Bridal Shower

Saturday evening was Jessica's Bridal shower.
We had a ton of fun!
 The "theme" was basically pink.  We had a really fun time putting things together for the shower. We had quite the turnout. It was basically standing room only.

My mom and aunt and good friend Holly and I got everything ready. Thank you to everyone who helped in anyway and who came to help Jessica celebrate!

We had Chicken salad sandwiches and parfets , and delicious lemon bars (thank you for those Holly).

We had everyone sign in in a little book we requested for them to write advice etc. also when people signed in they could fill in a blank for mad lib's.

It was chaotic at times but we had the game where you try to make tissue paper dresses in teams and the best one the bride picks as the winner.

We also had asked her Fiance Todd to answer some funny/ sweet questions for s about Jessica. He was great! His answers where hilarious, and sweet.
We also presented her with specific snacks from him, chips and salsa, a chocolate pie and cookie dough. She also got flowers and a letter from Todd- the letter was just for her- no one else read it-.

the winning gown!

Aunt Marla's Birthday Candle!

After most people left Jessica found a corner to read Todd's Letter. 

Helping at Grandma and Grandpa's

In between our own tedious but simple yard work plans we helped at my parents house as they carried out much larger scale impressive and fun plans.
Not to brag but my husband was a big help!
I will say that the kids helped with some planting but overall I think they played while we worked. :)
However I think that planting things as a child and watching them grow as you water and care for them can teach some deep and simple truths to children!
Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!

Yard work

We are fixing up the yard this spring break and it has been so fun to work outside as a family. Call me crazy but when we are all outside kneeling in the grass planting flowers, weeding, mowing the lawn or fixing landscaping I just feel so happy. Our little family, all outside working together. It doesn’t get much better.

... Well Mitchell actually dislikes yard work but I just ignore that fact and soak in the sun!

When we moved in there where a lot of overgrown and half dead bushes- mostly rosebushes. We took them out and began to try to fix up the over grown flower beds and try to add landscaping to the virtually bare backyard. As we began these projects we quickly realized that when whoever did the landscaping put the decorative rock down- they did not put that black tarp stuff underneath it. So over the years at in rained and snowed the rocks began to sink down into the soil, this makes it crappy, almost impossible to dig to work with! Hugh!

So finally we are painstakingly taking up the rock - digging out the parts of rock that is sinking down into the earth with grass growing all around it, and we are fixing the problem.

We are putting down the ground cover and recovering everything with bark. We are reusing the rock in the back yard.

I am planning the garden, $$ and time means that I will have to do a little at a time over several years but I am so excited!

I forgot to photograph the actually work but we watered the plants on Sunday and I took some pictures then.

new shoes!

In joy and Thanksgiving

Like many of you I will be celebrating Thanksgiving next week.  SO in honor of thanksgiving.. here goes.

Thanksgiving is an american Holiday celebrating the survival of the early pilgrims and the new friendship they had with the Native Americans. Thanksgiving has come to represent a time of gratitude for our blessings.

I stayed up late last night discussing blessings and trials with my husband. I may have gotten emotional (and when I say maybe it means definitely). 

Life is full of trials. We will all have them. Its a fact. Its also important to understand why we have trials. We came here to be tried and tested, also we live in a fallen world. We may make choices that hurt ourselves or others. Other people may do the same. The Lord will never take our agency or the agency of others. Neil Anderson said in this last General Conference "By definition, trials will be trying. There may be anguish, confusion, sleepless nights, and pillows wet with tears. But our trials need not be spiritually fatal. They need not take us from our covenants or from the household of God....Like the intense fire that transforms iron into steel, as we remain faithful during the fiery trial of our faith, we are spiritually refined and strengthened.."

As I struggle to remain grateful in my own times of trial I find that what is important to remember is that our Savior Jesus Christ has Atoned for the sins and pain of all people. Whatever wounds we have he can heal them, we are not alone in our suffering, he is right there with us. What a tremendous blessing that is. 

"Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come." - Jeffery R Holland

I am always grateful for the scriptures "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."-John 14:27

So this thanksgiving I am grateful for my healthy family.

I am grateful for the memories we have with those who are passing on.

I am grateful for a large and  loving extended family.

I am grateful for my children.

I am grateful that we have a home, my husband has a job, and we have a car to get us there.

I am grateful for my ancestors.

Above all I am grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

-Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Our thankful tree- Eli made sure Santa clause and cars where put on it!

DIY Tinsel trees

I know its not even Thanksgiving yet, but we had a snow day here this last week and my kids got all excited about Christmas so I pulled out a few things and had them help me decorate the mantle. Its always nice to get a small head start on Christmas decorations and crafts since the Holidays are always so busy.

This "craft" is so easy I really don't know if I can call it a craft. My little kids helped me make these. They are very easy and only cost .50-$1.00 each depending on the size.(if you already have the Christmas tinsel from another year they are free-assuming you have paper handy).

First roll a piece of paper into a cone shape and tape the edge down so it will stay in place.

(Leave a tiny opening at the tip top of the cone).

Next cut or fold the bottom so all the edges are even and the cone can sit flat.

Now take the end of your tinsel strand and shove the end into the tiny hole at the top of the cone. (I used tape to make a pointy end so it would go in easier).

Then wrap the tinsel around the cone. When you get to the bottom use another piece   of tape to secure the end in place.

fluff the tree(s).

 

My babysitter  (Joseph my little brother) thought I bought them from target or something- I felt pretty cool when I got to say that I made them for free in about 5 min.

I painted the boys room..,finally

I finally painted the boys room! The walls where really terrible from the last movers, not only where they ugly mauve but they had holes all over, the room had been an office and they had put shelves in. Floor to ceiling in some places and when they moved they just ripped them out of the walls. Yikes!
Well I patched the walls and sanded and painted and I cannot believe how much fresher the room feels, I don't know why I waited to do it until now. (well I DO know why, it was $$$).
Here are the after pictures, to see the paint color before click here or go to my "home tour" page.

Last weekend Eli and Grandma (West) Built this little plane together, Eli Loves it!!!

All the same colorful fun things the kids and I made from vintage book pages

I made this really quick by taking some skewers and tying  them together with thread, i already had the animal cutouts, I just spray painted them white and tied everything together, i also used some hot glue just to be on the safe side.

I added some family pictures to this 

A felt wreath in every color i had :)

The view from the bedroom door
It seems so much nicer now that i cant see holes in all the walls!

Books

"Parting is such sweet sorrow...."
Okay so today is not a Shakespearean tragedy, but i do feel dramatically sad as i sort through my books....again.
A few months ago i began a decultter your life in 31 days thing, then i forgot about it. In my defense in the 7-10 days i did do it I got rid of a ton of stuff. I went to DI 3 separate times with a huge trunk full/ at one point it filled a good part of the car too. Then my hubby expressed the thought that we could have a yard sale.
Oops, i guess i got rid of some prime stuff by that time.
So As requested by my husband (and on my part required for mental sanity) i am once again beginning a room by room, closet by closet de-cluttering our house.
Today's task is the Library. As in-my room full of books.
I am having to ask really hard questions to myself.
Do i REALLY need a copy of this book. Will the kids REALLY read this one day. Will i miss it if its gone. Is the sentimental value i have attached to this enough to keep it, is it a really special thing or just a thing i have made special in my mind? (like the set of books i got for a children s lit class in college)
Basically i am actually getting rid of alot of books. (which is saying something because a few months ago in my other purge i got rid of two big boxes of books.
So i sit in this confusion and debate and cry and remember.

A few days ago Eli s outside with me drawing with side walk chalk and then we started taking about pictures and , he drew a picture of me! This is a big deal because up till now he has had very little interest in drawing People. So I took pictures to record forever! I love my boy!

I am the one in the bottom corner, he was working on kayden when i took the pic. 

The old "green" Chair slip covered (again)

The slipcover for this chair was made from my kitchen curtains, which where originally fabric to recover my dinning room chairs. So this fabric has really worked hard for me , I got it over a year ago on sale for a dollar a yard at at Home Fabrics.
This chair is a really unusual shape and I hoped that the country french toile-ness of the fabric would help the chair seem more welcoming and soft.
I have made 3 slip covers for this chair and i have not been really happy with any of them. Because the chair does not have a separate seat cushion it is hard to get the slip cover to pull right when its sat upon.
I think the fabric works well on the chair over all.
I used a cut and pin technique when I slip cover. I just looked up miss mustard seeds tutorial on you tube and found it helpful even though I was doing a different style of chair.
I was trying to find a  before picture but I didn't find a one, just trust me I had not taken a picture for a reason.