Saturday, June 14th

Well, we haven't burned down and the air is cleaner. We've had a few storms blow through the last couple of days. Monsoon season started earlier than normal.

We have been so busy this past week. Chuck has been trying to get a second vehicle up and running. All he has left to do is get it insured and registered on Monday. Yippeeee.

The girls and I have been screening castings ALL week. We got about 200 pounds screened. Should be enough for this weekend and next at the Farmer's Market. We would work in the morning until noon and then again in the evening after dinner. Stacia has gone up to the Farmer's Market with Chuck, and I let Makiya and Shayla sleep over at friend's homes last night. They deserved it!

I'm going to work real hard this morning and get my disaster we call home cleaned real good. Tomrrow evening after we celebrate Shayla's birthday, the girls, Joshua and I are all leaving to stay with my parents for 2 weeks. I've been offered an in-home data entry job, but I have to train in their offices for 2 weeks. I'm pretty jazzed. My computer is not compatible with the company's requirements, so I get a NEW computer. I think I'm more excited to have it for scrapbooking than working.

I will still have internet access at my parents, and I will still be participating in the Amazing Digi Race that starts Monday!

Here is one of the two layouts I managed to get done this last week: (kit by Carole Neale called Best Buds and available at course at DSS)


Here's a little freebie. You can download it here:http://www.4shared.com/file/19834295/8e75337a/tag1.html

Saturday, July 7th

Boy has it been a busy week. We've been harvesting castings all week, and still have another week ahead of us. We also had a fun 4th of July holiday. Went to the parade and park activities in town and as always enjoyed the parade and enjoyed the park activities to the extent you can when you can hardly walk for all the people hehe.

I did manage to get a few CT assignements done. This layout is done using the JulyAdd-On Kit by Vickie available for free with a minumum $10 purchase at DSS. The photo is actually from LAST year's parade.



This next layout I did for the Add-on challenge at DSS. We are given 8 items we have to use in our layout. This is my favorite challenge. Complete three layouts and receive a fantastic kit for your efforts.

This is the layout I did with my assigned designer this week. You can see all the credits in my gallery: http://www.digiscrapshak.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=6187

Wednesday, June 27

Hi everyone. Well, things are going pretty good at our house. We are getting ready to do a casting harvest the first of next week. Things are going well at the Farmer's Market! Stacia went back to the doctor yesterday and he still wants her in PT for 3 more weeks and another follow-up with him in 3 weeks. Still no trampoline for the girls. They are pretty bummed out!

Joshua is really starting to talk up a storm. This morning he saw his sisters with toast and brought me a plate and said, "toast". So, of course, I fixed him a piece of toast.

The weather has been hot, but we are adjusting. Thank goodness for central air!


It's time to post my CT layout for http://www.digiscrapshak/. I was assigned Junianas Designs. I picked her Fresh Summer kit. The photo collage template is by my friend Tanja (Samanta0505). You can find it on her blog.


This bathtime fun layout I made with the help of Shayla. She did a pretty good job telling me where to put everything. (Credits can be found in my gallery at DSS)

This layout is a scraplift off a layout at DSS. The kit I used was the June Mega Kit from DSS. You can find the link to the scraplift in my gallery.

This layout I did for a speed scrap. I used the June Challenge Reward Kit from DSS.

This last one you'll have to look at my DSS Gallery for the credits.

Friday, June 22nd

Happy Friday! Not much going on here. Chuck and Stacia are up north staying at my parents. Chuck had to pick up piano parts from his supplier last nght and deliver some worm castings, so he ended up staying two nights up north rather than coming home to just turn around and have to drive back up again this eveing. He and Stacia are planning on helping Grandpa weed his garden. Tomorrow he will be at the farmer's market in SLC. He did really good on sales last weekend, so we are hoping for weekend sales at least compatible to that.

Last night Makiya went with the achievement day girls to see the Mormon Miracle Pagent. She loved it (although she has seen it before). She got home about about midnight last night and boy was she tired. Shayla and I stayed up and watched the space shuttle and international space station float by way up in the heavens.

Joshua actually stayed asleep until 8:00 this morning. That was nice, but then the phone rang and that was the end of that! Oh well.

I've done a few layouts the last couple of days. You find the credits at my gallery at DSS. The link is with all the links on the side of this blog.

Phat Friday at http://www.digiscrapshak.com/

Here's a Friday Freebie. Enjoy!http://www.4shared.com/file/18421593/b9529287/michelle_squires_cardboard.html

Saturday, May 5

National Scrapbooking Day. I didn't even scrap hehe. But, I did chat with several scrappers from DigiScrap Shak. Sat in there for 2 hours this morning. That was a lot of fun.



This picture is the new mega kit available at DigiScrapShak.com http://digiscrapshak.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=79&products_id=1812
Doesn't it look yummy. I can't wait to get my hands on it.




Chuck took Shayla to the Scout Extravaganza in Richfield this morning. His troup had to "flash" a signal with some cool mirrors they made. It was pretty cold, but they did have enough sun for what they needed to do.



Spent a couple of hours this afternoon sorting worms. Chuck is delivering 2 dozen worms and 40 lbs of castings up to the SLC area on Monday. We also had a call yesterday from a lady who had heard about our Castings from a friend. She and three of her friends each bought 5 qt containers. They were excited to get the castings, so Chuck and Makiya took them over to Spring City yesterday afternoon.

Saturday, April 28th

Yeterday, Chuck and the girls mixed bedding for the worm beds. I took a few pictures to share of Shayla helping him out. At this point, the other two girls had disappeared to jump on the trampoline. Shayla was excited I'd make her a "star" on my blog hehe.

If you scroll to the bottom of the screen, you can view a short video of Chuck and Shayla mixing bedding.




This morning Chuck's gone off to the foothills with the scouts. Next Saturday is a big scouting extravaganza and his troop has made really cool reflectors. They will take them up on the mountain and at the appropriate time, they will signal a receiving troop at the extravaganza. Today is a practice run. We are glad it is sunny outside and hope it stays that way next Saturday too!


Last night we watched "Night at the Museum." Oh my gosh was it fantastic. The girls loved it, I loved it, Chuck loved it. We've had it on again this morning.



I found out this morning that I've been accepted on the Creative Team at Digi Scrap Shak. I am soooo excited I can hardly contain myself hehe.

Tuesday, April 24

As promised here are a few pictures from the Natural Resource Fair. It was a lot of fun. Some kids loved playing in the worms, others, would say, eww and wrinkle up their noses. We will be doing it again next year.

Stacia is home sick this morning, but wants to try to go this afternoon when Chuck heads into town to tune a piano.

We watched Charlotte's Web last night for Family Home Evening. It was a really fun movie. We've always enjoyed the cartoon version, but this "live" version was wonderfully done. The silly little jokes throughout really kept us laughing.



Here is Shayla climbing the rock wall that was outside. The other girls climbed too, but I wasn't around with the camera to get their pictures.

Thursday, April 19th

Spent the morning over at the Natural Resource Fair with Chuck and Joshua. Joshua was such a trooper. He loved wandering around and looking at the different exhibits. He really, really liked the Hogle Zoo exhibit with a big picture of an elephant and the exhibit right across from us had two Utah Prairie Dogs in a cage and he kept wanting to look at those. One of the exhibits kept demonstrating duck/goose call whistles and everytime he heard one of those he'd get so excited and start "quacking."


I stayed until about 11:15 am and then went and picked up lunch for Chuck. Joshua was so tired by then that I ran the couple of other errands I needed to take care of and brought him home. He's down for a nap.


I had a lot of fun explaining how the worms turn newspaper into castings to all the students that came through the fair. I think I did more talking than Chuck, but he wandered with Joshua, plus he has the afternoon by himself.


I think we'll sit over there again tomorrow for awhile. I'll have to take the camera and get a few pictures to post.


Last night I had to stay up late and print flyers. So, while the printer was running I decided to scrap a layout. I tried to post it last night but couldn't get it to work, so here it is.

Tuesday, April 16 - Worm Pictures

I was out getting worms for Chuck to take to a Natural Resouce Fair this weekend, so I decided to take some pictures to show everyone.

Picture #1 - our little guy helping mom with picking worms. . .actually I was quite suprised he put his hand into the bedding. He'd been shying away from it until I brought out the camera.



Picture #2 - Red Wiggler Worms - our worm of choice for composting.

Picture #3 are two worms mating. Very rare to find mating worms out in your yard.

Picture #4 - our small worm beds.

Picture #5 - Egg Capsules. Green ones are new, reddish brown are about ready to hatch. Capsules will have 2 to 20 baby worms in each one.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed looking at the pictures.

Well, I've managed to set up a blog!

Hummm, now what do I do haha.

I've named my blog "The Rott'n Apple" after the business my husband, Chuck, and I own. It's called Rott'n Apple Worm Farm. What is a Rott'n Apple Worm Farm? Well, for us, we are hoping it will become our main source of income over the next few years.

We raise compost worms, and yes, I get in and help right along side my husband. Our three daughters have also started their own little worm bins.

I am also very much into digital scrapbooking. I don't do it "professionally" and sell anything, but I do enjoy giving away things ocassionally. My big project each year is a calendar I make for my mother for Christmas. So, any suggestions for a theme would be greatly appreciated. She has 10 grandchildren and I use pictures from the previous year on her calendar.

Well, I guess that is a good start. Hopefully, I'll remember to update this frequently.