Happy Birthday Papa Kent

This is my dad and his dad.

Today is his birthday.

He would be 65.

We miss him.

If I were...

If I were a gemstone, I would be an amethyst.

If I were a scent, I would be fresh lime squeeze.

If I were a pair of shoes, I would be the green boots from last weeks post.

If I were the weather, I would be a sunny summer day.

If I were a facial expression, I would be a crooked smile.

If I were a car, I would be a mini Cooper.

If I were a time of day, I would be sunset in the summer.

If were a month, I would be June.

If I were a place, I would be home.

If I were a liquid, I would be Dr pepper.

If I were a taste, I would be sweet/sour.

If I were a sea animal, I would be a starfish.

If I were a food, I would be an oatmeal cookie.

If I were a color, I would be orange.

If I were a musical instrument, I would be a fiddle.

If I were a flower, I would be a sweet william...or a pansy...or a daffodil...or a forget-me-not.

Can't choose just one.

If I were a song, I would be Rain in the Summertime by the Alarm.

If I were a planet, I would be Venus.

If I were an object, I would be a journal.

If I were a fruit, I would be a tangerine.

If I were a sound, I would be the ocean surf.

If I were a day of the week, I would be Sunday.

If I were a pattern, I would be polka dots.

more pictures

Here are a few more of the pictures we had taken last weekend.

They were taken by my friend, Shannon Hadden (check out her blog for more pictures).

Shannon and I grew up in the same ward.

She is a few years younger than I am, but has a brother that was my age.

She has been taking pictures of the kids since Summer was a baby.

She worked at Kiddie Kandids for years.

Now she has her own professional photography business.

She lives in Lehi, but I found this great location that is just a hop, skip, and a jump from my house and so Shannon came down and spent the afternoon snapping photos of my family.

She has so much experience with taking pictures with kids, it's almost like she is magic.

She was great with Cole, he kept telling her that she was funny.

I think she did a fantastic job, and I think my kids are kinda cute.

Guess what we did this weekend?

Click:

family pictures.

I want a pair of these:

We've got a big problem on our hands...

yep. It's Rick. His head is getting too big.

First, let me say that Rick NEVER talks about work. In the 3 1/2 years that he has been at his current job he has only talked about work 2 times that I can remember. I will ask him about his day/night every single time he comes home from work. Now, this is a good thing because of that patient/doctor confidentiality thing. But if you happen to see my husband at work, rest assured that he will NOT come home and tell me how much you weigh or anything. He won't even tell me if he should happen to run into you in the cafeteria. EVER.

But, tonight was different. He came in the door with a grin on his face. I asked him how work was (Friday night). He answered, "Busy". But he was still glowing. I gave him a questioning look and without much prodding he shared a work story with me.

He had a patient waiting for him in a room. They were from the town in which I was born. When the nurse came out of the room she voiced to Rick the concern that the patient had...

He looked too young to be a real doctor.

Are you kidding me? He was practically the oldest guy in his class in medical school.

And the problem is that people have been telling him this for 10 years.

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Unless it is your birthday, then Happy Birthday.

I can't believe I did this...

I have fought the urge for years. I just do not have time for yet another time consuming craft. But I did it today...

I bought some knitting needles. I am learning how to knit. Sierra and I. Thanks to YouTube.

Book Report

I finished The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown last week. It was OK. Not my favorite Dan Brown book. I almost didn't finish it, but I feel so guilty for the time already invested that I hate to quit reading a book when I'm only half way even if it isn't that great of a book. I think there was too much hype for this book. I think Dan Brown should retire and just enjoy his royalties off of his books that have been made into movies and just call it good.

Summer has started reading the Hunger Games books. She started with the first one about 3 days ago. She wasn't reading her literature book so I locked her in her room and told her not to come out until she was finished with The Hunger Games. She came out a few hours later with droopy eyes. Then I told her she couldn't start the second book, Catching Fire, until she had complete her literature book. It's some boring, medieval book that she can't stand. It is driving her crazy trying to finish it this weekend so that she can get back to Catching Fire.

(ps. Audrey, can I be first in line to borrow this book?)

Sierra is reading Fablehaven. She is on the second book and is trying to finish the next 2 before the last one comes out at the end of the month. She really wants me to read those books. I think I will give them a try.

This is on my nightstand right now, too. I love this book. I can just open it up and read a chapter and learn something every time.

here comes the bride...

Summer had a YW's activity that she was helping with. The topic was Temple marriage. They had a guest speaker come and talk about courtship and marriage. Then they played one of those games that we all hate at bridal showers--they made wedding gowns out of TP.

(As a side note...Summer thought this was not environmentally friendly and felt a lot of pressure to bring the wasted TP home...to recycle, not to use)

Anyhooo, Summer had to do the refreshments and decided to make a wedding cake. I told her she could do what she wanted with anything I had on hand, however, I was not going to go to the store to make any purchases. She currently has issues with the storage room since we have some uninvited guests residing there so she chose to make a cake from scratch with the supplies that were already in the kitchen. She did it all by herself while I was at the gym. It did take me longer to clean the kitchen when I got home than it did to do my workout.

We looked on the Wilton Cake website for some ideas and frosting recipes. That's a dangerous website if you ask me. They make it all look so cute and easy. And they don't show the messy kitchen required to achieve the desired results.

This is Summer and the messy kitchen. We took marshmallows and cut them with scissors to make little white petals. Summer went door to door in the neighborhood until she found someone to donate those little silver beads to use for the center of the flowers.

Summer wanted one of those bride and groom cake toppers. I considered taking her to DI to find something that would go on the top of the cake. But, I knew Summer to well and remembered that she would still spend $25 on other things that she "really needed". So, I told her to use her imagination for the cake topper. She went down to the basement and created this little peg bride and groom. I thought it was quite creative. She made me lock them up in the safe to save for her wedding cake when she gets married. Nice.

It isn't showcased too well in the pictures, but the cake stand was really a project from a few months ago. We picked up some plates and candle holders at DI and the girls glued them together to make some cake stands.

More Newborn Kit info...

I found this story on the LDS website this morning as I was looking for more specific information on the diapers for the newborn kits...

Members around the world give time, resources, and love to assemble newborn kits for distribution by Church Humanitarian Services to those in need. Those who assemble them do not know where the kits will be delivered, but hope that they will meet the needs of someone somewhere in the world.

This is the story of how one of those newborn kits filled an unexpected need in an unexpected way.

Verlene Scott, a senior missionary in the Kenya Nairobi Mission, tells the story of Veronica, the mother of Glen, a one-year-old boy who died from complications of malaria.

Veronica asked Sister Scott if she would dress the baby for the funeral. She wanted him dressed in white. Sister Scott didn’t know where she would get white clothing the right size by the next day, but felt moved to agree.

Sister Scott returned to her home and felt like she should look through the newborn kits she had received to distribute as part of her work, even though she was sure the clothing would be too small for a one-year-old. A search through many of the kits turned up nothing she could use. Then she spotted a beautiful white handmade gown.

“It was a long gown and had handmade white booties,” she said. “I knew it would be just perfect.”

The next day Sister Scott dressed Glen. She said the gown seemed to have been made for him. “We tied up the little white ribbons in front and put on the white booties. He looked like a little angel. I said a silent prayer to thank the hands that made that special newborn gown. I wished that I could find the sister and let her know what a blessing that white gown and white booties were to this family,” she explained.

The services were touching, and Veronica’s father, not a member of the Church, expressed appreciation that Church members would help his family.

“The baby’s burial clothes were a testimony to me that our Heavenly Father is working through many souls to accomplish what needs to be done,” Sister Scott said. “We can be instruments in His hands, and many are. I don’t know which ward or branch that newborn kit came from, but it needed to be here in Africa this week for Glen.”

by the way, this is what I found out about the diapers:

They need to be 100 % diaper flannel or Birdseye cloth. 25 x 27 inches. NOT pre-fold. They come in a 12 pack like

the one below for $11.00 at Walmart. I'm sure that I cold buy a bolt of the the flannel and make them for less, but I am working on the blankets right now, so I am OK buying the diapers. (there are 2 types--pre-fold & flat. they want flat)

I also read that you can buy them at Babies R Us.

Newborn Kits Update...

(For more information on this project look here)

This is the view of my entry way right now. Things are piling up--in a good way!

There are close to 30 newborn gowns (still need about 10).

4 completed blankets (still need 36).

36 diapers (still need 124).

The pink bag on the right is full of soap. (still need a lot)

Need lots of diaper pins and 40 booties/socks.

I went to JoAnn's today. Somebody should just shoot me. It was crazy mad. Their flannel was on sale for 1.49 a yard. That was almost 75% off. They only sell flannel that cheap once a year and it is usually the day of Thanksgiving. So, what did I do? I bought some flannel. I picked 2 boyish patterns and 2 girlish patterns.

I only had to wait for about 50 minutes to get the fabric CUT. This should be enough flannel for about 14 blankets. I felt like such a dang sewing pro, walking out of JoAnn's having purchased fabric by the bolt. But my arms were shaking from standing there holding it for 50 minutes before they called my number to "cut" my fabric.

This crab pattern was my favorite...a girl in line in front of me was purchasing some. when she was done I asked her if I could have the rest of the bolt. It was just over a yard. I wish there had been more. It was brand new in the store this morning and I bought the very last of it.

The only trouble with the patterns we chose is that I love them and once we get the blankets made I will be in love with them and I will not want to give them away.

I think I will go back later this week and get some more flannel. At 1.49 a yard, I can make a blanket for just over $3. If anyone wants to sew blankets together, let me know.

Project # 43298.2

I was planning on making a quilt for each of the kids. Cole's was first because his cold toes in my bed were keeping me awake at night. Next up is Sierra because she is the "Squeeze Child". I didn't want to save hers until last because then she would have issues and I'd have to explain to the therapist why I made her quilt last when she clearly should have her quilt in the middle because she is the middle child. So, for Sierra's quilt I asked her what colors she wanted and she said she didn't care (that is sooo Sierra). Her bedroom walls are blue. Not baby blue, more of a Colonial Blue according to the label on the paint can. But I wanted the quilt to be a bit girly so we dug through the stash of fabric and came up with these colors. She really liked the multicolored floral in the middle/bottom of the picture. Because it had blue and matched the color of her walls and because there is 2 yards of that fabric, I went with the floral. I found colors to match from the stash. I had some yellow left over from Cole's quilt. I was trying to pull some pinks into it. They don't all match in real life.

What do you think?

Sierra can crochet

Sierra has been learning how to crochet. For a while she made lots and lots and lots of flowers (like the ones on the sides of these slippers).

Then she moved on to a more complicate project.

The only problem is that they are not EXACTLY the same size.

Maybe our next step should be learning to actually read crochet patterns (which by the way is something I did not learn to do until just a few years ago, thanks to Laura Lyon).

photo of the day

I wish I were 4 years old.

And that I had blonde hair.

birthday gift from Mom

Isn't this the cutest?

This is a picture of my mom and dad. Ever since I can remember I have wanted to get a copy of these pictures. Especially the one of my dad since he died. Well, my mom made me a copy and framed them and gave them to me on my birthday. I put them on the wall where I already had a nail and had taken down a Christmas decoration. I need to find a better spot. I have something in mind but it will take some paint, and a few more nails. It's on my list of things to do!

Me, My Mom, and some cake

I wish we had gotten a close up of this cake. When my mom walked in the door with it I thought for sure she had gotten it from the bakery. It was so cute with the cupcakes around the bottom. I am pretty easy to please when it comes to birthday cakes. I love strawberry or cherry chip cake mixes. MY FAVORITE!! I also like angel food cake. And I am usually not a big fan of ice cream, but I do like it with my birthday cake. Especially a little chocolate vanilla twice soft serve right on top of my cake.

I think I have the record for the number of birthdays celebrated at Arctic Circle.

**Mom, do you still have the pictures of me having a party at AC. with Steph, Health, Jason. I think I was about 5 and the booths were red and the lights were those wagon wheel things. And we were wearing those flat top foam hats with red and white stripes?

Cole's Quilt

This is Cole's Quilt on the floor in the entry way after I had sewn the binding on the front, but before I had it sewn onto the back. I think Sierra liked it more than Cole at this point. When I did the machine quilting, I sewed some pictures and words and names into the design. Sierra loves to sit on the quilt and look for her name.

Back in December (18th or so) when I started this quilt, I ran into a couple of my neighbors at the fabric store. They were choosing fabric for a Christmas project. We were laughing at how silly it was to start a project a week before Christmas. I joked that I doubted I would get this quilt finished before March and by that time it would be warmer and too late to keep my little guys toes warm on those snowy winter nights.

Well, I finished sewing on the binding on Sunday night during the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics. I got the kiddos into bed and threw the quilt in the washing machine on hot.

Then into the dryer to shrink it up all nice and crinkley. I hopped into bed to read for a while and wait for Rick to get home from work. Just before midnight the dryer beeped and I got out of bed to check the quilt. It looked great and it was nice and warm. So, I tip toed into Cole's room and placed it on him and tucked it in all nice and neat.

I was so proud of myself for finishing up his quilt before March 1. (barely)

When he woke up the next morning he said, "I didn't know you tucked me in with my new blanket." He wasn't too hip on the new quilt idea, but when he saw that he could have a quilt AND his old tractor blanket at the same time, he was pretty pleased with his new set up. And I think it looks great with his bed and his walls.