Tiffany's Place

I'm a liar!

2010-09-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

So over a year ago I said I'd post more photos of our vacation, but I never did, so I'm a liar I guess. :( And oh my gosh, so much has happened since then! I think that part of the reason I stopped blogging so much is that my computer keeps getting too full to add photos and I just don't see the point of a blog post without photos. LOL! And since I can't load photos on my computer and since my hubby's photos are so much better than mine anyway, I just don't take photos as much anymore. I take plenty with my phone, but they're hardly worth sharing.
So, maybe you're wondering what has happened since my post of our vacation last summer. Well, we got pregnant! And now we have a 6 mos old baby girl Charlotte who was born February 27th! Yeah, it's really been that long! :( We've moved into a new home in Provo and have been here for a year! Yes, it's really been that long! Laurel was baptized in December, 9 mos ago! Yup, it's really been that long! So, I think those are the big things that have happened. We've also been on a couple more vacations since then; camping in Calf Creek, Yellowstone National Park, another trip to CA for the Clarke Family Reunion... Now I guess I'll post some photos since this blog is worthless without them. LOL!

The new baby!

The new house!

The new member of the church!

Forward Thinking

2010-09-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hey friends! If you are into cloth diapering, or any other custom made baby items, you should visit Forward Thinking's facebook page! Tell her I sent you. She has some super cute stuff! I LOVE her diapers! Can't wait to get more!!!

Photo Contest

2010-07-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

Please vote for my baby on facebook so I can win $60 worth of cute cloth diapers! Vote by "like"ing Forward Thinking and then commenting on Charlotte's photo as much as you can. Thanks so much!

Charlotte's Photo

Vacation then Strep

2009-06-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

I wanted to be blogging this week about our week and a half vacation in California but the kids and I came down with strep so I haven't quite felt up to it this week. Well, we had a great time on our vacation. Jared and Alisha got married, we got to hang out with my family, and we spent a day in Monterey and went to the aquarium. It was a really great vacation! Stay tuned for more detailed stories and PICTURES! Here's a teaser... ;) And believe me when I tell you there are some that are even more impressive than this.

Photo taken by my hubby, Jason Williams

iHeartFaces - Week 18

2009-05-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

Here are my submissions for iHeartFaces Week 18 - Laughter

Adult Entry - My hubby on our 6th Anniversary. Ain't he cute?!

Kids Entry - My daughter last summer after she broke her arm. The mandatory cast photoshoot. ;)

Check out iHeartFaces to see the other entries!

iHeartFaces - Week 17

2009-05-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

This weeks challenge is Hats! We're not a big hat wearing family so I don't have many photos of us in hats and don't really have any hats to take photos with. This photo is of my daughter who had a unit in preschool a couple months ago about Community Helpers. She came home one day with all this doctor gear (hopefully this counts as a hat). I think she looks darn cute!

My entry for the Kids Category

Check out http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ to see the other entries!

Bokeh Giveaway

2009-05-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

Hey, check out this Alien Skin giveaway at iHeartFaces!

Wicked!

2009-05-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

So I didn't find out that Wicked was coming to town until the day it was here and by then, of course, tickets were sold out. I've been dying to see it for years (the first time I heard about it)! Needless to say I was very disappointed. BUT, before each performance they do a drawing to sell 20 tickets for $25 each. That's cheap! So, my hubby and I planned on trying the drawing just one night. With it being 45 minutes away and having to get a babysitter for several hours, we only had one try at it. So on Tuesday we arrived there 2 and a half hours before the show starts, entered our names a half hour later and waited another half hour to hear our fate. By then there were over 200 people there. To our amazement Jason's (my husband) name was the third name to be called and he was able to purchase 2 tickets for $25 each! I was soooo excited! So we went and got a meal at Carl's Jr and then headed back to the theater for the show and we were in the 6th row! Wonderful seats! The show was absolutely amazing!!! Katie Rose Clarke as Glinda and Donna Vivino as Elphaba were amazing! I've listened to the original broadway soundtrack and seen clips of the original actresses and these women, I think, were better! Katie was hilarious! And Donna was wickedly stunning. It was wonderful! I hope to be able to see it again someday.

iHeartFaces - Week 16

2009-04-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

So a friend suggested I check out this blog http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/. They have a weekly photo contest so I thought I'd give it a try. This weeks theme is Reflections.

Here's my entry for the Kids Category

This is my daughter when she was 2 years old. She is now 5. I was drying this bowl and she caught her reflection in it and couldn't stop looking at herself in it. LOL!

Check out http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ to see the other entries!

Coldplay

2008-11-21T19:36:00.001-08:00

That's right, I said Coldplay! Tonight I got a call from a local radio station telling me that I won the "best seats in the house" to the Colplay concert tomorrow night! I am totally shocked! I entered the contest online not thinking much of it, I never win stuff like this. But I WON!!! Thanks to my wonderful neighbor and friend who is willing to watch my kids for so long on such short notice. Thanks Jan! Hubby and I have a HOT date tomorrow night!

Simply Signs by Jan

2008-09-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

My good friend Jan has this great business. She does vinyl lettering on anything from wood signs to pillows to magnet boards. And they are all so cute! You can check out her blog here or her website, Simply Signs by Jan.

Williams Look-alike Meter

2008-09-01T12:02:00.001-07:00

I guess all my kids look more like me. Who'da thunk?! I still think Seth definitely looks more like his dad though.

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs - Collage - Morph

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free family tree - Geneology

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-08-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

Garden Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Just thought I'd share. And besides, I'd love to win this beautiful dress! ;)

Of all the ways to break a bone...

2008-08-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

my kid does it by jumping off the couch! Yes, Laurel fractured her wrist after pretending the arm of the couch was a diving board. And this happened the day before she was to perform for gymnastics. She was a little disappointed about not participating in gymnastics but she was mostly worried that she wouldn't be able to swim and have fun when we go camping at Lake Tahoe next week. Well luckily she was able to get a water proof cast! And she chose a bright pink! She's excited to have Grandpa, Nana, and all her cousins sign her cast while camping next week.

Sweet Home California

2008-07-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

Last week we got back from our vacation to California. My little sister got married so we went for the reception. Her wedding and reception were a week and a half apart and we couldn't afford to go there twice or stay for a week and a half so she said we should come for the reception, so that's what we did. We got to spend time with both my family and Jason's family. We were soooo busy and I'm just barely feeling like I've caught up on sleep. Here's a quick rundown of what we did and I'll come back later to blog about a couple of them individually.

*Lots of dinners/meals out with the Williams'

*Fairytale Town with Grandma

*Visit with Great Grandma and Grandpa Smith

*Calaveras Big Trees

*Laurel's sleepover at her cousins

*Playdate with cousins

*Swimming at Nana's

*Cousin's ballet recital

*Wedding reception

*Church at our old ward

*Clarke family dinner

*Clarke family photo

*Lots of late nights giggling with SIL Ashley

And we did all this in just 4 days! No wonder we were pooped.

Good News, Bad News & Blessings in Disguise

2008-06-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Good News-Jason was able to sell his car to Carmax for exactly the amount he wanted to get out of it. We were worried that they wouldn't offer as much as we want. I know God was watching over us today and made it possible for us to get the money we need.

Bad News-Our van will not start! We thought it was the battery but it wouldn't jump start. There could be something wrong with the starter.

Blessings in Disguise-Our car broke down while we were at Carmax. Yes, we were about 30 minutes away from home with the whole family and a car that would not start. But we were at a place with people who know a little about cars and HAD a lot of cars. They were able to try and help us jump the car, which was unsuccessful, but then offered to take one of their vans for sale and one of the employee's drove us home! How great are they!!! AND the manager is going to have a mechanic take a quick look at it tomorrow. So we got a free ride home and possibly a free diagnosis. I feel so blessed that this happened when and where it did. I don't know what I would have done if I was by myself somewhere with the kids. I know that God is watching over us always and he knows what is best for us, what we can handle and what will make us stronger. If we have faith in Him and his plan we will get through this, just as we can get through anything. I am so grateful for his blessings and his tender mercies.

Catch Up

2008-06-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

I have so been neglecting my blog! Sorry. So I DID make the Creative Team at Digital Scrapbook Artisan Guild. Yay! I'm really loving it so far. We Gigi's even have our own blog now. It's on the top of my blog list on the right column. It shows layouts we've done, challenges we're hosting and new products from the Guild Designers.
Now, on to stranger things. I signed up to be a Mary Kay consultant. I'm not really sure why. Then I emailed my director and told her that I changed my mind but didn't need my money back from the starter kit because I was just going to use a bunch of the stuff anyway. Well, she hasn't contacted me since. So, I think I might still technically be a consultant... I really d

on't know. And I guess I really don't care. As long as they aren't pressuring me to buy product,

sell product or go to meetings, it really doesn't matter to me; and I'd still get a discount! ;)

I don't think I mentioned that I read The Host by Stephenie Meyer. It was a really great book! I'm not a reader but I really love

the way Stephenie Meyer writes; you really connect with the characters. I also went to a book signing for The Host. Stephenie is such a cool woman. If she wasn't famous but I knew her anyway, I swear we could be the best of

friends. I met a couple of nice women as well. Allison and Kinley were so nice to let me tag along with them since I came alone. Now if only I could get them to send me the photos they took since I forgot my memory card for the camera. I'll have to track them down on the TwilightMoms message board. LOL!

Laurel is out of school for the summer. It's been a great summer so far. The first week Laurel was off, my mother-in-law flew into town to help me plant my garden. It looks

great, she was an amazing help! I love that woman! Hopefully it does well. I'm having a little problem with bugs eating my basil. I'll have to see what I can do about that. The kids have been having loads of fun playing with their neighbor friends ALL DAY LONG! Yesterday they spent most of the day jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler under it. Today they are at the neighbor's house playing on the slip 'n slide. Now we just have to figure out how to get the Ice Cream Truck to come down our street and our summer will be complete! :) Really, the ice cream man totally skips our street. It really sucks!

I've attached some layouts I've done while on the CT and some photos of the garden and

Grandma's visit.

Creative Team

2008-04-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

I just applied for the Creative Team at DSAG (Digital Scrapbook Artisan Guild). I'm quite pleased with my layouts so I thought I'd share them here.

Remembering Gabby

2008-04-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine's daughter was diagnosed with cancer last year. Gabby lost her battle to ATRT on October 3, 2007. She would have been 2 years old today. In her memory we wore pink (Gabby's favorite color) and each of the kids released two pink balloons into heaven. Gabby was a precious little girl who was so strong and brave. She gave hope and strength to many. When I told the kids what we were doing today, they were so excited! They kept asking questions about what Gabby was doing and if she would see us; would she get the balloons? Seth asked me when she would come back. Although I couldn't give him an exact date, I was happy to have the knowledge that she would come back again, that our Lord and Savior would return to earth and all those who have passed on would be resurrected. He was satisfied with that answer, as was I. Happy Birthday Little Gabby!!! For more photos you can visit my web gallery. For more info on Gabby you can visit her myspace page.

I never liked reading

2008-04-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

As a kid and teenager I never liked reading. Maybe it was just because I was forced to read things that I hadn't chosen for myself. I guess that may have just turned me off to the whole idea of reading. But now, as an adult I've discovered that it can be quite enjoyable! A way to escape the day to day. Honestly, up until now I've only read one book in my adult life. But a friend recommended a book/series to me recently so I thought I'd give it another shot. It's the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. I just finished the first book. I really enjoyed it! 498 pages in less than 4 days. I guess I was consumed... After I told my friend I had ordered the book she said, "I'm sorry!". She wishes she would have never read them, I think because she was just so consumed by then that she went through a depression when she was done. I wonder if she'll read the 4th one that's coming out soon. Anyway, I loved the book and would recommend it. I hope nobody hates me after reading them. ;)

High School Musical

2008-04-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm a dork. I love High School Musical! I can't help it, I'm just a sucker for performing arts. But let me just say, I saw it on Disney channel when it first aired and loved it. I didn't just hop on the teeny bopper bandwagon after it got big. LOL! Anyway, I just found out that HSM3 is going to be filmed in Salt Lake City! That's just 45 minutes from me and were my brother lives. I'm so temped to take a day trip down there just to see what's going down. Yeah, I'm a dork.

A Roll a Day?!

2008-03-31T08:06:00.001-07:00

Are you kidding me?! How is it that my little family of 5 uses an entire roll or toilet paper in just one day? I have changed the toilet paper roll every morning for the last 3 days! This is ridiculous! And nobody has the runs! Seth even insists on "wiping". At first he'd wad up a huge ball of tp to dab and toss it in the toilet. I told him he should only use 2-3 squares. I think maybe he's not taking my words to heart. I'll have to pay more attention to how much tp my kids use from now on. It's time to crack down! ;)

Gymnastics!

2008-03-05T15:57:00.000-08:00

Laurel's gymnastics just called and they think she is ready to advance to the next level. She has been doing so well lately, I'm so proud of her and I know she's proud of herself too. She is always very focused and tries her best even when the other girls are messing around. She's so excited to move up! It's a little bitter sweet for me though because I finally started making friends with one of the other moms and she's always using Laurel as a good example for her daughter. I'll have to make sure I go back and get her number so we can plan some play dates. Here's a layout I did of her first class.

Filters

2008-02-06T16:20:00.001-08:00

We just bought some new Photoshop filters! I've been messing around with them a little today. It's fun! Here is a photo I altered. I know it's a little extreme, but hey, it's art! :)

Kiss

2008-02-01T22:03:00.000-08:00

When I got a good look of The Guild Kit for February I just knew I had to scrap this photo! It's of my sweet little Bethany and Seth almost 2 years ago. Aren't they just the sweetest?! And believe it or not, they'll still kiss each other at the ripe old age of 4 (well almost 4). I sure hope they always share this special bond.

First trip to the ER

2008-01-25T22:34:00.000-08:00

Of all the stupid things my kids do, I didn't think this would be why we'd head to the ER. Seth fell out of the van and busted his head open. It was about an inch long and bleeding a lot! We scrambled around frantically trying to figure out which hospitals take our insurance, which place is closest, etc and finally got him to the ER. The Dr said he didn't NEED stitches but to keep it from scaring too much, it would be a good idea. So he got 3 stitches, since he was 3 years old. ;) That's what the nurse told him anyway. The staff was really great! And the ER was not very busy at all. We got there about 9 and just got home a little after 11. Oh I was so irritated though because after we were done we were told to check out with the receptionist so we were waiting and this family that reeked of smoke was in there, and then the lady starts painting her fingernails! ::o Then as we are finally leaving Laurel accidentally stepped on her toe and she yells "ouch!" and says, "oh, sorry I made you step on my toe." I was so glad to be leaving! Seth was such a brave kid. He had to get stuck about 4 times to numb the area and you could tell he was in pain but he was such a trooper and didn't even shed a tear. My kids are just unbelievably brave! I really was blessed with great kids! Here are some pics!

Photography Challenge-Week One

2008-01-17T14:46:00.000-08:00

I decided I'd brush up on my photography skills and take the photography challenge at twopeasinabucket.com

The first week is all about f/stop! Here are some of the photos I took with different f/stop settings. They're not the most beautifully composed photos but I thought they were a good representation of what f/stop can do. For more of my f/stop photos go to "My Photo Gallery" on the left of my page, then "f/stop practice".

These were taken at f/5, f/8 and f/32.

Kitty

2008-01-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share this layout I did of my sweet Bethany. Before Halloween we went to Cornbelly's at Thanks- giving Point where they had a corn maze. They had a lot of other fun stuff too, including face painting! All the kids got their faces painted. Laurel, a clown; Seth, Jack Skellington; and Bethany, a cute orange kitty. For this layout, I used "Delightful" by Stacey Jewell Stahl.

I Resolve to...

2008-01-06T21:38:00.000-08:00

Scrap everyday! Ok, so maybe that won't happen. But I hope I get to a point where I can take a little time each day to work on this hobby that I totally love! It's amazing how I've been MIA from scrapping for so long. I've really missed it terribly and it felt so good to finally do a new page. And what better way to start out the new year and start scrapping again then to scrap some resolutions for the new year! It's really strange how I started out the year with this strange motivation that I've really needed lately to get anything done. We got home from traveling for the holidays and I just started cleaning. Even on my birthday, I was scrubbing the kitchen. Yep, that's right! I spent my birthday cleaning the kitchen. But that's what I wanted to do! It's been really odd. Now, when I see things that are messy or cluttered, I want to clean them up. I have an urge to clean them up. I NEVER feel this way! It's really been great! And I've also wanted to do better with spiritual things. I've been wanting to read scriptures as a family for a very long time but I would never remember to do it. Strangely enough, on the 1st, I though. "Let's read scriptures tonight!", so we did. And I've actually remembered to do it every night since. It's been a really great thing to add to our bedtime ritual. I've also forfeited my birthday and Christmas money so I could buy these really neat chore charts for the kids. I'm actually really excited about these charts! I really think this is going to be a good year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and have a super year in 2008!!!

My Designs

2007-10-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

As my "about me" sections says, I aspire to be a digital scrapbooking designer. So I thought I'd show you all some of my designs.

Here is my "Spooktacular Page Kit". To find out how to get this kit and my "Porch Swing Page Kit" for FREE go here.

Here is my "Porch Swing Page Kit". Go here to find out how to get this kit for FREE!

Today's Project

2007-09-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been blogging much lately. We've been busy with moving into our new house and busy keeping up with everything at Laurel's school. Well today's move-in project was lining our new cabinet doors with fabric. We got both the cabinet and fabric at IKEA, one of our favorite places to shop. And I have to admit we've been spending a lot of time there. We almost have everything we need from there, but not quite. ;) Anyway, I love the way this project turned out! It looks great! Now I feel like I just need to make some curtains to match. :D

Kindergarten

2007-08-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

I just dropped Laurel off for her first day of Kinder- garten! I can't believe I now have a child in school! This changes everything. Not only is it proof that my girl isn't little anymore but it will change our whole lifestyle. I have to get up and ready, get the kids ready every morning, early, to walk Laurel to school. I will get more exercise since I'll be walking to and from school twice a day and usually pulling the little ones in the wagon. My arms are going to be buff. We will no longer be able to just pick up and go on vacation. Not that we did that much anyway, but this is just one more thing restricting us. But, I definitely don't see this as a bad thing. Laurel will love school! She loves to learn and loves to meet new people so I am not concerned about her at all. I can't wait for her to come home and tell me about her day! I just hope I don't get too sad that I missed it. :( But she's growing up and has to start doing things on her own now. I sure do love this girl!

Potty Chart

2007-08-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

We've been having trouble motivating our 3 year old son to potty train. He just has no interest whatsoever! So we came up with an incentive program that will hopefully get him excited about it. He really loves playing the Wii, so each time he goes on the potty he gets a sticker on his chart and gets to play a Wii game. Then once he fills his chart he gets to help pick out a new Wii game to buy. So here is the chart I put together for him. I really hope this gets him to do it.

A page I'm proud of

2007-07-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been over a month since I've blogged. We've been busy this month. The first week we went to California to visit our families. It was a really great time. Hopefully I'll be able to post photos of our trip soon. We've also been busy trying to find a place to live. We have to move out by the 21st so it's getting to be crunch time. Hopefully we'll find something very soon so we can get moving. I just wanted to share this page I just did. I've kind of been in a scrapping rut lately but I finally did one that I'm really proud of. Figures, it's not of my kids. LOL! This is a layout I did as a "prize" for someone at DSP. Aren't her kids adorable! I just love this page! I think I'll have to swap out these photos for some of my kids so I can add this to my scrapbook. :) I hope everyone is having a great summer! Until next time...

Toothfairy

2007-06-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the time has come for my husband and I to play Toothfairy. Our oldest just lost her first tooth! Is this really possible? Can I really be the mother of a child losing teeth?! When I first discovered that it was loose while flossing her teeth I almost broke into tears! I'm usually not emotional about my kids growing up; I welcome the changes. But this little milestone really hit me hard for some reason. Maybe it's because she is losing her baby teeth, so nature is confirming that she is no longer a baby. She will be starting Kindergarten this fall. I didn't think that would affect me much either, but the closer we get to her starting, the more and more I wonder if she's ready...if I'm ready. Did I teach her all she needs to know to be out in the world on her own? Am I going to miss her, or will I welcome the break? Well, it seems we are reaching a new stage in our lives and I guess we'll just have to wait and see what it has in store for us.

My Blog!

2007-06-25T11:37:00.001-07:00

Yay! I finally have my very own blog! I'm so excited to share my thoughts, stories, photos and scrap- booking with everyone. So this blog isn't dedicated to any one thing in my life. Mostly because everything is related. Obviously my family is the most important thing to me. Next is my scrapbooking which is directly related to my family since I am preserving memories. I also use scrapbooking to express myself and my dreams. This layout is about how I wanted to be a ballet dancer when I was younger and I still dream to be sometimes. But with young children that dream has been put on hold. My new dream is to be a digital scrapbooking designer. I've dabbled in it a little. You can see (and download) some of my work here at Twinkerbell Designs. I still have some learning to do, but I really love creating digital scrapbooking kits and I love to see how people use them. So, if you use any of my stuff please send me a link so I can see what you've created. I hope you enjoy my blog! I'll try to keep it updated with current layouts, kits I've made and fun stories about my family.