYgUIqtBdf8BiDDfoeXTFiglaVyublnX2f2i8Pg7R0OYcxBEtMuXyNnVlBWHtVKdE64zm2No/s320/May+12+%252811%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Love, love, love the way it turned out! The aqua and orange together are just playful and fun. Can't wait to use this in our room!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXhPgwrSZ8RTLzQAvvTLGl13d1nTr0bBep_lEQNdUrkgqQ8bfc7znw8NL3aBuzQfVPeChR-fgRhg5ikeMVX7x3hnXhUNvXaNzF6A0rCVLZlblRbmrKEe-8eWym_AHjpR7Kgq1/s1600/May+12+%252812%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXhPgwrSZ8RTLzQAvvTLGl13d1nTr0bBep_lEQNdUrkgqQ8bfc7znw8NL3aBuzQfVPeChR-fgRhg5ikeMVX7x3hnXhUNvXaNzF6A0rCVLZlblRbmrKEe-8eWym_AHjpR7Kgq1/s320/May+12+%252812%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div>Then we had the mirror I got from Good Will this week. Loved the shape and style of the frame... not so excited about the, um, floral print... so, yeah. Had to get rid of that... (p.s. I had already started the project when I remembered I hadn't taken pics yet... so this is just the frame.)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiZwI6xgwpBY54eoJsnN16DzyF-QjqsfqAzyX8tiIJn1apMzIjTgMIz1qFcJbgLCNcbcm6sD5HvwuROY93-PavJp9Gt9B1h5fT7TykcSsW-GYjpqUHueYahBKA7GR3tKP0f8N/s1600/May+11+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiZwI6xgwpBY54eoJsnN16DzyF-QjqsfqAzyX8tiIJn1apMzIjTgMIz1qFcJbgLCNcbcm6sD5HvwuROY93-PavJp9Gt9B1h5fT7TykcSsW-GYjpqUHueYahBKA7GR3tKP0f8N/s320/May+11+%25285%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> I'm pretty sure those are flowers... or maybe they are really sad sea creatures. I haven't decided which...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonyojFUdong2Bdy8ld99jWxX8azDIXyr5FWxtOSJt2UpBCdtyWhQuG5NawnOlY8UNof6JWncfJ6Ih8iGR1ev8id77c6IDHyB5SrVp3rbgIKssBMh10Ol89m03RAY3dZboPY63/s1600/May+11+%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonyojFUdong2Bdy8ld99jWxX8azDIXyr5FWxtOSJt2UpBCdtyWhQuG5NawnOlY8UNof6JWncfJ6Ih8iGR1ev8id77c6IDHyB5SrVp3rbgIKssBMh10Ol89m03RAY3dZboPY63/s320/May+11+%25286%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I scratched up the back of the mirror and then placed an aqua and white fabric behind it. Painted the frame white and glazed it a bit. Baby Girl is not a fan of the glaze... she said, "It just looks dirty". But what does she know? I like how it looks :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuLVrAB34KbiCcZ9NYlJf2rTPEaWrRgvUt-RHa_dzT3ucHs9aGBW6CTESxOyIi0l3No47B4Xtvp6q-1WExwp1BOqOu7ku2jjCpjNecOkTeqc5UEVzSsyrCv8_CGcsqQdDIucI/s1600/May+12+%252814%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuLVrAB34KbiCcZ9NYlJf2rTPEaWrRgvUt-RHa_dzT3ucHs9aGBW6CTESxOyIi0l3No47B4Xtvp6q-1WExwp1BOqOu7ku2jjCpjNecOkTeqc5UEVzSsyrCv8_CGcsqQdDIucI/s320/May+12+%252814%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>It was harder than I thought to get a good picture of the mirror... hopefully you can see the fabric okay... looks a lot better in real life.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRv9JfO9n34mRlTtx0zzwcvkX8yqi463V7lgz1PW3DzIjGwLSaeEFvXwyA6zL_j3WTMGH8cNMCTPpY6Sjl-VQTblAyPY3_Y3eCnLkZiwFODTuOEh1iEvLKFnkbUVywjUWXMt0l/s1600/May+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRv9JfO9n34mRlTtx0zzwcvkX8yqi463V7lgz1PW3DzIjGwLSaeEFvXwyA6zL_j3WTMGH8cNMCTPpY6Sjl-VQTblAyPY3_Y3eCnLkZiwFODTuOEh1iEvLKFnkbUVywjUWXMt0l/s320/May+12.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>So there you have it. Now I'm working on the quilt for our room and then I have a few other projects in mind. And eventually... one day... I just might finish unpacking!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-18084880057766369692011-04-24T07:56:00.000-07:002011-04-24T07:56:30.791-07:00I KnowI'm not the most intelligent person on the planet. Heck, I can't help my 12 year old with his math homework any more! But there are a few things that I do know.<br />
<br />
I know that my Redeemer lives. Jesus Christ came to this earth to set an example for us to follow. He suffered and died to atone for the sins of the world and he rose again that we too may overcome death. <br />
<br />
I also know that this life is difficult. Trials and troubles come our way no matter who we are. But we can have hope that things will be better because of Jesus Christ. <br />
<br />
In the Book of Mormon there is a scripture that I love. It's found in Moroni 7:41 -<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">We can find joy and peace even in the darkest times because we can have hope for life eternal. This life won't last forever. Time will pass. Our trials will end and we will be better for it all. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/xlc5RvmWN4s?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">My prayer for you is that you can find hope and peace through the Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He lives. I know that He loves us.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Have a very happy Easter!</span>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-89160526147782576672011-03-18T20:33:00.000-07:002011-03-18T20:33:58.588-07:00A Laugh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f103/aleisha25/524matchpicture.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f103/aleisha25/524matchpicture.gif" /></a></div>A friend of mine bought a wooden sign today and the quote on it made me laugh... so, I thought I'd share. <br />
<br />
<i>I understand that scissors can beat paper. And I get how rock can beat scissors, but there's no way paper can beat rock. Paper is supposed to magically wrap around rock leaving it immobile? Why can't paper do this to scissors? Screw scissors, why can't paper do this to people? Why aren't sheets of college ruled notebook paper constantly suffocating students as they attempt to take notes in class? I'll tell you why. Because paper can't beat anybody. A rock would tear it up in two seconds. When I play rock, paper, scissors, I always choose rock. Then when somebody claims to have beaten me with their paper I can punch them in the face with my already clenched fist and say, oh sorry. I thought paper would protect you.</i><br />
<br />
I'm not sure if the fact that I found this so amusing means I have a really great sense of humor or a really twisted one...Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-10057407739009176742011-02-20T19:20:00.000-08:002011-02-20T19:20:13.585-08:00Dig, Dig, DigWe were listening to a Disney CD this morning and the "Dig, Dig, Dig/Heigh-Ho" song from <i>Snow White</i> came on. It's a song I've always loved, but as I was listening to it today I had an odd little epiphany towards the end of this verse:<br />
<br />
We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig from early morn till night<br />
We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig up everything in sight<br />
We dig up diamonds by the score<br />
A thousand rubies, sometimes more<br />
But we don't know what we dig 'em for<br />
We dig dig dig a-dig dig<br />
<br />
And just for the record... I cannot read through those lyrics. I MUST sing them. Every. Single. Time. Okay... moving on!<br />
<br />
The line "But we don't know what we dig 'em for" just kind of hit me today. I mean...isn't that how life seems to work? I know it is for me. I dig through trials and troubles. I dig through the craziness of everyday life. I try to do my best and work hard and and sometimes... well, sometimes I just kinda sit back and think "What in the heck am I digging for???"<br />
<br />
Now, I know that I'm rewarded with blessings throughout my day. Not necessarily HUGE things each day. But little things. A phone call from a friend. The giggles of a child. A hug from my husband. A beautiful sunset. The good bits of every day that make life so much better. And yet, for me, I seem to miss the value of these diamonds and rubies. In my case, I think I don't recognize the gems like I should.<br />
<br />
Maybe it's because the digging process can be difficult, monotonous, frustrating and extremely time consuming. And by the time I get to the good stuff I'm tired and covered in dirt. And sometimes those blessings don't look quite like I had thought. I was hoping for a sapphire when I plucked out that ruby. Or maybe the blessing is something that really doesn't look like a gem at all. It's rough around the edges, dull and has absolutely no appeal (in my life, these ones are often disguised as a U-Haul van.... I think I won't understand the beauty of these gems till later in life or maybe not till the life after this...).<br />
<br />
I guess what I'm trying to say (and not doing a very good job of it) is that this life is a lot of work, but it's worth it. I may not understand what all of my diamonds and rubies are for right now... but someday I will. The only question left is this: which dwarf am I going to be like as I dig, dig, dig from early morn till night?<br />
<br />
Now I'll leave you with a few gems from this month...<br />
Little Bug at horseback riding lessons. Look at that grin!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDnT0PMC-QVHnUgxm6RPW01JTikdVjWVhbdkVNo0SmI1hUvTg4-OiXYIaTXinoRhRsQLV9g2AaMck0IA1lUqV9qheCs_SFRD79fF-R3AHmt9ivsSFHxVsXH0-XAWniSxpTaN4/s1600/February+5+%252816%2529+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDnT0PMC-QVHnUgxm6RPW01JTikdVjWVhbdkVNo0SmI1hUvTg4-OiXYIaTXinoRhRsQLV9g2AaMck0IA1lUqV9qheCs_SFRD79fF-R3AHmt9ivsSFHxVsXH0-XAWniSxpTaN4/s400/February+5+%252816%2529+copy.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>Red with his new hair cut... I told him to give me a "Hurrah" cheer. This as good as it gets when you're 12...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3t7AmhYdeFL9fyBgciFXffQw5YE_EGqj5SPz9V1PyZrK78GYvy5Huu7Z2DnYWqOM8Pvpew5f__Da64uZfW-eQjgXkMaJup7nfLj5-fiyNvrGVOJ7abCCIm5-yzGzRb9bMW_t/s1600/February+16+%252855%2529+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3t7AmhYdeFL9fyBgciFXffQw5YE_EGqj5SPz9V1PyZrK78GYvy5Huu7Z2DnYWqOM8Pvpew5f__Da64uZfW-eQjgXkMaJup7nfLj5-fiyNvrGVOJ7abCCIm5-yzGzRb9bMW_t/s400/February+16+%252855%2529+copy.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>Baby Girl finishing homework...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWfXl8ChqpHPVwmp_EhDI4nWBbBaFMXvJa2j-8gA9tlzNusduxs6MMlTWptzJm1k-0Z6DHTDEMAhY6Jfx7EkjCn3vqdDvb5AgLeFpHdbUxXbB9o-ZnwWGX1NpyfTnD3yBLEG9/s1600/February+16+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWfXl8ChqpHPVwmp_EhDI4nWBbBaFMXvJa2j-8gA9tlzNusduxs6MMlTWptzJm1k-0Z6DHTDEMAhY6Jfx7EkjCn3vqdDvb5AgLeFpHdbUxXbB9o-ZnwWGX1NpyfTnD3yBLEG9/s400/February+16+copy.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A finished project for a friend...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALaBbitV0R2ZHUeYp3ReCca78qMtmJMsQBArsUmFPC3JO5cySnVQJbCWoev1be9NX2_in1Lb7KDuMkszv5R1fh5Qtyu0BoZCtXG1t3qKrLRLDq1H3xFBqgnO1Q3-NZ3b2Vtrs/s1600/February+8+%25282%2529+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALaBbitV0R2ZHUeYp3ReCca78qMtmJMsQBArsUmFPC3JO5cySnVQJbCWoev1be9NX2_in1Lb7KDuMkszv5R1fh5Qtyu0BoZCtXG1t3qKrLRLDq1H3xFBqgnO1Q3-NZ3b2Vtrs/s400/February+8+%25282%2529+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinogXJHcNEQK8j5OK8DWn5-8ld828CiL17nz_dAtqZ8_kABCgVqDc4xREIGqOOCrNr8E1QPp8L-5us6neAs3Ra1Yfk2L_eJ5Er3DcjG0p8TLQO2CfceK6WHjRGyQ7JAE_CAf_q/s1600/February+8+%25284%2529+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinogXJHcNEQK8j5OK8DWn5-8ld828CiL17nz_dAtqZ8_kABCgVqDc4xREIGqOOCrNr8E1QPp8L-5us6neAs3Ra1Yfk2L_eJ5Er3DcjG0p8TLQO2CfceK6WHjRGyQ7JAE_CAf_q/s400/February+8+%25284%2529+copy.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>It's the little things...Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-66148490530019380812011-02-08T18:02:00.000-08:002011-02-08T18:02:09.650-08:00Christmas Quilts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 out of 3 kids needed a new quilt for their bed this year. I had already started a quilt for Red just a little over a year ago... and yeah. Never finished it till this fall. I pulled all the pieces out, reminded myself of the pattern and got to work. It didn't take too long to get it all pieced. Then I took it to a little place here in town to have it quilted. My hand sewing is pretty much terrible, so I was more than happy to pawn the job off on someone else. They did a fantastic job and this is the final product...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFc-J4bbx6T5NcCA7UZPS85ubT_gYXRhi1Qyw8OjxIPtOevphM-aWZCCxoIqBKI0K_4qk-HDHrSrXnyrUvCj9RxNt2OhqBI2C9EqAfcAafDMC1xAoGHZPsv3p6rMears3jpjje/s1600/December+17+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFc-J4bbx6T5NcCA7UZPS85ubT_gYXRhi1Qyw8OjxIPtOevphM-aWZCCxoIqBKI0K_4qk-HDHrSrXnyrUvCj9RxNt2OhqBI2C9EqAfcAafDMC1xAoGHZPsv3p6rMears3jpjje/s400/December+17+%25284%2529.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>I did hand sew part of the binding... it took about forever to get it done. But I did it :) And I really love the way it turned out. I didn't get a great photo of him opening it, but he really loved it!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyScOfIc7ABa_XrsWrGM34RPS0QWuBMadTqPcXbin_npKSMHujF1h8scnYvQ7pQWIRtjliGAWilljIzbAYM700a3Y5WuMajiezuI_bq4b2KzQszXxkY_3VCKkd769PdNVeRYy/s1600/December+25+%252895%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyScOfIc7ABa_XrsWrGM34RPS0QWuBMadTqPcXbin_npKSMHujF1h8scnYvQ7pQWIRtjliGAWilljIzbAYM700a3Y5WuMajiezuI_bq4b2KzQszXxkY_3VCKkd769PdNVeRYy/s400/December+25+%252895%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> I knew I wanted to do a rag quilt for Baby Girl, but wasn't sure how exactly I wanted to put it together. I sketched out several things, searched Google and Etsy for ideas and finally came up with this...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPH7zuX2J6gFoCsdBUpYwuudbESfxFcVQerxEj3ViSgngSaH5DPz4CqSam6OHdaNX7VZXFkI5HJLxcMuiJ3KmlmPkO_wF4FKwzhRKnVXhCXlXnd_5BHnzAHk92anVRqm-79VP/s1600/December+10+%252817%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPH7zuX2J6gFoCsdBUpYwuudbESfxFcVQerxEj3ViSgngSaH5DPz4CqSam6OHdaNX7VZXFkI5HJLxcMuiJ3KmlmPkO_wF4FKwzhRKnVXhCXlXnd_5BHnzAHk92anVRqm-79VP/s400/December+10+%252817%2529.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>I was pretty much THRILLED with the way it turned out! It's bright and fun - just like Baby Girl. She was pretty excited about it too...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrM-3_zwY6_K8mrMqbnO7P55Dmy71Q7_B_MrqobPUZ00z0Xj6GonBUx5nvqCn23wzuvZXx61K9lvP8prJqjJ1KynKp_30rv1-j_LMwg_pBnHyTW7Zzdyc2bH_Dme5_U56cMul/s1600/December+25+%2528117%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrM-3_zwY6_K8mrMqbnO7P55Dmy71Q7_B_MrqobPUZ00z0Xj6GonBUx5nvqCn23wzuvZXx61K9lvP8prJqjJ1KynKp_30rv1-j_LMwg_pBnHyTW7Zzdyc2bH_Dme5_U56cMul/s400/December+25+%2528117%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>I just finished a baby quilt (that I'll blog about later) and then I have another baby quilt to put together and then a quilt for Little Bug and THEN one for me :) I'm really looking forward to the me quilt. I've bought the fabric, picked the pattern and I'll hopefully get to work on it.... in a month or two :)Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-14916424379286683922011-02-06T10:19:00.000-08:002011-02-06T10:19:42.702-08:00Creative JuicesLately I have felt like I was in a creative slump. Just couldn't get the wheels in my head to spin the way I wanted them to.<br />
Awhile back <a href="http://busybeelauren.blogspot.com/">Busy Bee Lauren</a> wrote a blog post about a new book she had received for Christmas (I think). It sounded like the perfect way to get my thought process moving. So, I got a copy for myself. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9SKadxCw06F3QaA7tVJtjVZ1A2XF14FY2YR5F7CNUnVHRWVDlPIBTdj5Okmu7aWw-MykpMJXq1wcO2lEh5PITXoQ4AAEW2qTmUxPBHzLt4-r3QbRjyvmZHDQo0mMXWkiBdmc/s1600/February+1+%252816%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9SKadxCw06F3QaA7tVJtjVZ1A2XF14FY2YR5F7CNUnVHRWVDlPIBTdj5Okmu7aWw-MykpMJXq1wcO2lEh5PITXoQ4AAEW2qTmUxPBHzLt4-r3QbRjyvmZHDQo0mMXWkiBdmc/s320/February+1+%252816%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>I forgot to get a picture of it before I started... just imagine the cover without the doodles on it. Okay?? Okay. <br />
So, the instructions are pretty simple...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ot8t_Pen7m44IpXoChQ7ibdsYf6_QDT2NZhR0G-m7yyXTlrq1lI0r809m_p_n2_9jolW-PKZlazy492HMwajQF4vIJ9zmbUfjGJ4Gn16B8aeXj51nx0yM-Mr9SNQ-zXusTrl/s1600/February+1+%252824%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ot8t_Pen7m44IpXoChQ7ibdsYf6_QDT2NZhR0G-m7yyXTlrq1lI0r809m_p_n2_9jolW-PKZlazy492HMwajQF4vIJ9zmbUfjGJ4Gn16B8aeXj51nx0yM-Mr9SNQ-zXusTrl/s320/February+1+%252824%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>(Can you spot the "hidden Mickey's" throughout my book??) And so I began. We took Red to the Cracker Barrel for his birthday and so, I "documented" my dinner...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeOnkjQBtAUX4TFvuZRddWv2HbUUhRL-rUrdlMTskl_OZuDTqgUnpbwUnMPSxlhV-dlZ7sPU_sl-XbYbZ6Gi6jNLToEBNF4xHzcUSPLQYY5Cgz4SUO-6ijgnOcg5E4YN5O8kl/s1600/February+1+%252828%2529edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeOnkjQBtAUX4TFvuZRddWv2HbUUhRL-rUrdlMTskl_OZuDTqgUnpbwUnMPSxlhV-dlZ7sPU_sl-XbYbZ6Gi6jNLToEBNF4xHzcUSPLQYY5Cgz4SUO-6ijgnOcg5E4YN5O8kl/s320/February+1+%252828%2529edit.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>Hubby thinks it's totally gross... but it makes me laugh every time I look at it. Here are a few other pages I've done...<br />
I don't drink coffee... so this is my hot cocoa page.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Tb0tP9x1NkO_56fZUrBVmsDif0IPXFWTPY-T3gp55hFgDXLvLm5PRvSfMne1YXpJX7Wbxvk6trWDBA1iFKOpTEtD0VJB_O4Yt2E2oCHYqipTcrsyyTCWpolsWUlaB3bv7K7X/s1600/February+1+%252825%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Tb0tP9x1NkO_56fZUrBVmsDif0IPXFWTPY-T3gp55hFgDXLvLm5PRvSfMne1YXpJX7Wbxvk6trWDBA1iFKOpTEtD0VJB_O4Yt2E2oCHYqipTcrsyyTCWpolsWUlaB3bv7K7X/s320/February+1+%252825%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div> This was something my 3rd grade teacher would have us do if we were bored... draw a bunch of swirls, pick 5-6 colors and try to make it so that no colors are touching (except at corners).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqobyjSdBiOaqOPnzn7sfow6B44_tprLubkvlBqtfLP6R-Tw5UsMzFvU5WMmdZYLMF0-hQJlXQcYpV4ZZ94z0mEn7X5yaeYSq-zuBEpEzgQKArqbOBX1FHK1ED9D54OlSnGThq/s1600/February+1+%252826%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqobyjSdBiOaqOPnzn7sfow6B44_tprLubkvlBqtfLP6R-Tw5UsMzFvU5WMmdZYLMF0-hQJlXQcYpV4ZZ94z0mEn7X5yaeYSq-zuBEpEzgQKArqbOBX1FHK1ED9D54OlSnGThq/s320/February+1+%252826%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div> Fruit stickers...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YbMJtQ5EoKF3vNO0xJi36rEVcbhqHImWE9b_aCDaS4wiFcYt6IX4ir1upJ2PCTtv9CpJClfajlrmS6qKxB9KtHMcUbn4DuJ5Y-mhDgkikrGAZHTaXMgYOMq9PIj-iF6Cc0qF/s1600/February+1+%252830%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YbMJtQ5EoKF3vNO0xJi36rEVcbhqHImWE9b_aCDaS4wiFcYt6IX4ir1upJ2PCTtv9CpJClfajlrmS6qKxB9KtHMcUbn4DuJ5Y-mhDgkikrGAZHTaXMgYOMq9PIj-iF6Cc0qF/s320/February+1+%252830%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div> Stamps (some of these are from Christmas cards from last year...)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPM4AKd52fD7YYeTiatau22jmoXCb-TjxUAczgHGKaONNhWWI5yOxQ0TyzWEoAHl3p5yApg7I1nINlTxceXVZ5zT3-oZ07SSfw_CXsV7z7jOIXwtvh40FiyOodvNBaIUzOPZ0c/s1600/February+1+%252832%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPM4AKd52fD7YYeTiatau22jmoXCb-TjxUAczgHGKaONNhWWI5yOxQ0TyzWEoAHl3p5yApg7I1nINlTxceXVZ5zT3-oZ07SSfw_CXsV7z7jOIXwtvh40FiyOodvNBaIUzOPZ0c/s320/February+1+%252832%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> I didn't do such a great job connecting the dots with my eyes closed...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtvW4me87icaSNYxh1pGNmbrZZLFAJ7Md2pM28aLsqFtvxg9M1UKt-Cm3Z4aULi3uEFutY_FrKFo_khlvpUjHQR84bLYB0qof7ehxb3P0rskx6f9rwswPf4UFRmLByAitYoFH/s1600/February+1+%252834%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtvW4me87icaSNYxh1pGNmbrZZLFAJ7Md2pM28aLsqFtvxg9M1UKt-Cm3Z4aULi3uEFutY_FrKFo_khlvpUjHQR84bLYB0qof7ehxb3P0rskx6f9rwswPf4UFRmLByAitYoFH/s320/February+1+%252834%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Still need to figure out what I want to decorate the other hand with :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUB620QEFGD7t1UZ0lVQP8xSBkCHwjv0Cb96rW3rpljwdk8QP_tgW9eSYKzWDcF-mGNrardL5tB9jcv31JmyCGo6mUbcvbOGWC5nehbq6JxJnErUq_xKXk1qUs5BXvgHDWKRiW/s1600/February+1+%252835%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUB620QEFGD7t1UZ0lVQP8xSBkCHwjv0Cb96rW3rpljwdk8QP_tgW9eSYKzWDcF-mGNrardL5tB9jcv31JmyCGo6mUbcvbOGWC5nehbq6JxJnErUq_xKXk1qUs5BXvgHDWKRiW/s320/February+1+%252835%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This is my FAVORITE page so far... which makes me sad since one of the instructions in another part of the book says I have to give away my favorite page...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7i8ZUXaVKhMQF9RoCRR-OGAwuVHbeSaIr9NQe55QtWNVEweh1Ru0sL2o6nBTW7JnRQvlkZ61Zj0gcOI2D5Aq4irHT0YSazZN7rguhqzNTbWCAbrs9B3zo6hJ_fUPyAiv01sR3/s1600/February+1+%252837%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7i8ZUXaVKhMQF9RoCRR-OGAwuVHbeSaIr9NQe55QtWNVEweh1Ru0sL2o6nBTW7JnRQvlkZ61Zj0gcOI2D5Aq4irHT0YSazZN7rguhqzNTbWCAbrs9B3zo6hJ_fUPyAiv01sR3/s320/February+1+%252837%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div> My nonstop line got a tad damaged (and it's not finished quite yet...)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDPGQLaUYe91u3AkbNbkonT1SQqHlv6pdRnuw8lZtizkBjsA_-G3C4z-SEkw2J7MAyC1Ycznn29BPcjieSwvgDas53bfxnFSs5Rk6kHnaaMiuqaGCZ3QqfjriJy4UMvy6FitR/s1600/February+1+%252839%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDPGQLaUYe91u3AkbNbkonT1SQqHlv6pdRnuw8lZtizkBjsA_-G3C4z-SEkw2J7MAyC1Ycznn29BPcjieSwvgDas53bfxnFSs5Rk6kHnaaMiuqaGCZ3QqfjriJy4UMvy6FitR/s320/February+1+%252839%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTYPWChKgVnyDO69fWdkAiFaClWLgwlPE61jfIwQ7CMLBc4XHJ334fOc0Q-Y4nJfhcm1JsKEeWNkmZlGh1GRHSqRoPYWVSaBBiBQVFPXqMTbXepiDhziAsZ6H6mO4vTZ7F5zf/s1600/February+1+%252840%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTYPWChKgVnyDO69fWdkAiFaClWLgwlPE61jfIwQ7CMLBc4XHJ334fOc0Q-Y4nJfhcm1JsKEeWNkmZlGh1GRHSqRoPYWVSaBBiBQVFPXqMTbXepiDhziAsZ6H6mO4vTZ7F5zf/s320/February+1+%252840%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-4gyBzxM1UPfDRkLCQ6grUzSatJNjbUw1mm9RAj60-eOZipSDnhPpcRejHjdqKemAYtv8NYHaAAsycejR4g7pOoCXvgPIGoUrtt-dorB43m6t2JMfjLBTJk9Jx1-qxcWOXIS/s1600/February+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-4gyBzxM1UPfDRkLCQ6grUzSatJNjbUw1mm9RAj60-eOZipSDnhPpcRejHjdqKemAYtv8NYHaAAsycejR4g7pOoCXvgPIGoUrtt-dorB43m6t2JMfjLBTJk9Jx1-qxcWOXIS/s320/February+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKhc9zThvOPfK8kW__ka3c9b7njMhJH6yNoYXqNbbb6vIrOVIKEdJGhVkeOLcgg3yzUGz2492qS-6XduaAAFVpAF6cpmysLE_m8Rr1MnEVJd4QL1ThVW2EcqFNjBOZ7fiFy9q/s1600/February+1+%252827%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKhc9zThvOPfK8kW__ka3c9b7njMhJH6yNoYXqNbbb6vIrOVIKEdJGhVkeOLcgg3yzUGz2492qS-6XduaAAFVpAF6cpmysLE_m8Rr1MnEVJd4QL1ThVW2EcqFNjBOZ7fiFy9q/s320/February+1+%252827%2529.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>I have to admit... I've struggled with some of these items. You're not supposed to wipe your food in a book, rip the pages, burn the edges, or doodle everywhere... and so far, I've done the easier items. At some point I have to tie a string around it and take it for a walk... which sounds kind of embarrassing. I also have to take it to a public place and ask people to write/draw in it. I thought about just letting my kids do that part, but that seems the cowardly way out. <br />
But the best part? It's helped me cut loose a little bit... and I've been feeling more creative...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnKEjpBFSB3rKyLaLOiqDROUoe9oo3D3wY9N6oU8V8eo60JUsGjfeAs9a164_CtNz_46kvNztdl2JkS6AC5r0-cn4ENJXsMO8tcWJzpOT93oE8PDBmsggzeMKQMADjCTl5yf6/s1600/February+4edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnKEjpBFSB3rKyLaLOiqDROUoe9oo3D3wY9N6oU8V8eo60JUsGjfeAs9a164_CtNz_46kvNztdl2JkS6AC5r0-cn4ENJXsMO8tcWJzpOT93oE8PDBmsggzeMKQMADjCTl5yf6/s320/February+4edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I'll post pictures when it's complete.<br />
So, here's a question for you...<br />
how do you get your creative juices flowing?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-67842130339734899142010-12-19T13:19:00.000-08:002010-12-19T13:19:22.780-08:00That FaceI really don't have much to say today... I was just messing around with some photos and loved the way this one turned out :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBA5dSiShppMMCy57oGBXHZKYbudyMP3oQckg-pdZNNVXjZQEFqNqQx39-lZOGwFYPLHvjvBFPxTcLVahxybL-RIOXHXu66yjsnCxvKHMEpC-osb6tWWu0z-4MVi_RcVXyE8sd/s1600/November+20+%252812%2529+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBA5dSiShppMMCy57oGBXHZKYbudyMP3oQckg-pdZNNVXjZQEFqNqQx39-lZOGwFYPLHvjvBFPxTcLVahxybL-RIOXHXu66yjsnCxvKHMEpC-osb6tWWu0z-4MVi_RcVXyE8sd/s640/November+20+%252812%2529+copy.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>This was taken in Idaho over Thanksgiving break. She was SO excited to play in the snow!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37312462.post-2502662126264610282010-12-01T18:57:00.000-08:002010-12-01T18:57:53.532-08:00Help...again!I have a decision to make... and I really don't want to do it. So, you get to do it for me! Aren't you excited? I knew you would be. <br />
<div><br />
</div>This is a life changing decision. Please don't take this lightly... ready??<div><br />
<div>With the stem....</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjubGEJ2BvN2BPNY_Kk27jT3820R5QOxdbL0ypkSPDaDDJO60oMg0MCxyBaztMJ8zhXTLC3pJp0wZYUk6f0g750oecSN-_84l5VYtNCcuQcIY6YCwfVIbBtooCgkvW7LTUqbd5q/s1600/December+1+%252836%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjubGEJ2BvN2BPNY_Kk27jT3820R5QOxdbL0ypkSPDaDDJO60oMg0MCxyBaztMJ8zhXTLC3pJp0wZYUk6f0g750oecSN-_84l5VYtNCcuQcIY6YCwfVIbBtooCgkvW7LTUqbd5q/s320/December+1+%252836%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div>Or without?</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg050zO3lrvPNMGBn6L4MH4Yw_Nso6JykFhEpU-A5NXH7Da74y59-aRDI9zaFEKoH6MkbH1a4CmPtRAgCZ-xQzTUrhkDfbCiyixHTzxOJb8abdd9Gym1rkzh7-ltvNjUHDL_omz/s1600/December+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg050zO3lrvPNMGBn6L4MH4Yw_Nso6JykFhEpU-A5NXH7Da74y59-aRDI9zaFEKoH6MkbH1a4CmPtRAgCZ-xQzTUrhkDfbCiyixHTzxOJb8abdd9Gym1rkzh7-ltvNjUHDL_omz/s320/December+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div>Okay... so maybe it's not life changing. But I can't decide and I'd love your thoughts (just like <a href="http://mejojacspot.blogspot.com/2009/11/help-i-need-your-advice-on-baby-quilt.html">the last time I made a baby quilt</a>). Ignore the ruffle and extra bits of fabric laying around and let me know... with or without?? </div></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908930035466483151noreply@blogger.com21