Fall Family Fun Layouts

Fall is my most favorite season! I love seeing the beautiful leaves change into autumn colors and there are so many fun activities going on too. Some of my most favorite fall memoires are driving up the canyon, hiking in the mountains, going to a pumpkin patch, getting lost in a corn maze, going to a haunted house, and going to a state fair.

Fall is in the Air, 1999

Credits: The layout is by me. The tree, leaves, strings, felt circles, butterfly are by Natalie Braxton. Papers, brown stitching, tag with safety pin, and ribbons are by Shabby Princess. "Fall" word art and brown bolt are by Shabby Miss Jenn. For my fonts, I used love ya like a sister and Susi's Hand. 

The Colors of Fall, 2006

Credits: I used "Shabbylicious Fall" kit and elements from "Cherry Wood Farm" kit by Shabby Miss Jenn! The brown brand is from Shabby Princess and frame from Digi Scrap. For my fonts, I used Love you like a sister and PS I love you.
Iron County Fair, 2007

 Page Two

Credits: The layouts are by me. The papers and elements are from the County Fair kit by Dani Mogstad.  I did this layout a long time ago and forgot who made the frames, stitches, pigs, buttons, and flowers.  The font is unknown.
Hiking Squaw Peak, 2008

 Credits: The layout is by me. The papers and some elements are from "Softly Falling" kit by Dani Mogstad. The other elements and some papers are from "French Country Side" by Shabby Princess. For my font, I used love ya like a sister.

Fall Canyon Drive, 2011

 Page Two

   Credits:  The layouts are by me! The papers, elements, word art, and doodles, are from the following kits "Autumn Medley", "Bountiful ", "Hopscotch", and "Plentiful" by Shabby Princess. For my font, I used mareen's print.

Creamy Coleslaw

A couple days ago, we made BBQ pulled pork in the crock pot.  For our side dish, we decided to make a creamy coleslaw to go with it.  Here is the recipe we came up with using some things from our garden.  This would be a great side dish with baked chicken, pork chops, BBQ sandwiches, etc.

Creamy Coleslaw

Ingredients

2 c. chopped green cabbage

2 c. chopped purple cabbage

1/2 c. shredded carrots

1/4 c diced green pepper

2 T. chopped onion

1/4 snipped parsley

Dressing

1/2 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing

1 T. vinegar

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. celery salt

1/4 tsp. salt

few dashes of ground pepper

Directions

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, green peppers, onions, and parsley. For the dressing whisk together mayonnaise or salad dressing, vinegar, sugar, celery salt, salt, and pepper in a glass measuring cup.  Pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss together lightly. Cover and chill.  

My Recent Trip to the Local Library

Sadly, it has been a while since my last trip to the library or when I last read a book to be honest.  On a dreary rainy summer day, I went on a quest to the local library and searched for books from authors I have never read before that were on my "to read list" from my Good Reads on my iPhone (a very handy application right at my finger tips, while away from home).  A couple days later while suffering from a terrible head cold and lack of sleep, it was the perfect time for me to get engrossed in fictional lives! The following books below, I highly recommend that you read them when you have the time or able to reserve them from your local library!  They were all fabulous books that I thoroughly enjoyed very much and thankfully they made my life more bearable while sick!  

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

My thoughts: Along for the Ride is the first book that I have read by the popular New York Times Bestseller young adult author Sarah Dessen who has a collection of other books that I look forward to reading in the future. To my surprise, I read Along for the Ride in less than 24 hours!  I was very sad when I reached the last page of the book because I fell in love the all the characters and wanted to read more about them!  Each character in the book had some flaws and by the end of the book they each transformed realistically into something better.  There were characters you will love and hate in the story. The main character Auden made the biggest transformation of all and it was truly inspiring to watch unfold!  Auden never experienced life beyond her academic studies and she was socially awkward. She discovered more things about herself after spending one summer in Colby with her father, step mother, and baby step sister near a beachy board walk.   Along the way, Auden made friends, discovered her strengths/weaknesses by taking some risks, explored new experiences by setting aside logic, and allowed herself to be free to an open mind.  It was an easy and fantastic read that you will not be able to put down!  

Mr. Darcy's Diary and Mr. Knightly's Diary by Amanda Grange

My thoughts: If you are a huge fan of Jane Austen's books then you must read Amanda Grange's books, they will enlighten you!   Amanda Grange retold the classic stories Pride and Prejudice and Emma from the leading male character's point of view (Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightly) through journal entries!  Darcy was a devoted brother and friend, yet a stubborn and arrogant gentleman. In Darcy's eyes Elizabeth was intelligent and witty, but he struggled with her less agreeable family members and lower rank in society!  It was funny how he battled against his affections for Elizabeth! I absolutely loved how Mr. Darcy's Diary included a couple months after his marriage to Elizabeth Bennett.  I always tried to imagine what married life was like for them and I was satisfied with her take on the "happy ending". As for Mr. Knightly's Diary, I find it interesting that he struggled to admit his true affections for Emma until somebody pointed it out to him.  The depth of his love for Emma was obvious in the beginning since he had such high expectations of her of being a proper refined lady and became extremely jealous when he saw Emma interacting with Frank Churchhill.  Also, Mr. Knightly was annoyed by some of her character flaws of silly matching making and arrogance, but at the same time he still saw lady like greatness in Emma too. Both books are simple and enjoyable reads!  After reading these two books, it made me want to re-read Austen's original classic stories all over again! 

Memories of Mom and Me PJ Party

In May 2009 while being an activity leader, we planned an extraordinary mother and daughter activity around Mother's Day.  We had a very fun, silly, girly, and uplifting PJ party!

Decorations: We did a living room theme. We moved all the couches and chairs from the foyers into the gym, brought blankets  pillows, bean bags, rugs, fake plants, lamps, pictures (from the church library), stuffed animals, large screen for the movie, etc.
Mom and Me Photo Shoot: In the foyer when you first walk in a church, we set up a bedroom backdrop using a toddler bed, bedding, pillows, flowers, pictures, stuffed animals, etc.  The photographer had the mother's holding a Book of Mormon while the daughter was holding a journal and lounging on the bed.

Manicures and Hair: The girls and mothers painted each other's finger and toe nails while listening to some calm music.  Then we had a wacky hair contest.  The girls were given hair supplies such as rubber bands, clips, barrettes, flowers, ribbons, pipe cleaners, etc (most were from the Dollar Store) to style Mom's hair.  We passed out papers and pencils to vote on the best hair.  As for the winners, they each received a chocolate candy bar!
Spiritual Message: We divided everyone into three groups.  We did 10 minutes for each rotation. The leaders discussed the importance of daily prayers, reading scriptures, and keeping a journal.

Let's Get Crafty: We set up chairs and a long table for a craft station. We bought some cheap scrapbook supplies from Walmart (paper, elements, frames, and markers) to build a scrapbook page or frame.  The purpose of the craft was for them to scrap or frame their photographs, which we took during the activity.

Movie and Popcorn: As for the film, we watched Reflections of Christ DVD while eating popcorn, which you could buy here.  Lastly, the primary president bore her testimony about all the things we learned that night and we had a closing prayer.

Mom and Me PJ Party, 2009

Credits: The template is by L Reiber. The papers, alphas, elements are from "PJ Party" kit by Kaye Winiecki. The black paper is by Karah Fredricks. The PJ party word art is by Kate Hadfield.  You can find all the stuff from The Lily Pad. For my font, I used segoe print.