I did it...I opened an Etsy Shop

Check it out.  If interested you can use the promo code POSIES to get 15% off until December 15th. There's a lot more still to be added.  Check out my craft blog to see any and all updates!  Since this is my family blog I probably won't add any updates here but I thought I should let you know that the shop exists!

Just call me dramatic

Ummmm.  So remember my last post?  Yeah, I guess I was just a wee bit dramatic.  There were piles of dirt everywhere from the back hoe they used when I wrote that and so it looked like a lot more was torn up then it was and it looked like my yard was ruined.  They've put all the dirt and sod back and now the snow has melted and it's not that bad.  I'm just glad it's not as bad as all those dirt piles made it look.  I feel a little sheepish now! ;o)

I'll have to do a post of McKinley soon.  She is getting so big so fast!

Goodbye Pretty Yard

So yesterday I was feeding McKinley when I hear this unbelievably loud crashing sound.  I whip opened my blinds to see this...

 

a truck in my backyard!   The picture above was taken after the truck got unstuck and actually moved a bit but before that it was just sitting in my backyard!  Scary.  It was just a young teenager.  After digging up all our grass with his spinning tires and realizing he wasn't going anywhere he jumped out of the truck and was cursing up a storm and punching his truck like crazy.  I was going to tell him that probably wouldn't help anything but I didn't think he would appreciate that too much!

 Luckily, Matt happened to come home just a minute before it happened.  The kid said he just lost control on some ice but I think he was definitely speeding as well, he had California plates and maybe he's not used to the snow and ice (no offense, all my California friends!).  Oh well, he learned his lesson without hurting anyone I guess.  He knocked our electrical box through two fences.

 It's hard to tell from this picture but he drove through almost our entire side yard coming within a couple feet of our house.

There was once really nice grass there...

 and here...

 and here.

 That kid definitely had some angels watching over him because his tire was stuck in that mess of live wires holding a mere 12,000 volts of electricity.  He's lucky to be alive.

I'm so grateful Matt didn't get hurt.  Before he realized the truck was sitting on top of all those live wires he was helping to push it out while the tires were just spinning and spinning on top of them. It's a miracle no one was hurt! 

These pictures don't show the worst of it.  The electric company came out and spent hours getting everything put back together.  They had to use this huge crane and back hoe and they dug up all the yard around it.  I should've taken a picture of it but I think it would be too depressing. It's a mess.

Say goodbye to that pretty yard that Matt spent countless hours on...

 

It was pretty, wasn't it?  Oh well, it's just a yard.  I just taught a lesson in Relief Society on Sunday on gratitude so I guess I should take my own advice and look on the bright side in every situtation and realise just how blessed I am.  

He came so close to hitting our house and so close to getting himself killed and none of that happened.  Another positive, he has insurance! As one of the men fixing the electric box put it, "that is going to be a huge bill!"  Also, we finally met our backdoor neighbors for the first time (they've only lived there for like 6 months ;o), and Matt absolutely loves working in the yard (lucky me) so this will give him something to do next summer, not that he'll ever have free time to do it.

Come to the New Harmony Apple Festival This Saturday!

This Saturday, October 9th is the New Harmony Apple Festival from 10-6.  My friend and I have a booth there so come and visit!  There will be a car show there as well.  It will be held in the New Harmony Fire Department Park, 133 East Center Street.  Hope to see you there!

Gorgeous

 

We decided to to go for a drive today up the canyon to see the start of all the leaves changing color.  First, we had to stop at Cedar Breaks.  I forgot how pretty it is up there.

It was so windy, as you can clearly see!  My hair looked like this most of the time.

You can see for miles and miles up there.

I forget sometimes what a beautiful area we live in.  People come from all over the world to see this place.  Just while we were there, we heard some tourists speaking in what sounded like French and another group was speaking some other language that I couldn't even guess what it was.  I haven't been all the way up here in a couple years and it's only a few short miles away from me.

 The color of the leaves were so vibrant, it almost looked fake.

  We finished by taking the long way home through Brian Head than down through Parowan and back home through Summit.  I had never driven through Summit.  It's a cute tiny town and with it only be 7 miles away from "civilization" (not that our town is that big either ;o)  I think it would be a more popular place to live. The drive was beautiful.  I can only imagine what the trees will look like a few weeks from now.

Pictures Lately

I have to do something with all these pictures I take so I thought I'd do a picture update.

We go for walks everyday and many times end up at the park just outside our neighborhood.

Kin likes to play with her cousin.  Her cousin like's to feed her rocks.  Kin likes to try to eat rocks. Notice the bulging cheeks.  That's what 3 year olds do I guess. They make a good combo! ;0)

We do lots of swinging.

Don't ask me why I feel the need to pull out a camera every time she's in a swing.

There's also some sliding going on.

McKinley loves to watch Matt mow the lawn for some reason.

She claps for him and blows him kisses as he goes by.

We've been hanging out outside enjoying Sundays together.  Kin loves it.

 

We bring out her toys and she's in heaven.

 Kin loves to go flying with her dad.

And last but not least, I had to include a picture of one the quirky things Kin does.  She will not roll over at all if she is put on her back.  She thinks she is stuck! Funny!

If I were to take a picture of what Matt's been doing it would be a picutre of him at the computer or in front of a book.  He is a busy man.  I hope we survive until next winter for him to be done with his MBA.  

My friend Jenna and I JUST decided we are going to do a craft booth at the Apple Festival in New Harmony on October 9th so I've been busy crafting.  Hopefully I get everything done!     

My new crafting/sewing/cooking/baking/decorating/whatever else I want to talk about blog

So I started this new crafting/recipes/decorating/whatever blog and I don't want to be talking to myself so come by and check it out.  Everyone is welcome.  Spread the word.  I am eventually going to be selling some of my mom's sewing patterns and some other things on it so I want everyone to visit.

I already stole crafty related things from this blog and put it over there and to tell you the truth that blog will get way more attention than this one because I am crafting all the time and already have a ton to put on it so add it to your blog list if you're interested to see what's been cooking at my house and how you can cook it up at your house!

Matt is doing an MBA program online right now plus he works full time working six days a week.  I am really proud of him.  I am so grateful that Sunday was created to be the Sabbath day or he would never take a break and I'd never get to see him between homework and work!  Needless to say, when McKinley goes to sleep I have a lot of quiet time to myself, so I craft.  I should be cleaning or something like that but where's the fun in that?  Come by and please say hello so I know that someone's interested and I'm not talking to myself!

http://prettylilposies.blogspot.com

Random Fun Lately

If you give a one year old an oreo...

they will grow a chocolatey-ish beard. Where do you even begin to clean this one up?

Here's McKinley taking a stroll on her hot, new ride...

The front porch is one of our favorite places to read books. I recomend the book, Bee & Me. It's one of McKinley's favorites. We read it at least once a day.

She has her own little seat on the porch. I had to get a shot of those feet. They NEVER stop moving. They are usually flexed and going in circles. It's pretty cute.






I am an obsessive picture taker and so of course I had to get a group shot. I'm afraid I'm becoming the annoying relative that is always telling you to, "say cheese"!





We had lots of birthdays to celebrate. Chevelle, McKinley's cousin had a cute Mini-Mouse party. Gotta love the ears...

Look at the cute cupcakes my sister-in-law, Marisa made. The little oreos made the perfect ears. I told you I'm an obsessive picture taker. I even take pictures of other people's decorations!






McKinley wasn't so sure about those noise makers everyone was using. She made this face everytime one was near.






It was also Matt's mom and step-dad's birthday. We went up to Wood's Ranch to celebrate. There was lots of yummy food involved including Hummus. Have you ever tried Hummus? I just found a recipe for it that I'm going to have to try out because it's delicious and healthy, can't beat that! They have a huge tire (tractor tire maybe? I don't know) stuck in the dirt and so of course we had to climb it.




We did lots of swinging while we were up there.

Grandma Bagley even took a turn.

and that's what we've been up to lately.

Powerful

I just watched this video and it's amazing. If you live in Utah you may remember hearing about this.



Just thought I would share. It makes you think about things.

Party!

We had McKinley's birthday party on Saturday. We had Matt's family over to celebrate. I tend to go overboard on things like this as you soon will see! I used one of my mom's die cuts that she uses for her invitations to make the petal wrap for McKinley's birthday invites.

I know a phone call works just the same as the invitation, but where's the fun in that! It was a swim party/barbecue. McKinley loved swimming with her cute cousins.

Well, she loved it for about 10 minutes anyways.

We had a ridiculous amount of good food! I mean ridiculous.

Mmmm...watermelon.

There were yummy chocolate cupcakes with a vanilla cream filling and strawberry cream cheese icing. We also had lemon cream cupcakes with a lemon icing (not my favorite, they were a little dry and very heavy for a cupcake, I should've stuck with the good stuff...chocolate!). I told you I tend to go overboard. I was up till the wee hours of the morning Friday night cooking, and baking and cooking some more!


I also tried making a fondant cake for the first time. I made marshmallow fondant (tastes better than the store bought stuff and is much cheaper) using this recipe and it was pretty easy! Just melt a bag of marshmallows and knead in a bag of powdered sugar and some shortening and you're good to go!



I did however make the fondant a little on the dry side so it cracked a bit but it wasn't anything a few flowers and polkadots couldn't cover up!

I also had to try making some of the infamous hanging flower pom pom decorations you can find the tutorial here. I already had all the stuff to make them so yay for free decorations! I think they're cute enough to be in a little girls' room year round. I would put them in Kinley's room if there was room.

McKinley was completely spoiled!

and she loved it! Thanks everyone.

We sang her happy birthday, she was mad that I put her in her high chair at first and then she was even more mad when instead of blowing out her candle she put it out with her hand! Oops! She was too fast for me.

There were only a few tears and she recovered quickly when she discovered she got to eat an entire cake!

It was a fun party!