Flowers, Flowers, Flowers...

Miss Heather Oliphant, a friend of Margaret and myself, came over and watched a few movies and taught us and Jeani (sister-in-law) how to make these fabric flowers. I turned a few into hair clips and the others will become something else.

Heather makes a bunch of these type of flowers and she has a website where she shows them off! They are really cute!

We had so much fun making them and it doesn't require a lot of fabric. We used scraps that my mom had left over from her quilts. These flowers are great for little girls and easy to make. Maybe when I go out East I'll show my nieces how to make them!

Also, when I was helping my mom clean her laundry room I found a bunch of antique buttons and things and my mom gave me this one. She thinks it was her grandmother's. I'm hoping to make it into a necklace or something, so look forward to seeing it again!

Also again, this week is the one year anniversary of my amazing adventure to AFRICA! July 14th last year with a group of 8 girls I ventured off to Mozambique for some life-changing volunteer work! This is one of my favorite pictures and one of the firsts that I took in Moz! This week there will be something about Africa in each post!

The Cleaning Philosophy

I have not been posting as frequently because I have been cleaning a lot. We've been cleaning the house before we leave for our trip out East! So excited! At first I thought it would be silly to blog about cleaning, but then I decided to blog about my adventures of cleaning anyways. They can be exciting and it has been a big part of my life the last few days! So I cleaned the laundry room...EXCITING!!! And I cleaned the game closet...EXCITING!!! And I cleaned

the spare room...EXCITING!!! Wasn't that exciting? :) I've learned that if you trick yourself into thinking that cleaning is fun it gets a lot easier! In the words of a very wise nanny: "In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and - SNAP - the job's a game!" This is a lot harder than in the movie, but I find it to be true. To help me enjoy cleaning I usually put on music (creating my own element of fun) and I dance as I clean! The songs have to be upbeat; the kind people workout to and such! With the music playing, cleaning is a lot more enjoyable. My mom's house now looks great thanks to Margi, Mom, and myself! Plus, cleaning is not so bad when there is a vacation at the end of it! Can't wait to visit family out East!!!

P.S. Shout out Happy Birthday to my buddy, Robby!!!

Christmas in July & other things..

Merry Christmas in July! My Mom at one of her Relief Society nights got a kit for a Christmas magnet board. It was a few years ago and I don't remember who made the kit, but thank you whoever you are. Mom gave the kit to me and I was in a very crafty mood. This is what I made:

I really really love Christmas! I usually start listening to Christmas music in August because I just can't wait for it to come around.

I made each individual magnet for all the 25 days of Christmas. Each magnet has its own special something and I had so much fun with each one!

I didn't do it exactly as the kit showed. I made it my own. The entire time that I was crafting, I was singing carols in my head and getting excited for the holidays. Only 5 more months!

The snowman magnet was all my idea! The other magnets I just modified the original idea, but there was a design missing so I made one up myself! I think it's adorable!!!

I really like my magnet board and can't wait to use it this Christmas!

So, I've been in a crafty mood all week and so was my sister Margaret! She used my Mom's "Cricut"which is a special machine that cuts cute words and pictures.

These are the ones that she helped me do! Cute, right?

Margaret will probably blog about the other cute ones that she made. So don't forget to check them out at her blog! margaretsmakings.blogspot.com

Just gotta ask yourself, "Do I feel crafty?"

P.S. Happy birthday to my beautiful sister-in-law Tori!

The 4th of July

The 4th of July is always fulfilling if I go to a Bar-B-Q, go swimming, and watch fireworks! There is one thing that must always happen on the 4th. I have to watch Independence Day with my family. This year was the 15th time watching it! Still awesome! The best part is the speech the President gives. I'm posting that clip!

It always gets me!

So, I went to a BBQ at my sister's in-laws. Yummy food! We also went swimming. My nephew and niece are super cute. I wish I had my camera. I didn't, so I didn't get any pictures, but trust me, they were super cute!

Afterwards, Margaret and I watched fireworks from our roof! We usually can see 3 different shows going on. It was really cool! Our dog Charcoal came up and joined us. He's a big black dog and he loves being on our roof. Silly dog! It was a good day!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

So I decided that I would take Sundays off from blogging. But something special did happen yesterday that deserves a post. My little sister Margi wrote me a poem! She gave me permission to share it with the world wide web! Here it is...

Ode to Hilaree

A Hilaree is such an interesting thing.

She's not a box, a cow, a jig,

But rather a more beautiful thing.

Such as flowers and fairies, but big!

A Hilaree is such a powerful thing.

She's strong and bright and true.

She will excel in everything,

Except maybe turning blue!

A Hilaree is a special thing...

...a sister and friend, times two!

Isn't that the sweetest thing ever?!? Although, I'm sure I could excel at turning blue if I really tried! Margi is wonderful and check out her blog at margaretsmakings.blogspot.com or click the link in my fave blogs list! (Little shout out for Margaret!)

Enjoy your Independence Day (Yay USA!) and I'll blog about mine tomorrow after I've had it! Ta-ta!!