Easy Picture Matting Project

I loved the family picture that Andrea took of our family while we were in Virginia in April so I decided to blow it up and modge podge it onto a board for my living room.  It was not a very hard project, actually it was pretty easy, but the hardest part was getting the picture. I sent the picture to Walmart for 1 hour pick up and they called me and said that 'because it was a professional picture I needed a written consent from the photographer'.

So I asked Andrea for a copy right release and sent it in.  Yes, she is that good that people think she is professional.  No, I did not pay her for her 'professional photography' services... even though she asked!!

Then they called and said they were out of the paper and I would have to wait... and wait... and wait. I called 4 times to see if it was ready.  So finally I got my 1 Hour Photo 2 1/2 weeks later.  I am not too upset about it because the people at Walmart were always so nice and courteous and they gave it to me free (yeah)!

So here is my beautiful mantel with my new picture. (No, the pretty flowers in that gorgeous blue pot don't belong to us; I am babysitting them for my neighbor but they look good up there.) 

Crocs goes to the Tracks!

Occasionally Ben goes out of town to conferences but this year he had one here! This was fun because he didn't have to travel but a little hard because he was gone all day (14 hour days)- and, just to whine a bit, Elizabeth and I were both sick! During these conferences he networks and talks to people, goes and eats amazingly good food and they usually do some fun activities.  

This time they went to Unser, an indoor racing track; this is comparable to adult  bumper car's/go carts.  They are each in a car, with a helmet (Ben said they had the option to wear a racing suit but it was soo hot), and race around at high speeds (like 45 mph- which on an indoor track is pretty fast).  Ben said everyone did a couple laps just racing against themselves to see who had the fastest times. Then the top 10 fastest times did an actual race; Ben was in this race and said it was so fun.  He said it was cool to pass people, bump people (but you aren't really supposed to) and feel the rush of a race!

 

 

Peck's Canoe Party

We were invited to the Peck's Annual Canoe Party at Delta Bement's house on June 21.  The Pecks are an amazing family in our ward; they are so handy and have anything and everything.  They completely encompass the boy scout motto of 'Be Prepared' and are definitely a family I want to be friends with at the Zombie Apocalypse.  

Delta Bement is a wonderful older woman in our ward who lives on the most georgeous property I have ever seen, I am being serious.  Not only does she have a long hidden driveway with a gate (so there is no one around and you can't hear any cars or anything) but she has acres and acres of rich fertile green land.  Around her beautiful house there are huge trees (much older than I am), many types of fruit trees, a barn with goats and a llama, chickens, a horse corral (but not horses right now), a tree swing, a sip line and a lake.  Then she has property beyond that that where the youth go for service and camping trips.  She is so wonderful and always allows people to come and enjoy her home. 

So, you combine these two great families and you have an awesome party.  There was a potluck BBQ, free rein of Sister Bement's amazing yard, canoeing, some swimming (by the younger kids), a sandbar (which Elizabeth loved) and such great company.  It was so fun and we are glad that we went!

Elizabeth spent a lot of her time in this car; the other kids would push her around!

Ben and Howard Peck had a canoe race across the race- they were tied neck and neck on the way down and then Ben got stuck while turning around for the way back and Howard beat him.

 

 

 

They have a HUGE Great Dane and Elizabeth was not scared at all; she followed it around trying to touch it.  I couldn't get a picture of them next to each other (to show the size difference) but you can kind of see here- the dog was like a horse in comparison.

Elizabeth fell asleep on the way home; she is basking in the sun with sand stuck to the chocolate on her face and a slice of watermelon in her hand. Life is GOOD!

Entertaining a 1 Year Old: Arts and Crafts

Becuase I am a slacker and haven't been posting- I am just posting everything about Elizabeth together by 'topic'... hope you enjoy!!

Elizabeth is a girly girl and one of the things she dislikes is having her fingers dirty/sticky; she will get a super disgusted face and hold them up to me too wipe (and lately she has wanted to wipe/clean them herself). But she also doesn't like to have her hands and face washed very much- so it is kind of a catch 22. I made play dough for the first time ever (on 5/2). Elizabeth did not like it- she would stick kitchen utensils in it but would not touch it with her hands. We also went outside and colored with chalk, which she liked, until we came in and she looked at the chalk on her fingers.  

Although she did not like play dough she LOVED finger painting (on 6/1).  I had her do it in only her diaper and outside because I was afraid of the mess, which was a wise decision, and she loved it!  She honestly loves anything art- if it is aloud or not.  She loves to color; for Wyatt's birthday we didn't have wrapping paper so I rolled out Christmas paper and she colored on the back (on 5/25).  We also have her sit in a box (usually a diaper box) and she can color all over the inside of the box.  This is great and keeps her contained and entertained for a long time; the only thing to consider is if she has markers- she will color on herself. 

 

 

 

 

Coloring Outside- June 4

 

 

We have also had some mishaps with coloring ON things.  She colored on the fridge and I made her scrub it off (mean Mom but know she likes to wash things) and she colored really bad on our entertainment center.  It is interesting how, now that I am a Mom, some things just don't matter as much as they used to; I would have freaked over a pink entertainment center before and know I think, "Well at least it wasn't the carpet!"

Washing the pen off the fridge!

 

You can't see it very well in this light and this angle but believe me... it's there!

The one art project that did not go well was water coloring.  She kept sticking her fingers in the paint, trying to finger paint, and the brush wasn't picking up enough paint to make it worth it.  She quickly decided she was done, stood up (we were on the floor- I thought it would be easy clean up) and walked on the paint. It stuck to her feet and tracked water color footprints all over the kitchen.