The "Funny Farm"

The "Funny Farm" has been a long used term in my family growing up. My mother would often use this expression when she was stressed, overworked, and just plain tired. I never really understood the FULL measure of this expression until lately. The Funny Farm has a new resident, and that resident is me, and I may be taking up permanent residence for the next couple of weeks. Well, maybe more like months. Or really, maybe more like until the day that I've officially "exited" this calling. Yah, maybe more like the latter.

Luckily, tonight Doug and I are FINALLY going to do some much needed Christmas shopping for our little family. So after I run 12 pans of potatoes to the stake center tonight (don't ask me how I'm going to get 12, count them...12, BIG OLE pans of potatoes in my car, let alone just getting them into the building) Doug and I will be off to shop. One of my absolute favorite things to do. Shop with my hubby! I love it because he HAS to do it, it is christmas you know. And he HAS to spend money on things that he normally wouldn't. Not that he's a tight wad, though some days I wish one of us was, but he's frugal. Plus it's just plain fun to shop for your kids and other family members! It's just FUN!!!!
And then tomorrow we're getting our christmas tree and complete the christmas decorations that I put up on Monday because I didn't want to wait for the tree.

So for today I think I will vacate the Funny Farm and return to it later tonight. The craziness will resume as normal. But later. Much later.

Smith Photos

I took the Smith's photos on Saturday. They're kids are SO CUTE and SO energetic! Kim, I hope you like the pictures. (I'm crossing my fingers here) I just wanted to share a couple of my favorites, cause unfortunately I can't share ALL of them. I hope you don't mind. (smile)

Saturday Morning

This morning we awoke to some intense fog. I happen to love fog, how it's sort of surreal looking, how it gives a soft glow to everything it touches. There's just something so sweet about "being in the clouds." I was getting geared up to take The Smith's photos and was somewhat dismayed to see the fog, because I wasn't sure we were going to be able to get pictures, but as the morning ticked by and the sun tried to come through, I realized that it might make for some great photos. So I grabbed my camera, jumped in the car, and drove out to where I wanted to shoot some pictures. It was GORGEOUS! Some curious stares coming from the motorists passing by. I suppose one doesn't see someone in their pj's, socks and flip-flops often enough! Fashion no-no I suppose.

I need to figure out how to blow these up larger than blogger allows. It's in my new photoshop software but I have neither the time nor inclination to try to figure it out at the moment. Hopefully you can see how absolutely gorgeous it was this morning. AND I didn't doctor anything!

I just love mother nature!

Play Photo Shoot

This post is primarily for Kim, but you can still look if you want to. I was just going to email them but the attachments were just too big so I am using my blog. Kim asked me to do her family christmas photos and I have a location in mind, but I wanted to see if she would be happy with it, or if she is looking for more color. Anyway, I just took the boys and Brittnee out in whatever they were wearing, so pardon the outfits. (Though I'm not much for spending loads of money on one time outfits. Would if I could however!!!) So these are just little quickie photos I took so you could get the general idea of which direction I would go with your pictures.
So here they are Kim. Let me know what you think. Either email me or leave me a comment. If you want we could do more than one location, if you're looking for more color.
(Just a small side note: I think the fourth picture in of Andon looks so much like the character Lincoln on Prison Break.)

Bishops Farm

For the last couple of years we've been going to Bishop's Farm. We just LOVE IT! Obviously this was a couple of weeks ago, but I am just getting around to posting them. Some of these turned out cute that I think I may frame a couple of them.

Zakry loves all things that make noise, are huge, and move. Tractors being no exception to the rule. Granted it's not a motorcycle, but it was fun to sit on nonetheless.


I couldn't help but get photos of the girls on the tractor too.



Andon is very into moving vehicles as well.




The train is one of our favorite things to do together. We usually ride soon after we arrive at the farm because the line can get VERRRY long. It just occurred to me that I am actually in the photo. Huh. Well..somewhat. One of the employees there offered to take our picture. This started an entire conversation on how he had bought his wife the same camera not too long ago. Go figure. I guess everyone is getting better cameras and better photos. I mean really, who doesn't want better photos?



Was it just me, or were the pumpkins EXTRA HUGE this year?! I'm kindof bummed I didn't get a bigger pumpkin, but I fell in love with the cinderella pumpkins this year, so I got one of those. Oops, no picture however.





I don't know why I like pictures of just legs and feet, or just arms and such. We won't delve too far into a theory.




Brittnee wanted to pose for everything. Finally, someone who will let me experiment!!



Look at that goose just stare at me while I take his picture! Obviously he has "small man" complex. Hence the sign. (shiver)


The kids loved petting the animals. I wanted to follow them around with hand sanitizer. Really, this section of the farm just reminds me that I would not have been a good pioneer. They would have left me somewhere along the Oregon trail.




Do you SEE where Zak's hand is??!! I bless the name of the people who invented hand sanitizer.


The boys were sitting in this cute little mini produce truck while we paid for our pumpkins. As I pulled out my camera and focused them in the view finder, I was instantly hit with a bit of nostalgia for the simpler times, the "Mayberry" life. Sometimes I long for good old traditional living that existed years ago.




All in all, Bishop's Farm is something to look forward when Fall arrives. Hopefully soon we'll actually be able to find a Saturday free to get to Apple Hill. I'm dying to cook up a Sour Cream Apple Pie. (sigh)

I'm BACK!

I am now officially back on the world wide web. Yippee! Hooray! (And any other happy expletives you can think up, I am now shouting.) My internet provider lost access to the water tower, which meant that I lost my only link with reality. JUST KIDDING! I'm sure that you all feel incredibly relieved knowing that I am now fully sane and your RS President. (Note the sarcasm.)
Anyway, it took two weeks to get it up and running because we decided to go with AT&T and their U-verse, which took two weeks just to get an appointment. I have to say though, that it is the COOLEST thing. Look it up sometime. I won't bore you with what it can do, but it is really fabulous. I just am so glad that I didn't lose my DVR, and I have actually GAINED one. Welcome to the family you sweet, sweet DVR... thing.

So... here's the scoop. I now have a new email address so I hope that you'll email me so that I can add you to my contacts. I feel so deliriously happy knowing that I have my email back! So here it is:
kristin_bassett@att.net

Oh, BTW Dan, I just now looked in the comments section from the last post and I do actually prefer to be called 'Chief,' your HIGHness, or some such equivalent. Something properly denoting the office of which I've been duly called.

Y'all know I'm kidding right? RIGHT?!!!

School Carnival

(As I went to post this all today, I realized that I was rather sick of hearing Frank sing. Don't get me wrong, Frank sings beautifully, but if you've noticed, the playlist is at the VERY BOTTOM. I just need to update it. And as I'm feeling slightly nostalgic, I added some new ones. As I listened to them play, I got this ridiculous smile on my face and began to sway and snap my fingers. I know, lame. But it makes me feel good!)

This year's school carnival was so fun! Well, it really is fun every year. This time, however, we brought my sweet nephew Treven, who's Andon's age. (Yeah! The boys have cousin's their age!!)




Waiting to get tattoos. Zak kept calling it a sticker. Sticker, tattoo, whatever. As long as they don't get them when they're older. I suppose there could be worse things.



As Doug, the boys, grandma and I walked around we came across Teaghan and her friends. She's too good to hang out with us now. Finally!! Just kidding. Brittnee on the other hand we saw maybe once. I really had no idea where she was with her friends. I figured she was around somewhere. Don't you love my parenting skills?





This was seriously funny too watch! I think Kyla won this one.

Coleen, don't kill us, but he really did want to try climbing it. He asked, Doug said, "COOL!", and we were off.




Andon on the other hand, was not having any of it. He'd already been climbing a few weeks back and that was it for him.

Zakry has this thing for firemen now, so when he saw the truck he went-a runnin. Guess what he wants to be for halloween? If anyone knows of a cheap fire hat let me know cause I'm-a lookin.



Still trying to figure out how not to blur my camera. I had it on all the right settings and it still was weird. It can't be the operator. Really. It can't.




Doug got the boys some scrumptious looking doughnuts while they waited their turn for some time in the fire truck. It took a lot of self will to not cram an entire doughnut into my mouth. Normally I have no problem doing that, as long as its something fantastically decadent, but since we were in public I refrained.



You can't leave the carnival without snow cones, popcorn, and cotton candy. Well, Doug would rather have not let Zakry have cotton candy. Only because Zak's history with the stuff has been VERY STICKY. Which means that mom and dad get VERY STICKY. But what can one do when your baby is saying, "Peese mommy? Peeeeese?!" I swear, I'm a sucker. Plus, how often does one get to have cotton candy? You can't go to a carnival, amusement park, and not have cotton candy. Or funnel cakes. With lots of strawberries and whip cream. Oh my. That just sounds so good right now. Coleen, you're in charge of funnel cakes at christmas again.





I realize I've taken more pictures of my nephew, but that's because I don't get to take his picture as often as I'd like.
We had a great time and didn't spend nearly as much as we usually do. Me and Doug were feeling mighty proud of ourselves. Not to say that the money wouldn't have gone to a good cause, but past years we've spent money, and we spend a chunk at the church fundraisers for the youth, so this time we opted out and didn't spend so much at the carnival. I have to say that it was somewhat nice.

I'm throwing this one in here. Fortunately he's finally realized that he CANNOT do his business outside.