Being Mrs. Wresh

The Happiest Day All Year!

2009-11-09T11:20:00.006-07:00

November 2, 2009.

It was the happiest day of this whole year. Our attorney called to share the news that the Judge had made his decision. He ruled in my parents favor and they now have sole custody of my niece Margie.

So many thanks to all of you family, friends, and all of my scrapping/crafting world friends who have offered your love, support, friendship, and most importantly...your prayers. Thank you so much.

God is good.

Kit: Danielle Engebretson "Pink Cashmere" coming to TheDigiChick.com on 11/12/09
Template: Kim Wresh "Something Shapely" coming to TheDigiChick.com on 11/12/09

DSD Weekend and a Wresh Family Update! Sweeeet!

2009-11-05T17:52:00.020-07:00

DSD WEEKEND
Ah yes...Digiscrap Day...which we have of course turned into a full weekend at TheDigiChick.com! Hurry, run, and check out my store at TheDigiChick. Everything is 35% off!

Most of my template sets are on sale for $1.94 and my hybrid templates are only $1.24. Very groovy.

Here are some of my favorite products that you might want to pick up!

AND NOW BACK TO YOUR REGULAR BLOG ENTRY (yes there is a blog treat at the end!)

Where to begin...ah yes...

RYAN IS 7
Ryan's birthday party is actually this weekend. Since it falls so close to Halloween there were other parties, school functions, and various activities that made last weekend a bad choice.

Saturday is his birthday party. It is a track and field party. Think potato sack races, three legged races, egg on a spoon races, relay races...you get the idea. For refreshments we are having hot dogs, punch, and cake balls instead of a cake at Ryan's request!

We did celebrate on Ryan's actual birthday. We went to town and visited Dad's office and then went out for Mexican food. Yum. Dad had balloons at his desk for Ryan too!

Later that night when Dad got home we had cake and Ryan got his birthday present. An Air Hog!

I remember when I was little telling my mom how much I loved her...then she would tell me she loved me more...and I would argue that it was not possible. My mom would just smile and tell me that I was wrong...that there was no way that I could love her more than she loved me and that I would never understand that until I had a child of my own.

Well mom is right. Like always. I never really understood until this little boy came along. I love you Ryan...to the moon and back. Happy Birthday Boo.

CHOCOLATE FROM HEAVEN
Have you ever had one of those days that was just really crappy. You know...you just want to even kind of revel in it...just roll around in your own misery. OK, maybe not. Maybe that is just me. Anyway, I digress.

I was having one of those days last week. I was miserable and doing nothing to bring myself out of it. And then I got the mail.

There was an unexpected box. I don't know about ya'll but around here we lurrrrrve "Special Deliveries". Especially if it is a surprise. And it was! My sweet friend Jenessa (who lives in Germany) sent us another box of chocolates! Yummy European chocolate and other fun treats all the way from Germany.

It changed my mood immediately. Not even because I had a replenished supply of smooth chocolate (I can be a snot about chocolate...American chocolate is too waxy)...but because someone thought of me.

It changed my mood because I am realizing more and more how God uses us all as His instruments to act as a comforter on His behalf. I thought of the time that it took Jenessa to purchase the chocolates for us, pack them up in a box, go to the post office, send it off. That was really nice. It made me feel cared for by not only Jenessa, but by heaven. I know that when we serve one another we serve our Father in Heaven. I can't help but think heaven put a bug in Jenessa's ear. Thanks J. Love you.

The boys with all the goodies from Auntie Jenessa in Germany (anyone who sends you a box of treats gets instant "auntie" status!)

JOEL IS LIGHTER BY 4 WISDOM TEETH

We know what you are thinking. Walrus.

Joel had to have all four of his impacted wisdom teeth pulled last week lest they jack up his new grill. Ouch. He opted to be knocked out and when they woke him up he looked STONED. Of course I messed with him all the way home.

Part of messing with him meant taking this picture with my cell phone and plastering it on my facebook page.

One of my friends commented that I was mean for posting such an...unfortunate...picture. Little did she know that the kid changed his profile picture to this one!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
There was lots going on this Halloween so I will start down South and work my way West!
Chase is not interested in dressing up anymore so he and his cousin Brennan sat on the porch at Grandma's House in Homestead and passed out the candy to all the little trick-or-treaters.

My mom and dad live in a really nice neighborhood with a private street. Lots of people drive specifically to their neighborhood to go trick-or-treating. The police have to block off the entrance to the neighborhood and people park on the main street and walk in.

My parents and their neighbors (I am guessing there are maybe 40 homes in the neighborhood) all decorate their yards for every holiday and Halloween is no exception. They go all out!

Margie wore her Snow White Costume. My niece Emma was a Bee and Jenna was a Fairy! SO CUTE!

My boys were...well...what else...Pirates!

I ran into my friend Natalie at the Fall Festival at Ryan's School. Look at her headband.
She is ALWAYS the cutest!

And finally, our Pumpkins. A friend of mine said they thought we probably did some really intricate carvings on our pumpkins. Nope.

The pumpkins are for the boys! They drew their designs on the pumpkins with markers and then we cut them out!

Matty wanted his pumpkin cut out sideways. Who does that? I love that he didn't care what the norm was and did things HIS way. That's my boy!

There was a Halloween Dance for the Youth too!

Joel and Hillary at the Halloween Dance.

Mr. Wresh was working the night of the dance and I needed to be there to chaperone. Since I didn't have anyone to watch the littles I took them with me. Joel taught Ryan The Macarena! I tried to upload the video of it but it was taking two million years to load. I got bored and canceled the upload. FYI - it is hilarious!

WARM FUZZIES

We made a Warm Fuzzy Jar :)

SPICY CHEESE PUFFS
This is my friend Jolene's recipe. I modified it a little for my family. There must have been a vegetable in it or something.

Package of "Scoops" Corn Chips
1 block of cream cheese
1/2 pound of Pepper Jack Cheese
1 egg

Mix the cream cheese and pepper jack together until smooth. Add the egg. I used my Kitchen Aid. Use whatcha got.

After you mix it all up drop a teaspoonful into scoops chips and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

They were a hit.

SUPER SATURDAY
Most Mormon Women like to craft. OK...NEED to craft. It is in our DNA. Resistance is futile. Crafting is our crack.

So...once a year we all get together and craft our little faces off on a Saturday morning that we call Super Saturday.

A committe of women is put together and a variety of crafts are made available to sign up for. You pay for your supplies and show up!

We had LOTS of crafty goodness this year. Here are some of the highlights!

These cute pumpkins are super easy! Cut out a circle of fabric and place a full roll of toilet paper in the center. Pull the fabric up and tuck it into the middle of the rool. For the stem roll up a bit of kraft paper and stick it in the middle. This will keep your fabric in there too! Now add some raffia and leaves (just stick them in there) and you are done! You don't even need to sew or glue any of it! Sweet!

Cute Modge Podged Frames (Hybrid Anyone?)

Tutu's (Margie is getting one too!)

Cute purse made from old pants!

LOVE LOVE LOVE this fabric flower hair clip. I am going to make them for my nieces but I think I am keeping this one for myself!

And look at me...I SEWED! I made both of the littles a cape. It has Bateman on one side and the other side is red with a Superman Logo! They turned out pretty dang good!

I am so proud of myself...I am learning to sew! Yay!!!

Of course there was food. Lots of it.

BLOG TREAT
I hope everyone has a great DSD and finds LOTS of deals! I know there are a few things I have been waiting to pick up! Here is a little something for ya'll to scrap with! Have fun!

AND I LEAVE YOU WITH
This picture of Matty...just because it is stinking cute!

Happy Fall Ya'll!

It's Ryan's Birthday!

2009-10-28T08:16:00.004-07:00

It is my baby's birthday! Where did 7 years go? I cannot believe how fast he has grown. I still remember the night he was born. You know. The 23 hours of labor followed by an emergency c-section. Life is never fair.

But then he was here and perfect...and gorgeous.

I remember the hospital was very full the night I had Ryan and they kept moving me around. They moved me to a floor where there were sick patients and my mother (who is normally quite passive and demure) had a big fat hissy fit until they put me in a SUITE on the Postpartum floor. I am not kidding. My room was huge.

While all this was happening my sister was in the nursery happily rocking her new nephew...for hours. She called him "Brown Eyes" and was smitten with him from the day he was born. I mourn the loss of the love she always showed them. Their lives will be less rich because of it.

Today I did what any responsible mother would do. I let Ryan stay home on his birthday. He gets to eat what he wants and play video games all day. This afternoon we are going to have lunch with his dad at his daddy's office. He loves that.

Ryan's birthday party isn't until November 7th so we need to party a little today too.

Tonight Ryan picked a very special dinner. Velveeta Shells and Cheese (GAG) and there will be a cake and presents.

Ryan has a little present for you too!

Just for today there are SEVEN items at TheDigiChick in my store that are priced at just $1.00. At midnight tonight the sale is over so hurry and see what Ryan has in store for you.

The cute frame above was created with elements from Kelley Mickus's kit CLICK

$2 Tuesday Maskapalooza and The Daily Digi Feature!

2009-10-27T08:02:00.004-07:00

Regularly priced at $6.99 - get it today only for $2 at TheDigiChick!
Gotta love $2 Tuesdays!

TheDigiChick is also featured today at the TheDailyDigi which is SUPER EXCITING!
Go check us out and leave us some lovin!!!

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You spin me right round baby right round...

2009-10-23T11:02:00.010-07:00

...that's the theme song for my life right now. Me just spinning around, making lists both on paper and in my mind, of things that need to be accomplished and feeling like I am getting very little done.

So when I feel overwhelmed I do what any busy wife and mom of three (who is behind on life) should do...I start surfing blogs that are written by women who have talent that is overwhelming. And they take good pictures of their creations. You know...like they care enough to have bought (or probably made) a light box to use to expertly photograph their perfect creations.

In their pictures their hair is always done and they are thin...and then...to offend me further...they know how to sew...really well.

I can't figure out how to load the bobbin on my machine and it is pissing me off to no end.

Is it wrong of me to hope that on most days their hair isn't done and that they have twisted it up on their head with a clamp (like me) and they only got dressed for the pictures. Truth be told they wear jammies most of the time...like I do. Or am I supposed to be inspired to stop eating Cheez-It's for breakfast, do my hair, and put on some real clothes. What to do, what to do?

Just when I was feeling extra frumpy I came upon a blog by a woman who I think might be perfect. Perfect pictures of her house, her crafts, posts about sweet things she does for her husband, posts about how she exercises, how she reads a dozen books a week (and reviews them), she cooks healthy meals with the produce she procured (she said that) from the farmers market, pictures of the delicious things she bakes AND she is an environmentalist...green everything...the very nerve.

She is married and seems to be about my age and has no children. I learned along time ago not to make assumptions about people with no children. First of all, it is none of my business if a couple chooses to have a family and second, I have no idea if they can.

Getting pregnant was no easy feat for me. It took a lot of time, medicine, shots, prayers, faith, money, intervention, tears, invasive procedures, and a lot of prescheduled sex. Good times. I know what it is to long for a child.

So as I read Mrs. Seemingly Perfects blog I have to wonder. Is she reading mine too? Is she thinking how good I have it with my crazy days filled with the business of being a mom? Does she wish that she had little boys who pee'd on the seat that she could complain about? Would fingerprints on, well everything, delight her? Would she think it was great fun to say "EAT YOUR DINNER" twenty times every single night of her life? Would she exchange the the spa treatments she talks about for a nursing gown with spit up on it? Does she dream of the day she can see her husband with their sleeping baby on his chest and know that kind of love?

Maybe yes, maybe no. But it gave me something to think about this morning...and a little bit of an attitude adjustment. :)

PARDON MY PICTURES
So now you know...I am a little self conscious about my non Canon Rebel, non light box, and generally non edited pictures that I post on my blog. I am just not that into it. I am a point and click girl and I need to make peace with it. There. I said it.

HOMECOMING
Joel's Homecoming was last week. He is on student council and was busy with all the activities that they had planned for the week. Friday night was the game and the dance. Joel's first formal. Hillary (Joel's girlfriend) looked so pretty. As a mom can I say how much I appreciate her modest choice of dress. Really. Thanks Hillary. Thank you for being an excellent Young Woman. Watching Joel try to put the corsage on Hillary was just as funny as you might imagine. Mercifully her mother stepped in (after we laughed ourselves silly) and helped him out.

Oh wait - one more shout out for Joely - he got his first report card for the year and had straight A's with the exception of an 88% in Pre-Calc. Who am I to sweat him over a B+ in advanced math? You make us very proud Joel.

CRAFTING
I love it. I have a few friends that I craft with from time to time and I am so excited to get to hang out with them! This week we made Fall Center Pieces from wheat stalks. Next up we are making pendant banners like the one my friend Tara is holding below but they will say "Give Thanks" on them. Can't wait!

NEW HAIR BOWS
I have been busy making hair bows for all my nieces. I swear it is therapeutic.

How hilarious is the Thanksgiving Day Bow? Ha! The one in the middle is the "Birthday Bow" for my sweet niece Baby Margie. Her Birthday is coming up and I think we all know she needs a Bow just for her birthday! The last picture is of the poinsettia bows I made for my nieces for Christmas. Margie calls her bows "pretties"! Love it!

CAKE BALLS
The other day I was craving a really good cupcake. I wanted a really yummy one too. Not some yucky dry thing from the market. I was craving one so much that I actually considered driving to Scottsdale to go to Sprinkles to subdue my craving. I am not kidding. I was ready to go. The fact that it would have been a 90 minute round trip if traffic was good was not stopping me.

I really had to reason with myself and say to myself, "Self, you are being ridiculous. Seriously. You cannot drive all the way to Scottsdale for some hoity toity cupcake. Get over it."

So myself and I compromised and I made cake balls when we got home. You may (or may not) be wondering, what are cake balls? Well, they are little nuggets of deliciousness...and I am going to tell you how to make them. They are easy.

You will need a box of cake mix, a can of prepared frosting (don't use homemade-something I rarely say), and a package of almond bark or melting chocolate that hardens when it cools. If you are too snotty for almond bark (and some people are) you will need to just move along!

Ready? Here we go.

-Bake the cake according to the directions on the back of the box for a 9x13 cake.
-When the cake comes out and while it is still warm scoop it all out of the pan and into a big bowl (I use my kitchen aid) just chunk it all in there.
-Add about 1/3 of the prepared frosting to the cake and mix it until you get a cookie dough consistency. You may need to add more of the frosting but just add it small spoonfuls at a time. If it gets too gooey it won't roll into balls.
-Use a cookie scoop to make little balls. I put mine on a jelly roll pan for this step. Once they are all made put a toothpick in the center of each of them and put them in the freezer for about two hours.
-When they come out of the freezer melt your chocolate and dip the balls using the toothpick. Set the balls on a piece of wax paper. I would suggest melting only a few bars of chocolate at a time so it doesn't all harden while you are working.
-Once the chocolate is hard, pull the toothpick out and drizzle a little more chocolate on top to cover the hole from the toothpick. I added a few sprinkles.

They are done!

People get all kinds of crazy creative making cake balls. Google "Cake Balls" and you will be amazed at the variety of flavors and neat ideas for decorating them that you will find!

THANKSGIVING SIGN
When I was cutting vinyl for some orders I received last week I cut one for myself too and made a cute Thanksgiving sign for our front door. I used some glitter paint and I love the blingy look it gave it!

I also made a cute table display for the season! The candle stick holders were my sisters and I love having her things around me. It is comforting to me.

I cut some vinyl to say Count Your Blessings and slapped it on some pumpkins. The pumpkins sit on top of the candle sticks. So cute. I keep meaning to add some rhinestones to the ribbon but I have not gotten around to it yet. I probably won't ;)

YOUNG MEN AND YOUNG WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

We had our Stake YM/YW Volleyball Tournament recently. Joel was on the winning team. Hillary didn't play because she had a broken toe but she did jump in the picture with Joely.

THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Last night we had some excitement across the street. There is a man who lives across the street and down a few houses from who stays up all hours of the night...and invites over his friends. They have Harley Davidsons (which I think are the coolest when they are not waking you up) and apparently it is some sort of testosterone therapy for them to rev the engines loudly and high five each other...at like 11PM. Idiots.

This has happened numerous times since they moved in. Mr. Wresh has actually gone over at 2am...in his unmentionables no less...to ask them to shut the freak up.

Well last night all heck broke loose. The family that moved in next door to him this summer had apparently had ENOUGH. Mr. Wresh and I were laying in bed watching Dog The Bounty Hunter (no really) when we heard this screeching female voice. At first I thought it was the TV so Mr. Wresh muted the TV. Nope, this was coming from outside.

We went over to the window and this lady across the street was flipping out and SCREAMING at the loud guys to keep it down. I won't go into the details of all that was said and done but suffice it to say the police arrived on the scene. Five cop cars. Really. Five of them.

Mr. Wresh and I were sitting on the floor of our bedroom watching out the window at the whole thing going down. We had the window opened so we could hear, although it was not really necessary. It was so entertaining that if Mr. Wresh had popped a little popcorn for us to snack on while we watched I would have been willing to count it as a date night.

I will say this. New neighbor lady looked like a spider monkey flying at loud guy and I think he pee'd himself a little. I am going to like her.

NEW TEMPLATE SET
In the craziness of the last week I forgot to show you the new set of templates that I released at TheDigiChick last week. Soooo, since I forgot to promote them I am giving ya'll the opportunity to pick them up for 33% off this weekend. The set is called This Story and the pieces have a hand cut look to them! Enjoy the savings!

Grab this set here for just $1.99 this weekend only!

BLOG TREAT
With my favorite time of year on the way I wanted to share this word art set with you all!

Family Movie Night for us tonight! Have a great weekend.

$2 Tuesday at TheDigiChick! Look what I have for you!

2009-10-13T06:03:00.003-07:00

13 layered templates for $2 - Today only at TheDigiChick. Run....fast...get it!

On my mind.

2009-10-12T12:16:00.004-07:00

on my mind.

Outside my window…the sky is bright blue and there are a few white clouds. A nice easy breeze. This is one of those days that makes people want to move to Arizona.

I am thinking…I am sad and it is OK to be sad.

I am thankful for... the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the grace, hope, peace, and healing it offers. As much as me and my family are hurting and have been I cannot imagine suffering without my comforter, Jesus Christ.

I am wearing… Jammies. Because I can.

I am remembering… my sister Courtney.

I am going… to WalMart before I pick up kids from school today. A necessary evil.

I am reading… My scriptures - with a scripture highlighting pencil - finding that I internalize them more when I highlight meaningful passages.

I am hoping… for peace for my family and that my sister Corinne has a great birthday.

On my mind… my sister Courtney and her children. Constantly.

Noticing that… I am thankful for my trials, horrific as they are. In times of trial we draw close to our Savior. We get the opportunity to show Him what we are made of and that we are truly His.

Pondering these words… 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you"

From the kitchen… I am thinking stuffed shells tonight.

Around the house… is a little messy with several loads of laundry that need doing.

One of my favorite things… Looking at pictures of my family and remembering the good times. It helps me to remember there are good times still to come.

What's on your mind?

Spider Craft, a room for a Princess, and new releases!

2009-10-08T12:26:00.019-07:00

DRAMA QUEEN
I had another drama queen episode since I last blogged. The last month or so Matthew has been complaining about leg pain. The was no wound, bruising, redness, or swelling, so Mr. Wresh and I just chalked it up to growing pains...until last Thursday night.

Last Thursday night Matty woke up crying because it hurt so bad. We gave him Children's Tylenol and I massaged his leg while dad read him a story until he fell back asleep.

When we got up on Friday he was limping on it! Really bad! So I called the doctor and made an appointment to get him in that day. I love my pediatrician SO SO much. He doesn't care that I am totally neurotic when it comes to my kids and even encourages it! He is my kind of guy.

After examining Matthew he sent us for x-rays and had x-rays taken from hip to toe and asked for the results to be read STAT! Really, I love him.

Matthew's x-ray results were 100% perfect and the doctor said that considering he has no other symptoms and the x-rays were fine we can assume it is growing pains. I had really bad growing pains, my sister did, and so did Joel and Ryan so I guess it is just in our genes.

I know I am a little over the top at times, but honestly, I felt much better having gone to the doctors and getting the x-rays. What's funny is he has not complained once since we went to the doctors. I am not sure if it isn't bothering him anymore or if he doesn't mention it for fear of me taking him to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale.

At any rate I thought you might enjoy some cute pictures of Matthew indulging his over protective mother and getting his leg x-rayed.

Matty made sure that the technician doing his x-rays knew that the underwear he had on was Star Wars the Clone Wars. Mr. Wresh is wearing a huge lead apron!

Perfect little baby bones.

OK Mom. I am fine. Can we get something to eat please?

SCARY SPIDERS
Last weekend we did a little crafting and made some very scary spiders to add to our collection of Halloween Decorations. The boys loved it and it was pretty easy to do!

You will need:
empty egg carton
paint and paint sponge
googly eyes
black twine or black pipe cleaner
scissors
glue

Cut out one little egg holder thingy. This will be your spiders body.
I know what your thinking...daaaang...Kim learned how to use her macros setting. I know. I am impressed too.

Have the kids paint the spider body black. Allow it to dry.

After the spider body is dry poke some holes on the side of your spider to attach the legs to. I poked three on each side. Ryan was quick to tell me spiders actually have eight legs not six. I had to explain to him that I only had a little bit of black twine and that these spiders were going to have to suck it and be happy with six legs.

After you decide how many legs your spider is going to have pick out some nice googly eyes for it too!

My little one was able to do the legs and the eyes so this is a great craft for little hands.

Let the eyes dry.
Just a suggestion. I gave my kids a piece of wax paper to work on where I could squirt their paint and glue on. It keeps the table nice and clean up was as simple as throwing away the wax paper.

Find a home for your scary spider!

ACTS OF FAITH
Those of you who have spent the last year with me know that my parents have been fighting for custody of my niece since my sister passed away. The hearings have all gone well for us and we are now awaiting the Judges ruling. My parents have had custody of Margie since Courtney died and we have faith that the Judge will rule in our families favor, but waiting is so hard.

As an act of faith my mom redecorated Margie's room there in Florida. I won't show you all the pictures but here is one so you can get a feel for how feminine and pretty the room is.

My mom did lots of Disney princesses and character because Margie loves them so much! We also are starting a Tinkerbelle collection for Miss Margie. Her mama called her Tink because of her funky little attitude...so much like Tinkerbelles. If you see any Tinkerbelles that are unusual or vintage please link me up!

Our beautiful Margie!

CHASE
Chase is doing well too! He was in Orlando with his dad's side of the family for several weeks this summer. Margie is so happy that he is back though. She missed him so much.

Chase and Margie swimming this week. The perks of living in South Florida!

GENERAL CONFERENCE
Did ya'll see General Conference? If you want to see it you can online. This was such an inpirational weekend! Loved, loved, loved Elder Holland talk! I was FIRED UP! :)

NEW RELEASES
I have some new releases at TheDigiChick this week as well as a few old favorites that I moved over from my old store!

It has been so long since I did Quick Pages and when I saw this kit "Beginnings" from Kelley Mickus at TheDigiChick I knew I wanted to play with it. I used my template set "The Big Picture" to create these yummy pages!

Kelley is featured this month at DigiShopTalk. She is so sweet and talented!

Here is one that I made of my nephew Chase and my niece Margie
with it!

I also have a new word art called "The Spoken Word" made from the word art I use for my vinyl designs!

I put my CD Template album in the store and, of course, I could not leave "Fairy Dust" behind!

CD Template Album

Fairy Dust

VINYL SPECIALS
I had a request for a three in one vinyl offering similar to last years for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I offer all three bundled at one low price for fun holiday crafting and decorating.

This years bundle is $15 (that includes shipping). I have several cut already so I can have them in the mail ASAP so you can enjoy the Halloween one too!

Here are the measurements:
Witchy Woman is 3" x 11"
Happy ThanksGiving is 2.5" x 21"
Tis The Season is 4" x 9"

I also have a fun Laundry Vinyl for you this week! It is $12.00 and that includes your shipping as well. The dimensions for this vinyl are 3.25" x 13"

Hope you think they are fun!

BLOG TREAT
I have a blog treat for you too. Enjoy!

Mr. Wresh took a few days off since the boys are on Fall Break so we have dad at home for 4 whole days! Woot Woot! Have a great weekend!

P.S. Sorry about some of the weird spacing. Blogger is acting dumb and I am too impatient to keep fooling around with it!

Inexpensive Christmas Gift Ideas, New Products, and a Magical Freebie

2009-09-30T09:05:00.009-07:00

CUTE NEW PICTURES OF THE BOYS

Hillary and Joel. So cute. Hillary's cousin Aly is moving away and the kids had a going away party. Part of the party was a photoshoot with all the friends. This is how one of the pictures turned out of Hillary and Joel. I love it.

Ryan and Matty before church. They hurried to take baths and get in their underwear in the hopes of playing one more game before it was time to go!

CHRISTMAS GIFTS
I know, I know, it's not even October yet. But for me, it is time to start getting ready for Christmas. I craft most of the gifts that we give to extended family and friends so I have to get started by October.

I wanted to show you a few of the things I can make for you to give as Christmas Gifts this year too!

Picture Scrabble Tile Pendants
These are so sweet. The one pictured is of my beautiful sister Courtney. These make great gifts for anyone who has someone dear to their heart. These make a wonderful gift for mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and even the fellas! Slide the pendant off of the chain and slip it onto a key ring for the men you are sweet on!

Shipping is $3 regardless of how many you purchase and when you buy more, you save.

These pendants are handcrafted by me on real scrabble tiles. After placing your order you must send the picture (.jpeg) that you want to be used for each tile to wreshaz@aol.com.

One Pendant

Three Pendants

Five Pendants

Tile Decor with Vinyl Lettering

I am sure that many of you have seen these cute tiles on display. They are such a quick and easy gifts to put together. You can purchase tiles like the one shown above for about $1 at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Simply apply the vinyl lettering you have ordered to the tile and you have an instant decorative gift!

The lettering squares are cut to fit 12x12 squares. They are $7 each but when you buy more, you save!

$7 = one lettering square
$18 = three lettering squares
$25 = five lettering squares

When you buy 5 ($5 each) and then buy a tile for $1 you are making a great looking Holiday Gifts for about $6 each. Schwing!

Perfect for family, neighbors, etc.!

Shipping is $3 regardless of how many you purchase.

There are 12 lettering squares for you to choose from. When you make your purchase please indicate which number/s (see the number in red in the bottom left corner of each square) you would like. Click on the image below to enlarge it.

One Lettering Square

Three Lettering Squares

Five Lettering Squares

WHAT I WANT SANTA TO BRING ME!
I am a simple girl and really don't need much in the way of "things" but I saw this pillow and I have to tell you, I want it bad. I cannot remember were I found it but I love it! It is just what I think my boys probably think!

THE LOFT
I have been working on reorganizing our loft for the last little while. It is where we spend most of our daytime hours crafting, doing homework, watching TV, and hanging out. We have gotten a lot done including rehanging pictures. The loft is a fun room in our house and the first wall you see when you came up the stairs was a little boring...but not anymore!

Before is on the left, but I hope you already knew that! :)

FOR MARGIE
You must look at what my sweet friend Jeanette made for my niece Margie. It is a Halloween Treat Bag but Princess style so she can use it all year long! Such talent...and kindness.

NEW RELEASE
I have a new set of templates available at TheDigiChick.com. I hope you love them!

Look what the Creative Team Chicks at TheDigiChick did with them!

These first two are by Jacinda

And this one is by HeatherB

Love them! Thank you ladies!

SIDE NOTE ABOUT FREAKS
My husband said my blog posts have been a little boring lately. If they have been, I am so sorry. It has come to my attention that people who are no friends of mine, something I have learned through the many grueling months of our custody battle, are on the blog frequently...I know. Ick.

So forgive me if I am not as openly sharing about our life. There are lots of freaks out there, especially on the WS. Hopefully they will eventually get bored and move on.

MAYBE SOMETHING YUMMY WILL HELP
Sorry about the aside about the freaks note. Maybe a yummy recipe (or two) will make it all better.

Last week I made these Turkey Burgers and they were a hit. Seriously, they were so good I made them again last night. They are so easy too!

Ranch Turkey Burgers
1.5 pounds of ground turkey
worteshire sauce (2-3 shakes in the bowl)
1 package Ranch Dressing Mix (dry)
salt and peppe to taste
1 egg
fine bread crumbs - maybe about 1/2 - 2/3 of a cup
some garlic (I used dehydrated garlic that I rehydrated in water, tossed the water in too)

Mix it all together and make patties. Fry them up in Olive Oil and serve them up! My boys loved them. They will be going into the reguar rotation!

Honey Bars
I have posted this recipe before and then I LOST it! This is one of those recipes you cannot lose because you will crave it and nothing similar can take its place!

3/4 cup oil
1/4 cup honey
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix it all together and press it into a 8x8 greased pan. It will be thick. Bake it at 325 for 15-18 minutes.

While it is cooking mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, and few teaspoons of milk until your consistancy is smooth. Pour this glaze over your honey bars as soon as they come out of the oven, spread, and let it cool. These usually last only a day or two around here.

BLOG TREAT
I am still scrapping our last TWO trips to Disneyland so anything "magical" is what I am looking for these days. I am also loving text path journaling for some reason too so I made this Magic Castle Text Path and thought you might like it too!

That's it kids! Get your orders for the Scrabble Tiles and Lettering Squares quick like! It's first come, first served!

Two new products and the goings on around here!

2009-09-25T12:16:00.006-07:00

NEW PRODUCTS AT THEDIGICHICK
I have two new products at TheDigiChick.com this week!

The first one is called I Love Texting! There are 5 ready made text paths for you in a variety of shapes! Drag the text path onto your layout. You can resize it to make it larger or smaller. Then use your text tool to replace the text on the path with your own!

The second product is a new set of two page spread layout templates called Many Memories. I love to make the most of my layouts and get lots of pictures on them!

Here is a layout I created using both of my new products and the kit Totally Buggin' from Britt-ish Designs and Mira Designs!

THE 80's DANCE - WE HAVE A WINNER!

Joel won first place for the 80's dance at the Stake Dance. I am glad to know that I still have mad back-combing skills!

HAIR BOWS!

I have been having lots of fun making hair bows for my nieces! I made some Halloween bows and even a volleyball bow for my niece who is on the Volleyball team! The last one on the right has been popular (I have made several for friends) and I even wore one to church last Sunday. My Mom named them Foo Foo Bows! If you want bows check out my collection at my etsy store!

LAZY LASAGNA
Ya'll know awhile back I did some "pre-cooking" for lack of a better name. I cooked chicken, beef, roasts, etc. and then froze them. This months cooking has been such a breeze and I am planning on cooking ahead for next month again too!

The other night I made what I call Lazy Lasagna and thought it took me about 10-15 minutes to put it together and get it in the oven! It was really good!

You will need:
-Thawed package of pre-cooked italian meat sauce. I pureed broccoli, califlower, and carrots and put it in mine!
-container of riccota cheese
-2 cups of mozzerella cheese
-a box of pasta (whatever you got)
-1 large egg
-a little parsley and oregano

Thaw your precooked meat and start the water boiling to cook your pasta. Cook your pasta according to the box directions. While your pasta is cooking whip up your egg and and add in all the riccota cheese to the egg. Combine. Now add a little parsley and oregano. When your pasta is done cooking, drain it and add it to the bowl of riccota. Combine. Layer 1/2 the pasta in a casserole dish and then layer 1/2 the meat sauce. Repeat. Sprinkle the mozzerella on the top of the casserole and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

TRADER JOES
I just had to share these hysterical pictures with you. We stopped at Traders Joes the other day to see if they had anything special (they always do) and Matty was so excited to see that they had little carts, just his size. He took his shopping responsibilities very seriously and did a great job!

THIS WEEKEND
Finishing up lots of projects this weekend and hoping for lots of family time. Have a great weekend!

Chicken, Waffles, and Two New Products!

2009-09-10T09:28:00.009-07:00

CHICKEN AND WAFFLES
I hope everyone enjoyed a nice long Labor Day weekend! We spent most of ours being lazy, but on Friday night we headed to downtown Phoenix for a Family Date Night.

First we stopped at Lo Lo's Chicken and Waffles for...well...some Chicken and Waffles. Joel's girlfriend Hillary came with us too.

I don't know what they are doing back there in the kitchen but everything that comes out of it is yummy. I guess that is why the call it Soul Food...it's good for the soul!

Joel and I

Hillary eating a piece of Chicken. She was cracking us up. Apparently she has never eaten chicken on the bone before and wanted to know how to "do it". Bahaha!

Joel and Hillary with their jars of "drank". I promise that is how it is worded on the menu!

Ryan and Miss Hillary. He is never one to miss taking a picture with a pretty girl!

Matty was putting the hurt on some Mac-n-Cheese with Cornbread.

Mr. Wresh is happy. He loooves Lo Lo's. Now if I could just convince him that greens really are good!

THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF PHOENIX
After dinner we headed to The Children's Museum of Phoenix. This is an interactive children's museum with the majority of the exhibits being created from recycled and repurposed items. It was pure awesome-ness.

It was also very cool because it was FREE! On the First Friday of each month admission to the museum is free from 6-10pm.

The museum is housed inside the historic Monroe School House which is one of the oldest standing Elementary Schools in Arizona. It was built it 1913.

The Children's Museum of Phoenix at the Historic Monroe Elementary School.

Watching a magic show

Matty and Ryan checking out an exhibit

After we went to the museum we walked a little in a square downtown where artists were set up at tables selling there art work. I thought this artist below was SO AMAZING. He was doing paintings with spray paint only. They were detailed and shaded and watching his process was so interesting!

The spray paint artist

After we got back to the car we decided to head to Sonic and get slushes. Even though it was in the evening it was still almost 100 degrees out and we were parched. All in all a great way to spend a Friday Night with the Kiddos on the cheap if you are in the Phoenix area!

GUY IN THE YELLOW SHIRT
Oh. My. Gosh.

I am such a freak.

I have to tell ya'll one other thing that happened while we were at the museum. When we were parking this icky looking guy pulled into the parking lot. He was so...well icky...that Joel and I both commented that he has weirded us out. We like to use that phrase from time to time.

Anyhowser. He was by himself and when we got in line to enter the museum he was there too. BY HIMSELF. My mom radars went off and I thought this was very strange. Mr. Creepy all by himself guy is going to a kids museum on Friday night? Beep...beep...beep.

So as we progressed through the museum I was keeping my eye on him. I never saw him with a child or any or any other person and he really seemed out of place. At one point I started staring at him and giving him my worst stink eye. I wanted him to know that I was watching him.

Then...this is where I go totally over the top...I TOOK A PICTURE OF HIM!

I thought if anything happened I would be able to give it to the po po. (In case you are not a fan of Madea's, and you should be, Po Po means the Police.)

In the meantime my husband is rolling his eyes and saying "LOOK AT ME!". He told me I had a lot of nerve walking around that museum with a long haired crazy looking dude being suspect of anyone.

Back to the story. So we get upstairs and he is still kind of flowing throught the museum at the same pace as my family and he is still alone and looking like he did not belong there. I could take no more. I went and told one of the employees that this joker was there alone and that I had been watching him and that he seemed out of place. She agreed that he did indeed look shady and called security.

While we were waiting for security to arrive Mr. Weirdo in the yellow shirt takes out his camera phone and starts to take a picture of a little girl he is standing near. The employee jumps in front of him and informs him that he is not to take pictures of any children that are not his.

Mr. Weirdo in the yellow shirt tells the museum lady that this little girl is his daughter. Then the girls mother walks over to see what is going on and give the museum lady a dirty look and tells her that Mr. Weirdo is her husband.

Whoopsies.

I might need to get a grip.

Mr. Weirdo in the yellow shirt, I am sorry. I am sorry I gave you the stink eye and took a picture of you. Please know that I deleted it. I am also sorry that I had security called on you and probably made you feel like a huge freak in front of your daughter when the museum lady jumped in front of your camera when you tried to take a picture of her. I have been a little high strung as of late and I am hoping you will forgive me :)

NEW PRODUCTS
I have two new products at TheDigiChick this week. Head on over and check them out!

The first one is Light Sources. This is a quick and simple way to add a little drama to your pages. These light sources are save as 12X12 .png files. You can change their look by adjusting the opacity and color.

My second new item is a set of two page layout templates called Story To Tell. There is room for lots of pictures on these templates!

Have fun with them!

BLOG TREAT
This picture was taken in the staircase at the Children's Museum of Phoenix. I want to say it felt a little creepy in there but that would not be the right word. It was not a bad feeling but you could tell that staircase has a lot of...we will just say history.

Just for the sake of, you know, interesting conversation...do ya'll see the orbs in this picture. There is one between my head and Mr. Wresh's and one up in the top right that is brighter. What do YOU think? ;)

I put this quote on the side of the picture and thought it looked pretty cool so I saved it for you to use too!

Download it HERE.

Thanks for stopping by and have a good weekend!

Back To School!

2009-09-04T09:05:00.017-07:00

BACK TO SCHOOL
It is time for all the kiddo's to head back to school. I have mixed emotions about it. I love having my kids home with me all the time and miss them when they are gone. I have to say though...this first week of everyone finally in school (Ryan started later) has been a much calmer one.

I can get my chores done faster and a I am not so frazzled when Mr. Wresh gets home because I have not been refereeing all day!

Joel started his Jr. Year. He has two AP classes and Pre-Calculus this year. Wish him luck!

Ryan started Second Grade. His new school is almost finished. He goes to a Charter School and for the last two years he has been in portables. The new campus is slowly being finished and when it is done it will be a K-12 school! Yay!

My little Matty Boy even started Pre-School this year. He is loving it! He only goes two days a week but he is so excited to put on his backpack and go!

The Wresh Boys on their first days of school!

Ryan's new campus! Almost done!

BABY MARGIE
We had our last hearing on August 20th. Thank you all so much for the prayers. They have lifted us up and strengthened our faith. The Judge has not yet ruled but the hearing, in my opinion, was in our favor.

We are confident that all is well. We are beyond any words of gratitude to our Heavenly Father. He has seen us through all these months. No other time in our lives has been more difficult, painful, or filled with grief. Through it all our Savior has blessed us and shown us tender mercies too numerous to name. We are learning now, more than ever, that true testimonies and reliance on our faith in our Father in Heaven comes in our times of trial. We know that through our trials we grew stronger...it just hurts so much while we are in it. How grateful we are for a sure knowledge of His love for us and just how often He manifests it.

It was so much fun to have Mom, Dad, and Baby Margie here. She loves her cousins and they love her. I love getting the opportunity to doll her up! I have made her tons of hair bows and fancy flip flops! After I do her hair and get her all prettied up she looks in the mirror and say, "So cute!" I guess she has heard that a time or two.

My sweetie girl Margie with her fancy flip flops and pretty bows!

Matty, Ry, and Margie having "Movie Time"!

While everyone was here we had a special visit from Lis. Lis is Courtney's best friend. They were born two days apart from one another and literally laid next to each other in the hospital. We love her so much...just like Courtney still does. She is such a sweet, beautiful, hilarious, and kind person and to have her in our home was a treat.

Courtney loves Lis so much that she gave Margie her middle name. Margie's name is Margaret Elisabeth. Margaret is our mothers name and Lis is her best friend. I am thankful for the strong women my niece was named for. I love them so.

"Aunt" Lis and Margie

THAT'S GONNA LEAVE A MARK
So I finally talked Mr. Wresh into letting Joel play football again. He didn't let him play last year because he got a "B" on his report card. Harsh.

Anyway...Joel was back to playing ball and doing great. I was personally looking forward to the Friday night games and making signs to cheer him on. I know the littles (Ry and Matty) would have been so excited to watch him play.

Alas, it was not to be.

Joel dislocated his knee cap during practice a few days before their first scrimmage. I took him to a Sports Medicine Doctor in Gilbert who sent him for an MRI. Thankfully the ligaments were not torn and there was no damage to the cartilage but he did get himself a timeout from football for at least six weeks, crutches, a knee brace, and four weeks of physical therapy. Total bummer.

He managed to get some treats from his girlfriend Hillary out of the deal so it was not a total loss.

Here's hoping the kid heals soon and can play the last few weeks of the season!

COOKING AHEAD
In an effort to be little more organized I decided to spend an entire day in the kitchen cooking meats ahead of time and then using my food saver to package them.

Let me tell you, it was a day well spent. Making dinner these last few weeks has been sooo much easier and my family is happy because there is "real" dinner more often. Cheesy Tuna Helper does not count as a "real" dinner. They do enjoy it though. Ick.

My main tools were my food saver (if you don't have one - GET ONE) and an inexpensive food processor I got at Wal Mart for $32.96.

Before I started I went and bought a ridiculous amount of chicken and ground beef at Costco.

It took me all day but I made enough for about 3 weeks worth of dinners!

In one day I made Shredded Chicken, Pasta Sauce with Beef and Pork, Taco Meat, Zesty Meat Sauce, Green Chili.

Shredded Chicken
Chicken
Water
Course Salt
Pepper
Celery
Onion

Put the chicken in the biggest pot you have. Chop all the vegetables up into chunks and toss them in there too. Salt and Pepper. Boil on the stove. I let mine boil rapidly for about and hour but I had a BIG pot of chicken.

When the chicken is done strain the broth into a boil. DO NOT TOSS ANYTHING!
Save your broth for cooking rice in or for sick days. It is an excellent broth!

My family will not eat vegetables, at least not willingly. So I separated the chicken from the vegetables and pulsed the veggies in the food processor until they were smooth.

Next I put on the "slice" tool on my food processor and shoved the chicken breast in whole and they shredded up nicely. When I took the lid off I mixed in the pureed veggies that I had set aside.

Now take all your chicken and separate them into dinner size portions and seal them in your food saver.

That obviously isn't the chicken I made but you get the idea ;)

Green Chili
Two Top Round Roasts
Green Chili Sauce (large can)
Cumin
Corn Starch
Water

Place two Top Roasts in your slow cooker. Cover with one large can of smooth green enchilada sauce and a teaspoon of cumin. Cook on slow for 6-8 hours. When the meat is ready to shred, use two forks to shred it up. Mix 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of water and then add to the crock pot. When it has thickened up separate the meat into dinner size servings for your family and seal in your food saver.

My outside freezer is now full of about 20 of these pouches of ready made dinners!

I would tell you the rest of the recipes but I have a feeling you might get bored. They are basically variations on meat sauces made with ground beef. I pureed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc. and added them to all the sauces. I feel so evil. One way or the other this family is eating their vegetables!

TWILIGHT
I really did not think I would cave on this, but I did. I was having a lazy morning so I decided to lay on the couch and watch some TV. Nothing was on so I ordered Twilight on Pay Per View.

I actually liked the movie. I was digging Edwards whole dedicated, protective, tuned in to your emotions vibe. I would recommend it so I decided to get the book.

I read it and it was good. I think there was just too much hype before hand for me to be able to really think it was THAT good. I don't see myself reading the books that follow it but I will probably see the movies.

THE MESSAGE
Another book I read this week was The Message by Lance Richardson. It is about a man who is a coma and experiences the Spirit World. It was riveting and I read it in just one day.

THUMB SUCKING
We have been trying to reason with Matthew about the fact that it might be time to stop sucking his thumb. Here is how it went.

SCRAPPING
I have been scrapping a little here and there. Here is a layout I did with the Wild West kit by Krystal Hartley and Pamela Donnis.

Our day in Old Town San Diego.

SALE AT THE DIGI CHICK
TheDigiChick has a whole new look and some very cool new designers! Head on over because now through September 7th there is a 30% off sale going on!

THE POET
This is just a s mall collection of papers and a word art that is dear to my mom and I. I put these together to scrap a page that is personal to me so I won't share it here but I thought I would share the papers and word art.

Happy Anniversary!

2009-08-08T07:27:00.012-07:00

Mr. Wresh and I celebrated our wedding anniversary on August 1st. We went to The Melting Pot for dinner and it was sooo yummy!

If you are not familiar with The Melting Pot it is a fondue restaurant. If you decide to go everything we had was good, just make sure you save room for the chocolate dipped strawberries at the end!

Dear Honey,
I am so glad that you are my husband. There are so many reasons why. I could never list them all here. I want to say thank you for loving me despite my faults. I know I have many. Quite a few of them I would not be so tolerant of. I love that you see all my potential and that you always have. I love that you believe in me. I love that you take so much pride in caring for me and for our children. I love the feeling of protection and faith that you give to our family. I love you for always being willing to serve and teaching our children the importance of service too. I love you for always being so positive. You bring calm and hope to our home. I love you for being so funny and silly. I still think you are the coolest dude I know. I love you for loving our children...so so much. Thank you for telling them all the time. I love you for loving God. There is nothing more important. Having Him to turn to and knowing that we each have faith that He will guide us is the secret to our success. I am blessed that you are my husband and I will love you always. Love, Your B&C (Ball and Chain)

MISSING COURTNEY
I am missing Courtney. I don't know what else to say. There are no words I know that effectively express the grief and pain that her absence brings. I can tell you that I wish I had the opportunity to serve her. To do something to ease her burden or to bring a smile to her face. I know that I can serve her by serving her children, and I am confident you all know there is nothing I would not do for them, but I long to serve her. To serve my sister. To do something to make her day happier. Serve the people you love, it is what I wish I could do most for my sister today.

THE TOY ROOM
This last week Joel and I cleaned out the little boys Toy Room. It was RIDICULOUS! It took three full days...I AM NOT KIDDING!

We attacked every little corner. Cleaned out and organized every little lego, tinker toy, and every other itty bitty little toy that lives in our house. I am embarrassed by the amount of toys my kids have. By the way. If anyone ever buys them play dough again you will be OFF the Christmas Card List!

I moved a dresser that belonged to my sister (and before that belonged to our grandmother) into the toy room to organize all the kids costumes. We filled the entire dresser! They have pirate costumes (natch), cowboy costumes, warrior costumes, dragon costumes, numerous capes, and untold numbers of hats. Don't even get me started on how many swords they have.

I shouldn't complain about the costumes though. I love it when my boys play dress up and use their imagination. The other day Ryan came into my room all dressed up with a sword in hand. He said, "Mama, do I look like an Israelite Soldier?" I was so proud!

A MORATORIUM ON TV AND VIDEO GAMES
I hate the TV. I might hate video games more. Watching my kids zone out in front of a video game or a TV show drives me nuts. So I said no more. Everyone lived.

We do have a deal though. On Fridays the boys can watch TV and play video games to their hearts content. Every other day of the week it is off limits with the exception of what the boys call "church videos". They are actually The Living Scriptures series. My mom bought them. We have the Old Testament, The New Testament, and The Book of Mormon series. They are so awesome! I know when my mom bought them years ago they were costly but you might be able to find sets on ebay. They are so wonderful. I love watching my kids learn God's word in a way that they can understand. I would much prefer my son to pretend to be an Isrealite Soldier than a Super Hero any day!

GREAT-GRANDMA AND AUNT JO
Great Grandma and Aunt Jo came and spent the day with us last week. It was such a nice afternoon. Aunt Jo made chocolate chip cookies with the boys and Joel watched The Young and The Restless with Grandma!

HAIR BOWS!
I have opened an etsy shop to sell my hair bows in. I decided to call it Little Sister Hair Bowtique. Take a look at what I have in store. I will be adding school uniform colored sets of hair bows later this week too! There is also a link to my etsy store in the side bar of my blog!

CLOSING SBE
In an effort to simplify my life (hence the cleaning out of EVERYTHING!) I have decided to close my store at Scrapbook-Elements.com so that I can focus on my store at TheDigiChick.com

The owners at SBE have been amazingly gracious to me since I started there almost two years ago. I cannot say enough about how professional and kind they are. They have recently given the store a new look so stop on by and check it out. My designs will only be there until the end of the month so you may want to take a look before the store closes. Some of the template sets there will be refreshed and put in my store but many of them will be retired so get them while you can!

By the way...so many of you have purchased my photo blending masks at TDC that I would LOVE to see what you have done with them!

Leave me a link in the comments with your layout using the photo blending masks and the boys and I will have drawing for a $10 gift card to my store at TheDigiChick!

BLOG TREAT
Enjoy!

Two New Products @ The Digi Chick!

2009-07-29T22:42:00.004-07:00

I know it has been awhile! I have two new products in store for you at TheDigiChick!

The first one is a new set of two page templates. It is called Having a Heart to Heart and has lots space for all of your pictures.

Here is what some of the talented ladies on the Creative Team at The Digi Chick did with them:

I am really excited about this next item. They are photo blending masks. Use them like a clipping mask and then adjust the opacity to achieve the blended look you want for your layout! These are fun and I am sure you will use them over and over again!

Here a few examples of layouts using the blending masks:

I also have a little blog treat to thank you for stopping by! Heart shaped clipping masks!

Be sure to check out all the products in my store that have been reduced to just $1. There are 20 products. Have fun!

Everyone have a safe and blessed weekend!

Girls Camp - I Survived!

2009-07-27T18:00:00.008-07:00

I survived Girls Camp! All four nights and five days of it!

We drove up early Monday morning. The camp we attend is Camp Zion - High On A Mountain Top on Mount Lemmon down near Tucson. I know it is strange but once you drive up the mountain it is so nice and cool!

On Monday it was only the leaders (both Stake and Youth).

Molly and I set up the crafts and started working on the decorations. They were so cute. Molly painted gourds to look like bees and bee hives. It really was genius! She is so talented!

The gourd/beehives on the stage in the amphitheater

The Queen Bee :)

Monday night Sandra Greer did Family Home Evening for us all. She was awesome of course. She talked about how as members of the church we know who we are. Daughters of God with a divine purpose and destiny. So many people are in the world without that knowledge, without knowing that each of us, individually, is precious to The Lord.

On Tuesday all of the campers started to arrive. The older girls (called YCL's for Youth Camp Leaders) were there to welcome each of them!

The girls coming into camp on Tuesday.

The YCL's were out to welcome all the younger girls to camp!

Every year my cousins (who own a catering business) do the cooking for camp. It is always fun to have them there. This year two of my younger cousins came to help. The girls did not seem to mind having two teenage boys in the kitchen!

My cousins Cody, Greg, and Tyson

Me and Kaitlyn (one of the YCL's)

Taylor, Kelsey, and Tiffani in the craft Ramada with Sista Wresh!

Tuesday night there was a special program. Sione Fa (from The Biggest Loser) is in our Stake and just happens to be our Camp Directors Brother In Law. He was kind enough to come up for one night and give a talk on the importance of serving others and sharing the gospel. After his talk we had a musical program called Singing Trees. After the musical portion of the program we all went in to the Lodge and watched Reflections of Christ.

When all the programs were over Sione taught us all the Polynesian Dance he would do on TV.

I look pretty menacing...right?

The next day Sione went on the hike with the girls and when he came back he sat down with me to make a hair bow for his little girl!

Me and Sione making hair bows!

Wednesday night was skit night. It rained on us but we were tough and rough and stayed until the end.

The YCL's during their skit

Molly and I on stage with Mika for the Stake Staff's Skit

On Thursday we had a particularly spiritual activity. At the begining of this year the attribute of Virtue was added to the Young Women's theme and values.

Our General Presidency decided at the beginning of the year to climb to the top of a mountain and declare a return to Virtue for all Young Women. They planted a golden shawl as a flag and made a covenant with The Lord to vow to return to virtue and to invite all of God's daughters to make a renewed promise to live a virtuous life.

We took all of our Young Women on a ski lift to the very top of the mountain where we raised out own golden flag. Each of us was given a piece of gold fabric to write our names on and to tie to the flag post. Tying our own names onto the fabric symbolized our own covenant with The Lord to live a virtuous life. Our Stake Young Women's President gave an amazing talk and then we rode the ski lift back down the side of the peak.

Girls heading up the mountain on the ski lift

Our golden flag

The girls listening to an amazing message from our Stake Young Women's President Sister Miller

I will make and keep covenants with my Heavenly Father

The view on the way back down the ski lift

I know that it may not be until many years from now that these Young Women realize what an amazing and spiritual experience this day was. In time I know they will. It was for me.

Thursday night we had a special program and testimony meeting. I have been feeling so poorly these past months. I have lost myself in my own grief and forgotten that others are suffering and overcoming trials just like I am. I am thankful for the time we had to share our love for our Savior and to realize how much he cares for each of us. He loves us each, One By One.

I am a believer. I know that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior and that He knows me and loves me. I know that because of His atoning sacrifice I can be forgiven for my sins and be clean before my Father in Heaven. I am so thankful for the time I was given to go to Girls Camp. I know it is a time for reflection and to draw closer to The Lord.

When I got home and was telling my family about my week my sweet husband said it was like having the me back that he had before Courtney died. He told me it was nice to see that side of me again and that he had missed me. I know that my Savior will heal me and that I will be with my sister again one day. This week was good for my broken heart.

FREAKING OUT!

2009-07-19T10:59:00.008-07:00

GIRLS CAMP
I am totally freaking out. I do this every year.

Tomorrow I leave for a week at Girl's Camp and I am making myself sick about missing my family...especially my little ones. A week seems like soooo long when you are 3 and 6...or 37.

I love being at Girls Camp, don't get me wrong, once I am there I will be fine. But tucking my boys into bed tonight and knowing I won't be there when they wake up for FIVE MORNINGS is making me a little sick to my stomach.

My friend Molly and I are in charge of crafts and decorations. Our theme this year is "Bee The One" so we have lots of bee crafts, bee decorations, bee stuff, you get the idea. Here are two of the crafts that we are doing:

Etched Glass Blocks

Sculptured Ribbon Hair Clips

I made the picture tuts to put on the craft tables for the girls. There are almost 100 going so I thought they would be helpful with "how to" questions.

I always enjoy myself and the girls at Girls Camp. I come home with a strengthened testimony of our Savior. It is just the leaving that makes me sad.

HAIR BOWS
Prepare to be impressed. I have taught myself how to make little girl hair bows. I wanted to learn so I can make them for my nieces. Here are the first in a series of dozens that I am making for them!

I can be a perfectionist about crafty things and I was trying over and over to learn how to make a loose square knot for the center of my bows. When I was having a hard time I asked Joel for help. You know...him being a Scout and all. He came over and looked at what I was doing and said, "Um, those are craft knots. I am only skilled at man knots."

Har. Har.

Well I finally figured out the knots and have been happily folding and knotting all week! I think the Good Lord didn't give me a daughter because he knows I would turn a little girl in to a great big spoiled hot mess. For now I will have to dote on my nieces. My boys are not interested in hair bows. I asked.

I even made some cute bow flip flops for Margie

I think I am going to make a pair for myself too! :)
As Margie would say "So cute!"

JOEL IS SIXTEEN!
Can you believe it? Our little Joel turned 16 last week. He and Hillary went on their first date. They went on a double date (Joel is not allowed to date unless there is at least one other couple with them) and took the girls for sushi. Gag. It is Hillary's favorite though so Joel was a trouper. Afterwards they went on a video scavenger hunt at Wal Mart. Good Times. I caught Mr. Wresh wiping a tear away when we talked about fast our boy has grown up. Sweet man.

When Joel got home we had a cake for him. Ryan and Matty were so excited all day and kept wishing Joel a Happy Birthday.

STAKE DANCE
Last night was a Stake Dance. Sione Fa (Biggest Loser) is in our Stake and was called to be the DJ for the Youth Dances. I felt like a dork taking a picture of someone we already know but I thought some of you might think it was a fun picture to see.

Joel and Hillary with Sione.

SUMMER FUN
I love summer and it is passing by too fast. The boys play together all day. They make the bunk bed into a fort or a ship and love playing outside too. I am slowly shaking some of my OCD behaviors and didn't even freak out when they turned the garden area (we had not planted anything) into a huge muddy mess. They made mud pies and took all their beach shovels outside and tore it up. Such boys. I cannot believe the amount of time they spend outside. It is so freaking hot here. It has been about 112 degrees almost everyday. Thank goodness for popsicles!

The pirate buddies and their "ship"!

But Mom! We're not tired!

Playing outside with the hose!

THE INSTYLER
I totally got one. And I love it! I am usually not a sucker for those TV ads but I must admit. This one got me. I do love my new Instyler though.

This is not the best picture but you can see how straight and smooth it got my curly hair and it was pretty easy. I give the Instyler two thumbs up!

Ryan and Matty being silly! Well, mostly Ryan!

TEMPLATE
Here is a little template for ya'll. It is from one of my older collections but I thought it might be new to some of you.

For those of you who have asked when I am going to have new releases again...soon. This year, as most of you know, has been hard. My creative mojo has taken a hit. Once school starts and we are not so busy I have lots of plans!

OK. That's it. I have procrastinated long enough. I need to go pack and load the van. Waaaahh!

Camping and Disneyland!

2009-07-08T10:31:00.021-07:00

Gosh time goes by fast! When I looked to see the last time I blogged I cannot believe it has been almost a month!

So much has been going on...including camping in San Diego and a trip to Disneyland! Ready to catch up?

FATHERS DAY 2009
For Father's Day this year we took Mr. Wresh to Lo Lo's Chicken and Waffles. Soul Food at it's finest!

At Lo Lo's!

Dad and his boys!

Oh yeah! Chicken and waffles!

Mr. Wresh has made all my dreams come true. Love you babe.

HAIR CLIP FLOWER BOUQUET
I made this hair clip flower bouquet for my little niece Margie. I was so happy with how it turned out!

Margie's Flower Hair Clips!

Each flower is a hair clip and I modge podged the bottom of a flower pot with scrapbook paper and added a little trim. Cute, cute, cute!

SKYPE
For Mother's Day this year my mom got me a web cam (yes I know...we are technologically delayed). The boys and I have had fun making silly pictures. Here are a few!

Mama and her boys!

Don't hate me because I am beautiful :)

PIANO LESSONS
Joel and Ryan started piano lessons this month! I am so excited! My great-grandma Norton's piano has been in our garage for a few years. We finally put it in the playroom and had it tuned.
We have a piano teacher who comes to our home and gives each of the boys a lesson once a week. They are loving it. I love to hear them practicing and knowing they are developing talent and a love of music!

Ryan and Miss Amy

Joel and Miss Amy

CAMPING IN SAN DIEGO
The last week in June My mom and I took Margie and my boys camping in San Diego. It was so much fun! There is a private stretch of beach there and the weather was so cool and nice! The kids had a blast!

Oh yeah. Domino's delivers...even to camp grounds!

Margie...cute little stinker!

The Wreshling's playing at the beach

My boys snuggling in the tent

Ryan...it's a hard job but someones got to do it!

MARITIME MUSEUM
While we were in San Diego we visited the Maritime Museum. It was so neat! If you are a fan of history or ship you must visit the next time you are in San Diego!

We got to tour 5 different vessels. Two ships, a ferry, a yacht, and a submarine! The kids LOVED it!

Maritime Museum

A view of two of the ships and the submarine

My beautiful mom and sweet Baby Margie

The Star of India - fascinating!

The littles having so much fun!

OLD TOWN SAN DIEGO
We headed down to Old Town San Diego on our visit too! We ate at a fun little Mexican restaurant and wandered the streets a little. We were kind of pooped from our trip to the Maritime Museum but we did manage to stop in the old time candy store for some sweet treats after lunch!

Getting our fill of tourist attractions

The Candy Store!

SAN DIEGO TEMPLE
My mom and I had the chance to attend the San Diego Temple. It is so beautiful. One of the men who work at the Tempe said that President Hinckley said that the Salt Lake City Temple is the King of all Temples and the San Diego Temple is the Queen.

The San Diego Temple

GARDEN GROVE
My mom grew up in Southern California, specifically Garden Grove. When we headed up to Anaheim we drove by the house she grew up in and her old schools and the church house! My mom shared memories of the men in her ward building the meeting house (she said they have added to it) and the women making lunch for them and taking it to them in the afternoons.

My mom's childhood home

The meeting house my mom attended that my grandpa helped to build

Mom's High School

My mom in front of her High School in Garden Grove

MARGIE'S FIRST TRIP TO DISNEYLAND!
My sister always talked about taking her kids to Disneyland, especially Margie - Chase has been lots of times! My mom and I discussed it and decided that since Disneyland was just 90 minutes North we would take the kids at the end of our camping trip.

We could not have had a better time.

I called Disneyland ahead of time and explained to them about our special trip - a trip made on behalf of my sister for her daughter. Disneyland was awesome. The lady I spoke with there arranged for Margie (and all of us) to have a special meeting with Snow White! It was so special. She was a little shy but so excited to meet a REAL PRINCESS!

Our cousins, the Krebs (they live in Hawaii), were in California the same week and we thought it would be fun if they joined us! My cousin Kathy brought 5 of her 7 kids and we had an absolute blast. There were 12 of us all together!

The first day we went to Disneyland and the second day we spent at Disney California Adventure.

In line for the Dumbo ride

Margie's cute Minnie clip that my friend Tara made her!

My boys with some of their cousins!

Kelsea and Matty Boy

Snow White, Margie, and Mom

Snow White...and ALL OF US!!

After we met Snow White, my cousin Kathy bought Margie a Snow White Dress!

In the TIKI ROOM! Sweet, Sweet, Sweet!

Tired babes!

Waiting for the Electric Light Parade!

At Disney California

Margie had the very best time.

So many pictures, a special vinyl, and a template for you!

2009-06-10T14:48:00.019-07:00

MY BIRTHDAY
I turned 37 uneventfully. I was sad. Courtney was usually the first one to call me in the morning and sing Happy Birthday. I laid down to take a little nap about 4pm and just slept through the night. That depressed kind of sleep where your body just kind of shuts down...

but while I was sleeping...
My boys made me a birthday cake! Sweet babes. We had cake and they sang to me the day after my birthday when I was feeling a little better.

Mr. Wresh has bought my birthday gift a few weeks early so when he asked what I wanted to do for my birthday I told him I wanted him to help me to finish painting the bedroom furniture!

Now I am only showing you these pictures because I know we are close friends and you would not judge me based on the ugliness of my room. That being said, here are the "before" pictures!

I know pitiful.

When I decided to redo the room I really wanted to do it on the cheap (I have spent about $250 total including new quilt, sheets, bed skirt, primer, paint, painting tools, etc.)

I also wanted it to look a little eclectic. I did not want a bed-in-a-bag look. It still isn't done but here is what is finished today. I still need to figure out some sort of window treatment..I'll get there eventually! :)

This is my sister's picture of the Mesa Temple. It hung in her living room. I hung it in my room and if her children ever want to reclaim it, it will be all theirs.

My mom had this oil painting made for Courtney when she would travel to China as a flight attendant. Courtney had this as a small picture and she loved all the colors of the sunset in it. My mom took it with her and had an artist recreate it (very cheap in China).

I made a picture to hang over Mr. Wresh's dresser. I used an old frame I had in a box in the garage and made a picture with a quote he likes. He mocks me for holding on to things like old frames but I was able to change it up with just a little spray paint!

I know it's nothing fancy but until I can get the $5000 bedroom set I want it will do!

LITTLE BIKERS
Matty got a new bike!

CHICKEN N DUMPLINGS
This is Ry's new favorite meal!

Mix 1 egg, 1 cup hot broth (not boiling) and 1 teaspoon salt until combined.
Add flour until you have a bread dough like consistency.

Roll out the dough as thin as possible and then cut it into strips that are 1 inch wide and 3 inches long. I use a pizza cutter!

While you are making the dumplings boil chicken in a pot of broth. I season mine with parsley, onion, pepper, garlic, etc. I like to use chicken breasts. After the chicken is cooked strain the broth and return the strained broth to the pot and let it boil. Add the dumplings. Cut up the chicken into bit size pieces and add them to the top of the dumplings. Let them cook for 5-10 minutes. Test the dumplings like you would test a noodle. Try not to stir it too much. Stir a little and add more broth or water until you get a consistency you like!

A CUTE NEW PICTURE OF CHASE AND MARGIE

Having fun at Grandma's. I love you both and miss you!

SLEEPING WITH A WEAPON
This is how I found Ryan asleep the other night...in mama and daddy's bed of course. Heaven forbid anyone sleep in their own beds around here. Apparently Ryan feels the need to be armed while he is sleeping.I thought this was hysterical. He had this tucked into his pants like a switchblade!

DANCE FEVER
Here are some fun pictures from the Stake Dance last month. Joel actually has a little rhythm!

Joel and Miss Hillary

SUMMER HAIR CUTS
Nice and short. These nerds would not stop making goofy faces. This was the best of the lot.

RYANS ROOM
We changed up Ryan's room a little. Mr. Wresh and I painted that mural on the wall a few years ago. We got a bunk bed that sleeps three because we get a lot of traffic around these parts. I added vinyl lettering around the mural...mama's don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys!...

Of course there is a little of Ry's pirate flavor too!

HONORS SEMINARY DINNER
Joely makes us so proud. He was an Honors Seminary Student this year!

JOELS LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
Trying to take a picture of a teenager is impossible. I don't know what threat I made to get these three to hold still but here is Joel with his best buds Dallin and Kade on their last day of school. Good job fella's!

CRACKERS IN MY BED
I found Matty under the covers in my bed eating crackers. Apparently he thinks we are cool like that!

A GIFT FOR TEACHER
Ryan and I whipped up a little gift for his teacher Mrs. Fraser. She rocks.

SUNSHINE GENERATION
This is Ry and Matty's singing group. It is over for the summer since Miss Amber is having her baby! Singing is fun!

Good grief...that really seemed like a lot...but who knows when I will be back again! Our new library opens on Saturday...we are stoked and we are planning our camping trip in San Diego in a few weeks. Grandma and Margie are coming with us! Yay!

VINYL BLOG SPECIAL
I like to offer discounted vinyls on my blog from time to time. If you would like to order something personalized please visit my etsy store!

Here is this weeks special:

This is normally $21.50 with shipping. I will be offering it this week to my blog readers for $14.00 and that price includes shipping. It is offered in white and black only at this reduced price. If you would like it in another color please visit my shop!

The measurements for this vinyl are 30.25" wide and 13.5" high. It may be reduced (please indicate by width) but cannot be enlarged. If you choose to reduce the price remains the same.

Order it here:

BLOG TREAT
Of course I try to never leave you without a blog treat! Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

This is a ridiculously long post but there is a freebie at the end...

2009-05-21T12:58:00.018-07:00

MOTHERS DAY
Mother's Day was hard but my mom and I did OK. We went to Pima where generations of our family are from and some still live there including my aunt and uncle. It is a very small town (makes Maricopa seem like a metropolis) and it is where Courtney is buried.

We took Margie to her mother's grave for the first time. Because of all the hearings since Courtney's death we have not been able to go back since her funeral. Pima is three hours away and with all that we have had to do there just has not been time during the few days at at time that my mom and dad are here.

There was sadness and a bit of healing in going. Mom and I took chairs on Saturday and sat near Courtney's grave. Just me, mom, and Margie. We were mostly quiet.

On Mother's Day we returned with my grandma and aunt and we placed flowers at Courtney's grave and other family members too.

We took pictures but they are personal and nothing to share publicly.

We had a nice lunch at Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Morris's new house. The just finished it last year and it is beautiful.

Aunt Cheryl's new house

Grandma and Mom having lunch. Don't let my Grandmothers demure smile and petite stature fool you. She is sassy.

Me and Mom on Mothers Day. I love that my mom is smiling. She never used to smile in pictures. Courtney would gripe at her about it. My mom said she will always smile in pictures now...because that is what Courtney wanted. She even smiled when we took pictures at the cemetery. I love my mom's smile.

Ryan playing outside. Oh to have land. We grew up living on acreage and I always wanted to live in a "neighborhood". Gag. I would give anything to live on a big fat piece of land again!

The meeting house in Pima. This is a very old building. My own great-grandmother attended church in this very same meeting house. This is where we had Courtney's services.

POTATO ROLLS
I love a new bread recipe. I found one on my friend Natalie's blog. You will have to go there to get it. You will be glad you did though. She is way cute and super crafty. My kids love to help in the kitchen. Sadly, only Margie and Ry got to help with the rolls. Matty had been naughty and was spending a little time in his room thinking about making better choices :)

Margie and Ry....rolling out dough for rolls!

Our final product. The house smelled YUMMY!

WALMART
There is big news around these parts. Our new WalMart opened yesterday. I know some of you may be anti-WalMart...and you go right on ahead. Me...I am tickled all different shades of pink. The nearest store to our town (besides a grocery store) is 20 miles away in either direction. Having this store will be LIFE CHANGING.

OK maybe that was a tad dramatic. But it will certainly make life easier and I am thrilled.

The first graders at Ryan's school were invited to sing the National Anthem so we were there for the ribbon cutting bright and early.

The mayor was there for the grand opening. This is a funny little thing about Ryan...he is interested in politics at age 6! He was interested in the Presidential Elections - which were a hot topic around here as our home is politically divided. He also asks me lots of questions about our mayor. He wants to know his name, what his job is, who he is the boss of, etc.

He once told me that after he was out of school he was going to be the mayor and then he would be ready to be the President of the United States!

Since the mayor was literally standing right there, Mr. Wresh asked him if he would say hello to Ryan and I managed to get a picture. I could not get Ryan to look at the camera because he was trying too hard to look at the Mayor.

Mayor Smith of Maricopa and Ryan

GOSPEL TRUTHS
As we go through our days I try to find ways to talk about gospel truths with my children. Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk with Ryan about why we revere the name "Jesus" and "God" and only use them in reverence.

Here is how the conversation went:

Ryan: Why do we have to be reverent when we say Jesus or God mom?

Mom: Because we love God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is our Savior.

Ryan: What is a Savior?

Mom: A Savior is someone who saves us from something. Ryan, can you tell me what Jesus saved us from? [hint: the correct answer is sin]

Ryan: Yes. He saved us from the aliens.

Mom: Hmmm. Yes, well Jesus saves us from a lot of things but the most important thing He saved us from is sin. Because of his sacrifice we can repent and be clean before God.

Ryan: Yeah sin. Jesus saved us from sin AND the aliens.

MOVIE AT THE PARK
Our little town does movies at the park during the summer time and last weekend we decided to go. It was fun! We went and got Taco Bell and ate it picnic style while we waited for the movie to start. I popped microwave popcorn at home and we brought that along too. They were showing the Classic Peter Pan (Disney) The little boys loved it. Joel decided to pass and went to a pool party with his friends! I know...shocking. There are no pictures of the kid because he is always at church activities, school activities, or off with friends!

A NEW BEDROOM
Mr. Wresh and I have never - and I mean NEVER - had a nice bedroom. When we were first married we had a small dresser and headboard my aunt gave me. After awhile it was too small and we bought THE UGLIEST 80's style bedroom set off of CraigsList for $100. Mostly because there were a lot of drawers. We were in desperate need of drawers.

I have always hoped and prayed that the day would come that we (and when I say *we* I really mean *I* because Mr. Wresh could care less) could get a brand new bedroom set.

Well, reality has finally smacked me upside the head and I have come to realize we will not have the $3500 necessary to buy the type of bedroom set I desire just laying around anytime soon.

I am an all or nothing type of gal when it comes to stuff like this. If I cannot have exactly what I want I would rather just wait. So, because I cannot stand to look at our barfaliciously ugly bedroom one more day I started painting our bedroom furniture.

You know how you see all those before and after shots of thrifty ladies who repaint their "garage sale finds" and act like it is such a breeze? They are big fat liars. Painting, especially furniture, is a pain in the biscuit.

I will say I like how it is coming along. I purchased paint, new molding, new hardware, and went to town. I hope to be finished this weekend and have pictures for you. I refuse to show you the "before" shots until I have the afters. The furniture is just that ugly.

Here are a few of what I have done so far though

Drawers with primer drying

Drawers with a coat of the Cannon Ball Black paint

More to come...I know you are waiting with breathless anticipation....

MATTY'S BOO BOO
Poor Matty. My little dude fell down the stairs last weekend and hit his lip on the wood banister. Ouch. There was blood everywhere. After I made sure there was none on the carpet I took him into the kitchen to inspect his wounds. Just kidding. Sort of.

Anyway...he had a little cut on his chin just below his lip and a HUGE cut inside his mouth on the inside of his cheek. It looked like it may have warranted stitches so we packed up and headed to Urgent Care.

The Urgent Care doctor said she thought he needed stitches on the inside of his mouth but she was not comfortable doing it...so we were off to the ER. There is a pediatric ER at Desert Banner in Mesa so even though it is further than the closest hospital we headed there. I thought if this kid was going to need stitches we were going to need someone experienced. He is a brawler.

After waiting in the ER waiting room with a bunch of hacking, sneezing, goopy kids we were finally called back. The doctor took one look at him and said he was fine. He prescribed antibiotics since the cut was in his mouth and prone to lots of bacteria. The lesson I learned is that unless your kids mouth or tongue is ripped in half and about to fall off they do not put stitches inside kids mouths. At least not at Desert Banner they don't.

Oh well. We got the antibiotics and at least I didn't wonder all weekend if I should have taken his to the ER...because that is exactly what I would have done!

NEW TOY ROOM
I am redoing the toy room too...this is a minor redo though! New curtain panels and pictures.

I am using browns, whites, and a bit of green. I created new prints for the 10x10 frames I already have in the room. I can't wait for them to get here!

I used the kit Autumn Blooms by Kelley Mickus and Sugarplum Paperie

I love this sentiment...especially in a room where children play!

Aunt Coco was and will continue to be a big part of my children's lives. I want her everywhere.

You can read more about the quote I used on this page here. It has been a salve to me this week.

I love this picture of my boys!

BIRTHDAY SALE
Tomorrow is my birthday. I am going to be 37. While I am not too happy about it you can celebrate with savings at my store at TheDigiChick. Just use the coupon code OLDLADYWRESH when you check out and save 37% off any order of $7 or more!

SPECIAL DEAL ON A NEW VINYL DESIGN
If you have not already, please check out my vinyl store at etsy.com. I do custom work all the time. Just convo me and let me know what you are looking to do. I just put this design in the store today. It is $17.50 in the store with shipping. I want to offer my blog readers a special on it for the remainder of the month of May. If you purchase this design here on my blog you can get it for $12.00 and that includes shipping in the US! Just use the paypal button below the design.

This design is 2 feet wide and about 4.5 inches high. It can be reduced. If you would the width to be smaller please include that information with your paypal payment. This specially priced offer comes in black only.

A NEW TEMPLATE FOR YOU
I have been loving the look of layouts using masks and blending so I made one just for you! The layout example is of my sister and I at Knaus Berry Farm in Homestead at Christmas Time. If you are ever in South Florida during the winter months you must stop by there for yummy baked goods, fresh produce, and shakes! It is just a few miles away from my mom and dads and how they resist going there everyday is beyond me.

I used the kit Strawberry Café [Revised]

Well I am off...if you read this whole dang thing I am totally impressed. Ryan and Matty have Sunshine Generation this afternoon and tonight is the dinner for Joel's HONORS Seminary for this year. We are are pretty proud of our little Scripture Master!

Happy Mothers Day

2009-05-08T19:12:00.009-07:00

It has been a long week.

MY SISTERS THINGS
This week we cleaned out our garage (which was a ridiculous mess) and made room to move my sisters boxes into it. It was a lot of hard work. It would be too hard too go through her things right now. Maybe my mom and I will go through them in a year...maybe in 10 years...I don't know. I just cannot bear to let any of her possessions go yet, so I won't. Someday her children will want to go through it all and choose the things they want to keep and what will be most important to them. Her things will all be right there waiting for them in my garage and attic. It was hard.

THE HEARING
Our custody hearing continued yesterday. Obviously I cannot go into details of the hearings (nor do I want to) but suffice it to say it is emotionally exhausting. The hearings were continued again due to a legal technicality and there is no new hearing date set as of yet.

Please keep us in your prayers. I know I ask over and over again for prayers and I am starting to feel a little bit bad about asking...but I know they are what carry us through this difficult time. Every prayer is appreciated and needed. The good news is that Baby Margie is with us...right where she belongs.

JOEL'S EAGLE SCOUT
I have to brag a little. Joel was on the front page of our little town's newspaper for his work on his Eagle Scout project. All that needs to be done now is to finish tiling the roof. The hardware store ordered the wrong tiles so we are waiting for the right ones to come in. Just a few more things to finish and my boy will be an Eagle Scout. If you are familiar at all with Scouting you know this is a big deal and I am very proud of Joel.

Read the article here!

Joel and our friend Hal working.

Ryan and Matty were there to help too!

MR. PRESIDENT
Last week was Spirit Week at Ryan's school. They had Pajama Day, Twin Day, Hawaiian Day, Career Day, and Sports Day. Ryan dressed up for each day and it was so funny. My favorite was Career Day. Without hesitation Ryan said he wanted to be The President of The United States!

Mr. President and his Veep Matty Boy

Ryan and his friend Aro on Twin Day

MOTHERS DAY
I am so grateful to be able to spend this Mother's Day with my own Mom. She is still in town and I cannot help but take a moment to share what a wonderful Mother I have. I know that there are many wonderful moms all the world over. I am of the of the opinion that mine is the very best there is.

My mom is the most selfless person I have ever known. If she is up and moving she is usually serving someone else.

My entire life she has been there for me. What a blessing to know - without a doubt - that there is someone who will catch you if you fall. I have always had that. There were many many years that I did not deserve it either. You know those selfish years when you think you know everything...I am sure you are familiar.

My mom is a peace keeper and a comforter. I know she must be so precious in the eyes of God because she serves Him so faithfully.

Only now as an adult I realize just how much she sacrificed for us.

I won't say that we are closer since Courtney died, because we have always been close, but to really see how strong our bond is as we lean on each other in our darkest days has been a blessing.

I love you mama. If I ever live to have just a fraction of the goodness in me that you have in you I will be happy.

MY GRANNY ARMSTRONG
In the midst of all of the hearings and different things going on my Granny Armstrong passed away. If ever a woman loved her Heavenly Father I know it was my Granny. I am relieved that she got to go home to her Savior. She has suffered so much in the last few years. I know her reunion with The Lord and other family members who have passed away was a precious one. I know Courtney was there to greet her.

Grandpa Bammer and Granny

GETTING OLDER
This month I will turn 37. I am not really one to get stressed out about aging. I don't mind the lines around my eyes too much and stray grays only upset me if they are wire-y and stick out. While looking young is obviously a good thing it is not something I think about too much...until I found this picture when we were reorganizing the garage.

I look so young. I forgot what it was to look...well rested. I am having a hard time convincing myself that the wisdom I have gained in the years since this picture was taken are more valuable than eyes that don't have bags under them.

Dontcha love the sexy face I am trying make? What a dork.

But then I see this one and know that the sleepless nights and stress are worth it. Looking young is totally overrated.

BLOG TREAT
This is a sample from my Baker's Dozen set of templates available at TheDigiChick.

A COUPON FOR YOU
I set up a coupon for you all too! Use the coupon code ILOVEMOM this weekend at my store at TheDigiChick.com and get 50% off any order of $7.00 or more. Sweet! :)

Click here to go to my store at TheDigiChick!

ETSY
If you haven't checked out my etsy.com store in awhile you might want to see what is new. Remember I do custom orders too!

Click here to go to my etsy.com store

Happy Mothers Day everyone!

NSD Freebie and a 40% off Sale at TheDigiChick!

2009-05-01T16:11:00.004-07:00

I am going to make this post short and sweet. I know ya'll are running from blog to blog picking up all the goodies! Be sure to come back and visit through the weekend. I will be putting up another blog treat!

My entire store is on sale at TheDigiChick for 40% off! I just put almost 20 new sets in the store - enough template goodness to keep you scrapping for months!

Head on over and check it out!

Here is a little template for you to get your scrapping started this weekend! Just click on the image.

Here is what I did with it. My sister and I. I love this quote.

That's it! See you later this weekend with more NSD goodness...have fun...and be careful out there!

New releases, freebies, and what's going on around here...

2009-04-22T20:12:00.014-07:00

Crack open a Diet Dr. Pepper (or whatever your beverage of choice is) this is going to be a long post!

NEW RELEASES
I haven't gotten around to loading all of the individual products from my last THREE grab bags! I have loaded all of it into my store at TheDigiChick so if you missed any of it!.

Here is what got loaded into the store:

The first 8 products are value priced at just $1.50 each.
An affordable way to add to your stash!

You can get these products for 20% off at TheDigiChick on their release date of 4/23/09.

CALL ME CRAZY VALUE BUNDLE
The total value of all these new releases combined is $50.97. Now through Sunday (4/26/09) I am offering a deal. You can have all of these new releases for $20 when purchased here on my blog. That is a 60% savings!

All of my template products are ok for professional use when altered and flattened. No credit required.

Get yours by clicking on the Buy Now button below. I will email the links to you within 24 hours of receipt of your payment (it is usually within an hour or two!)

SCRAPPING
I have been getting back to doing a little scrapping lately. It has been therapeutic . Here are just a few of the layouts I have done in the last few days.

This first layout is pictures of our visit to Hollywood last fall. It was the first time I had ever been to Hollywood and seeing all these iconic places was super fun. Here is Grauman's Chinese Theater.

I used the new kit from Britt-ish Designs called Imperial Girl. Disney's Mulan was her inspiration for this kit...since I already scrapped our pictures with Mulan (dang it) I justified buying it so I could scrap these pictures and do some Kung Fu Panda layouts in the future!

This next layout is a few shots of our family having breakfast at a truck stop in Kingman, AZ last Thanksgiving on the way to my sister-in-laws home in Nevada.

I am *in love* with Pamela Donnis's felt embellishments. You can pick up a variety of sets at TheDigiChick...the are so so cute!

For this layout I used Plain Jane Papers by Courtney Wilson, Cardboard Sticker Alpha by Sugarplum Paperie, Whole Set Of Borders by Mira Designs, and of course the Rise and Shine felt embellishments by Pamela Donnis. Everything is available at TheDigiChick!

I wanted something perfect for the last layout I am sharing with you. While we were in L.A. we
also visited the UCLA Campus where Mr. Wresh graduated from. He has always talked about taking the boys and me to the school to show us around. Even though it was getting dark when we got there I could still tell how proud Dad was showing us his college campus.

I couldn't find just what I wanted so I whipped up a simple little UCLA kit to make this layout

If you are a Bruin or just a fan your welcome to download this little kit right here!

GIFTS? FOR ME?
Last Saturday Mr. Wresh had planned a Wresh Family Day. Wresh Family days are the bomb diggity. It generally involves Mr. Wresh spoiling all of us all day. Because I am a total space cadet these days I TOTALLY forgot that I had a Stake Leadership Training Day on Saturday. I told Dad and the boys they would have to go without me as I was committed to helping at church on Saturday.

I got home before the boys did...but when they did...they came bearing gifts. Mr. Wresh brought me the sweetest and most thoughtful gifts.

The first gift was something I LOVE. A new cookbook. I love new cookbooks!!! Especially this one!

Oh yeah baby! OK - total Mormon moment for a minute. If you are LDS/Mormon you KNOW that the best books are ward or stake cookbooks (ward or stake = congregation or parish). The recipes rarely call for bizarre ingredients, you usually have everything in your pantry, and they are inexpensive meals that your kids will actually eat.

I have a Ward Cookbook that was created probably 15 years ago from the Chandler, AZ 1st Ward and the poor thing is falling apart. I have to keep it together with a big rubber band...but I go to it again and again.

So back to the book - how fun is this? World Wide Ward Cookbook! I have already tried several recipes on my family and so far they have all been winners!

The second gift is one that I will treasure my whole life. My husband brought me this

It is called "Take Care Of Your Sister"

I know my husband knows how much I am hurting and there is only so much he can do to comfort me. This helped. This told me that when he was thinking about me and what I might like his thoughts went to my sister. I will always treasure this little statue. It will not only remind me of my sister - but of a husband who is at a loss for what to say or do - and needs me to know he knows my heart is broken. I love you Mr. Wresh...a whole lot.

COURTNEY'S BIRTHDAY
Courtney's Birthday was April 16th. It was her 33rd Birthday. The day was hard for me as well as others in our family. I slept for a good part of it (4 hour nap) and went to bed early. It was just to hard to think about her not being here.

I made a batch of brownies and before we went to bed we each had a piece. I put candles in the little boys brownies and we turned all the lights down and sang "Happy Birthday" to Courtney. I told the boys they had to sing really loud so Aunt Coco (that's what they call her) could hear them in heaven.

Courtney's friends honored her so beautifully. Her best friend Lis and there whole gaggle of girl friends got together and planted a tree with pink blossoms in Courtney's honor. They had a birthday cake, shared memories, about her, had a table of photographs, and released balloons with messages into the night sky.

One of her friends bought all of them a necklace with a prayer box charm. Each of them put their prayer for our family to get custody of Margie in their prayer box and they all vowed to wear them until the trial was over. Their love for her is healing to me. I love each of them.

Happy Birthday Squeester. I love and miss you every minute.

I am sure there is something I am missing but I will end this post for now. I hope this message finds you all well and enjoying your most precious gift...family!

BLOG TREAT
I have been scrapping our Disneyland Trip lately and have a few Word Arts to share with you!

Something Magical...

2009-04-08T09:55:00.008-07:00

IT'S BEEN AWHILE SINCE I POSTED A LAYOUT!
This blog has been a little down in the dumps lately - so I thought I would pop in real quick to post a few layouts I made from our trip to Disneyland last December (it was the last day of our Thanksgiving Road Trip).

Almost everything I used was from Britt-ish designs at ScrapMatters. She is THE place to go for your Disney stuffs!

Several of the templates I used are from my March Grab Bag which is available at TheDigiChick for $3.00

HEADED HOME
Mom, Dad, and Baby Margie headed back to Florida this morning. I hate for them to leave but I know how stressful being here is for them right now. I am sure they are all happy to get home to their own beds. Please, please continue to pray for our family. The hearing will continue on May 7th.

My niece, who I adore, Sweet Baby Margie

YOUNG WOMEN RECOGNITION
Tonight is the Recognition night for the Young Women in our Stake her in Maricopa who have completed their Personal Progress. I am so excited to be able to go and honor these sweet girls who have worked so hard to develop their spirituality and talents!

A LITTLE SALE AND SOME WORD ART
I have not had a lot of new releases of late - things have been crazy - so I thought I would offer a little sale:

And here is a blog treat for you. It is the word art I made for my page with Tigger.

Have a nice day.
Kim

The Kindness of Strangers...

2009-04-05T20:43:00.005-07:00

You all know this has been a hard time for our family. There are days we are not sure we can take another step on the path of this trial...but we do.

Along the way there have been many earth angels who have shown us love and buoyed us up when we were weak.

Some of them have been people I have never even met.

Not long after Courtney passed away I received an anonymous gift in the mail. It was a jar full of "Daily Reminders of God".

There was no card, no return address, and when I called the place that had sent the gift to inquire about the sender I was never able to get anyone to answer.

Although I am sad that I was not able to send the sweet person who sent this to me a thank you - I am thankful for the anonymous gift - because I get to wonder who loves me so much that they took the time to send me something so comforting. In wondering who it could be I realize how blessed my life is with loving people...because I can think of dozens who might have sent it.

Or maybe it was a total stranger. Someone who reads my blog that I have never met. I don't know. If your reading this - thank you so much.

There are also some "strangers" we come to know from the wonderful world that the internet can bring us. Jenessa is one of those internet friends. Jenessa's husband is in the service and they are currently based in Germany.

Thought we have never met she sent me a HUGE...I MEAN HUGE box of European Chocolates along with a sweet card offering condolences and friendship.

My family went nuts. No one could believe that someone I had never met sent such a HUGE BOX of wonderful chocolates.

I had only mentioned my love of European Chocolates in passing but Jenessa remembered and her act of kindness will be remembered in my heart for years to come as well as on my hips.

My mom loves European Chocolates too! She was a flight attendant for 39 years and has traveled the world. She recognized some of the treats Jenessa sent and told me how to put a hot drink on them to warm the middle filling. Just as she was done explaining what they were we found a little note from Jenessa explaining the same thing!

I have to tell you Jenessa...I love the chocolate but anything that can put a smile on my sweet mom's face these days is worth it's weight in gold to me. Your box made for a fun evening for my kids of looking at foreign labels and enjoying yummy treats. Thank you so much for your kindness.

I have also received many emails from people I have never met...offering me condolences and words of comfort and faith. Thank you all so much.

HEARING UPDATE:
Our hearing was continued until May 7th. We ran out of time in court on April 3rd. Please continue to pray for our family and for Margie to be able to stay with my mom and dad.

I think today I will blog...

2009-03-24T11:06:00.012-07:00

It has been really hard for me to blog. There have been several times that I have tried to and it just didn't feel right. I think it is because I feel guilty. Guilty to actually document that life is going on without my sister. It is one thing to do it. I have to. I have children to raise and a husband who needs me.

But documenting...just seemed rude.

I don't know why. Those are just my feelings about it. I gave up trying to understand my feelings months ago. They are all very weird and rarely make any sense but they are what they are and I an trying to roll with them...even when they suck big time. I miss her. I want her back every minute.

THE LAST TIME WE TALKED...
was right before Valentine's Day. Mr. Wresh and I had a lovely Valentines Day. We went to the Mesa Temple and then out to dinner. It was a nice night together with my sweetheart.

For Valentine's Day all the Wresh Boys got treat bags filled with funny gifts and candy. We also made some Valentine Lollipops that we shared with neighbors.

MOM, DAD, CHASE, & BABY MARGIE
My Mom, Dad, Chase, and Baby Margie were all down this month. The custody case is still pending and there were interviews and such that needed to be done so they came down.

Our next hearing is on April 3rd. This Saturday we will begin a 24 hour fast at 6pm Mountain Standard Time and our family asks all those who are willing and able to join us in fasting. We are trying to retain custody of my sisters daughter Baby Margaret. I ask you in humility to fast and pray with us. Your support, love, and prayers along with those of our close friends and family have been critical in giving us the strength we need to do all that needs to be done for my sister's children.

While they were here we were able to enjoy some precious time with family and friends.

My mom and I took Chase, Joel, and a group of their friends bowling one night. It was fun. Knowing my son and nephew have friends that are such nice kids with manners and values is a blessing. I love them all.

I took all the boys to the Renaissance Festival again too! Chase goes with us every year and always has so we had to make a trip back just for him!

Matty and Margie were so happy to be able to have time to play together. I am 100% certain they knew each other in heaven and simply resumed their chummy friendship here on earth as cousins. I love this picture of the little boys and Margie. They decided to camp out on the floor so they could all sleep together!

90 IS REALLY OLD!
My grandma turned ninety years old! Our whole extended family went over to her house to party with her!

Ryan, Chase, Grandma, Matty, and Joel

Some of the older boy cousins: Kaden, Joel, Cody, Tyson, and Chase

There were grandkids everywhere. The little delinquents were picking the citrus from Grandma's trees and throwing them into oncoming traffic on the other side of the fence. The little rats.

BUSTED!

STAKE DANCE AND GOINGS ON
I have attended a number of New Beginnings Programs this year. To see all of the work that these Young Women and their leaders put into developing themselves and their testimonies is so inspiring.

We had a Stake Dance the other night too. Here are a few shots of the kids!

Gorgeous Young Women

Ali, Hillary, and Joel doing a little YMCA!

Hillary and Joel getting their grooves on!

Some very cool dudes.

This Saturday in the General Young Women's Meeting. Regardless of if you are LDS or not this will be an uplifting evening of inspirational messages for Young Women. You can watch the broadcast online here or on the BYU station if you have it.

BACK TO WORK
I have been trying to get back to work slowly. There are quite a few new products in my etsy store that you might want to take a look at! There are a few previews on the side bar too.

I also have a new March Grab Bag. I realize it is a little late in the month but I know how understanding you all are! You can pick it up here on my blog and it will be in the store at TheDigiChick.com this coming Thursday.

If you are not into surprises you can take a little peek here.

The Grab Bag is $3 and everything in it is OK for professional use with no credit required.

A BLOG TREAT FOR YOU
It has been a while since I had a blog treat for you so today I have a two pager!
It is two 12x12 templates designed to go together! Have fun.