Family and Friends and a Flea Fair ...

Hurrah for a new week.  Isn't this a cute picture of Cam ready to go Kindergarten!?

Here's our subdued scholar.

Van went to his new school as well.

Of course our grands in Texas have been back in school for a couple of weeks, but Emily sent me this adorable brother heading to school picture.  This is Johnny and Benny.

And in the big school news, no, this is not my adorable high school age grandchild, this is my 2nd masters degree seeking daughter in law all ready for her first day in her Harvard MPA Program in Boston.  Go Brittney!!

On Monday we finally found time to visit Applebee's with Davin to celebrate his birthday a few days late.

This week I also picked up a couple of pictures from Scott and Todd's childhood, as Scott (my nephew) processes losing his little brother Todd last week.

I love that both of these pictures include Harry, my mother's first ever son-in-law.

My stamps made with images from 1800's grocery products came on Monday.  I got at it as soon as we got back from lunch with Dave.  When Dad went off to Barbershop I worked on about 100 plus 17 ways of trying to get these stamped logos on the jars with even color and no smearing or twisting in the applications.  I am not exaggerating when I say I stamped 100s on images before I found a method that would work. 

These are some of the real dug up crockery that is being found in old dumps around England, and by the time they make it to American Antique stores, some of them can sell for more than $100 each.  It's Crazy.

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This is the tag I designed to apply to the bottom of each Pot/ceramic jar that I thrift.  The Faux de Pot is pronounced in French as Fo de Po ... and means  fake pot.  I just want people to know they won't be paying $10 to $15 for the real deal.  Anyway, I am thrilled with how they worked out.

On Tuesday I went to the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City.  3 of us are in book club together and wanted to go back to see Hamlet after they'd seen, Something Rotton, during their first 2 day foray to the festival.  I'm getting to be an old curmudgeon, so I hate leaving Dad overnight and haven't joined the rest of my Book Club buddies for this event in five years.  When I was offered this one-day adventure, I was in!!

Me with Heather and Ann and her friend Joy.

Hanging out with Shakespeare on his bench...

And me with his Bust.  The other play we saw was She Loves Me, which is the original story of The Shop Around the Corner.

Here we are as the cast does their final bows at that play.

At work on Wednesday I ran into Bonnie Harmon, the cutest and youngest looking great grandmother I have ever met, and yes, that means that Joette is going to be a grandmother.  (she is Emily's age) Love this family soooo much. I served with Bonnie's Mom in a Relief Society Presidency many years ago.

I was also shocked to get a visit from LaVern and her sister that day.  As you may recall Lavern is serving a mission in Nauvoo.  They had a couple of grands getting baptized, and another event too, so they came home for 10 days.  When they were ready to head west Ron's sister passed away, so they added a funeral and all that goes with it to their itinerary.  I'm just glad she found time for little old me.

On Friday I spent the day getting ready for our garage sale on Saturday.  While going through stuff I ran into the two items I bought at Shalimar antiques a couple of weeks ago.  This little Majolica Jar was perfect for this spot, and only $10.

Can you see in on the far right of this cabinet?

The little cylindrical treen box on the shelf to the right was the other $10 item I bought there.  

Here is the larger picture of its display.

Dad was my main man, as always as we set up all the tables we have in the front yard. He hauled 15 boxes and bundles that had been acquired when I moved out of my booth at The Grove, and also out of one of my four booths at Treasures.

Then there were boxes of goods left from former fleaologies, and several small pieces of furniture that had accrued in the main garage. Namely a drop leaf table, Dad had to reassemble, two occasional tables, 3 bookcases formerly used for display, Cheryls army Trunk and hope chest, and pieces of the organ I dissembled last year. a set of vintage metal hotel chairs, and three antique clocks in various degrees of decay, and a total of 7 sheep skins. Moving out of two booths, and the ends of our sisters' estates had created quite a back log of stuff that wasn't really sellable at the antique store.

Here is the beginning of the displays.

Luckily for me these girls came to preview the sale and found that taking things out of the boxes and setting on the tables, I had already tableclothed, was the best way to thoroughly see the goodies. Seen here are Jessica Cooper, Sherri Oldham, Katie Oldham Jensen and me.

Then we all went over to Joe Coffee for bagel sandwiches, I've never been there and had no idea.  So yummy.

...and we aren't the only ones, sorting and putting things away, since Spencer and Brittney had their pods delivered that day too.  They definitely have their work cut out for them.

On Saturday morning it was fun to chat with friends who came to the sale.  Here I am with Leslie Rice, with whom we served at Mosida.

This nice young man bought the last 5 sheep skins, so they are all gone, save the two I saved to use in the family room.  He has a glamp camping company, and people sleep on sheep skins with rabbit fur throws over them.  Kinda cool. (he's half Polynesian and half French.  Of course, his parents met at BYU)

Chuck the only other seller who made the sale found a shady spot.

These gals are sisters, and run a craft and sale business based on amazing creativity and talents.  Their maiden name is Fitt, so they call themselves the Miss Fitts.  So clever. They bought these oil painting to make into tote bags.

All the parts are recycled, look how classy this enterior is.

They use ever bit of the painting making these bags, She uses iron on interfacing to stabilize them, and stabilizes the painting as well, so it doesn't chip off.

Ron and LaVern came by between baptisms, how nice is that.  

Then Jill Chesnut and her daughter came by.  Jill's husband Rick served with Dad when they were in the Branch Presidency together for the nursing home branch.

Davin and his kids came by to switch cars as Elias is getting his hours for his driver's license, and Dave has a manual transmission.

This sweet gal came by as we were clearing up and packing the van.  She wanted to talk about the house, so she helped us load the van, and then we did a house tour and shared the house's history.

Dad managed to pack the van all full, and then took it all to DI

Before meeting these two at the BYU game

It was the perfect day for a blow out.

Becca and Brady were enjoying the game from an associates box, but came down for a bit to visit.

Trevor caught a ball for Penny

Go Cougs

Clark Clayson taught Sunday School as a sub for Jill Wilson, how fun is that.  He was always one of the best teachers we had back in the fitth ward.  It was great today. Then at the Concert in the Park they did a medly of hymns written by William Clayson, Clarks ancestor. 

Its fun that Matt Anderson did a flugel horn solo in one of the numbers.  We visited with him and his wife after the concert.  They now have 7 kids, and the cute little curly haired toddler who lived in our ward is in high school now.  So crazy.

And look who was sitting in front of us at the concert.

in case you forgot its the Barnetts, VL and Terry.  She was one of my councilors when I was the Young Women's president back in 2001.  Emily was their favorite babysitter back in those days.

Here are the Onion Days Royalty, in the last picture they are back lit and talking to our Stake President, President Phillips, who is the spokesman for the band.  Dad was released as his executive secretary this past week.  I know Dad loved it, but is definitely moving on.  Our farewell is a week from today.  So crazy.

Third Cousins and Collecting Art

As we continue to prepare for being away for a year and a half, I continue to have to choose what to keep.  I cleared out my sewing and linen closets last week, and combined them, which meant a lot of items didn't make the cut.  This granny square afghan I got at the PCC flea market last year is the case in point.  It is the finest made GSA I have ever seen.  But I've not been able to match it to place in the house.  This week I did.  I think its perfect in the library on the square green fabric upholstered antique chair.  You can see that there are greens that just match the chair.  Happy me, now I have to ask if anyone wants the commemorative Payson Historic throw that was on the chair. 

 and before we get going, I wanted to add another 3rd cousin account.  I was talking to Barb, and she mentioned that with Trina now living in Salem, her daughter Kinsey is attending the American Leadership Academy that Adi goes to.  Both are the in same grade and are also into drama.  The fun thing for me, this year, is that they are 3rd cousins.  Both are great great Granddaughters of Grandma Peterson. Through Lisa and Randy's lines.

On Monday, as Becca and Brady continued their conference in Chicago, we continued watching their kids.

I think they learned a lot during the 3 day conference.

And we got to enjoy their kids.  Here we have Reagan, Mac, Madi and Titan.

  

Reagan did a great job of managing the dogs, which we greatly appreciated.

We also got to see the addition of a fountain to their front lanscape, which is lovely.

Here we see Madi showing me two tiny cantaloupes she discovered in their garden.

Early Tuesday morning (about 4 A.M.), my sister Julie's son Scott texted me that his brother Todd had passed away the day before. You'll hear more about this later.

Back home on Tuesday, I finally repaired the corner of this antique painting in preparation for taking it into Treasures.  Art is very popular right now, and I am selling lots of art.

In fact that afternoon I went to preview my Friend (far left) Tiffany's antique sale.  While there Katie, and Sherri came to preview too.  (they are my Flea.o.logy Partners)

Among other things, I bought this paint by number cottage painting.  I used restora-finish to knock down the garish white that was its only fault.

Then I framed and hung it on the bottom of the left side wall leading to my balcony.  I also added two other cottage painting to the right side.

Wednesday was Dave's birthday.  He is now 42.  This is Dad's birthday Collage for him.

Dad got busy on Wednesday mixing up the 7 bags of cement that Becca and Brady shared with him, after they ended up with extras after a project. On Friday he finished it up with two more bags of cement.

At work on Wednesday I add the sweet Rabbit framed print I'd bought from Tiffany, the day before, to my French Primitive booth.

I worked again on Thursday and Dad went to his normal temple shift as well.

That evening I went to my book club, at the Payson Park, where we discussed the book The Last Chance Library.  Here we see Ann, KD and Carolyn.

Lillian and Heather.

and Rachel and Suzanne

Friday was Becca and Ben's birthday.  I think Becca always misses Ben more that day than any other.  At least we always think about him when we celebrate his 6th birthday gift's (Becca) birthday that day. Ben would have been 44, it's hard to believe he has missed 8 earthy birthdays so far. We love you Becca and Ben.

On Friday I'd made a date to see my cousin Debbie.  She spent more than a month back in New Jersey this summer getting her stepmother Nellie settled, since Nellie wanted to go back "home" after Debbie's Dad passed away last year.

Anyway, I did some junking and went to check out a new store in SLC, that's supposed to be sort of French Country.  Its called Millcreek Manor.  I was so pleased to get to see an original Minerva Teichert painting I'd love to have one, but $28,000 was definitely above my budget.

and the taxidermied giraffe shoulders to head wasn't even a temptation.

Then I met up with Debbie at the Shalimar, another new store in SLC.  There are so many new antique stores, as antiques are so popular.  I've enjoyed the uptick in sales, personally.

We next headed to Debbie's house where she showed me the sketch for the painting of our house she is doing for me.  I absolutely love it.

Then I showed her this signed Avard Fairbanks Statue that I got at DI on Monday.  I had discussed it extensively with AI, who decided it must have been a study for another sculpture.

Here you can see the signature, and a damage/repaired area.  One thing that is strange about it, is that it has a seam down the front that was never properly cleaned, which indicates that it was never meant to be sold, which supports the 'study' theory, being an artist and sculptor's wife, Debbie pointed out that it is not a plaster casting, but is a resin casting made from the original plaster casting, but has no theory as to why it had been made.  The funny thing is that Debbie lives in a duplex that was owned by Avard Fairbanks brother Leo.  Currently Leo's grandson lives on the other side of the duplex.  Debbie's going to show him a picture of it, and give his the details, and see if he can figure it out. 

This is the finished sculpture that Debbie and I both think the statue was the study for.  Dang that was a fun afternoon for me.

That evening, after dinner with Debbie is SLC, I got home and found a text from my nephew Scott, telling me that there would be a viewing the next morning.  Todd was to be embalmed after the viewing to be held at the Russon Brother's Mortuary in Bountiful at 10.00 A.M.

I sent out a text to my siblings (except Joyce who is still in a care center healing) and though I didn't get the text out until 10:30 P.M., all of them answered me and changed plans so that there was someone to represent each of my parent's living children. (Except Joyce of course, who I know would have found a way to be there, had she not been still hooked to machinery)

Here we see Bruce, Doug's daughter Megan, Dad and me, Genial (Todd's 'wife' of ten years), Alysa, Ross, Jolyn and Clark.

Alysa was just darling comforting her stepmother.

Here are Dad and JoLyn

Me, Dad, JoLyn and Megan. (Who, by the way, was so kind and patient, I think she did more to comfort Geniel than any of us could.  She was just lovely)

Here we see Bruce also comforting Geniel.

Here we see Alysa taking a picture of Todd.  He really looked so natural.  He had not been embalmed, as he was to be cremated, and we were warned about that.  But he looked just like himself, without the evidence of pain I'd seen the last few times I'd been with him.

Here we see Ross chatting with Alysa.

Ross and Dad

Janeal, Clark, JoLyn, Alysa's Aid and Alysa.

The cops talking shop.

three of my brothers.

I had shared with Alysa my belief that Todd was in the room with us in his spirit body.  Here we see her as see talks to him at some length.  It was very sweet.  I am sorry to see her going forward without him.

Ross and Bruce needed to head to other commitments and the rest of us went to Chuck o Rama for lunch.  In the end I thought it was really a simple and nice tribute to Todd and a chance for all of us to process the reality of Todd's passing. 

After we got home, Rebecca Peery called to say that the painting she did of the Helsinki Temple was done, and she came by to bring it. I showed here where I had hung the other 3 paintings I got from her a couple weeks ago.

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After she left, I hung the painting right where the photo had hung, and in the same frame.

Then I rearranged the mantel to fit in the new Avard Fairbanks statue.  But here is another of his that I own. 

And this is the statue I found that is the same as the Mother of the Year statue that my mother received in 1980 when she was Utah Mother of the Year (Megan has that one)

This is how they are all arranged now.

Next, we headed to meet the Moes at Olive Garden in Spanish Fork before heading together to

The Payson temple to do a session

The person I was able to go through for was Rachel Lydia Solberg.  She is a third cousin of my Dad's  How crazy is that for my 3rd cousin year. 

And even though they don't match, here is a pair of second cousins.  Eva Jean Perkins and Peter Larsen, my brother Bruce's grandson.  They are both serving in the California, Roseville Mission. He's been out over a year, and she's been there over a week.  Looks like they met up at a zone conference.

And today, on Barb's recommendation, we watched last week's, Follow Him Podcast with John White, who is now a Professor at BYU, formerly he was in the divinity department at Baylor University in Texas.  It was a fascinating watch.

Then we went to see this house.  I'd met a gal at Treasures, a good customer who I knew by sight but she was telling me that her husband had just built their third house. They're about 10 years young than us, but she said she would not let him do it again.  He's still working full time, and it took him 5 years.  What a beautiful house.

Here they are inside, there names Steve and Michelle.  Their daughter sells at fleaology, and they're coming to my garage sale this Saturday, so I can show them our house.

Enlarge this picture, it is a flat tree made with plastic artificial pine bough and decorated with jewelry.  Its absolutely charming, and it was made by her daughter.

After our tour we headed to Nadine's for a movie, and this delicious sugar free chocolate, cream and strawberry cake.  So yummy.

I forgot to get a picture, so I just subbed this movie poster for another show we attended together this year. Thanks Chat GPT.  We had a great time, and didn't get home until 11, we're such partiers.

It was a great week, and in our countdown to our mission we are now under a month.  I better get busier.