Nice Townhouse For Sale

We are selling our Townhouse in Brigham City that we have been renting out for awhile.
Click Here for Details!

It is really cute with new paint, carpet and floorings. A great starter home!

Family Pictures taken by my sister in law. Thanks Chelsea!

Fam Reunion

My sister, Kelli and her husband threw the funnest Family Reunion last weekend. The highlight was the carnival with cotton candy, snowcones, doughnuts, games and face painting. The kids are still on a sugar high! Even through the rain, we had a blast!

Bear Lake 10K

I did it! I ran my first race with a little persuasion from Trevor, my sister, Julie, my Mother in law, and my friend, Tricia. We all ran it together last Saturday in Bear Lake. It was a chilly rainy day, but perfect weather for running. I pushed myself to keep up with Julie and Tricia and was 5th out of my age group. Trevor was 10th overall. I had a great time and might even do another one someday.

McKade, The Michelin Man

Want Free Lunch?

CLICK HERE to print off your free KFC meal!

The Blog Frog!

My sister just told me about BLOGFROG. This site gives you little widgets that tell you when your blog followers last posted, who last looked at your blog, who follows your blog, etc. And, it puts it on your blog for you--hassle free! Just thought you might want to know!

Oh Riley!

I love that Riley was walking around the block the other day in her huge sunglasses, talking on her cell phone, and pushing her stroller with her purse chuck full of lip gloss hanging on it. Hmmmm...where did she see that?

How to Make Collages/Layouts using Picasa 3

Okay, this is how you make Collages using Picasa 3:

First download Picasa 3 (if you don't already have it)CLICK HERE..
Your Picture files should automatically be saved into Picasa 3. (if your Picasa 3 is acting weird, just Uninstall and Reinstall a new one--it's fast and won't lose your pics)
1-Click on a Picture
2-Edit the picture by cropping and changing Effects, fixing red eye, etc.
3-Click on the picture or pictures you want to make a collage or layout of. (Hint: if choosing more than one, hold down CTRL.) It will show you on the bottom left which pics you have chosen. Then click the COLLAGE link on the bottom of Picasa. This will put your pics into a collage. Note: you can only click on pics within one folder. If you want to mix pics from other folders you will have to click CLIPS and GET MORE after you are in the Collage Page.
4- Under Settings, click on which collage style you want. If you want to make it yourself, choose Picture Pile and size and arrange the pics yourself. If you want Picasa to do the work for you, click on Mosaic or Grid. It will automatically make a layout for you. You can click SHUFFLE below the collage to get different arrangments.
5- Adjust the Grid Spacing, for wider gaps between your pics.
6-Click on the dropper tool square for background colors, then click on a color out of the color grid, or color match by clicking on clothing articles in your pic to match. (That's my favorite)
8- VERY IMPORTANT: For the Page Format, click on the size of your collage and be consistent with all of them. I choose the SQUARE layout so when I make 12x12 photo books they are the right size. If you will be making 8x10 books, choose 8x10 on each one. Just don't forget this step!
7- You will not be able to add any Text yet, so if you want text, be sure to leave a spot for it before making your collage!
8- Once your pics are arranged how you like them and you have chosen your background color and chosen your Page Format click CREATE COLLAGE.
9- Once it is 100% complete, a new page will pull up. This is where you can add Text if you want. Click on the TEXT box and then click on your collage where you want your text to go, pick your font, and color and drag your text or resize until you like it. The color of the text is made by using the dropper tool again with the circle on the left. You can also put an outline around your text by using the Text Circle on the right.
10- Once you have your text complete, and any other basic fixes you want to make, your collage is complete. Click on FILE and SAVE to get it to save to your computer's picture file as well as to Picasa. Otherwise, it will be saved into a file Picasa makes called COLLAGES. See how easy! Watch out... it's addicting.

HOW TO MAKE A PHOTO BOOK WITH COLLAGES:

1- Now that you have your collage file, highlight all the collages you would like to make a Photo Book with.
2- Click on SHOP at the bottom of Picasa and click on which website you want to order from. The best deal I've found is Winkflash because they have an on again off again Flat Rate Book Sale where you can get up to 100 pages in one book starting at 19.95 for an 8x10 book. I love the 12 x 12 which is 29.95. Anyway, you can use whatever you want, but Winkflash has worked great for me. If you don't already have an account with that website, you will set one up right there.
3- Picasa will automatically start uploading all your highlighted Collages. You can do about 100 of them in a couple hours. (This is way way faster than uploading all your pics separately and then putting them in the book!)
4- Once they are uploaded, (it will tell you in the bottom right corner of Picasa, then you go to the website you are ordering from and find them. For winkflash, I go to Winkflash.com, click on Member Sign in, I sign in and then click on Books, I do the Classic Cover Book and then I click Window Cover Book (again, whatever you want to do here).
Type in your Book name and Book Size. (Notice, there is a glitch on winkflash where sometimes it changes your books size automatically throughout the process, just make sure in the end, that you double check that it is the book size you wanted. If not, it's easy to reclick your size again)
6- Click on Start Book and it will bring up your book layout. You've already made your collages so don't worry about all the different layouts. Choose the same full page square layout for every page. If it didn't pull up your collages, click on Open Folder and choose your collage foler. Then drag and drop your already made collages from your folder into the squares.
7- Do this up to 100 pages and then follow directions to check out. Don't forget to enter the discount code for the flat rate book sale at the end. (it tells you the code on their home page).
8- Note, shipping is $6 to $10 a book and I haven't seen any free shipping codes, but it's still worth it.
You're going to love your book. They are so much nicer than just dragging and dropping pics using their system. I hope this all makes sense. Good Luck! It's really easy once you get the hang of it! Wow, that's the longest post I've ever made.

PHOTO BOOKS

So this is how my photo books turned out. I did Riley's first. It is just a typical 8 x10 photo book using the Winkflash drag and drop method. It was okay, but then I made Luke's. For his I made square collages using Picasa 3 FIRST and then uploaded them to Winkflash and ordered their 12 x12 photo book. Since the pages were all made, I used the single image layout on every page and drug each collage to its page. His book turned out amazing and colorful. And I have to say, it was even easier to make than Riley's.

So, if you are looking for an easy way to print off your pics, I think this is totally the way to go. I've researched prices on many sites, and the biggest bang for your buck is Winkflash. They are doing their Flat Rate Book Sale again now where you get to have up to 100 pages for the base price. My 12 x 12 filled with 100 pages (and probably 400 + photos) was only $29.95. I do like Blurb, but they don't have a 12 x 12 book. And now that I have done one, there's no going back.

If you want me to post more details on making theses Picasa 3 collages, leave me a comment and I'll try to make a post all about it. It's my favorite discovery. I love that I'm no longer overwhelmed by pictures and what to do with them!

McKade

Let Me Hold You Longer

I had never heard of this book until the other day. It has great illustrations and a great message. It is so true it makes me cry every time I hear it. Sometimes we need a little reminder like this.


Let Me Hold You Longer
By: Karen Kingsbury

"Long ago you came to me, a miracle of firsts:
First smiles and teeth and baby steps, a sunbeam on the burst.
But one day you will move away and leave to me your past,
And I will be left thinking of a lifetime of your lasts.
~~~~~
The last time that I held a bottle to your baby lips.
The last time that I lifted you and held you on my hip.
The last time when you woke up crying needing to walked.
When last you crawled up with your blanket, wanting to be rocked.
~~~~~
The last time that you ran to me still small enough to hold,
The last time when you said you'd marry me when you grew old.
Precious, simple moments and bright flashes from the past -
Would I have held you longer if I'd known they were the last?
~~~~~
Our last adventure to the park, your final midday nap,
The last time when you wore your favorite faded baseball cap.
Your last few hours of kindergarten, last days of first grade,
Your last at bat in Little League, last colored picture made.
~~~~~
I never said goodbye to all your yesterdays long past.
So what about tomorrow -- will I recognize your lasts?
~~~~~
The last time that you catch a frog in that old backyard pond.
The last time that you run barefoot across our fresh-cut lawn.
Silly, scattered images will represent your past.
I keep on taking pictures, never quite sure of your lasts...
~~~~~
The last time that I comb your hair or stop a pillow fight.
The last that I pray with you and tuck you in at night.
The last time that we cuddle with a book, just me and you.
The last time you jump in our bed and sleep between us two.
~~~~~
The last piano lesson, last vacation to the lake.
Your last few weeks of middle school, last soccer goal you make.
I look ahead and dream of days that haven't come to pass.
But as I do, I sometimes miss today's sweet, precious lasts...
~~~~~
The last time that I help you with a math or spelling test.
The last when I should that yes, your room is still a mess.
The last time that you need me for a ride from here to there.
The last time that you spend the night with your old tattered bear.
~~~~~
My life keeps moving faster, stealing precious days that pass.
I want to hold on longer -- want to recognize your lasts...
~~~~~
The last time that you need my help with details of a dance.
The last time that you ask me for advice about romance.
The last time that you talk to me about your hopes and dreams.
The last time that you wear a jersey for your high school team.
~~~~~
I've watched you grow and barely noticed seasons as they pass.
If I could freeze the hands of time, I'd hold on to your lasts.
For come some bright fall morning you'll be going far away.
College life will beckon in a brilliant sort of way.
~~~~~
One last hug, one last good-bye, one quick and hurried kiss.
One last time to understand just how much you will be missed.
I'll watch you leave and think how fast our times together passed.
Let me hold on longer God, to every precious last.

Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls RECIPE

I made these tonight after finding this recipe. What a great idea to make a safe to eat cookie dough and keep it frozen in the freezer for times of need. :) My kids thought they were a hit and I did too. Can't wait to make a shake with them!

Click Here for This fun little craft to use your Mismatched Gloves!

5 8x10s for .99 Shipped!!

5 8x10 Collage Prints 99 cents shipped from Artscow
Get 8"x10", matte finish, 5 pieces at $0.99 with free shipping! Additional print at $0.49/each only.

Get them now & Share with your friends!!!

Checkout Code : 5PCS8X10
Expires on 03/31/2009

Winkflash 100 Page Book Deal for $19.95 again!

Winkflash 100 Page Book Deal!

Hey, this is a great deal on a photo book if you have a bunch of pics to publish. This if for the 10x8 or 8x8. Or you can get the 12x12 for $29.95. Plus shipping is around $6. Good deal! I was able to get about 500 pics in the 12x12.

Obsessed with Sewing Right Now

"Look Mommy, I'm A Jaguar"

These are not the words you want to hear when you know your daughter has been playing with markers...this was the outcome. The worst part is after I scrubbed it off that night I woke up to the same face two days later. She is obsessed with Jaguars and thinks that she is one. But at this point the markers are on the top shelf of her closet.

Free Quiznos!!

FREE QUIZNOS SUB!

The first Million to register get a free sub coupon!

GREAT DIAPER DEAL! STOCK UP!

I just ordered 456 diapers and got them for only 9 cents each! They were size 2. So depending on size, you can save quite a bit! Not to mention it is TAX FREE!

In a nutshell...

1-Go to Diapers.com
2-Add at least $49 of diaper in your cart (for free shipping)
3-At checkout use code AFF10 to get $10 off (First Time Shoppers only)
4-Enter this Referral Code TAMI0849 on the shopping cart screen when you place your FIRST order of diapers. This gives me credit for referring you! Thanks!
5- Print off the Parenting Magazine Refund sheet (link below) and mail in with your receipt to get $15 rebate in the mail. Click Here
6- You will be e-mailed your own referral code to start referral bonuses if you want!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS AND EXAMPLES!

Preschool Valentine Party

Is he REALLY this old already?

Mr. Snowman

We finally got out and played in the snow this week and man, did we ever get some snow. It was so heavy and wet we whipped up this snowman really fast. I stayed out long enough to help with the snowman and shovel the driveway and Riley and Luke played outside with their friend until they were soaked. I had as much fun as they did I think.

So how do you preserve your Memories?

I'm trying to decide what to do with all of our many pictures. I used to be a huge fan of scrapbooking until I realized how much it was costing me to do it. Not worth it. I'd rather use the fun embellishments to make a cute card or project here and there, not for every picture.

So, then there is Digital Scrapbooking. Which, as you can see, I just started. It's really fun and completely free so far. I just used free downloads from places like shabby princess. But, then you have to eventually get those printed (if you're like me and virtual isn't good enough) and it is pricy to print 12 x 12 sheets. I have 500 pics of Riley alone from 2008. (These are the good ones I have picked out!) So, I need something that will be cost effective. What I've decided to do are the photo books like the pic above. They are usually about 20 pages for $20 for an 8x10 book and are always having new promotions. (Last week on winkflash I made an 8x10 100 page book for $20 and put 488 pics in it!). So, I think I will make the photo books for each of my kids at the end of each year. That way, I can throw in some of my digital layouts I make and some journaling as well. It's the best of both worlds. And, the point is, it gets done. I would never have been able to scrapbook all those pictures and would've ended up overwhelmed and not doing any, or just picking a few of them in the end.

BTW I'm not knocking anyone who scrapbooks. I think that it is great some people do all that. My sisters are amazing little scrappers. I'm just trying to figure out the most time and cost effective way to print our photos. To me, everything has to be worth the time and energy as well as money that has been put into it. So, what's your opinion? How do you preserve your memories? I would love to hear ideas!

Digital Scrapbooking

Here's my first Digital Scapbooking layout. I was just messing around to see if I could really do this. Wow. Not so hard after all. I'm excited to do more.

McKade 3 Months

McKade lights up our whole house with his smile. He is the sweetest little guy. I am sad he is already so big, but I love seeing every new step. We love you, McKade.

Vote For Luke!!

Luke has entered the Walking with the Dinosaurs contest on Good Things Utah. If he gets enough votes for his Dinosaur Roar Video we could win tickets to the show. If you want to cast your Vote click the link below. His video is called "Luke wants to see Walking with the Dinosaurs". If you click on the link below you can click on his video and watch it. Then if you click on the "Vote" Icon it will have you register to vote... Just wants your name, e-mail, and a couple items to get you registered. Then you can vote!

Thank you all for your votes so far!! Trevor's sister told me he was shown on Good Things Utah today, Wednesday. Maybe they'll show him again tomorrow. Keep on watching!



Click Here to See Luke's Video and Cast Your Votes!

My New Niece

Ella Ryan was born to Ryan and Chelsea on Dec.30th. She is adorable and everyone is doing great. All these new babies are so fun. (Thanks for letting me steal your pic, Chels)

Simplify Supper!

This is the best website to help you organize your meal planning:

Click Here

On this site you can choose from tons of simple yummy recipes, compile a week's worth of meals or a whole month, and print off a grocery list! It will help me keep my upcoming New Year's Resolution to cook more!

Temple Square

We picked THE coldest day of the year to go see the Temple Square lights. We went with my sisters and their kids and my brother, Brett. It was fun but miserably cold.

Riley's 5th Birtthday

Riley's 5th Birthday was filled with preschool and a friends and family party at Chuck E. Cheese, Jaguar cupcakes (by her request, are you kidding me??), a way overpriced Build a Bear at the mall, a My little pony cake that night with Grandpa and Grandma Crane and the Griggs and lots of presents. It was an exhausting day, but we all had a Blast!

Christmas Outfits

Our kids wore their Christmas outfits to my parent's ward. They were so cute. I love how mad Ethan was about taking pics...

Family Christmas Party

We had a great family Christmas Party a couple weekends ago at my parent's house and my brother's restaurant.

Santa is Real in Our Town

We went and saw Santa at the cute little park here last Saturday with my sisters and their boys. He was the sweetest, friendliest, most Santa like guy I've ever seen. Could he really be the real Santa? He didn't even have a fake beard on! We were all believers that day. :)

Anyone Else have this problem?

I just took these two funny pics today. Let me explain... I have been upset that my kids ate their cute chocolate advent calendars from Grammy within 10 minutes one morning. Then I was upset that they made these cute advent calendar ribbons at preschool with a candy on the ribbon for each day and Luke quietly finished his up that afternoon in his bedroom. This is a pic of his ribbon as of today, the 18th. Well, then I saw this candy cane hanging on our tree. The cute Rudolph that they made with Aunt Julie a couple weeks ago was half eaten and hung back on the tree as if no one would ever know. Are they really that desperate for sugar? I have to say no, because they have 6 cavities between the two of them. So anyway, I was a little frustrated until I saw my cousin, Anne Marie's post about her kids eating their advent calendars already and even her helping. I laughed so hard and then realized it really is funny. We will work on the self control issue later. It's the holidays!