smiling sweet on every side

New Adventure- Jamberry Nail Wraps

2013-08-30T11:36:00.001-06:00

We've had a fun summer and I have lots of catching up to do on my blog, but first I want to share my new adventure with anyone who might still be reading this neglected thing!

In May I went to a Jamberry nail wraps party that my friend was hosting. I don't paint my nails, since it never lasts and I'm not good at it, so I wasn't sure this party would have a lot to offer me, but I love a good party. Aubrey came with me and we had a great time. I tried on a nail wrap sample and chatted with my friends. Aub used scraps of all the samples and did all of her nails in the time we were there! I saw that this was something my girls and I could enjoy together, so I agreed to host a party.

Jump ahead to July. As my party approached, people commented on my cute nails- my 4th of July ones- everywhere I went. They were holding up even better than I had hoped, and people were excited to come to my party and some had even placed orders ahead of time! I also got the bill for Jenna's remaining orthodontics. The wheels started turning and I started thinking about joining Jamberry as a consultant.

These are the free ones I got for hosting my party.

Tim was supportive, perhaps a little sceptical, but supportive. I signed up right after my party on July 28th and it has been a whirlwind month of fun, success, extra income and satisfaction! After seeing how my first month has gone and the great earning potential, Tim is convinced! My goal went from just paying the orthodontist, piano teacher and preschool each month to doing those things, perhaps some dance classes for the other girls, and saving up to finish our basement faster than we thought possible.

Eliza loves the little mustaches!

My girls and I have so much fun doing our nails together! I LOVE having cute nails all the time now! The wraps last 2-3 weeks with no chipping or peeling like you have with polish. I feel a little better about myself and make more of an effort to look nice when I wake up with something beautiful ready to go!

Eliza also loves her ladybugs!

These are Jenna's favorite!

If you are part of a team, club, school, dance class, etc that needs a fundraiser, they also have a generous fundraising program!

I wanted to share this with you because I feel so blessed to have found a way to make some extra money while being with fun people AND still be with my family. I set my own schedule and can work as much or as little as my other plans and obligations allow. Jamberry nails wraps are a high-quality product that I feel great about recommending to my family and friends. Jamberry also spoils their hostesses! (This was a big factor in agreeing to host a party!) They compensate independent consultants very well and I am part of a great, supportive team that has helped me get my business rolling very quickly!

Jamberry is a newer company and there are not tons of consultants yet. I would LOVE to have YOU join my team and spread the Jamberry love! If you would like to see more of the nail wraps or learn more about Jamberry, come see my website at 4girls.jamberrynails.net.

You can also see my Pinterest board http://pinterest.com/beanandtim/jamberry-nail-love/
and come like my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/4girlsnails

I do contests and giveaways all the time on my facebook page, so check it out!

If you want to buy Jamberry nail wraps, get free ones by hosting your own party, or join my team, let me know. I'm having so much fun!!!

If you are part of another direct sales company, you can advertise in style!

There are FUN college nails!!

Springtime at the farm

2013-05-07T16:36:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we got to do one of my favorite things at the farm- feed the bummer lambs. Jenna stayed at the house with Grandma Lou & Skippy while the rest of us went exploring.

Aubrey's an old pro

Lydia has no fear or hesitation

Eliza was really hesitant at first

Eliza finally found her groove!

Our dog, Skippy

2013-04-25T16:02:00.000-06:00

We went to Cedar City to visit Courtney and her family during Spring Break. We brought home a cute souvenir! The kids started calling him Skippy because of his resemblance to Skippyjon Jones. Unfortunately, the name stuck. He's a sweet dog and we're glad to add him to our family!

We took this picture of Lydia for show and tell. Luckily, "pet week" happened to be the week after we got Skippy!

Eliza is so glad to have a friend to play with while the sisters are at school. He lets her carry him around like this all too often!

A hunting we will go... Easter fun 2013

2013-04-07T19:24:00.001-06:00

Friday night egg hunt with the Giblets at Gma & Gpa Lloyd's...
It is so fun to see my kids hunting where I did when I was a kid!

Saturday morning we went to a pancake breakfast and egg hunt at Neptune Park. Crazy fun!

Next, we headed to Moroni for the cousin egg hunt at the farm. Grandpa and Grandma spread the eggs out in a field, covering more than an acre. It was a fun hunt!

We haven't thrown our eggs yet, so I'm sure more pictures will come.

Easter skirts

2013-04-07T19:04:00.000-06:00

This year, we were all about the blues! I made ruffle skirts for the girls to wear on Easter.

(my picture aren't great...)

Tim even consented to a coordinating tie!

Aubrey's Baptism

2013-03-20T15:25:00.000-06:00

Aubrey was baptized on Saturday, August 18, 2012.

I wasn't very good about taking pictures, but we had great support from friends and family! Friends from the Parkwood Ward came, including the Percivals, the Gibsons, Tonya Smith & girls, Richard & Joan Banks, Daphne Lynch and probably some one else I'm forgetting. (I shouldn't get so far behind blogging!!!)

Greg & Kelly came and brought Grandpa Lloyd. I was so glad he could stand in the circle when Aubrey was confirmed.

Brother and Sister Banks were Aubrey's teachers in the Parkwood Ward.

Aubrey got to share this special day with her sweet friend, Katie.

We were touched to have so many friends and neighbors from our new ward there, too. It was a beautiful day and we are so proud of Aubrey's choice to be baptized and become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

Lydia is 6!

2013-03-20T15:23:00.000-06:00

Our unstoppable Lydia turns 6 today! She's an amazing, spunky, bright, determined little soul and we are so blessed to have her in our family.

She is loving kindergarten this year. Her angel of a teacher is Mrs. Willson, who also lives in our neighborhood. She is learning more every day and is always looking for adventure. Lydia is so adventurous and social- we sometimes have to track her down as she plays from house to house in the neighborhood, which is FULL of fun playmates! She loves to ride her bike and even rode a big girl bike to school today with Jenna! She's taking 6 by the horns!

Instead of a big party, she got to take two friends to Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point yesterday. The weather was perfect and we had so much fun!

Eliza, Ava, Emmi (Lydia's long-lost twin in every way) and Lydia posed with the cow for a sec.

Lydia had a turn all to herself, since the biggest horse already had a ride the first time. She waited patiently to get what she wanted. This is how she does things.

The wagon ride, with Bob and Barney pulling the wagon. They girls each had a pink bandana.

We went to the ice cream parlor where everyone enjoyed the tall stools & bubble gum ice cream!

We also made a quick stop in the candy store & then went out back to enjoy a treat. The girls did a few musical numbers in the courtyard for good measure.

What a fun adventure it is to know Lydia! We sure love you, Lyds!!

Merry Christmas 2012

2012-12-24T13:47:00.001-07:00

I've been a bad blogger this year. Hopefully Santa won't hold it against me!

Turkey shirts

2012-11-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't your kids look cute all decked out for Thanksgiving in these? You have a few days left to order in time to get them by Thanksgiving! Order by Thursday, Nov. 15th if you need it shipped, by Saturday, Nov 17th if you are local!

Leave me a comment here or on Facebook or send me an email to order.

Long sleeve tees are $12, Short sleeve (dark brown) and onesies are $10. Shipping is $6 for 1-4 shirts.

Wild Turkeys

Plaid & Pastel option...

The girls are helping me make these to earn some Christmas money. Thanks for ordering!!!

Grandpa Prestwich's funeral

2012-11-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

Tim's grandpa, Don Prestwich, died in July. Tim had the opportunity to spend a few nights helping him in the weeks leading up to his passing. It was a tender, special time for them. Tim spent a lot of his childhood right by Grandpa's side on the farm and at the house. He was a good man!

There was a viewing at the church. I thought I took pictures of some of the family, but I guess not. This lovely picture of long-ago Moroni hangs in the RS room there.

We ended up being the first car behind the hearse. The route from the church to the cemetery took us past the farm where Don had spent his entire life. It was a beautiful day to remember him!

The local VFW performed a touching flag ceremony and 21 gun salute. Jess was given the flag that covered the casket.

Troy and Shaun gave talks.

The following pics are ones Tim took on his way to stay with his Grandpa. The flooding came when heavy rains fell on the burn scar from the forest fire. Wild storm!

Eliza has a hard time staying in one place. This is the angle I took the picture.

Jenna's birthday #10

2012-11-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Double digits saw Jenna celebrating over and over this year. Here's a peek...

Cousin party at Gma & Gpa Lloyd's

10 candles makes quite a bonfire! (Friend party- Sabrina in the background)

Jenna is all about turquoise these days, right down to the cake.

We made these fun party favors in little fruit cocktail cans. Thanks, Pinterest.

Eliza was amazed by this rainbow that joined the party.

The girls decorated flip flops, played lots of games during the party. So many girls, so much fun!!

And don't forget the #10 pancakes for breakfast on the big day!

Eliza turned 2!

2012-11-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

Our spunky little Liza turned 2 in July. I still can't believe we have her & I'm so glad I got to stay around to raise her. She's a delight to have!!She's got her own unique personality and wants to run with the big kids. As soon as she figured out how to say that she's 2, she started telling people that she's 5. Such a nut! She loves playing outside, apples, Super Why & Caillou, gum, and singing and dancing. She's almost always happy, albeit shy around strangers at first.

With cousin Zach, waiting for Heavy, heavy hangover

My sweet cousin Amanda, her hubby Thomas & other family members came

Blowing out the candles

We also partied with the Prestwiches at our house.

She was genuinely delighted with all of her gifts, and still (now November) carries around her "Tina" doll everywhere she can. Papa Jess gave her a Princess Tiana baby doll set. She loves that doll more than any of my other girls have ever loved a doll in the history of doll loving! We frequently take Tina with us when we got to the school for different things. Instead of me pushing my baby in the stroller, Eliza pushes Tina in her little stroller. So sweet!

Aubrey's birthday

2012-11-11T21:18:00.002-07:00

With the London Olympics in full-swing this summer. Aubrey decided she wanted an Olympics birthday party. It was so fun!

There are so many girls her age in the ward & neighborhood. It was hard to have to cut off the guest list somewhere. I hope we didn't leave anyone out!

We started with the Parade of Nations. Each girl decorated her own little flag (an index card) and Aubrey led them on a parade around the yard.

By the end, everyone had a flag, gold medal, and their own torch full of little treats.

The big torch, from whence all other torches come... Olympic cauldronish

Eliza carried the big torch

We also had a party with the Gibsons and Grandma Barb & Papa Gary. Aub got a cookbook and tablecloth and later she and Grandma planned, prepared and served a meal for our family. Well done!

Random summer fun

2012-11-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun when the Smith girls came to stay for the week. Rag rollers were a big hit!

Caitlyn was a big help & a good sport, even modeling a new apron for me.

Playing in the yard with Daddy.

Fun night at a Bee's game. We had awesome seat!

The gentleman in the hat & suit was hilarious. He came late. Left to buy the hat, and chatted it up with our kids, showing all of us pics of his kids on his Blackberry. He was also packing. We're thinking he was in town for a big FBI bust... Just preserving the memory.

Aubrey had to be convinced to come to the game, but ended up having a ball! And getting a ball from an outfielder. Her flirting gets her too many things in life...

I finally put up a few decorations. We sorted everything by color, then Jenna told me where to put things. It looks much better!

4th of July in pictures

2012-11-07T16:33:00.001-07:00

I'm beyond slow, so I'll just show you some of the highlights from our longest summer ever. (It actually FLEW by!)

It was a fun 4th of July in Moroni with all the cousins! The fireworks were cancelled because of the extreme fire danger. What a crazy summer!

Summer so far- 2012

2012-06-23T17:50:00.003-06:00

For the record, my kids have done fun things this summer.

If they claim otherwise at the end, here is photographic evidence on my behalf.

Immediately after school on the last day, we met up with some of the cousins at the aquarium. Eliza especially loved the penguins. It was so crowded that I didn't get many good pictures.

We participated in the Race for Reading 5K & Family Fun Run. (By 'participated in' I mean 'were in charge of/ tolerated' the race.) It was really a fun day. There was stress & chaos leading up to it, but it turned out even better than we had hoped. Next year will be even better!

We have been to 2 parades already, with more to come for sure!

Lydia has taken dozens of self-portrait pics with my camera. Eliza discovered the joy of dress-ups.

Activity Days Day Camp with 31 of our closest friends

I was called to be in the Primary Presidency & am over Activity Days. Jenna & I participated in a fun day camp with all of the 8-11 yr old girls in our ward.

Tim was called to be the ward finance clerk- his favorite calling! He was ~~glad~~ relieved to get released from Scouts for this new job!

We have also been to a splash park with some friends, swimming with Court, Jake & Nate, endured a nasty stomach flu, and watched with curiosity & trepidation as the Dump Fire took over the mountain immediately to our South. We have friends that were temporarily evacuated from their homes & we could see the flames from our house, but we were safe and sound. This picture (take from the end of our subdivision) is when the fire was just a few hours old. Three days later, it has burned over 6000 acres & there are huge crews working to get it under control.

There have been piles of popsicles consumed, family parties, blanket forts built on the climbing dome, late nights with friends, bike rides galore, candy from the candy machines (need to photog that!) meetings without end, hot, dry weather and much more. I can't wait to see what happens next!

The Winter Sea, by Susanna Kearsley

2012-06-15T15:51:00.002-06:00

I haven't done a book review for a while, so here's a quick one.

If you saw my facebook page a few weeks ago, you saw me complain about the comma abuse. I am so glad I didn't stop reading at page 40. She got the commas under control and I LOVED this book!

It was a clean, fast read. Many of my favorite things are contained in the story- history, love story, genealogy, suspense. The story goes back and forth between present day and 300 years ago. This sounds like it would be choppy, but it was beautifully done! I couldn't put it down after a while!

I frequently read fiction by LDS authors. This was the first time I have seen a mention of the LDS Church's extensive family history resources, much less by an author who clearly is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (She got the name of the church slightly wrong. I forgive her!)

I frequently feel compelled to search out my ancestors. This would be a dream come true to be able to understand an ancestor's life so fully!

Pick up this book! You will be so glad. I bought it, if you are near enough to borrow my copy. You'll be glad you did!

Remind me...

2012-06-12T21:59:00.000-06:00

Now that we have survived the end of the school year, the 5K & fun run and Activity Days Day Camp, summer can being. I'm so behind on my blog as I was trying to keep up the race blog & facebook page & a few dozen other things, so I'm working on that. Did you know I got a new church calling? And Tim did too? Yeah, I'll catch you up...

See these cute little face? Remind me when they're trying to kill each other and destroying the house that I am so glad I'm here to raise them. When this picture was taken, I was only days beyond being nigh unto death. It still pains my heart- in a very real way- to imagine these girls without a mom. Takes my breath away. Remind me how lucky I am to have kids & to be here to raise them. It is so true!

So, we're going to spend the rest of the week playing and laughing and whatever comes with that. Then I'll worry about documenting a few things for posterity!

Oh yeah!

2012-05-30T16:08:00.002-06:00

When facebook just isn't enough...

2012-05-22T14:14:00.000-06:00

Do you ever think in facebook updates? If not, that question probably made no sense.

I'm sure I spend too much time facebooking. One piece of evidence: When I do or see or hear something, I think how I would describe it in a few sentences on facebook. Today I have all these little tidbits going through my brain. Rather than torture my facebook friends, I'll just write them all here and be done.

And then I'll probably share this post (or the link) on facebook, for good measure. Since I learned about the joys of bit.ly at PTA convention, I can easily tweet it too. How's that!

*I don't know if it's because I'm reading Banana Split by Josi Kilpack, or the commercials with the cute little babies and how part of the proceeds provide diapers for bare-bottomed babies, but I couldn't resist the Hawaiian print Huggies today. And the wipes, for good measure.

*I am really looking forward to summer vacation for my kids. Main reason: They can wear swimming suits all day, every day. My laundry pile is rejoicing already!!

*Sometimes, a fish taco from Del Taco sounds like a good idea. It rarely is.

*I may or may not sign up to help with PTA solely for the opportunity to go to PTA convention. It is that good! You should come- see you there, next May!

*Have you seen the show "My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding?" Holy train wreck! I'm intrigued that girls who dress (and dance) like such hoochies are seriously still "pure." Can't hold hands or kiss a guy until your wedding, but go ahead and dance in an electric dress that barely covers anything. What!! I can't believe crap like that is on TV, while I'm still pining for "ER." A travesty!

*I love yard sales. I love my neighborhood. The neighborhood-wide yard sale over the weekend made my head spin! We pretty much got Jenna a whole new (cuter than I normally buy) wardrobe for about $30. Seriously! The funny thing is that the items are way nicer than what I could have found in our old yard sale haunts, for about half the price. I feel so blessed! We might be able to keep her clothes AND pay for the braces after all!

*I love my new sewing machine. That will {hopefully} have its own post someday.

*The Race for Reading 5K and Family Fun Run have taken over our lives for the time being. I'm hoping things will settle down after June 9th.

*I know that there is no way things will settle down after June 9th. My projects will just be different ones. More on that to come.

*I call Tim about once a day with a "Random Moment of the Day" call. He knows there are millions of random thoughts going through my brain at any given moment. Now you do too.

*My kids haven't had a break from school that was longer than 3 weeks since July/August of 2010. They had a 6 week break then. That doesn't even really count, since 3 of those 6 weeks, I was HUGELY pregnant and the other 3 of those weeks I was mostly dead. (See Eliza's birth story for the gory details.)

*I have 8 lbs of strawberries in my fridge that need me to make them into jam today so they can fill the measure of their creation. I'd better go see where we packed the canning supplies...

Since we're being random, here are some random pictures of that summer I don't remember- 2010

Jenna's first day of 3rd grade, Aub's first day of 1st grade- tiny Eliza

Lydia's first day of preschool- apropos, since today was her last.

Teeny tiny Eliza

Eggs and other Easter randomness

2012-05-20T19:00:00.000-06:00

Doesn't everyone dye their own dozen eggs in your family? Why not?

Last year, we discovered that we prefer using regular old food coloring to the dye kits. Cheaper, easier, much more variety, beautiful colors! We also experimented with rubber cement again, as well as the usual crayon fun!

I didn't take great pictures, but Grandma Barb & Papa Gary had a cute egg hunt & fun treats for the kids. (Seriously, could I have taken WORSE pictures? Lame.)

A few weeks after Easter, we took our eggs out to the desert west of Saratoga Springs (and west of a few other places, as well). We drove up into the little hills to find a spot to throw our eggs. Right before we got out of the van, we were buzzed by a military helicopter flying so low that I about peed my pants. True story. I hope the pilot enjoyed it- Tim & I were waiting to see flames from over the next hillside. I don't know how he didn't crash the chopper. Anyway...

We parked half way up a little hill, which makes for great egg explosions! Or should I say egg-splosions?
The eggs were a bit *ripe* after sitting for so long, so they were messy & nasty- just right for throwing!

Eliza wasn't sure about breaking eggs at first, but even she got into it. If her egg didn't explode satisfactorily, she would go after them and throw them again. This worked OK unless one of the other girls was up higher on the hill throwing toward her. No harm, no foul...

It was much cooler than it had been Easter weekend. We had to break out the parkas I had efficiently washed & put away for the year.

We visited Camp Floyd before we threw the eggs. I apparently didn't take my camera out of my purse. It was a nice little history lesson for all of us. If you are in the area, I recommend stopping to see. It was like a mini-mini-mini trip to Nauvoo- only on a much, much, much smaller scale.

I must also give proper attention to our amazing spring flowers. Someone planted an amazing year-round garden here. Just as one area loses its blooms, another bursts to life- seriously amazing landscaping!

Easter Eve in Moroni

2012-05-20T14:58:00.001-06:00

The day before Easter, we met all the Prestwich cousins in Moroni for an enormous egg hunt. Grandma Lou & Papa Jess hid the eggs we dyed and plastic ones with surprises for each child throughout a field at the farm- spread over about an acre. It was a beautiful day and so fun!

Owen, Sam, Ella, Ethan, Jenna, Gavin, Zach, Jessie, Justin, Colin, Eliza, Lydia, Aubrey, Allie, Madi, Grna Lou, Papa Jess

Waiting for the shotgun start!

Eliza's goodies! (The other kids never stopped moving long enough for a picture.)

Growing pains

2012-05-06T22:48:00.000-06:00

When we first moved to Saratoga Springs, our stake (group of church congregations) was divided & we became part of a new stake. The area is growing rapidly and there are lots and lots of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints here. That was almost exactly 6 months ago.

Tonight we went to a special meeting where the wards (congregations) in our neighborhood were divided and boundaries realigned to create a new ward. In the less-than-one mile between our house and the girls' school, there are three large wards! Unbelievable!

We are still not used to the size of our ward and how actively everyone participates. You have to arrive at least 20 minutes early to have any chance to sit in a soft seat in the chapel instead of a folding chair in the overflow! The girls' Primary classes each had a minimum of 10 kids- and that was generally only half of the age group. I think a few of the age groups had 3 classes! That is a LOT of kids!

With the boundary change, we gained some great families and we say good bye to some! Luckily, they are all in the same place, but we will miss seeing them at church and activities. While it is sad to change things, I am excited to have a (slightly) smaller ward & Primary. The kids don't know each other well because there are so many kids to meet! The smaller numbers make you pull together to accomplish what needs to be done.

It makes me think back to a few years ago when our beloved Parkwood Ward in Kearns was created when our old stake made two wards out of what had been three. We made great new friends and kept working together to meet our common goals. Dear friends came and went, and we were better for having known them!

One amazing thing about the Church is that it is so much the same no matter where you are in the world. The faces and languages may change, but the Gospel is the same. We are all children of God, working to grow closer to our Heavenly Father and trying to make it through this life in one piece. We sing the same songs, learn the same lessons, read the same scriptures, follow the same prophet. What a blessing it is in my life!

Here's to new friends and the ones that we will never forget!

Race for Reading

2012-04-24T13:38:00.003-06:00

Hey, I've got a great idea! Let's all register for the Race for Reading 5K & Family Fun Run!!

It is Saturday, June 9th in Saratoga Springs & all the money raised goes to the Saratoga Springs Literacy Center! The Center provides tutoring free of charge

You can find more information at saratogasprings5k.blogspot.com.

Even more amazing- have your company help sponsor the race!!

Let me know if you have questions!

Crazy hair day...

2012-04-20T08:42:00.002-06:00

Aubrey knew exactly what she wanted to do as soon as they announced Crazy Hair Day at school. The tops each have a sippie cup in them. The bottom pony tails have pipe cleaners, secured with multiple elastics along the way. Her hair is so thick that the pipe cleaners were losing the battle against gravity. Next time we will try something stronger.

Jenna had me straighten the sides of her hair & left the top curly. She had a change of heart afterwards & didn't love it. She declined the photo op, but she looked cute. An awesome faux hawk!!