How Often do you shampoo.......your carpet??

I can not tell you have excited I am for my new Kirby carpet cleaning system to show up in the mail!! After a year of kids, spills, dirt, plants and normal tracks I am ready to shampoo and have a beautiful carpet again. This process has taken weeks for me to decide and research the right system for the Kirby model that I have. I almost bought the pieces seperately but low and behold, there was a site that had it all and for less!! The dining room needs it the most. I have cringed while walking through that room noticing every tiny spot and it has plagued me for sure! We are leaving for a short, welcomed vacation to Brian Head, UT and when i get back there is gonna be some serious shampooing goin' on at my house! My husband thinks I am nuts because I get excited about cleaning but cleanliness is next to godliness! I love summer time and all the fun projects that come with it! after the shampoo comes the painting!

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

Hey y'all! My mother in law has taken the challenge to do the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and is raising $1800 as her goal for the cause. A simple $10 donation provides transportation to a hospital for treatments. Many women cannot beat cancer alone! Please help out in any way that you can. I have added a linky with my daughter and mother in law to make it easy to do an online donation. All the money goes straight to the foundation. Together we can make a difference!

First Five Giveaway!

The first 5 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a super-duper handmade surprise from me. What it will be and when it will arrive will be a total surprise! I make no guarantees that you will like it, but of course I'll try my best!

The catch is that you must participate as well. Write up (or copy & paste, I did!) this crafty giving game on your blog to keep the fun going. Remember that only the first FIVE comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick!

Also, if you don't have a blog, feel free to participate anyway!

Father's Day 2009

Jeremy barely made it back in time for his Father's Day celebration. He was out in Pittsburg for a few days on business and that gave us just enough time to finish his gift and buy his ice cream cake. I was not in the mood to make anything when I knew he would jump on a Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream cake. So I spent all my time in the kitchen making a fantastic dinner(way to much work on the sabbath if you ask me!) He was treated to some wonderful gifts and a nice tri-tip with mashed potatoes, gravy(he made it- i admit i can't make gravy to save my life) corn, and home made rolls. After dinner is when he opened up his gifts and ate dessert. Jeremy is the best Husband and Dad in the whole world. We should make a T-Shirt one of these days too! We love you Daddy!

Surrounded by gifts

Sarah made an awesome card at school for daddy

Our home made corkboard w/pocket and handle and pics for work

Grandma had the girls make stepping stones with their hand prints

Our Little Garden

Beautiful poppies

Is now huge! The poppies finally came out along with some other wild flowers and the cosmos finally made an appearance but i never expected them to get so tall! Wow who knew that a box of seeds would grow so beautiful. I have little expectations, but high hopes and Viola! i love to look out at my backyard and see such happy smiling faces looking back at me. Ahhhhh, life is beautiful. Not only did I help my little babies to grow I really trimmed back the bushes(spider heaven) and the random tree that was growing out of control. I did not know I would sweat so much just cutting bushes and trees. My forearms got a great work out along with my back and biceps. I should landscape more often! And I finally put a little fence in around the hedge so the plants would stay off the cement. They were super cheap but they do their job and it really pulls the flowers together nicely. Pat on my back!

June Gloom.......................

little lavender is hiding in the back

make my flower garden bloom! so these pics are 2 weeks from the last shot in the last post. wow! i love it. We are getting little birds, ladybugs, butterflies, hummingbirds, stray cats(probably after the birds) and just wonderful feeling. I call my flowers my little babies and i say good morning to them everyday! Emily goes out to the back with me and we look at the new ones that have popped up or just look for the ones that are growing and will soon open. I am so happy that I dug out all the little nasty palms for this cottage garden look. There are many more flowers to come. We have had some rain and hopefully that will help the cosmos to open up. Enjoy!

Early Spring/Summer Hiatus

(this was the growth 2 weeks ago. it is way huge now)

So I took a break to go to Utah, get sunburned, become a trekkie and a mutant, play with my girls, get stuck in Vegas traffic, sing country songs, have a 31-nst birthday(wow!) and watch my garden grow all the while thinking "oh boy, i have to move this June." I have been trying to sl owly pack, learn how to make my own chicken stock (did it for my birthday dinner!) I feel so self reliant, like I can take on the world without a grocery store, 7-11, or fast food. So you can see I have been really busy. I am looking forward to my sister coming tomorrow from Provo for a much needed visit.
We also only have 3 weeks of school left and I can't wait. We have alot of projects, trips, and just good ole fashioned lazy summer d ays coming our way-just not fast enough! Sorry I neglected y'all!

my birthday gift