August 2012 Round-Up

Since I have decided to take a little break from Life 365 this year, I have decided to participate in monthly Round-Ups instead! I've been following The Scrapbook Lady for years, and I have always admired her Round-ups. It was about time that I give it a try!


AUGUST 2012

Once again I have got to get better at this round-up thing! But I'm trying to get on track!

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

We spent a long weekend in Orderville and up at the ranch. We got to see lots of family and the kids played with cousins all day long. We also started a project of painting the house at Sink Valley. It has been years and years since it has been painted and it needed to be done. We did the first coat of paint on 3 sides of the house before we ran out of paint.  I really enjoyed being with my siblings and also getting to visit with my cousins and their families.

As a family we took a trip to the dinosaur museum at Thankgiving point. We had a really good time seeing the dinosaurs and going out to eat afterwards. (please ignore the rather crappy iphone photos! It's better than nothing!)

We went school shopping for the kids - which is always an adventure.

We finished up our Summer Camp - it was a huge success and I'm so happy that we had such a great summer.

I got my daughter hooked on doing crafts and its been fun to do a few together!

We spent another fabulous weekend with Cody and Becki. We had a great visit and we finished the weekend with it being our last summer activity - we went to the Zoo. It was really fun to go, it had been awhile and we were excited to get to meet Rizzo - the new polar bear in the new Rocky Shores exhibit.

Page using my Ice Kit.

Then we started school! JJ and Beth are at a new school this year and so far it has been really good. We are working on getting into a schedule.  There is the normal changes and frustrations, but hopefully we can get into a good groove soon.

Beth started a new soccer season. This year she is still on the Vineyard team and she gets to be purple this year! She started out awesome in her first game - 2 goals! She had to play in the rain for her second game - but she is just doing amazing and I'm so proud of her for how far she has come!

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High/Low + Freebie | September 28, 2012

My LOW this Week is that my family is most likely having to move in the next month.  We rent from a friend (you always hear it - but for real - never rent from a friend - it ruins friendships) and the trailer that we live in is most likely going to be sold, and so that means we have to go.  We have been drowning in debt due to bad decisions on our part and so the financial side of our life is just a mess.  So this has been a HUGE stress to me this week.  We are most likely going to have to move to an apartment and I really didn't want to do that again - but we do what we have to right?  We did find an apartment within our price range that has 3 bedrooms - which would be a step up for my kids since they would finally get their own rooms...but I really don't want to have to change schools already....but we'll see what happens. Lots of decisions to be made....

My HIGH for this Week is that I am going to have a ME WEEKEND. I feel a little guilty about it - but after the week that I have had - I really need it.  I purchased my ticket months ago, so I've really been looking forward to the SCRAPBOOK USA EXPO in Sandy, Utah.  I have been to it before, but usually I only go on Saturday - but for the first time - I am going both days. I'm really excited about it this year because they have a Digi Lounge and its becoming more awesome for Digital Scrappers too. I'm hoping to actually get some scrapping done and just spend some time for myself. My hubby even got me a hotel room (even though its less than an hour from my house) - for tonight so that I can attend the midnight crop and just go crash and not have to drive home.  He's so sweet.  

So - if you happen to be going to the Expo too! Look me up - I'll most likely be in the Digi Lounge most of the time. I would love to meet you!

I have a freebie for you today - the next in my ChibiZ Collection - here is PIGLET! Have a great weekend!

DOWNLOAD LINK

High/Low + Freebie Posts | Each Friday, I get a little personal and share my high and low points of the week and then I offer a digital scrapbook freebie for everyone to download for FREE.

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Recipe Thursday | Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

This week's Recipe: 
So I shared this recipe a couple of years ago. The original was from Bakerella, but I have now added my own personal touches and have made it my own! These are the perfect treat for holidays (especially Christmas and Valentine's Day) and really any day that you want to make better!  When you usually think of homemade oreos - you think of using a chocolate cake mix - but I promise you the Red Velvet ones are so much better!

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

by DeDe Smith

Ingredients:

1 box red velvet cake mix

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients until combined. 

Put a spoonful of cookie batter into your hand and roll it into a ball. Place onto baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool.

Cream Cheese Filling

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature

8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 pound of powdered sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

In a mixer: cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Gradually add sugar and mix until smooth.

* You can just use a jar of store-bought cream cheese frosting too! 

Spread filling one one cookie and then top with another one!

Makes about 24 cookies or 12 cookie sandwiches.

 

MORE FUN:

Now here's where you can get lots more creative and make these cookies more festive!


** Using small metal cookie cutters - take the cooled baked cookies and cut out shapes. Then put small amount of filling in between 2 shaped cookies.

*  Try coloring your filling!


* After filling and topping your cookies - roll sides in sprinkles!

YUMMY and so much fun! Have your kids help too!

______________________________

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you! I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!

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Wednesday SayingZ | Life Big

{ This week's quote }
It's the little things that make life big!

DOWNLOAD LINK

Each Wednesday, I am going to be sharing a quote/saying with you! 

I am a collector of quotes/sayings/scrapbook titles, etc. and I love to hear new ones! So, each week, I will share a quote/saying with you that I hope will inspire you and make your day a little better! I also create pieces of wordart with these quotes each week and offering them to you as a freebie!!!  Feel free to use them in your scrapbook layouts or just print them out for great wall decor!

If you have any great quotes/sayings - feel free to send them in to me at dedesmith32@gmail.com - I would love to use them!

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Family History TuesdayZ | Hospitalizations/Surgeries

Here is this week's journal prompt :

My Memories :

My first surgery occurred 8 months after I was married. We had struggled with “relations” and we finally discovered the reason. I had a tennis-ball sized cyst in my most private of areas. Thank goodness it was benign and it was removed in an out-patient surgery. I was sore for awhile, but the recovery wasn’t too bad.

My next surgery occurred in 2005 - three weeks after my Bethie was born. JJ, Beth and I were living with Joey’s parents, while he worked away from home. Joey had been able to spend a week with us after Beth was born, but had gone back to work.  We had already blessed Beth in church and we were just getting into a routine.  I remember nursing Beth and getting both kids to sleep at about midnight. I had started not feeling really well and was up most of the night. The pain got worse and worse and I started throwing up. I thought for sure I had some kind of flu. When it was morning I took JJ upstairs and asked my mother-in-law if she could watch him for the day. Then I spent the rest of the day hovering in pain between the bedroom and the bathroom. I was definitely grateful that Beth was a newborn and just slept most of the time. I did nurse her when she needed it. Finally about 6pm, Joey’s mom came downstairs and said that she thought it might be my appendix. I couldn’t believe it because I had always heard that with the appendix, it hurt on the right side. I hurt clear across my stomach and back.  But the pain was so bad that I didn’t complain when she hauled me and the kids into her car to head into town to the hospital. In the ER, I finally found relief when they ushered in pain meds into an iv line. After lots of tests, they confirmed my mother-in-law’s suspicions - that my appendix needed to come out. I sent the kids home for the night with my mother-in-law and was alone in the hospital. As I waited for surgery (an accident came in and they had to delay my surgery for several hours) - waves of emotion swept over me. I felt bad that I was leaving the kids with my mother-in-law alone and that she was going to have to deal with a newborn who wouldn’t take a bottle. I felt scared about having surgery and just felt so alone. I talked to Joey on the phone and even though he wanted him there terribly - I felt like he should stay at work.  I was just so grateful that I was finally not feeling the pain - thanks to the meds. But I was tired and emotional and I was sore from not being able to nurse. FINALLY, I was taken into surgery. Everything went well and I woke up the following morning to another room and my husband waiting for me. He had disregarded my worries and came anyway. I was so grateful. I guess I had other visitors (my cousin and his family) when I was still coming out of anesthesia but I don’t remember it. I guess I was pretty silly under the meds and said some pretty funny stuff (none of which I remember). My parents ended up visiting as well. The worst part was not being able to nurse and not seeing my kids. I did pump and that helped. I remember having an awful nurse. My arm started hurting so badly and it turned out that the iv had gotten plugged. They had to move the iv to the other side and it took the nurse several tries before finally getting it in. I coudn’t even move my arm for awhile after that. It was such a relief to finally leave the hospital and come home to my children. My amazing mother-in-law had taken such good care of them - but my little baby was very happy to finally get to nurse. I actually was able to bounce back pretty fast and life went on.

My next and hopefully my last surgery occurred the week before Thanksgiving in 2011. I started having troubles a couple of months before that. I wasn’t digesting food well and it didn’t matter what I ate - I was always in pain. I lost about 20 pounds (which wasn’t a bad thing) - when Joey finally got me to go to the doctor. After several testing throughout a couple of weeks - they decided that my gallbladder had to come out. It was an easier surgery - I was in and out within a few hours, but boy was the recovery painful. I was sore for a few weeks. Life without a gallbladder has its ups and downs, but its nice to know that 2 of the organs that our body does not necessarily need are gone and I won’t have to go through that again!

My 2 other hospitalizations were the birth of my children.

Each Tuesday, I am going to be offering prompts or ideas. If you don't write in your journal regularly - I am going to encourage you to write just ONCE A WEEK and answer the question/idea that I give on Tuesdays. These ideas hopefully will spark a memory and you will be able to capture that in what you write/record so that it can be left for your children/grandchildren/family/friends. Give as much detail as you can when answering.

Will you do this for me? Will you do this for your families? You can write it down in a journal, you can type it up on a computer or journaling software, you can take a recorder and talk, you can videotape your answers, you can even scrap a page with the journaling. It doesn't matter how you do this - it's just important that you do it. The memories, the dates, the information is the only real thing we can leave to our families when we are gone.

If I come up with other family history ideas - I will be sure to share it here too - and if you want to share with me your ideas - that would be wonderful and I'd be glad to share them here too. Just comment here or email me at dedesmith32@gmail.com.

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Monday Magic: It Takes a Village

So my brother and his wife stayed at my house this weekend and it was really nice to have them. They were married in May and I haven't really had a chance to get to know Brittani yet and it was good to have some time with them. We went to dinner and then after the kids went to bed, we stayed up for a few hours and just talked.  Actually, it was probably safe to say that I did most of the talking. Apparently, I have not had much adult conversation lately, because I just kind of monopolized the conversation. I hope they weren't too put out - LOL. 

Anyways, one of the things that we talked about was how Beth can be such a girly girl, but is not afraid to get dirty and do stuff more tomboy too. She likes to be outdoors and to play in the dirt. She loves to ride horses and go to the family ranch.  But she also adores playing dress up and getting her hair and nails done. I guess she has the best of both worlds.  :)

Now for myself - I guess I'm too much of a tomboy. I don't like to get dressed up - would rather wear sweats or jeans anyday than a dress. Don't do much with my hair - I don't wear make-up very often - I don't even have my ears pierced. And my nails look terrible because I'm a nail-biter.  The only times my nails looked good was for my wedding, since I actually got fake ones put on. 

So my poor daughter doesn't get her hair done by me very well and I don't think I have ever painted her nails - but she loves getting her nails painted! Something pretty magical happened for her when Aunt Becki joined the family. Whenever we visit with her and also for her birthday - she gets pretty pampered by Becki and always comes away with pretty nail paint and stickers.  In fact, there are current plans for Beth's birthday to have a nail-painting party this coming year.

So as I was talking with Lane and Brittani - I discovered that Brittani is a big nail person and always has her nails painted and looking good. I was actually excited to hear this because I think it will be a pretty special bonding experience if we can get Brittani and Becki together to do the nail party for Beth!  B-B-B - that works out pretty well doesn't it?  So not only will I NOT have to get my princess on - but Beth can have that special experience with her Aunts. It can be something that she gets only with them and I think that is so magical!

I was thinking about when I was growing up and there was a special time during a few summers that I got to go - by myself - to my aunt's house (and later on - my cousin's house - since she is older than me and started a family while I was still young). It was so amazing for me. They pampered me to death and to this day, I still feel a closeness with them because of that special time that they gave me.

I'm so glad that I can give this to Beth - a bonding closeness with her Aunts. A thing that I can't give to her and that someone else can. I think there is something just so magical about special traditions with family and/or friends. As they say -

It takes a Village...

and how cool is that. To be able to bond not only with family, but maybe special friends or extended family that give you other opportunities to learn/grow/experience that you wouldn't have with just your immediate family. What magical memories for children - to sometimes go outside of their home and have special things that aren't everyday occurrences. I'm not saying that building memories inside your family aren't important, I'm just saying that I think letting other people be a part of your kids' lives are good too.

I know that was quite a rambling post, but it was something that I thought about this weekend.


So do you or did you have special traditions with extended members of the family (or friends) for you and/or your children?

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Each Monday (that doesn't have a new release), I am going to be offering a little Magic to start your week. It might be a fun idea, some inspiration, a tutorial, or just sharing some thoughts - Whatever I feel like! So come back and share your thoughts too!

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I'm LDS - That's Why!

 

 

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is sometimes referred to as the Mormon Church or the LDS Church. I don't speak about it often here on my blog, because religion can be a hard subject to talk about and I don't want to offend anyone. But the truth is, I am proud to be a member of the LDS Faith. I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and I know he is my Savior.  I know that the scriptures are true, including the Bible and The Book of Mormon. I know Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers and I know that my family can be together forever. 

My church has been put on the spotlight a lot lately, with the fact that Mitt Romney - who is a member of the LDS Church too - is campaigning to be President of the United States. Of course with all religion issues, there are always people who disagree and there are misunderstandings. Check out THIS about one of the leaders of my church who with other faiths discussed religion and politics.

I feel like it is important to respect the beliefs of other and I hope that you all can respect mine as well.  I have decided that I wanted to share the truth about the beliefs of my church in a way that hopefully will be respectful, truthful, and just share a bit of my soul with you.  So I have decided to write some posts that will reference articles about my church as well as share my testimony with you, because this church is a huge part of who I am.  You, of course, can take it or leave it as you see fit. Thanks for your support.


There is a fabulous site called Gospel Ideals that shares many wonderful articles about my church and gospel principles. I'd like to share some of them with you today!

The Parable of the Strawberry by Ronda Hinrichsen
A fun article about how important one good person living his or her religion and the power of one good plant!

Sabbath Day by Michael Young
Talks about the blessings and importance of keeping the Sabbath Day Holy.

Is there a God by Andrea Pearson
A strong testimony that our Heavenly Father exists and that he loves us.

 

___________________

I belong to The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints. In an effort to share my testimony of my Savior and share some of the beliefs of my church - I will be writing a post with references to articles about my church. I don't want to offend anyone, but I do want to carve out a little space on my blog, where I feel like I can share my beliefs and my soul, because this church is a huge part of who I am. Please feel free to email me or comment if you have any questions. Please note that the posts are personal and are in no way officially endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
 

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Challenge Saturday | Facebook Page Challenge

Today's challenge will be featured on my FACEBOOK PAGE! So head on over there - if you haven't liked the page yet, go ahead and do that - and then get the challenge! 

You will receive a small ClusterZ StackZ & ScatterZ kit that coordinates with MOON ON THE RANGE for doing the challenge!
I'm afraid I'm a little less on the ball right now. I didn't get it done yet - but I will before Tuesday and then show it off so you can see it!

So please come and join the fun! I can't wait to see your layouts!

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High/Low + Freebie | September 21, 2012

My LOW this Week is that I did not move on in the designer contest.  I worked hard on my entry and really thought it was up to par. Dang it!  But I am still going to do the play-along contest and keep learning! That's what it is all about anyways.  I've decided that I really need to learn to take criticism better. Obviously, I felt sorry for myself and I gotta cut that out!

My HIGH for this Week is that its Friday and that means time with my hubby. I love that he gets Fridays off now and we can spend the morning/afternoon together - just us - while the kids are in school.  I just love my husband more and more every day and I'm so grateful that I have him in my life.

I have a freebie for you today - the next in my ChibiZ Collection - here is TIGGER! Have a great weekend!

DOWNLOAD LINK

High/Low + Freebie Posts | Each Friday, I get a little personal and share my high and low points of the week and then I offer a digital scrapbook freebie for everyone to download for FREE.

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Recipe Thursday - Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodles

This week's Recipe:

I love these perfect snickerdoodles. Just the right amount of chewiness, but still soft. Perfect! Unfortunately, I keep forgetting to take a photo of them when I make them - so this photo is from Our Best Bites! Make them today - you won't be able to eat enough! :)

Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodles

by Our Best Bites

1 ¾ cups sugar (12.25 oz), divided
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 ½ cups (12.5 oz) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt*
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter* (not margarine) at room temp
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 large eggs
*if using salted butter, just omit table salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in shallow dish and set aside.  Whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl.
Beat butter, shortening, and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

Reduce speed of mixer to low and slowly add flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds.  Give dough final stir to ensure that no flour pockets remain.

Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls.  Working in batches, roll dough balls in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet spaced 2 inches apart.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until edges of cookies are set and just barely beginning to brown, but centers are still soft and puffy, about 10-12 minutes.  The cookies should look raw between the cracks and seem underdone.  Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. 

Makes about 2 dozen 3-4 inch cookies.

______________________________

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you! I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!

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Wednesday SayingZ | Home/Family/Blessing

{This week's quote }
Having somewhere to go is
HOME
Having someone to love is
FAMILY
Having both is a
BLESSING

DOWNLOAD LINK

Each Wednesday, I am going to be sharing a quote/saying with you! 

I am a collector of quotes/sayings/scrapbook titles, etc. and I love to hear new ones! So, each week, I will share a quote/saying with you that I hope will inspire you and make your day a little better! I also create pieces of wordart with these quotes each week and offering them to you as a freebie!!!  Feel free to use them in your scrapbook layouts or just print them out for great wall decor!

If you have any great quotes/sayings - feel free to send them in to me at dedesmith32@gmail.com - I would love to use them!

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Enter to Win The Avengers on Two-Disc DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack – Ends 9/30

So who watched Avengers? I watched it a little late in the game, but I enjoyed it.  I need to go back and actually watch the individual movies of the characters - but I got behind!  I did enjoy the movie though!  So who is excited for The Avengers to come out on DVD/Blu-ray next week?  If you haven't already pre-ordered your movie - I have a great giveaway for you!

I recently discovered an awesome family-oriented movie website!  Mommy Bear Media specializes in family, children and Christian movies and brings family-friendly entertainment to everyone in the family.  They also try to educate readers so they can make an informed decision about whether they want to watch a movie or not.  We have a blog where we focus on great movies you may not have heard of, lists of the best family-friendly movies and fun movie ideas. 

Isn't that awesome?  The world definitely needs a place like this for our families! And they have some amazing deals right now!

* Their LeapFrog products are on sale! Stock up for Christmas presents!

* They are hosting an amazing Twitter Party with lots of prizes, so mark your calendars for October 3rd!

* And there is some other great giveaways happening - like a $100 gift code, the Harry Potter Blu-ray Complete Series....

OH YEA! And the awesome The Avengers DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack Giveaway that I mentioned at the top of this post!  Go check it out and its a blog hop, so there are lots of fun other posts to read too!

So lots of exciting things happening at Mommy Bear Media - Please come on over and check it all out! I think it will be your #1 place to buy family entertainment!

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Family History TuesdayZ | First Date

Here is this week's journal prompt :

My Memories :

I can’t at all say my first date was a good experience - actually for me it was mostly embarrassing.

The summer before my junior year in high school, I turned 16. I was not the type of girl who boys wanted to date - I was more the friend and the go-between my girl friends and the boys that liked them.  I had a few crushes and such but I was in no way close to having a date. Being a teenager, it was the worst feeling in the world to not be “liked.”

Junior prom came around and it was a big deal in my very small hometown high school.  There were 28 kids in my Junior class and everyone of them - except for me - had a date to prom.  On the day of the prom, I sat in the school office making up the prom booklets (I was on the prom committee) and feeling pretty darn sorry for myself. Some friends decided to help and went ahead and setup a blind date for me with a 19-year-old who was a brother of a new girl in my school.  I couldn’t say no, but I felt really stupid that my first date was going to be a blind date and to prom of all things and with a boy that was 3 years older than me (that was pretty weird when you are in high school). I went on the date - thank goodness it was with a group - and that boy didn’t say one word to me the entire day. I tried to strike up a conversation, but he was even more shy than I was. I felt so stupid. We went hiking and had a dinner at a friend’s house and it was fun as long as I didn’t try to talk to my date.  When it came time for the dance - I was dropped off and I got ready at a friend’s house. When I arrived back home - I discovered that my date had already been there to “meet the parents.” He came back a few minutes later and  we went up to the high school for the dance. It was the most awkward experience of my life. We danced like maybe twice, got our picture taken, and he still didn’t talk to me. The photographer made him put his hands around my waist and that was so awkward. I was pretty much relieved when the night was finally over. I never actually saw my date again. He went off on a mission and I don’t know where he is now. I have always felt bad that my prom experience was not something magical, but I suppose there is something to having your first date be a disaster - at least its something to laugh about now.

Each Tuesday, I am going to be offering prompts or ideas. If you don't write in your journal regularly - I am going to encourage you to write just ONCE A WEEK and answer the question/idea that I give on Tuesdays. These ideas hopefully will spark a memory and you will be able to capture that in what you write/record so that it can be left for your children/grandchildren/family/friends. Give as much detail as you can when answering.

Will you do this for me? Will you do this for your families? You can write it down in a journal, you can type it up on a computer or journaling software, you can take a recorder and talk, you can videotape your answers, you can even scrap a page with the journaling. It doesn't matter how you do this - it's just important that you do it. The memories, the dates, the information is the only real thing we can leave to our families when we are gone.

If I come up with other family history ideas - I will be sure to share it here too - and if you want to share with me your ideas - that would be wonderful and I'd be glad to share them here too. Just comment here or email me at dedesmith32@gmail.com.

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July 2012 Round-up

Since I have decided to take a little break from Life 365 this year, I have decided to participate in monthly Round-Ups instead! I've been following The Scrapbook Lady for years, and I have always admired her Round-ups. It was about time that I give it a try!

JULY 2012

So I got behind on this challenge and July is just a blur - I'll try to at least remember some of the things we did!  We did do a couple of big outings and so this is going to be a picture heavy post!

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

We had a great 4th of July with Cody, Becki, Mallory (and Becki's sister, Ashley).  We started the day bright and early and went to the Hot Air Balloon Festival.  We had never seen it before and now I think we are definitely going to have to make it a tradition!

We went early enough to see the balloons get blown up. It was so interesting to watch! Beth loved all the colors and it was just really neat!




















































































































































And then to watch them all float off into the air was an awesome sight!


















We then headed off for a leisurely breakfast at IHOP.  Then we went to the booths/parade. We didn’t really watch much of the parade, but we enjoyed walking through the booths and seeing the fun items for sale.  Beth picked out a beautiful Japanese fan and JJ got a double lightsaber.  We also had some delicious Strawberry Mango drinks! The kids got their face painted. Beth’s was a beautiful sparkly glittery rainbow and JJ got a full pirate face.  Unfortunately, the lady painted right in JJ’s eye and he was not thrilled about that.



















We then went back home and went swimming in the trailer park’s pool. We had the pool to ourselves most of the time and it was really fun - although we all got sunburned.

We ended the day with Firecracker Floats! A fun-filled Independence Day!

July was also home to our Smith Family Summer Camp. The kids really enjoyed all the fun activities we did every day - Reading, writing, Crafts, Library outings, lots of time at the water park, researching and playing on the computer, exercising, helping mom with housework, etc. They loved earning points and had so much fun turning them in for even more fun outings with the family.

JJ had summer school every week day.  Beth attended a 2 week Science camp that she adored. The kids took a 2 week swimming course and Beth discovered she was a fish!  She is so into swimming now and its so fun to see her enjoy it and be brave and actually SWIM!



And we got to take a weekend trip to Vernal and stay with Uncle Cody, Aunt Becki, and cousin Mallory.  Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Clint came too. We had a houseful, but we enjoyed every minute of it.

We began our trip with a stop for a late lunch at one of our favorites in Heber - the Dairy Keen.  They have the regular hamburgers, fries, shakes kind of of thing - but they also have this fun electric train that runs on a track over your head.  We enjoy eating and watching the train. Joey is never really into ice cream - but he loves the chocolate shakes at Dairy Keen so we had to get one!

We finally arrived in Vernal and enjoyed dinner as a family! We stayed up rather late playing board games, laughing and visiting.

The next day was full of activity. We started with a hike to some indian petroglyphs. My dad has always had a interest in History. Many of our vacations focused on seeing indian ruins and drawings or ghost towns or other historical sites.  Because of that - I think my siblings and I have just been instilled with that same kind of interest.  My daughter is now really interested as well and so this was a really great outing for us!  It was overcast so it wasn't hot and we enjoyed visiting and just kind of took it slow. We spent a couple of hours and it was really fun!

After our hike, which ended in a bit of rain. We had packed a lunch and so we headed into town to find a park.  As we approached a big park in Vernal, we discovered a car show going on.  Of course, we had to stop and look at cars. We also had our lunch and played on the playground. They had the most interesting and fun playground equipment and even Joey couldn't get enough of it. There was a particularly fun spinny thing that used your own balance/and weight to automatically send you spinning. Joey loved it.  I just feel bad that I didn't get a picture of him spinning!

Then we visited the dinosaur museum.  The fun dinosaurs at this museum were created and located in my hometown of Orderville, until bought and taken to Vernal. So it was a must-see for us to go and say hi to these critters!  

We then headed back to the apartment for dinner, tv, board games, and more visiting. We finished off our fun-filled day with shakes at Sonic and more board games!

It was a fabulous weekend and I'm so grateful for my family and the chance we had to spend such quality time together!



Scrapbook Layouts:

I used my Americana BearZ 

and a template from The Shabby Shoppe

I used the Promise Collection by The Shabby Princess

and template from The Shabby Shoppe

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