Monday, June 25, 2018

Bee Crafting, Yard Projects and Missionaries

Monday started slow, I walked with LaVern, so our study time started late, and we didn't go down for breakfast until 11.  We spent most of the day shopping, which we always put off until we have a deadline.  With craft day the next day I had to get things at hobby lobby to complete the banner kits I was putting together for everyone.
 Our craft was pots covered with rope to look like bee skeps.  

This is mine.
Meanwhile Dad was at home leveling the corner of the lot.  We've always hated the little rise, that was mostly the shards of the stone left from when the house was built, covered with a little dirt.  Yeah Dad.

 On my way home from craft group I stopped at DI, and found these sweet school chairs in the colors of our little family room.  They will be perfect during cousin camp when we watch movies.


On Wednesday after walking with Ginny, she sent me home with a giant lettuce.  The funny thing is that I stopped and talked to both Leslie Petty and later Dana DeWitt, and neither of them said a thing.  Too funny.
 Meanwhile Britt and Mike's family were doing a river run.

At work, that day, I made up my bee  banner kit.
Dad, meanwhile was helping a crew out of Santequin take the cedar tree in the front yard that was leaning towards the house.  Yeah!!

On Thursday I looked up this graphic so I could redo my former 'fleology' sign...

So, you see, my garden house is beeing taken over …..  bbbbzzzz
Dad had his third big project for the week … he added antique fence sections to the surround that was covered by chicken wire at the entrance to the apartment. 

 Trevor et al went to see Scott play tennis. 
 Sooo, on Friday, we washed and hung out the sheets on the big guest room bed in anticipation of Emily and Sam's visit this coming week.  Yes, I'm loving my clothes line.
Also that day, I headed to the antique mall to finish moving out of the north mall completely.  Then Patti and Lauri picked me up and we went out for Mexican.





That night we drove up to Morgan for Juhannus (mid summer celebration) at the London's.  It was fun to visit and catch up with our mission friends and to meet Finns we hadn't previously known.


 On Saturday we had invited the local returned missionaries for a BBQ, and managed to get three of the twelve from out of town.  Yeah  
Here we are with the Vests


Here's the crew.


On Sunday we packed our bags for our week in Tahoe, then drove to Heber for Sister Olsen's homecoming.

After the homecoming we got in the car and drove to Tahoe arriving a little after 10:00!  Randy came out to greet us, we were the last too arrive.  All three couples had driven
separately, and both beat us there by hours.  We were so wide eyed and busy tailed that we all played a game before falling into bed.

and that was our week … crafting …. projects ….. missionaries.



Monday, June 18, 2018

The Magic of Cousins and Remembering the Departed.





So this week seemed to be about cousins getting together, and honoring our beloved departed.

We started our week at 7:00 A.M. at Davin and Bri's where you can see we met up with magical princesses and a piano playing fairy.

It was lots and lots of fun.
 
On Tuesday, Dad and I divided to conquer.  He went to St George for Jim Heuer's funeral.  These are the flowers that we got for Jim and Luciel along with the Moes and Gearhearts.

Dad took this picture during the viewing.  He told me many of the stories from Jim's funeral, I was so sad to have missed it.  

After the funeral Dad went and spent an hour with Cheryl.  She was very emotional and asked when she could come home.  We were both surprised because Rick & Wendi are doing amazing things for her.  She has much nicer clothes, and is getting cute haircuts.  They have also gotten her a golf cart and she goes out and about several times daily.  She's lost weight and has also cut back on cigarettes.  We are so grateful to know that she is getting excellent care there. 

Meanwhile I took Elias, Adi and Nenna to play with their cousins in Pleasant Grove, which they absolutely loved.  Then I ...

 met up with Joyce and Jo at Nina's house.  That day was Nina's first wedding anniversary without Emory, and Joyce conceived the idea of us being there to comfort Nina as she goes through this mile stone. I know that Nina appreciated the gesture. 
We first went at the cemetery to see Emory's head stone.  It was good for me, since I was not here for his funeral.  What a great brother he is.  We then went to lunch.


That night at bedtime, Elias arranged some of his dinosaurs on  the steps to his bunk.  He then performed an documentary about each type of dinosaur and its chances of being King of the dinosaurs.  He's pretty smart, and is very good at mimicking the language of a documentary.

 On Wednesday I was off to work, and Dad watched the kids.  Above they set up this scene with their big bears and pretended to be asleep.

When I got back from work we all went swimming at their neighborhood pool.  Unfortunately this pic of Nenna is the only one I took, and it was at the play ground next to the pool.

They were all exhausted and fell right asleep at bedtime.



 I also worked on Thursday and got a call from Dad as I was headed to Davin and Bri's in Spanish, that J. Scott was going to play tennis there at the sports complex in the south of town.

I readjusted my destination and met them there, where the kids got to play with Trevor and Nell's kid.  The tournament was being managed by a new person, and was very disorganized.  I think everyone was frustrated.  After waiting a couple of hours, we took our charges home for dinner and bed.  They had enjoyed their time playing with cousins in the park, but we missed seeing Scott play.



On Friday we decided to do a delivery I had agreed to do for the store.  Since we have our Finn using our van, it worked out to use Davin's truck since we were there. (We hope he didn't mind) 

After the delivery, the kids were hungry so we stopped at the Summer's Mini Taco place in AF.  Thanks Becca your were a lifesaver, and heck, more cousin time!!
Back at the antique mall, Dad loaded a few pieces of furniture that I'll be using at home, as I back out of another booth at Treasures North.  This is Treasures South as I threw together a new look.  Still lots to do, but we had committed to feed the missionaries.

 Yep, the old standby, Navajo tacos ... the elders are from, California, Texas and Virginia.


After they left, we cleaned up and moved into the parlor.  It was the rainbow hour, and I laughed about how this rainbow hit my horn blowing cherub.  Not to worry, he is draped, but I always think rainbow hour is magical in this house.  I bet Trevor and Nell's kids miss it.
On Saturday Ashley had asked for help moving Kim to her new apartment in Salt Lake.  I had already  told my friend Jenn that I wanted to come to her vintage sale that morning, which left Dad without a car.  Ashley thought that it would be helpful if we took Zach junking with us, so we did.
Here is Jenn's Garden house.  She said mine was the first that she ever saw, and the beginning of her yearning to have one.  Her husband Nat finished it this spring and its double the size of mine, and totally charming.  I took lots of pics and will do a blog post on my Pollyanna-reinvents blog soon. 

Every time we've had Zach since their house fire, we have tried to get him to pick out a toy, and he has not been interested.  What no legos?  So at Jenn's sale he found this 1950's truck, and this is what he wanted.  I love it, a man after my own heart.

 When we got home, Dad strung the new clothes line that he had put in on Monday. As you can see he also spent a lot of time trimming bushes, and cutting back the suckers off the catalpa stump, while Zach played with the duplo in the family room, finally falling asleep on the parlor couch, after all we had dragged him out of bed at 7:30 to go junking.


When we took him home we had a Ian sighting, which was great.  He is such a good looking young man. 
 That night I saw that the catalpa trimmings had flowers and buds on them, so I cut them off and brought them in.  They smell like orchids.  Yum.


I bought this red base, that I am using for a cloche, at Jenn's sale.  It was from a machine shop, and was a mold.  Not sure why it was painted red, but Dad said as soon as he saw it at the sale, he figured I would buy it. 

Dad taught Priesthood for his first time since we got back.  He said he needs to work on his presentation.  I'm sure he did great.



After church we relaxed in our room for a couple of hours, which included some snoring on both our parts ...

Then the Father's Day gathering began .... here' s Penny snitching some delicious watermelon.
 Nell and Brittney catch up.


Eleanor snuggles Bear.


Spencer gets in some baby practice with Mac.
 There may have been a seating shortage in the parlor, I admit.


 How cute are these girls?
 Mac and Uncle Andy
Some of my girls.
 Then it was time to move out to the patio for dinner .. Ashley and Andy took the romantic table for 2



Three years of marriage suits them, don't you think?
 Lots more cousin time.

.... and father and son time too.  We had five fathers there to celebrate ... of course that's counting Spencer.