A Sewing Swap

Do you wanna swap???

Today I visited mymamamadeit.blogspot.com for the first time. I noticed that she was doing a swap. Many of you showed interest in the last swap I did, so I thought I'd let you know about this one. Here are some of the details...

Sign up by Monday, August 24th. To sign up, leave your email address in the comment section. Your swap buddy will be the person who commented after you. You are in charge of contacting that person and getting their mailing address, by that next Friday (if I understand correctly). Then you gather some sewing items (that you would love to receive) and send it to your swap buddy. It's as simple as that.

Wanna play?

I'm in!

PS- I notice it works better if you click on the link, rather than the button. The button takes you to the post..but with comments. The link takes you to the blog and you have to scroll down to find the post. You want to be able to post under the Only U.S. or International, which ever you want to be a part of.

Ison Family Reunion 2009

Some of my highlights at the Ison Family Reunion:

1. My Cousin Martha (and her little boy Dallin) got to come to the reunion and stay with me at my house. It had been 15 years or so, since she had been at a reunion, and I hadn't seen her for at least 6 or 7. It was so fun to catch up with here and be with one another. We have been best-cousin-buddies since we were young. We used to be each other's best pen pals growing up.
2. I loved having Grandma Ison there. (She has been saying for at least the last 2 reunions, that she might not be at the next. We only have them every 4 years!) She was so happy to have all of us around her. She said over and over how much she enjoyed the weekend. She told me, "I just cried and cried" (happy tears) because she was filled with so much gratitude and love.

3. Having Aunt Loma (grandma's baby sister) there. It was fun to catch up with her. She enjoyed all of the great-grandchildren. She commented to me several times on how she just couldn't get over all the little brown-eyed kids. So cute.

(Oops, I accidentally erased a picture here.)

4. Visiting Grandpa Ison's grave site. This was one of grandma's requests for the reunion. She wanted to show everyone grandpa's headstone. On the back side of the headstone it lists, "Our Chicks" with all of the sister's names; Jocile, Hertha, Angela, Lora Dawn, Jana Lee, Kristen. (Grandpa was a poultry farmer. He raised chickens for many years and then eventually had only the egg hatchery and route.) Chickens are a part of our heritage.

A picture of Grandma and Grandpa's grandchildren in attendance

Grandchildren with spouses

Great-grandchildren in attendance

Grandma doing what she does best.... loves and hugs.

Grandma Ison is 94 years old! She is an amazing example and wonderful person.

5. The raffle. There were many cute, useful, and fun items entered. Taylee and Rylee both won a ride on the Harley with Wade. Soooo cool. Taylee beamed for the rest of the night.

(She's our adrenaline junky.)

Wade and Rylee getting ready for their spin around Lake Lowell.

6. Sunday morning was the sweetest for me. Many of the families, from out-of-town, gathered at grandma's to pack up, make a lunch and say good-bye. I watched as they each took some time to talk to grandma, take a picture and say their farewells. Many sweet tears were shed off and on all morning. We were all so happy to have been together and were sad to leave one another.

Some of us went to church with grandma. It was nice to be there with her and to be a part of her legacy. After church, many of us stayed for lunch and more chatting.

Other memories and highlights of the reunion: reading life predictions from the previous reunion (funny), swimming and crafting at the hotel, the fish pond for the kiddos, sharing memories of grandpa, the "Liar's Game", lots of yummy food, good visiting and good company.

A wonderful weekend. Thanks to those who organized and to those who came. See you in 4?!!

I Got Mail!!!

Prepare to be a little jealous...ok, a lot jealous!

My package, from my swap buddy, came in the mail today and here's what was in it:

A gratitude mini album with stickers and embellishments.
-It has places to journal, places for photos and even a little "pocket" to put a little something special in. Too cute!


















Another mini album, created and personalized, with Treyson's recent baptism in mind.
-It has places to write dates, facts, notes from family and friends and pages for photos. So cool!









A decoupaged clipboard with cute lists to use.
-Lists for projects to do and grocery shopping to be done. So useful!














A workout DVD "30 Day Shred" by Jillian Michaels.

-I've been working hard at running/walking, but have recently felt that I needed a little something else...this should do the trick! So needed!















A jar filled with "Conversation Starters", to use at the dinner table or otherwise.
-I can't wait to try these out on my family. I like the idea of meaningful conversation at dinner. So excited!









A "Real Simple" magazine, a heat resistant spatula, "Lehi Mills" blueberry pancake mix and several yummy recipes.
-My kids are especially excited about the blueberry pancake mix and new recipes. I'm sure the pancake mix won't stay long in it's cute bag...it will be dinner/breakfast soon. So yummy!








A "Family" picture frame.
-This will go right along with my love of photos. My kids informed me that I needed to get a photo in there right away, because it matched our other family photo frames. So nice!

A folder with date ideas and a link to her favorite date idea blog, "Love, Actually".

-I can't wait to read through these and create some fun date times with Jason. Too fun!

Everything is SOOOOO cute and so well thought out. Each item had a cute tag explaining why it was one of her favorites. Camille, you went over and beyond expectations. I totally feel like I got the better end of the deal here. Thank you so much. This was so much fun!

Favorite Things Swap

Dear Swap Buddy,

If you have not received my package in the mail, please stop reading immediately. Contents contained in this post may spoil your surprise...




I just finished participating in a, "Favorite Things Swap".

Rules to the swap:

1. Choose at least 3 objects (or more) that are YOUR favorite things.
2. Be creative
3. Have fun!

Here are the things I sent to my swap buddy...

Post-it note holder- I LOVE to craft.

A magnetic grocery list pad and coupon file -I like to make lists. I have lists of list. I also love a bargain. Couponing is my newest form of getting a great bargain.

"The Office" mouse pad and word magnets -I am a recently admitted t.v. lover. I love to watch t.v. It's my way to wind down after a long day or just be entertained. "The Office" is one of the many t.v. shows Jason and I enjoy.

Cute kitty brads -I love to scrapbook. (The kitty part was for my swap buddy. She loves cats.)

Quick and easy recipes -I don't love to cook, but it's a fact of life. When I do cook, I like recipes with few ingredients and that are quick and easy.

Fabulous paper shoe -Again, I love to craft. I also added "Snickers" candybars because they are my favorite. (The high heel and zebra print, which is hiding under the candy, is for my swap buddy too. She LOVES fabulous high heels.)

Exploding photo cube - Again with the crafting and scrapbooking love.

I hope my buddy enjoys all of MY favorite things. Can't wait to see what comes in the mail to me.

PS- If you were at my Ison Family Reunion, many of these things may look familiar. Just trying to double my efforts and "kill two birds with one stone".

Treyson's Baptism

Last Saturday, was the BIG day for Treyson. He was baptized and confirmed a member of, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am proud of him for making the choice to be baptized. I am excited to know that the Holy Ghost will be with him, helping him choose right from wrong. I am hoping and praying that he will understand the importance of it all...some day.

The 2 handsome men in my life.

After the baptism, we went to a nearby park for dinner. We ate, played and enjoyed one another's company.

Thank you to all who came and helped make Treyson's day special.

We love you!

FHE

Last Monday, Taylee gave another great FHE lesson. It was on speaking kindly and saying nice things. As part of the lesson, we practiced saying the same sentence in different ways; sad, happy, mad, etc. We learned that it wasn't only the words you were saying, but the way you said it.

To help us work on saying nice things throughout the week, she had a container of rocks and a container of Skittles. Each time we say something nice, we put a Skittle in the jar. Each time we say something not so nice, we put a rock in the jar. At the end of the week, we will review and decide whether we eat the rocks or Skittles. :)

This is a picture of our "treat". It's a "mouth" with a tongue sticking out, reminding us to say kind words. Can you tell?????

Great lesson Taylee!