Click on the link to my personal blog to see the Boutique Stuff and then get ready to invite all your friends and family to the next one!

Mark Your Calendars!

It's time for the Fall Festival Arts and Crafts Fair!
Where: Eternal Life Lutheran Church
7025 E Main
Mesa AZ 85207
(Between Main and Broadway & Power and Sossaman)

When: October 27th 9am-3pm


Games~ Entertainment~ Raffles ~Bake Sale ~Kettle Korn

Tell Your Friends, Family and Neighbors!

I know I'll be there~ so stop by and see all the fun stuff!
And~ those of you joining me, please call me this week for last minute info- or if you'd like to participate let me know as well!
So far we have some really great stuff:

Tin tile wall hangings and magnet boards, jewelry, baby blankets, quilts, burp cloths, hair bows & clips, door signs, custom cards and page layouts, handmade picture frames, and nursing covers!

This is our first year entering so we're not quite sure what everyone else will have, but I'm sure it will be great regardless!

Best Smoothie Ever

I've been on a smoothie kick lately- for at least a month now- and I wanted to share my recipe. It's completely satisfying and totally simple. Here are the ingredients I always have on hand:
Plain or vanilla lowfat yogurt
Orange juice
Bananas
Frozen fruit: strawberries, blueberries, peaches

I don't measure-I just throw stuff in- but I always add the orange juice first, just a couple inches, then the bananas (1 or 2), and then a couple handfuls of whatever fruit sounds best that particular morning- most days its a little of everything. The yogurt helps make a smooth consistency but not a lot is needed- I buy the 24oz or larger containers and just scoop a couple big spoonfuls into the blender. You can make it thicker or thinner depending on how much OJ you add after you've blended it for a few seconds. This method makes two 16oz servings plus a little extra that goes to Kleven and is plenty big enough for a two year old- he loves it too! My plan is to start adding things like flax seed or protein powder. Oh- and another tip- if you don't use frozen fruit, you can save the leftover serving in the freezer and add it to your next-day's batch to get the frostier effect without adding ice. Now that I've spelled it all out it makes it seem more complicated than it really is! Try it and let me know what you come up with!

Annual Schnepf Farms Trip

Last Thursday we packed up the kids, the wagon and the stroller in the van -that would have never happened in the H3- and made our way to Schnepf Farms. We went early in the day and it was so different than going at night like we have in the past. It was easier to see for one thing and it wasn't crowded at all. We had hot dogs for lunch and watched the pig races where Kleven and Chris each got a turn to be the Pig Callers. When we got to the Petting Zoo the rooster Cock-a Doodle- Doo'd right in Kleven's face! He was pretty freaked out. It was the first time he'd seen that happen in real life. He LOVED the baby pigs though. What a fun place for a two year old! There was also a Sheep, Goats, a HUGE Cow, Horses and a really sweet little Donkey-he looked just like Shrek's sidekick. And then there were the rides! The first one we went on was the airplane ride, well, Kleven got to go on it- the nice old man told me that I was too big so I had to leave my baby on there alone and watch him ride for the first time all by himself! I wondered why none of the other parents were getting on- I'm a Dork! The train ride was fun as it meandered around the farm-they don't do the scary version until dark. Kleven's favorite thing of the day had to be the slide- it was HUGE! I expected him to be scared going down the first time with Chris, but NO! He wanted to go again so badly that he turned around and hiked up the side of the mountain instead of going up the walkway- Three More Times! We practically had to drag him away from it! Ezra was there too- let's not forget him! He was having so much fun in the stroller- he was holding onto the tray in front of him for dear life as we hiked around, wanting to sit up the whole time- he looked like The Hulk! It was a fun afternoon.

I know you all are just DYING to see what I got in Vegas... here it is... If you can't tell by the picture I am still quite attached to my Hummer. We got the Toyota Sienna... after 10 months of research and desperate searching. I am relieved to be done with all that nonsense, however I must add that I am having a hard time adjusting to the fact that I will be, from this day forward, a member of the Soccer Mom Society. Chris on the other hand absolutely loves the van and wears the cutest little smirk every time he drives it and informed me today that Football Moms drive vans too. Kleven has even chimed in on a few occasions and said "I like my mini van, mom!" and "Can we watch Shark Tale in the van?" A cousin of mine who also recently converted from SUV to MV said it perfectly when she explained the whole experience. "When you're walking towards your car you're thinking Oh man -that's my ride now :( -but when you get in it and are reminded of how incredibly functional it is and how much your family enjoys it and then everything about it is okay." I too have felt these past few days that I will learn to love it- its not about what other people might think and its definitely not selfish- its just what's right for us right now- and that is a good feeling!

I Feel A Migraine Coming On...

I am not really sure where to start this post. I have so many thing running through my brain right now that I really want to write about but I don't want to sit here forever nor do I wish to bore the rest of you to death.... so if you can bear with me I will attempt to sort through my thoughts and vent a bit along the way.



We found a new car! We had to fly to Las Vegas on Friday to get it but we finally got one. What a relief! I am learning to like it and that's all I'll say about that for tonight. It was a fun adventure- Chris and Ezra and I dropped Kleven off at Uncle Mike and Aunt Trina's for the day- he was in Heaven! I really need to find him some kind of playgroup or preschool.

My favorite cousin Billy came home from his mission this week and we drove into town just in time to make it to his open house. He was serving in Korea and he is so grown up now and handsome(and single)! It makes me miss my brother Bryan really bad- he's in Australia speaking Mandarin Chinese and has only been gone about four months. He finally got my email this week though so that is one less thing to stress out about. What a strength he is to me whether he knows it or not!

So here's where my head starts pounding really bad- we cannot afford two mortgage payments! This is why we are renting out our other house, and when you are a landlord you count on your tenants to pay rent to cover your mortgage for you! Common sense right? So what do you do when they have not paid rent? According to the contract you go over to the house and leave a notice that says they pay up or move out. When your renter is an arena football player/ former Cardinal teammate you take your husband and your brother-in -law with you to leave the notice. When you get to your house you don't expect to have to call the POLICE to report criminal damages and then find out that your tenant is already in jail for a Domestic Violence call that was made on the 1st of the month.( hence the no rent) Add that to the garage cabinets that appear to have had the doors ripped off, the shattered master bedroom window, and a hole in the wall from the doorknob being thrust through it... I sat on the driveway fighting the urge to puke for about an hour. Why is it that I feel as though I am unable to trust anyone anymore? If I can work up the courage, I will go back and take pictures to post for all of you to see because I know you can't believe it either! And because we'll need them in court.



On a brighter note-

Ezra sat up all on his own today!

I made the BEST chocolate chip cookies ever! (and for the 1st time in over two years- does that make me a bad wife?)

My mom is making us Swedish pancakes in the morning while we watch General Conference.



Oh- and Chris is looking into a job opportunity in RUSSIA!