What should I do?

so, I tried to upload some photos and it said I was out of my "free storage" from google...and I could purchase more.  whatever.

I know I don't blog as much as some of you... so what do I do about this?

I have picasa on my laptop... is that why?  should i delete it?  I don't have it on my mac.  so what do I do?

The Patch

Up in Seattle we went to a REAL pumpkin patch.  The kind where the pumpkins actually grow there.  Here are a few highlights...

2 of my sisters, Cara and Krista along with cousin Whitney, Blake, Brooklyn and me

 Cara, Whitney and Brooklyn

 Whitney

 You can see Blake take Brooklyn by the hand and help her through the pumpkins

A Few Precious Memories

 We stayed up in Seattle for a few extra days after Shawna's wedding.  I was able to go to my Grandma Honey's house and visit her, my Great Aunt Lucy, and my grandpa Papa John.  This was the last time I saw Papa John.  He passed away a few days after I saw him.  I was so happy that I was able to go and see him one last time.  I was so glad my kids and Todd were also able to visit with him and talk to him.  He told me that "pretty soon I'm going to get up out of this bed and walk around."  I think it was more profound than anyone knew.

Here are a few pictures from that night.

Andrew, Justin, Blake and Brooklyn in Honey and Papa John's back yard

 Justin riding on my dad's old scooter he had as a kid

 Brooklyn and her cousin Whitney (2 months apart) with Aunt Lucy.  Brooklyn and Whitney are sitting on Aunt Lucy and Aunt Barbara's rocking chairs they had as kids.

 Andrew and Honey

 Brooklyn and Honey

 Aunt Lucy and my sister Krista

 Justin and Aunt Lucy

 Honey and my sister Cara

 Blake, Aunt Lucy, Andrew, Brooklyn and Justin

 The whole gang

 Aunt Lucy and Brooklyn

Brooklyn on Aunt Lucy's rocking chair

 Me, Honey, Krista, Cara, and Aunt Lucy

My Dad's Sister, Barbara, playing with Brooklyn

 Aunt Lucy, Me and Honey

 Me and Aunt Lucy

 Honey and me

 Brooklyn and Aunt Lucy (who she was named after)

 Honey, Me, Todd and Aunt Lucy

Shawna's Wedding

Here is a fun picture of me and my sister Shawna on her wedding day.  They were married in the Seattle Temple on October 16.  It was a beautiful day and Shawna made a beautiful bride.

Todd and I at the reception

New way of Blogging

So... I haven't blogged in a LONG time.  I used to try and blog about everything... almost like a journal with pictures of everything we did.  So- the result?  I never blogged.  It was too much... took way too  much time, and I dreaded it.

So now I've decided to just blog little things I think about... cute pictures I get and funny little things.

Tonight I'm going to start with my FAVORITE Dessert.  I've had it for 3 consecutive nights.  And, if you come to the Relief Society Meeting on Dec. 2, you will get to have some too!

Layered from bottom to top:
Ghirardelli Brownie
Peppermint Ice Cream (I prefer Blue Bell... it's in Texas)
Hot Fudge Sauce (I have a good homemade recipe, but any will do just fine)
Sprinkled Peppermint (candy canes hammered) on top

It is so good... I can't wait for tomorrow so I can have another bowl!

I would post a picture... but it didn't last that long in my bowl.

Backyard Fun

Tah Dah!

It's done!  For the time being...

We would like to add some pendant lights above the bar, and put knobs and pulls on the cupboards.  But... for a while we are done.

I started taking the pictures at night... but then took some in the morning too.

I love it!  I love all the new light.  I love that the mildew that was in my back splash grout (from the previous owners... of course!) is gone.  I like that there aren't cuts in my counter top (also courtesy of the previous owners)  I love that I can see my kids fight on the trampoline and I know who started it.  I love that I can open the window and yell at my boys while I'm working in the kitchen.  I love so many things about it!  Come visit me and enjoy it too!!!

We had the cabinets moved into our sunroom (downstairs playroom) and painted white.  Hebert also added the shelves on the side to fill the wall. 

I keep all the kitchen stuff I don't use regularly... like vases and some serving dishes in these cabinets.  Also, I put diapers, wipes, my camera, and a few games (with lots of pieces that I don't want out all the time) in them.  I'd like to add shelves below it someday too.

A few "during" pictures

Hebert breaking through the brick wall! The first glimpse of the long awaited light

Tearing out the old window

After they moved the cabinets, they painted them

Some of their tools in the sunroom

Woodbadge

So where was Todd during this fun kitchen remodel?

WOODBADGE
(A 6 day scouting camp... broken up over 2 weekends)

Here he is leaving at 5 am with his back pack all ready to go.

Even though he camped and did a bunch of stuff.... I think he had the "vacation" during this whole thing. We only had some MAJOR road blocks come up that I had to deal with on my own.

A few Befores...

The end of October and beginning of November 2009 we began the kitchen project.

When we were looking for our house, my stipulation was that there would be windows on the back of the house so I could see the kids playing in the back yard. Of course the house we ended up buying didn't have a working window (meaning short enough that I could see out of it) in the kitchen. So, I said, "I will buy this house, but we have to put a window in the kitchen." After 3 1/2 years in this home, we saved enough money to finally put my window in the kitchen.

The best part of this project?

Todd was out of town for the ENTIRE process. (note the sarcasm in my typing). That part was absolutely draining. Managing a kitchen full of contractors and 4 crazy busy kids was less than fun for me. We also had a few days with no kitchen sink.... I will spare you all the details.

Was it worth it? 100% YES! There are still a few things we want to do to make it complete...

But here are a few before photos...
The new windows will be where the existing window is (we put in a larger window and made it come lower down so I can see out of it), and also to the right of the current window where the cabinets are

(Ummm... these are a little embarrassing to show you because my kitchen isn't exactly cute)
)