My SNAP! Conference Experience

I remember reading Ashley from Lil Blue Boo's post about SNAP! creative bloggers conference last year. Actually, reading several blogger's posts about it. Last year at this time, I had been thinking it sounded so inspiring!

Earlier this year, I had the chance to snag a ticket to SNAP! I thought about it a lot, talked with Stephen and he really wanted me to go. He really just supports me in pretty well anything- he is amazing! He particularly liked the idea of us making a trip together out of it also. (Course he did, he didn't want to have to be alone with the boys for three whole days!) ;) 

But, here's the thing... I really haven't been a serious blogger.

This blog has been about showing you how fun my boys are, the bits of creativity I seem to pull off on occasion, preserving our life for later, giving me a reason to play around in Photoshop Elements a bit. If I was going to go to something like SNAP, I needed to be serious about this, right?

Snack Necklace Kids Craft

One of the projects I recently selected for the Pinterest 14 Challenge was a fun snack necklace that I had seen HERE. The next time I went to the grocery store, I kept my eye out for some candy and snack that had a hole in the middle so I would have them on hand for the next boring afternoon when I needed something to entertain the boys with (ya know, like, the very next day)...

Cutesy Curly Paper Wreath

Aaack!! I love this project so much- turned out so fun!

Awhile back I saw this great, curly looking wreath at our local craft store. I loved it, could hardly walk away! But it was $30 and I just simply could not pay $30 for a wreath and still call myself crafty! The one I had seen was made of cream colored paper that looked a lot like light tree bark. I immediately had the thought I could try to mimic it using fun colored paper. I searched Pinterest for a starting place, with absolutely no luck! I found a lot like this one: 

... which is stinkin' cute, but I wanted more of splayed out look

like I had seen in the craft store, which was kinda more like this:

... only a lot more full. So, I set out to figure out how to create it!

Boy Mom Soapbox: Important vs. Most Important

Recently our family went out to eat at a favorite local pizza/ pasta place. It's really popular around here, and pretty well every time we go we see groups of local high school kids there. This particular night, not long after we had started eating, in came what appeared to be an entire baseball team. All good looking young men, all apparently quite comfortable with each other.

I couldn't really help myself- it was, in fact, unavoidable- I started watching them; observing the details of their little party. I watched them watching the basketball game on the TV mounted in the corner, calling out what the players should be doing. I watched them on their phones, texting or posting or some such thing. I watched them carry in stacks of pizza slices and comment on each other's loaded plates. I watched them adjust their pants and their hats and their hair.

Blessedly, I wasn't offended by bad language or grossed out by pants that desperately needed to be pulled up. There was more to admire about these baseball buddies than not. But this vibe was also clear:

They thought they were pretty important.

Bobby Pin Bling

So "bling" is really not my thing... less is more for me for sure!

If I'm wearing both a necklace and earrings, I usually worry I'm over-doing it with the accessories! But I do like looking like I actually tried, too, ya know? Almost any time I wear my hair down, I pin a strand back with a bobby pin so I can still function without my hair taking over! I wanted to be able to add a little somethin' to a few bobby pins so I could feel like they weren't quite so boring...

Joining the Bloglovin' Bandwagon

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Wouldn't you think there'd be a more inconspicuous way to get this done?? :) Alas... guess not... :)

Boy Trapped

Cooper's hit the stage that anytime he sits pretty much anywhere, he comments about whether he's surrounded by boys or girls, and then gives everyone else the same status update. Pre-cursor to the "cooties" stage I'm guessing. So lately he's been telling me a lot, "You're boy trapped, Mom!" because- shocker- I have a boy sitting on both sides when we sit down! Indeed, I am boy trapped around here... as blessedly as it gets! :)

Re-Connecting: Pinterest 14 Challenge

Truth be told... I struggle in my thinking about this little blog. In feeling like it is an acceptable use of my time, my focus. I seem to come around to the thinking that all is well with it, but none the less worry about it too.

Yesterday I heard and loved this talk from Sister Rosemary Wixom as part of General Conference. She spoke at one point about a study that was done in observation of a child trying to get his Dad's attention while he was on his phone. At one point the Dad did finally turn his phone off and play with the child, but then later picked up the phone again and engaged his kid in a video on the phone while they waited for Mom. When the technology was involved, scientists observed a lessening of the child's "light."

Found HERE

This really struck me! I do not want to be glued to my laptop (or, along the same line, even my craft table) anywhere even nearly as much as I'm glued to my boys. While I feel a desire to really press PLAY when it comes to this blog, I hope that it will also reflect more and more my time spent with them too.

Along that line, I read late last week at Mama's Got it Together about a fun Pinterest Challenge and really liked the concept: determine 14 pinned projects to complete before 2014.

Fun, Easy Memory Wire Bracelet

Recently I've seen and happened upon several cute bracelets made out of Memory Wire-

first from HERE, then also from HERE and HERE.

Ya know those projects that you see and can't get over until you do it?

These were that way for me!

Live HIGHER: Time Out for Women 2013

Every now and then my Mom and sisters just decide we need to get together.

We see each other separately fairly often- not as much as I'd like for sure, but enough I can't complain.

But we don't see each other all together as much, so we try to make girls dates on occasion.

A couple of years ago we went to a Time Out for Women weekend in Logan and it was great!

This year we were able to go again here in Idaho Falls.

My sister-in-law Jodie wasn't able to come from Utah, but otherwise it proved awesome again!

(April Fools) Giveaway!

This afternoon I've teamed up with some fun blogger friends

for another fun giveaway- we think it's like nothing you'll find anywhere else!

Do you ever read blog posts and think, "ooh, I wish I had time to make that craft!" 

Or, "if only I could do that activity with my kids..."

Or maybe, "I hope she saved one of those for me!"

Well, today's the day your dreams could become a reality.

You have the opportunity to win your own blogger for a day!

Healthier Lemon Vanilla Cookies

I don't know that these cookies could actually be considered "healthy."

They are still a cookie, still made with a boxed cake mix...

so, I'm calling them "healthier!"

Healthier because I replaced the oil with yogurt!

I've been doing this a lot lately and really like how stuff works out when I do :)