Before and After

I neglected to take a picture of the family room before I started moving things around and taping up. But you get the picture.



This was a difficult task for me. We have so much of so many colors in our home that it was very hard to choose a paint color that wasn't going to clash with something. I don't know if this was the right choice, but I kinda like it. I think any color paint looks better than the white we had before. It really makes the crown moulding and the fancy floorboards pop. What do you think?


And the kitchen. I wasn't sure I should do this dark a color in the kitchen, but away I went anyway. I actually really like it, though. You have to picture this with black granite countertops and some other kind of backsplash, though. Those are on the list of changes we plan on eventually making to this kitchen. But I think it turned out fairly well.





So there you go. Jeff was out of town for both these room projects. He didn't know I was even painting, much less what color it was going to be. After he got home and had seen it, he said he likes it and that it looks really nice. I would have to agree.

Happy Father's Day! - 2009

I just wanted to take this moment to wish my darling husband a happy Father's Day.

Jeff - I am so blessed to have you in my life. You do so much for me and the kids, and I really couldn't do it without you. You are such a great dad, and an amazingly supportive husband. I really appreciate you. I hope you're having a good Father's Day, even if you can't be with us today. We all love you more than you know!

I usually make Jeff some kind of picture frame with current pictures to take to work for Valentine's Day. I don't remember if I did that for him this year or not. But if I didn't, he got one for Father's Day instead! If I did, then he'll just have another set to look at on his desk when he gets lonely. Recently, we've gone on a couple of outdoor outings with the kids. They really enjoyed it, and loved the time we spent as a family exploring nature. That's where most of the pictures in this Father's Day collage came from.

The kids also really enjoy making pictures of their hands. They like to trace around their fingers, then color them all in. So, naturally, this tie with all their handprints on it was a fun choice for this year's Father's Day gift! It was fun to make. It was the first tie I have actually made, and I'd say it turned out pretty nicely. Plus, it was fun to paint my lips and plant a nice wet one on the tie to remind Jeff how much I love him!



In case he couldn't figure it out, I also wrote this little reminder on the ribbon on the back that holds the little part of the tie in place.

Jeff, you are truly loved. Don't ever forget it. Happy Father's Day Jeffrey-Love!

Things that make me happy

Among many other things...

Cuteness and Cake

Sarah and Audrey are becoming the best of friends lately. Sure, Audrey bugs Sarah sometimes when she takes her horses and runs away giggling, or when she tries to wear Sarah's favorite shoes (It's starting early, I know), but they really do enjoy playing and laughing together. Audrey tries to be just like her big brothers and sister. She follows them around copying everything they do all the time. She also copycats everything they say. They sure love each other!


Here the kids are enjoying an afternoon of painting. Audrey just had to see what that yummy looking green paint tasted like.

And cake! This is the birthday cake I made myself for my birthday girls' movie night last night. It was fun. We talked, ate, played, laughed, and watched the movie Sneakers with Robert Redford. It was fun to hang out with some good friends and relax a while.




The grub. Mmmmm....

Happy Birthday to Me! 2009

I actually had a few days' long celebration for my birthday. It so happened that the ward campout fell on the weekend of my birthday this year. Friday night we got to go across the canyon to a campground our Elders' Quorum reserved for the ward. We got there early and enjoyed a couple of hikes as a family.

This is random, but can you believe this?? This is my not-quite-two-year-old daughter trying her best to be just like her older siblings. She got these princess underwear on herself. The do belong to her, by the way. She's right around the corner from potty training!

Back to the birthday:
Off we go to find an adventure!

We found some water. Fortunately, the water was far enough away from the gathering space so as not to pose any kind of threat to wandering children. And they did wander... a LOT. Good ol' outdoors!

They got tired and started crawling. Whatever.

Done crawling. Time for some help up the last leg of the trail! And maybe some water.

The view from our campsite. It was so beautiful and peaceful.

Off on our second hike! It started out as a drive to keep the kids entertained (the games that were supposed to be played didn't exactly turn out as planned... we had to improvise). But then we found a trail leading to the "Waterfall." So we hiked it. Off we go again! Over that log!

We made it! It was beautiful. A little scary because the trail was steep and there was a rocky embankment down to that waterfall. But it was pretty.

And we're back! Everyone really liked it. A few bumps and bruises along the way, but we all made it back in one piece.


After dinner, we hung out by the campfire. Here's Sarah's first attempt at roasting marshmallows. I think she had more fun sticking things into the fire than actually roasting the mallow to eat it... obviously.


Day two:

The cake.

Can you tell what the kids' favorite movie is this week? Jeff did a good job replicating the two towers in the Lord of the Rings movie for my cake. And it was chocolate. Mmmmmm..... chocolate.


The kids really liked singing Happy Birthday to me. They were very excited to give me my presents they picked out, too. Cute.

Blowing out my candles. Where's the other 22?

Cheese!

I think Lucas and Audrey really enjoyed Papa's cake, too.


It was a really nice birthday. I went shopping for a good portion of the day all by myself. I got a few things for my birthday, came home and had cake waiting, and had an enjoyable evening with Jeff after the kids went to bed. We watched a movie and I painted my nails (desperately needed. See blowing out the candles pictures...). I went to bed relaxed and ready for Sunday. Happy Birthday to me! Thanks to everyone who made it special.