Sunday, October 28, 2018

Of Witches and Windows and Weddings

 We have passed another great week.  On Monday we woke up in Mesquite, then headed home.  We stopped in St. George where I ran into a fellow antique dealer, Brenda Klomp the former owner of Just a Bed of Roses in Farmington.  She has retired to St. G as so many do.
Then we met up for lunch with Shari and Scott Lindsey, old friends from our Cottonwood Heights days.  We had fun catching up and even made vague plans to get together again.  Scott is now teaching in the business school at Dixie and Shari has her MSW and works in administration with Elderly issues.

 These cuties came to spend the day on Tuesday, which is always fun.  Elias came as well, but wasn't hanging out with the girls.
Adi asked what this red item was, and I told her that that is what phones used to look like.  She laughed and said, "Oh yeah, that's the kind that the pioneers used."  I guess those history lessons from Cousin Camp must have stuck.

 I had an interesting discussion with Elias, after he found the instruction manual to a legos set and said he wished he could replicate it.  Then we talked about 3d duplication and looked up some You Tube videos about it.  So interesting.  What a kid.
The girls talked me into a tea party and got to be the first to use the 3 demitasse cups and saucers that came with my Wedgwood china. 

 They loved it when the sugar cube melted in the herb tea and the flower that had been on it floated to the top.
After they all went home Dad and I filled out our ballots and went over to drop them at the city.
 While Dad and I were in Arizona last week we picked up this great arts and crafts coffee table, and on Wednesday, while I was at work, Dad surprised me by adding the top made of the old wainscotting we bought by the board before our mission when shopping at a flea market in Texas.  I love it.  He's amazing.
After work I was off to Mutual where the Laurels and Priests were having a skill challenge, above are Marysa, Rosie and Cassie. Rosie is licking the spoon from their brownie making here.

Rosie takes on the shirt ironing challenge.

Micheal clearly irons his own shirts, because he actually won this one.

 Cassie and Marysa shared the task of sewing on a button, I did the timing, Micheal beat them on that one too.  He's going to make a great missionary.
Here the girls are as they finish up changing a tire, Micheal beat them on that too, but just by a couple of minutes, and it was their first time.  Yeah Laurels. 

 I wore my witch outfit to work on Thursday, because I was tag teaming myself that day.  I worked, then the second I got out the door I ran to the car and drove as fast as I could to Kimi's witch party in Herriman that started at 7.  I got there early to set up the plate full of witch finger bread sticks that were my contribution.  I got to stay for a full 45 minutes...
Her house, as always, was decorated to the hilt.  This is her dining room.

The tea service is set up in the kitchen.

Here I am with Kimi and another crafty witch friend named Jane.  Then I flew off and headed to my book club in Salem, arrived fifteen minutes late.  I did miss several friends that were at Kim's party after I left, but I do love my book club, and we'd read an Agatha Christie book in honor of the season.

The next morning I got a text that my friend Jann, who I knew missed the party because she was sick, was taken to the hospital with what they diagnosed as a brain tumor.  I'm just heart sick.  She had breast cancer while we were in Finland, and they are not sure if this is more of that or something new.  Please pray for Jann, she is seriously one of the kindest and most generous people I know.

 On Friday Dad got word that his window order had come in at Home Depot.  As you may recall we are sealing up all the windows but one in each room, then replacing that one.  This is the one for the tower room... the black side showing for the picture.  Check out how well it matches its antique mate the next time you are here.
 This blurry picture shows Dad pulling off the side window in my craft room before installing the new window there.
Here he is working on the frame from the inside.
 That night we met up with Becca to check out the new rental house she and Brady have bought in Orem.  During negotiations the house flooded, yep the water line to the fridge.  The insurance had a disaster clean up company come in and strip the sheet rock off the walls in the basement.  It looks like a great house, but its going to be a bit of work.  Sometimes they are just fearless.  Yeah them!!
 And speaking of being stripped back to the studs, Ashley's house is DONE.  Dad went to help her move back in on Saturday, and took some pictures.  It looks amazing. I love the red door.
 They are still awaiting the appliances.
I'm loving this shade of blue in the main floor bathroom.

 Ian chose orange for his bed room, which used to be Kim's bedroom, and Ben's before that. When we lived there it was Brittany's room.  Do you remember that the bedroom had no window when we bought the house, and we added it.  Ah the home improvement memories.  Enjoy your new house Ashley et al.
 After his 'moving experience' he met up with the men in blue for football at BYU, it was painful game to watch, but they're still smiling.
Trevor posted this meme on twitter.
After the game Dad came down to Springville to pick me up from my third day of work for the week.  We headed up to Cottonwood Hts, to meet Erik's soon to be bride.  Here are Darby and a couple of her cousins.  They are Jordan and her husband Jared Larsen, with Jason Larsen, Erik's brother. (Jason and Darby both work at IM Flash, he's some kind of engineer)

It was fun to talk to my brother Bruce and his wife.  Bruce has recently published his book, Testimony and he gave me a copy.  I've already started reading it.  Its not surprising that my brother who's nickname was Proph as a teenager, would write such a book. He's always been solid.

Here we are with Mallory and Erik, they will be married next week in California on the beach ... how fun is that.  A temple sealing is in their future. We really liked her, she's as amazing as he is, which is saying a lot. I loved that the walls match her dress, and her decor was purple and lavender, which is pretty unusual.  Hannah also had this color scheme, so it made me think of their wedding.

 Becca and Brady came too, here they are with Jason, and their nanny Gabby.
 We ran into these two cuties at the taco truck. 
... and Dad got some serious Mac time.

When we got home the huge harvest moon was coming up over our neighbor's house.  Isn't it a beauty. Unfortunately the house is being foreclosed.  Isn't that sad, you can buy it at the sheriff's sale on Nov 5 if you want to be our neighbor. 

This morning we went to Mapleton for Sister Purcell's homecoming.  Most of her group had their's last week, so we felt lucky to get to attend a second.  She did a great job...

and we got to see Sister Kehr too, which is always fun.

 After church we put together dinner, including this veggie roast with some of the last of our zucchini and tomatoes from the garden.  Dad picked all the green ones just before the frost, and they are now turning red.  How cool is that.  That's a first for us.
Here is our entire Mexican theme dinner.  Yeah, it really was way too much food.

So that was our week.  We hope yours was full of fun and personal growth.  We love you all, and would love to hear what's happening in your life, if you get a chance, send us an update.  Love You 

Monday, October 22, 2018

Braces, Reunions and Sarah's Wedding

Monday, I was looking forward to a slow and uncomplicated week, then I got called in to cover for Sherry at work whose husband had to go to the hospital at the last minute. 

Besides work, I got this cute picture of Abby praying, which made me smile.  Dad had ordered a new stove and washer/dryer combo for the apartment here and they were delivered.  Trevor came down and helped him install them about the time I got home from work.

 On Tuesday morning I laid out all the pieces of the Wedgwood set I bought the week before for $75, and there were more than a hundred pieces. 
 Here they are in the china cabinet.

Later I got to babysit Penny ...
 and Eva, who had just gotten her braces on the day before and was hurting.
 Hannah, Nell and Trevor came by to get the kids after a lunch date.
 Here she is with her braces.
 Time to go ... bye bye Penny.
 On Wednesday I got to meet up with high school friends, Debbie, Debbie and Patty at ...
 at Linda's apartment in Rose Park
 Karla was also there AND we have plans to get together again in December.  We just had lunch at Karla's in September, so not sure why we're all getting together so much, but you know me, I'm always good for a party.


 On Thursday I took some pictures of my Halloween decor.  I am enjoying it so much, not sure why.  Having the party early in the month really has meant I'll have decor all month, I'll have to remember that.
  I worked that day, and when I got home Dad and I just had a quiet evening.
On Friday we drove all day, and checked into a hotel in Surprise Arizona, since Nell's sister Sarah was to be married there the next day.

This picture was taken at Joe's Diner, in Phoenix first thing on Saturday, as we had driven to a lovely flea market that I follow on Instagram that morning.  Please note the white Camero similar to the one Dad had when we met. 


 Then we were off to a couple of hours at Sweet Salvage ... I didn't buy much, as its pretty pricey, but it was fun.
 This is a bamboo bike. We thought that was interesting.
 Here's a new take on Autumn.
 I thought it would be cool to have ancestral names and dates on pillows like this.


 Then it was off to the afternoon wedding.
 Sarah is so popular that seating was tight and they asked people to put their children on their laps ... funny, funny Scott sat on his Aunt Alexis' lap as a joke.  For a minute anyway.
Nell was the photographer.

 Here are the bride and groom, not necessarily in that order, however.
I thought her bouquet was delightful.

 It was very tiring for some short people.
There were old fashioned sodas, cookies, and of course cupcakes for which Sarah is famous.


 Here's Nell and Sarah's family with their new brother-in-law, Jonathan.  Please note that everyone wore Converse shoes, as per Sarah's instruction.  She loves Converse.
Many of the other wedding guests did too.  The lower left corner has mine and Eva's shoes, her Dad tied hers to form a star.  I thought that was pretty cool.
Here's another cute one of Penny.

We left before 6 on Sunday morning to make it to a town outside of Mesquite, Nevada for Elder Hollingshead's homecoming.  A group of Finnish Elders and Sisters came home from Finland last week, and we missed all the homecomings in Utah County, but it worked for us to attend this one.  He gave a great talk, saying that he had been called to Russia originally, and a week before he was to go to the MTC his call was changed to Finland.  His Stake President later said that after his interview, when he sent his recommendation, he recommended him for a hard mission, since he had found him to be a dedicated and faithful young man.  He quipped, I guess that Russia wasn't hard enough.

 After church we drove back to Las Vegas so that we could visit with Claudia and Mark Sandburg. I grew up next door to Claudia, and Scott served his mission in Finland with Mark.
 After a lovely visit we headed to a hotel in Mesquite, and that was the end of our week.

I think I got this quote from Barb's letter last week.  I thought it was wonderful, it has certainly been true of our journey since we've lost Ben.  We are so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father, and we know that Ben is with Him and our beloved brother Jesus.  We hope that each of you has found comfort in your own way.  We love you all and are so grateful for your continuing support.