I think I can

I just have to boast about my husband for a moment... He really has it going on when it comes to trains!!! As some of you know, he is preparing to go to CA for a national show. (Don't worry Miss, Michael Gross is a model railroader and he will be there.) So he agreed to bring the loop that he has been building, but he anticipated having a springtime in which to work on it. Unfortunately, here in good ol Utah, we went straight from 30 degrees to 100 degrees. So, my totally devoted husband has been in our 130 degree garage for weeks now trying to get the loop done. He is an amazing artist! He has been building cedar trees, making sage brush and designing a cement plant that would toot yer whistle! They are so real looking! He is very dedicated to making things look so perfect! He is the envy of his friends and hopefully the national guys! I really am not being partial either. He does awesome work! So here's to those that have been hot and sweaty for a good cause!

B

Ode to my Grandma

So I'm not sure if everyones Grandma used this term so excuse me for a minute while I rant about the use of the term "tickled pink". My Grandma would say this all the time! Or just the shortened version "tickled" My Grandma was a great woman! She was a tough old gal too. She could fish like a shark and much to her dismay, I got seasick the few times they attempted to take me out. I loved eating at Grandmas too. We ALWAYS had chicken gumbo or tomato soup. YUM! You never wanted to be at Grandmas when she was in a bad mood though. It was these precious moments that she would pull out the hairbrush and decide we all need a good comb-through. O wow! Did I mention I get my lovely thick locks straight from Gram? O yes, the torture... My Grandma was a serious chain smoker. She smoked like a freight train until heart derailment sent her in for open heart surgery. She never smoked again.. or wore a bra. Nice. I think one of my Grandma's joys was that my Skyler would crawl his 12 year old self up on her lap and fall asleep. He NEVER did that with anyone but Grandma. I miss her. I miss her funny phrases and her fun giggle. I miss being one of her favorites. I miss tickling her pink.
B

Here is the Church...

So first of all let me just say, Gob bless Skyler for getting up every Sunday morning and getting ready for church all by himself. It gets me out of bed with nothing but shear guilt as my motivation. So, as I am sitting in sacrament a few glimpses from my childhood came to mind. I was pretty sure as a child that God had made those little water cups just for me. I watched a little one in church thinking the same thing today, I have no doubt. I also remember playing with my mom's hands when I was really bored. Hands that I need only to look down and see today. I have become my mother, no doubt about it. There was just something about pinching softly the skin on her knuckles and how it would always hold it's position for a time. And then there was the good ol' tickle the letters onto my back game. Oh the time I could take just pretending I could never figure out what they were writing. One of my very first memories is that of falling down on my way home from church. I skinned my knees up real good and as my mom was cleaning up my handiwork, much to my dismay, my dad brought in a bottle of coca cola. This may explain 2 things. 1- My phobia of going to church. (Those scabs didn't heal for days!) And 2- My total addiction to all things Coke! Wow, who knew that one could carry so many burdens through the years. All hail Diet Coke!
B

T.G.I.F.

How many saying could I come up for TGIF? I remember making up tons of dorky things in grade school. OK so it is Friday and let me just say... Thank goodness! I don't know why this week has seemed forever to me. It's like the week before Christmas without the Christmas at the end. Except it is Stamp Night so it is a little bit like Christmas. Might I just add that I love my stamp club nights?! It is so fun to just hang with the girls and bs about nothing in particular and everything important and not so important. Most of all, it's great to know that you have some really great friends. (That like to stamp your forehead and cheeks with lovely arrays of flowers and sweet sentiments.) It also is a benefit to come home and feel so darn crafty even though Blythe puts together the whole idea and we do nothing more than copy her work. Thank goodness for Blythe! TGFB! I mean really, she even cuts out all the pieces, but I feel like freaking Picasso when we are done! Oh joy, I am so glad she is home! My scrapbook mojo was getting pretty lowjo!!! Here's to you, women of my stamp club! Long live Blythe's creativity!
B

So DANG excited!

So my bestest friend Blythe is home from Russia!!! Yeah! She has been there since Memorial Day trying to finish up an adoption of a beautiful little girl. I am breathing a sigh of relief tonight just knowing she is back home. I really do love Blythe! She is one of the greatest friends one girl could have. She is my scrapbooking, cardmaking guru and confidant of many things. One of the coolest things about Blythe is that she introduced me to Little Missmatched. We love to wear our socks to get feeling creative! Here we are with Blythe's favorite scrapper, Stacy Jullian. Sista, here's to you being home!!

B

Family Reunion Induced Insomnia

So, the reunion was a hit! Who knew that one only needs to mention beer and good times and they would come running?! No really, we got more family out than ever! It felt really good after all the planning we did! Unable to disappoint, my cousins were in rare form. I finally took off to bed at 1:00 am on Sunday morning only to have 2 drunken cousins sneak into my tent and literally drag me back out to the campfire at 2:00 in the morning! O my!!! (Thanks for saving me Dad!) Anyway, I might be back to my normal sleep patterns within a week or two, but in the meantime I will never forget the nighttime stalkers!
O and after reading up on how great my good friend Summers husband Jared is, I will add some mush of my own regarding Sterling. He went CAMPING! I didn't expect to see him at all over the weekend, but he actually came and stayed the night! I know that that was strictly for me as he is not the get down and dirty camping fool that I have become! Thanks Sterling! I love you!

B

Long Beach or Wrong Beach?

So, our trip was a total bust! I was sick the whole time and it seriously didn't break 50 degrees there. I'm pretty sure it was warmer here in good ol Orem. O-well, we did get away and it was nice to spend some time together without distractions. Sterling and I always have a good time when we go away. Now to get ready for the main attraction of the year! The Spencer Family Reunion baby! So excited about it. Don't worry friends, I will take mental notes and a few pictures of the drunken brawls and close cousin flirt fest!

B