Emily's friend gifts

So I have been busy making neighbor gifts, family gifts and friend gifts. Emily wanted something small to give to a couple of girls and I happened to get a great idea from a girl that used to work at my store. She came into the store with these cute "books" with chapstick in them. I thought I could do that for Emily's little friends and I did. The major problem I had was finding chapstick with clips on them. I finally found these colorful bonnebell ones at Target. They matched the MME Christmas line so well! I covered each chapstick with paper that coordinated with the "book". Its not an expensive gift but I am sure her friends will love it.

My third child

I have come to the conclusion that I am the only adult that lives in this household. Chris is the enforcer when it comes to discipline but he is also the dad that will play with the kids on their level. Case in point, yesterday the kids decided to make a play house inside the closet that houses our scrapbooks and books in the family room. I was working at my desk down there when Chris yelled for help. It seems that he tried to get into their play house and got himself stuck. It was hard for me not to laugh at my dear hubby when I was pulling him out of the closet. I couldnt resist taking a photo and he said "whatcha ya gonna do, put it on facebook?" No, I decided to put it on this blog instead and we will see if he ever finds out LOL!

He's BACK!!

That is Timmy the elf is back in the Kimball household. This jolly little guy normally flies down from the North Pole around this time of year to keep his eye on Casey and report back to Santa. Every morning Casey runs around the house looking to find out where Timmy has "landed". This morning he was upside down hanging in the stairwell to the basement. That Timmy is quite the funny little elf. I really dont think that Casey is paying too much attention to the fact that Timmy is suppose to be reporting back to Santa because Casey hasnt been the best of boys lately. This might lead to Timmy hand delivering a note from the big guy in red like he did last year. I will keep yall posted on the lastest developments with Casey and Timmy.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas

Years past, we have not decorated the outside of our house with lights. This is mainly because Chris was not home to do it. Well this year is different. We live in a little area called the "berry patch" (all the road names have berry in them). It consists of a circle of houses and my guess is that there are about 40 houses in our "patch". We didnt want to stand out like a sore thumb so we decided to decorate (modestly). Chris purchases the icycle light and clips weeks ago but hadnt gotten around to doing it yet. Yesterday was the day! He and Casey went outside when Emily ran to the grocery store. These lights went up quick and they look so good. I also purchased some little snowman lanterns that are solar powered. I love them! They glow three different colors and add just the right touch to the front path way. The lights might not look like alot to some but it is more than we have ever had. Maybe next year we will add a lawn ornament or two LOL!

Our little Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving finally arrived. I was not looking forward to it this year since we would be away from our friends and family. I have been spoiled for the last 8 years. We would travel to my mother's house when we were stationed in Alabama and before that we went to my Aunt PoPo's for a huge family Thanksgiving. Needless to say, I havent cooked a whole Thanksgiving meal in a LONG TIME!
It was a very quiet and relaxful day here in Utah. I cooked a turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and a salad. We ate early and didnt over stuff ourselves. Casey hated the Turkey as usual. We tried to pass it off as a big chicken but he was too smart for that. Emily told me that the meal was awesome and ate alot. Chris seemed to be content too. We did get to have some of Chris's peanut butter pie. That was the one thing that Casey liked. He actually licked his plate clean.
After dinner Emily and I decided to go shopping at Old Navy and Michaels. Overall it was a nice day with my little family that I will treasure for years to come.

Some crafty goodness

Since I have moved to Utah, I have been crafting quite a bit. Utah is filled with wonderful craft stores and very inspirational women. It is hard for me to choose just one type of craft to do too. I love scrapbooking but I also love quilting, card making, cross stiching, wood working....The list could go on and on. I tell you this state truly inspires my creativity. And being surrounded by such creative people at home and at work doesnt hurt either LOL!
A couple of weeks ago I attended a crafting event here in my neighborhood. It was actually put on by the church here and the neighborhood women were kind enough to invite me because they know I love to craft. You could sign up for different kits and work on them there during the event. I signed up for 3 different classes. Here are photos of two of them. The family yahtzee has to be my favorite. It is a darling way to incorporate your family right into the game. I love this set and I am afraid to use it. Thanks to my friend Brooke for teaching me how to make this.
THe second is a large metal star that I covered with Graphic 45 Christmas paper and Mod Podge. I actually didnt make this there but later at home and it is bigger than the one that they made at the event. I am going to hang it in our upstair living room. I have wooden trees that I am going to cover with the same paper and embellish too. I will post some photos when I get those finished. I hoping to do this either Thanksgiving day or Friday since I have those days off.

Winter Wonderland

I still cant believe that we have snow out here and it is only November. Growing up in Maine, I dont recall getting snow this early. Sure we had snow in April but I just dont remember it in October and early November.
My kids LOVE the white stuff. Emily grew up in Maine and knows what it is like to play in the snow and get cold but Casey, thats a whole different thing. He loves it until he gets cold and that is real fast. He stood outside on Saturday and cried because he was too cold. Emily and I tried to cheer him up by running around and throwing snowballs at each other but that didnt work.
What finally did work was....Shoveling! I think I now have my snow removal crew for the winter. Casey and Emily both wanted to clear the driveway and the sidewalk. I let them have at it and they did a really good job. Lets just see how they feel when we get more than a couple of inches. Casey did have trouble lifting the snow out of the way but he used those muscles of his and dumped it on the lawn. I think he is taking right after his daddy. I know that Chris loves to shovel and mow the lawn so why not his son.
So now I am still looking at snow. It didnt melt from two days ago so that tells you that it is pretty darn cold out here. I hope your weather is nice and warm!

Hey Stranger!

Well it has been quite awhile since I have updated this blog of mine. Facebook has taken over my posts on here but I am going to make a conscious effort to be better at updating here.
Alot has happened since the last time I posted. Both kiddos have now turned a year older. It is hard to believe that I now have a daughter who is double digits! And whoever said it was the terrible twos, does not know Casey Kimball!
Our summer was pretty uneventful and very LONG! My mom, brother and his girlfriend did visit us for a week in July which was a blast. We got to go to alot of neat places and sight see around this beautiful area. We went to the great salt lake, a copper mine, and the Olympic Park in Park City. We love having visitors so if you are in the mood to see some snow head out our way where the door is always open.
School has started up again for both kids too. Emily is now in 5th grade. She is trying to adjust to life out here still and I think she is the one that is having the hardest time. She has found a few friends at school. She has a new job at school too this year. She is a hall monitor with one of her good friends. She loves it!
Casey has started preschool in our neighborhood. He goes three times a week with all the neighbor kids. His best friend and his girlfriend attend with him. He loves it! He has made some new friends too and loves living in Utah. He is the one that adjusted the best. I knew he would do just fine out here.
Chris is doing just fine at work. He spent most of the summer "molding" new chiefs for their initiation in September. He also put in his paperwork to retire. It is hard to believe that it is almost time for us to retire. It seems like we were just in Rhode Island on our first tour. Chris spends alot of time out in the garage make speakers. He is really good at it and we have some rocking speaker in our family room and he has a pair in his office.
I am busy at work. I love my job. I really dont feel like it is a job since I am surrounded by scrapbook supplies all day and people who love to scrapbook. I have made some good friends in co workers and customers. This fall I got to fly back East to attend a scrapbook retreat with my friends. It was so nice! I miss my girlfriends every day. THey "get" me and love my family. I had a blast while I was there and it was like I had never left. I was nervous that it would be different but it wasnt at all.
So that is the quick review of the last few months. I am watching the snow here ......

I'm so excited!!!

For those of you that dont know who these women are then this post might not mean anything to you. For those of you that do know who Theresa Collins, Layle Koncar and Jenni Bowlin are then you can relate to my excitement. As of this morning I am flying home to Alabama to go to a scrapbook event with some of my girlfriends. These three women are going to be teaching me and I am so excited!!! I have been following Layle Koncar's blog for ages and love her style. Then there is Jenni Bowlin whose products totally rock! And Theresa Collins who amazes me with her products (she even shops at the store I work at).
I am just as excited to spend time with my best friends in the whole wide world, my sistahs. They dont know how much they mean to me and how there constant friendship keeps me going when I am so far away. I also get to spend time with my mom, stepdad and brother. What more can a girl ask for! So I am starting the count down today...130 days to euphoria!

All Aboard!

Toady we went to the Heber Valley Railroad to visit with Thomas the train. He was here just for the weekend and we were lucky enough to get tickets to ride him. The ride to Heber City was gorgeous right through Provo Canyon (thank goodness Chris was driving because the roads were winding). When we arrived in town, we saw Thomas chugging down the tracks with other riders and this is when Casey started to get excited. It was a nice little affair. They had different activities for the children (tatoos, magician, playing with thomas train sets, bubbles and food). The highlight of the day was the train ride which lasted for about 20 minutes. We sat outside on an open train car but on the way back we decided to head inside to one of the passenger cars. It was a nice relaxing day. I think Casey and I enjoyed it more than Chris and Emily. Emily was a good sport and didnt complain but I knew she felt out of place with all the little kids. We did get her a train whistle so I think that made it a little better for her LOL.

Our first attempt at gardening

Since we dont own our house and cant have a real garden, we decided to grow some crops in planters in our backyard. We all went to Lowe's last weekend and purchased some grape tomato plants and a strawberry plant. We had gotten some planters a while back when they were on sale so we were ready to do some planting. I have never had any luck with growing anything. Maybe it was the weather down south or maybe it was that I dont have a "green thumb".
The kids have been taking turns watering the "crop" and tonight we actually tried some of our strawberries. Emily and I tasted these beauties and they were F.I.N.E. Actually, Emily wants us to go get two more strawberry plants because she thinks one plant wont fulfill her appetite for those scrumptious berries! I just hope they continue to grow and that they dont shrivel up and die like everything else I try to grow LOL!

My best Mother's day!

I had a fantastic Mother's day this year. I got to sleep in late and was woken up with presents and cards. I recieved a willow tree angel, a memory card for my camera and a book that Emily made at school. After reading the Sunday newspaper and eating my cinnamon rolls that hubby made, we piled into the car for an adventure. We decided to go up into American Fork Canyon. I had seen some photos on a neighbor friend's blog and decided to find out where that was. She told me that it was quite close to home so I thought it might be a nice trip to take. It only took us about 20 to 30 minutes to get there and it was so beautiful. We drove along the road not quite knowing where we wanted to go but the scenery was just gorgeous. We tried to go to the summit but the road was closed so we turned around and headed for the reservoir. There were alot of people fishing and walking around the lake. We decided to hike up a little path and see the lake from a different view. Well that was the wrong thing to do. The kids totally freaked out when we were walking the path because they would lose their footing whenever we went down a hill. I took these photos of Emily and Casey trying to get down from the path. I was laughing to kill myself ( I couldnt help it) Our little family went on a 50 yard hike..that was all we could handle. LOL! We did manage to find a nice paved path to walk on and it even had a walking bridge that went over the stream. We were doing fine until Chris and I saw the "Please stay on path because this is a rattlesnake area" sign. We decided it was time to turn around and go home.
I got lots of photos of the trip and downloaded them to Walmart. Our new Walmart photo center is awesome. Well back to the rest of the story. We got to go to dinner for Mother's day. We went to Tepanyaki which is very much like Shogun for you Alabama folks (it wasnt as good as Sho gun!) Casey did great this time. He only flinched a little when they started the fire on the grill. It was yummy and the people brought me a free piece of cheesecake for mother's day. I finished the day off by painting and planting out in the garage while the kids scootered. I was a relaxful, wonderful day that I will always remember. Thanks to my three loves, Chris, Emily and Casey. I love you guys lots!

School project time!

Emily has a school project due later this month and she has been working on it diligently. She had to read a book about quilts and then do a book summary. Next she had to visit a quilt shop or quilt show. Finally she had to design a quilt on paper and then make a real quilt. She has finished everything except the sewing of the "real" quilt. We went to Joanns a couple of weeks ago and she picked out some cat fabric. She decided she should make a quilt for the cats.
A couple of summers ago, EMily took a sewing class in Alabama and made a quilt. At the same time we purchased a new Janome machine which is the one she learned on. She loved sewing for a while and then, like everything else she tries, it fell to the wayside.
She started sewing Sunday and hopefully she will finish before the project is done. All those sewing skills she learned are coming back slowly.

Childs Play and the rest of our weekend with Auntie

To continue on from my last post, we took the trax into SLC so we could go to the Gateway and the Discovery Museum. It was quite a neat little place. The first floor was geared toward Casey. He got to play with construction equipment, ride in a truck and play in the water. The second floor was more Emily's thing. She got to be an anchorwoman for the news and also a meterologist. Unfortunately, this is the floor when Casey became sick and wanted to go home. I feel bad that Emily didnt get to enjoy her floor more but we made it up to her later that night. Jen, Emily and myself went to Texas ROadhouse while Chris and Casey stayed home. Us girls, had a great time and came home with full bellies. We had to say goodbye to Auntie Jen on Sunday afternoon when we took her to the airport. She made it out of here just in time for Casey to vomit all over the place. The poor boy was riding home from the airport with a mailing envelope over his mouth because I couldnt find a plastic bag in the car. He did manage to make it home before he "tossed his cookies".

All Aboard!

I promised you some infor about our adventures while Auntie Jen was here. We decided to bring the kids to the Children's Museum in downtown Salt Lake City. The museum and planeterium are located in an outside mall. This complex is called the Gateway. I was very impressed with it! I thought it would be cool for Casey and Emily to ride the TRAX into the city instead of driving and trying to find a parking space. We got on the train at the first stop and rode it for about 30 minutes. Casey was amazed at the train and the sights he was seeing out the window. It really isnt a train, more like a couple of trolley cars hooked together. Emily thought it was cool too but didnt like riding backwards.