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DesignZ by DeDe

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cousins

Life 2012 | Moving Cows

I’m finally getting to blog about our annual trip to Bull Rush (my family’s land on the Arizona Strip). I remember that growing up this was always something I looked forward to. Every year in the first part of June, we would head out to the Arizona Strip for the week to move our cows to the summer range at Sink Valley (my family’s ranch near Alton, Utah). It is always a time of work, play, talks by the fire, and great family memories.
 
I’m so happy that my kids have had the chance to experience this special time. Even though, my kids are what my daughter calls “city kids,” I grew up a country girl and I’m glad that I’m able to give my kids just a little part of the country life.  Sometimes I long to go back and live in my small town and raise my children the way I was raised. But things are different now and even if we could go back – it just wouldn’t be the same. But at least a couple of times a year they get to spend time with the family at the ranch and I hope that it will still be something that they will have so many great memories of – the way I do.
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We left Orem in the afternoon on Sunday, June 3rd. I was sad that Joey couldn’t come with us, but one of these years I hope he can use his vacation time to go with us! We got to Bull Rush before dark and I was really glad “Toothless,” our old mini-van made the trip across the rough dirt/gravel road. It was good to see all the family-including many of the Harris Family (cousins on the Sorensen side of the family) that I hadn’t talked to in awhile. I love that people will come out and help! We slept in the van that night, since my parents occupied the house. It was not the easiest night – pretty uncomfortable, but we survived. The rest of the nights – my parents slept at Sink Valley after hauling a load of cows – so we got the house. The Harris Family and my sister Kori’s family had nice trailers to stay in and many of the kids slept out on the springs around the house. It was quite the camp!
 
The next several days were spent gathering up cows, branding the calves, teaching my kids to ride a horse on their own, exploring, and lots of memories. I got to pick up my old job of vaccinating the calves during branding and my kids got to come and help me. The kids had such a great time playing with their cousins and getting dirty. It was definitely really hot too – and that is not my favorite part of being out on the Strip.  I was able to spend a lot of time with Kori – and it was really fun catching up with her and I really enjoyed the nightly cook-outs and just being together.  I enjoyed connecting with my little nephew, Dustin who is just growing up so fast.  One night – the kids and I sat and watched a big moon rise and it was an amazing experience. The land out on the strip is so flat and stretches out for miles and so watching the moon come up from the far distant mountains is just really neat. It was fun to see the gorgeous sunsets that are always present out there too. 
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Unfortunately, it has been an extremely dry year and so the cows suffered quite a bit. Many of the cows ended up missing and later we discovered that several died trying to get down a canyon to water. We really really need rain. We did take a trip and hike to the canyon to see if we could find the cows and the kids enjoyed looking off into the “big ditch.”
 
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Beth had the chance on to go with her grandparents on the Peterbilt to Sink Valley on one of the trips and she spent the night there. She loved having all the attention from the grandparents and Uncle Clint and the much cooler air at Sink Valley. She especially loved playing in the treehouse and hanging out with her pal, Smokey the dog!
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For the weekend, we ditched out on the final couple of days trying to search for missing cows and headed off to cooler weather to Sink Valley. We went to Orderville first and showered. It felt so good! Then we spent the night at Sink Valley and it was fun to visit and be with my parents. We loved having a cook-out and we even watched a movie on Grandpa’s old setup of an old tv with a vhs player and a car battery! 
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The kids love playing on the tire swing, the treehouse, and the old farming equipment. 
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JJ’s favorite was riding on the old buggy that Grandpa has been building out of all different kinds of parts.
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We left for home on Sunday, June 10th and it was good to get home and see Joey. We really missed him. It was a great week though and I hope that we are able to keep it a tradition for many years to come!
** Here’s something ironic for you – we really did go to move cows, but it turns out that I didn’t take any pictures of the cows! LOL
 
 
My 2-page Scrapbook Layout:
 movingcows1 movingcows2
I used my A Little Bit of Cowboy Charm, plus a layered template from the ScrapDelicious My Creative Life Workshop

Filed Under: Layouts, Life 2012, Personal, Project Life Tagged With: 2012, adventure, buggy, bull rush, camp, cook-out, cousins, cows, dirt, dog, family, horse, kids, layout, memories, moving, ranch, sink valley, treehouse

Life 365 | Week 48

Monday, November 22, 2010
nov22
We made our countdown to Christmas paper chains today. I was going to wait until next week, but the kids were anxious to do something – so we did it! They were excited to hang them up in their rooms!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010
nov23
I made navajo tacos for the first time tonight. I think it went over really well!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010
nov24
So the kids didn’t have to go to school today and so they were watching some tv this morning while I was in my room. I suddenly heard the distinct sound that JJ makes when he has a seizure. I ran in and Beth was freaking out. So we waited out the seizure and got Beth calmed down. I was so relieved when he stopped seizing. I hadn’t even realized he had a fever – I knew he was coughing a bit, but had no idea he was as sick as he was. We took him to the doctor and found out he had walking pneumonia but that with some antibiotics he would be fine. JJ slept most of the day and already doing so much better after the first dose of antibiotics.


Thursday,
November 25, 2010

nov25
Because of JJ being sick yesterday I didn’t get packed until this morning and we didn’t leave for Orderville until late afternoon. We had a nice drive and such pretty scenery on our way down though. It was nice to finally get to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.

Friday, November 26, 2010
nov26
What a wonderful day. We had a great Thanksgiving dinner in the barn with all of my family – except for Charity and her kids. And then in the evening, was JJ’s baptism. I was so happy with how it turned out. There are so many times where I don’t know what is going on in JJ’s head or how much he is taking in – but tonight, I know he felt the spirit. He was so calm and happy and it just was so great to see him come up from the water with a smile on his face. I was so glad all the family could be there. Both Grandmas gave such wonderful talks and the Grandpas were the witnesses. Cousin Austin played the piano for us and there was just such a wonderful spirit there. I’m so thankful for JJ and for the gospel in our lives. Afterwards, we had our Thanksgiving pie and other desserts and all the men/boys played basketball in their church outfits! It was fun to go over to Kori’s house afterwards and visit and play games.

Saturday, November 27, 2010
nov27
JJ and I spent the day with Grandpa and Uncle Clint at Sink Valley. We looked for cows, played in the snow, got some wood for Grandma’s fire, and got some Christmas trees. JJ loved being out there and I did too – even though it was pretty cold. It was a fun day, spent with just my buddy. Dad and Beth spent time with the rest of the family at home. Joey helped Grandma with some computer stuff and Beth got to play all day with Whitnee.

Sunday, November 28, 2010
nov28
We decided not to return home today. The weather was pretty awful, so we just spent another day, playing at Grandma’s house and visiting. It was nice just to be with the family.

Filed Under: Life 365-2010, Personal, Project Life Tagged With: 2010, baptism, chain, christmas, christmas tree, cold, cousins, dinner, family, family time, holidays, life, memories, moments, ranch, seizure, sick, sink valley, snow, thanksgiving

Life 365 | Week 22

Monday, May 24, 2010
may24This is what our morning-afternoon looked like! I couldn’t believe it when I looked out the door. The end of May and we are still getting snow storms. JJ went off to school – Joey went off to work – and Bethie (who is still not feeling good) and I stayed home.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010
may25JJ’s Scout Pack Meeting was tonight. They talked about collections and they got to bring their collections with them. JJ is getting quite the collection of Cars Collectibles. His scout leader gave him a new “Doc” (it has eyes that move) and I gave him a new “Lightning McQueen” (that changes color in warm water) for tonight. He was so excited!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010
may26JJ’s school does a Dance Festival every year and this JJ’s second year to participate. This year he did a “Hat Dance” with his Life Skills class and he even go to join in the regular 2nd graders dance too! He was so excited and it was so fun to see him dance and enjoy himself!

Thursday, May 27, 2010
may27Beth has an ear infection now and so she’s on antibiotics and JJ’s starting to get that really bad cough. My poor babies – I hate it when they are sick. JJ went to school anyways, since it was his last full day and he really didn’t want to miss Field/Water day. They got to do all kinds of water activities and lots of fun. I was worried about him all day – but he came home happy and only really started coughing at night.

Friday, May 28, 2010
may28JJ’s very last day of school was today. He only had a 1/2 day and then he came home! To celebrate, JJ and Joey went to the Utah Blaze Football game tonight. They had a good time even though JJ was really not feeling too well and the Blaze lost. Beth and I had a girls night and we watched movies and had dinner from the couch! Beth conked out early so I got some design time in before the boys came home.

Saturday, May 29, 2010
may29We all went to JJ’s first T-ball game today. I was so excited to find an adaptive sports team that JJ could join. He did okay – when he is in the outfield he kind of just spaces out and he is a bit scared of the ball, but not too bad for his first time. I think he had fun – so that is all that matters.

Sunday, May 30, 2010
may30The kids are still recuperating, so we didn’t make it to church again. I hope we can get rid of this darn sickness soon!

It was such a nice evening tonight. I made a nice dinner and Joey’s mom came up to stay the night – she’s on her way to Wyoming to take care of Grandma Smith. Aaron came over for dinner and visiting too. And I was able to get a hold of Chelsea and her husband, Will, and Alicia and her fiance, Brian and they came over to visit. Chelsea and Will left before we got a picture – but it was so nice to visit and catch up. Joey’s side of the family don’t get together too often, so it was just really great.

For Family Movie Night (Joey’s mom joined us) – we watched The Princess Bride. That movie is always such a delight. We had meatloaf for dinner so it was our R.O.U.S’s loaf.

And here is my weekly layout:
week22I used my Sweet Summer Sun (Digitals July 2010 Challenge Kit) & Digital 365 to create this layout!

Filed Under: Layouts, Life 365-2010, Personal, Project Life Tagged With: 2010, cousins, dance, design, dinner, family, festival, football, grandma, life, memories, moments, movie night, movies, school, scouts, sick, snow, tball

Project 365 | Week 34

Monday, August 17, 2009
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I’m so excited about the new look on my blog! I didn’t even know what I was missing until I happened to find some inspiration/instruction on how to update the look on your blog and started playing! It just feels so “me” and I’m so glad that I did this!

 

Tuesday, August 18, 2009
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I love the wonderful moments when my kids are just so sweet together. They were playing so well together today and I pulled out my camera to watch them play through my lenses. I was so happy when they decided to give each other a hug – so precious!

 

Wednesday, August 19, 2009
aug19
JJ had a hard time keeping his excitement in today. Tomorrow school is going to start! He had to be sure he was ready and got his backpack, shoes, and his clothes put out by his bed. We did laundry and cleaned up the house today as well as begin our nighttime schedule for the school year with baths, scriptures, reading stories, and prayers.

 

Thursday, August 20, 2009
aug20
Morning came bright and early, but JJ was ready. He was so excited and it didn’t take very long to be ready. We spent quite a lot of time outside on our porch, waiting for the bus!!! He came home with a big smile on his face and said that school was great!

 

Friday, August 21, 2009
aug21
I really love that JJ gets picked up and dropped off right at our doorstep everyday. It’s a wonderful blessing to not have to actually get dressed and out the door so early to take him somewhere. And I really love seeing the delight on JJ’s face as he climbs on and off the bus!

 

Saturday, August 22, 2009
aug22
We woke early and headed down to Grandma and Grandpa Smith’s house for an overnight stay. It was nice to be there and we got lots of time to visit. JJ and Beth LOVED playing with their cousins, Logan and Alyssa and it was fun to see them play so good together. They got to draw pictures and play with all of Logan’s toys. Joey and I got to play the Wii for a long time and it was really fun to do that together!

 

Sunday, August 23, 2009
aug23
It was a long weekend, but we made it through. I can honestly say that I am so grateful for HOME. We may not own our own house, we might have an old broken down van, but it’s still HOME because Joey and I and our kids are together and I am so grateful for a husband who works so incredibly hard all the time to give us what we have. Life isn’t always perfect and I can’t help but dream of a house and a nice car and other things – but I’ll take what I can get and be grateful for my life with my family and all the adventures that it brings. Alongside Joey and my children, I am HOME and it’s where I belong. One of our family’s favorite songs and kind of our family’s motto is by Laurie Berkner, “We’re not perfect, no we’re not. We’re not perfect, but we’ve got what we’ve got. We do our very best, we do our very best, we do our very best each day. But we’re not perfect, and we hope you like us that way.”

Filed Under: Life 365-2009, Personal, Project Life Tagged With: 2009, blog, bus, cousins, family, grandpa and grandma, home, memories, moments, school

Project 365 | Week 32

Monday, August 3, 2009
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For the past couple of weeks I have been completely consumed with designing this new kit line. I have worked on this on and off for months – but the opportunity of a blog train and extra stuff had me getting it ready for this past couple of weeks. I got most of it done last week, but the first half of this week I had to completely dedicate myself to finishing it.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009
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My poor children and hubby had to basically live without me as I worked long, very long hours to finish these up. I stayed up most of the night every night the past few days to get it done.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009
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And then, I finally did it – I finished it. And I have been so amazed and blessed to have the response to it that I have – thank you all of you for your kind words. It has definitely taken a lot out of me to get it done – I need to spend some quality time with my family and away from the computer for awhile! WHEW!

Thursday, August 6, 2009
aug6
Today we took our monthly visit to Costco to stock up on some needed items! The kids enjoyed getting out of the house – especially since I have been so stuck to my computer lately.

Friday, August 7, 2009
aug7
I was trying to do some cleaning and get caught up with things today. I could hear the kids in their room talking and laughing. I was starting to wonder what they were up to when they came out to show me. JJ had dressed his sister up in his superman cape and hat. It was adorable – my little SuperGirl. It is always fun to see JJ taking care of and playing with his sister!

Saturday, August 8, 2009
aug8
A big day! We woke up early and headed to Lagoon (a local amusement park) to spend the day with Aunt Amy and Uncle Matt and cousins Logan and Alyssa. We actually haven’t seen them in a couple of years and until today, hadn’t even met Alyssa so it was really fun to be with them. The kids really enjoyed the rides and we benefited from an overcast day which was so great that it wasn’t so hot! But since it was a little chilly we didn’t go into the Lagoon-a-Beach like we were going to. Instead we got soaked on the Raft Ride and as we were leaving the park, Beth had to run through the water fountains (she loved it.) We then headed to a park and left Uncle Aaron with the kids and Joey and I went to the Bountiful temple to be with the Mortensens as they were sealed together for Time and All Eternity. We were late, but we made it just in time (of course that made us the center of attention as we walked into the room – sorry Curtis and Anne). But it was a very beautiful ceremony and I am so happy for them. We returned to Curtis and Anne’s home for some refreshments and visiting. We got to meet Brandon and Sabrina’s new little one, Kalissa too, so it was a wonderful day!

Sunday, August 9, 2009
aug9
Our Family Home Evenings are usually held on Sundays instead of the usual Mondays, just because Joey is usually home. We need to do better at actually having gospel lessons, but we have at least spent some quality time together. Lately it has been introducing the kids to some of our favorite movies that Joey and I watched growing up. Today we watched The Princess Bride! The kids will probably like it better when they get older – but it was still fun to watch it together today.

Filed Under: Life 365-2009, Personal, Project Life Tagged With: 2009, aunt, brother, costco, cousins, design, family, friends, lagoon, memories, movies, playing, princess bride, sealing, sister, superhero, temple, uncle

Project 365 | Week 28

Monday, July 6, 2009
jul6
Everyday when we take JJ to summer school we pass these fields that are filled with these thistles. I am amazed at how big they grow and even though they are actually weeds and are just nuisances, they have a bit of beauty to them too. I had to stop and get some photos of them today!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009
jul7
Growing up, my grandma’s egg noodles was a special treat that we only got at Thanksgiving and possibly Christmas. My family always liked the egg noodles over mashed potatoes. Now, whenever I make her egg noodles I think of her and miss her. My Grandma lived right next door to me growing up and I saw her almost every day of my life up until she died when I was a junior in high school. I was in the mood for the egg noodles today so I whipped some up to go with the leftover mashed potatoes I had. I think it is one of the most comforting and filling foods there is! YUMMY!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009
jul8
Since we are ditching the kids this weekend we decided we needed to do a little something extra special with them so we decided to camp out on our lawn. The kids got a real kick out of the tent and we had hot dogs for dinner. It was fun to see them so delighted! Next time though we will get something to get the mosquitos to stay away! Ouch.

Thursday, July 9, 2009
jul9
We headed out today to start our anniversary getaway. Joey and I both had our ipods going and it was nice to just relax and listen to music. I don’t usually do that – but it helped our trip down to go much faster. The kids were so happy to see their cousins when we got to Orderville. We spent the afternoon/evening with my sister Kori and her family. It was great to visit and play. Joey was able to offer them a little computer help too and we went out to dinner together. I really enjoy spending time with my sister and her family. We slept at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s house and visited with them for awhile when they got back from the ranch.

Friday, July 10, 2009
jul10
We left the kids with Grandma and headed to St. George this morning. We went through a session in the temple and it was so nice to be able to go there together. We had the opportunity to stay in an awesome penthouse condo for our weekend getaway. Although St. George was REALLY HOT – it was nice to be in an extra nice (air-conditioned) condo! We had a king size bed, jacuzzi tub, full kitchen, and a hot tub on our deck. We enjoyed lounging around in the condo that was bigger than our own trailer house! We watched some movies, took a dip in the hot tub and just relaxed and spent time together. Joey even made me food – I didn’t have to cook! And that is something that is VERY RARE – he made the best pork chops for us. YUMMY! It was a really fun time!

Saturday, July 11, 2009
jul11
It has been awhile since we have been able to go to the Utah Shakespearan Festival. I feel very grateful that I am married to a man who enjoys going to plays as much (probably even more) as I do. He was into Technical Theatre big time in high school and did a lot of stage managing. So being able to see 2 plays was just a real treat. We saw Henry V on Friday night and The Secret Garden on Saturday. They were just wonderful! We also got the opportunity to see a play in the Adams Shakespearean Theatre for the first time. It is an outdoor theatre designed after the theatre that Shakespeare himself used and it was really awesome!

Sunday, July 12, 2009
jul12
We checked out and headed to Orderville today to pick up the kids. We ate lunch at Grandma’s house and headed home. The kids and I napped a bit on the way home – it was extremely hot and put us all to sleep – good thing Joey stayed awake! I did look back to check on the kids as we started the trip and caught this little scene with JJ. He was all comfortable with his feet rested on the arm of the seat in front of him with a grin on his face. He had tons of fun at Grandma’s and at Sink Valley, but I think he’s glad to be going home! Beth wanted to stay at Grandma’s too where she is spoiled to death – but it was really good to see them both and be home.

Filed Under: Life 365-2009, Personal, Project Life Tagged With: 2009, anniversary, camping, cousins, egg noodles, family, henry V, hot tub, ipod, life, memories, moments, music, play, secret garden, shakespearean festival, sink valley, temple, tent, thistles, travel, worldmark

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I'm a wife, a mom, a blogger, a lover of crafting, and a graphic designer. I believe in living life to the fullest, sharing your heart and talents to enrich the lives of others, and then telling your story to leave as a legacy for those that come after you.



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Recipe ThursdayZ | Chickey Pasta

This week’s recipe  |  CHICKEY PASTA A delicious pasta dish that is light and yummy! The chicken pieces are heaven – in fact, you could just make the chicken and use as homemade chicken nuggets! Chickey Pasta Save Recipe Print Recipe My Recipes My Lists My Calendar Ingredients2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into[Read More…]

DeDe Smith

I am DeDe Smith of DesignZ by DeDe and I’m the proud creator of the TearZ, ScatterZ, and many more collections! I am a Digital Scrapbook Designer. I specialize on creating digital kits that help customers scrapbook the special moments in their lives. I hope that you can use my products to share your story[Read More…]

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