Valen Times or I Heart Art

To begin our week of love, we got a surprise visit from the Kemppainens, who we met in Finland on our second mission.  They are so amazing ... they have worked and served missions in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. They are also one of the 6 couples who were called to be the first missionaries in Russia. They lived in Finland, but traveled to Russia, as well as teaching Russian people who lived in Finland.  

We got to know them when they took us to a lodge that had a buffet meal and sauna on the lake so you could jump in when you got too hot.  Such lovely people.

Such cute love birds too, they met the year we married, so they've been together for a long time.  Jussi has become interested in the first Finn to join the church.  As it turns out, the first Finn is an ancestor of Ralph Jamsa's, who is currently on a mission in Africa. Ralph told us about his ggggrand when we served with them also on our second mission.  He told us he was a sailor on a ship that brought the Mormons to the USA in 1853. Several of the sailors joined the church at that time. Then on our mission out at Mosida, we found out that this Finn was also one of the rescuers to the Martin and Willie companies and ended up marrying one of the women he rescued. Dad printed off stories about this Finn from The Book we used out at Mosida. for them.

There was more love, that day, when I made Valentines for the gals coming to craft with me the next day.

So, on Tuesday Shirley and Kim came over to create. 

We exchanged Valentines, then dug into an unusual art project, making Mexican Religious Nichos.  It was fun as always. 

Then there was the tour to see what house projects we have been working on.

This is Shirley's Nicho.

My first Nicho.

Kim's Nicho.

And my second Nicho, which I finished after the girls had left.

Here we are holding our completed Nichos. Last of all we went out lunch at MiRancherito, which we thought was appropriate.

That evening we got together with Dad's cousins Karen and Jerry, as it was actually Karen's birthday.  You may recall that the 3 of them were born within 2 weeks of each other back in 1953 ... of course it was Mexican again, which made my second of the day.  Fortunately, they had a salad I could order.

On Wednesday I found the sign above my bookstore booth, hanging askew with the banner part torn off.  People are so weird sometimes. I took it home and repaired it and repositioned it here on Thursday. 

Also, on Thursday I gathered all this blackened silver plate, and thought it was funny that I had one large hotel coffee pot to go in the middle, then I had two each of the pitchers, teapots and syrup containers. It was almost as if I had planned it.

But even weirder on Thursday there was a big storm and we lost both Internet and phone connection.  Since our back up charge card machine can use the phoneline if the internet goes out, we were stuck accepting only cash after 2:30, it was a terrible sales day.

On Wednesday Dad put up the plat map that I found at a yard sale years ago, which is of the first installment of the neighborhood I grew up in.  He had it laminated a few weeks ago.

It is dated 1909, the year that my father was born.

Here's the name of it.

Inside the red circle are the street we lived on, Hartford and one to the right of it is Imperial for which I used the name on this cabinet.  Now hopefully I'll find an easier way to finish the cabinet with the names of other streets in this subdivision.

I hope you can tell how these go together above the mirror and cupboard in our main floor bathroom.  It is after-all, decorated in black and white.

On Thursday the Young Women came and gave us a heart attack.

Welcome Valentines Day! This is Kim with her coworkers that day.

This is Kim when a Barbershop Quartet came and sang to her.

Dad's quartet got to sing for Ashley at Market Street.

And here they are when they met up with Becca at a Dress Boutique and sang to her.

Hannah had a turn too, at work.

And another quartet came and sang to Darby at her house. 

Nadine Evans was very surprised when they came to sing to her.  She is actually a fan of Barbershop, and came with us when we went to a show last year.

And here they are when they sang to Davin's family, he's behind the camera.

Here's a Valentine ornament that my friend Shirley gave me, I got around to putting it my tree on Valentines.

My path on Valentines was quite varied.  I started by making funeral potatoes for Carol Marshall's funeral.  Then I took them with me when I went to Carol's funeral.

Sadly, Jolene Rowan and I were the only people from our ward, without assignments, who attended.  Dad and I just love the Marshalls, but since most of the old 5th ward has been wacked away, and the two lower (west) blocks in the ward are filled with nonmembers and less-active people, there were not many who knew them. That just seems so strange to me, she was always and active and important part of the fifth ward twenty years ago.

This is the on-line Valentine I sent to a few of my friends.

Then I did some junking at 2 DIs, Restore and Farmhouse Peddler, before heading to the Grove in AF to put up this display of small art work.  Two of them sold the next day ...

Then, still at The Grove I picked up these two paintings that I had bought from another dealer, who had posted the paintings she had found at fleamarkets in California at the beginning of the week.  I just love Venmo, I bought them before they hit the store, and she left them there for me to pick up, as she lives in SLC. The landscape is done by a Japanese artist in the 1970's, that's a first for us.

When I got back to Payson, I took a Valentine's gift around to all 5 of my ministering sisters, as well as to my partner.  Here I am with Tina, who was also dressed in her Valentines best. 

But no one can top Ann, she was actually in Valentine, Texas on Valentines.

On Saturday I bummed around the house, even Dad got out to do some banking and grocery shopping.  I did do a few small chores, including putting these paintings and prints on the TV cabinet in out room.  I had them ready to put up for almost a week.  I also reframed the two smaller Kristen Tye prints in matching frames so I could put them on either side of her painting.  I like the overall look. 

  Dad finally made me leave the house and go to dinner, no matter that I asked him to go and get take- out.  Cafe Rio was yummy and healthy.

I made Valentines for my Primary Class kids while we watched 2 episodes of Castle and then watched the movie, Valentine's Day ... I think we were both exhausted from Friday.

Also on Saturday, I was on Face Book Market place and found an artist in Logan who was selling his work.  He charges a dollar per square inch, which was good for me, as I needed a few more small landscapes to finish a small wall in our bedroom.  The three paintings and shipping were just a bit more than $100.  I thought the Logan connection was good, as that is where Dad was born.  

And just for kicks and giggles I thought I'd share this collage of Kim and I with hearts on our shirts. Who wore it best .... hahahahaha

Primarily Videos, Books and Plays.

Our first photo of the week was actually taken Sunday evening, after we finished the blog when Dave and Adi came by with a birthday gift for Dad.  It's an all-edge brownie pan and it was full of delicious brownies.  Dad loved the gift and the brownies.  He even made more brownies in it last night.  What a creative gift.

On Monday I got a very early prespring surprise when I saw this sweet little violet by the front porch.

Dad and I have been organizing various spots in the house.  He made a hanger for his drills inside the laundry closet.

Then he helped me hang the 'deer' head I have been wanting for the carriage house. 

I basically put plaid paper on this round frame thing to make the resin deer head pop, and Dad helped me hang the deer head above the east doors. 

On Tuesday Dad took a load to the DI in Springville, we've been doing lots of sorting around here, while I headed north to take a gift to Stina Van Cott in Highland that I promised her last fall, so I stopped at DI, where I ran into these cute girls.  I hit another antique shop in AF before taking in a few things to the Grove in Pleasant Grove.  When he got home, he replaced some lightbulbs and other chores of that ilk. 

That night we met up with the Heuers and Moes for our first season ticket play at the Ruth in Pleasant Grove.  I had not liked the play the first time I'd seen it at the Shakespeare Festival a few years back, but with different expectations this time I liked it much more.  It's also been fodder for thought in my conversations with Barb and Robin since. 

One fun thing is that I am currently reading a historically accurate book about a black woman who is passing as white to work as the Librarian in the J. P. Morgan library, and how difficult her life is keeping her secret.  The play is fiction from the same period and also deals with the difficulty of black people dealing with systematic segregation, and other issues.  In fact, the standoff at the end of the play, where the decenters are threatening to blow up a building, it is the Morgan library. J P Morgan is also one of the historic individuals included in the play. 

On Wednesday I brought in this cool Redwood Forest covered wood container to Treasures.  You can see that I used restora-finish on half of the lid here.  It looked much better when I got done.

Back at work on Thursday and my friend Shirley came in with a few more Valentine items, the sale of which will add to the coffers of Trevor and Nell's Mexican project.  I told Shirley about this project again, that she had been donating vintage items for sale to benefit for several years.  This time I told her about the family who benefitted the last two years from the more than $1,000 she made possible.  Her eyes filled with tears, and she said she had no idea it meant so much to individuals.  It was a beautiful reminder of what a good thing this project is.

Here is a larger view of my Valentines display.

Dad found this 7" by 8' open section to the garage from the carriage house, that we had failed to take into account when we started heating the latter. Now it is neatly filled in. 

 Dad got it all done after he got home from doing his temple shift on Thursday around four.

On Friday Dad needed to set up some bleachers for his Barbershop group, and I went junking while he did it.  Then we joined forces to go to this art market in Holladay.

I loved how this plate matched my dress, but not enough to buy it.

Then I saw this cutie pie shopping with her sister.  Jill would show Brooke, via face time, various works she was considering, and get her opinion. It was fun when she saw me, because she said, "Oh Brooke, here is Aunt Paula."

That was just plain fun!!

I loved this hollyhock painting, but it was too large, I did end up finding four other items, however, 3 paintings and one print. 

Then after eating Cafe Rio in the car we headed to the main attraction, the play Emma was being done by the Sandy Arts Guild and it was very well done.  It is the third Austen Play I've seen over the last ten years.  The first was Persuasion at BYU, the Hale did Pride and Prejudice last year, and now Emma.

These pictures were screen shotted from their add on Insta, but we saw the same actors doing it, with a 'no photo requirement'.  This is Miss Smith and Emma. 

Emma dancing with her Governess' husband.

Meeting the ever-endearing Frank Churchill. 

Here's another view of Frank with Miss and Mrs Bates and Jane Fairfax behind.

Frank juggling at the Box Hill picnic, as Emma looks on. The play was well written, it was so fun to see balls combined, and house parties as well, to get in the main points of the story.  The author departed a bit, but with the exception of one place, it was all for the best.

I asked to meet her afterwards and visited about how well I thought she had done.  BTW the scenery and the costuming was also very well done. Her name is Laura Lenwill, and she also directed the play. The tickets were just $15 each, so we may be attending future shows there.

On Saturday Dad headed back up to Draper for a coaching session with his Chorus. It was more than six hours, but he got a sub sandwich to sustain him, and they even ordered him a veggie. 

I then had 6 hours to work on stuff at Treasures.  I had loaned this cubby shelf to another dealer when I couldn't find a spot for it after moving out of a full booth into a half booth last year.  I had had a stack of round displays in the corner that did not sell much.  I cleared out the corner and put the two round displays out front for cheap, one sold.  Then I put in the cubby display and actually filled it, mostly because I got a lot of small stuff from Julie.  Each cubby will fit just a teacup size item, or so. 

But the biggie was tearing apart an 1800's pump organ I had bought from another dealer who was having space problems, it had been outside under tarps for a few months and was looking worse for the wear.  I loved the top and was ready to offer him for just that, the tops often sell for up to $100, when he said he would sell me the whole thing for $20.  Not an offer that I could pass up.  Theres lots of goodies, pretty wood, interesting keyboard, pull stops that are adorable, and more.  I spent about 3 hours doing the deed.  So many, many slot head screws to unscrew.  Here I am with the wood, bellows on top, that did not pass muster.

I had intended to tear the sides down to the three separate boards that made them up, when I realized they looked like bench ends ... as you know I have plans to make a Swedish look bench for the family room, and though they aren't as simple as the Swedish designs, I think I can cut them down and make them work.

The keyboard looks like art.

Dad and I had some quiche made from egg whites (Always looking for high protein with low calories) and nutritional yeast 'cheese' sauce, along with mushrooms and spinach.  It was not nearly as good as the one Brittany makes us when we're in Idaho, but it was good enough for me, and Dad said it was OK. 

Then it was a couple of episodes of Castle and a few chapters in the books we're each reading at the moment.  Yep, a good day.

Today was good too, as we taught these munchkins about Oliver Cowdry's work on the Book of Mormon.  Such fun kids. We love teaching Primary. 

While editing the blog on Monday I noticed how much older our Emily looks.  She is a year older, being the only one her age, but she is so precocious that she was the smartest of the class last year, though she was a year younger than those kids.  I made the decision this morning to have her moved up.  I know that is what she wants, she does not relate to these littler kids, and though I have to say she is my favorite, sometimes you have to do what's best for them anyway.  Oh my heart!,