Grow!- Stampin' Up Convention 2011

One reason that we went to Utah was so that I could attend the Stampin' Up convention at the Salt Palace. The theme this year was "GROW"

It was AWESOME!!!

I have been a demonstrator for 12 years, and this was my 9th convention. I was blown away by my first convention. BLOWN AWAY! It was just so amazing and beautiful and fun. Just the decorations everywhere - the SU logos on banners and billboards and vinyls on every windows.

And then there are all the FREE stuff, and more free stuff on top of that, and for some lucky winners (like ME!!!) even more free stuff. I won this stamp set, ribbon, and brads because the color of my wrist band was picked! They have the "Prize Patrol" system down to a science. I remember years ago when Pam would demonstrate the new products and then THROW them out from the stage into the audience afterwards. It was chaos as thousands of frantic stampers dove for the free products and stamps. I'm surprised no one was trampled to death! Once I remember she threw a set of glitters out into the crowd. That was pretty - literally. I ended up with a lid! Happily, they have since improved the distribution of free prizes!

But of all the conventions that I have been to, this one surpassed them ALL!

I was every bit as blown away this year as I was the very first year I went, and that is saying something, because I am a seasoned veteran. BLOWN AWAY!

Just the main stage was so beautiful! They kept changing the colors. How pretty is that? (Yes, we even had a visit from Santa Claus who brought what else, more free stuff!)

There were over 3000 crazy stamping ladies there. And when I say crazy, I mean it! You should have seen some of the crazy ladies and the funky hand decorated hats and such that they were wearing. Not me. Maybe next year.

One of the best parts of Convention was being there with my dear friend Diana Crowshaw! We actually met 4 years ago at convention, standing in line for the Make-and-Takes. She is a mother of boys too, though somewhat younger, and we love to share war stories! I love her to death and am so grateful for her friendship!

Here we are with, what else, more free stamps!

Another absolutely fabulous thing about convention are all of the samples - walls and walls and walls of amazing cards and projects made by other demonstrators. We spent hours gawking at them and trying to take pictures of all of them. So many very clever ideas by some very talented and creative folks.

In the old days, before digital cameras, I remember allowing myself a limited number of rolls of film to take pictures of the samples I loved, and when the film ran out, I had to resort to a notepad and pencil to try to sketch the ideas in my notes. We've come a long way, baby! Man, I love living in the digital age!

There was also a place where all the products and samples created by the creative team - many of the projects that are featured in SU's 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog. They were displayed so beautifully and we could get right up close and even pick them up if we wanted to.

Another highlight of convention is the Make and Takes. MAKE & TAKES!!!!!!! This is where they give you a huge envelope full of papers and supplies for several projects, and you have several hours to do what every stamper loves to do most - STAMP! Usually we do about 5 cards, but this year they went OVER THE TOP with the Make&Takes. We didn't finish them, but I wasn't complaining because they were great!

Then as we were leaving the Make&Takes there was something new, they gave us each a "Workshop in a Bag" as we were leaving, which is basically all the supplies, already cut and measured to do an entire, hands-on workshop with enough papers, ribbons, etc to make 3 different card, 8 of each! How easy is that? More free stuff!

Of course it wasn't all "business" at the convention. We had a bit of fun too. They had a free photo booth at the welcome party. Any time you get to wear a pink feather boa you know you are not all business.

We also got to sneak away from all the stamping madness to see a quilt exhibit at the Church History Museum just down the street.

And later dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory at Trolley Square.

And even later the after-awards-night party at the convention where we indulged ourselves with these teeny-tiny little mini desserts served with teeny tiny little spoons. I loved those spoons! Why does everything taste better when you eat it with a tiny spoon?

Even though Diana lives in Utah, and my family was just in Park City, we decided it just made sense to get a hotel room downtown for two nights! It was brilliant, though chatting with a friend you have not seen in a long time is not too conducive to sleep. Who needs sleep, anyway? There were 3000+ women in SLC that did not get a lot of sleep that week.

And finally, after a LOT of walking all around downtown Salt Lake, we finally found a little nail salon and we got ourselves some pedis!!!! A girl trip is not a girl trip without pretty toes peeking up at you from your sandals, right! (And pedis are great because they last! Its been nearly 2 weeks and my piggies still look great!)

Last day of convention, and yes, more free stamps! You get free stamps when you walk in the first day, and when you leave at the end of the convention, and here and there throughout the whole 3 1/2 days of convention! Woo Hoo! I was sorry that it was over so soon, but when the end came, I had to quickly say my goodbyes to me dear Diana and slip out before everyone started to leave because my family was waiting out in front ready to hit the long road home. Convention ended at 4:30pm Sat, and we had to be home by 9:00am Sunday when the boys left for Scout Camp, so we really had to hustle! Still, I'm so glad I stuck it out to the end so I could get my free stamps!

OK, just to show you what I am talking about - ALL this stuff I got for FREE at convention this year! It didn't all even fit in the convention bag!

The convention bag is awesome by the way! Embroidered with SU flowers, pretty green floral lining, and the perfect size with movable dividers. Above are all the stamps that everyone got for free! Also, we were given a CD of SU art and images for use with SU's digital studio software, a cool pen, and this year they gave us our catalogs in these great ring binders complete with pocket tabs. Pretty nice.

The awesome card box was a Make&Take! Yep, I made that! I told you the Make&Takes were over the top! And we also made three cards that were hung on this darling matching banner that we also made. This also shows all the stuff that came in our take home "Workshop in a bag" including full packages of bakers twine and the very blingy rhinestone jewels!

This is the additional stamp set, ribbon, and mini-brads that I won, as if I didn't already get enough free stuff.

Oh, yea, and one last thing that is really fun about convention is swapping. I made over 100 cards before I came, and then traded my cards with other stampers so that I came home with over 100 different awesome samples! People just drop everything - in lines, in hallways, anywhere and start swapping. It is crazy but fun. These are all the cards I came home with. You should come over and dig through them with me.

So I couldn't help myself. I added up how much everything was worth that they gave us and it came out to over $200 worth of merchandise, and that didn't count the stuff I didn't know like the stuff in the Workshop in a Bag, the convention bag, binder, etc. And throw in the 3 very generous lunches and everything else, and you realize that the $250 registration fee was a heck of a deal! It was like they were paying me to be there!

This year convention was amazing! Truly over-the-top! And they promise to out-do themselves again next year! I sure want to see them try!

And I know I kept emphasizing the free stuff, but I walked away with so much more than that! I was filled with new great ideas, techniques, and tons of inspiration! It was also a great chance to get some girl-time with my dear friend Diana including the the requisite pedicure, of course.

I told Diana never to let me miss a SU convention again.

Temple Square

On Wednesday we decided to head down the hill from Park City to visit Temple Square.

First we took a tour of the absolutely beautiful LDS Conference Center. It is huge - 1.5 million square feet!

It is stunning inside. The kids loved the incredible skylight and chandelier that was several stories high, and I really loved all the artwork! It is so wonderful to get up close and personal with the originals all of the great painting we are so familiar with. It is like an art museum.

But of course the most amazing part of the Conference Center is the vast auditorium where General Conference is held. It is an engineering marvel. It holds 21,000 people (the largest theater in the world!) and there is not a single support column anywhere to obstruct anyone's view. It is hard to believe until you actually step inside. This is where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings, but the podium, the choir seats, and all except the organ pipes can be completely removed and replaced with a stage for theatrical performances. It is hard to believe.

Another highlight is the incredible rooftop garden which overlooks the temple. They were in the process of re-doing all of the fountains on the rooftop, so we were not able to explore, but it is amazing - 4 whole acres - like a whole park high above the city.

I had to take off for a while to go register for my conference at the Salt Palace just down the street, but my family stayed on Temple Square and explored the visitors centers and watched movies in the Joseph Smith Building. When I joined them later they we resting their weary feet watching segment after segment of the "I'm a Mormon" advertising campaign. It is really, really good! Each spot features individuals with a unique backgrounds, nationalities, race, families, occupations, interests, and, in the end, challenges. You can see these wonderful short videos here at Mormon.org. Prepare to shed a tear or two.

I think we could have sat there all day watching them. The gospel really is for everyone! We are all His children, and the Lord loves each one of us very much, wherever or whoever we may be.

Finally we decided to call it a day.

We were leaving just at dusk and the light and sky were incredible, so I snapped some pictures as we walked away. Here are a few:

To see more of the great shots I got of the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square, visit my Photography blog here.

Utah Trip: Days 1-4

Last week we all headed off to Utah together for a variety of reasons. Alex and Nathan would be at EFY at the U of U, I had my Stampin' Up convention in downtown SLC, and Dennis and the rest of the gang were going to stay in play in Park City. It was to be quite a week for everyone!

Our first stop - toot toot - was at Kelso station. We have driven by this old abandoned train station for years every time we take those back desert roads (Amboy & Kelso) toward Vegas. But recently, they have restored the station, and turned it into a visitors center for the Mojave Preserve.

It is so nice, and a great place to get out and stretch our legs.

There are displays and interesting information, a short movie that we really enjoyed, and even an old time diner if you are hungry.

They have restored the baggage room and the ticket window, and you can look into the old ticket office.

It is a really cool place way out in the middle of nowhere.

We actually spent the first night in St. George where I got up early and hit some Saturday morning garage sales. They were all incredibly bad! What is it with Mormons and bad garage sales? Geesh. What a waste of time. But I made up for it by going to Tai Pan - my favorite store. All was well again.

We drove all day and made it to our timeshare, the Marriott Mountainside Resort in Park City. It was a great place, and we spent the rest of the evening exploring the amenities.

They had this giant chess set there, and before long Dylan had challenged Dennis to a match.

It was intense.

The audience was mesmerized.

Later, my parents arrived to join us for the week. They had so many helpers.

We went to church the next morning there in Park City. It was a wonderful experience. We filed in right into the 2nd row. There was a youth speaker and then a musical number by 2 sweet girls that were about 12. I thought "oh, how sweet" until they opened their mouths and it became clear very fast that these gals were professionals! Whoa! I should have expected that when the announced that they would be accompanied by Merilee Webb who's name I immediately recognized as a big time choir director in the church. They often call her in to lead large guest choirs for general conference and such. In fact, she directed the instant choir I participated in a few years ago when I went to Women's Conference at BYU. She was truly amazing!

Their song was amazing too. It left me in tears.

The speakers were Sis. and Elder Clarke who had recently been called as a Seventy. They had recently returned from being mission president in Bolivia, and they shared their experiences with us. It was terrific. Sis. Clarke even referred to our family when she said that as she watched all the visitors come in, especially this family with the six kids, she was reminded of her own six kids and how they travelled so much and always had to get them all dressed and out the door and file into strange wards, but it was such a great experience for them. I agree. I love visiting strange wards, because the are not strange at all. They are always the same, and the saints are the same. Sure, you don't know them, but you almost feel like you do. It is such a testimony builder for me.

Sunday school was amazing, and so was Relief Society. It was so funny. One gal sat next to me and said "Aren't you the one with the 6 boys? I was sitting right behind you in Sacrament meeting." Oh no. My kids had been terrible. I was embarrassed. But she told me how wonderful my children were and how she had enjoyed watching them, especially the cute little guy with the glasses who was just so reverent and intently watching the speaker the whole time, never moving a muscle. She meant Derek, who I knew had been asleep the whole time! From behind he must have looked so attentive. She also told me how cute Luke was on my lap, so loving and affectionate, but at the time he was driving me bananas, climbing all over me, never sitting still and making me crazy. She hadn't noticed Alex stealthily terrorizing Caleb apparently, and told me what a wonderful loving dad Dennis was the way he was sitting with his boys (he was actually separating them so they would stop picking on each other.) I got a kick out of what she saw as compared with what was really going on in our pew. Hope the rest of the congregation saw what she saw.

She went on and on about my 6 boys, and how wonderful that was, and how darling they were, and such. After church, in fact, I found Nate coming out of his class with a bunch of other boys. This same lady was coming down the hallway, saw all the boys and asked several boys, one after the next. "Are you one of the six?" "Are you one of the six?" I finally pointed out Nate as one of the six and she was thrilled to meet him. But it was funny because as we kept walking down the hall the boys she had questioned kept asking each other "What does she mean by one of The Six?" "What is The Six?" "Why did she ask me if I was one of The Six?" Nate got a huge kick out of it. He didn't realize he was part of an exclusive group.

I thought that in Utah of all places, a family of six boys might go unnoticed. Guess not.

We all hung around the hotel that day and that evening we insisted the boys go to the youth fireside that had been announced at church. They whined and complained and did not want to go, but we made them get put their ties back on and go to the fireside anyway. And guess what? They had a great time. The speakers were a formal NFL player and his wife and they met a lot of cool kids.

On Monday, we got up early to find a mall because Alex and Nate need a few items before being dropped off at EFY that morning.

We found what we needed at the Gateway, and while Dennis took the guys into the Quicksilver store to get what they needed, I introduced my parents to the wonder that is Anthropologie! Mom and I went gaga over all the cool stuff, and Dad, who's most recent passion is sewing, if you can believe it or not, ogled over the stitchwork on the blouses. My dad is strange, yes, but at least you can bring him into the girlie stores with you.

Later grandpa and Nate were goofing around together. My parents and my kids sure do have a lot of fun together.

And that was good, because we all had to say our goodbyes to Al & Nate before we dropped them off at EFY over at the University of Utah.

Dropping them off was so funny. We arrive and there is a LONG line of kids waiting to check in. There were some parents too, carrying luggage, snapping pictures, etc. Before we had even stopped the car Nate declares "Don't get out!" and then jumps out, grabs his luggage and takes off without even a look backward. Alex at least let us tell him good bye. As we were driving away, we drove right by where Nate was standing in line, but he would NOT look at us, so we just stopped the car there and waited for him to look at us. We waved and called to him, but he would not look out direction, so we kept waving an calling to him. Finally at the risk of being embarrassed, he slightly turned his head out direction, gave us the dirtiest of looks, and with the slightest of motions, barely perceptible to the human eye, he waved to us - or maybe he was waving us away, but I'd like to believe he was waving to us. It was classic. Wish I had a picture. Such a typical teenager thing to do. I loved it. Why do I get such a sadistic pleasure out of embarrassing my kids? Hey, at least I didn't get out and make his pose for pictures or give him kisses all over his face, right? I could have made it much worse for him.

So once the boys were dropped off we spent the rest of the day visiting downtown, Deseret Book, the Distribution Center, Costco, and such, just to make sure we got them all in. Then we went back to Park City so that the twins and Grandpa could participate in the Iron Chef competition at the resort.

Here is how it worked. Everyone who showed up got a can of refried beans, and they had an hour to go back to their room (the rooms all have full kitchens) and make any dish they wanted using their own ingredients. The only rules were that you had to use the beans, it had to be enough to feed 10 people, and you had to bring it back in exactly one hour. Let the games begin!

They rushed back to the room and took stock of what groceries they had on hand. Good thing we just went to Costco. They decided to create something they called Mexican lasagna. They layered spaghetti sauce, tortillas, beans, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, etc, several times like a lasagna, then topped it with more tortillas, sauce, tons of cheese, and the kicker - leftover barbacoa sweet pork from Cafe Rio on top, and popped it in the oven. When it was done they added a few more of Dad's homegrown tomatoes on top too for decoration

In exactly 1 hour they were back downstairs with their culinary masterpiece. They were the first ones back. Look how delicious that looks! eventually the table started filling up with all the other entries - mostly nachos of some sort or another. We were the only ones with a full on meal, and it looked and tasted better than all of them, if you ask me. Somebody even baked the refried beans into a boxed brownie mix. Um, no. But the judging was completely unfair, done by all the kids, some with multiple ballots, and our team didn't win, though it was clear that all the adults preferred the Mexican Lasagna over everything else. The winner had made pumpkin bars. Huh? They were undercooked, looked nasty, arrived at least 15 minutes late, and I didn't find any beans in there. But the kids chose the sweets, so that was that.

But we didn't care because we took home the rest and had a fabulous meal! Great job Iron Chefs Derek, Dylan, and Grandpa!

A Wet and Wild 4th

Yeah, I know, right? I can end the post right here with just this picture and you would already know what a fabulous independence day we had.

You can stop drooling now.

The 4th of July is a huge event at our house, and it lasts the whole day. I festoon the house inside and out with flags and buntings.

I love Americana - so bold and graphic! (my decor is still up, by the way, at least inside, and it might just stay like that for the rest of the summer - but only because we won't be around to take it all down.)

The festivities started with breakfast, and breakfast means huge Belgium waffles with homemade buttermilk syrup (if you have ever tried it you KNOW what I'm talking about, topped with red and blue berries, and brown sugar bacon. BACON!!! I love bacon, BTW.

Then we hang around and digest everything. This part can take a while, but it is important because we need to be fully digested and up to good form so that we can dominate in the Annual Signs Family Independence Day...

WATER FIGHT!!!

It is always kids verses adults, and the kids are very serious about it. Right after breakfast they go out and start strategizing. The older kids will be in charge and will come up with a battle plan. This year Dylan left their plan right on the counter where my sister the soy in an act of espionage, snatched it and shared their plan with the rest of the adults. Brilliant!

The kids will make banners and stockpile weapons. This year they decided to start early by filling the water balloons the night before. By morning they had all burst.

Gee, too bad. Such a shame.

So after a few hours of the adults digesting the kids start to get very impatient with waiting for the adults to attack. They start baiting us and begging us to make our move, but we don't attack until we are good and ready.

They always have two bases - 1. the play structure that works as a great fort where they can shoot at us from above. The rig it with the hose and station soldiers around it. 2. The Spa, the lifeblood of the battle, which is always well defended from above and beneath.

They diligently wait and watch and guard their stockpile with weapons full and ready while we adults hang out in the house, chat, nibble on bacon, and nap. War is rough.

Finally, on our own time, when they least expect it, we ATTACK! Let the battle begin!!!

My parents are very serious about this battle. They have purchased too-of-the-line water weaponry that they stockpile at home just to use once a year. Grandma's motto - "Take No Prisoners!"

And those sweet looking children are absolutely ruthless with grandma! What kind of rotten kid would do that to a sweet old lady? Shameful, really.

These kinds of kids:

Wicked,

ruthless,

and just plain rotten.

They call this one the Squirtinator!

Poor Grandpa - right in the jugular. Ossil did the noble thing and poured water over his own head. He was not going to give the enemy the satisfaction.

But this year Dennis got the brunt of the brutality. He has a reputation for disappearing to someplace dry as soon as the fray begins, but I'm not calling him a chicken or anything. But this year he did not go AWOL, and the kids took advantage.

Sweet revenge! (And this has to be my favorite picture of the whole day! Love it!)

Eventually we declared ourselves the winners. We always do.

Then the kids whine and complain that we old folk are lame and that they still have more water, and have only begun to fight. They could do this all day, but we grown ups like a different strategy - swiftly get in and out and get the job done.

But Luke was so funny. He was not done yet. He kept going back to the spa, filling up the pitcher, carrying it back, over and over...

and dumping it on dad. Good ol' Dennis just took it patiently, over and over. Until...

Dennis had finally had enough. Poor Luke.

The losers. We like to call them the Redcoats. (look at Luke and the little guys in the front - totally dejected.)

And the winners, the Patriots, who fought valiantly and won the fight for freedom - or something like that. We look even scarier to those poor kids, I'm sure.

Until next year, Sucka's!

After that we all drip dry, nurse our wounds, nap, and chill out for several hours before all getting together again for a barbecue.

This is Nate sporting his "Edward" look. I think he had just had a nap.

Grillin' the all-American hot dog!

Dogs, baked beans, watermelon, and chips - pretty much all you need for a fabulous fourth of July meal.

Followed by snow cones in every color and flavor, before heading off to the...

you guessed it... FIREWORKS! I am such a fan of fireworks!

I love Independence Day! Happy Birthday America!