Jon & Kate plus 2

Halloween 2011

2012-01-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

catching up, catching up, catching up...

For Halloween my Mom made the kids costumes this year! Lyndon was Alvin and Maddie was a girl from the 50's. We had a lot of fun! It was kind of weird going to all the Halloween parties without Maddie this year. :( And it's even more weird to think that this is my last year going to all the Halloween parties because Lyndon started kindergarten in the Fall.

We made a last minute decision and went over the the Adams house to go trick-or-Treating with them this year. It was a lot of fun!!

2012-01-14T15:42:00.001-08:00

The Tale of Two Bike Riders from Katie Evans on Vimeo.

The many faces of Maddie

2011-12-20T21:33:00.000-08:00

Just for fun one evening I took some pictures of Maddie. It's fun to see all the many facial expressions she has. She is quite the girl. She's so incredibly smart, (as in corrects my reading while I read her bedtime stories), so incredibly fashionable, so incredibly wonderful. I love this little girl and it almost scares me just how fast she is growing up. I love to see her mature but I also miss my little baby girl.

My goodness, I love her so much.

Our energy boy.

2011-12-20T21:27:00.000-08:00

This sums our life up with Lyndon up in just 3 pictures...

Our trip to CHICAGO!!

2011-12-20T21:00:00.000-08:00

I know I am waaaaaay behind on my family blog but...better late than never!

Back in October Jonathon and I got to go on a fun little vacation to CHICAGO! When I discovered the photographer, Audrey Woulard, five years ago I have wanted to attend one of her workshops. So I wrote it on my goal list last year and viola'...I got to go!

We stayed in the awesome James Hotel right off the Magnificent Mile. We didn't even have to rent a car. We took the "L" from the airport straight to our hotel. And everywhere else we just walked.

Obviously we don't drink but the cabinet looked so cool!

The soaps smelled sooooo good! It was fun that they were all in huge bottles in the shower but I was sad I couldn't take any home. :)

cool pillow in our room.

The photography workshop was 2 days. One the first day we got to take a few pictures of some of Audrey's models. It was really fun. To be honest, I didn't learn a ton just because I'm already pretty far down the photography road. Had I gone 5 years ago it would have be SO enlightning. But I'm still really glad I went. I was able to network with a lot of other photographers and get to know some great girls.

That's Audrey on the left.

Jonathon and I walked all around downtown.

Lake Michigan.

The weather wasn't super cold but cold for me. And while we were here on the beach some guy stripped down to his swimsuit and jumped right in the cold water. brrrrr. I was cold just watching him.

Out only shot together. :)

The Navy Pier!

More walking around downtown. Poor Mary's Cafe. I wonder what happened...

While we were there we decided to take advantage of the coolness of it all and take some pictures for Jonathon's up coming album...

Handsome, isn't he?

Chalk Walk--Round Rock

2011-11-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

Rachel (Jonathon's sister) had a big part in the annual chalk walk downtown Round Rock this year. We have never gone before but wanted to go and support Rachel so we went this year. I'm so glad we did. It turned out to be a cool event. We all had a great time.

My lastest obsession

2011-11-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

So I've been slightly obessed about snow cones lately. I love them. I can't get enough. And the ones I like are not just ice and flavoring, oh no, there is an added element that I think make them 1000% better. Wanna know what it is? ...ice cream!! Holy cow, it is so tasty! We normally go to a place downtown Round Rock called "Hawiian Ice" but I found this other cute little place called "Rockabilly's". He has taken some cool old cars and put a table in the middle so that people can sit in the cars and eat their snow cones. brilliant. I brought my camera along to get some fun pictures. However...about 1 minute after we got out snow cones and I started taking pictures there was a RAIN STORM completely out of the blue. It was a true and honest down pour. We were taking cover under a medal roof. Maddie and I were enjoying the rain but Lyndon was FREAKED out due to the noise when as the rain hit the roof. I ran to bring the car closer and we ended up eating in the car.

Our little cuties

2011-11-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

There was really no reason I took these pictures. We were outside and I had my camera handy so here they are...

Fun in the Sun

2011-11-06T12:31:00.000-08:00

At least a couple times each week was spent at the pool this summer. We would pack up a bunch of snacks and have our friends meet up with us. It was so fun. (Besides the crazy heat!) The kids would play and play and we would talk and talk. Once school started because it was still too hot to do anything else, we would still go to the pool. But this time it was just the boys (and baby Stella). All of the girls started kindergarten this year so while they were at school, we played at the pool. It was funny because the first couple of times we were there without the girls the boys, all separately, asked where Maddie, Gwen and Lucy were! But lucky for us, they boys played so well together.

A few weeks ago, Dana, Lonna and I went and got pedicures. Looking at my toenails now I'm thinking it's time for another Girls night. :)

The Primary Program 2011

2011-11-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

Our ward Primary Program has come and gone! I was in charge of it again this year. I feel like it turned out really good. The kids did so well. It's fun to hear them say their parts and I always feel the spirit with they sing their songs. Here's a picture from our program this year:

Jonathon's 31st brithday!

2011-11-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

Jonathon turned 31 this year! I think he had a pretty fun birthday. He opened his gifts in the morning, as usual, and then that evening I surprised him with going to watch the Nebraska vs. Wyoming football game. We weren't able to watch the game at our house and I know how much Jonathon loves Nebraska so I found a local restaurant that shows all the Nebraska games. (Yes, we live in Texas but there are Nebraska fans ALL over the world!) It was so fun. The banquet room at the restaurant was PACKED with Nebraska fans. It was a sea of red shirts. We had dinner while we watched the game. It turned out to be a lot of fun.

BeeMan

2011-10-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

My goodness how time flies! I have so much to catch up on...

Life is good. The 100+ days of temps above 100 degrees are behind us now! Phew. This summer was a killer. But at least this year we had central a/c. :) We spent a lot of time inside or in the pool (which still seemed even too hot some days). Ready for some random pictures?

From time to time Ms. Kim, Maddie's teacher, will send home some things for me to help her out with. This time she sent a bunch of constriction paper that she needed divided into colors. So we laid them all out on the kitchen table. It was kind of fun. I like organizing.

One day Lyndon found this Lizard on our back porch. Speaking of the back porch...the kids LOVE to play out there these days. Now that the weather is so nice it's been fun for them to go and play on the castle together. They are always making up some kind of game out there. Charlie LOVES to join them. If they are outside and he is not, he lets us know!

Lyndon is always dressing up as something...I think this time he was "bee man".

Lyndon is Painting with light here. I set my shutter to be open for a long time and he paints a picture using a flashlight.

Bee Man at his finest.

...soooo much for to come!

GNO

2011-09-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

So in the past 2 weeks I've had 3 girls night's out. Spoiled, I know. 2 weeks ago some of my friends from our old ward got together for one last hurrah with Randi, who is moving to Houston. It's always so fun to hang out with these gals...

Mindy and Stacy...trying to figure out how to smile. :)

Gina and Crystal

Lizzie and me

So we went to Chuy's Mexican restaurant which has this delicious creamy jalapeno dip. I've never tried it before so Randi (who loves it) was happy to be witnessing my first bite of the infamous "creamy jalapeno dip".

It was delicious...can you tell?

Randi and me. I'm sure going to miss this gal. We've has so many great conversation where she will always end up making me laugh. :)

My next GNO was with Dana and Lonna! (Unfortuntely I didn't take any pictures of our evening!) I can't say enough great things about these 2 girls. We get together at least once a week with our kids and we've gone out just by ourselves too. We went at got pedicures and then ate at La Margarita's Mexican restaurant. Sooooooo fun and so yummy. :)

AND THEN last night I went out again with the first crowd to...La Margarita's again! I love Mexican food so I was one happy camper. This time it was Lizzie's birthday and we had a wonderful time.

I'm so grateful for such good friends.

What we've been up to...

2011-09-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

With the increase in popularity of my photography book comes the neglect of our family blog. It's all about finding balance, which I'm still trying to do. I love my new found photography adventure but at the same time I feel like I've been missing out out on some of the other day-to-day things that I'm used to doing. And with Maddie starting school, it has also changed some of my normal daily doings. So, I guess in a nutshell I can say that my life is changing and evolving but I love it.

Before Maddie started school our day didn't even begin until 9am! Yep, our whole household would sleep in until 9am every day. Loved it. Once we all were up we hang out in our jammies for as long as we wanted, eating breakfast and catching up on PBS kids. But now that we have a school girl we start the day at 7am, which is EARLY. :) Well, Maddie and I start the day at 7am, Lyndon is still snoozing. We both get dressed, eat breakfast and are out the door by 7:35ish. I drive her to school and after a week of parking the car and walking her to the lunchroom (where they wait until they all go into their classroom), she decided she was ready for my just to wait in the car drop off lane and she would get out and walk to the lunch room all on her own. It's times like these that it still baffles me that we is really this old. I watch her as long as I can walk into the building. She looks so small but with such a grown-up spirit.

After I drop her off I come home and get a few things done, i.e. make the bed, check my email etc, Lyndon wakes up and we go to the gym to my exercise class. Unlike Maddie, Lyndon LOVES to go the the kids club at the gym. After kids club if we don't go get a prize at the Dollar Tree, we head home.

So many people have asked how Lyndon is doing without Maddie. I must say, I was a little curious how his day was going to be. Maddie has been his entertainer his entire life so what was he going to do all day without her? I'm happy to report that he happily imagines and plays all day long. Yes, he does come and ask Jonathon and I if we can play a game with him or sword fight or whatever he is imagining that day, but only a few times a day. He is really a self motivator and is perfectly happy playing with other kids or by himself. I've also been surprised of the things that he knows how to do without Maddie around. For instance, Maddie has always been the one to either put on a DVD or a Netflix movie for them. But as it turns out, Lyndon knows how to do all that stuff too. He just lets Maddie do it for him.

We also meet our friends throughout the week so he has some other kids to play with. The 2 other boys who are Lyndon's age both have older sisters who also started kindergarden this year. The first day we all got together without the older sisters, all 3 of the boys asked on separate occasions, "Where's Maddie? Where"s Gwen? and Where's Lucy?" It was so cute how they all missed the girls.

I'm also SO HAPPY to report that Maddie LOVES school!!!! Yay!!! I'm so happy. The first day I picked her up from school she bounced in the car and exclaimed, "I. LOVE. SCHOOL!" It's been that way since day one. She loves to learn, she loves schedules, she loves her teacher, and she loves her new friends. She even told us one day that she has a boyfriend. I said, "Oh, like a boy who is your friend?" "No Mom. Like a BOYfriend.", she replied. Then she went on to say that he didn't know he was her boyfriend though. Oh, okay. That was a week ago and we haven't heard anything else about this so-called boyfriend. thank goodness. :)

All in all, things are going so well. Yes, I'm tired waking up at 7am Mon-Fri but I'm happy to get my day started so early. Lyndon is my little buddy during the day and we love to be with each other. Jon is busily working on music and we are happy. Life is good.

I certainly can't post without pictures so here are a few...

Special moments

2011-09-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

As you can imagine Jon and I have been doing our fair share of reminiscing this past week with Maddie starting school and all. We've each, on separate occasions, have taken a turn reading back on our family blog. And I must say, I did get a little choked up reading funny stories and remembering our past.

I've been fortunate enough to stay home with Maddie and Lyndon their entire lives. They've been my buddies, and each other's buddies for the past 5 years and we've made some pretty sweet memories along the way. We've laughed, we've cried, we've been frustrated we've been comforted and most of all we've loved. I'm happy to say I can't think of one thing I would have changed looking back on our first 5 years of parenthood. Oh sure, I would have changed perhaps a few small things here or there but overall, the big picture is one full of memories that I want to share over and over.

Go ahead, take a look at a few of our special moments...

The concerned looks of their faces is because Maddie thought she saw an ant on the porch. (If you don't live in the South you should know that our ants really are that scary!)

From the time Lyndon was very small he has had a love affair with Cinderella. She's his girl...

Lyndon has always made Maddie crack up...

They love to play together, especially tea party.

The kids have always loved to play with Jon.

He's looking for Santa.

When Lyndon was little he used to get Maddie's baby dolls and put them in his bed. Notice Cinderella cozied up beside him? :)

I found him up here one day...

This picture makes me laugh every time I see it. He's obviously NOT HAPPY about wearing that jacket!

He was sick this day and looked so content while he slept that I had to get a picture.

trick-or-treating

Playing before bed.

We always do art projects and this picture is exactly how it looks every time.

Lyndon adores Maddie, can you tell?

And there you have it...a tour down memory lane.

Even though I have moments of pain, hurt, and frustration my life is continually filled with so much joy, peace and excitement.

I'm grateful for the journey.

The first day of school...ever!!

2011-09-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

The night before school started as Maddie and I were laying out her new school clothes for the next day she looked up at me and said in an excited little 5 year old voice, "I must be dreaming!" Yeah, Maddie, I must be dreaming too because I could have sworn that we JUST brought you home from the hospital. I can't even believe she is old enough to go to school. But she is and today was her first day!

The countdown is over...

She put her backpack and shoes by the front door the night before...

We packed her lunch (also the night before)...

We set our alarms for 7am so we could leave the house at 7:40am...

but wait...

we woke up at 7:36am!!

Unbeknownst to me, I set the alarm for 7PM not 7AM! And because I'm such a crazy picture person my first thought was DARN, I won't be able to take any "first day of school" pictures!

I was a little worried that poor Maddie would be the very last kid rolling in at 8:30 on her first day of school. But it all actually worked out just fine. I didn't want Maddie to feel rushed and nervous her first day so I didn't even let on that we were late. We all got dressed, brushed teeth, grabbed a nutra-grain bar and were out the door by 7:50am!! (yeah, I was impressed too.)

Here's Maddie having a contemplative moment in the car...

It's a good thing she has such a fun brother, he made her laugh for the rest of the car ride...

We miraculously pulled up to the school at 7:59am!

(what a dusty car)

We were definitely not the last ones to arrive. We had a long line if front and behind us.

Headed into the building with owl, her Dad and Lyndon...

waiting in yet another line to enter the building starting to feel a little nervous...

and now feeling really nervous...

my little cutie pie...

waiting by her classroom...

Her teacher, Miss Kim, showing them where to hang their backpacks...

And that's it...we left her. It was just the 3 of us and we felt a little empty...

I'm happy to report that there were no tears. None from Maddie and none from me.

Just excitement.

The countdown begins!

2011-08-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

School in finally on the horizon in the Evans home! Maddie starts school in only 3 short days. Jonathon and I can't believe it. We went to the "meet your teacher" tonight and I almost burst into tears at least 3 times. She's ready. She's been ready for a few years now. It's Jonathon and I who still need more time.

We made these countdowns so the kids can see just how many more days until Maddie is gone...

She starts on Tuesday and more pictures and tears will follow. :)

the owl

2011-08-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

Maddie got the cutest backpack EVER! You be the judge, but come on...just look at how adorable that owl is! I needed a few pics for my photo blog so Maddie helped me out. Charlie and Lyndon had to get in a few too.

our new baby.

2011-08-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

how adorable is he?

guess who's the better artist?

2011-08-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

Maddie and Lyndon came to me and asked if I would draw them a seahorse. Sure, no problem. So I starting drawing but for some reason I just couldn't figure out how it looked. I drew the first one and knew that wasn't right so I tried seahorse #2, still off. It looked more like a sea monster than a seahorse.

So then they went to Jonathon...he totally showed me up! Check out his seahorse...Can you guess whose is whose?

The bats.

2011-08-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

One of the big tourist attractions downtown Austin during the summer is...the bats. I don't know if you realized but Austin has the world largest bat population in the world!! They sleep under the Congress Bridge during the day and then at dusk they all fly out! There are over a million of them so you can imagine what a sight it is (and how stinky it gets).

We've lived here for 5 years and this was the first time we went to the bridge to see them. Our friends, The Barlows and The Willards joined us. It was so fun. All of our kids are are the same age and get along so well. After we watched the bats we went to Rita's for Italian ice. yum, yum. It was HOT but so fun.

We took Charlie along. Everyone kept stopping say how adorable he is. We agree!

We all brought lots of treats to keep the kids entertained.

Lyndon, Maddie and Lucy sharing some candy.

Beautiful Stella.

Stella and beautiful Momma, Lonna.

There is a huge crowd every night!

Maddie and Lucy.

The bats...

People even watch them right on the Lake.

The best we could get of all the kids...

My book in available in print!!

2011-08-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy lately with all that's been going on with my book. The latest and greatest news is that it is now available in print! It was so fun to see the actual book. I've had a lot of sales, which has been keeping me busy busy but it's fun to see my project grow...

We were in the news!

2011-08-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

Our house was seen on the news today...

The fire was actually the house behind ours. (This was Jonathon's idea about how to post the pictures. :) ) This morning I thought I heard our neighbors power washing their house. But nope, as it turns out it was the fireman spraying down their flame engulfed house. Luckily no one was home. However, 3 people were injured from smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion. Click here for the news story.

I'm grateful that wasn't my house. What are you grateful for today?

my photo workshop and Cooper fam reunion

2011-07-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

While I was in Idaho Falls I taught a photography workshop. I had it in the very cool, Colonial Theater downtown IF. I had 6 attendees. Lindsey was one of my participants. I'm so glad she was there. She made me less nervous. :) The workshop went great! Read more about it on my photo blog.

My attendees.

Right after the workshop we headed to Riverside, ID to the Cooper Family Reunion. I just love my family. It was so nice to see them. They have an auction every year of yummy food, cool homemade craft so other misc. items. Bill (my uncle is always the auctioneer. I don't think anyone else wants the job. :) )

Ashley and Rylee painting their rocks.

My Mom and her brothers and sisters. From left to right: Kevin, Debbine, Kathy, Gloria (Mom), Linda, Bill.

still catching up...fireworks at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

2011-07-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Jonathon and Dustin we got to have our own fireworks show in my parents backyard on July 5th. The kids were all watching from a blanket. I love the fact that we are able to sit on the grass. In Texas the grass is way too pokey and you would be attacked my fire ants if you decided to sit on the grass. Ahhhh!

Jonathon let the kids light a firework.

I love the look on their faces as they run away.

drawing with sparklers.

Maddie made an "M".

The fireworks toward the end of our evening were wild and crazy, to say the least. We were all sitting way too close for some fireworks that surprised us by shooting out instead of up! The kids scattered like flied toward the house. After that we all watched from a nice and safe distance.

Here's the kids finding safety in the arms of Lindsey.

I love to get snow cones while we are in Idaho Falls in the summer. I usually get red raspberry but just lately they started adding cream and boy oh boy, it's tasty!

My red raspberry and cream!

My Girls.

2011-07-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest person in the world to have the friends that I do. And what's even better is that we've all been friends since Jr. High! My life is better because of these girls. We've always wanted what's best for each other and I honestly can't remember us ever fighting. They've all become such beautiful woman with wonderful families.

For the last couple of years we've been able to get together for a few days for a reunion. We talk, laugh and eat...heaven, huh? :) We didn't get a chance to go anywhere this year so we met up for breakfast at the infamous Smitty's in Idaho Falls. Our husbands joined us but because they couldn't find a table that was big enough for all of us the husbands sat together at a table of their own while we sat together at a table behind them.

The beautiful Kenia Ann. We were room, roommates all four years of college. I love this girl more than words can say.

The gorgeous, Amy. She has one of the strongest wills and best attitudes I've ever met. This girl make me laugh out loud, even if it's just in an email.

This picture makes me laugh...us girls knew we needed to get home to relieve our babysitters or to just get going but the guys couldn't stop talking! We were waiting to get a picture before we left so we finally had to ask the guys to move it along so we could get going!

from left to right: Amy (Munk) Askerlund, Amy (Francis) Anderson, Kenia Ann (Hinckley) Reed, Shyla (McAffee) Aaron, and me.

And they call it Puppy Love...

2011-07-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

This has been a long time coming...we finally got a dog! His name is Charlie. He's a cocker spaniel/terrier mix. We got him on Friday from the Humane Society in San Antonio. He's only 8 weeks old. He has 3 siblings that were so cute too but we just couldn't resist Charlie. He was the most laid back of the bunch with the most adorable little face. He loves to cuddle when he's ready to play, watch out! He's a ball of energy.

Maddie and Lyndon LOVE having a dog. If Maddie could have her way she would hold Charlie and carry him around all day long. But he's still so little that for now she's only allowed to sit down and hold him.

We knew we were going to pick him up a few days earlier so Maddie spent some time making welcome signs and signs so that Charlie would know where things were. Just like this one:

It say's "Welcome Puppy" and the sign below it says "bed" with an arrow pointing down.

We're excited to have Charlie in our family for many years to come.

My Dad's birthday & The 4th of July!!

2011-07-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

After spending 5 days in Colorado we headed to Idaho on July 1st for my Dad's birthday. He turned 61! I can't believe it. He doesn't look or act 61 so I guess that means he's not really that old yet. :) For his birthday he had our entire family home (except for Kelly). We had a weeny roast (as my Mom calls it) in the backyard. We roasted hot dogs for dinner and let the kids roast as many marshmallows as they wanted. They were in heaven.

see...he's doesn't act his age. :)

We didn't have birthday candles so we plopped one big candle (covered in tin foil to protect the cake) right in the middle of the cake and called it good. His cake was german chocolate, his all time favorite. His favorite way to eat it is in a bowl covered in milk.

On to the 4th of July...Our day started bright and early at 5:30 am to run the annual Firecracker 5k. This was my 2nd year of running it, Jonathon's first. I love the running route because it is right through the streets of where I grew up. So for me it's like a sweet little run through memory lane.

Before the race in front of my parents house.

Heather and I also in front of my folks house. Good ol' 486 12th street.

The whole crew of us who ran the race. from left to right...Britton, Jonathon, Lindsey, Ashley, My Dad, and Heather.

After the race we immediately ran home (okay, we DROVE home) to get ready for the parade. My parents live in a great spot where we just have to walk to the parade route. When I was growing up my Dad would get up early on the morning of the 4th to go put some chairs out on the parade route to save our spot. But as Idaho Falls has grown people have starting saving their parade spot DAYS ahead. This year I happened to be driving past "our" parade spot on the Friday before the 4th and found that people were ALREADY putting up their chairs and saving their spots. I didn't want to lose our favorite spot so I ran home got some wooden steaks, some string and a hammer and went back to secure our spot.

Lyndon wasn't a fan of the loud firetrucks.

These guys are in the parade EVERY year.

After the parade we went back to my parents house for the annual BBQ. It was delicious. My Dad grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and made his famous baked beans. YUM. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of it.

After the BBQ we all relax, take naps and chat. Then at around 6pm we head downtown to secure our spot for the spectacular Melaleuka Freedom Celebration Fireworks. Lindsey and Dustin brought a cooler full of drinks and snacks and Jonathon and I brought Fiesta ole' (the BEST crisp bean burritos EVER) for the crew. We all ate and chatted waiting for it to get dark so the fireworks would begin.

Dustin was entertaining the younger crowd.

My Mom brought glow-in-the-dark necklaces and bracelets for all the grandkids.

This is our view, waiting for the fireworks.

What an end to a perfect day. I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until I die...Idaho Falls is THE BEST place in the the whole world to spend the 4th of July.

The views of where I grew up...

2011-07-21T23:37:00.000-07:00

No matter how long I've been away as soon as I come back home to Idaho I fall in love with the views all over again. It's probably because I have such good memories here but either way, I love the Idaho landscape. It feels, looks, and smells like home...

Colorado, the land of our dreams.

2011-07-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

Since the very beginning of our marriage Jonathon and I have had the goal of living in Colorado. We want to buy a chunk of land, build the home of our dreams and live there until we die. We love the mountains, the DRY air, the four seasons, the close proximity to our parents and the views. So far we've moved 4 times and none of those moves have taken us to Colorado...until now. We're finally getting close to living there!

We planned on taking a trip to Idaho Falls for the 4th of July this year so we decided we would drive and stop in Denver on the way there. We got to spend 1 lovely day looking at possible home sites and the other 2 enjoying Colorado. We met with our realtor so she could take us around to the pieces of land we had been looking at online. After a whole day of looking we finally found the PERFECT piece of land. It's in a charming little town called Conifer which is about 15 miles toward the foothills from Littleton. The views are breathtaking. AND because of the elevation there are not mosquitos and very few bugs to "bug" you!

What is so interesting about this particular piece of land is that we've actually been watching it on the market for about 2 and half years now. Jon and I have been searching for possible home sites for a long time and this one would always show up almost every time we did a search. We loved the views and the proximity to town but we didn't know just how perfect it was until we saw it in person. One of my specifications for living in the mountains was that I wanted to feel and look like I was tucked away but I still wanted to be able to get to civilization (i.e. grocery stores and shopping) within 5 miles. I also wanted to have the views of mountains without having to scale a mountain to get to our home. I'm happy to say that this site has ALL of my specifications!! We are only 4 miles from the grocery store but yet it feels like and sounds like we live in our own little corner of the world, quiet and cozy. And we have beautiful views but only have a drive a short distance to our place. We are ready to buy this land immediately but we know if it's still available when we are ready, this was meant for us.

This is a quaint little park in Evergreen, CO. (The next town over from Conifer) The weather was so PERFECT for us coming from the hot humid Texas heat. But the locals found it to be a little too hot. There was a Mom and here kids at this park and after they were there for about 5 minutes we overheard her tell her kids that they had to leave because it was too hot! We thought that was pretty funny. :)

Aren't the views just breathtaking?

This is part of the land we are interested in...

The gate to the entrance...

The view from about halfway to the top of the land.

The kids and I walking the land.

walking back down to the car.

The beginning of our summer trips...San Antonio

2011-07-19T14:01:00.001-07:00

For the last month we've been of vacation. Phew. It's been a blast, to say the least. We started out in San Antonio and spent 4 days there. We went to 6 flags, Pure Fun, swimming at the resort and downtown SA. We didn't get any pictures of 6 flags because I didn't want to take my camera in the park. Maddie rode as many of the big roller coasters as she was allowed to ride. She loves them! She even went on some upside down rides. Lyndon had to be forced to go on the basic kiddie rides but he soon realized how much he loved them. But he still wasn't about to go on anything too scary!

Here are some pictures of swimming at the resort... The pool is on the roof so it had a great view of downtown SA.

This place is called "Pure Fun"...and it really was! We had such a good time. There was only about 3 other kids in the whole place the entire time we were there so it was like we had it all to our selves. There was huge inflatables that we would do timed obstacle courses on. We also played some pretty riveting games of hide and seek. I'm pretty sure Jonathon is the king of hide and seek.

They also had this fun slide area...

We went to the riverwalk so the kids could eat at the Rain Forest Cafe. They love that place. All in all it was a great trip!!! SA is a fun and close getaway.

These kids...

2011-07-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

Maddie and Lyndon make me laugh all day long. The things they come up with are awesome. Lyndon wanted to me a super hero so Maddie helped him out by making this mask and cape out of paper. Pretty inventive.

I found Maddie asleep in out bed with her hand out to the side like this...

When I actually "do" Lyndon's hair I use this product. One day he decided to take matters into his own hands and do his own hair. Pretty slick!

Lyndon came to show me his new googles. I couldn't stop laughing for hours... I love that kid.

My childhood, in pictures...

2011-07-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

I have such great memories of growing up. I had a really great childhood and I've been able to save so many special things from it. All of my "treasures" have been stored at my parents house until a couple of months of ago. After lovingly going through each and every thing and reminiscing about each one, I couldn't figure out what to actually do with all this stuff. Some things I planned on passing down to my kids someday but the rest of it was just taking up way too much room just be be stored in a box. So I decided instead of holding on to this stuff just for the sheer value of "remembering", I would take pictures of it and let it go to someone else. So here it all is...my childhood in pictures...

Here are a bunch of stuffed animals I've saved over the years. From left to right: my squirrel that my Grandma Perkes knitted for me when I was 2years old, my rocking little baby doll that would make music when you pulled the tail (I think I got this for Christmas when I was about 6), my elephant that used to have a little baby elephant wrapped in her velcro arms, a tiger that would purr I got in highschool (our mascot was the tiger), the brown funny looking bear in the back was my very first "teddy bear" that I bought at pic-n-save on one of our vacations in Utah, a rag doll that my mom made (her dress is peach, the color of my room and my favorite color growing up), the doll that was one of the table centerpieces at Heather's wedding reception, and a doll knitted for my by my Grandma Perkes.

Close up pictures of all the dolls...

This is my very first and only trophy I've ever received! My parents actually made it for me after I finished my first year on the Volleyball team in high school.

These were a couple of things I made when I was in Young Women's. I had these hanging in my room for a lot of years.

Some of the books that I had on my shelves. I read many of these over and over again.

I got this printing kit for Heather's birthday. (We used to get a gift on each other's birthday's.)

I use to play with this thing for hours.

A pillow that my Grandma Perkes made for me. I always had this on my bed.

A couple of things I painted in Art Class.

My ponies! I couldn't get rid of these. I still have them in a box.

I loved collecting Porcelain dolls. I would always get the dolls with red hair and peach outfits.

I got this doll from my bil, Kelly.

A few of my barbie's that I saved. I couldn't get rid of these either. I still have some of them in their original boxes.

My very first cabbage patch doll! Notice the red hair and peach outfit?

My mom made this cute little dolls for us.

This was my first baby doll that I can remember having. It meant a lot to me. She used to have a bonnet.

I even wrote my name and address on her head just case she ever got lost!

Maddie's project

2011-06-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

Maddie is quite the entrepreneur. She devised a plan to sell some lemonade. She made the poster, enlisted me to make the lemonade, set up the stand and waited for customers. She waited and waited.

Of course Lyndon was her first and most faithful customer of the night. He will pretty much do anything to make her dreams come true so he rounded up money to buy at least 8 glasses of lemonade all on his own.

Maddie had a few obstacles that night...the first being the weather. There was a threatening storm on the horizon. So even though it was hot, there wasn't too many people out and about. The second obstacle was that we live on a cul-de-sac which doesn't drive hardly any traffic by our house. But neither the weather nor the lack of customers was going to derail her. She just moved the stand under our porch to get out of the rain. And as for the customers...you'll see.

Again, Lyndon waiting for yet another glass of lemonade. Strawberry lemonade, in fact.

Ahh yes, customer #2...Dad.

She put all her earnings in her Aurora bank. She's saving up to go the Bippity Boppity Boutique in Disney World.

Lyndon shouting out to all the neighbors, "Lemonade!!! FREE Lemonade!" Maddie quickly corrected him, "Lyndon, it's not free!!!"

The weather let up so she brought her stand back out...and waited.

and waited

and waited some more.

Until she finally couldn't take it anymore! She took matters into her own hands...She went and knocked on the neighbors doors to politely let them know she was selling lemonade. :)

It worked like a charm. She sold 9 glasses!! Success.

And it all ended when a huge flash of lightening and crash of thunder scared the kids back into the house.

A day in the life of...

2011-05-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

Maddie and Lyndon are at such a fun age. Maddie is 5 and Lyndon will be 4 on Sunday. They get excited about little things. Just a trip to the grocery store can turn into a fun adventure for them. I've been so fortunate to be able to stay at home with them. I definetely have my crazy moments but all in all it's such a pleasure to be with them and plan my day with them in mind. Ever since they were little I would almost daily take them out somewhere in the community whether it be the library, Target, swimming or the park. It kind of feels like our day isn't quite complete until we go somewhere. Do you ever feel like that?

One of the reasons I'm so grateful for my photography is because I've been able to capture all of our families sweet, crazy and memorable moments. It hit me the other day that our kids will only be small for such a short time. I will only get to go on these fun adventures with them for just a short while. And then they'll be all gown up going on adventures with their own kids. So it's important for me to have a way of remembering these little parts of life that make so happy. (It's also a good reminder of what great kids they really are when their being little stinkers. :) )

On Saturday Jonathon had a band over at our house recording a few songs. If you've ever been anywhere near a band...you know how LOUD it can get so the kids and I decided to head out and make it an "out and about" day. I took along my camera to document our venture.

Our day started out with a trip to Round Rock Donuts. These little devils, uh donuts, (yes, they're evil.) are soooo yummy. Think soft and fluffy like Krispie Kreme but with more substance and flavor. They're pretty famous too. They've been on the Food Network and the Travel Channel. The only problem is (beside being addicting and calorie packed) it's usually jam packed with people. Especially on a Saturday morning. The drive-thru line was wrapped down the block and the line inside was coming out the door. But let me just say, they are worth the wait!

This is while we're waiting in line. This is classic Maddie, "I don't want my picture taken" face.

It doesn't last too long though. :)

I love this picture. This is Maddie thinking she's being all sly and Lyndon knowing (and loving) exactly what Maddie is about to do.

And there it is...Moose antlers.

It's so fun Lyndon has to do it to himself.

We were headed to gymnastics and didn't have enough time to eat our donuts there so we just had to eat them in the car on the way over.

Both Maddie and Lyndon always get the same kind of donut...Chocolate eclair. Maddie wanted me to take a picture of the creamy middle.

Classic Lyndon with a little bit of frosting on his face and everything. :)
(I've always tried to capture their many expressions throughout their lives.)

Heading into the rec center for gymnastics...

Maddie and Lyndon are patiently waiting until they can go into their classroom. They love gym!
(I like to take pictures of the things they do that make me smile. For some reason, this is one of them.)

It's almost like the kids are little fishes in a bowl because all the parents sit at the windows looking in.

This is why it looks a little hazy...these metals cris crosses.

Lyndon is a text book charmer. He actually kind of fascinates me. I've always been a "rule follower". If my teacher said, "sit" I sat. If I was told something, I listened. Maddie is exactly the same way. Lyndon, on the other hand, is CONSTANTLY pushing the limits. But he does it with such charm and charisma that his teacher doesn't even seem to notice. ...Not quite sure how that's going to play out when he gets in school but it's pretty interesting to watch. :)

Gotta love Texas, right?

It's only 12:30 so we have some time to kill. What's a day out without stopping by Target? And we definitely have to get popcorn and a drink while we shop.

While I'm helping Maddie try on some shoes Lyndon has found some of his own. His "pirate boots" as he called them. Here he is trying them out by doing the crab walk.

I've spent many hours in the Toy Department at Target. We have to hit the boy isles and the girl isles. Lyndon love super heroes.

But he also loves princesses. Cinderella to be exact.

Maddie LOVES princesses.

Time for lunch...Jason's Deli. One of our favorites. Jonathon doesn't love it so we go when he has to work. It's tasty, fresh and kid friendly.

One thing we love is the complimentary muffins and crackers.

AND the complimentary ice cream cones are a great end to the meal.

Maddie told me it was important to document me as well. So she took my picture. Not sure what I'm looking at or what my expression is all about but there ya go. I was there too!

Last but not least we stopped at Barnes and Noble. My kids love the kid section. Lyndon always seems to find this puzzle to play with.

It's so cool that they have all the Thomas the Train stuff set up to play with.

This is typical Maddie when she reads a book...she pulls her hair up while she reads.

We read a few stories while we were there too. Olivia is one of our favorites.

While we were in Barnes and Noble Jonathon called to say he was all done.

The kids were all done too...

Phew! What a day. But now I will always have these pictures to remember this day in the Life of Maddie and Lyndon.

Little sweeties

2011-05-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken 2 years ago. They look so little. I truly can't believe how fast they're growing. I miss them. Even thought they're right here I miss that they will only be little for such a short time. Today Jonathon was recording a band at the house so to save our ears we decided to make a day out of it. We went EVERYWHERE. I brought along my camera to document "a day in the life of Maddie and Lyndon". We basically hit all of our favorite "out and about" places...Round Rock Donuts, Target, Jason's Deli, Barnes and Noble...It was a fun day. I can't wait to post the pictures.

We rented the Justin Bieber (spelling?) Story and watched it tonight. Is it shameful that I just about cried on many occasion throughout the movie? Just about every time I saw him with his Mom I would tear up. There's just something about seeing your kids succeed that really tugs at my heartstrings.

Yes, I get sad to see Maddie and Lyndon growing so fast but at the same time I get so excited to see what their futures hold. It's fun to see them make new friends and learn new skills and then they immediately turn to us with excitement in their eyes as if to say, "Look at me, I'm succeeding!"

What sweeties.

a sacred place...

2011-05-07T12:18:00.001-07:00

I was able to attend the San Antonio temple yesterday with my sweet friends, Ellen and Teresa. What a special place.

The Easter countdown

2011-04-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

Maddie and Lyndon are constantly making me smile. I wish I could bottle up their cuteness and pull it out when they're all grown up. The thought of them not being little makes me a a bit sad. Jonathon and I were reflecting on how fast they grow up right before our eyes. This time while they are so young and carefree is short. That's why I have to make sure I document it as much as I can so we can always go back and remember.

Lyndon still loves superheros. Tonight he's Batman...

I love this picture. Maddie and Lyndon LOVE our neighbors, Memi and Joe. Here they are yelling to them from across the street. There's Memi's red Cruiser and Joe's Yellow truck.

He had to go get his Batman figurines to play with him.

This was funny...Maddie and Lyndon made our room into a "Theater". They lined a bunch of chairs up in front of the computer to watch a Playhouse Disney show. Jonathon came up to check on them and in response to their invitation he took a seat. After several minutes he got up and announced that he had to go get some work done to which Lyndon exclaimed, "Off you go!"
Then I came in a while later to see them and as I entered the room Lyndon pointed to the best seat in the house and said, "Sit here, my Lady!"

Making Easter nests...

Licking the bowl...the best part!

I decided I needed to take more pictures of me with the kids. I want them to see us interacting not just have me MIA behind the camera. So without me even asking Maddie asked if she could take a picture of Lyndon and me. He's giving me kisses but his face is all marshmellowly...that's always fun.

We went to the annual city of Round Rock Easter Egg hunt. We've been almost every year since we moved here. Always fun. ALWAYS a crazy amount of people. But the kids had a great time. Here they are in the Monsters Inc. bounce house. We were there early before tehe mad rush so they were able to do a lot of the activities before the crowds showed up.

Waiting for the hunt to start!

And they're off! Jonathon took Maddie so I didn't get any pictures of her in action. But from seeing her bag in the end...she did great!

We had to dump all the candy out of the bags and de-fire ant everything! Ugh, Texas and their fire ants!!

Face painting

airbrush tatoos

And we couldn't pass by Shipley's Donuts without stopping and enjoying a little sugar rush in the morning! Yum!!

Not quite as good as Round Rock donuts but they were still pretty tasty!

My photography ebook is finished!!

2011-04-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

I finished it!! I actually finished my book on my April 1st deadline. I've always said, "A goal, if not written down, is only a dream". This goes to show that writing down your goals really does help you accomplish them. I have to give a huge, gigantic, colossal, enormous thanks to Jonathon. I have a husband who is beyond supportive it every aspect of my life. If I have a dream, he does everything he can to help me accomplish it. He motivated me, encouraged me, watched the kids (including watching them the entire week of my deadline), and became my technical go-to guy. He helped me create and launch the website and took care of all of the other technical stuff that I would have driven me crazy. So THANK YOU, Jonathon. I love you so much.

I decided to write this book for a number reasons.The first was because I have many friends and acquaintances who recently bought a dslr but were so frustrated with not knowing exactly what to do and how to produce awesome pictures. I knew if they just understood some key and basic information they would be able to use that to finally get the most of their cameras and be successful. Another reason I wrote the book, and probably the main reason, was to help other people have the ability to document their lives and their family's lives in a creative and memorable way.

What I truly love about photography, is the ability to capture the story of my own family. I treasure the pictures that I have of my kids, our interactions together, and their sweet personalities. It’s so important to me to be able to document their lives (and our life), in this way. I want to offer all the information I have in my repertoire so that others can create an album of treasured memories to last a lifetime.

The book is geared toward the person who owns a digital slr. (The kind of camera that has interchangeable lenses.) But it's also beneficial to the person who has a point and shoot. I start out teaching (in simple, easy to understand terms) what exposure, aperture and shutter speed is all about, how they relate and why they are so important to understand. I talk about camera and lenses and why I use what I use. I discuss camera settings, lighting, composition and I even walk through my whole editing process. I’ve included tons of pictures that will help the reader follow along very easily. Overall it’s a great resource for anyone who just wants to learn how to take better pictures.

Here is the website for the book. If you want to buy it you can have $2.00 off my using the discount code: familyandfriends.

http://thekeytotakingpictures.com/

Here are a few pages from the book to give you an idea of what it looks like and what it's about...

Grandma and Grandpa...one heck of a great week!

2011-04-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

My parents have been here this last week. They went home today. The house is always a little empty when they leave. I love having the folks come to visit. We relax, play, eat, talk, watch movies...all the fun stuff. I've always loved being with my parents...even as a teenager. I was never one of those kids that thought hanging out with their parents wasn't cool. We've always been good friends. I'm grateful for that.

I didn't take my camera everywhere but I was able to highlight a few of our activities. Just about every day we woke up and went to exercise either at the gym or jog around the trail at the park. It was usually just my Dad and I jogging. I loved our conversations. I was a little out of breath at times because jogging comes a little easier for him but I throughout enjoyed our time together.

Some highlights of the week: eating homemade kettlecorn just about every evening, trying out new recipes, Jonathon and I going on a date, talking talking and more talking, going downtown to ride the train and go canoeing, eating lunch at The oasis, Lyndon snuggling Grandpa while he read, Grandma making fun crafts and treats with the kids, surprisingly early bedtimes because we were all tired out, shopping with my Mom, laughing and just being together.

Thanks Mom and Dad for another memorable week together. We can't wait until July!!!

My Mom sewing while Maddie looks on. This reminds me of when I was little. I used to do the same thing while she sewed.

Maddie being her silly self.

Canoeing downtown on Lady Bird Lake.

The Austin skyline from the lake.

Jonathon pretty much paddled the entire time...

...while I did this. Actually I didn't just put my feet up, I was mostly taking pictures. :)

Eating lunch at The Oasis overlooking Lake Travis. It was such a beautiful day.

Lake Travis

This was Jonathon being...well, Jonathon. Every time I thought we got a good picture my mom (who was taking the picture) would start to laugh because he keep making different faces.

Ahhh, there it is...

My Mom's strawberry pecan salad. Yummy.

My Dad fixed our leaky sink in the bathroom! We are so appreciative!

My Mom always does fun little crafts with the kids. Here they got to design a little stuffed animal. They drew it on paper and then my mom helped them create it using felt and stuffing.

Lyndon's final project.

Maddie's final project.

This was her picture she used to design it.

jump, jump, jumpin'

2011-04-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

I needed a specific picture to finish up my book so I had to do a quick little photo shoot with the kids on our bed. I let them jump to their hearts content. They loved it.

an afternoon of fun...

2011-04-13T19:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my friend, Dana, made Maddie an adorable skirt and took some pictures for her blog at Phil's Ice House and Amy's Ice cream. It was the perfect weather and the perfect location to take care-free fun bright pictures! The kids had a great time. We did too talking and talking while the kids played.

Isn't that just a sad picture?

I love their cute little shoes...

Lyndon and Lucy have a tight relationship...it all started at the beach...

Only in Austin would you find a painted cow to play on...

buds.

2011-03-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

We had a fun day today! ...More picture to come.

To the park

2011-03-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Old Settlers Park last week. I jogged around the path while pushing the kids in the stroller. (It used to be a lot easier when they were smaller!) While I was jogging I appreciated Lyndon chanting, "faster, faster, faster!!!" I made a little scavenger hunt for Maddie to keep her occupied during the ride. It kept her nice and busy.

Before we left I mentioned I was planning on packing a lunch for them to eat at the park. Before I could get to it Maddie had already packed everything for the two of them! She packed her leftover burrito and goldfish crackers for her and Nilla wafers and goldfish for Lyndon. She also threw in a juice box for each of them and a water bottle and an apple for me. She even labeled their goldfish bags! What a cutie.

side note: as she was putting on her skinny jean in the morning they were just out of the dryer and she was having a hard time getting them on. As she was struggling to pull them up she said, "These jeans are going to be painted on!"

2011-03-19T21:05:00.001-07:00

Lyndon took a very long impromptu nap this afternoon so he's now in his room having a hard time going to sleep. I thought I'd make life a little easier on him so I brought him some milk in a sippy and some pretzels. As I handed them to him and turned to leave he said,
"Thanks, Mom. You're so sweet. "

awwww. Gotta love unprompted praise.

Tea Parties!

2011-03-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

Lyndon loves a good dress-up session. His favorite outfit lately is his pirate costume. He got his striped pirate pants from Grandma and Grandpa Evans, his Halloween pirate shirt from Target and recently acquired his pirate vest and hat from his friend, Lucy's, birthday party. To give you an idea of how much he loves his outfit in a 72 hour period he had his costume on for a good 60 hours.

One day I came up to the playroom to find Lyndon by himself having a little pirate tea party.

Speaking of tea parties...on Wednesday the kids got to go to a fun tea party at one of the local libraries. There was live music, TONS of tea party food including mini cupcakes, cookies, finger sandwiches, fruit, juice and of course...tea. They ate everything, except for the tea, ironically. :) They were asked to bring their own teacup, saucer and plate. Notice what color Lyndon's was...

A day in the life of Lyndon...

2011-03-08T21:39:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning our bathroom last week. (don't be shocked.) I had to run downstairs for something and when I came back I saw my knight in shining armor, armed and ready to help me out.

Then not more than 5 minutes later I go back down stairs to find him in the garage, helping out Jonathon, sanding a table. (Notice in that time he had already changed clothes and put on some sunglasses.)

Then he was on to a tea party with Maddie. Can you guess Lyndon's favorite color?

This little goofball loves his family.

our little fashion designer

2011-03-07T21:53:00.000-08:00

Maddie loves to create and design. Especially clothing. We woke up one morning to find that while she was "going to bed" she fashioned a beautiful wedding gown complete with veil for her Aurora piggy bank. What was it made out of? ...wet wipes.

Not too shabby if I dare say so myself.

Magical sunset

2011-03-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

The weather, all last week, was pretty dreary. The sun didn't show it's beautiful face until Friday. I've been very busy the last few months writing my photography book and I needed a few more pictures to include as examples of different techniques. I was so happy to finally see the sun so I could go out and take those pictures I needed. So I made a quick desicion to do a photo shoot with Maddie and Lyndon. They're both a little "pictured" out, if you could only imagine, so I thought I'd better have a little bit of incentive in the form of balloons and cupcakes. Mission accomplished. We basically had a pretty enjoyable evening (minus me turning into crazy-mom/photographer-who-just-wants-you-to-do-exactly-as-I-say lady. It's not a lady who show's her face to anyone exept her own poor kids, btw.) But all in all in was a success. AND most important, Maddie and Lyndon got to eat a crap load of cupcakes.

I've posted some of my favorites and also some that made me laugh out loud when I saw them..enjoy!

Maddie has always been my sullen, not real eager to crack a smile little girl. But it works for her.

This one made me laugh. So true to life...Maddie telling me something while Lyndon is running circles around us. He ran up and down the path and finally dropped to the ground announcing "his feet could really use a break!"

I was having them wait patiently while I got the settings on my camera ready to shoot them actually eating the cupcakes. But the ones of them anticipating those delicious cupcakes were better than the one's where they were actually eating the cupcake.

My little girl...

Lyndon wasn't too keen on the idea of her tongue being on his potential cupcake.

His hand doesn't seem to be enough to stop her, though.

And after 3 cupcakes Maddie is finally feeling the effects. (They were mini, btw.)

Is Lyndon feeling the queasy tummy? ...not a bit.

sitting eating...

...and still eating...

I needed some close-up shots and Maddie checked out after that last cupcake so Lyndon graciously helped me out. This is unprompted, posing.

...and more, unprompted posing. Happy and carefree...that is until...

The balloons accidentally flew away...

And now, not so happy and carefree...

UNTIL...I tell him we can get more balloons! Ahhh, there it is.

And just when I think those two couldn't possibly get any more sugar in them...they were both licking the frosting off most of the remaining cupcakes.

And so it goes.

Feeling crafty.

2011-02-25T21:51:00.000-08:00

I've had a few projects lately that I just so happened to take pictures of so I thought I would share...

I saw something kind of like this somewhere so I thought I would try and create an "I am a child of God" picture in Lyndon's room. I printed it at kinko's for $2. I love how it turned out!

One of my Young Women are getting married in a couple of months. (I can't believe I could possibly be that old.) I went to her bridal shower last week and couldn't think of anything to get her until I remembered this idea from my very crafty sister, Lindsey. The jar is full of date ideas to do for a dollar. Isn't she genius? Things like "buy a kite from the dollar store and go fly it at the park" and "buy a notebook and take turns writing down how you met" and "start a trade-up scavenger hunt with a dollar bill". I typed them in photoshop elements then punched them out with a cute square scalloped punch. Oh, and for the "apothecary" looking jar it's a glass candle stick holder and a glass vase from the dollar store glued together with E-6000 glue.

I'm so excited about this one! I've had my eye on these pottery barn dry erase calendars for a couple of years now. But I just couldn't get myself to fork over the $50 for the board plus $20 for the rod to hang it. So my handy dandy husband made an exact duplicate in Photoshop and I printed it on 16x20 photo paper at Costco for $6. I had this frame that I got on clearance at Target for $8. I put the calendar in the frame and presto, my very own pottery barn-inspired dry erase calendar for $14. I love it.

(this is the one from pottery barn)

(this one is mine)

Hello to all of you coming from the Crafting Chicks! For those of you who are wanting these files, head on over to my photo blog...I will be posting the files there for you to download.