My New Laptop

For our anniversary Dennis bought me a new laptop. (Love him!!) He knew that I've been looking for one for a few months now. I knew exactly what I wanted. I am having so much fun with it. It is an HP Compaq Presario CQ60Z. It came with Vista which I was a little nervous about since I'm an XP girl, but I think I'm learning my way around enough to get by. I took it to my parents house over General Conference weekend to kind of play around with. It was funny because my brother Jared was there with his laptop also. Here we both were in the same room together laptops infront of us, tuning out everything else. We weren't chatting with each other though, but my mom made comparison of kids texting to each other from across the room. But we're not that bad yet mom. What I'm looking forward to the most is being able to go to a scrapbook night with the girls now. It's going to be so much fun.

I Got Published

My scraping addiction has finally paid off, literally. OK so it was only $5 dollars to use the the Scrapgirls Boutique, but hey, I'm not complaining at all, it most likely would have gone there anyway.

I subscribe to a digital scrapbook newsletter from scrapgirls.com and when I opened it today, to my surprise, there I was staring back at me. (It was the layout I posted in my last post here, so scroll down to see it.) I have only posted 3 or 4 layouts on the scrapgirls website, I'm really selfconscious about my stuff, so this totally took me by surprise! I'm pretty pumped about it though and admit that it did make my day! I wasn't trying to win anything by posting it they are just really good at making comments so I posted it to see what others thought. I only win things when I'm not trying to anyway.

If you want to see the newsletter click here. My layout is almost at the bottom.

Happy Day!!!

Confessions of a Digital Scrapbook Addict

I reached another momentous anniversary at the end of March. I've been digital scrapping for a year now. It all started when Dennis and my kids gave me a fun book on Valentines day last year all about how to make your own calendars and greeting cards. Inside this book was a link for a free trial version of a digital photo program (Photoshop Elements 6.0) It took me about a month to get around to it, but what it has turned into is something one step short of crazy, that is . . . a passion.
Effects, styles, masks, layers, brushes, embellishments, stiches, papers, collections, fonts, custom shapes, textures and oh yea, digital photography. I am the first to admit that I am completely hooked! I have to limit myself by using it as a reward for getting my household chores done. Taking pictures at family activities and outings have changed from a way to document our lives into a potential artistic design know throughout the scrapping world as a Layout. I've actually set up photo opportunities just so I could have pictures to use in a cute LO I've seen somewhere. Oh yea and that's another thing. The digital scrapping world has it's own lingo associated with it. I don't text on my cell phone, I don't even have a cell phone, but I know a large array of acronyms anyway. Here is the short list of commonly used:

DH (Dear/Darling) Husband, DS (Dear/Darling) Son, DD (Dear/Darling) Daughter, PS (#/CS) PhotoShop (version number or CS), PSE PhotoShop Elements, PSP PaintShop Pro, MM Making Memories, CK Creating Keepsakes, LOL Laugh out loud, ROFL Rolling on the floor, TFS Thanks for sharing, TFL Thanks for looking, TIA Thanks in advance, HTH Hope that helps,
BRB be right back, BTDT Been there, done that!, WTG Way to go, girls, WIP Work in Progress, WOMBAT waste of money, brains, and time, LO Layout...

Digital Scrapbookers even have their own AA type groups. They're called forums and they are everywhere on the web. All they really do though is help feed the fire! Then there are enticings of freebees you get if you sign up for the scrapping newsletters that arive in your inbox daily! Just feeding the fire!
In the beginning I justified this "Hobbie" because it doesn't take up as much space, but that I wouldn't have to buy papers and stickers and stamps that I would use once then they're gone. With Scrapbooking supplies you can use them over and over again. Look at the money I'm saving!
OK so confession time. The fiscal tally of my "savings" are roughly as follows.
Digital Scraping program $75
Monthly allowance for those gotta have addons that are so cute, <$15
New laptop so I can take my obsession, oh I mean passion with me where ever I go, $??? (I'm embarrassed to actually post it.)
Photo quality printer, cuz of course you save even more money by printing the pages at home. Even if I technically didn't purchase the printer myself, it was a Christmas present from my parents, and it just goes to prove that I have others who are feeding my habit as well, around $200??

Then there is the ink and special printing paper that I haven't even had a chance to include yet as well as my future plans for a new digital camara. It doesn't really add up to a whole lot of savings does it. And it never ends!! So really it's not about saving money! Its all about saving my sanity and that is priceless!

I finally have an out!! A mother who is home with four children 7 days a week 24 hours a day finally has someplace to get away for a couple hours. And luckily I've found a friend who's probably more addicted than I am to share in the madness. That's what it all comes down to and why my husband can sleep at night. (After all he started it all with that one little book!)

This Digital Scrapbook Addict is a happy girl!!

Van Finally Has a Home Again

Our poor van, who growls at us every time we turn it on in the winter months, finally has a roof over it's head again.
Back in November our garage was transformed into an extra storage room out of necessity when we started the basement project. I'm afraid that the van got the boot, but I'm proud to report that as of today our van is no longer homeless. My hard work has paid off just in time for hopefully one of the last big snow storms of the season!
Oddly enough when I took Dennis to work this morning it made me laugh as I drove by all the other "homeless" cars out there who where left out in the snow as well. The term two car garage is very misleading. In reality what it should be called is an attached shed with room for a small car to squeeze into. And more often than not the typical two car garage is simply an extra storage room for most people. It's true because I saw if for myself! Car after car with a 1/2 inch of snow frosted on the tops of them.
The next item on our wish list is a shed. A real detached building in the back yard with a concrete pad and all to store the lawn mower, rakes, shovels, wheelbarrow and all sorts of lawn and garden care products that currently reside in our "garage". Never again will our van be homeless!

If It's Spring Why Does It Feel Like Winter?

Last week was absolutely gorgeous outside! I was just loving it! I even got a few things planted in my garden. Peas, spinach and lettuce. I also planted cabbage plants and bare root strawberries. I even had Dennis up on the roof taking down our Christmas lights. So then what does it do. . . it snows of course. The only consolation is that it isn't sticking it's melting away, but it is still pretty cold. I guess I should be thinking more of the positive. At least all the snow pack in the mountains isn't melting away all at once. That's a good thing. Also the faster it gets warm the sooner it gets hot and I kind of wilt in the extreme heat. So I guess things aren't that bad.

Last weekend we took the kids to the Draper Temple open house. The most exciting part for the kids was the bus ride to the temple and back. It was very beautiful inside. I was so excited for the chance to show our children what it was like inside.

10th Anniversary

Today is our tenth Wedding Anniversary!
It's funny looking back and after just going through all the stuff at Dennis' little brother's wedding last week. I'm just glad we're where we're at. It was a wonderful day, especially at the temple! Then there are all the smiles and family and attention and presents. It's fun to look at the pictures. I sure do love this guy!!

I thought in honor of today, I'd share a few trivial things about Dennis and I that I got from one of those many brag lists that are out there. It's kind of fun, so here it goes!

What are your middle names? I don't have one, Dennis Lynn

How long have you been together? Engaged December 26th,1998 and been together ever since

How long did you know each other before you started dating? Dennis and I knew each other from our missions. We wrote a couple letters to each other when I came home but it was about 4 months after Dennis came home that we started dating because we were both dating other people.
Who asked who out? I wrote him a letter giving him my phone number (because I would never call a guy) and he called and asked me out.

Whose siblings do you see the most? about the same for both of us
Do you have any children together? 2 boys and 2 girls
What about pets? We're down to just a cat we've had for 7 years and a baby chinchilla we got about 2 weeks ago.

Did you go to the same school? nope I went to Gunnison High, graduating class of about 93, and he went to Benlomund High in Ogden.

Who is the most sensitive? I am

Where do you eat out most as a couple? not so much one place, we usually get take out anyway.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Oregon

Who has the craziest exes? Neither of us really.

Who has the worst temper? Dennis keeps his more in check than I do

Who does the cooking? me but Dennis does breakfast sometimes
Who is more social? Dennis
Who is the neat freak? Dennis used to be but I've softened him up a lot in 10 years.

Who is the most stubborn? I'll have to say I am but we're both pretty layed-back and give in a lot. The difference is that I usually give in with a "hummmph" or an eye roll and "whatever".
Who hogs the bed? the kids that always end up there!

Who wakes up earlier? Dennis thank goodness! I'm not a morning person and it takes me a while to actually wake up enough to talk.

Where was your first date? Temple square and then crown burger in SLC

Who has the bigger family? there are both 6 kids in our families but his family by far outnumbers mine on grandkids! 18 to 8

Do you get flowers often? Valentines Day sometimes on our Anniversary and more often in the summer when he walks in the door with a rose he's picked from the rosebushes in our front yard.(That's why he planted them there!)

How long did it take to get serious? a couple months although it was probably sealed when his grand dad introduced me at the Bountiful Temple to the workers as Dennis' fiance after just a couple dates.

Who eats more? probably me have you seen my hubby!!:)

Who sings better? I'm going to say me just because Dennis has the piano thing and I want to claim something that I'm better at!! :) He is a great singer though.

Who does the laundry? both of us

Who’s better with the computer? Dennis

Who drives when you are together? Dennis beause I don't like driving at night, but I'm starting to trade him when the kids are in the car on long drives because I'd rather deal with the road than the crazy kids!

Who picks where you go to dinner? he always asks me where I want to go, but gives suggestions when I say I don't care or I feel like . . . .

Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong? Dennis because he doesn't want to fight

Who wears the pants in the relationship? Dennis (even if he didn't I'd say he did.)

Who has more tattoos? We're both squeaky clean
Who eats more sweets? Dennis?? Which would be a switch from 10 years although it's probably really close!

St. George & Sunshine

Wednesday Dennis and I drove to St. George and left the three older kids at Grandpa & Grandma Sorensens'. Dennis was invited to be a speaker at the Rural Water Association of Utah Conference. I really enjoyed seeing him in this element because I don't get to see the "City Planner" Dennis very often. He was amazing! He spoke on "Growing Pains" in dealing with planning and other issues in the city. The auditorium was really big and there was a very nice size crowd of city workers in attendance from all over the state. He really did a wonderful job and knows his stuff. We decided to stay there for an extra day and call it our "Anniversary Trip". I dragged him out shopping with me, we walked around some antique shops, went out to eat, went to the St. George Temple Visitors Center, and soaked up a little sun.
On the way home Dennis wanted to stop and drive around the other end of Zion's park that we've never been to before, Kolob Canyons. To be perfectly honest, I didn't want to stop, I really just wanted to get home. But Dennis won out and I'm glad he did. Red rock isn't my favorite, I much prefer the forest or ocean, something more green, but seeing that area makes me reflect on how it was all made and who made it all. There is a peace there that kind of stops time and lets you breath.
It was a fun weekend together!