I am going to SCREAM! I have been having problems with my computer. This is NOT the week to have problems. Trust me. I need to take it to be scanned and fixed but do I have the time right now? NO!
I just posted pictures from the Freshman Formal dance the boys went to a few weeks ago. The Mom of one of the girls Teagan went with just sent me a few more pictures. I just have to share.
(Some of them are not the best lighting, shot, etc. But you get the idea)
The above pic just makes me laugh. Teagan is just soaking up every minute of this. He really is good friends with each of these girls. I have to admit I am getting a bit nervous as to what is still to come. I have a feeling they will both be dating a lot!
He is such a cute kid. He was very proud of the suit jacket he borrowed from Uncle Quinn. They have been growing so fast that we have not bought them jackets for a couple of years. I think it is time.
This is not the best of his smile but I like the full shot of his atire for the night. He knows he looks good. Trust me.
School is over. We are on week one of summer vacation. I have already heard the words I am bored. Great.
So... here is my contest idea. Leave me a post telling me what you will be doing this summer. Yard work? Home repairs? Traveling?
I will choose one lucky winner SUNDAY and send you this FREE page kit!
Good luck! Oh.. and don't make me TOO jealous of all your big plans. :)
I am always on the look out for new slow cooker recipes. I love being able to quickly add something in the morning then not worry about it all day. While grocery shopping the other day I bought a new Pillsbury cookbook. You know the ones next to the check out stands? It is filled with great recipes. I tried this one yesterday. Oh how I love it when my family actually likes something that I make. This was a hit. You have to try it!
Oh.. and if you are in the ETM Recipe Kit club, simply right click over the image to print. It will print the same size as your club kits so you can add to your binder. :)
Last Friday, Teagan and Michael had their Freshman Formal. The boys are not 16, so they are not allowed to date yet. Fortunately, most of their friends have the same standards as them so they all went as a group. Teagan and his group met at Applebees before the dance for appetizers. After they were done eating several Moms were there to then drive them to the dance. I was allowed to take a couple of pictures out side of Applebees.
Here is Teagan with his group. This is typical of Teagan. He is constantly surrounded by girls. Each time we are at the school with him he has a several girls on each side of him. My heart sinks just a bit because I realize how quickly they are growing. Just a couple of years ago, they did not pay attention to girls at all. I realize that I am not the number one girl in their life. I have to admit, I tear up a bit!
Thankfully the group Teagan went with are amazing, beautiful young women. Notice how modest each of them are dressed. As a Mom to two teenage boys... THAT makes me very happy!
I love this picture. This is Michael with his buddy Gavin. The decided to skip Applebees and go right to the dance.
Here they are being 15 year old boys. I love it when they are being goofs. They are such good kids. When we arrived at the school they were not impressed with the girls that were not dressed modestly. I wish these girls would understand that MY boys are not interested!
I have several more pics to share from the holiday weekend. I will post again soon. I just could not resist the pic of Teag. I had to share!
THANK YOU for sharing a few of your favorite quotes with me this past week! For the past several years I have been collecting quotes. Eventually I plan on printing a book of some sort. We will see!
If you see your name above, be sure to e-mail me at kim(at)expressthmoment.com with your full name and shipping address. I have a FONT CD to send your way!
I thought I would share a few pictures from our weekend trip to Las Vegas. We arrived late Friday night. My sister Christie lives there so we were able to stay with her and not have to pay for a hotel. Nice!
Saturday we spent the day at her my nephews football game, then hit the strip for a bit of site seeing and shopping. (Ignore the fact that they are not edited. Just take them as they are!)
It was almost 100 degrees on Saturday in Vegas. Which is why all three of my boys don't look to happy. They don't enjoy picture taking in the heat. Here we are in front of the New York, New York. Right after this picture, Michael and my nephew Cole rode the roller coaster. Crazy!
I love this kid. He turns five on Thursday. Happy Birthday Zach! He is also the biggest Nascar fan you will find. Imagine his excitement when we found the M&M Nascar at the M&M store. We just had to snap a pic!
If you have been to Vegas you know that you see just about everything on the strip. We had our boys with us so we did not want to go in to all of the hotels, but we couldn't resist a few pics with some funny hats. This is my sister Christie. Isn't she so pretty? She is just two years younger then me. We fought like cats and dogs growing up! I am so happy she is one of my best friends now. I love her so much!
The highlight of our trip was the concert Saturday night. We saw 38 Special, Styx and REO Speedwagon. We did not double check the tickets for the time of the show. Darren and my brother in law about lost it when we arrived at 7:30 thinking the show started at 8 and we were late. 38 Special was about done with their set. Those are the moments when you just let the sit for a minute and not say much. I felt so bad. Our mood quickly improved when Styx came on stage!
It is difficult to take a decent picture because the lighting is so dark and the stage lights are so bright, but here is Tommy Shaw and JY from Styx. We had amazing seats! We were able to take some close up pictures.
Styx put on a amazing show. The main singer is crazy. He replaced Dennis DeYoung several years ago. I had more fun watching Darren, Teagan and Michael "rocking out" and singing along to the music. Darren is so proud of the fact that the boys know the music that he loved growing up. He has introduced them to so many different bands. I love it.
As much as I loved Styx, the highlight for me was REO Speedwagon. They have been a favorite of mine for years. One of those bands that I have always wanted to see in concert.
At the end of the show, both bands came to the stage and performed together. Here is Tommy Shaw and Kevin from REO. It was amazing!
Sunday evening we relaxed by the pool. Teagan always has to be Joe Cool. He was cracking us up the entire trip!
As my boys have become teenagers, one of my favorite things is to watch them play with their cousins. On my side of the family, we have 19 grandchildren. Michael and Teagan are the second and third oldest of the group. When we are all together they have all of the little cousins at their feet wanting to play with the "guys". It is so cute! Here is little Jane Marie with Michael. He was holding her and helping her catch the diving sticks in the pool. She loved every minute of it! The boys are so good to the little kids.
This picture is blurry. I am not sure why. I love it though. Little Jane with her Mama.
The trip was LONG but we had a great time. The past two trips to Vegas have been so nice. I love seeing more of the city then just the strip. We attended church with Christie and her family. She lives on the west side of the city. A beautiful area. I have heard so many people say that there is so much more to Vegas then just the strip. I have learned that to be so true. I love the area.
Most of all, I loved being with my sister. I love her, her husband and kids so much. We had so much fun talking, laughing, shopping, watching movies, and enjoying some great food. Thanks Chris!
I have a bit of work to do this week, but watch for ANOTHER thought provoking contest. I will post this weekend!
My blog contest last week was so much fun and most of all inspiring! Let's play again! One of my favorite Scrapbook idea books is "50 Moments that Matter Most" by Lisa Bearnson. I have mentioned her book before on my blog. I love it! Through out the book she asks the reader 50 questions. The idea is to create a project about that question. They really get you thinking!
Question #2 in her book is: "What words do you live by? How do your actions show what you value? Scrapbook about a person you admire who lives what he or she believes".
While I still need to create a layout about a person I believe lives what she believes, I want to tell you a little bit about my sister Natalie.
Here we are on Mother's Day at my Mom's grave. Her headstone was not yet in place. In fact, it was just placed yesterday so we are very happy to have it in place in time for Memorial Day. Anyway, out of all of my five sisters, I would say that Natalie has had the most struggles. Seven years ago, her husband came home two weeks before Christmas and told her that he had been unfaithful for several months and was leaving. He left her with three children under the age of five at the time. Within two weeks he was living with his girlfriend and had her pregnant within about two months. As you can imagine, the road has been long. Words can not begin to describe how horrible her ex husband and his wife have been and continue to be towards Natalie and her children.
She married again to an amazing man who has loved her children as his own and has supported them while going to school full time as well. They have had their fair share of trials. Through out it all, I am constantly amazed at how Natalie continues to be one of the most gentle, loving and compassionate people I know. She loves her girls and makes endless sacrifices for them. She tries very hard to do little things with them each day to keep them focused and give them security amongst the choas with their Dad.
At Christmas, my Mother in law gave me this quote on a tile.
I love this quote. I look at it every day and think about it often. It reminds me to find the joy every day. Just as Natalie has tried to do.
So... here is the CONTEST! Leave me a comment about what words you live by. Post a favorite quote. Tell me about someone who has been a example to you! One week from today I will pick 5 readers and send each of you a FREE Font CD by Chatterbox, Inc. The fonts on this CD are some of my favorites!
Good luck! I have a LONG To Do list today. We leave for Vegas in the morning. YEAH!
I want to THANK each of you for visiting my blog this past week. I am so excited about all of my new blog friends! I plan on visiting each of your blogs this week. I have already been to a few and will continue to visit more. I invite you to come back often. I LOVE to offer contests and try to get you thinking once in a while!
I enjoyed reading each of the comments left. I can not begin to tell you how much comfort they brought me. As I would read a memory of yours, I would think of my Mom and a similar memory.
I found this quote on a plaque this week.
Those of us who have lost our Mothers understand just how precious those memories are. For those who still have their Mothers, treasure each day. If you don't have a great relationship, don't feel guilty. Just do what you can. Take each day for the day.
Congratulations Jackie! Send me a e-mail with your shipping address. I will mail your Mom album kit right a way! I hope you enjoy it! My e-mail is kim(at)expressthemoment.com
I hope that each of you had a wonderful Mother's Day. Thanks to my sweet husband, mine wasmuch better then I thought it would be. It actually started yesterday. Darren took Katelyn and two of my sister's girls to the movie. While they were at the show (rocking out to Hannah Montana) I was shopping. Picking out my own Mother's Day gift! I have my man trained! I wanted to find a new dress to wear today but couldn't find anything that I loved. So I bought a new shirt and short sweater instead. I wore a skirt I already had and knew I could wear them with capris too.
This morning I slept in. (This is a requirement for all Mothers and their day) Darren and the kids made breakfast and came into my room with a plate and a song. They all sang "Mother I love you" from the LDS childrens songbook. This is when I started to tear up. One of my favorite memories of my Mother is us as small children gathering around her bed the morning of Mother's Day. Dad would make her a wonderful breakfast. We would sing to her and give her all of our handmade projects from school. Plus a few other things that I am sure she picked out herself too!
After breakfast, we got ready for church then met my sister at my Mom's grave. It was important to me to have Darren and the kids come with me. I bought my Mom a angel statue and my sister brought her a orchid. I thought it might be a good time to snap a quick family photo even if you can see other headstones in the back of the picture. I am so grateful that I was able to visit her grave this morning.
The rest of the day included going to church, having a amazing steak dinner, then even going on a bike ride. Through out the day, Darren kept asking me if I was doing ok. I honestly was. I thought about my Mom all day. But... I tried to also think about how grateful I am to be a Mom. She gave me life. I have been able to provide a life to three of God's children.
Be sure to journal about your thoughts and feelings about Motherhood. Start Scrapbooking again and create a album about your Mother. About you as a Mother. This past week, I did a google search for quotes about Mothers. I was amazed at what I found! Quotes are a great way to start a scrapbook page, add to a card or even to a blog!
Ok.. I need to go to bed. Sorry this post is so long. Be sure to check back this week! I will be posting a NEW contest!
Note: A very special WELCOME to any new readers who found my blog through the blog of Ali Edwards. I hope you will check back often! I have frequent CONTESTS and love to simply get you thinking. Be sure to post your blog address so I can get to know you too!
Mother's Day is this week. I have to admit I am not looking forward to the day. This will be the first Mother's Day since my Mom passed away almost 7 months ago. Not a day goes by that I am not thinking of her. I joke with people that I almost feel pregnant again. I find myslelf happy one minute and totally depressed the next. The smallest things can bring me to tears. I can see something, hear something, smell something that instanstly brings memories of my Mother.
No worries... I will keep it together on Sunday. I have to. My children need me to. But a part of my heart will be aching. Wishing I could call my Mom one more time. Wishing myself and all of my sisters could gather on her bed, give her gifts and serve her breakfast in bed. (A childhood tradtition)
Now.. this post is not meant to be depressing. Especially to new readers! I thouhgt it would be fun to post MEMORIES of our Mothers. Mothers that are still with us and those that are not. What makes you instanstly think of your Mom?
So many things this week have turned my thoughts to my Mom. I have a ring of hers. Each time I look at it I remember the times she wore it. I remember her hands. I am wearing a pair of her pajamas. Sounds silly but I feel close to her when I wear them. I remember her wearing them. I just heard a song on the radio. One of her favorites. Mothers wear flowers on Mother's day. My Dad always bought my Mom a flower on that day and she wore it proudly. Each time I make my bed I think of my Mom. She taught me how to make a bed hospital style and to fold the corners just right. Each time I see a can of diet coke. When I walk into Barnes and Noble. There are so many little things. I could list pages and pages!
So... here is the CONTEST. Leave me a comment about your Mom. What makes you think of her? I will pick one lucky reader on Sunday and YOU will win this:
A beautiful NEW album kit by Bo Bunny Press. The kit includes all you need to complete this adorable MOM album. Good luck!
Oh... the picture? This is my Mom and me in the summer of 1975. She was expecting baby number three. My Mom had six girls in 11 years. I don't know how she did it! I love this picture. She looks relaxed and happy. It was taken in California. We had not moved to Idaho Falls yet and I think she was much more relaxed.
My baby turns 10 today. Where has the time gone? It is hard to believe that 10 years has passed. I remember when I found out I was expecting. Darren and I went to my first doctors appointment together. The doctor told me that he wanted to do a ultrasound that day so he would know if I was having twins again. We were NOT prepared for that. I was so scared that I would be having twins again and wanted to know what it was like to carry one baby. To have one car seat. One crib. Imagine our relief when he told us that there was in fact only one baby. Yippee!
I knew through out my pregnancy with Katelyn that it would be my last. For some reason I felt that confirmation so I tried to really focus and enjoy it. (Well if you can enjoy being pregnant) I remember feeling her kick. I remember finding out we were having a girl. I remember the look on Darren's face when he heard it was a girl. He was so excited.
Fast forward 10 years. I am tired. She is too much like me. Poor girl. She has the biggest blue eyes. The most adorable smile. She can love and snuggle up to me one minute then have me pulling my hair the next. She is determined. She is stubborn. She is very picky about how things are done. Hmmm.. I wonder?
Yet she is beautiful. She is so loving. She is caring and always aware of others feelings. She loves to craft and is very creative. She LOVES her dog Cooper and spends a lot of time dressing him up, reading to him, taking him for walks and letting him sleep with her.
She is a Daddy's girl. Big Time. He can do no wrong. She can be having a complete melt down and the minute he walks through the door all is well. I have learned through the years why my Mom was so grouchy when we were little. She had six girls. I only have one!
She is smart. Too smart for her only being 10 years in age. She loves to read. She loves to play with her cousins. She LOVES when her older brothers show her a bit of attention. She loves to watch movies. Her favorite foods are apples, celery, cheese, chicken enchiladas, milk, oranges and she has a bit of a sweet tooth. I have to watch her!
This morning we filled her room with balloons so when she woke up she was surrounded. Darren had already left when she woke up but he left her a big note on the dry erase board. She crawled into bed with me and we looked through her baby album. She loves it when I explain the pictures to her. She tells me that she can remember being one. Hmmm.
Happy Birthday Katelyn. I love you more then words could express. I am so grateful that I have been trusted to be your Mother. I hope we both survive! (Wink! Wink!)
Check out this recipe! A gal brought these to the crop last weekend. They were delicious! If you know me, you know baking is not my speciality. But this one I can handle!
Tip: You can print this recipe and add it to your recipe binders if you are in the ETM Recipe Club.
I am working on adding another recipe this weekend.
