Saturday Market - Tuacahn

This past Saturday a shared a booth space at the Saturday Market at Tuacahn. The hours were from 9 am to 1 pm and we had about 30 different vendors come out to sell everything from home-made breads, jams, salsas, cowboy hats, knives, jewelry, pens, bbq sandwiches, hand weaving, purses, etc. I had a great day and plan to have my own booth this coming Saturday where I can spread out all the plates I have along with a cross stitch that my mom did "Return with Honor" and display all of my dad's current weavings. Dad was one of the featured artists showing how he makes his beautiful blankets or as he likes to call them his lap robes! Take a look at the BYU & University of Utah blankets below ... they are all for sale ... and he is currently working on a Wyoming Cowboy blanket! All of his patterns he designs himself, the material is acrylic, machine washable, and he does all the work by himself on sticks! He is amazing! Mom can cross stitch like no one else I know and all of our homes have her beautiful work in them as well. It was a long busy weekend but, profitable and fun! Check out Tuacahn!

I sold plates, vases, and granite coasters.

I took orders that I am fulfilling this week and sending them off to Minnesota!

I also sold Rosemary Peasant Bread and "You Won't Regret Them" Brownies ... YUM!

Here is my dad with some of his weavings!

Check out BYU & Uof U blankets!

I started working part-time at Tuacahn this past week. I work in their gift gallery during concerts and performances .... the pay is practically nothing but, I get free tickets to the shows and I get to see and hear some fun performances. This past week I worked during a Kellie Pickler concert and the BYU Folk Dancers performances. Tuacahn is a beautiful outdoor theater that is located up a canyon in Ivins, Utah about 6 miles from our home! This summer they have Tarzan, Crazy For You and Cats as their main attractions. If you are in the area, I strongly suggest getting tickets!

Tanning Woes ...

Did you know ... that in the last 15 years or so, tanning beds have been upgraded and become 150 times more powerful? Did you know that tanning for 8 minutes on your first exposure in say 15 years (give or take) in a stand-up bed can cause you IMMENSE PAIN for at least 5 days? Did you know that in a stand-up bed the maximum amount of time that the bed will cook you for is 9 minutes? Do you know all the places that your body can potentially have a blister from exposure to a tanning bed? Did you know that your body can potentially have an allergic reaction to your skin drying out and peeling for 3 days? Did you know that I was dumb enough to think, "why don't I try tanning down at the gym, perhaps if I was not so ghostly white I would consider a swim suit this summer or even shorts"?

So many things I didn't know ... and guess what? I know them now!!! Ughhh

The Haircut ....

This story was emailed to me a few days ago ... I thought I would share it with all.

One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut.

After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, "I can not accept money from you, I am doing community service this week." The florist was pleased and left the shop.

When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a "thank you" card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber replied, "I can not accept money from you, I am doing community service this week." The cop was happy and left the shop.

When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a "thank you" card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Then a Congressman came in to the shop for a haircut, and when he asked about his bill, the barber replied again saying, "I can not accept money from you, I am doing community service this week." The Congressman was very happy and left the shop.

The next morning when the barber went to open up his shop, there was a dozen Congressmen lined up waiting for a free haircut.

And that my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the politicians who run it!

Easter Weekend

Max came down with a fever on Thursday night ... no appetite, etc. By Friday afternoon we decided to take him in to our instacare ... as the fever was up to 101. Diagnosis, strep throat and contagious for at least 24 hours, med's for 10 days and no neighborhood easter egg hunt! Huge bummer! But, we still managed to have some fun today while watching General Conference. Max also had an incredible nap just under 3 hours ... love it!

Easter bunny arrived with new clothes, more trains (these ones for the bath) and of course chocolate. We had several egg hunts, one outside and several inside the house! I got Max into one of his new spring sweaters and shirts for a minute ... took quite a few pictures and here are some from today's events!

An egg hunt amongst the rocks & Grandpa's garden!

Here is the conversation that Max and Mark had on the phone this morning around 6:30 am....

Mark: Are you excited for the Easter Bunny to come?

Max: Dad, the Easter Bunny is not real!

Mark: He isn't?

Max: No, he's stuffed up! He's a fake animal!

Mark: Who told you this?

Max: I told myself!

Love This Kid!

Love this little boy even with the bruised lip (a minor crash at McDonalds playland yesterday). He makes me smile every single day without fail. He is so stinkin' smart and when he tells me out of the blue that he loves me ... well my heart melts and I fall in love with him again and again ... even when I am threatening time-out! Max - I must tell you that I am eternally grateful that you joined our family! We love you so much! Mom & Dad

Happy Easter ... This Weeks Craft

I have been lookin online at different easter projects and came up with this one on our own. The galvenized tub I got at our local thrift store for a $1 ... everything else from Walmart. For some reason the little eggs that I bought (because everything is in storage) had little tiny holes in them in the ends which made it quite easy to string the floral wire in to them. I twisted the wire inside the egg, and made various lengths to create the bouquet. Down inside the wires are dropped into styrofoam and them I topped it with crinkled green grass and a ribbon. Max had a blast and of course loved playing with everything while we were making this. Our left over eggs will be used for an egg hunt here amongst the rocks at Grandma's house and some will be sent to Dad in Afghanistan.

A Deal with a Memory

The deal of the day .... today I was over at one of our local thrift stores and came upon a box of granite sample squares. I was looking at them and noticed that each of them had a felt back to them and they were all approximately the same size. My first thought was that these would make great coasters! Another lady came by and told me they would make a great top to a table, etc. although it would be a VERY heavy table. Anyway, I was searching for a price on these and found a price tag of $15 for the box. I ended up paying .25 cents a piece for these little gems. I got them home cleaned them up and they are ready to sell! I'm going to sell these at an outdoor festival that I am doing in a couple of weeks along with my plates, vases and dad's weavings. Hmmm ... then I started thinking about my lesson for this coming Sunday with my (10) ten year-olds at church. Our lesson includes temple marriage and I thought perhaps I would use these pieces of granite to compare the strength and beauty of the temple. Then I remembered the story of when I was a young girl, we traveled down to Washington DC and we stopped by the temple while it was under construction. I was about 5 years old and we were having a picnic lunch up near the temple. One of the construction workers came over to me with two pieces of the marble that they were using on the temple and handed them to me. One of the pieces burned in the 2000 fire and the other is pictured next to the black piece of granite. I plan to show the kids this on Sunday but, the symbolism that this piece has for me is significant. The temples of course are built with some of the finest materials in the world. Marble, granite and other materials are found on and in our beautiful temples that remain the House of the Lord here on earth. How grateful I am to be living so close to many of these beautiful temples. To learn more about the temples visit LDS Temples.