You're not going to die...

I am excited for 2010! I know this will be an incredible year. My theme for 2010 shall be You're not going to die... Let me explain.

Last October I had the opportunity to attend Scentsy Director Boot Camp in Boise, Idaho. This is a training program for Scentsy Directors to learn from the best, how to run a Successful Scentsy business, including consultant training, organization, conflict resolution, etc. Every Scentsy Director should make this a must!

This is Jason Harwood, he had awesome information for us and made us giggle more than once.



Please skip this picture and go to the next picture of Joal Curtis, Scentsy's part-time psychologist (really? Yes, really, Scentsy has a psychologist)

This is Joal, he taught a great workshop on conflict resolution with customers, consultants, really any conflict you may have with another human being. He told us that every conflict can be resolved as long as you know what the fear of the person you are having the conflict with is. He boiled this down to every person who is having a conflict has the same fear of dying from results of the conflict, but he didn't tell us this answer, we had to figure it out. Blah, blah, blah, So, in the above picture of me I was saying to Mr. Joal Curtis, "So I can just tell the conflicted person, look, you're not going to die." He said, "That is the answer but, you're not going to tell them that, you are going to help them realize this and help them feel safe, therefore they will know they are not going to die." Well, this was a huge light bulb moment for me, since this bootcamp I have been able to use this conflict resolution with others and ALOT in my own life. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DIE! Bring on 2010!

Here is my graduation pic from bootcamp. I learned alot and had a great time. Poor Orville closed his eyes in this picture, oh well, he's not going to die.

Santa

I remember when I was a young girl on a Christmas eve, almost ready to go to bed and the phone rang, it was Santa!, and he wanted to talk to me! I was so excited, I'm sure I told him I had been a good girl and I made sure to let him know that I wanted a barbie townhouse. I got the barbie townhouse, and I believe! Merry Christmas everyone!

Winter Wonderland

I am finally going to be able to work on this fun winter quilt. Scentsy craziness has hopefully simmered down just a bit to allow me to do some fun stuff. I have been working on this quilt for 2 winters now, and have only 3 of the stitching blocks left to finish, then on to the piecing.

My mom finished hers this winter and has it on her bed and it is adorable. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

One of those days

Ever have one of those days?

Lion House rolls and an awesome gift!

This past week 30+ Scentsy consultants got together for a Christmas party. I made Lion House rolls for the pulled pork and I want to share the recipe with you.

Lion House dinner rolls

2 tablespoons dry yeast

2 cups warm water

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening (butter, margarine, or vegetable shortening)

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

2/3 cup nonfat dry milk

5 to 6 cups flour

1 egg

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine yeast and water. Let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar, shortening, salt, dry milk, 2 cups flour, and egg. Beat together until very smooth. Add 2 more cups flour, one at a time, and beat until smooth. Add about one more cup flour, 1/2 cup at a time (in your mixer if it will take it, or by hand), until it is well mixed in. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until it is smooth and satiny. Gather dough into a ball. Scrape bowl clean and grease it with shortening. Return dough to bowl and grease surface lightly. Let rise away from drafts in a warm (not hot) place until about triple in bulk.

Use the last of the flour as needed on the board for rolling and shaping the dough. (Don't use it all unless you need it.) Let dough rest on board for 10 minutes so it will be easier to manage if you roll it.

Cut or mold into desired shapes. Place on greased baking sheets. Brush surface of rolls with melted butter.

Let rise in warm place until ready for oven (about 1 1/2 hours).

Bake at 400 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes, or until browned to your satisfaction. Makes about 3 dozen rolls.

At our party we had a gift exchange. My cousin Brandy brought this cute little antique jar. She picked it and unwrapped it on her turn and I absolutely loved it! When my turn came to pick a gift I took the jar from Brandy. My friend Tanya took it from me when it was her turn to choose a gift and I was heart sick. To my surprise, at the end of the gift exchange Tanya traded me the jar for my gift of nail polishes, she said she had stole the jar from me because she could tell I loved it and she stole it to save it from someone else getting it. Thanks Tanya! I love my jar.

Ragamuffin

My niece Shawny made an adorable ragamuffin garland (http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/) for my sister, I saw it and I wanted to make one for my salon. I finished it today while visiting with my mom and I think it turned out very sweet and cute. Merry, Merry!

This is a pic of my family on Thanksgiving. Tristan was working the camera and trying to sit back before the picture was snapped. We all were laughing hard while doing this. I think it is a perfect picture for our family Christmas card, what do you think?

Last, but not least, my sons decorated their Christmas tree tonight. Their Christmas tree has every ornament they have made and given to me and ornaments they have received each year from Mike and me. This tree makes me so happy, I can look at each ornament and a memory from Christmas past pops into my head. I love Christmas and I love my sons.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I heart Bunco!

O.K. after many, many, years of beeming with proudness that I had NEVER attended a Bunco night group I caved and attended my first one tonight and I am hooked!

I am now a member of a Bunco group and I had such a great time with some great women who love their families, love chocolate, and look forward to a night of rolling dice and giggling. Yummy dinner too. I will be in charge of August 2010 Bunco and I have already informed the group that it will be a night filled with Journey music playing in the background, because that is how I roll (get it?).

Snowmen

Have I told you I love snowmen? I collect a new one each year and display them in my home. They are happy little people with warm hearts and they are always waiting for new friends. Love you snowmen, don't go changin'

Snow on the pumpkin

I love the first snow of the season, poor pumpkin!

Mileage notebook

I am thankful for my Scentsy team. I am making these mileage notebooks for them for Christmas. Erva wanted to see these, she may do something similar. Here you go Erva, Love you.

Brotherly Love

I am thankful for 'brotherly love'. I love this framed art of an older pioneer brother carrying his little brother across the river in the winter. I would love this piece for Christmas (hint, hint, Mike).

Gobble, Gobble

This year we are staying home for Thanksgiving. No 12 hour drive to Phoenix to share Thanksgiving with the Villarreals. We will be having my parents come over the river and through the woods to share Thanksgiving with us.



This is a picture of me and my niece Shawny at Thanksgiving last year.

This is a picture of me, my sister Lori and my nieces Marci and Meigen at Thanksgiving 2 years ago.

Can you see the daisies I machine quilted on this cutie patootie? so fun to do!

Today I am thankful for Moda's Gobble, Gobble. I made this little table topper with Gobble, Gobble and it brings me a smile every time I look at it. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Thankful Monday

I am thankful today for my hands. so thankful that I have been blessed with these small blessings. I can mix yummy treats for my family to enjoy with my hands, i can create a gift from material, thread and a needle for a friend, I can write a kind note to someone, I can take scissors and a comb and add to a client's beautiful self. I can wave to a passer-by.

I can drive to Sonic and hold a 44 ounce diet coke. I can touch my son's shoulder to let him know I care or I can tickle him until he screams.

I can turn the pages of a good book and read on, I can choose to listen to different music by touching a button.

I can play a hymn on my piano and invite a special feeling into my home.

I can put my hands together and pray to my Heavenly Father for blessings and protection for my family.

Thank you Heavenly Father for my hands.

Mom & Dad

Today and every day I am thankful for my mom & dad. They are quite the couple, high school sweethearts raised three children and love 13 grandchildren and 3 (almost 4) great-grandchildren.
My mom is a expert seamstress/quilter and a beautiful lady.
My dad is a superb craftsman and quite the smart ass.
I have many qualities and traits that have been handed down to me from them and I love them both very much. Thank you mom and dad for everything.

thankful for two things

Today, I am thankful for two things
1. My friend Laura Johnson has this witch from H.R. Puffnstuff as her profile pic on facebook, I laughed out loud to myself when I saw this. Thanks Laura, you kill me.

I am also thankful for this quote I read at Jimmy John's gourmet sandwich shop while having lunch with Mike and I will tell you I thought of you Kayola when I read it.

Not every day is a sunny day,

Some days you're the pigeon

Some days your're the statue.

Thankful for Diet Coke, Say coke 10 times- reallly? Who named this product, coke, coke, coke...

I think this picture says it all for today.

Today I am thankful for this edge joining foot. I received this in a gift package with my elna machine and never thought twice about it. This week instead of looking past it this week when I saw it I took the challenge of finding out what it was and what to use it for. It is mostly used to join lace together, but you can also use it to stitch in the ditch when quilting. The black guide down the middle is used to put two pieces of material together with a zig zag stitch, when quilting you can use this guide to help you stitch in the ditch and stay exactly in the ditch! Love it! Used this on a baby quilt for my friend's sweet baby Ruthie and it worked like a charm!

I am thankful for candied sweet potatoes. Last night we had meatloaf with bacon on top YUM, candied sweet potatoes, and green beans that we canned this summer for dinner (Carolee, I' m not sure if you remember but dinner is the thing you make in the evening for your starving family that you love and you don't have to own a duster to do it). Mike made the sweet potatoes and they were heavenly. Here is the recipe for y'all.

Candied sweet potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 T. butter

1/2 cup chopped nuts or tiny marshmallows

1. Peel fresh sweet potatoes; cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks. Cook covered in enough boiling water to cover for 10 to 12 minutes or until just tender; drain.

2. Transfer potatoes to a 2-quart baking dish. Add brown sugar and melted butter; stir gently to combine. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are glazed, stirring gently twice. Sprinkle with nuts or marshmallows; bake 5 minutes longer.

Pink Duster

Today I am thankful for my pink duster. I purchased this to wear after surgery and I am still wearing it.
It is kind of a funny thing that I joke around with my sister and friends, my sweet pink duster. My sister and I will often say in a phone conversation, "Can I wear my duster?" (to a restaraunt,etc.)
Anyway, hats off to my duster, love you so much friend and am so thankful for you!

Count your blessings 2009 remix

It is that time of year again to be thankful. I am thankful every day for all I am blessed with or blessed to endure ; ) I shall blog each day in November about what I am thankful for.
Today I am thankful for Lion House buttermints. I have a small tub of these in my office that I forget are there, but when I happen on them it is such a joy to pop one into my mouth and feel it melting on my tongue with the sweet buttery taste a true blessing to my mouth. Enough of that. Have a great Tuesday.

Caramel Apples

One horn, one eye flying purple people eater caramel apple

I want my mummy caramel apple


Young Frankenstein caramel apple
(Alone, BAD - Friends, GOOD)
Purchased these fine treats for my boys in Idaho last week.

Trick or Treat

Halloween has come quickly this year. I remember being a little girl and waiting, waiting, waiting for Halloween to come, finally being able to carve my pumpkin on the front porch in American Fork with a steak knife with my sister and brother. Wearing a plastic barbie bride mask trick or treating and thinking that I had the prettiest costume. I remember trick or treating on the street where my sister Lori's friend Amy Mayne lived and a few houses down the street I ran across the grass to a doorstep and there was doggy doo all over the grass. Looking back I realize that there was no doo, the lawn had just been aerated, but whenever I drive down that street I can remember exactly how I felt running on that lawn. Nanny and Papa always had ziploc baggies full of candy waiting for us.
When I was in kindergarten I remember waiting outside of Greenwood Elementary for my mom to come from Bayly where she worked to take me home and dress me like a clown. Thank you mom for rushing to my school to make sure I had a fun day at school.
I remember living in Mesa AZ. when I was 3 years old and going trick or treating to a house where you had to go through their 'haunted whatever it was' before you got candy. I remember the candy was some chalky grape thing. Funny the things we remember.I can't wait to answer the door Saturday to all the little ghouls and witches and be able to giggle with my family at the sweet little trick or treaters.
Life is so good!

I think I love Halloween as much as I love Christmas, must be the great memories in my mind and heart of this great holiday.

Yo Yo ville quilt

This quilt is called yo yo ville by bunny hill designs, using of course Simple Abundance fabric line. Love it! Yo yos everywhere, and I thind the houses are adorable. Would you like to do this with me?

I feel the need

I feel the need to make this!

It is official. Cotton has his driver's license. He took the blazer to band and work yesterday and as he drove off I waited to see the uncontrollable smile on his face that we all had the first time we drove a car with no parents in the passenger's seat. Sure enough, as soon as he started to reverse out of the driveway I saw a smirk and then a full on smile beaming from his mug.

If the hat fits

Last night was the 2nd annual "If the Hat Fits" team meeting. Can I tell you that the Caramel apples were a hit and I loved seeing team members in their hats.Tanya and I cackling together.
Dannette, taking a break from casting spells.
These three showed off their new brooms.
Maren and I sharing recipes that contain eye of newt.
Brandy, wishing she was at home with her worlock.

I believe in Spring

My husband and sons attended the Priesthood session of conference last weekend and I asked Mike who spoke?, he answered "President Uchtdorf" (whom I have a crush on, that is a totally innocent, school girl crush and not something pertinent to this post, but I just felt so giddy typing his name I had to share)I asked what stuck out from President Uchtdorf's talk, and he told me that Uchtdorf shared this sentence, when he spoke about the hard times we may be going through - "I believe in Spring". I loved this sentence, and it gave me so much hope for what lies ahead.

Simple abundance

This fabric line makes me so incredibly happy I want to scream from the mountain tops, "Simple Abundance, Simple Abundance!". Carolee, Erin and I had a quilting Bee yesterday during the priesthood session of conference and we took a fieldtrip to 3 different quilt shops. Simple abundance was everywhere. I had purchased a charm pack a couple weeks ago and now the yardage is available. If you love fabric, I suggest you pick up Simple Abundance. Peace