The Hansens Had Their Baby!

Bridget and Dustin had their new little girl, Tess Miley Hansen!

She was born on July 26, 2008 at 7:01 AM.

Weight: 6lbs. 2ounces.

Length: 19.5 inches
Looks: BEAUTIFUL!

Congratulations You guys!

back to school lunch

I want to celebrate the kids being back in school by going out to lunch. I was thinking Olive Garden at the 202 and Gilbert. Tuesday August 5th, at 12:00. Does that work for anyone?

Midnight Release Party!!!

Borders is hosting a Midnight Release Party celebrating Stephanie Meyer's fourth and final book in the Twilight Series, "Breaking Dawn."

Bookclub is trying to get a group together to enjoy a night filled with costumes, trivia contest with questions from the editors, Jacob vs Edward debates and more!

The fun begins at 9:30 p.m. on August 2nd

at the Superstition Mall

Go to bordersmedia.com/meyer/events.asp for more details

fire station

Just a reminder:

This Wednesday we are meeting at the fire station on Germann just East of Higley at 9:30 am for a tour. If you want to come, we will see you there!

Spotlight time: Tina Hansen

Okay, so I guess it's my turn to share a little about myself. I am an Arizona native, and was born in Mesa, and lived in Mesa my whole life, until we moved to this house, over six years ago! (minus a few months one Summer that I lived in Provo and played). I am the oldest of 5 kids, so I did my share of babysitting siblings. Brad and I met at the Mesa Community College Institute, at an FHE. He had just gotten back from Graduating from Rick's College. We were married about 7 months later. We moved into this house when Ally was 3, and I was pregnant with Kacey. A lot has changed in 6 years! Here are some random things about me:

• I went to a MONKEES concert in 7th grade with my best friend, and both of our moms. It was such a blast!! The Monkees were popular when our moms were in high school, and then again when I was in Jr. High. I was a HUGE fan, and I watched their shows every day without fail. I thought that Mickey was so cute! I loved all their music, too.
  
• I started taking piano lessons when I was 8. Before that, my mom could not keep me from playing a piano anytime we got near one, so she put me in lessons, and it's been a great joy in my life.
• I took ceramics in high school for 2 semesters, and still have some of the pottery I made.
  
• I sucked my thumb until I was nine! (I don't know why I told you that)
• I used to love to country dance. I would go every week, and loved it!!
• I was in the Easter Pageant when I was 20-ish. I was an angel! I got to dance on top of the stage with the lights shining on us. It was one of the neatest experiences I have ever had, and the Spirit was so strong all the time. I felt like I got to relive the last week of Christ's life. If you ever get a chance to be in the pageant, do it.
• I was a Arizona Temple Youth guide on the temple grounds for THREE years. That means that I would give tours of the gardens once a week for a couple hours one night every week, plus a fireside every Sunday night. We got to share the gospel with investigators on a regular basis. It was a fun time of my life.
• I love water. Ocean, lakes. rivers..... being near water makes me feel happy! My parents took my family camping on the beach in Carlsbad, Ca. every summer growing up, and so the beach reminds me of fun family times. To me, there is nothing like a day at the beach or lake.

Oh, and by the way.... I tag~ Kristen Dearden!!

Here are some pictures....
Here I am with my mom when I was a baby.


One of out engagement photos

Wedding day.

after a long but happy day....


a family photo taken a few years ago.


my little joys

Shade Screens

I need a couple shade screens put up on my house. Does anyone have someone they can reccomend?

It's a girl!

Amy Erickson had her baby Friday morning. Savannah was 6 lbs. 7 oz. and 20 inches long. Baby and mom are both doing well. Here are a few pictures of her!





Look at all the hair!

Spotlight on Shauna Fuller

I feel a little silly telling about myself. I love to hear others tell stories which is why you will usually find me listening rather than talking! But here it goes~

I was born in SLC, UT and lived in Cache Valley, UT until was 8 years old. My family then moved to Riverton, UT where I eventually graduated from Bingham High School in 1998. I went to Salt Lake Community College to get my generals done. Looking back that was such a fun filled, carefree time in my life. Besides attending college, I was working at a local scrapbook store (such fun!), attending Institute and the singles ward.

It was at Institute that I met my husband, Casey. He had just recently returned home from Michigan after being on a mission there 2 months before. We dated for 5 months and were engaged for 4 (much too long!). We were married in the Salt Lake Temple on May 17, 2001. We rented a little apartment in Draper for 6 months before buying our first home in West Jordan. We decided that after a year of being married, we were ready to be parents. It took us a little longer than planned to get pregnant (2 long years) so we decided to see a doctor to find out what the problem was. While at the appointment they decided to have me take a pregnancy test. I was like, Hello, that's why we're here....because I'm NOT pregnant! Well, sure enough the test was positive! We were so happy and the nurses were so happy too that they were all crying! Dylan was born December 4, 2004.

We moved to Arizona December 2005. I found out I was pregnant with Carleigh one week after moving here! I truly have had the most struggling moments in my life here in Arizona. Moving so far away from family for the very first time to a brand new state, having Casey's career not take off like we had hoped, having financial worries (no insurance and pregnant!) and on top of all that having a second baby I was not prepared for. ( I was going to wait until Dylan was 3 before trying for another one...Dylan had just barely turned 1!) I have learned that Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways and I've had my testimony tested and strengthened!

Carleigh was the best thing that could have happened to us during that difficult time. She was born July 20, 2006. We moved to San Tan Ranch December 2006 and have really felt comfortable here. We do however have a long term goal of moving back to Utah to be closer to both mine and Casey's family. We'll see when that time is right for us.

I do have one cleaning product that I will stand behind:

Mr Clean Magic Eraser. Dylan and Carleigh decided to get the permanent markers out and "color" while I was in the shower one day. I came out and saw black ink all over my couch, blinds, wall, and of course my children! It was awful! I tried the Magic Eraser on my couch and it came right off!!! I tried it on my wall, but it started to take the paint off, so we will just have to paint that again. The blinds, luckily they were just scribbled on the back side, so you can't see and we moved them to the corner. So everything turned out fine. Thanks Mr Clean!

P.S. Warning! Do not use the Magic Eraser on your children to get ink off their skin! It will burn them! Casey can talk from experience.

A few random facts that you may or may not want to know about me!

• I am the oldest of 5 children



• I can't stand to walk on grass barefoot!



• Love to sleep in



• I love to have my hair played with



• I enjoy playing the piano ( started when I was 7, but after I got married and moved I haven't played much at all!)



• I enjoy going for relaxing walks in the evening



• Obsessed with digi-scrapping and blogging



• I like to ride on the 4-wheeler with Casey while he hunts (sorry Nina!)



• Would love to spend time with family and friends more. (I always seem to miss those Girls Nights!)

Anyway, that's me! Next week I'd love to hear from Tina!

tour of the Fire Station!

I have a date and time for a tour of the fire station.

Date: Wednesday JULY 30
Time: 9:30 tour
Place: Fire station on Germann, just East of Higley

If you are planning on coming, please reply so that we can get a head count of how many kids will be there. I will call them and tell them how many kids. I gave them a rough estimate of ten kids, but I can call to tell them there is more.

Thanks!
Tina

Appetizers Anyone?

Come one and all to an appetizer gathering, Fri, July 18 at 11AM, at Judy Evan's home.

Just bring a favorite appetizer or snack. Kids are welcome. I'll provide lunch for kids and beverages for all. Please RSVP sometime this week.

See you Fri!

Instructions for Making Bows

I found this great website "Girly Things Making Ribbons and Bows and Other Pretties." She teaches step-by-step directions for hair bow making for free! She gives instructions for several different kind of bows with pictures.

This woman feels that when it comes to crafts, the instructions should be freely shared as a favorite recipe.

On her wesbite she also gives instructions on how to make those cute tutus, bow holders, pacifier clips and tips if you want to sell and make your own website for selling bows.

http://bowdesigns.50webs.com/

I also found a great blog called "She Does Hair" This woman is awesome where she thinks creatively how to do her children's hair. I now only wished my daughter had hair.

shedoeshair.blogspot.com

Pinching Your Pennies

I've been interested in the art of couponing for awhile now, and to be honest it has been really overwhelming for me. But I'm determined to buckle down and just do it, and for those of you have mastered the art please share your thoughts and expertise.

I've been aware for a while now a great website called

http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/

Here you will find:

- A place to learn & share how to save money in all aspects of your life

- A community of members who share a common goal...saving money

- Ready-made shopping lists

- SCREAMING online deals

They also teach you how to put together a coupon binder where you can collect and organize several coupons from the Sunday paper. You can now purchase up to 6 Sunday papers if you would like from the Arizona Republic.

I'm anxious to see how this is going to work for me and my food storage.

And I'm just passing along the website motto:

Friends don't let friend shop without PYP!

(Pinching Your Pennies)

BROKEN WINDOW !!!!

The joy of living on the golf course.
I would like to know if anybody know's
a good glass company cheap too.

Here are a couple good recipes....

POTATO CREAM CHEESE SOUP
This is like the soup from Wildflower Bread CO. It is so good!

1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup very finely diced celery
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
3 cups shredded potatoes
3 cups low salt chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
4 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. cooked and crumbled bacon or very finely diced ham
1/2 tsp dill weed
Salt
Pepper

In small saucepan sauté onions and celery in butter until tender. Add flour; stir and cook over medium heat 1 minute. Set aside.

In 3 quart pan combine broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cook until potatoes are tender, but not mushy. Stir occasionally so potatoes don't stick.

While potatoes are cooking, melt cream cheese with sour cream in microwave. Add cream cheese mixture to potatoes and broth mixture along with onion and celery. Add dill and bacon. Simmer and stir until creamy. Add salt and Pepper to taste. Thin with milk if necessary.

Serves 5 to 6. Top with sprinkling paprika. Enjoy!


really good meatballs

1 bag of frozen fully-cooked meatballs
1 jar grape jelly
1 bottle of chili sauce.

I usually combine jelly and chili sauce then pout over frozen meatballs in the crock pot. Stir occasionally. Cook until heated through. Enjoy!

Spotlight on Nina Shaw

I seriously don’t have a single picture of just me. I could barely even find a photo with me in it, since I am always taking the pictures. I love the idea of having a spotlight every week. What a great way to get to know some of our sisters. I will have to admit that I wish it was anyone but me this week. It feels weird talking about yourself.
I was born in Michigan but have spent most of my life in Arizona. I definitely am a desert rat. I have a hard time when it is too cold. I lived in Scottsdale when I was young and moved to Payson in 6th grade. I went to ASU for college and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Microbiology-Clinical Laboratory Sciences. I worked as a Clinical Microbiologist in a tuberculosis lab and also for a short while as a Hydrologist (fun).
I have been married 10 years now and we have 2 kids. Aaron is 5 and Hannah just turned 1. I just this year started staying home full time with them. It has been great. My husband is so happy with me staying home, since I have been cooking more now. He's easy.

Hobbies: I have way too many. I love to do yoga. I have been doing it forever. My teacher right now is this 60year old women who is so neat. I learn so much from her. I also like to hike with friends. I had an infatuation with Pichacho Peak for awhile. I would drag my friends their as often as I could. One friend thought I was trying to kill her. If you have ever done that hike you know what she meant. You have to almost rock climb on cliffs and hang onto metal bars. I also like to make things out of glass and metal, I have a kiln to fuse glass. I used to make jewelry and have a mold to make bowls. The metal I would weld. I made some lights to hang on the back porch. The metal and glass I havn’t touched lately but hopefully I will pick it back up when I have more time. It’s a lot of fun. Lately, I have been sewing. I started sewing vintage bibs for friends who are having babies. So, watch out if your pregnant.

Fun facts:

I hate red meat. It disgusts me. When I smell a barbecue going in someones backyard It makes me want to throw up.

I love the 60's and 70's. Anything, avocado green, mustard yellow, or glittery is great.

I am a science fiction nerd. I loved the series "Firefly". So, sad it is not on anymore.

My favorite websites lateley are:
I am a horrible cook and I like these 2 websites. They explain everything in their recipes. Even, why you should add the butter first in mashed potatoes..
Cooksillustrated.com
Americastestkitchen.com

Anyway, Thanks for reading. I'm sure you have had enough.

Hey, how about we hear from Shauna Fuller next friday.

Disney Summer sales

It's me again, and I'm sure you guys are thinking that I shop often. I really don't, but we are celebrating birthday's and baby showers so I'm on the prowl and can't help but share a great deal..

The Disney Store is having its Summer savings right now!

You can get t-shirts for $2.99 and PJ's for 4.99 Plus several toys for 50% off.

Can't beat the price of their pajama's Thought I should spread the good news.

I noticed the Disneywebsite has different prices compared to in store, but they do have a summer promotional code to take off 40% at your purchase. The code is summer40.

Carpet Cleaning

I've been wanting to clean my carpets and my couch for some time now.

Does anyone know of a carpet cleaning business they are impressed with for reasonable prices?

Spotlight on Liz Whitehorn

Happy Independence Day everyone!

Well, here is our first inaugural Spotlight for the San Tan Diva's!!!

A little about me: I was born in Ogden Utah but consider myself an Army brat where I’ve lived in Utah, Arizona and Colorado. I’ve estimated moving more than 20 times during my entire life thus far. I am the second oldest to seven children and I am a twin with my brother who was born a half an hour later than I. No, we don’t have some phsycodelic power where we feel each others pain when he or I gets hurt.
I met my husband in Tucson at the Institute while I was home for the summer away from college. It was that summer where I believed in love at first sight. Less than six months later we were married in the Mesa Temple in December of 2000 and have enjoyed 7 ½ years of wedded bliss. Ben is a former expat having grown up overseas his whole childhood. I took him to his first high school football game. He’s lived a total of 7 years in Brazil, two were from his mission for the church. His four years of high school were in Portugal, 6 months in Taiwan and 6 years in Hong Kong. Needless to say we have lots of fun conversations of his unique childhood.

We now have three children and I truly enjoy staying at home being a wife and mother to them. Abby is four going on five in September and is anxiously looking forward to kindergarten. Christian is three and I’m thoroughly enjoying his imagination right now. William is 16 months and I’m counting down the days for him to go into nursery .

Little random tidbits about me…

• I don’t like to eat peas, they make me gag, root beer floats and yogurt do the same thing too.
• I consider myself a fruit snob. Ever since I was pregnant with my first, if the fruit is not the right texture I can’t stand finishing the peach, apple or banana.
• I have gotten better but I am a reality show fanatic. The latest shows I am watching recently are: So You Think You Can Dance, The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, Hell’s Kitchen, Americas Next Top Model etc..
• I don’t partifculary like swimming, it’s the cold water. But with weather being a 110 it easily warms the water and then I’ll go out.
• I love board games
• I’m not a breakfast fan. I know it’s the most important meal of the day. But unless its hashbrown and pancakes or something really warm I don’t like to eat breakfast.
• I graduated Magne Cum Laude from ASU with my teaching degree.
• I've attended all major universities in the state of Arizona and all the small community colleges in between. It took me six years to complete college, getting married and having two kids in the midst of all that will do that to ya.
• I’ve been to France, Italy, Portugal, England and Taiwan and I hope the distant traveling doesn’t stop there. I love to travel. I’m hoping for something tropical next.
• I used to love ice cream. But with all the silver in my teeth I can’t stand it anymore.
  Speaking of silver teeth, I’ve had two root canals in my life. One when I was seven years old, I equate the bad teeth to not having enough calcium since I was a twin.
• Ben and I disagree where the thermostat should be set; apparently its easier to put on a sweater.
• I was surprised my senior year that I made Voices Unlimited in high school. Its a small group of singers where you try out to sing and dance.
• In high school swing dancing was all the rage and I loved it!!! I would sneak into the Institute to learn new swing steps with my older brother and I even had a consistent swing partner. Mt. View even asked if we could perform for the school.
• I get a natural high when I empty a container of something like shampoo or lotion. I don’t like to waste anything, but can’t wait to try the next one.
• If I had it my way, I wouldn't ever want a pet, but I know that’s not going to happen; however not any time soon.

Spotlighting a cleaning product that I’ve come across in the past two years that I have loved and wished I had known before are :

Kaboom and Rain-X
I swear by these products to keeping your shower floor clean and your glass doors on your shower clear.

Rain –X can be found in the car department, it acts as seal on your shower window and drips off when hard water comes hitting down on it. Love them both!!

I'm in love with this next product!!

It's Sally Hansen's Just Feet Deep Callus Remover.
It deeply penetrates and breaks down even the most stubborn calluses and thick, hard skin buildup. There really are amazing results in just minutes!
You do not leave on longer than a minute and I rub with a pumice stone on my feet and presto my feet are as smooth as if I took them to go get a pedicure.
You can buy the bottle at any grocery store for I think $7 and it has lasted a long time.

Last but not least I’ve happened upon this website these last couple of months and it has impressed me how it is helping Abby along with her reading. Thought I would share!

Starfall.com

I want to hear from Nina Shaw for next Friday’s spotlight!! I guess we'll have to get that account up and going like we talked about now huh.

Summer Savings at Gymboree

I was really impressed with the great sales and large stock they had on hand at Gymboree this weekend. I was hoping to catch some great end of summer sales for the new school year, and sales we did find. I got Abby a few denim capri pants for less than $10.00 a few shirts for $5.99 and more great sales! I was walking away very happy and thought I should spread the good news.

Fun Friday!

In hopes of getting to know each other better I'd like to start a recurring post each Friday and I hope you'll join me. We'll call it "Spotlight!"

Please consider posting fun facts about yourself, things that we might not already know about you, so we can all get to know each other a bit better. You can include a picture of yourself too, but only if you want to. : ) You could add a fashion trend that you regret, or a fun or embarassing childhood memory to liven it up.
Last but not least have you ever thought to yourself when you bought a a great cleaning product or beauty product you love and swear by and wished you knew about before. Here's a great opportunity to share your great find by sharing your favorite Beauty product/Cleaning product and or great find such as website or all three!

I'll go first! starting this Friday!