365+1 Week 44

Ok, and NOW for the updated photo's! These include not only my photo a day but some of the girls in their Halloween costumes because they just looked so cute and had such a fun time on one of the warmest spooky nights to date! Abby went out with friends, Eva had a fun time, but only wanted to go around two neighborhoods, which left Liv and I out for the long haul together.  She really got into it this year! She could have gone all night if the houses weren't turning out the lights and calling it quits on her!!

Photo's #302-308 (plus a few more!):

"One word" These cute little words hang from my chandelier during the month of October.  I thought it was a fitting word for the upcoming week.

Family night carving.  Each girl picked out a pattern that they loved and then Paul helped Eva to carve her "Worried" face, Abby did her spooky ghost completely by herself, and Liv and and I worked together on the Hello Kitty.  By the time we were done it was dark but they insisted on being in the photo- what ev's :)

Crandall Historical Printing Museum in Provo. This afternoon I was a chaperon and driver for Olivia's class field trip.  This was the first time I have been able to go with her and she was so happy!! I thought it was a very interesting place to visit.  They have one of the very first printing presses ever invented, through to the one that printed the first copy of the Book Of Mormon, right on to the last one in the seventies before they went automated.  So fascinating- and I still can't believe that they used to line up the print one letter at a time!!

Halloween!! We had a fun time getting all dressed up and hitting the streets for some goodies.  I was my usual witch (I know, I need to get more creative next year) and Paul was my partner as a Salem Puritan- don't worry, he didn't set me on fire that night!!!

Eva was a cute little witch from Halloween's past!

But no witch is complete without a set of glow in the dark spider gloves!!

Olivia was our sweet little Monarch Butterfly

sometimes morphing into a scary Butterfly!!

Abby has been dreaming of becoming a Mummy since last year! I had to make that wish come true, even though it took FOREVER to wrap her, and she didn't break character all night!!

She was so creepy!!!

"Something starting with C"  Candy of course!!  We have so much candy in this house!

Happy 35th Birthday to ME!!! My wonderful mother in law took me out to lunch at my favorite place- the Cheesecake Factory- and then we spent hours out on a shopping spree in Salt Lake.  A really fabulous day.  Oh, and these shoes are my current favorites- velvety raspberry- LOVE them!!!

"Breakfast"  Not very glamorous, but it gets the job done on a very busy Saturday!!

365+1 Week 43

As you may have noticed, holiday's, my birthday, and fall clean up around the house has kind of put the photo posting on hold!! Never fear though, I have still been taking photo's- here are the photo's from two weeks ago for your enjoyment and I will be back tomorrow with last week!!

Photo's #295-301:

This Sunday night was our Young Women in Excellence event.  As part of the program I had my Beehive class do a runway fashion show to display the skirt sewing project we had worked on over the last month.  This is the skirt that I made- having wanted a chevron print skirt for some time I figured "Why not make it now!" and I just love how it turned out.  All the girls looked great and it was a blast MCing the event on the fly!!

First time back on the old tread mill this season.  Paul and I purchased this trusty rusty 11 years ago, nine months into our marriage.  A week later I was surprised to find out I was unexpectedly pregnant! Sadly, 12 weeks later, things took a  turned for the worst and ended in a painful miscarriage, and was promptly followed by another equally devastating pregnancy sorrow.  My heart was broken beyond repair. After a couple months of despair, doubt and fear, this tread mill nurtured my feeble heart back to the living. It helped me rebuild my lost self esteem, confidence and knowledge that my body could do hard things, and achieve whatever I desired it to do.  Is it silly to have such an emotional response to a piece of plastic and electronics? Maybe so, but it will be a sad day when it decides it is done supporting me along and helping me move forward one step at a time.

"Jack o lantern" was my prompt, but we had not carved any yet! So this was the best I could do!! They are such cute little guys, sitting up there on my shelf all happy and smiley!!

Play date with a school friend.  Liv and her sweet school buddies like to take turns going home to each others houses after school.  Today we hosted her bestie and they had a great time playing games and giggling together for hours.

"In My Town" First snow of the season! The girls were out of school and kept thinking they could go out and build a snow man or make a snow angel.  They had forgotten just how much snow is needed for those things and sadly it was all melted by that afternoon.

Today (with the girls out of school still)  was the semi-annual-great big-closet-change-out.  Every fall and spring the girls clothes have to be rotated. Summer things have to go to make room for the winter wardrobe.  It is a completely daunting task!! I kind of detest it!! But the girls look forward to it because what was old is now new again.  In the end it was great to purge out all the items outgrown and worn out. Piles were packed away until the next girl fit it, some were bagged up to send to family and others were shipped off to the donation center.  All the coats, hats and scarves made their way back to the closet, but only after a few hours of Eva placing them on her fav's so they could be stylish cute and cozy to!!

Sneak peak of our Halloween costumes next week!! We went to a neighborhood costume party and had a complete blast with all our friends.  We took these lemon coconut cupcakes (a current obsession of mine) and had a spooky good time, young and old alike.  Thanks again Gutke's for hosting!!! (Please disregard the dirty old pan that was somehow selected to display these darling cupcakes!!)

Fall Photo Shoot 2012

As promised here are some of my favorites from our annual trip up the canyon to enjoy the leaves, have a picnic, and take some memorable pictures.  I have been doing this since Abby was 10 months old! I do have quite the collection and I really enjoy looking back on all the years and seeing how much these girls of mine have grown up.

American Fork Canyon

See you next year beautiful autumn!

365+1 Week 42

This week we were back to school, but only for three days and then we were out AGAIN for teacher training to take place at our school.  Only problem is the fact that all the other kids in the neighborhood are still in school and the temperatures decided to dip down to borderline freezing outside.  Needless to say we have been a little cooped up over here!! But spending time together as sister's and going to lunch with Dad isn't half bad :)

Photo's #288-294:

"On the screen" This afternoon I spent editing our fall photo shoot.  My computer screen was filled with happy images of our afternoon together.  I LOVE this shot.  When I look at it I can see each of my girls personalities shinning through. Of course I have a love affair with about a million images so I am going to post them up over the weekend for you to enjoy too!!

Last day of Fall Break.  They insisted on a picnic lunch outside.  You really should have seen them all work together to haul that picnic table out to the sunny part of the grass.  I will have you know it was chilly out there and as soon as this photo was taken they all went running inside for jackets- but they did still eat their lunch outside!

"Making you smile"  Eva is a girl full of funny little things.  This is how she has taken to putting her shoes on for school.  Nothing is ever done in a "normal" fashion and I just adore that about her!

Has it become a tradition to share a lunch sandwich variation weekly? That's OK right? You wouldn't want to miss out on Mr. Jelly Bear now would you?!!

"On your table" All the Halloween decor is out and spooking up the place!  Gracing our table again this year is our beloved Skelly Ton in a jar.  Bone Appetite everyone!!

School Pictures came home today.  They always turn out so cute and I really love them all matching in their uniforms.  Abby is not pleased, that hair on her cheek bothers her to pieces.  Retakes just might be in our future :)

Eva's last soccer game of the fall season.  Her coach was great, so fun, so positive, and all the kids had a marvelous time playing together.  She can't wait to play again in the spring.

365+1 Week 41

We have been doing a lot of fun stuff around here, so let's just get to the sharing shall we :)

Photo's #281-287:

After harvesting the giant pumpkins, it was now time to harvest all four of Abby's giant sunflowers! These blooms were HUGE and they produce a massive amount of seeds. I'm talking half a garbage bag full of them! I talked her into only cleaning and roasting half of them and we are now up to our eyeballs in salted sunflower seeds- I just wish I liked eating them as much as she liked harvesting them.

I LOVE to put together puzzles.  As a child we spent many hours together as a family doing them.  My mother has an entire closet devoted to housing these puzzles collected over the years.  Even now, each holiday get together involves a puzzle out on the card table for everyone to sit around, laugh, joke and just visit.  I know, the Griffiths REALLY know how to PARTY!!  HA HA!! But it is happy memories to me and I am happy to say that my children seem to enjoy it as well.  This last weekend Olivia and I put this lovely fall scene together and then sat back and smiled at our accomplishment!

My new washer and dryer arrived today.  After being without them for a week and having to do laundry at my parents, it wasn't a day to soon!  They are new and different and work like a dream.  Now if I could just get everyone to stop watching the clothes washing and drying and out of the laundry room that would be great!! New is always a wonderful color!

I know you wish you were with me on the soccer carpool to witness our very own concert as Abby and teammate Amber did there best impersonations of Neon Trees while belting out "Every Body Talks". Times that MUST be remembered.

Fall Break is officially underway and I couldn't think of a better way to start it off then a picnic lunch up AF Canyon for the Annual photo shoot.  This picture just captures the afternoon- joy, laughter, exploration and drop dead gorgeous scenery to envelop our senses.

This afternoon while the little ones were out on a play date with friends Abby and I decided to get our creativity on! I can not take credit for the idea of these little pieces of complete cuteness (I saw them being made on Studio 5) but we did have a blast putting them together.  Moon Pies and Oreo eyes- so perfect! I mean really, our family portrayed in owl form- perfection! Can you tell hoo is hoo?

"Landscape" was my prompt today.  I spent the entire day with the girls cleaning our house from top to bottom.  No surface was left untouched. But while we were scrubbing away and it was cold and drizzly outside my mind went back to our fun day earlier this week and the breathtaking view that was Tibble Fork Reservoir  that crisp fall afternoon.  Just lovely.

365+1 Week 40

Can you even believe that number? 40 weeks down and just 12 more to go? Really?

This last week has been a doozy at our house, but we have prevailed and this week we are enjoying our fall break together! No schedules, just fun family activities!!

Photo's #274-280:

Abby's Mouse Trap for Science Class. Today I have opted to post up a video instead of a photo.  A still really won't do it justice. She was so excited about this assignment, we ended up over at my parents house because it grew too big for our small rooms.  It took all of our patience to get it filmed from start to finish and that is a true shout of excitement from all at the end!!

This is what my washing machine looked like today. Now in pieces out in my garage.  On Saturday we came home to find water on the floor and after further inspection decided it need a repair that Paul could do and we would give it a try, and cross our fingers for good measure.  Well, by the end of the day my talented husband had that baby repaired, put back together and back in it's rightful place.  We sent it through two successful loads, and then we came home to a smoke filled room after the rest of the motor seized, burned up all the belts and we were lucky that the house wasn't on fire!! Sad is an understatement! That little baby had seen us through all 11 years of our marriage but it just wasn't worth trying to save anymore, so we pulled the plug :(
The old ones were carted away and new ones ordered.

For my Young Women's activity tonight we embarked on a Personal Progress goal in hopes to have them all done for our night of excellence at the end of the month.  The girls were learning to sew themselves a super simple skirt.  I LOVED all the different fabrics that were chosen by each girl and even more impressed at how quickly they all picked up the skills involved. Of course a lot of that had do do with the fabulous help I had from my enlisted sewing specialist mom's from the ward- thanks again ladies you made it a complete success!!!

Crock Pot Chili.  A family favorite, and a must have on a busy weeknight when the temps are starting to dip and the mountains are so colorful around us. I enjoy mine with cheese, a generous dollop of sour cream and scallions scattered on top. YUM YUM!

"Repetition" Fourth grade math facts.  I love them all lined up together on the shelf.  I don't think there is anything more repetitive then mastering your elementary math facts- agree?

"This happened today..." The annual caramel apple night at my mom's house while the boys are away at the BYU game.  For several years now this has been a looked forward to tradition with much anticipation.  My mother makes THE BEST caramel- non of us know how to replicate it- we are all afraid to try, and even more afraid to let it become lost forever.  One of us is going to have to have a lesson from her!! But for now we will just all enjoy the fruits of her love for us!!

Have you picked up your SQUARE PUMPKIN yet?  We went tonight and the girls are loving the fun Halloween flash lights- we  look forward to going every year and getting the fun light up prize. The girls also entered the coloring contest going on at the restaurant AND they were giving out free ice cream to all the kids- smiles all around for sure!

Halloween is almost here, I am very excited!!!

365+1 Week 39

I think I have come to the realization that the beginning of the week is just too crazy, and Friday needs to be my new posting day!! With that now changed in my mind I can relax about it a bit.  I don't know why I put these ridiculous deadlines on myself!!  Here is last weeks photo's, not late, but right on time :)

Photo's #267-273:

What? Bronco attire AND loading up the giant pumpkins from Grandpa's house to decorate our front porch?  Just about the greatest Sunday ever!!

Have I mentioned before that we have some pretty good neighbors? Oh, I have, well let me just say it again!  Our fun neighbors let the girls help in using an old fashioned Apple Cider Press.  Olivia especially enjoyed the entire process and was over there "Helping" for hours!

Speaking of Olivia.  It was discovered over the weekend that one of her back baby teeth was broken and infected.  Poor dear, we had to take her in to the dentist and have it pulled.  She was a champ, even though she did let some tears loose when she discovered what was actually happening!!  It was all forgotten when they handed her this awesome ring holder, let her pick a prize AND gave her a new toothbrush and paste. 

Rain- my little soccer player and dancer had to spend some time out enjoying it's beauty before we headed out to their regularly scheduled events.

Eva is a girl that appreciates some creativity on the home front when it comes to lunch time.  There is only so many kinds of sandwiches to eat during the school year.  Today she was delighted to find a PB Doggy on her plate!  That toothy fluff filled grin made me particularly happy and brought a smile to MY face!! :)

School picture day.  We were all up early in order to get our look just right.  They have to wear the Dress Uniform for pictures, so clothes weren't the issue- but having the perfect hair was! These are the velvet lined hot rollers from the 80's.  Yes, they are original from my youth.  I believe they truly belonged to my sister, but I inherited them and they are still the only way to get curl to hold in Olivia's straight, thick hair.  In this case, they really don't make 'em like they used to.

My goal today was to get a good picture of Abby playing soccer.  I did not succeed. This season they are playing in the boys league- they had cleaned up last year in the girl league and the coaches decided to step up the competition.  While they are learning and improving greatly, they have lost all of their games including this one.  It is just too intense and I completely forget to snap any pictures. Not to mention she played on the far side the entire game. She is completing a fantastic throw in here, but I will get a better one next time!!!