"One Hell of a Hole" - Redneck Spoken Here

 On our road trip to show Princess Exchange Student some fun things in the west, we found a winner. Because we were in the car so long, Princess number three started teaching our Spanish Princess how to speak in West Coasteze! She got her speakin proper like. I laughed so hard when they had her saying "moutin" and "riva" etc. 

During the drive, they kept coming up with fun words to teach her that aren't said as they are spelled and it was cute to hear he try and mimick our accent. When we arrived at one of our destinations, we couldn't resist taking a photo of her with the sign, "Redneck Spoken Here!" for they spent hours teaching her how to speak it.

We ended up at Kennecott Copper. It was five dollars to get it and they donate all proceeds to charity. There is a gift store where I found these cute penny bracelets. I almost bought one but decided I had a better idea which I will post about soon, so decided against buying it.

There was an interesting movie about how they make the copper and process it and what it is used for and how the company cleans up the old mines and donated to the community.

They have one of those penny Squishing machines and you can choose from one of four designs. I had everyone make one and one of the designs is a rounded copper mine outline with "One Hell of a Hole" printed on it. I thought it was funny to see which penny each person picked.

They have a museum where we spent some time exploring. They have microscopes with different minerals that come out of the mine so you can view them. They show the history of the mine and what the products are used for and how. 

They have a huge tire out front you can stand next to so you can get an idea of how large the mine trucks really are. I also took a picture of one of the trucks next to a large pick up so you could get a perspective of the huge size of the actual truck. It looks like a toy car next to a real car. 


I also too a picture at no magnification to the left. The pit is so deep that everything a the bottom looks like ants as they are so small. I then too a picture on 200 zoom of a bus that is at the bottom of the pit. In the above photo, you can see a circle in the middle. On the inside of that circle there is a bus and two porta johns. 

The picture to the right, it is the same spot with the magnification. It will give you an idea of how deep the pit really is as you can't even see the bus in the photo above and to the left. Crazy how deep it is.

The girls had a good time and Princess exchange student also enjoyed seeing the huge truck, museum and buying some jewelry at the store run by the Lions club as a fund raiser. We helped two charities out by visiting then as our group spent quite a bit in the gift shop.  

If you are ever headed that way, it was worth the stop. There is no cell service so make your calls early and, it is against their policy to have anyone use a cell while operating a motor vehicle on the property if you could get reception anyway. 

Also, if you go, take pennies and quarters for the penny squishing machine. They all enjoyed cranking the machine.

Home Made Designer Magnets - Fun and Cute

The girls have been having a good time making these magnets over the past few weeks. 

Princess number five and her good friend started making these a few weeks ago and then it took off.

They first made some with silver and gold paper using Sharpie markers to write on them like the "Smile" magnet shown. Then, they come to our house and searched the punches and found some creative ideas and then made a bunch with different colored paper and punches glued on. 

It went from there to using printed animal paper with Princess number 3 in the mix to make some for her magnet board for school to match her Africa themed room. 

Today, it worked it's way to our out of state friends who is headed to college and she bought a magnet white board today and I suggested they make some magnets for it. She is into Marvel Comics so she designed her own using paper and Sharpie markers. I think her Spiderman one is great. How much fun for them to have something they can show off that they made and designed and is also useful. 

I bought some stickers, small alphabet letters and thought they could use those to make them as gifts. 

They are super easy to make which is a bonus!

You get some glass "rocks" from a craft store, the dollar store or WalMart. (Or, if you are blessed like me, you get them at a second hand store for $.50, new in the bag the week she started making them!) They look like glass pebbles. You need "Mod Podge" as well as a brush, super glue (we prefer "Gorilla Glue,") and magnets. These items can be bought at WalMart as well as craft stores. (Unless, you have a sister that gives you two bottle of "Mod Podge" she bought on clearance so they were free!)

Take the item you want to stick on the magnet and "Mod Podge" it to the flat side of the glass pebble underside. "Mod Podge" the top of the item you want to stick on the magnet. Put them right sides together. It will be white but will dry clear. Next, spread "Mod Podge" on the bottom of the paper you just glued to the glass stone. Then, put a drop of Gorilla Glue in the center of the magnet and glue it to the bottom of the glass stone/ decorated and glued bottom. 


Just a few warnings. If you are using stickers, place them on a paper and then cut the paper to the right size to frame the glass pebble by tracing the pebble onto the paper. If the paper is larger than the stone, it will make the paper peel easier so try to make the paper just a bit smaller than the glass. 


Also, if you don't allow the magnets to dry and touch them to something, the magnet will stay on the item and the stone and paper will peel away ripping the decoration. 

ALLOW TO DRY WITH THE STONE ON THE TOP AND THE MAGNET DOWN SO THE WEIGHT OF THE STONE PRESSES THE STONE ON THE MAGNET MAKING A GREAT BOND. Once they have dried completely for at least several hours, (I think overnight is best) then, you can use them. 

Another warning - Keep phone's, ipods, computers etc away from this craft. The magnets mess up the electronics ruining them. A magnet blackened my phone screen ruining it permanently.

Last warning. If you are going to move them somewhere while they are still wet, don't get them close together or they may attract and then you have to be careful trying to pull them apart. 

Have fun making these.  

Bryce Canyon National Park - Worth the Hike

 A fun stop we made while Princess Exchange Student was with us was Bryce Canyon National Park. We enjoyed the Hoodoos (the tall people like formations at the park) and I hadn't remembered that there is a waterfall there. I am thinking when we visited with small children years ago, that we decided not to take the short hike to see the waterfall. 

The fact that there is a waterfall in this desert is strange to me. It really makes you wonder how far that water has come to be in the desert in the summer.  

There is also this moss cave area where water is just oozing out of the rock and trickling down the walls. There are caves all along the rock but the hike up would have been difficult. There is an easy going paved trail to the waterfall and a bit steeper short walk to the cave area. 

Princess number 3's foot didn't heal well due to some miss information on the stitches length of stay so she didn't walk all the way up but the rest of us enjoyed hiking up further.  I thought the canyon was somewhat cool with breezes.

Our exchange student loved the animal life trying quickly to take pictures of the chipmonks and squirrels. I showed her some large pine cones and tried to show her where pine nuts come from. She said she had seen them before. 

We had fun taking a few fun pictures of each person while we were there. The hike wasn't hard or too long. We really enjoyed the hike and view.

On the way out, we stopped at a few pull out view area's and took a fun picture with Princess six holding up the tunnel. I couldn't talk any of the other sleepy Princesses into taking photos but being tired, it didn't happen. 


If you are interested in going, it is the "mossy cave trail" and the small waterfall is pretty. We recommend going. The day was hot but wonderful and we are glad to see some nice places in the mix.

Falling asleep again. It has been a long weekend

Cowgirl Princess - Cowboy Hat Blessings

I wonder sometimes if people get tired of reading about my blessings or what I perceive as blessings. Others may not see them that way but I prefer to see angels and heaven in my world and think that there are miracle in our lives daily. 

A few weeks ago, Princess number four asked me if she could buy a cowboy hat. I thought that was an odd wish as we don't ride horses, listen to country music etc. 

I asked her what kind of hat she would want and she told me "The straw kind that have highlights painted on them." I told her we would look at them at some point when our life calmed down a bit. The play, exchange student, sick missionary, cut feet, holidays and getting girls ready for college and school were keeping us kinda busy. 
 
We went to the rodeo and they had hats there for $15 and up. She tried one on and was thinking about getting it. I told her that if it really wasn't what she wanted, then she shouldn't spend the money on it and if she "Put it out there, God would help us find the one she like and possibly cheaper."

Skip forward, We went to a festival at a park as we wanted our exchange student Princess to get a feel for local culture downtown in the capitol. We saw several hats which the girls tried on shown here but the pink and blue didn't do them justice. So, we kept working our way through the booths. We saw a cute hat, she tried it on. It had wire in the rim so she could roll the edges like she liked and when we asked how much it was...... $2. 

Before we found that hat, I asked all the girls if they wanted one and they said it could be cute but my girls are funny as they think they need to say they don't want something if they think it will be an unneeded expense. We keep working on this issue as I tell them they deserve to get what they want and should have it. It may not always come in the way they think but their Father in Heaven wants them to have nice things and things they like so I reminded them of that. Well, not a few booths later, we came across the hats.    

I asked them as we bought Princess four her hat if they wanted one and they all said" no." We got one booth away before Exchange Student Princess went back and bought one. We got five booths away before the other two princesses went back. It was so cute.

I insisted we take a picture but Princess three's hair kept her from wearing hers at the time. I do know she likes it because she took it to college with her yesterday and ended up finding a very good spot to be until she decides to wear it. 

Some will call me CRAZY but I KNOW that Angels and my Heavenly Father knows who I am and knows my girls and wants them to be happy. He provides for us so well and just today, I found five pennies all in different places. My girls just laughed as I picked them up at the different places we went. I counted the "Trust in God" found money the other day as I am working on a project with some of it and I had over $30 something in it. (ok, I wasn't really exact counting it but was surprised at how much was in there.) For those of you who don't know about that, here is a post about my pennies. There are many fun posts about pennies and I will suggest that if you haven't followed my blog, you search "penny" in the search box at the bottom and read. I don't post about most of the coins I find but on certain days when I am having a hard day, I find one and I know I am reminded to "trust in Him." Keep praying that our nation does continue to "Trust in God."

Double Rainbow Kinda Day - College or Bust

 Today, God blessed me. I had a very long meeting today which didn't go well. However, when I got out of the meeting about seven, I went home to load up Princess number three for college. She had all her bins and things in the driveway needing help to load them into the suburban when it started to pour rain. 


I had some family with me and they helped us cover it and load it back into the garage and then quickly load it into the suburban. Some of it was quite wet. I hurriedly loaded the cars and I drove with Princess number four and the other two took Princess number 3's car. 

As we pulled out of the driveway, we looked up and saw a double rainbow. That is shown in the top picture. Just then, "You gotta have faith" song came on the radio. Both the meeting I had, and moving another daughter off to college, and school starting in a week for the other girls, has me a bit stressed. My Heavenly Father in his infinite love, gave me a sign in the sky and on the radio to remind me to have faith. 


Before my stressful meeting started, you won't guess what song came on the radio..... Wait for it..... You guessed it, "The Middle." If you don't know about that song, click here and you will see how many times in my life when stressful events have come about, that song plays. 

The other miracle I believe is that this is the third double rainbow I have seen in two weeks! Yes, the top picture is today's double rainbow and the second picture down was last week's and I didn't get one of the other as I was driving and didn't have a camera with me.

We arrived quite late at night to her new home for a year while she attends school. It is a small room but it came out so cute. I think I will blog about some of the items tomorrow but as you know, she went to Africa on a service mission last summer so she loves African things. How funny then when we pulled up to the house and there were lions in front of it! We searched for a long time for the items to decorate with. The small pictures on the left wall are all photos she took of animals on her safari and one of her with the African children. 
 
The spear in the corner is one she actually bought in Africa. It took us hours to hook up the surround sound, hang up clothes, put food, dishes, books, games, desk, dressers, and bookshelves together to make her room look so cute but she has a place for everything.

At the beginning of the summer, I felt really strongly that I should get all her stuff together for her college room. I started collecting things and asking her what she wanted and started sewing as well. 
 
The girls and I had fun putting together a place for Princess number three to call home. Knowing how busy my summer has been with us having Princess number six exchange student and the play last month, I am glad I listened to that feeling and got ready as it made today much easier. We finished after 2 a.m. and after driving home and getting on here, it is almost 5 a.m. so you can guess how tired I am but rather than doing a little easy post, I had to share how grateful I am that my Heavenly Father showed me his grace today. He continually keeps me going.   

High Flying Rodeooooooo Fun

 We did another first for most of the girls. We went to a rodeo. I looked around us in lots of cities trying to find a rodeo as our exchange daughter princess is fascinated by the American West. 

Normally, I wouldn't have the funds to take us all to an event that we didn't REALLY care about or want to go to but, Providence was upon us and my Heavenly Father once again moved things to allow us to be able to  attend for free. 

My dear friend, who hates to be named on my blog, told me if I could get her passes to a "fun center" through my connections, she would use her connections to get me rodeo tickets for my Princesses and I. She decided to take her daughter and we went together. 

This was wonderful news as my cousin was in the Rodeo Royalty so it was great to be able to go and see her along with the rodeo. My girls aren't cow girls due to the fact we don't have horses even though we do live in a small town. I always smile when people assume since we live in a small town that we like country western, wear boots and have horses. 

I had a grand time taking pictures of bucking animals but I don't think all the animals had a grand time. I think some of the animals enjoy it like the roping horses and the barrel racers but I can't imagine the bull with all four feet off the ground in my picture below are happy to be there.

The girls were all smiles and Princess number six was taking lots of pictures and bought some trinkets to take home as we left the arena.
Some of the clowns and jokes were a bit on the red neck and crude side for us and the girls didn't think they were funny but it was an experience just to be there and see it. It was really impressive to see the ability of the men who participated. The event was probably enough for us for lots of years but it was a first.

Soda Pop Can Tab Jewelry - Two different Options

I showed these bracelets before in a post here. We have been saving pop tabs for months now to get enough to make some more jewelry. So, for something new for Princess number 6, we thought she could make some bracelets. 

Princess number three showed her how to make the thinner ones. The top two are layered one's and those were made by Princess number five and her friends in the post linked above. 

I like the bottom one best as it lays flatter on the skin making it less bulky. So, I am going to show details on how to make that bracelet or necklace depending on how many tabs you use and the length of ribbon. 

We first started with two yards of ribbon but that was WAY too long for small wrist-ed girls and ended up using just about a yard or a bit longer.

First off, cut the ribbon. It can't be too thick or it will curl. You can use thinner ribbon but I found I liked the 1/3 to 1/2 inch wide thick ribbon the best. We did lace which came out cute and printed one's with peace signs as you see in the photo and that came out cute as well. 

I cris-crossed two colors making a red and blue one with the silver for princess number six to take home but didn't get a picture but just know that you can experiment with these using different colors or textures and crossing over each new tab etc to make your own new creations. 

Next, place tape on the ends of the ribbon which keeps them from catching and fraying while you are lacing them. After that, place both ends through one tab with right side up. 

Leave a little loop of ribbon out which makes your loop to tie the bracelet or necklace together. In the top two in the top photo, you can see they didn't do a loop but left both ends loose which makes for a bigger bow. The bottom one has the small loop which makes it a smaller bow as it is only one side tied rather than both. I think the smaller the loop the better but it really is up to you how long to make it. If you are using two colors, it will have to be two bows. 

 

Once you have the loop made, pull the ribbons back on itself and place another tab right side up on top of the first. Then, lace the ribbon down through both tabs.

Once you have it down through both tabs, come up through just the second tab. fold the ribbon back on itself again and place another tab on top of the second tab. Take the ribbon and go down through both tabs. Come up through only the third tab. Fold the ribbon back on itself and repeat until you have about fifteen tabs laced through the ribbon. 

You will need to check the bracelet on your wrist often towards the end as you don't want to have too many tabs on it or they will overlap and the bow won't hold. We actually ended taking off a few once or twice to make it not so long. 

If you are making a necklace / choker, you will need to use more tabs and a longer ribbon. I also think you could make a cute earring set using the same color ribbon or string but we haven't had time to get that creative yet. Have Fun!