winkflash Book Sale!

I'm really excited. winkflash is having a flat rate photo book sale. That means you can have up to 100 pages for a flat rate. The price depends on the size, starting at $12.95 and on up. I scrapbook in 12"x12" and they have a book that is pretty much square. I might have to make some minor adjustments but it's WAY better than the alternative, and my original, plan. If I printed each page out seperately the best price would be $2 each. I currently have 90 pages for 2009 and I have yet to do December. So... I'm pretty psyched I can get them all printed and bound in one book for less than $30...rather than $180+!

If you're not a current member, it's free to sign up. I'm going to use it as a place to store my pages in case my computer crashes...

You don't have to have photos already scrapped, they have layouts to fill in your pictures. I'm just going to do pages with a "full bleed" so my scrapbook page takes up the whole page.

If you're interested, use the coupon code: ITSBACK at checkout!

Ahg! I forgot to tell you to act fast...it ends the 27th!

Do you Lagoon?

Yellowstone!

Chaz's only vacation this summer was our trip to Island Park, Idaho with our neighbors at the end of August. It was such a relief to be able to relax after He took the DAT.

Turkey Day

I left Chaz on his birthday this year. I took the girls up to the cabin so he could have some much-needed study time alone. He studied for 10 hours on his birthday and didn't even get fireworks.




Not even a week has passed since we got home and I have already scrapbooked Thanksgiving! My goal has been to get all of 2009 scrapbooked by the time we get our tax return or, even better, by mid-January! I only have July through November to do. :) Only.

Wynn's Heritage Assignment

Wynn had a project for school to write about your heritage (or some part) and to make a little clothespin doll. She decided to do a viking because lots of people could do a pioneer and she wanted to be different.

My Family Heritage

By Wynn Gibbons

What I would like you to know about my family heritage:

A long time ago one of my ancestors was a viking. Vikings were warriors from a part of Europe called Scandinavia. Vikings were the best at building ships and sailing them. Their ships were called longships and the vikings would paint them lots of bright colors and put striped sails on them. If they were at sea and didn't know where the land was, the vikings would let go a bird, called a raven, and follow the bird to find land. Lots of people think the vikings had horns on their helmets, but they didn't.

In other parts of Europe women were not treated well. They couldn't do what they wanted. But the vikings were different. The viking women could have land, money, and even go fight with the men vikings.

We were supposed to work on the doll as a family. Wynn picked out the fabric and style for the clothes and decided on the kind of face and hair (and length). She wanted her doll to have spikes even though they didn't really have spikes.... Chaz helped out by carving the nubs off the acorn top for the shield so Wynn could paint it and by carving the sword. Wynn kept saying how her doll was the coolest and it would be the most awesome doll at school.

And yes, about the scrape on her nose and lip, she got hurt at her Papa and Grandma's house. She stole the little 3-wheeled bike Ellie had and, as she was zooming away on it, flipped over the front wheel and face planted. She cut the inside of both top and bottom lips too. I think half the ward asked about it on Sunday.

Canning Hotline

I was chatting with my sister and found out there is a canning question hotline. Any question you have, any time, free. Sweet. If only I had that at the beginnning of the canning season... Well, here it is for you:
1(888)823-3663

A Love-Hate relationship with canning

Some time around the end of August or beginning of November I heard much talk of canning and thought, "Why am I not canning?" I got the canning bug and proceeded to search out things to can. Then it all grew exponentially. I ended up canning more than I ever have before. This year I did:

• peaches


• peach pit jelly


• apricots


• pears


• pear sauce


• pear peel jelly


• pear peel and peach pit jelly


• sweet zuchini relish (anyone want some? I have WAY too much)


• tomatoes


• tomato soup


• peach pear salsa (twice)


• turkey


• turkey broth


• chicken


• applesauce

...with some help from Chaz. (yes! Chaz!)

I am running low on canned beans (black and great northern) so maybe I'll get the gumption to do those sometime. Also, next year I plan on buying lots of carrots from my friends, the Donaldson's, and canning those as well.

Despite loving the feeling of accomplishment and how easy it is to pull a jar off the shelf and dump it in a pot, I must say...

I. am. SO. done. with. canning.