Phantom Of the Opera...

Recently I saw on our local television station that "The Phantom of the Opera," was coming to Calgary, a city 2 hours away from where I live. I have been in love with Phantom for a very, very long time. I remember hearing of it when I was a young child and falling in love with the music and the story. I have listened to the tape many, many times and have all of the songs memorized. I even learned to play a few pieces on the piano. I also remember my dad plunking out the tune on our old piano as well. I can still hear the melody in my head as I type. I also remember back in high school that Phantom came to Calgary. I was jealous of those you were able to go. I even recall some boys taking girls on dates to see it. How I wished that I would have been asked to go...Unfortunately I was not.

Now is my chance to go! I spoke to Tyler about it and I could clearly see that he would rather give his right arm than endure a few hours sitting through this Broadway. So I called my mom and sister and they were happy at the opportunity to join me. So it is official, I am going to see The Phantom of the Opera on July 27th! I can't wait. What a fun time the "girls" are going to have. A chance for us to bond, get dressed up all fancy, and enjoy a truly remarkable entertaining event!

Hope you enjoy watching the movie trailer on the right hand side of my blog. For those of you who haven't seen the movie...DO IT! It is wonderful. Which reminds me...I haven't watched in a long time.

Playing Around In...

Photoshop. I have had Photoshop 7 for a long time now. I have used it lots to edit photos, but never really anything fancier than that. Today though, I did some research on how to create photo collages/storyboards. I'm hooked! I think this is what I am going to do for my Mom for Mother's day. Now all I have to do is get some ADORABLE pictures of my boys. It has been awhile since they have had portraits, they have had plenty of snap shots. So hopefuly over the next few days I can get some good head shots to make a storyboard for my mom. Here are 2 that I did tonight. I'm happy with they way they turned out. They are 14 x 8 size. So pretty big. I am hoping to have the printed in the next day or two to see what they look like IRL.

It is hard to tell in the upload, but on the right hand side of the picture it says the date. Love these pictures of Tyson playing with his 2 very best friends at the park.

I also LOVE these pictures of Tyson & Lizzie exploring in the back yard trying to find lady bugs.

Another beautiful day today! Supposed to be nice again tomorrow. SPRING is here and I am HAPPY! Short entry today...gotta run and watch Survivor.

p.s. My sister may be coming to Chicago with me! YIPEEEEE!!

American Idol! SHOCKED!!

Just watched the results show of American Idol, and I was SHOCKED! I can't believe that Ace was the contestant voted off. I thought he would go farther than he did...not to mention his great voice, but he is such sweet eye candy as well. My favorite though is Katherine. I love listening to her, she makes me smile :) She is very talented and I believe she will go far in the music industry. I guess we will have to wait and see how far she goes in A.I.

Today was the most beautiful spring day we have had so far. There was just a very light breeze blowing, and the sun was shining brightly. We spent the duration of the day outside doing yard work, and playing with the puppies. Both of the boys just love being outside! Carson is happiest when he is pushing a car around in the sand box, or playing with Maggie. Tyson enjoys exploring and looking for lady bugs to put in his bug catcher. I have noticed lately that his imagination is really beginning to show. I find him talking to himself and making up stories and situations and being so creative in his thinking. I am loving this stage of life that my kids are in. Live is so good, and we are so blessed!

Oprah...HERE I COME!

I have been a devote Oprah fan for as long as I can remember. She is a woman I look up to, a woman who has done so much good in this world. A woman who realizes the importance of Motherhood, even though she isn't a mother herself. I remember watching a show of hers where she had Phil Keoghan from the Amazing Race, and he was mentioning his list of things to do before he dies. He inspired me to make a mental list of things that I wanted to do before I die. Well I am going to be able to cross one of those items off my list because...on May 3rd, I am going to a taping of the Oprah Winfrey show in Chicago! I am SO excited! This will be my 3rd trip to the Windy City, but my first time to really experience it. The previous times I visited were for business, and our days were so busy that we had no energy at the end of the day to explore the city. This will be the "break" that I SO need! I am anxiously counting down the days until I am headed on a jet plane to Chicago. Another SWEET thing about this trip is that we don't have to go in debt for me to go, so I will be able to enjoy it even more knowing that I won't have to pay for it when I get back :)

Greys Anatomy...what can I say but I LOVE IT! I have only caught on to the show the past few months so I wasn't quite up to speed and was missing a few key episodes. I found out yesterday that my SIL is also a devote fan, and she has the complete 1st season on DVD. So I borrowed it, and haven't been able to stop watching it since. So many ups and down, learning curves, laughs, cries etc go into this amazing show. It has made me smile more than a few times, and choke up as well. I only have 2 more episodes to watch and then I will be caught up! For those of you who haven't watched it, I recommend it!

You Grew Up In The 80's If...

I just HAD to share this with all of you. I know you will get a kick out of this and have a good laugh! Man those were the good old days...

You grew up in the 80's if....
1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word "SIKE"
2. You can sing the rap to the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" and can do the "Carlton".
3. Girls wore biker shorts under their skirts and felt stylishly sexy.
4. Two words: Hammer Pants
5. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
6. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
7. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
8. L.A. Gear...need I say more?
9. You remember reading "Tales of a fourth grade nothing" and all the Ramona books.
10. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF"
11. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (some of us...head-to-toe)
12. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks shifted.
13. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence.
14. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes. (and probably in neon colors, too)
15. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I?" 16. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"
17. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.
18. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
19. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
20. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
21. You've gone through this nodding your head in agreement.
22. "Don't worry, be happy"
23. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top Reeboks.
24. You wore socks scrunched down (and sometimes still do...getting yelled at by "younger hip" members of the family)
25. You remember boom boxes.
26. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
27. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool.
28. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
29. You just sang those words to yourself.
30. You remember watching Magic vs. Bird.
31. Homemade Levi shorts.. (the shorter the better)
32. You remember when mullets were cool!
33. You had a mullet!
34. You still sing "We are the World"
35. You tight rolled your jeans.
36. You owned a banana clip.
37. You remember "Where's the Beef?"
38. You used to (and probably still do) say "What you talkin' about Willis?"
39. You had big hair and you knew how to use it.
40. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren't you!!!

I was most definitely a child of the 80's!

Dying Eggs & Field Trip...

It has been a few days since I have blogged, I guess nothing too exciting has been happening. Tyler hasn't been working the past few weeks, just a few days here and there. It is Spring break-up time in the oil patch, which means lots of days off. But thankfully the ground is drying up and he will be back to work within the next few days. Funny guy was contemplating getting a 2nd job as a delivery man. LOL! We have enjoyed his time off, but now I say, "time to go back to work!"

Today is Good Friday. What a great day to take time to reflect on its meaning. To think that today, so many many years ago Christ was hung on the cross to suffer for the sins of the world. What a monumental day in history, a day that I will be eternally grateful for. The atonement is something that I hold dear to my heart, an act that I don't fully comprehend the magnitude of, but yet I am thankful for my savior's unselfish devotion to human kind, and for his sacrifice. To think that 3 days later, on Sunday he rose from the tomb to declare that he is the resurrected Christ. I am so thankful for the knowledge that I have that I too may be resurrected one day.

With Easter brings other traditions that are more "worldly." Dying Easter eggs, egg hunts, the Easter bunny, candy, new Sunday clothes etc. One tradition that Tyson and I love doing each year is dying eggs, and we have been doing it since his very first Easter. Tyson especially loved the bright colors we managed to produce this year, I finally read the directions on the package and learned that vinegar with enhance the color of the dye. Tyson's favorite color is blue, and we couldn't get enough blue eggs! He had fun putting stickers on them, and placing them ever so carefully in his Easter basket.

I remember as a child getting a new Easter dress. We didn't get many new dresses but we always got one on Easter and one for Christmas. I remember inparticular one year both my sister and I got matching polka dot dresses for Easter. They were so "girly" and I loved mine. It was white with pastel colored polka dots on it. We also got new white shoes. It seemed the rule was once Easter came we could wear our white shoes, and the after labor day, they were put back in the closet for another season. It is funny the things you remember from your childhood.

Yesterday (Thursday), Tyson had a parent pre-school field trip where we went to a neighboring town to take a ride on a mini train. They also had farm animals that the kids could feed & pet. The kids LOVED it! What child doesn't like trains, and what made it more special was that they each got to have a ride or 2 on it. It was large enough to fit 6 children in the small car behind the engine. The train track ran through the property of the residents, and it was complete with a bridge. Even Carson enjoyed himself. He wasn't scared or shy at all when a little goat came right up behind him. I was amazed at how well behaved & friendly those little goats were, they were SO cute! It was a GREAT day, the only thing that could have made it just a bit better was if the wind wouldn't have been blowing 100mph, but that is what we have come to expect here in southern Alberta.

For The Birds...

Today was a GREAT day! We spent the whole day together as a family. It was especially fun because we started the day off by going to Home Depot and building an adorable Bird Feeder. They have a kids workshop that runs once a month and it is completely FREE, and they supply everything! Who could pass that up? Not us. This was our first time attending and we are signed up for next months project. Tyson had a blast, and was so proud of his finished project. I have to admit that I loved helping him pound those nails. I would definitely recommend it for any child!

Carson is in LOVE with the puppies. Today he was more brave than he has been in the past. He was crawling into the box, and even picking them up! We couldn't keep him out of there. Needless to say, these puppies are going to be tough! It is great to see the kids interact with these little creatures. I am so happy that they were able to experience this. I am already so attached to them...all 7 of them, although I have 2 favorites. It is going to be so HARD to let them go, but we know there is just no way we can have more than 1 dog. Tyson is partial to the brown one, and I love the fat white male. We still haven't named any of them, and if you ask Tyson what their names are he says, "It's a secret." He is so funny. thank goodness we have 5 more weeks to spend with these little puppies. The time will go so fast, I know!

I decided to be brave and do a scrapbook resume, in hopes that by some miracle a design team, manufacturer or magazine might notice me. I SO badly want to be more involved in the scrapbook industry. I am also going to participate in more contests. I think it will be the push that I need to try new things, and just "get out there!" This is a hobby that I am so passionate about. It is more than a hobby for me, it is a way of preserving all of our most precious memories. I hope that my boys will appreciate them when they grow older. I already enjoying looking back and seeing all of their milestone. Only time will tell if this was a good decision for me or not, but I figure it can't hurt to try.

Frustrated!

I love my computer when it works...and it hasn't given my any grief since we bought it almost a year ago. I loved watching dvd's while I scrapped and the last few times I haven't been able to. There has been an error on my media player. When there is a problem with my computer I can't leave it alone until it is fixed. So today...that was my mission, and I was so frustrated. I just couldn't understand why it wouldn't work because I hadn't changed anything or done anything different. My only solution was KIDS! I think I have been to lax on letting the kids play on the computer unsupervised. Finally after troubleshooting for a LONG time, I was able to get a download and now...my media player works! WOO HOO. So I am happy one again.

On another note, I was prompted my Heather to make a Scrapbook resume. I need to be more active in the scrapbook community, I feel I am out of the loop. I have been at a stand still for awhile now with the company I was designing for, and I am feeling the need to get involved again. So I am hoping that this will work. I guess we will see. I'll post the link to my resume once it is up and running :)

Choices...

Choices are everywhere, and me make most unconsciously with our day to day living. From the mundane choices of everyday life like; what to eat, what to wear, to drive or walk, shorts or pants, curly hair or straight, the pink lipstick or the brown, there are a thousand choices we make each day without even knowing it. We begin making choices from a very early age, and are taught right from wrong. We were given our free agency to choose what we want. And from those choices there is either a positive or negative consequence that will effect our life, some are more serious than others. Choices not only effect us, but also those around us, and there again have a positive or negative outcome.

There are choices we make that take some thought, consideration and preparation, they are more serious and the outcome has a greater effect on our life. From whom to marry, to which home to buy, a major career change, when to bring children into this world, to sucome to peer pressure of stand up for what we know is right. The choices we make will determine how prosperous we are, successful, or unsuccessful, happy or miserable.

You may be wondering where this entry is all going, or where the thought even came from. There has been a situation arise in my husband side of the family that has disrupted a family,and has in turn affected everyone. One wrong choice can change a family, disrupt it, and bring it to the breaking point. I would like to delve into all the details but I want to spare the person's identity and dignity. Needless to say it is going to be a challenge for the next few months. But through all this heartache and struggle I hope that habits can be changed, and that lessons will have been learned. We must make a more conscious effort to make right choices, ones that will enrich our lives, make us a better person, draw our families closer together, and keep us succeeding, and living happy, prosperous lives.

Now on a more happy upbeat note, I have been working on my project for Big Picture Scrapbooking, and it has been so fun, and a labor of love. I have loved reading stories about my ancestors, so many wonderful facts I never knew. Is it slowly coming together, I am having a hard time finding pictures for everyone. So I am completing as much as I can, with the intent of adding to it as time goes on. Here are a few pictures of the project. This is the front of Tyler's info card. I will put the info sheet on the back. Nothing fancy, and minimal embelli's because there isn't much room in the lunch pail for extra bulk.

I have also been working more on Carson's album. Here are a few LO's.

If you LOVE country music, you have to check out Rascal Flatts new CD called, "Me and My Gang." It is AWESOME!

April Fools Day!

I have never been a practical joker, I have the worst poker face ever, and find it very difficult to try and pull a straight face without breaking out into laughter. I have conjured up big plans or ideas in my head to try and attempt to pull of a prank, but have always failed due to my inability of fooling anyone. April Fools Day has never been a day that I look forward to, in fact it often comes and goes without even a thought. Well today...all that changed! Tyler and I spent the night at his parents ranch after staying up into the wee hours of the night playing cards and visiting. By the time we finally rested our heads on the pillow after settling a fussy baby, we were exhausted. Before I knew it, children were awake and ready to eat and play. Tyler is a morning person, and finds it easy to function with little sleep. I on the other hand will take every opportunity to sleep in, and take advantage of Tyler being home to get up with the kids so I can get a few more minutes of shut eye. While enjoying a peaceful slumber, I heard the words, "Jodi, where is the car?" I bolted up out of bed, not quite sure if I heard Tyler right, or if I was only dreaming. I quickly got dressed and ran downstairs, and looked out the window and sure enough our car was GONE! I had gotten into the habit of leaving my keys in the car when we visit the ranch, I never in a million years thought that it wouldn't be safe. My heart sunk, I began to panic, and a million scenarios ran through my mind. How were we going to pay for another vehicle? What about my purse, it had all my personal info in it, not to mention my credit and debit cards. Immediately I told Tyler to call his dad at work, he is a guard at the police station. Soon Tyler was on the phone and told his dad that our car was gone, and to notify the officer on duty. Very soon after an officer called and asked to speak to me. He began asking me various question about our car. What make, model, year, and color it was. I also told him that I had made the mistake of leaving the keys in the car, and he began to tell me that the insurance company wasn't going to look to kindly on that. He then informed me that earlier in the night another officer recovered a green vehicle from the Indian Reserve, but it was very beaten up, and he would have to read the report to determine if the car was ours. Then he proceeded to ask me if I had looked in the barn...and I said no! After that I knew this was a very cruel joke. After I got off the phone everyone yelled "April Fools!" Those little stinkers. They had me going, and were relishing in every minute of it. How very, very thankful I am that it was only a joke. I have no idea what we would have done if in reality our car was stolen. I don't even want to think about what a burden that would have brought to Tyler and I. So the joke was on me, and they pulled it off. I have to wonder though...was this just a way for Tyler to get me out of bed? I believe it was, and it worked!

Now for a wonderful recipe I thought I would share.

Decedent Triple Chocolate Desert

1 c. Oreo cookie crumbs
1/4. margarine
3 squares Bakers chocolate
1/4 c. Eagle Brand Milk
2 pkgs. Chocolate Instant Pudding
2 c. milk
1 tub Cool Whip

1. Melt margarine and add to cookie crumbs. Place in bottom of 8x8 pan to make the crust.
2. Melt chocolate and then add Eagle Brand Milk. Pour over cookie crumb crust. This will be the fudge layer.
3. Combine pudding with 2 cups milk. Whip with wire whisk, Pudding will be very thick. Spoon & spread 1/2 the pudding over fudge layer.

4. With the remaining 1/2 of the chocolate pudding, mix it with 1/2 the cool whip. Spread onto of chocolate layer.

5. Spread remaining cool whip on top.

6. Refridgerate for 3 hours. ENJOY!