Tales of the Happy Hansbrows

Crafting with the Girls

2010-03-17T11:07:00.007-06:00

Last Saturday, Jen took me and my girls up to Crafters Corner in American Fork. What a great idea for a Girls Day Out. We had oh so much fun and also got a little high off of the clear coat spray. Good times, good times...

So this is what I created. Although Sophie will be sure to inform you that she was good enough to help me with the letter "a". She actually was a big help. I've never seen a more vigorous painter of the color pink.

Here is the setup on the girls' wall in their bedroom. We have just recently taken out the crib and put Sophie in the bottom bunk. After rearranging the room, we had a big blank corner. So this is how we fixed that problem. And notice the pink wooden square hanging on the left side of the shelf. That is what Alexia made. She's quite creative.

Just because it made me laugh

2010-03-10T13:21:00.002-07:00

Oh, and also:

Here's a thought: Children can offer hours of free entertainment. But only if you let them.

Rain, rain, Go Away... No wait! Come back!

2010-03-10T10:20:00.004-07:00

My kids are rain-lovers. That pitter-patter sound on the roof is a personal invitation to them to get their jackets on and go play in all that wonderful wetness. I think, to them, it's much better than plain old boring sunny days. And also, umbrellas are optional.

I have to say, they get it from me. Rainy days are my favorite. The earth's colors are so deep and vivid and the scent in the air is sent strait from heaven. LOVE it! I hope we get a nice, wet Spring.

Clothing Tags

2010-02-11T06:11:00.002-07:00

This, my first "rant" blog is dedicated to my bestie Jennifer, since it was she who requested I write it in the first place.

Okay, so, as a girl who's wardrobe consists of probably 75% "budget clothes" (ie: clothes purchased at a thrift store, hand-me-downs, etc.) sometimes I have a hard time determining exactly how out of fashion my outfit truly is. I mean, when you go to a thrift store to shop for clothes, it's a real hunting experience. You have to sift through endless examples of ICK! and UM - NO and REALLY, WHAT WERE WE THINKING IN THE EARLY 90'S! Then finally, you find a diamond in the rough, something that still looks new and current. But the tricky thing is, you've been looking at so much junk that you have to wonder: Is this really in style? Or does it just look good in comparison?

Well, I have the answer to this problem: Dated clothes tags. Yep. I think it should be mandatory for every clothing manufacturer to put the exact date of creation on the tag of the item. I mean, they put a bunch of other information on there that is completely useless. Like, where it was made, the RN#; I don't even really care about the material it's made out of so much - Just tell me if I can wear it and not look like a social reject!

So, to be fair, I do understand that there are certain brands of clothing out there that are already following this practice. GAP and Old Navy, I think, have the year and also the season, I think, on their tags. So BRAVO to you, GAP and Old Navy! My heartfelt thanks! If only I could show my appreciation by shopping at your stores..... Nope, I've got groceries to buy and a mortgage to pay. Sorry.

Meanwhile, do you think this sweater will work on me?

National Novel Writing Month

2009-11-08T13:31:00.002-07:00

I have gone a little crazy and signed up for National Novel Writing Month, which is a website group thing... whatever. Anyway, it means that I, along with, I don't know, like, millions of others all over the world, have committed to writing a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. Yes, like, from November first to November 30th. It is the eighth, and I'm pretty behind, but we'll see... Wish me luck!

Halloween!

2009-11-02T14:29:00.006-07:00

Trunk or Treat is always the name of the game, but we also went to a neighborhood where Alexia's friend lives. Her family put on a spook alley in the garage and the kids wanted to try it out. Let's just say they're going to wait awhile before they try that again. Alexia and James got creative with their costumes this year. Don't ask me where she got the idea, but Alexia went as "Bubble Wrap Girl." It was cute, fun and cheap; that's all I can say.
James was his own fictional character, "Sky Guy" who he created about a year and a half ago. Last Halloween he just wore the hat. This year it seems Sky Guy has developed magical abilities and now sports a cape and wand.Will was Buzz Lightyear which is what he was two Halloweens ago. (Yikes, my kids just don't grow) And Sophie was a Fairy Princess. (Honestly, what else?)

Yes, I am a blogger slacker.

2009-10-07T09:07:00.021-06:00

Well, as my last post was all the way back in May, I figure I'll just put the whole summer into one post. It was fun. I hope that's not too generic...

Anyway, to begin, I did a photo session with Heidi, Brian and the pwecious wittle cutie Destiny. These were some of my favorite shots.
Oh, and okay, I suppose I can include one of Heidi and Brian as well.
July 2nd
My totally fabulous friend Jen took us all to Hogle Zoo. And P.S., that's not why she's fabulous. It's amazing how much you can enjoy yourself in the crowd and the stink and the blistering heat of the zoo.
It was quite serendipitous that we were there that day, for Jen found her soulmate and we were able to take their lovely engagement portraits.July 4th
Independence Day was observed by spending a day at Salem Pond park. A picnic lunch, feeding the ducks, walking around the pond, some swings, and a book were all that was needed to relax and enjoy each others company.

Other random happenings...
What can I say except, park, princesses and pouring down rain?

Oh, and also... flour fight.

A Fairy Princess

2009-05-25T16:59:00.004-06:00

This is Sophie's first dress-up session. Once the dress and wings were on, they didn't come off for the rest of the day. This was back on May 11th.

The best thing about having a big sister is that she'll put dress-up on you when your mom would assume you were too young and wouldn't like it yet.

Yay for Destiny!

2009-04-30T12:42:00.002-06:00

Heidi just called me today with the fantabulous news that Destiny is being transferred from Primary Children's Hospital to Utah Valley in Provo. This is the best thing we could hear besides her coming home. Can I just say that I love love LOVE my baby niece!

Vote for me!

2009-04-24T11:01:00.000-06:00

Check out the shopping bag I designed. If I win the contest, I get $1000, which would be cool.

Birthday Kids

2009-04-21T20:00:00.000-06:00

TWO major milestones in the lives of children: turning eight and getting baptized and turning ten and moving into the double digits of life. Our home has been full of excitement in the past month as both have happened here.

March 26th. James turned eight years old. He woke up that morning with the question: Where is my Birthday Crown? So I quickly made him a crown.

This year I told the kids that they had to start buying gifts for each other for birthdays and Christmas. With their own money. Earned by doing chores. Yikes. But they love the idea. So Alexia got James the movie "Bolt", and Will got him two "Roscoe Riley Rules" books. From his Mom and Dad, he received his first set of scriptures. Awwww, special!

And since it can be a challenge sometimes to make food especially for James, he was thrilled to make-do with this one of a kind "Birthday Cake": three tiers of masterful culinary creation. Or you could call it a stack of James's gluten-free ginger cookies. Don't worry, he loved it. No really.

His baptism was two days later... which was also the day I had a Baby Shower for Heidi. Yes, you could call it a busy week. There is nothing like seeing your child baptized. It's poignant.

April 21st. Alexia turned TEN years old today. Ten. One-Zero. It's not sinking in. She's just awesome. I made her blueberry-banana pancakes for breakfast this morning. One of my finer "Mom Moments". Then she put on her new Hannah Montana t-shirt with a cute skirt and leggings, I curled up her hair and sprayed it liberally (she loves that part), and she was ready for a killer day at school.

She got a pretty little flower cake (since it was on the bakery clearance shelf for $6). Following our new rule, James and Will bought their own presents for her and did quite well. From James: a "Barbie Thumbelina" movie. From Will: two new Littlest Pet Shop bunnies. Sophie sprung for new HSM flip-flops. And from her loving parents: a dress and a capri and top combo. She'll look so cute in them.

It's a hoedown

2009-03-19T14:02:00.000-06:00

On March 5th, the fourth grade at the school had a fun country dance. The students had been learning the dances for weeks. Alexia was so excited to take her dad and show him a thing or two.

The entire grade performed a line dance. Alexia did so good! She had to keep hanging on to her hat since they hopped and turned a lot. We had a fun evening.

Here We Are, World!

2009-02-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

Just in case anyone is interested, I am now starting to blog.