This is the year that I (Jill) and many of my friends turn 40, and it's only fitting that Miss Everything Pink, Miss Kristi freakin Cutler is the first one of us to do so! So I give you a birthday tribute post full of things I know and love about Kristi.


She was born January 8, 1971 and quickly morphed into a very cute baby.


This is a picture of her with her favorite ever snowman cake on her 2nd birthday.

We became friends in 1989 in the dorms at BYU.

She is the most photogenic person I have ever known. I distinctly remember walking around her house looking at her wedding pictures and thinking "I really need to smile more". She transformed me!


She loves Vera Bradley fabrics and products and has many bags and accessories, and has given many to others (including a great wallet for me).


She has embraced her size 11.5 feet and often rewards bloggers with 11.5 yards of ribbon when they win one of her giveaways.


Speaking of ribbon...she is the queen! The 4 years they lived in Maryland put her close to a ribbon outlet where she visited regularly and was very good at sharing the wealth. She has kept me in ribbon for years!


She takes gorgeous photos (it was hard to pick just one) and took a lot of photos while taking walks on the beautiful trails in both Tennessee and Maryland.


She loves fabric and uses her brilliant creativity to sew clothing, purses and gifts.

She doesn't take herself too seriously.

She love the gospel and is always busy serving in her callings in the church. She is currently serving in the Relief Society Presidency, but has been the Young Women's President multiple times and served in the Primary Presidency as well. Needless to say, she's busy!


She loved their family's time living in Maryland and made sure they visited every museum and monument there! Most of the time this meant pushing a heavy double stroller with whiny kids in it.


She has logged thousands of miles with her double stroller!


She has a gift for finding fabulous things at Goodwill and garage sales!

She has run at least 3 marathons!

If you want to be inspired click on this link and watch the video from one of her marathons, it makes me cry every time.


She considers our Women's Conference Weekends her "new" year.


She's a super fun mom and is happy to host the entire neighborhood in her backyard, and supplies them with Popsicles too.


She is the monogramming queen and has serious skills with her embroidery machine.


Their family traveled all over Europe thanks to Jeff's free military flights and took their cute family to places most of us only get to dream of.


She is very generous and gives to other people all the time. This is a package she sent me for no reason back in 2008...it was awesome!


She started a blog with her friend Stacy where they could share their genius ideas with the rest of us.


She loves wearing white and owns many, many white skirts!



She is best friends with her look alike younger brother Ryan and is skiing with him today for her 40th birthday.


More than anything else she loves her family! She is a great wife and mother and does everything she can to make their lives comfortable, memorable and fun.

Happy 40th Birthday Kristi!!!!!!!!

**What do you love about Kristi?
How has she
influenced your life?**

invite

I had to document one of the cutest invitations I have ever seen for a birthday party. The party was last week, which we missed due to our sick household.

My friend who had the party could seriously write a book on kids birthday parties. Here was her wording for the non-sleep over party. I am a non-sleepover mom (or as Annie Kate calls me - party pooper) so this was a perfect idea of how to give your kids the feel of a sleep over without all the headache.

............................

Bring a sleeping bag, pillow and favorite stuffed friend,
Come for a sleepover that is PRETEND.

So wear your pajamas and we will have lots of fun,
you can sleep at your house when it's all done.

............................

how to make:

• pre-quilted fabric cut to make sleeping bag. folded in half and sewn up the sides. The pinking shear edge really made it cute
• die cut of little girl. she did each one to match the girl who was receiving the invite. little die cut is not attached
  
• small piece of white felt for the pillow
• card pulls out and has information printed on it.

So when my friend finally prints her birthday book, i will let you all know. (Kimberly hint, hint!)

What cute invites have you received lately?

First Birthday!

see any resemblance with my girls?

Happy Birthday Grammy!

Today is my mother in law's birthday.

I hope she checks my blog today so she can answer my traditional (ok so it's only my second time) birthday questionnaire.

Grammy is one talented lady. She is an incredible seamstress. Whatever she sews looks as great on the back as it does on the front. She sewed all of her daughters wedding dresses! she has even made Jeff a pair of ski pants! now that is amazing.Caroline's knitted dress 2006
She can knit, boy can she knit! this year each of my daughters got a hand knit outfit from her for their birthdays.Her Knitting store in St. GeorgeSally Jane's knitted outfit 2007

she raised 6 kids - 6 really great kids!

she is very hip and knows about anything at the makeup counter than I do. She always has the latest lipstick and even shares it with her granddaughtersShe is the inventor of the Gingerwood House. (25 years ago)Without Sharon there would never have been Pockets & Posies (my purse business)
She is the one who took my sketch of a $495 Kate Spade bag and taught me how to make them. Because of her I was able to sew for a living while Jeff was in school.
She has traveled the world. Here she is in Antartica!

She is a super fast typer incredible speller and loves to read!

Sharon, we love you and hope you have a wonderful day!

Here are your 5 birthday questions.

1. who taught you how to sew, how old where you when you started?
2. what parenting advice would you give to young moms
3. where in the world that you have not been yet do you want to go to?
4. what is our favorite book you have read and what are you currently reading?
   
5. what is your favorite indulgence for dessert?
   

She did it, she turned 2!

Saturday was a great day for a birthday. We had two neighborhood Easter Egg hunts, so Sally Jane had two big parties. (or so she thought)
She seems to have found a liking to Cinderella and her birthday table was decorated everything "Linderella" On Sunday when she woke up and found the birthday table cleaned off, she kept asking "Where is Linderella?" I was kind of thrilled because I wanted her day to feel like her day.
She was a princess for a day. With a lot of princess attire.

Jeff and I both said about her, "She is like a cartoon character" she always smiles,(ok not always) she has a cute high pitched voice and her personality is just so dang cute. I just love birthdays!... and I am just so in love with Smugmug's new birthday template.

Happy Birthday Mom. I am sorry I am just so tired I don't have time to write a birthday wish or put any photos on. I didn't send a card or have time to call, I will try to get to it. Hope it is a good day.

The Holiday Queen celebrates a birthday.

I love Holidays and I love traditions. On my profile it says, "I was raised in a home full of traditions" It is all thanks to my Mom,

My mom loves Holidays, traditions and has always been a good mail sender. Today is her birthday. A April fools baby.This is a cool photo of my mom 2 months before delivering her first baby fishing at

Rat Lake in Montana.

One of the things that I think is so cool about my Mom is that she lived in one house her whole life. She is very generous and has always been aware of celebrations. I don't think she has missed many years where she has not sent me a Happy Anniversary card for the day I got married.

She still remembers this awesome poem from her childhood about a humajuma Genie and thing-a-ma-jigs. We have got to write that down!

She knows how to make many things from scratch. Some are..

• Great Cinnamon Rolls
• Baklava
• Ravioli's
• Dinner Rolls
• Egg Rolls
• Tostada Compeustas. oh my these are the best!

One of my favorite stories of my mom is that when I was in High School she sold a car to pay off any credit card debt our family had. We had 1 Volkswagen rabbit for 8 people. My dad rode his bike to work. I can't figure out how we all got to church. Once the debt was paid, we got another car. Really kind of amazing.

There were a lot of things I wanted to list but didn't know if I knew the answers. So, Mom you get to take a little 5 question quiz for your birthday and put the answers in my comments.

1. What is your favorite book?
2. What is your favorite Hymn?
3. What was the name of that cute little place you got sodas after school?
4. Where did the lullaby Neena, Nina, Neena, Nina Poopa song come from? I have sung that to all my kids.
5. What is your favorite holiday?

Happy Birthday Mom. I hope you have a great day!

It takes a long time to grow young

Pablo Picasso

Birthday outfit Knitted by grammy, it is incredible check it out

Happy Birthday Sally Jane...2

To our sweet, silly and sensitive Sally Jane. Happy Birthday.

Sally Jane the day after she was born, in her all pink minkie onsie that she wore every other day until it no longer fit. With her still special birdie.

She already knows how to drive, steering is still a problem.

she got pink crocs for her birthday with a Cinderella Jibbitz. She LOVES "Linderella"

She can eat multiple suckers at once.

she loves chocolate

she loves to wear hats. especially the one my brother made for her

she is loved and squeezed often by her sisters. Caroline squeezes a little harder than Annie Kate.

she always says cheese when taking photos

she has blonde curly locks, no idea where these came from

We love you Sally Jane!