What A Month!

Whew! I finally got feeling better and decided that I needed to fix some things, on me, that is! So got a few tune-ups!

First, I got my eyes checked and got new contacts and glasses. It is great to be able to see again.

Then I went to the doctor for a physical. Everything okay.

Then one morning I looked in the mirror and said, "you look 50 years old!" Now I am, of course, but everything looked it, my skin, my eyes, and especially my hair. I had really let myself go!

So, I went to the JC Penney salon and asked for a do over! They gave me to Jody, a wonderful young gal ( and I enphasize young, I have shoes that are older!) and she took care of me! I cut 8 inches off my hair, had her color it, then cut it in layers and help me learn how to straighten it. I love it! Now for those of you that have straight hair, I am sure you can't appreciate this, but for someone who has always battled curls, having straight hair is wonderful! So anyways, look at the picture on the side of this page, that is the before, then scroll down ---








and -------------






Ta Da!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What do you think?

I feel at least 10 years younger and bouncier! My husband loves long hair and I wasn't sure how he would take it. The last time I cut my hair short at all was when I was 19 and ever since it has been well past my shoulders and often to my waist. He didn't say anything for a few days, but then one night we were repairing his boat cover and I looked up to him staring at me. He said that he liked my hair, that it made me look bouncier and younger! That made my night!

So be watching, cuz you never know what might change next!

Try something new today!

Chris

Playing around

I have been playing with my blog today! Trying some new stuff out. So far I have tried dramatic, pink and black, and now this one! I am going to be creating different ones over the next few days and trying them out, so let me know what you think!

Have a creative day!

Chris

Whew!

Bad Blogger! I can't believe it has been since the end of January since I posted! It couldn't be that I was buried in tax returns and also still being sick! Remember how I wrote that I had had pnuemonia? Well, it kept coming back as a upper respiratory infection, clear through February, March and now into April. Add to that I have coughed so much that I have now bruised my larynx and have this raspy voice. I am hoping that now that tax season is over, I can rest it enough to have it heal! It is not so funny to go to church and not be able to sing! Singing has always been such an important part of my life that I would die if I couldn't sing! Even my dad said this morning that I better get my voice back so he can hear me sing!

Speaking of my dad, today is his 71st birthday! So Happy Bday Raymond Malone!

And speaking of birthdays, I celebrated my 50th birthday on April 5th! I can't believe I am a half century old. I better get a move on, there are still so many things I haven't tried! I need to do everything at least once! Anyways, some of my kids got together and decorated my family room with 50 helium filled balloons! I came home from work to balloons everwhere! So we left them up and the next day everyone came for a cookout and cake and the kids had a blast playing with them!

The weather can't make up it's mind lately! Saturday and Sunday were in the 70's and then yesterday the wind blew 40 miles an hour and we, in Rigby, got 6 inches of snow! And it still hasn't melted off today! UGH!!!! I am so ready for the snow to be gone!

Chelsea went to southern California last week, with her school orchestra. They left Tuesday night, drove all night and had breakfast on the beach at Newport Beach. In 4 days they went to a medival competition, saw the play Wicked, performed in a school contest and spent the entire day Saturday in Disneyland! Then they got on the bus at midnight and drove all the way home! 20 hours on a bus! yuk! She was tired and very glad to be home, but at least now she can say she has been to California! And her orchestra did really well! Thank you Mr. Weed for having the patience to take this big group there! You gave them an opportunity of a lifetime!

Hoping to be back in fine form soon and hope to start scrapping again right away, so I can share it with you! I plan on going to a crop soon to help get my motors revved up!

Chris

A Whole Month?!?!?!?

I can't believe it has been a whole month! Where has it gone? Wait, I can answer that! Remember when I said I had the flu at the first of December and then that I was sick at Christmas and thought it was pnuemonia? Well I finally went to the doctor on January 2 and it was pnuemonia! I took antibiotics for 2 weeks then, had a small infection flair up and just finished another course of antibiotics yesterday! But I think I am finally getting back on top of things.

I don't know if you remember but I am an accountant, which means my busy time of year has begun. I have spent the past 3 weeks getting the year ends done on my bookkeeping clients and then doing their W-2s. I finished the last of them today, which is good because they are due in the mail today! It has been a struggle to get better and work double hours, but I have made it through. Now we go full steam ahead with tax returns. Full force until April.

Have you been watching the news about the weather? We are getting pounded with snow and freezing cold! It looks like my daughter will be out of school tomorrow for the 3rd time in the past week! And wind! Monday I was snowed in because we had 65 mph winds! And they are about 30 mph tonight, along with about 2 inches of new snow; not a good combination. My husband works at a nuclear lab outside of Idaho Falls and he got held over for an overtime. They left work at 9:15. Now normally it takes him about 1 1/2 hours to get home. Right now we are going on 2 hours and I expect it will be after midnight. When I came home this afternoon, the main highway 20 was polished ice and I could barely do 40 mph on it. So I can only imagine what it is like now! I am keeping my fingers crossed until he gets home!

I haven't scrapped a thing since before Christmas, I haven't played with my new embroidery machine, I haven't done anything fun for sooooooo long! This sick thing really took it out of me! But I have a goal to start something this weekend!

In closing, I would express my sorrow at the passing of the leader of my church, President Gordon B Hinckley. His funeral is on Saturday. He was 97. He has been either a counselor to the president, or the president for over 25 years! It is kind of like when your favorite old Grandpa dies, you know they suffered and needed to go, but you miss them oh so bad! President Hinckley was such a kind man and lived such a wonderful life of service. I can only hope to live mine 1 % as well as he did!

Well goodnight! And sleep well! We will talk again! Share your new stuff with me! I make a goal that my next post will include something new I did with my Cricut and the Design Studio Software!

Make goals! Live and Laugh!

Well hello! After a bit of break I am back! I am sorry for the silence, but I had 2 bouts with a serious cold that finally turned into pnuemonia! Christmas was especially tough since I was so sick! We kind of scaled back on the celebration and I had to promise my family that my homemade candy will happen as soon as I am back 100%. I actually went to the store today and didn't lose my breath just walking through the store!

Now I have to tell you about my grandkids! They came for our family Christmas party on Sunday night, the 23rd! Every year I give them all pajamas. Well this year their mom's got their jammies on them and I got to take their picture! Here it is! It was quite a trick to get them all in the picture, and in the end Jesson still didn't look at the camera, but he is still a doll! Anyways, here they are:
(L to R) Maddie (9 mos), Conner (5), Jesson (22 months), Sydney (7), Sarah (5) and Bailey (3)!
Maddie and Jesson are sis/bro, Conner and Bailey are bro/sis, and Sydney and Sarah are sisters! Aren't they adorable?

I was truly blessed this year! Not only did I get to buy a new computer, I got a Singer Futura embroidery machine and the Cricut software so I can hook it up to my computer! Since I am finally starting to feel better, I plan on keeping the next few weeks busy working with my toys! I will show you pics as I learn how to use them!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that 2007 is full of memories and 2008 is full of possibilities!

Have a great New Year!

Chris

A New Computer!

And it is 7.7 lbs of screaming speed! I got the HP Pavilion dv 9640 laptop, and the only thing it doesn't do is make dinner! Here is a picture of it tonight, after I got done loading all my software on it and getting it set up! It has a 17 inch widescreen!











The best part though, is the keyboard! It has a 10 key built in, just like a regular keyboard! This will be so nice when I am doing taxes this year! No more plugging an external 10 key in. And did I mention the 17 inch screen! I am almost excited for tax season to begin!








I went and bought Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 and put it on the computer too! I am bound and determined to learn to do digital layouts! So wish me luck! I am still learning where everything is on this thing!

So go create an adventure today!

Chris

P.S. Chelsea, you aren't supposed to know about this, so mum's the word okay?

So I have this daughter.......

......and her name is Chelsea. Today I read her last blog and she said that she going to have a contest with me to try and get more blog entries than I have! Good luck, sweetie!


I have to tell you about Chelsea. She was born when I was 34. My other kids were all born in my early 20's. And actually she was planned, 11 years after her brother Kendall! Here she is, on the front row, right. She has kept this family on it's toes since the day she was born! She is very full of life and sometimes a few other things (that I would like to beat out of her) but life with her is never boring! She keeps her dad and I young at heart.

So Chelsea, game on! If you would like to read a truly unique (black and pink) blog and get a teenager's perspective, slip on over to My space on the floor. You might remember what it was like to be a teen!