The Simple Life

the same...

so the other day...i can't remember exactly what we were talking about, but i told Levi to just go get a massage, and he said 'no, because i don't like people touching me'...lol.

me too. i am not one to go out and get pedicures & facials & massages...i never have. i told like other people touching me! the only pedicure i have ever had was one we had to practice giving pedicures in Beauty College and i nearly kicked the girl off the bench for touching my foot! and the only reason why she even touched my foot was because our instructor was coming close! i told her to fake it, and don't touch me!

anyway...both levi and i are the same in so many ways. we are both picky neat freaks. and we get completely grossed out by too many things!

dirty bathrooms & floors gross us out. dirty kitchens and the thought of people not washing their hands constantly while preparing food sicks us out. public bathrooms. he refuses to take gulianna into the 'guys bathroom' anywhere.

you should have seen us last week when we went swimming... uh, i won't get started on swimming pools...

but levi forgot his flip flops, so it was almost unbearable for him to stand on the floor while he showered, it was really funny to watch! and you can't just shower with no flip flops and then dry off and put your socks and shoes back on, that's just nasty... :)

so he put his towel on the bench, {which also was grossing him out} and then jumped up on it to wash and dry off his feet, and put his clothes on. and then i told him that isabella just peed on the bench before he laid his towel down. lol! i can't stop laughing! then we got grossed out some more by thinking of how many other kids peed on the bench, and how many butts have sat there...and on and on...

and then we threw his towel away. just kidding. but we thought about it!

anyway...

 
and having isa slober all over her lollipop was driving me crazy!

but you gotta live life a little right?!

Camping...

It's hard to believe that we were just camping last weekend...it feels like at least 3 weeks ago!I guess that's how summer feels like...the days run into each other!

We went camping in Manti...well, more like in tent city...because there was so many people, we got stuck in the 'overflow' of the campground, which was basically the field behind it {at least there was grass?}, no trees, no designated campfire pits...i should have taken a picture of how many tents there were, it was crazy!

I love this picture with Gulianna...she was always walking around with her hands in her pockets observing everything!

 
 
   this is Isabella's usual face...she loves to watch everyone!

 
walking up the hill to the temple to watch the Manti Pageant...

 
and then down hill...

the Manti temple...right before the pageant started... 

 That was my first time seeing the Pageant, it was neat to experience it, and I loved all their costumes. A lot of hard work goes into the show. Levi went when he was little, but it has sure grown since then. The girls loved it too! Gulianna did have to go to the bathroom twice...I made Levi take her :)

It was a long night for me...usually I drink a ton of water during the night, and go to the bathroom every half hour or so...but since we were camping, and not really close to the bathroom {not that it was that far} I didn't drink any water, and took a trip to the bathroom only once. Since we were so close to everyone, there is always people that stay up late talking and singing and what not...so I just layed there, then an hour or so later was the baby in the tent next to us that cried non stop for two hours! Hello...take care of your baby! Then the dog barking at all the early birds leaving the campground...and by then it was morning!  I think I got an hour of sleep. I was freezing...and I had my sleeping bag, plus 3 blankets! Normally I only take a sleeping bag and one blanket if I need it! I kept covering up the girls all night, making sure they were warm, Gulianna kept sticking her legs into Isa, and Isa always has to sleep sideways, kicking her legs into me! Plus Isa kept kicking the blankets off of her! Crazy girl! I laid there with my eyes close...and then I opened them up...and it was light! ahhh!

We had breakfast...and then took the girls swimming in the pool at the campground, the water was cold! Good thing the weather was super hot! Okay, actually the girls just sat on the steps and played with Georgia, because they don't 'swim' :)

 

Gulianna, Isabella, & Georgia

then the girls played at the park for a little while!

we drove to Ephraim and ate some ice cream & Gulianna picked out some candy!

 
 
Every time Levi lifts Isabella in the air, she puts her whole body straight! So cute!

 
afterward we drove to Spring City to look at the property where Levi & Jeremy are wanting to move to...I got out and walked for a little bit, and then made my way back...I was getting eaten alive by mosquitos! Then Levi came back and drove us around the property!

 
 

I didn't get any pictures of the property! I guess I was too busy scratching my mosquito bites!

 
 
and these are the only pictures of me from the whole weekend!

 
We drove back to Manti, and I saw a sign for a boutique at the fairgrounds...so we stopped in and looked around...not exactly what I'm used too, and then sat outside at the park and talked. There was also a nice pool with a slide and spray park that we totally forgot about, otherwise we would have been swimming there all day! It was 5:15 and the pool closed at 6pm. As soon as I walked out of the fairgrounds building I had a dejavu moment...where I remember visiting a crappy boutique and missing out on swimming because they were closing. So funny :)

Then we drove around the town, and headed back to our campsite, made some quick sandwiches and then headed home. Levi was wanting to stay another night...but after no sleep, I was ready to go home! We planned on going home that evening anyway...

 
my girls had so much fun! Gulianna keeps telling me 'mom I had so much fun at camping by a temple!' I hope she remembers it when she's older! 

we love dad...

 

i finally got this done on Tuesday night! a little late, but he liked it. it just brings back so many memories and things you forget when you look at pictures! our girls are getting so big...already, not fair.

i started this book last Thursday i think? and stayed up late to get it done, so that i could get pictures printed at Costco Friday morning...but that didn't happen. I did laundry and got our things packed so that we could go camping for the weekend...

anyway here are the pictures! i used this kit from house of 3!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 another finished project :)
  

what i've been working on...

 

 
this is my latest mini book project i've been putting together...from one of Heidi's classes that she taught at my store!

 

i have it all ready to go, just need some fun pictures from this summer! and here is a peak at the inside...

 

i may have to switch from scrapbooking to sewing...

and finish my bronco blanket...so that we can put it to use this summer!

one more day...

actually more like 14 hours!  Levi has been working in Washington DC for 2 whole weeks! can't wait to pick him up tomorrow! We survived! I was forced to make some food...and I didn't kill his flowers outside, we missed a couple days of watering them but they are still there! And his seeds that he had planted actually sprouted and they are huge now! I don't know if I will be able to sleep tonight!

I didn't sleep very well last night because I haven't been able to find my heidi swapp alphabet stamps and a few other sets...I have opened up every box...where are they!? I woke up this morning around 3am...so I went downstairs to go through some more boxes, and then went back to bed around 7:30am!! And now it's almost 1am...just got done cleaning the house, bathrooms and all! I have a bit of an ocd problem when it comes to cleaning, and I am constantly cleaning!

Good night! or morning!

{ps Cherry wish i still had some hs transparency wings!}

introducing...

a good friend, Jec Tyger...just started up an online scrapbook store:

Lemon Poppy Shoppe! {love the name by the way!} but if you are in Idaho Falls area you can also pick up your order at the warehouse!

{You can read more about all the details on the shoppe here.}

So check out her website and shop local, tell them I said hello since I'm not closer! And don't forget to check out there 'Scrappers Advantage Program' for extra savings!

conversations...

Gulianna loves to pick up one of my roller stamps and pretend it's a cell phone...

this was her conversation just a few minutes ago...

"hi dad, ummmm, yeah...we are just going shopping...yup, to a couple stores. first Target, i love Target, then get something to eat at Panda Express, uh huh, then we take isa to Ross, look at some toys, like a princess chair and a tinkerbell chair, uh huh. then to tai pan, ok love you bye."

well i guess you can tell where we like to go!

my 4th of july book...

i've been feeling real sick the last couple of days...i had 'morning sickness' lol! not from being pregnant but from staying up way too late in the 'morning' ha ha get it? thursday night i was up till 2 am, and last night till almost 4 am! so thankful that i actually don't get sick...because if that is what it feels like, ugh! i was seriously feeling like i was going to throw up!

anyway...this is what i have been working on! and i'm proud to say that i completly finished a project in 2 nights! we should celebrate! lol!

 
i used the 4th of July Kit from House of 3, and with a bit of scraplifting from Heidi on her book here. The book is 6x9, and i bound it with my lovely bind it all!

 
i used the elements from the kit and made the pages, then printed them on white bazzill cardstock. all the polka.dot papers are from the birthday background kit! and the red is from scenic route, from my paper stash. i also used some papers from the french oo la la kit too.

then i just used star embellishments and ribbon from my stuff! gather a bit of everything that works with the book so that you don't have to get up and search for it every 5 minutes! i used to do that and would waste so much time :) i used mostly heidi swapp & making memories embellishments.

 
 here is the front cover! i also used my favorite distress inks! a must have in scrapbooking! 'Fired Brick  and Broken China' matches perfectly!

 
and this is what my table looked like this morning...the aftermath of a finished project :)

 
  and here are the inside pages! 16 in all!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
for the back cover i just mixed 2 different colors of red paint to match...and then used the 4th of july banner from hof3 and one of heidi's brushes! just wish my handwriting was like hers :)

 
seriously so fun! this is why i scrapbook, to be C R E A T I V E !! and i actually cleaned up my table! first time ever! i am so ready for my next project :) 

for more close.ups of my pages you can view them HERE in my mini book album:)

can't i just take a shower?

so yesterday i jumped in to take a quick shower...and then Isabella heard the water running and came running in just as i had gotten in. she immediately freaked out...and started crying hysterically as she tried to jump in herself, but i kept pushing her away! {usually by this time, Gulianna finds out too and is already stripped down ready to join in on the shower!} i told Gulianna to please take her sister and go play with her for a minute, but Isa still insisted on getting in!

i did get my shower by myself, while i listened to my girls fighting over baby dolls.

this isn't the first time that she has done that...it has happened many times! just not recently!

here she is back in March when we were at my sister in laws house...

she knew she was in trouble...and did not want to look up!

 

silly girl! i love her!

pears...

warning: i may have a slight obsession with pears!

it started with this cookie jar...i only wanted it because it was green, not necessarily because it was a pear :)

{Cherrie bought it for me from Ace, for our wedding gift}

 

then years later i bought the pear recipe box from Melissa's in Driggs :)

 i miss that place! well mostly the sale table :)

 
then came this green pear, yard sale...thanks Claudia, goes great with my collection :)

and the red one was free from Rod Works, it fell off a wreath!

i then found this lovely vintage pear tin from one of my favorite places ever...the Mini Bazaar! it may be one of my favorite pear things! i had to add some mini fake pears in a vase too ;)

now the beginning of this year, i got super lucky, it was most certainly meant to be...

{dun dun dunnnnn...can you feel the suspense building?...}

 

My G I A N T pear! Isn't it beautiful!? I bought it at Tai Pan...for seven bucks!!! that's right 75% off! As soon as I turned my shopping cart around the corner...there was this beam of light shining down on this pear...my eyes were as large as oranges lol! No but seriously...it was mine! Then Levi met up with me a bit later, took one glance at the pear, grabbed it and ran! I practically had to chase him...'he said it was hideous!' {deep down inside I know he loves it, he likes everything I buy, lol!}

you may not be able to tell how huge it really is in pictures...but it is B I G! We refer to it as the 'giant pear' and it makes us happy just looking at it! Gulianna always says 'oh mom, your giant pear, i love it!' too funny!

tonight for some reason...i was thinking about pears...and then remembering all the Orla Kiely pear stuff that she had at Target last year. but i couldn't bring myself to buy another pear thing that i didn't need at the time. now i somewhat regret it...though the Target in IF didn't have the whole collection...i was going to buy one of these mugs for $5.99, now they are on e.bay for $39.99, can you believe that? someone is making some money if they sell!

if i had known they had this cute plate stand...hello instant purchase!

they also had some place mats, and a rug...i never saw that there...as well as a pear table cloth! i totally would have bought that too! maybe even made some curtains out of them! so if you ever happen to run across some of ora's pear target collection at the di or a yard sale perhaps...you know who loves pears :)

and if i didn't start with all the pear stuff...i would have this kitchen aid in 'pear' color instead of a black one!

 
ahhhh...i ♥ green! and apparently pears too!

 

i wish...

i still had these worn out polka.dot flip flops from last summer...

but before levi could throw them away, the neighbors dog came and stole one.

don't mind my nasty feet :)

 
and i wish we still lived here...

 
with 5 acres for our girls to roam and play as they pleased...

gulianna 23 months

 
and we could go to Rigby Lake in my Bronco...

 
 
and enjoy the whole lake to ourselves :)

 
and have fun at the spray park!

 
 
 
and conviently run in for some jamba treats...without having to fight traffic!

 

i miss living in idaho! someday we will be back!

   

fruit snacks...

'mom, one fruit snack a day--ok!'

usually Gulianna has her daily vitamin...though we've been slacking. she usually says 'mom, one vitamina a day.'

so that is where the fruit snack phrase came in.

no my girls don't eat fruit snacks daily. it's a once in a while treat :)

 
gulianna looks so tall now...and isa is growing up too!

 
this is what these two trouble makers do for fun...until we get a swing set!

they love to play on the 'tractor'