My latest attempt at craftiness!

I love to blog stalk crafty blogs! I have found some really awesome ones lately... there are some amazingly crafty ladies out there! I love seeing all the fun things they have created but hate the guilt I feel after visiting their sites... guilt from not decorating my home as cute as theirs, for not throwing as awesome a party for my kids as they did, for not doing craft projects with my kids... etc. Oh well, some day I will have the time and energy to try all those amazing ideas.

When I saw this project, I knew that I had to do it... it's just too cute to pass up!

I put a cake board on top and then wrapped a coordinating ribbon around the edge.

Can you stand this?! I just love it. Here is the instructions so you can make your own dang cute cake platter.

Supplies:

Pointy boots

 Flat, plastic platter(charger) or Plastic cauldron 

Orange vinyl

2 heavy duty plastic cups (not disposable)

Black electrical tape

Ribbon

2 - Orange 1.5" wide ribbon 36" long

2 - Black/white polka dot 22" long

2 - Black/white check/striped 18"long

2 - Orange thin ribbon 12" long

2 - Black thin ribbon 7" long

1. The boots were purchased at Saver's and had hardly been worn. 
I bought black  boots and then cutout vinyl, orange circles with my cricuit.

Stuff the boots with newspaper - leaving about 2 inches of space at the top.

1. These heavy duty plastic cups were green until I spray painted them orange, I also bought these from Saver's.

2. To make the stripes - adhere black electrical tape around the cup - easy, peasy!! 

This was how the website did it, with the black cauldron on top of the feet, also SUPER cute. I may remove the cake plate and put my cauldron on for trick or treaters.

Witch-a-palooza party!

For the past several years I have had a Girls Night Witch party and last night was the night! What a fun time we had! We always do a potluck dinner of soups, rolls, appetizers and desserts. I LOVE soup and I love getting to tryout different ladies soup recipes... YUM! 

After we ate we voted on our favorite Witch hat and awarded the winning prize to DONNA! I am bummed that I didn't get a picture of her hat up close. She bought a hat and then dressed it up... it was the most beautiful witch's hat I've ever seen! Everyone just loved it. Great job Donna!!!

Then we played a really fun team game that we call 'person, place or thing', it's a charade type game that has everyone laughing throughout it!

Then we did our witch gift exchange. Everyone brought a witch themed, home decor gift and we put them in a pile. Then we all drew numbers and when your number was called you could pick a gift from the pile or steal from someone else. Once a gift had been stolen twice it was 'locked' and could no longer be stolen. I love seeing all the fun creative and DARLING witch items that people brought. It was such a great night and I was once again reminded how lucky I am to have such amazing friends in my life. 

Most of the group... four people had to leave before we could take the pic. L-R

Front row: Me

2nd row: Amy, Briana, Missy, Lisa, Jessica

3rd row: Jani, Stephanie, Jennifer, Becky, Michelle, Nichole, Dani, Nicki, Jodi

Back row: Donna, Michele and Kristen

Missing: Carol, Laura, Angie, Jen and there in spirit was Melanie (her baby was sick and her hubby was out of town.. we missed you Mel!)

 The soup table. We had Tomato Basil, Chicken Noodle, Cheddar, Minestrone and Tosacana (the kind they serve at Olive Garden) So yummy!

The appetizer table and off to the right, the dessert table

Socializing before dinner

Socializing during dinner

I love this shot of Jen and Jodi... wish the lighting was better.

Everyone called these two 'Twitches' since they had the same hats (which were darling by the way!)

Playing our game

Look at all those darling wrapped gifts! So cute!

It was a packed house

Amy, myself and Kristen. Friends for such a long time!

One year ago....

Isn't it crazy how fast a year goes by? Yet if you are told 'in a year such and such will happen', it seems so far away? So much can change for the better and worse in just one year. Tomorrow marks the one year mark for the day that Chris lost his job with Goal Zero. I will always remember that day and the thoughts, worry, anger and concern for my husband that I felt. I was consumed with worry about how we would make things meet financially. Chris loved that job and he was GOOD at it!
So began the horrible process of looking for another job, filling out applications, submitting resumes and then interview after interview only to be told "sorry we are going with a different person". It can be hard on someones ego... oh so hard. Satan has a way with working hard on someone that is going through a struggle, to convince them that they are worthless and have no value.
At the time I was worried about where our family would be a year from now, would we be able to stay in our new house in the neighborhood that we LOVED?
The saying really is true.... When one door closes, another one opens. Chris was able to find a job rather quickly with a GREAT company, doing something he LOVES and is even BETTER at.
So to Goal Zero and their peace of crap management team I say THANK YOU! Thank you for being the fools that you are and letting Chris move on to bigger and better things. We are SO much better off for not having you in our lives. I am grateful for a husband that fights hard to get back on his feet when he has been beaten to the ground.
I am now excited for what the next year holds in store for the Meek Family, and that is a great feeling to have.

It's in the MAIL!!!!

Look at the fun toy I have coming for me in the mail! I have wanted this FOREVER, but it is pretty expensive and there is always a more important bill to pay so I couldn't justify it.

Well I finally saved up enough money to splurge a little.

I feel like it's CHRISTMAS!

Conference Weekend

Wasn't it a great conference session? One of the high points for me was in the final session, one of the last speakers. I wasn't looking at the TV when the speaker started, but as soon as I heard his voice I KNEW that it was familiar. I looked up and almost at the same moment that his named flashed on screen I knew who it was. It was my Seminary teacher from my Junior... or maybe senior year in high school. BROTHER RICHARDSON! He was such an amazing Seminary teacher for me, he went above and beyond to try and reach all of us and help us develop a love for the scriptures. I think about him and his teachings all the time and I have often wondered what happened to him. Well today I got my answer! I'm not at ALL surprised that he is now a GA. Wow! It was kind of surreal seeing him up on the TV screen. Pretty cool if you ask me!

While I watched conference I worked on some holiday Subway Art on my laptop...I'm kinda addicted to these, I just love creating them. I sent them off to Costco and get to pick them up tomorrow, I can't wait to see how they print out and look all framed. I printed them in a 11x14 size, so they will be nice and big.

The Halloween subway art

 The thanksgiving subway art

 I created this one a couple of weeks ago, but then changed it today to the one up above, I can't decide which one I like best.

BYU gametime!

Friday a friend offered us their tickets to the BYU game and I gladly accepted them. I don't think I have been to a game with Chris before, so I was excited to go. Remember I spent five years of my life going to every home game cheering on the team while I was a member of the Cougar Marching Band. Sitting in that stadium brought back a FLOOD of memories for me, especially hearing all the same band tunes that never seem to change. It was very nostalgic for me.

Me and my honey...take a look at the couple to the left, pretty funny. 

The actual game was pretty intense and fun. We pulled out the win in the end LITERALLY, so it was all good.

The power of the Wasatch!

Had to get a shot of us with the field behind us, the fans stormed the field at the end.

After the game we went to a dive of a place called Sammy's, it was SO GOOD! I can see them featuring it on Diner's, Dive's, Drive-in's.... YUM!

I always look forward to my weekly date nights with Chris, it was fun to do something out of the ordinary for us. Hope the opportunity comes around again!