Getting My Craft On...

This has been the summer of crafts. Grown-up crafts, that is. A couple of summers ago we had the summer of Kid Crafts. That was so we could pass the time while Nick and Dad were away at Scout camp. This time it's a little more refined, though just as messy....

Starting with my craft room updates (I'd link to it, but you probably remember), moving to the patio furniture slip covers, then Danna's back porch (scroll down to see) and now on to fabric and more fabric. I'm loving summer!

I have a number of things in the works--and I'll show them all on here as I get them done. New techniques, inspiration from places like pinterest and craftgawker, middle-of-the-night genius moments.....felt, linen, embroidery floss, even flannel.....it's all comin' together.

If you've had a momentous occasion in your life in the past several months or have one upcoming and are wondering where your gift is, it's here. Or rather, it's on my sewing table. And it's going to be fabulous....just you wait....

Random Thoughts....

• It's a waste of time to use a hair straightener on a very humid day
• Chores don't go faster when a little voice is singing next to you constantly, but they are more fun
• I wish I could knit
• New lamps make me smile
• A pedicure is a gift to those around you
• Friends who listen and understand make my heart happy
• Those little jobs that seem insignificant do matter
• Fresh paint makes everything better
• 10% off is not a real sale
• I can only think of 3 books, besides my Bible, that I would read again and again (a star for you if you guess them!)
• Heaven is rejoicing again today at the arrival of a dear friend's Grammy
• Looking back is fun but we need to remember to look forward, too
• I love heat waves
• I can't resist Oreos so I don't buy them. How did a package get in my house?
• I love my family.

Birthday Palooza

This year's boy-birthday extravaganza was a little different than years' past (here,   here  here  here  here  here  for those of you who like to reminisce...) but no less celebratory.
I LOVE birthdays. Especially the birthdays of my children. I like thinking of new ways to decorate the house while they're sleeping, little surprises I can pull off, planning their favorite meals and making new cakes they'll (hopefully) love. I like having one day devoted to celebrating the life of that one precious gift from God--each with his or her own traits and talents, potential and yesterdays. I have been a bit (ok, a lot) nostalgic lately and perhaps even melancholy at just how fast time is going. I wish in some ways I could have a do-over, not necessarily because I think I did things wrong but just so I could do them again. I love being a mother--and particularly to these children (and adults). It was my dream when I was a little girl and I'm honored to get to live it.
So, on that note, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my 3 boys--gorgeous, funny, spoiled, talented, smart, considerate, nutty, arachnophobic, athletic, speedy, motivated, artistic, musical, and witty. I was going to let them choose which adjectives described them, but i think they all pretty much fit all of them.
Up first, Boy number 3:
Joshie kicked off his 8th birthday with a hike up Mt Sentinel to the "M" (see in picture below) with his dad. A tradition for our family to hike up there every time we visit Missoula and this was Joshua's first time. He was a pro, I've heard.

After the hike, they headed back to Danna's for lunch, cake, and presents, followed by a matinee of the movie Cars 2, followed by dinner at Tower Pizza (another visiting-Missoula tradition).

A few days after we got home, we celebrated Boy number 2's 17th big day:
Joshua and I were at Camp Tomahawk all day but Dad took the afternoon off work and he and Nick stopped by to say hello before heading to the gym to play some basketball (I know! Praise God!). After camp we met up at the house, cleaned up, and headed out to Olive Garden for dinner (no pics--bad blogging moment). Quick stop by Barnes & Noble afterwards, then headed home for dessert and presents.


 

the gift-giver was even more excited than the receiver, I think....



Strawberry Cake Delight for a strawberry lover (yellow cake, strawberry filling, chocolate sour-cream frosting)



oh, and this kid is going to be starting driver's ed soon!

Rounding out the birth anniversaries is Boy number 1. He actually played a gig in Chapel Hill on his birthday so we haven't gotten to celebrate with him. I've heard great stories of the party his girl and his friends threw for him and am looking forward to trying some of the famous grapefruit cake sometime! He is coming up to visit us soon and we will whoop it up then. Here's a picture just in case you are wondering what 22 looks like:

and also hanging with the cool guys and July birthdays, up next is Danna--I wonder what excitement she has planned for the big day! :)

The Porch Crew

What do you do with a houseful of burly men with energy and nothing to do? Give them a project!
My parents have a back porch that has been used for lots of things: barbecues, food storage in the cold months, wind chime concerts, and
birthday parties:


yep, that's Great-Grammy.

And there's Papa, overseeing the fun...

This spring Danna bought a little bistro set she wanted to put on her back porch to change it up a bit. I told her I would help her paint it and we would get it fixed up when I came to visit this summer. The guys had bigger plans and asked her if she would like to make some real changes to her porch. She thought about it for a little while then said she'd like to take down the back half-wall to open it up and extend the staircase.
Enter Eric.
He got his crew of ruffians and put them to work. There was some discussion that some of the "help" was less help and more work, but he was tolerant and they all broke a sweat. There were approximately 387 trips to Home Depot made in a 4-day period, nail guns burnt out, cement poured, and a dumpster filled with lumber and trash.

What my mom thought would just be a little change for her porch ended up being dramatic!
Here she is impersonating Scarlett O'Hara...

And here she is with her sons/work crew:



Back row: Dave, Jason, Danna, Mike--Front row: Eric the mastermind

After the construction crew left my mom and I set to work on beautifying the place. Stained the stairs, painted the floor and the pergola, put in the new furniture. Had some help putting together the new bench:

The porch has an entirely different look now--and as I type this, the house is being painted so it will look even better! There is a beautiful view of the hills behind the house, she can see the horses from her bench, and the chimes are still ringing.

Ruby decided it's her new favorite room.

I'm thinking we should print up some business cards and hire ourselves out. Something like Porch Awakenings.... We're free, of course. Except for the massive amounts of coffee we drink.

Camp Tomahawk

A hot, busy, super-fun week at Camp Tomahawk! Boom-chaka-laka-laka!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Back Home and Lots to Think About

The boys and I got home late last night after a long visit to Montana--2 weeks for them and 20 days for me. I've got so much going through my mind right now and it is going to take me some time to process it all enough to be able to write about it.
I have now been privileged enough to be a part of the final hours of two people I have loved. First was my grandmother, 9 years ago. I spent weeks helping my mother care for her and when I wasn't there for her last breath, it felt like I had missed the crossing of the finish line.
This time it was Ron, legally my step-father, but just as dear to me as a father. I wasn't there for the weeks leading up to his death, just the last 3 days, but had the honor of holding his hand as he breathed in his last breath. One night as I was giving him a sip of water he whispered to me, "I'm dying, you know." I will never forget those words or the moment in which he said them. I have played it over and over in my mind. I said to him simply, "I know," and held his hand, but I have wondered if I should have said something more, if I missed a chance to get a glimpse of the road he was travelling, if he needed me to comfort him.
I've been working, hard. Busy and focused, and on a mission. I needed to take care of my mom, to make sure everything was perfect for Ron's service, to not let anyone down.
But now I need to be quiet. To think and remember and contemplate.
I will try to write out what the last few weeks have been to me, a little at a time. Tonight I will leave you with two favorite pictures of mine, and lots of pictures of beautiful Montana. Stay tuned.

Psalm 31:14-15 "But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hands...."