Lifes little pleasures

Fall Decor

2010-09-12T18:37:00.003-06:00

Tweaked a few things around the house this week in anticipation of fall...It's getting cooler here and I think the colors in my house make fall "look good"... So a few colorful changes here and there.Gourds in the living room cabinet... I also put some jute around the candles and other things here and there in an attempt to clone pottery barn. Coco made fun of me and then asked if I had any left over...
pumpkins in the dining room hutch...now take a look in the corner there...who do you see? Yes its a Buddha head. I've actually been looking for a white Buddha head for some time now, and where did I find him? DI for $3....ha booyah
Entry table...pumpkins and fall jewels... I should mention that all the fall things you see were acquired at the Dollar Store... Even the ceramic pumpkins..
Glass pumpkins and a vintage painting in fall colors....I love these bird paintings, There is one for every season...LOVE!
And a cloche...I actually am going to use this piece for a light fixture I'm going to make but for now I love it on the table. Speaking of the table...this is the old end table I've used for years and I wanted to paint it a do a pattern on it. I was shooting for a harlequin pattern but ended up with lattice somehow...I am trying to see if I can live with it but I think I'm going to repaint it eventually...It's a bit much for me I think...

Anyway this is my ode to fall...I love the season now until Christmas...then I'm over it :(

Projects and pics...

2010-09-05T19:06:00.003-06:00

Seems like all I do is post pics, but when a picture paints a thousand words... why not..(cleaver, no?)

So I just posted this one cause Coupe is so dang cute ! Nicest dog ever :)
I was working on the girls chairs and she likes to be in on the action as much as possible. You see Meagans fabric to your left bottom...
Sorry about the random order...I really try to figure out how to post the pics in order but I always miss it by one or two...anyhoo I just wanted to show how Meagans $5 yard sale chandelier turned out after a little paint. She hung it in her entryway.
I've been trying to change up my bedding lately and after changing out the duvet I decided it needed a pillow to finish it off. I made the orange pillow and even figured out how to do the rosette...I thought it turned out pretty good for me anyway..
I was looking for a new tv table for the upstairs and came across this turn of the century game table for $25 at a garage sale. It has a leather top and teeny tiny wheels on the legs! (that's my favorite part) I haven't decided whether to paint or leave it wood but I'll live with it for awhile to see...
Again this is in the wrong order...but this in the seat to coco's dining room chair...LOVE the fabric don't you?
I'm trying to get a whole flower on each seat as well as the backs and it's really eating up the fabric... (it wasn't cheap fabric :(
This is what her chair looked like before..and while I'm not done with them this is the teaser...are you teased?
Here is meagan painting her chairs...She has a black and white kitchen so her chairs are black with a white and black graphic fabric
Callin got in (roped) on the action as well...
out of order...I painted a side table I found on ksl.com for $15...the wood were mismatched so it demanded a painting...I went with a light ice blue then aged it and glazed it the stenciled it...fun and I learned what to do and what no to do...!
the table before
One of my most recent projects was this chandelier I found at DI for $5...I've been looking for a light for a long time. I really wanted to buy one on overstock for $185 but my checking account said no, so I was very happy when I found this one!
A little white paint, some bulbs and I LOVE.... I will add crystals later and it will be perfect! for a savings of $175 anyways...
Future up coming project. These are panels from Ballards for $100 each panel...I think some linen and stencils and it can be recreated...in theory...

Sooo many summer pics...

2010-08-18T21:01:00.007-06:00

Ok so this post is just a bunch of pics in no particular order. First I purchased an ottoman at DI for $5. Figured it was cheap enough and small enough that I could give it a go...well it came and went. It was harder than I thought. Made several mistakes and may end up redoing it in another fabric but I learned...
I took it apart and used the old fabric for a pattern...just like all the blogs told me to do... Not so much :(
I used burlap which might have been my first mistake...scratchy and messy. Anyhoo, moving on
The fam all went to Lava Hot Springs for a weekend this summer. Callin and Blaine tried to fish on the river we were camped by.
Kasey doing a backflip off the platform...
Chase jumping...
Blaine caught dinner....delicious
This is my sister Tami. We made a trip to Virginia to see her daughter Jenni and to decorate her place....eating, decorating and laughing pretty much sums up our trip.
Dinner and movie all at the same time...Tami modeling for Dr. Pepper
Jenni's rock star mirror! Yes I'm taking credit for that find
Just a view of the living room in process
Trip to the Yankee Candle store...where is Afton's hand going?
Yummy dinner
so exhausted I couldn't even get them to smile
we took naps whenever we could...did I mention tons of shopping...tons

So this was pretty much my summer...and all in all it was pretty fun...now on to Round-up!!

Yee Haw

Thrifty Finds and lots of pics...

2010-08-15T20:35:00.003-06:00

I had a terrific week thrifting. Between DI and garage sales I found some fun things. So for no other reason than my own amusement, here they are...
Silver Bowl I found at a fun garage sale and the cat tails for fall...at the Dollar Store
Silver Tray at DI...love it
I like these prints and I think I'll do something different with them eventually but for now I like them as is...
Remember coco's light? Before
During....
And After....She loves it and it was exactly what her room needed!
Fabric I found for 50% off
And made this! so much brighter than before
I thought this was a sheet and I was going to buy it for the fabric then it turned out to be a duvet and shams...I wanted to brighten my bedroom and this does the trick for a mere $10 (garage sale)The bed all made up...
Blaine messing it up...all cozy with the butterflies
And last but not least my blue vase find. Loved the color and shape...no idea what I'll do with it yet but it will come to me... Until next Saturday morning :) where I'll be looking for a chandelier and end tables...(hoping anyway)

All about Thrifting...

2010-08-13T15:51:00.003-06:00

If you have a few spare minutes...I mean hours take a look at some of the links I've posted on the right side of my blog. The family friends and fun stuff site. There is alot of good ideas out there on how to decorate on the cheap... and arent we all cheap...at heart :)

Seriously, you'll get hooked and then want to go garage sale-ing with me

lighting options for the $$ challanged...

2010-08-08T21:26:00.004-06:00

This is an idea I want to do....what I really mean is I have to try it...Courtney's mom in law gave her this chandelier and Courtney desperately needs a light for over her dining room table but alas money is always an issue and while the light has good shape, it's kind of , how you say...boring. So We got the idea to paint it....see the before and after of another painted light fixture...
My new obsession...isn't the before and after soooo cool. I'll post pics of coco's after we do it...maybe at the same time I'm recovering her two chairs and Meagan's 4 chairs...hmmmm

Love....What do you have laying around your house that needs some paint love?

I do love me some good Signage...

2010-08-05T18:20:00.004-06:00

i love garage sales. The girls and I will get up early, grab some Micky D's and head off to find good "signage" you know... The ones that easily lead you to the desired yard sale.

I had a goal in mind...I wanted a chair that I could recover all by myself. The idea is to start small and gain enough confidence to one day tackle my chairs in the living room. So here we have the first victim..I didn't get a good before pic but you get the idea below. It was a cute retro orange chair for $2...yes $2! I thought it had cute lines and it was MINE!

You'll notice the padding in the next two pictures...When I took the fabric off the padding just fell apart..into dust actually...gross

so I vacuumed it up and had to replace the padding and used batting on top of that. worked out pretty good.
A little fabric and some spray paint and Ta Daaa...a cute slightly updated bedroom chair for my friend's daughter. She is decorating her bedroom in black, white and green...Cute no?
Side View
And again...
Meet Betsy!!! Betsy was my surprise find at a garage sale in Orem. She is a 1958 Singer industrial machine that will sew heavy fabrics and even leather. That way I don't have to ruin my good machine cause betsy is one tough ole bird. Did I mention she was only $20 and I found some on ebay for $178...Nice
Here is my next project...Two of these for Coco and 4 others for Meagan....hmmmmm what have I gotten myself into?

The Vintage Barn sale/ Roadtrip...

2010-07-12T20:40:00.002-06:00

Last weekend my friend Julie and I set out for a roadtrip...ie..julie needed company and I came along to help drive... Destination, Coeur D' Alene Idaho. Ok who knew that this part of the country was so beautiful? Everyone but me I guess cause it's quite the tourist destination. 10 1/2 hours of driving but the drive through Montana and Northern Idaho was fantastic. I want to live there ....Seriously

Anyways...The reason for going to Coeur D' Alene was to go to an Antique show called "The Vintage Barn" I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was very fun...Great Stuff...very vintage and handmade, rustic...come up with an adjective and it was at the show.... Inspiring...I feel the need to get back to my sewing and be creative again...
Here we are in front of "Pinky" getting our picture taken...Our picture is supposed to make her blog...sooo i guess that makes us famous
Oh and I thought I should re-introduce you to my teenage daughter Courtney...she's now my youngest child :)

Blessings vs Gratitude...

2010-06-06T18:27:00.003-06:00

Have you noticed how everyone always talks about how "blessed" they are. "oh I'm so blessed" or "yes we're blessed to have (fill in blank). It seems to be the popular thing to say but comes off as boastful? We hear this among the rich and famous. but I also hear it from regular people like you and me. Yes it's true...they are blessed, but aren't we all? I'm not rich and famous but I realize and acknowledge the blessings in my life. Count your many blessings name them one by one and all that.

But where does gratitude come in for those blessings? Why not say "I'm so grateful for my home and career, talent, children etc, or " I feel so much gratitude to God for (again fill in the blanks)

That sounds so much more humble doesn't it? Gratitude is the acknowledgement that everything we have, everything that means anything to us, comes from above.

So please...for my sake, stop bragging I mean telling everyone how blessed your are, and start telling everyone how grateful you are. We'll start a new trend!! I'd be ever so grateful :)

Holiday Pics of the Fam...

2010-06-03T20:29:00.005-06:00

So I decided to go to Oregon for Memorial Weekend to see the Folks and to get away for awhile, but wasn't really looking forward to driving the 8 hours by myself. I asked my girls to go with me...Coco had other obligations so Meagan decided to go and she invited her husband, Callin, which was great cause " I DIDN'T HAVE TO DRIVE"!! No not even for a moment. In fact I slept all the way there and pretty much all the way home. Niiiicccceeeee.

My brother Mark and cute nephew Matthew came up from Arizona and we also got to see Kerri and Gary. (above pic...sorry about the profile pic sis but it was all I had :)
Here we have Matthew intently listening to all of Grandpa's words of wisdom....wait...maybe he's just wondering what in the world dad is saying.
The first day Mark came he ran out to buy Mom and Dad a flat screen, wall mounted TV. This pic is Mark and Callin trying to figure out how to mount the TV on the wall...luckily for Mark, Callin has put a couple of these up already...Pretty slick system...Can you believe I didn't get a pic of the TV? (i have issues with remembering)
Do you see how excited Tami is for the TV? She can barely wait to take over the remote.
Notice the lamps and pics above the couch? Mom Tami and I went to a new boutique in town and she fell in love. ( I have already called dibbs on the lamps) just putting it out there....
And a sneak photo of Fat Cat....He's the reason for the holiday weekend...Thanks for serving this great county Dad! It was a good weekend with lots of family ...which I am rather fond of :)

May Events and Happenings....

2010-05-20T19:37:00.003-06:00

So there are always a lot of things going on in May for our family. I forget to take pictures of most of them but I did manage a few pics here and there. Here we have Chase above with a lit cupcake in his hand (watch out for your curly locks Callin). We had a dinner for he and his Grandma Thayn who also has a May birthday.
Can you all believe that this cute baby is the afore mentioned 22 year old man?
Here we have Granny Thayn blowing out her cake...No idea how many candles there should have been on that cake...not asking...
Then there was Mother's day and the girls wanted to do pedicures. That of course is Meagan and you can also see Coco's toes...I love pedi's!
And so does Coco. Can't you tell by the look on her face?
Then Meagan, Callin and Coco took me my PF Changs for dinner. Oh man... I'm still drooling over the honey shrimp with honeydew and candied walnuts. Sooooo Goood
Courtney is giving the thumbs up because she got her vegetarian lettuce wraps for free. The first dish they brought her were chicken, so we ate those "on the house" and they brought out new ones for her "on the house.... We love that house!
I'd forgotten how good PF's was...going again soon..
The very next night Blaine took me to Red Robin and Robin Hood the movie. (is there a theme here). I do love dinner and a movie, one of my favorite activities... then the kids made me two cakes...(I don't think they talked to each other :)
Did I mention that Tyler had a birthday in there also. Did I mention that the masked man is Tyler. Coco is feeding him cake in the mask....don't ask....

We took the boys to Ironman 2 for their birthday's....so all in all it's been a lot of birthday's, mother's day's... movies and eating....All the things I like to do the most :)

Thank You Family for being so supercalifrigginawesome!

My Mother's Day Wish list...

2010-04-18T20:08:00.005-06:00

Well it's that time of year again. Where our husband's and children feel obligated to honor us for our many hours/ hard labor that is" motherhood". I for one am all about this...so just to help them out and get cool gifts that I've been eying, I thought I'd come up with a list of possible gifts that might trigger their little imaginations. After all...that's what mom's do, make life easier for our loved ones. So here goes...

1. A Kindle. You know those electronic books that hold about 1 million books....My sister's kids loved her enough to get her one sooooooo.

2. A small and skinny digital camera. I do have my iphone camera but I'd like one with zoom and video etc.

3. Diamonds....but that's been on my list for 27 years.

4. I love white pottery

5. A new lamp bulb for our big screen TV that our wonderful son in law gave to us.

6. Diamonds...wait I already said that

7. Flower pots...all of my terra cotta pots broke over the winter

well that should take care of mother's day...now my birthday is a week later....I'll have to think about that list :)

Just one more task that we "mothers" do. List making!

(yes I'm holding my breath)

Updated Again

2010-03-25T20:09:00.002-06:00

Hypnotized or Just having too much fun?

2010-03-24T20:09:00.003-06:00

Kasey and some friends went to a hypnotist last weekend and he claims that he went under. I however have my doubts :) Kasey is the one in the middle with the black sweatshirt and his head back. Looks like an unnatural position doesn't it?
But wait...then there is this position... hmmmm
This is Kasey A.K.A Michael Jackson. bustin a move
Not even sure what's going on here...
Yes...it's feet touching time. ewwww

So now you can see why I'm a little skeptical as to whether he was really put under or just having a little too much fun. :)

Driving, Shopping and Painting...

2010-03-24T16:11:00.002-06:00

That's what I did this weekend...Driving, (well riding really) in the backseat of my niece's car with a book and a dew...to Oregon. Was a pretty nice way to go actually. Anytime you want me to ride in your back seat Afton and Michael, you just let me know :) So just some random pics to highlight my time with the folks.

Above you see Dad watching New Moon with Mom and I :) He loved it!!
Here we have Mom sporting her cool shades. She claims the light bothers her eyes but I think she's just trying to boost her image.
Mom and Dad watching New Moon. He wakes every 5 or 10 minutes :)
Whenever I go home I ask Mom if there is anything I can do while I'm there. This go round she wanted me to paint a stove she had gotten from a rusty white to this almond color. It was a messy job but she liked the result so she was happy. And a shout out to WD 40. We used it to clean the stainless steel and it worked great! So the above pic is the finished oven.
Here we have me using WD for the finishing touches.
Here is Afton using divot (dog) as an excuse to not help with the oven...jk
The oven in process...spray painting in the house is never a good idea by the way :( Lot's of clean up...
Saturday was a girls day out. Shopping all day long. Here we have Afton and Tami at the restaurant where we are trying to replenish ourselves for another go round of shops.
Sister Kerri telling mother some important story...by the look of it.

We had a very successful shopping day and I did not spend a dime :) I did however dress Kerri, Tami and Afton, which I find as satisfying as buying stuff for myself...(almost:)

Good Weekend...feeling rejuvinated

Silver Lining...

2010-03-10T20:03:00.003-07:00

They say there is always a silver lining in the cloud cover...I think I see a glimpse of it...

Light at the end of the proverbial tunnel..whew

Courtney's new house and helpers

2010-02-27T10:41:00.001-07:00

So Courtney and Tyler bought a home in December and we have slowly been bringing order from chaos. It's a cute fixer upper that when it's done will be stunning. It has three bedrooms, wood floors, good size dining room and a great backyard. Their little rat by the name of Tobin, (dog) loves his new digs. Courtney is hosting a baby shower for a friend today so last night Meagan, Callin and myself went to their house to help organize things a bit more. Easier said than done when your house is under construction :) So since Tyler has recently had back surgery and can't lift yet...he ordered us dinner and played some video games... :)
Here we have Meagan watching Courtney work...she did sweep! I was taking pictures of Meagan watching Courtney work...worked out nice for Meg and I
This is a picture of the dining room. Callin had just hung the curtains for the back sliding glass doors. We took a lot of equipment and tools out of the room and it looked so much bigger!
Here is Courtney working while Meg and I are watching. The former owners covered all these wood floors with carpet so she's taking up the tack strip. Why cover wood floors?

Below we have Meagan and Callin hanging the curtains . I have to say that Callin is a pretty handy guy to have around. I think Tyler is officially in love with him :)

I love that my girls both have homes to settle into. It's been fun helping them come up with ideas for their homes and make curtains and pillows and paint.

Oh and Thanks for the T.V Tyler!

Random Pictures...

2010-02-16T19:41:00.003-07:00

I saw this table in a magazine and loved it. I think I can do this to my end tables in the living room. Don't you love it!! I just don't want it to be too silver if you know what I mean, more of a tarnished silver...so I'm thinking how to accomplish this...any ideas?
So this is a quilt I'm working on for Nicki who is having a baby boy in May...Not done but should be soon. I know her colors are tan and brown but I felt the need to spice things up a bit and went with green and brown and orange. You can't see it but the prints are so cute. I had fun picking out the fabrics :) It is mostly about me you know...
And these are the flowers I got for Valentines Day this year. I love the orange color and think they look really good in my dining room. Guess once these die I'll have to get some silk ones to throw in the vase...

Fun Times in the ER...

2010-02-16T19:23:00.002-07:00

So guess where we were this morning? yup the local ER. Blaine has been having acid reflux issues off and on for quite a while now and it all came to a head this morning. He drove himself to the ER and because I work at the hospital I met him there. He was in so much pain...almost delirious with pain. Did I mention that he is not a nice patient? When the nurse wanted him to put the gown on and lay down so she could put in the IV, he started yelling at her and told her "this is ridiculous"!I could put an IV in someone standing on my head if I had to". I didn't know what to say to this outburst...so I just smiled at the nurse and said he wasn't usually like this :) Anyway the Dr. looked at him and thought it was his acid reflux and gave him some pain meds and a reflux medication. He's been pretty loopy today but at least he's been nicer :)

Wedding Days...

2010-01-03T20:06:00.004-07:00

Well here we are...post wedding. Interesting place to be...much relieved, happy and much relieved :) Several of my family members could not be there for a variety of reasons so this post is mostly for them. We had carmel apples at the reception and my sister in law Nancy volunteered to do the apples. She is an apple wizard! I came over to do any grunt work I could to make it easier on her but she had me dipping and drying and stirring right along side. I think I could actually make them by myself if I ever wanted to...(not sure I would want to cause it was a long process) but they turned out soooo good. I've never eaten so much caramel in one sitting.
My feet were so tired that day from hours of apple making that when Meagan suggested getting a pedi I jumped at the chance. She needed cute toes and nail for the pictures.
So here we are on the actual wedding day. We are waiting for Blaine to gas up the truck and it's getting pretty close to the wire. We were a little worried.
Here are the girls outside of the temple.
I don't know...I just don't know what to say about this picture but he kept doing the same thing over and over so I just went with it.
Girls in the truck on the way to the temple.
And finally...here they come, legally Man and Wife... First part of the day is done. Now on to the rest...
Just a few snapshots of the reception. We had a wonderful dinner right after the temple and then had 1 hour to get ready for the reception. whew...we were still lighting candles when the first guests arrived, but we got er done! Here is a picture of the apple...which were the hit of the night by the way!
The flower arrangements on the tables. We loved the way they turned out...looked like snowballs for our winter wonderland theme.
Apothecary jars with candy.
And the baddest boys in town....along with their mother.

There are more pictures to come. These are just a few I took with my iphone. But it really was a great day. The ceremony was wonderful. We had a great turnout at the reception/mission reunion :) And I can't wait to see the real pictures. I need to thank Nancy, Julie, Afton and Jenny/Syd for helping so much before, during and after the reception. I don't think I could have asked for a better day for Meagan and Callin.

Bring on 2010!!

2009-12-31T20:17:00.002-07:00

I have to say I did not love 2009 or at least that is my gut reaction when I look back on this year. It was just a difficult year in general. And the things I wanted to come about, just didn't.

But...and you know there has to be a but...If I look back at this year with different eyes...spiritual eyes, this has been a year of amazing blessings for our family. How remiss I would be if I didn't recognize and acknowledge that fact

I'm still hoping for better things in 2o1o but have to look back at 09 with bittersweet memories... and I'm grateful for each one of them.

Merry Christmas...One and All!

2009-12-25T14:58:00.008-07:00

We hope you all had a Very Merry Christmas 2009 and look forward with faith to 2010.

Seems as though I've been posting a lot of pictures the last few posts but with everything going on like showers, receptions, trips, Christmas and what not, pictures say it best. So here we go.

Elaine and Gael stopped by with presents and good cheer.

Elaine did these paintings for us. The colors are perfect for our house and we hung them in the entry way..I love them.
She also did this picture for Blaine. Do you recognize this lil sneak...yes it's Coupe wanting those Oreo's. This was an actual picture of her that Blaine took when he was eating cookies and not sharing like she wanted. Cute

Coco just got a new Coco machine for Christmas. We made good Hot Chocolate with that..

here we have Kasey above wearing his new shirt and new snowboard pants and new beanie. He looks intelligent here doesn't he?
Here is Kasey doing the dinner dishes...Looks like the other boys escaped quickly.
Coco eating her breakfast.
And here wearing her new scarf.
Chase and Kasey waiting for the next present...
Here we have Blaine putting together his present from Tyler and Courtney. A New Vacuum!!

They gave it to him/us and said he had to do all the vacuuming from now on. Wow, I think that was a present for me!
And finally, Chase showing his new video game... So we all had a very good Christmas and hope you all did too remembering the greatest gift of all. Our Savior

My first International Trip!

2009-12-24T16:51:00.004-07:00

Well, I've had my passport for quite awhile now and have not had an opportunity to use it until our trip to Canada. Not exactly the international trip I had been imagining....but I'll take what I can get. The above picture is of the border crossing into Canada. There was a lot of worry and speculation as to whether we'd get searched etc. But all in all it was pretty uneventful. They asked us why in the world we'd cross into Canada at this time of year....just kidding.
We are making sure Blaine has his passport and he did. (because I kept it)
This is a picture of a very cool hotel in a town called Banff. It was huge and sort of mid-evil looking. I imagine it was beautiful inside cause it was beautiful outside. Picture does not do it justice.
This is the main street of Banff. Reminded me a lot of Park City. There are several Ski resorts around this area and lots of tourist shops. Was kind of fun and kind of cold!
The surrounding mountains were beautiful. They are part of the Rockies but reminded me of the Yosemite Mountains because they were just so big.
We stopped and had lunch at this little pub/restaurant and we were trying to take pictures for Courtney since she couldn't come. (couldn't find her passport) I know...lame right? I guess I didn't know what to do with my hands here.
Couldn't resist taking a picture with this Canadian Moose.
Here we have the bride and groom giving Courtney the signal that they were thinking of her...It was pre-arranged signal...the peace sign.

So this was the my first trip out of the country. I have to say I was a little relieved to cross back into the states. Not sure why, but at least my cash was worth something is the good ole USA.

Canada's Calling Reception..

2009-12-21T19:41:00.005-07:00

Well we have survived one pre-wedding reception with one post-wedding reception to go. Meagan and Callin had their Canada reception on December 19th. Yes yes...they are not married yet, and in fact won't be married until January 2nd. But Callin can't cross the border after they get married until his visa status is changed so...if you marry an alien i.e. Canadian, you have a pre-wedding reception. ( jk on the alien part)

So just a brief run down on what it was like. First off, there was a lot more snow up there and Meagan had to wear her boots to the reception.
Here we have Dad to the rescue...fixing Meagan's bracelet
The lake that surrounds the clubhouse is frozen and here you see kids playing hockey on the lake.
The outside of the beach house. Just about every pine tree on the property was lit up. Very pretty.
This is an ice skating rink with a bon fire in the middle of it. I wanted Meagan and Callin to get pictures out there, but that idea was nixed for some reason. ;)
They served Cinnamon Buns (not rolls) and Hot Chocolate.
Just another view of the room.
Here we have the Laytons. Sheila, Granny T, Callin, Meagan and Blaire. Callins parents and Granny.

No Pictures of Blaine and I yet because I was taking pics rather than being in them.

Thanks to the Laytons for making it such a wonderful Night for Meagan and Callin.

Funny thing is that after all this...They're still not married...ha Soon...

2009-12-15T18:59:00.002-07:00

I am humbled by the blessings that come from above. Never imagined them coming in the form they have, and honestly , wouldn't have asked for it in the way they transpired...but humbled just the same.

It's much easier to be the giver than the receiver...

2nd Annual Henson, Thayn Christmas Party Report!!

2009-12-12T21:17:00.004-07:00

Ok this picture has nothing to do with the Christmas Party, but it's so dang cute I had to post it. Bambi and Thumper come to mind?
So this year the party theme was pajama party and breakfast for dinner. We had great food thanks to Elaine and we were all cozy and comfy in our pj's and slippers :) We bring a white elephant gift to exchange and as you can see from the picture above, these longhorn horns were the big hit of the night! Much sought after...
Here are Mr. and Mrs. Clause A.K.A Elaine and Gael. They were the coordinators of the party and thanks to them it was fun.
Meagan got her favorite gift of the season.....wait for it....a coloring book!!!
Coco and Tyler got a dryer vent set, which they actually needed for their new house :)
Here they are again...
Brock picked a "Christmas Story" lamp. It was a major award!
Now you have to look close to the boys up top...this is carrying brotherly love too far!
And finally we have Amanda, Meagan and Callin in his footie pajamas.

Fun was had by all and it's always good to see the family together again, because isn't that what Christmas it about....Gratitude for the birth of our Savior and the love of family? I think it is...

Christmas Devotional

2009-12-06T21:07:00.003-07:00

This year I was determined to have the Christmas Spirit in spite of no money...a wedding and a trip to Canada all at the same time. While the wedding is a good thing I was worried that Christmas would be overshadowed with all the preparations. So I was able to get tickets for the Christmas Devotional to help remember what this Season is really all about.
We walked through Temple Square to see the lights....beautiful as usual :)
Nativity on the water...
Blaine and I in the Conference Center. Not supposed to take pics but I told the kids that I beat to my own drummer. Yes I know...not a great lesson but they're grown ups for heavens sake.
It was beautiful and inspirational and has kicked of this Season with feelings of Gratitude for my Savior. Merry Christmas Everyone!

One down and two to go...

2009-12-05T16:34:00.004-07:00

Today we had a Bridal Shower for Meagan. This one was for family and ward members etc. Now keep in mind that this is one of three showers that is being thrown for Meagan. With this one over she has a "Mission" Shower, you know people from the mission etc. Then the ole high school gang is throwing her a shower... (I may be get too embarassed to sit through that one, they have a tendency to give interesting gifts). :) So just a quick run down of today...
The goodie table.
Steffany chugging OJ. Yes it was just plain orange juice but Courtney bet her $20 that she couldn't do it. And....she couldn't :)
Meg opening some gifts.
Cousin Steff, Coco and cute Sydney, my friends daughter. She seems like a niece to me.
Cousins Amanda and Emily with the Bride to be...
And last but not least :) Cousin Afton who came from Bountiful. There were many others who stopped by but I'm not the best photographer so this is just a smattering of the folks who came.

Thanks to everyone for coming and showing your love to Meagan. A special shout out to Nancy for allowing us to use her home for the shower!

Meagan and Callins Bridals and Groomal Pics..

2009-12-01T21:51:00.005-07:00

Pictures by Rick Brimhall and Amy Bigelow....Beautiful

Random Life Moments..

2009-12-01T21:21:00.002-07:00

This was our Thanksgiving. Nancy graciously held the dinner at her house and we ate a wonderful meal together. Saw a movie later that day "Blindside", good show.
Kasey has decided to wrestle this year for some random reason. This is a third place medal he won on his first ever, in his life, meet. Not bad for a newbie!
I just thought this was a cool sign.
Just a reminder why we celebrate christmas :)

Meagan and Callin bought a twin home and they are desperate to get it in order before they move in together (after the wedding) ha Blaine helped Callin lay the floor. It was so easy. Notice I'm no where to be seen however. Well I was taking pics so I did offer a few suggestions. They are getting quite a bit done so it should look warm and homey after the honeymoon.

Just a few moments in life that were captured. There will be a few more to come I'm sure :)

Life's Little Lessons

2009-11-17T19:19:00.003-07:00

Why is it that I don't seem to learn the simple lessons that life offers. The ones your mother taught you when little.

Like watch where your going...So I'm in the dollar store today buying snowflakes...(wedding stuff) all excited to happen upon such a stash of wintery bliss. After loading my cart with various articles, I spy more snowflakes across the isle and while looking at the display I managed to turn just so and knock over several glasses with my behind. Have you ever heard breaking glass on a hard floor x4? Not good but very attention seeking. I tried to make a few jokes to ease the tension but, not so much. I offered to pay for them but they were very nice and blamed the manager for placing them there. So thanks to the girls at the Provo Dollar store for kindness and pity.

The other lesson I don't seem to learn is to be careful what you say cause it may come back to haunt you. A few of us were commenting on a few co workers forgetting to put the cash bag away. We were all saying how scary that is and how could that happen. Wouldn't you remember such a thing? Well...I get home today and find the keys to the cash bag in my pocket and realize I left the cash in a drawer rather than the safe with the keys where it belongs. Duh.. If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all.

I guess mother knows best...boo

Engagement Pictures of Meagan and Callin..

2009-11-01T19:38:00.001-07:00

Just a few of the pics that were taken that day... pics taken by Emily Henson

Wedding Plans....plan B

2009-11-01T17:38:00.002-07:00

Well the wedding plans move forward...and beyond and ever changing. Meagan and Callin had their engagement pics done and invites designed. But things don't quite turn out as planned sometimes (many times) and plan b will be implemented :) Uncle Rod did a great job on the invitations but the printer? not so good, not bad just not what Meagan envisioned. We"ll fix it...Shout out to cute Emily who did the engagement pics...She did a great job!

Caterer done..What next?

And who would imagine that crystals for a floral/bare branch arrangement would cost so much $$. Oh well onward...

Eat, Drink and sleep wedding ideas...

2009-10-18T19:24:00.003-06:00

Have I mentioned that Meagan is getting married? Yes I think I may have, but have I also mentioned that she is trying to buy and decorate a house at the same time? The "goal" is to have her house ready to hold the bridal shower which is the first weekend of December....Not sure how that will go but if all the planets align..you never know. I could see Meagan was a little stressed trying to plan both events at once so I generously said "meg, you concentrate on your house and I'll plan the reception". I may regret that but at the same time it does get my creative juices flowing...into overtime. Making decisions then getting approval then having to rethink the ideas. Well I could go on but I don't want to get into trouble. The above pic is of an invitation I thought was cute for a winter theme. We are using branches with crystals hanging off for some of the arrangements so the bare tree would be appropriate...but snowflakes are cute too. Meagan gets final approval on that one.
We've been looking online at some flower ideas ...which ones can I do myself to save money? How much do I want to take on? Do we want to be matchy matchy , eclectic elegant or rustic wonderland. There are so many ways to go and so many great ideas out there....
How cute are these carnation arrangements! Not to mention that carnations are one of the least expensive flowers.
Again...Cute!
And I think that the above arrangement is my favorite...Looks like a snowball which works with our winter wedding theme.

Which ones will we choose? Well you'll just have to come to the reception to find out...cause we'll change our minds a few more times between now and January 2nd :)

Weekend with the Laytons

2009-10-11T21:43:00.004-06:00

This weekend we had the opportunity to stay in a beautiful cabin nestled in the mountains of Utah. We also had the opportunity to meet Meagan's future in-law's the Laytons. Above we have Kasey and Shaffer throwing snowballs at each other. It snowed our second day there which was both beautiful and disturbing at the same time.
Here we have Sheila (mom) Callin and Blair (dad) in the background. We played a rousing game of Quiddler. I didn't even cheat because Meagan warned me I had to be on my best behavior. As a result..I didn't win:(
The cute kid in the stripes is brother Shaffer, Meg (early morning disclaimer) and again Blair in the background.
Meg and Coco striking a pose on the staircase of this beautiful place.
Callin just trying to stay out of the women's way.
And this is an outside shot of the house. We ate, shopped at the Park City outlets...(Sheila won the award for best deal of the day) and really enjoyed getting to know them. What a comfort to know that Meagan will be loved by her in-laws, And Callin seems to fit into our family effortlessly. Nice :)

Special Thanks to the Newmans for the use of their cabin!

A return to blogging? maybe...random pics? yes

2009-10-07T21:04:00.005-06:00

We all know it's been quiet a while since I've done any blogging. No excuses...just didn't. Well perhaps I'm on a roll again. Perhaps I am just bored enough to post these pics. Who knows what the future will bring but I thought I'd do a quick update as to what's been going on the last few months. Quite a lot actually. Above is a great pic of beautiful Lake Powell where we stayed a week this summer. FUN!
Here is a picture I took at Sundance ski resort. Blaine and I listened to conference while taking a drive up the canyon...Fall colors were so beautiful!
This pic is of us having dinner at a really good Italian Restaurant, with really bad live music. See the singer in the background?
Kasey turned 16 this September and is here with his grandma trying to get her to take a picture. She never cooperates.
Meagan and Callin got engaged the day before Kasey's birthday. They are getting married on January 2nd and we are emerced and overwhelmed with wedding plans. All consuming..
This is just a cute pic of Coupe who is the nicest Dog ever!
Courtney and I went to an Incubus concert this summer. It was Excellent! Had a great time...
The family went to Pendleton for the Rodeo again this fall. We love to play cowboy/girl for a couple of days each year. You see my brother Brant here and Coco and Tyler in the background. We are watching a parade that consists of some horses and some more horses...
Cute little niece loving cute little Coupe at the park... So this was part of our summer and moving into fall quickly. I'll be busy with wedding planning...Halloween, Thanksgiving, a trip to Canada for a wedding reception (yes he's a Canook:) and Christmas. Not to mention New Years and then a WEDDING...I'll try to keep you updated...Try

Don't get excited

2009-09-11T22:39:00.002-06:00

This isn't a real update, but at least I got a different background...just wanted to say Happy birthday to Kasey...just turned 16 today and congratulation to Meagan and Callin who got engaged yesterday...Looks like a winter wedding. Any ideas for decorations?

Pay it Forward...

2009-07-14T12:47:00.000-06:00

To "Pay it Forward" is not a new idea...it's been around for a while in fact. But until someone does it to you..or for you...You don't know it's significance. A friend of mine did just that...pay'd it forward to me and my family I guess. He gave me a car...I know...a car. Now it's not the newest...or the prettiest, but for now it will get me to and from work until such a time that I can give it to a certain 16 year old who shall reamain nameless.
He could have sold this car pretty easily, but because someone had given it to him in a time of need, he felt he should do the same. Hmmm now it's time for me to pay it forward...interesting. In what form will it be or take...

My life is a shambles...

2009-06-30T20:48:00.002-06:00

yes a shambles, for so many reasons I can't even begin to explain. But that is not an excuse for my lack of blogging. My excuse is because my camera is broken and my iphone is having issues and won't send my pics to my email so I can download. Did anyone even understand that?

So enough of the pity party...just thought I'd let you know I won't be able to do much blogging until I get my shambles of a life straightened out...(in other words, no time soon)

We're headed to Lake Powell for a week on a house boat so at least I have that! Oh and my health. :)

Does anyone over 21 really love birthdays?

2009-06-11T21:40:00.002-06:00

Ok so it was my birthday in May. I don't really like birthdays anymore and haven't for a long time. Their not fun, their not full of the anticipation and merriment they used to be and frankly they just make me feel bad. So a few years ago I decided to travel or at least go somewhere on my birthday so I would at least have the trip to look forward to. This year was no exception...Blaine and I decided to go to Lava Hot Springs in Idaho and Rod and Julie decided to tag along.
This waterfall was right by our campsite and was very pretty. We were right by the river and the weather was good for the middle of May.
We actually did go to the hot pots which Lava is famous for but...who really wants to see us in our swim suits...That's what I thought. All in all it was a very relaxing weekend and we had a good time. While I do miss my birthday trips to Southern California, I guess going anywhere is better than staying at home on your birthday and pretending your happy to turn 45... right? :)

Shallow of me? yes...but we already knew that...

Boys and their toys...

2009-06-07T17:35:00.002-06:00

Boys love their toys and mine are no exception. Blaine, Chase and Kasey went to an airshow this weekend and were in their element. Blaine has a love for airplanes...as we all know, and it seems to be in the blood because Chase is now planning on going into an airplane program in the fall.
I guess they had a great time cause I was told I needed to blog about it :)
so because I always do what I'm told...here are the pics
Happy they had a good time, and I'm even happier that I didn't have to go!

All about me..

2009-06-02T21:22:00.002-06:00

I'm feeling a little self indulgent today, not to mention desperate for something to blog about, so I am posting these pics just for fun.

Are you having fun yet? Me either but at least it's a new post right?
You have to admit it's kind a cool photo program....see ya

Happy Mothers day to all you mother's!

2009-05-10T20:39:00.003-06:00

This was my favorite part of mother's day... All my kids together with me at church. Now I realize I maybe should not be taking pics during Sacrament Meeting, but....it's for a good cause...like finally updating my blog?
I have great kids and they were very sweet to me on this one day of the year :) Blaine made me breakfast...lucky for him I just felt like cereal...I got a pedicure, choc covered strawberries, some white bowls I picked out with Coco and dinner brought to me. All in all a great Day!
Thanks guys Oh and by the by...I love my mommy too!

Happy Birthday's!

2009-05-10T20:32:00.004-06:00

You can consider this a combo blog today. My Birthday is May 16th. It's also Rod's, Tyler's, Devin's, Chase's,Elaine's Belle's and Nico's birthday's this month.
So we had a combined birthday party for all of the may birthdays. Good food, good company makes for a good time. I was a little lame in the photo area but at least I have pics of the important people :) jk
Happy Birthday to us!!

Marko Medonich...my grandfather

2009-04-22T10:56:00.005-06:00

My brother Mark recently went to Rock Springs WY for his work, and was determined to find my grandfathers grave stone. We've never known much about our grandparents on that side of the family because my father (fatcat) grew up for the most part in a catholic orphanage. His dad died at the age of 42 from working in the coal mines and his mother left the children to fend for themselves more or less, thus the orphanage. Anyway...It took my brother quite a bit of time and research to find Marco Medonich's grave stone and here it is. My brother Mark, is named after this grandfather and I appreciate his efforts to locate him...way to go Mark, you just did some family history gathering!

Too Many Birds? NEVER

2009-04-22T10:43:00.002-06:00

I have a son...I'll call him Kasey so as not to embarrass him, who talks a lot. I've never had a child that talks as much as this particular child. Sometimes I have to ask him, very nicely, to stop talking. Just for awhile cause he is usually just trying to find and push my buttons when he talks. I love this kid...don't get me wrong, but is it normal for a boy to talk more than most girls I know. Anyway one day as he was observing some decorating changes I had made, he started counting how many bird I have used in my house. I have to admit I'm fond of the little feathered friends but he thinks I may have too many of them. He loves to point it out over and over :) So what do you think. I've taken pics of all of my little cuties and I think there are just enough. I do have to force myself to not purchase them when I see them...but I'm so tempted...
Can you find them in each picture?

No...your wrong again Kasey...I may need to pick up a few more birds to finish things off...:)

Post Easter Celebration Pics

2009-04-15T12:18:00.003-06:00

Just a few pics of our Easter dinner and subsequent egg hunt for the kids. Most of the kids are too old to hunt eggs, so they hid them. But none of us are too old to eat the candy in the eggs!
Here are Terri's kids and Coco and Tyler
Here we have Julie who hosted the dinner and her daughter Emily
Here is Ethan who is one of the only kids in the group... running for eggs!
Someone hid eggs in a tree...
Coco in an artsy photo shot...actually just me surprising her
Boys at the boys table.
The adult table... It was a good day with good people...having fun together and remembering what Easter is really all about...I'm grateful for the Atonement...cause boy am I going to have to use it :)

My Sister from another Mother?

2009-04-11T18:05:00.002-06:00

I never wished I was a twin...I liked being the youngest in the family. Being the youngest has many advantages. But according to several people... a week ...I am told that I look just like Rachel Griffiths. She's the girl above of course. She is an actress on a couple of shows I never watched. I personally don't see it but I get compared to her all the time. So what do you think? Do Rachel and I look alike...I would like to know once and for all so leave a comment and tell me the truth. Unless of course that truth will hurt... :)

Baby's first haircut...

2009-04-11T17:44:00.002-06:00

So Kasey loves to have his hair long and "swoopy" i.e. flips his bangs around to the side. As you see the before shot you will automatically think that his hair is long and it's well past time for a haircut. In actuality it's pretty short compared to how he had it most of the winter. But he decided that it was time for another haircut so his loving sister took him to the salon...Above of course, is the before..

Here we see the actual cut in progress. I guess she had to cut it twice cause it wasn't short enough. hmmmm
And here we see the after....He still has the swoopy bangs and the long sides so I guess the only thing shorter is the back. I'll take what I can get. This is a battle I have chosen not to fight...for now :)

I Love Conference!

2009-04-05T19:49:00.003-06:00

Kasey asked me yesterday if I really looked forward to conference or if I just liked not going to church twice a year. Well I have to admit they both appeal to me :) But my answer to him him was an honest YES...I love General Conference...I love hearing from all of the Brethren who speak but I especially love hearing from Pres. Monson, Pres. Uchtdorf and Pres. Eyring. (However... when I was Kasey's age I felt a little different)
What did you think the main topics of conference were? Everyone I asked said something different which was interesting. I guess it's what you needed to hear, you heard....make sense:?
So Meagan and her friend went to a Saturday Conf session and coming across the usual protesters, saw this poster which we thought was funny...it's hard to read but it says "Hi My name is Satan, I'm here to support my lovely little street protesters"... I guess there was supposed to be a big organized protest on temple square this session, but it all came to nothing. They had better things to do I guess. So yes Kasey...I genuinely love conference and being spirtually fed in my pajamas doesn't hurt ;)

It's Baseball Season!!

2009-04-03T21:57:00.002-06:00

Wasn't sure if there would be another baseball season for Kasey...After playing in super leagues for so many years, he was a little burned out. But I was more than pleased when without pleading or bribing on my part, Kasey decided to play for the Provo High Freshman team. Games have just started and it's cold and rainy but I love it. He's playing 3rd and outfield and getting a lot of playing time. No zoom on my iphone camera (which I think was very short sighted on iphones part) but that's Kasey on 2nd. He'd just stolen the base. You can barely see the mountains in the background...it's cold and wet...
Here is Kasey in the dugout trying to stay out of the rain...yes Mom..He's the one with the girl hair. We're working on that.... Yea Baseball

Quick Trip to the ole homestead

2009-03-31T16:45:00.002-06:00

I try to go home to see my parents several times a year. So this last weekend was the first trip of this year. I wish I had pictures of the blinding snow we traveled through "both ways" but I was too scared to take pictures and drive at the same time...Never the less....once we got there we had decent weather for one day and did some yard work for Mom and Dad. My mom has a beautiful yard and even though there were no blooms on anything yet...It's still pretty in the dead of winter/spring.

Here we see the girls hard at work. They got the job of window washer this year. Last year I was blessed enough to do the windows...I was glad to get out of that chore, but little did I know what mom had in mind for my sis and me.

Yes...You guessed it...Rocks! Tami and I had to shovel and haul rock all over the yard...As you can see from the above photo...it may have been more Tami than myself. Someone had to take the pics...

We had to take several breaks...Here's Fatcat handing out Mt. Dew to keep up our energy so we'd work harder...

And here we have 0077...Mom's got her nose in the bushes spying on the neighbors...hmmmm (She really hates getting her pic taken).

All in all we had a really good time except Stacey kept getting in trouble
(this is an "had to be there joke")
Glad we went...just a nice break from life...Love you Mom and Dad

Edward is coming to my house!

2009-03-21T15:44:00.004-06:00

Yes...this is what I'll be doing all weekend...DVD out today...I'm so immature

River Trail Tranquility

2009-03-19T20:34:00.002-06:00

Do you love my running pants...I know ..I look too cool for public but I'd forgotten how much I love to run (slooow jog) on the river trail by my house. The reason I'd forgotten is because it's been so long since I've run. I've been off the bandwagon so to speak the last few years. I usually get cabin fever in the spring and have a desire to be outside while exercising. But...not so much ...until now. I'm trying yoga for the first time...I loved it...it's great for old bones and weary minds like mine and so today I was inspired to go outside and run 3 miles. I know...it felt like 20. Again it's been awhile...But look what I have to run on...
a beautiful river trail where I've seen deer,snakes, snails, turtles, fish and smelled skunks...
In the summer it's shady ...in the Autumn it's beautiful with color...

Why would you want to go exercise in a box i.e the gym...when you can see this everyday and everyday it's somehow different...Love it and am soooo sore already..:)

He may be down and out, but he still took 3rd!

2009-03-15T18:34:00.003-06:00

Kasey entered his first snowboarding competition this last Saturday and had quite the experience! :) I can't go into all the details, as I have been forbidden to tell all. But needless to say, right before the actual competition Kasey got hurt. He was warming up and wiped out... so to speak and landed a jump on his back. The ski patrol checked him out and decided he was OK and he went on to take third place in the competition! He's very confident that had he not hurt himself, he could have taken 1st...because of course he was much better than the boarder that did take first. As his mother I totally agree! Above is Kasey on the couch where he stayed most of the night cause he couldn't move.
Here is Kasey putting on his prize winnings...He got some "sick" goggles, some skull candy ear buds, a bandanna and a day pass at the canyons. All told it was about $300 worth of prizes.
Tyler is trying to help Kasey put the stuff on, but just making it a little awkward for Kasey.
Then they just got silly...oh Tyler
Kasey looks resigned doesn't he...
I may be taking him to the doctors tomorrow...He is pretty beat up and I think he needs x-rays...I (Dr. Henson) will assess him Monday morning...:)

He thinks it was totally worth it... Good thing he's young and heals quick Good Job Son!

Update on Kasey: strained ligements from his back right side to the front, no fractures, but possible kidney bruise and all right before baseball starts...Awesome :)

Messy or Enjoyable? That is the attitude/question...

2009-03-11T10:11:00.008-06:00

I have a new motto...want to hear it? "life is messy" how's that for a motto...I've been thinking this for awhile. When did this happen? When did the mess start swirling and piling up in heaps of confusion. It's not just my life although it could use some cleaning, but as I watch my children begin their life as adults...I see how messy it is for them.
I have this lettering above my front door...I've had it for bout 5 years...even before Pres. Monson's talk about enjoying the journey in the last conference session....I loved it because that's what I've been trying to concentrate on. I know that we are to have joy...I want to enjoy my time but how to do that while in this mess?

Here is quote from the afore mentioned talk that I love and reminds me what is most important.
"stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. we must deal with them the best we can. But should not let them get in the way of what is most important...the people around us that we love". It's all about family isn't it...I have always felt that family is my greatest blessing. My parents, siblings, children, husband and all his family. How did I get so lucky?
So this blog is dedicated to them. You are my greatest joy in life...Love you all

Life just isn't fair...

2009-03-03T16:36:00.002-07:00

So my sister and her daughters have gone to Hawaii for the week and I'm so jealous I can't stand it. I mean what right do they have to go without me? Really...I practically raised those girls when they were babies...I'm like a second mom right? So I was thinking that a trip to Hawaii was the least they could have done. But no...they wanted to take their "real" Mom.

So here they are...fun in the sun... good food... poolside...

And here I am...at work...working for the man
Where is the justice.? I want equal rights! Or at least a present from my Sis :)

Have so much fun girls...and keep up the pics

Yes it's been awhile

2009-02-24T18:30:00.003-07:00

anybody who has ever blogged has had a period of time where they just can't seem to update their blog in a timely manner. We get busy or lazy...either way I hate slow bloggers. But here I find myself...a slow blogger. I have a good excuse though...I work full time now and Meagan took over her computer again and I hate going downstairs to the computer cause it's cold and I'm tired at night and American Idol is on two nights a week! I rest my case...
So here we have three blogs in one...First is the picture of the beautiful tulips my husband gave me for Valentines Day...Love tulips..

Here is what I get for doing a good deed and picking up my daughter from work. Someone stuck
nails in my tire...Good thing I know a handy man...
Here we all are at the Oscars! Or rather watching them at Julies house. I don't care about them
at all but it's as good excuse as any to get together and Hugh Jackman...Come on..
We all had to try and guess who was going to win in each catagory and I won cause I marked every single box...they wouldn't give me a prize...:(

So there you have it...Now I don't have to blog for another month or two..right?

The Happy Birthday Girls!!

2009-02-05T18:01:00.002-07:00

Meagan and Courtney have just both celebrated birthdays on Feb 2nd and 3rd...Meagan turned 24 and Coco 23. They are exactly one year and one day apart....yes...I see you doing the math...it's true, Meagan was just three months old when Courtney decided that she could wait no longer to join the family. I don't remember much of those years...there is a kind of mist surrounding those memories ;) but honestly.. now.. I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope that through the years these two girls will continue to be the best of friends and loving sisters. Happy birthday girls...best daughters an old mom could ask for :) I think this is going to be a great year for the two of you!

My Crazy adrenaline junkie...Kasey

2009-01-05T12:12:00.004-07:00

My Kasey loves to snowboard...He waits and prays for snow all year long. Now I think I understand why...but after seeing these pictures he sent me, I wish I didn't?
I'm thinking ignorance is bliss :(

Pretty amazing Son...

2009 and Counting...Where does the time fly?

2009-01-03T21:45:00.004-07:00

Well it's Officially 2009 isn't it. Not sure what to think about that. 2008 was a year of definite highs and lows so I'm not too sure what to expect of 2009. I think I'm hoping for stability for sure but upon reflection I guess what I'm really looking for is Peace of heart, continually growing faith and the always needed Hope. What have you got if you don't at least have some hope. Despair and Depression is what I'm thinking. So aside from the obvious "get back in to shape" goals and "eating healthier" lies, I think I'll just seek some faith, hope and peace. Those just might be the most important muscles to strengthen in my feeble attempts to work them out.

OK enough reflection....{I'm only good for a few moments of deep thought at one given time}

Above we see Meagan's Pretty Baby...We think we'll call her Ruby :)

We played games on New Years Eve cause that's the kind of party animals we are...that's how we roll if you know what I mean. And the little pictionary guy was the staring attraction. you draw on him instead of paper...It was fun
Wayne is deep in the story mode but we ate tons of good food and actually managed to stay up until midnight...Not bad for old folks
Here is Annabelle playing in my purse...Sorry baby, Kasey already cleaned me out...

Happy New Year Everybody!!!

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2008-12-27T18:03:00.004-07:00

This is a framed BOM Timeline that Blaine and Coco made for Tyler...it is very cool. I got one for Blaine and I can't wait to hang it.
I wish I were more clever at putting up pictures so you didn't have to scroll thru so many
but alas...I am not, so here goes our Christmas Story for those who are far away. We had a great Christmas and it was nice for us to have everyone back home...I have to say I miss the old Christmas's when the kids were small. It seemed like there were more gifts under the tree and more magic in the air. Now the gifts are smaller and more expensive...but someday I'll have grandchildren to spoil and the magic will be back! ha ha...(my girls won't think that is funny)
So above we see the necklace that Kasey gave to Meagan...even though she has an interesting look on her face...she loved the necklace:)
Santa gave Chase a snowboard rack for his Jeep...
Santa gave the boys slippers too. Seems like they were good this year.

Here are Blaine and I unwrapping the awesome gifts the kids gave us. Mine was Guitar hero Band...(yes it's what I wanted) and they gave Blaine a very cool picture titled "Sweet Hour of Prayer". It was of servicemen kneeling in prayer before a battle.
Here is just a random picture of our house after a snow storm. Notice the lack of Christmas Lights...We're scaling down these days...you know...going green and saving energy...(whatev)
Here we just have a really happy Coco...not even sure what she was opening...I think it was a cool Buda from Chase.
I love these books. I just read the BOM with these books and it really breaks it down for simpletons like myself. I'm excited to start on the D&C.
It was Coupe's 3rd birthday with us and here is her birthday/Christmas present...A glorious rubber pirate chicken that squeaks....a lot
So here we have Coco and Ty looking at a desk (it is in the van) that Blaine and Coco made for his office...it's to help him study better :) He was really tired that day and super emotional which was fun cause he was so appreciative of everything....big baby ;)
Chase with his new beanie

So that was our Christmas Morning...Hope you all had a great one as well. I'm glad the present part is over, but I always miss the spirit of it. It just seems to bring out the best in people.

Thanks Mom and Dad for being so great...Love you

My Holiday Motto/mantra

2008-12-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving cocktail weinies and brie.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare.. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's Eve; You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.
Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attract iv e and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!" Merry Christmas!

It's an very merry "ugly sweater" Christmas...

2008-12-21T21:54:00.004-07:00

I thought I would post a picture of our Christmas tree to show that we do have a little Christmas
spirit in our home, and then after I took the pic I realized that the top row of lights are out...oh well..
So I'll give just a brief explanation of our family Christmas party. The theme was "ugly sweater"
We were to go to DI and find the ugliest sweater we could find and then there would be a contest
for the ugliest sweater. It was kind of fun. Here are the results...and other random pics. Above we see Emily playing with her new cell phone that she got for her birthday...Happy Birthday Emily!!! We sang happy birthday at least 25 times through out the night... Meg is giving the Christmas Message...
Here it looks like Meagan is giving Kasey some kind of lecture...What did he do this time..:)
This is Annabelle...look how much she has grown ...oh and her mother of course in an ugly sweater...
I'm a little scared for these three amigos...Grandpa in the middle with Chase and Kasey, all wearing girl sweaters...we just couldn't decide if grandpa was a B or C cup...
Here we are in all our "ugly sweater" glory...some of the kids took theirs off...spoiled sports...
Costner took 1st in the young men's category for ugliest sweater...
Coco took first in the woman's category...sweater was so bright in real time!!
I just took this pic to show Court and Ty that they really do want a baby...
Abby took 1st for the young women's category...
And all of us together for a Very Merry "Ugly Sweater" Christmas...

May the Spirit of Christmas light up your hearts and your homes...all our love

Our trip to Omaha "Flippin Freezing" Nebraska

2008-12-11T09:40:00.006-07:00

Ok this is going to be a long post because there were so many things to see when we went to Omaha. Meagan had some investigators getting baptized and I had the time off so we jumped in our car and made that terrible, nasty long road trip. It was a very fun, very exausting, very informative trip...So I'll show several pics to you to see all we accomplished and all the great people we met while there. Here we are in Kanesville where the Prophet Brigham Young was sustained as the 2nd President of the church. 12 thousand saints camped here while planting crops for the saints coming after them.
The mission president...President Newman...He was wonderful
The Mormon Trail Center has a gingerbread display for the holidays and this one reminded me of Blaine.
We got to attend a zone conference with the missionarys and here they were doing a gift exchange.
Meagan is sitting in a bath tub used on the trail. Is also a laundry tub.
Do you remember the pictures Meagan sent last year of the gingerbread cutouts. Well now it's my turn!
Here we see Meagan corrupting the sister missionarys mind with technology. (iphone)
I want to live in this gingerbread.
Here is Freido. Do you remember him. He is still investigating the church, but what a great guy. So nice. I really enjoyed having lunch with him.
These two missionary are the ap's to the president. Elder Kinderman and Elder Barlow.
Here is a typical log cabin that would have been built in winter quarters. Two family's had to share....It was small
This is Elder Chipman who is the Trail Center Director. He and his wife were kind enough to let us stay with them for a couple of nights. They were great.
President and Sister Newman took us out to breakfast one morning. Everyone was so good to us. I'd forgotten what it's like outside of Utah. Out there in the Mission field/world"
These lovely folks are the reason we made the trip. The Empy family was baptized on Friday night and it was really great.

I also want to do a shout out to President and Sister Nelson who let us stay with them a couple of Nights in Gretna. They were so much fun. I wish I had pics of the Christmas Party we attended in Gretna and the Surf and Turf Platter that President Nelson talked me into when they took us out to dinner. (Really, the crab legs alone were unbelievable:)
It was a great trip...

A Post Thanksgiving post...

2008-12-11T09:31:00.002-07:00

I forgot that I had some pictures of thanksgiving this year so I decided to post them even though it's almost Christmas ! (2 weeks exactly) In the above picture...Chase thought it would be cool to eat a whole turkey leg. ( I don't know where he get these ideas) So here he is giving it the old college try! I think he got sick of it pretty quick.
Here is the Adult table with Grandma and Grandpa, Blaine and Jodi with Rod and Julie hosting. It was a great Thanksgiving...mostly because I didn't have to cook and it was at someone else's house! I'm grateful for that!!

Meagan's Homecoming Day...

2008-11-23T17:56:00.007-07:00

(Sister Doxy-Crapo)

Today was officially her homecoming day...She spoke in church and gave a great talk that put most of the people in tears. She did a great job. After Church we all went to my house to eat lunch and boy was that a lot of people in a pretty small house. So here are just some random pics of the day. Below you see Meg and Becca. Meagan and Sister Doxy (the cute girl above) taught Becca and her Dad the gospel and they were baptised a little over a year ago. Becca is here in Utah for school now.

Here we have Uncle Rod and Cute cousin Emily...

This is Bishop Swain, he was Meagan's bishop before she left for her mission.

Here we have cousin Amanda with baby Peyton and hubby David.

Granny Thayn and Kim with cute cousin Mariah (hope the spelling is right)

Now the guy above is Dan...He was in the mission with Meagan and this guy is an amazing musician. He gave us a little private concert and it was my favorite part of the day. Aside from seeing everyone of course :)

cousin's Cody and Devin...I just thought this was a cool picture...

Cousin Costner and baby Annabelle with Tyler giving one of his looks...

My favorite neighbors The Bigelow's (thanks for the cookies Andrew!:)

I want to thank everyone for pitching in with food and drink! It was a fun day and and great way to end what was an amazing time for our family. We're glad she's home with us and that she served her Heavenly Father with all her heart. Now who's next? :)

Peyton's Baby blessing

2008-11-18T10:23:00.002-07:00

We have yet another baby added to the clan. Peyton David Edmunds...His blessing was sunday night so it was fun to see everyone and the new baby's (that includes Sister Henson)...ha Above you'll see the proud Grandpa Lynn, of the new addition, holding his grandson Nico.
Here is Meagan holding Peyton, while I look wistfully on wishing and hoping to be a grandma someday :)
Here is Court and the good Aunties of Peyton...That's code for babysitters.
Mandy is the proud Mom along with Great Grandma and Grandpa Thayn...That was great grandparents in case you missed that...whew

Welcome baby Peyton...you are loved

She's Home!

2008-11-18T10:03:00.005-07:00

So the day is finally here and here we are at the airport tying to wait paitently...The "kids"are having an hard time.
As you can see by Chase's face, we may have arrived at the airport a little early...oh well
Then the moment arrives when we see her and cheers go up all around. There were 4 missionairys coming home together, so there were lots of people at the airport to greet their loved ones.
Of course the next day we have to go shopping and lunch...it's tradition for us Henson girls.
And here is the end result. She was so excited to put together an outfit and go out to see friends. Can't even tell from her clothes that she just off the plane...:0

Meagan is coming home!!!

2008-11-10T15:18:00.005-07:00

Sister Henson (Meagan) will be home this friday (the 14th). We are so excited and ready for her to be home. What an amazing experience this has been for our whole family...Never have we been so blessed and felt closer to our Heavenly Father than the last 2 years. I'm so grateful.
I have to say that I am, of course, proud of Meagan and her dedication, but more than that I am so happy for her. So happy that she has had these experiences..That she gets to start her adult life with this foundation. I think it's what every parent wishes for their children. I have great kids...and I love them all.
This is a part of her last letter that I loved reading. It may help explain why I'm so happy for her.

(from Meagan)
I’ve been anticipating this last week that I’m going to get the question “So, how was your mission?” about a thousand times when I get home. I’d like to take a moment and answer that to everyone who reads this email so that I only have to say it in real life about 987 times (I’m not sure how many people read this). Words like great, amazing, wonderful, incredible, just don’t quite do it justice. A wise word from one of my favorite members here helped me to put it into one sentence. Here it is: It’s more than I ever thought it would be. I’ve learned more, I’ve experienced more, and I’ve found more joy than I ever thought I would. I’ve loved more, cried more, had more faith than I thought possible. I’ve seen more miracles, more conversions, and more opposition than I could have ever imagined. I’ve learned to trust my Heavenly Father, my Savior, the Spirit and myself. I’ve learned to be patient with the Lord’s timing, others, and most importantly, myself. I’ve learned how to work, how to set goals, how to become the daughter that my Heavenly Father wants me to be. I’m not there, but I’ve got the tools and I understand how to use them. I found that when I truly lost myself in the work, that’s when I found out who I really was. That’s just some of the miracles of a mission. So if you ask me about it, please come equipped with tissues and an hour, and then I might be able to explain to you what the last 19 months of my life has meant to me. I am eternally indebted to my Heavenly Father for allowing me to come here. To allow me to represent His Son, teach His Gospel, and fix me all at the same time. Not to mention all the work that He had to do to help the people I teach become converted despite me. I stand all amazed.
I thank you for the support you’ve been. For the prayers you’ve offered on my behalf and the people here. Thank you for paying your tithing and allowing the work to move forward, it’s blessing millions of people and one girl in particular.
I leave you my witness that Jesus is the Christ. That He lives. That this is His Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That His Gospel was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. That the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and will bring you closer to Christ because, as Elder Smith put it, “you bump into Him a lot more often in it.” I love you all. I’ll see you soon.
Love, Sister Henson

ps. feel free to come see her...she'll need things to do :)

Basement update

2008-11-02T19:58:00.002-07:00

We've done most of the painting in the basement and have moved on to the fun stuff of decorating. It's still a work in progress, but it looks so much better already that Blaine and I actually go downstairs again! It's been years since we've wanted to watch a movie down there...haSo I hung the curtains that I made yesterday and I also made the pillows...for those of you who know me...they know what a huge deal that is...
Blaine is staring me down...daring me to take a picture of him and put it on my blog...ha I did it!
Just another view of the TV room...
Notice the cow hide on the back wall. Both Blaine and I loved the look of it and our kids were horrified that we would hang it on the wall. I don't get it...It looks good...don't you think so?

We will be working on the other side of the room this week where the computer desk is, so I'll update that when it's done. We also put the counter tops in the kitchen this weekend, but I'm going to hold off blogging that till it's all done.

Only 12 days until Meagan comes home! So the timeline is definitely marching on. I think we will actually be done with the remodel, and ready for visitors!!

Happy Halloween!!

2008-10-31T20:57:00.002-06:00

Since we don't have little children any longer we have to dress up our dog. She really loves the trick or treaters, cause she thinks they are coming to play with her. Courtney dressed up for work, as you can see, and I think she looks great. She's a rockin fairy! She even won the prize at work, which was a piece of paper...wow Cute!

Sorry it's been so long...

2008-10-23T16:49:00.003-06:00

I know I haven't updated for awhile, but we've had computer problems...Hopefully I can show you the updates on the remodels this weekend so stay tuned...I'm working on the basement right now. Anyway...

Sister Henson will be flying home on ( imagine drum roll) Nov 14th at 10:00 am!
I am so ready to have her back. She needs to be part of the family again and I need another girl at home. Her homecoming is set for Nov 23rd at 11:00 at the stake center by our house. So please come and have some lunch with us right after!

Yea!!!

Come listen to a Prophets voice...

2008-10-05T20:33:00.002-06:00

Today Blaine and I had an amazing experience. We got to attend General Conference for the first time. My sister came down from Oregon and was able to get tickets for 5 of us. It was very cool when the Prophet came in and everyone became completely silent...We weren't suppose to take pictures inside the conference center, but everyone was sneaking pictures so I decided to go with the masses. This is my sister Tami, her daughter Afton and her husband Michael.
This of course, is all five of us. Someone kindly agreed to take a picture of us. In this picture there is sunshine, but when we arrived in Salt lake it was pouring rain!

I loved Pres. Monson's talk about change. I find his words and mannerisms very comforting. Thanks for the tickets and the experience Sis....

Bedroom remodel accomplished!

2008-10-04T20:10:00.003-06:00

So this weekend my sister Tami kindly agreed to come all the way from Oregon to help me fix up one of the many rooms I'm trying to get ready for Meagan's homecoming (Nov 14th is the release date). We used our extra bedroom for a sewing/extra storage room but now that 3 out of 4 of my children will be living at home again...:| I've had to give up my extra room and it was in sore need of a remodel.

This is the room after we removed the gamma ray green walls and I was going for a black and white room with splashes of green. One angle...and the chair folds out into a bed...
Sorry about the angle of the next two pics but above is another angle that shows the curtains I made and the mirror I painted from a garage sale...
The above (before pic) shows the green walls I had to cover with two gallons of paint....
This is my ever helpful sister who is full of good decorating ideas and as you can see...really really loves to paint...just look at her face if you don't believe me..;)
Then my other helpers were Court and Afton...Tami's daughter...but wait...they don't look like they are painting the walls...

So we have counter tops still to do in the kitchen and just a few touches to finish in Meagan's room and then it's on to the basement...Be looking for the emails and texts from me begging for painters on the basement...Painting Party!!!

Remodel updates

2008-09-21T18:08:00.003-06:00

I'm almost done painting in the kitchen!! It was such a process to strip wallpaper, texture, paint three coats on walls and cabinets and doors. I thought it would be no big deal. But anyway here is a look at the cabinet that will have glass doors. I wanted to paint the inside black to tie things together and I love the way it looks. I bought some plates in fall colors and love them also. Doors will go on next week as well as the new counter top. Blaine has to do that thankfully.
Blaine and I went garage saleing this weekend and found some great treasures. This table and mirror set was cheap and we love the way it looks in the entry hall. The lamp is new and I love it too.
This is a door that is finished. We experimented on a few different looks and we decided on this one. It's an ivory color with a distressed sanded finish. So much better than the yellow Oak and just the cost of paint...(and my many many hours of labor)!!!

We'll be done by the first weekend in October when Tami and Afton will come down and help me with Meagan's bedroom. I've been gathering some very cute things so it should be fun to put together!

Happy Birthday My littlest BIGGEST baby boy!

2008-09-16T09:33:00.002-06:00

My youngest and tallest baby (6 foot plus) just turned 15 years old. Do you realize how old that makes me? 29 or so...but anyway...He's anxious to get his driving permit and that makes his Dad and I pretty anxious too. We took the family and some friends to dinner for his birthday and had a good time.
Kasey...your a great son and we love you.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!

Let's all survive the teen years for the last time! Yea

Let R Buck...Our trip to the Pendleton Round-up

2008-09-16T09:09:00.003-06:00

We just spent a great weekend in my hometown of Pendleton Oregon.
Every year the professional rodeo comes to Pendleton and every year we go to watch them.
Having grown up in a cowboy and Indian town you'd think that I might be a bit of a cowgirl myself but alas...no. I was considered a city girl, but now we do have fun playing cowboy/cowgirl for a few days a year.

The weekend starts out with the Round-up Parade as you will see below. This particular parade has horses and some more horses and then a few other horses...here we see big horses...Clydesdale horses to be specific. They are beautiful..

Then we see bigfoot riding on the back of a wagon pulled by horses...Gee how did he get from Jackson hole to Pendleton...he's fast or maybe it's his brother?
This is my way cool Dad who just got these way cool sunglasses in the mail. I'm trying to get him to model them for us, but he's not being very cooperative.
Coco came with us...alone as her hubby had a test he couldn't miss, but she made up for his loss by riding the mechanical bull. Her cousin paid her $40 to shoot for the 8 second thrill...and she did it! Well almost, more like 6 seconds...yee haw
Here is a pic of our Native American friends that always participate in the Round-up. The chief of the tribe is holding the American Flag.

And then the very best part of the rodeo...the bull riding. Here is where the real money is made and the real excitement. Take a look at why we go every year. Our seats were just above the shoots... Until next year

Kasey's first youth conference outing

2008-09-06T15:32:00.002-06:00

My baby boy is 14 years old almost 15 on Sept. 11th and this was the first year he has been able to go to youth conference. The kids went to the Manti Temple, did some service at an old playhouse...(also where they stayed), then went repelling and who knows what else but I think he had more fun than he thought he would...which is always a good thing.

In this picture he was climbing and I guess his shoe came off and stuck to the tree and then his other shoe did the same thing.

Just hanging around as usual
Here he and his friend ate a whole bag of starbursts that night and you can see the wrapper stuck to his buddy's head...boys
Here is my cute boy cutting across a log

All in all they had a good time and did some service to boot. Sounds pretty good

2008-09-04T18:09:00.002-06:00

So being the kind of person that I am...(a procrastinator and generally lazy) I have waited until the last minute to get the house ready for Meagan's return (Nov 14th). I realized that I was going to have a lot of people coming over upon her return and my house was not up to par. In fact it was becoming a dirty time warp. So I've taken it upon myself to set things right. Many of you won't remember what my teeny tiny kitchen looked like before, but it had terrible wall paper from the 90's and oak cabinets...which were great 15 years ago when we put them in. Rather than spend tons of money and wait for Blaine to do them, I decided it would be "so easy" to paint the cabinets, strip the wallpaper, texture the walls and paint. The only thing Blaine has to do is the counter tops because I can't. well....it's not easy. I remembered how much I "don't like" painting and everything is taking 2-3 coats. But after all my complaining I think it will look much better and I'm excited for the end result. Here are just a few pics of the process...Of course after the kitchen it's on to the bedroom that will be Meagan's and then the basement...so stay tuned for more griping:)

This pic is after the wallpaper is off and the walls were textured and painted. The stuff on the counters is from the cabinets...not just messy
I've painted the cabinet fronts and crown. I'm also painting the inside of the front cabinet black, as it has glass doors and I think it will look cool.
Here you can see the old countertop that is green and looked good in 1995. So you'll see that transformation.
And here I am at Blaine's shop paining the cabinet doors...They will be an off white with some darker aging in the corners of the panel. I have paint all over me....still...go ducks!

The return of the mighty hunters

2008-08-31T19:14:00.004-06:00

I love this picture of the mighty hunters who returned empty handed but having gained a new experience in life. Lots of hiking and sneaking and dirty boy camping and the boys were ready to come home. I think the dad liked it quite a bit more....not sure he was ready to come home. don't know what that says ..ha

2008-08-15T18:06:00.002-06:00

It's been a long time since I've blogged because there's nothing going on worth blogging about. It's been pretty quiet and non-newsworthy...so I thought of a few things I could share.

First is the quilt top I just finished. It was done with Amy Butler fabrics and the most basic of designs but I actually did it. Ok it was in a kit, but I had to cut the fabric and sew it all together. I'm getting ready to get the batting and the backing and take it to a long arm quilter. I can't wait to see the final product. Nice thing about hand made is that it doesn't have to be perfect cause everyone knows it's "handmade".

This is an apron I made for another blog "the angry chicken" she comes up with a theme and you make an apron to fit into the theme. This time it was "gingham" which I don't like and "chicken scratch" which is a basically cross stitching. I used a soft color palette because I don't like gingham... and just used a little gingham...in this picture you can't really see it..but the top ruffle, bottom ruffle and waist band are gingham...you can't even see the chicken scratch on the waist band but it's there. I'll have to submit a better cropped picture I guess.

Then there are the mighty hunters leaving to go deer hunting. With bow and arrows of all things. Don't ask me why...but they were so excited to go and do man things for a week....I get the house to myself..for a few days anyway...good luck boys and don't shoot each other.

Happy 24th of July!!

2008-07-28T19:41:00.004-06:00

We all decided to get together to celebrate the 24th this year and I'm glad we did. Isn't this holiday all about families and faith? We are so blessed to actually like our family that being together is more pleasure than pain...Not everyone can say that;)

Some of the boys trying to keep cool in the pool of the clubhouse
Everyone waiting around for the pioneer food I guess...
Here we are at Amanda's baby shower (same day)...
the little girls can't even touch their feet to the floor...
What in the world is Mandy licking anyway...is that a diaper in her hand? Sick...

This is my super cute daughter and I think she's making poor Annabelle cry...why is she smiling about it?
My very cute niece Amanda and her very cute husband David and their very cute, soon to be born son...Easton? Jaxson? Nash? That will be the surprise I guess...
My very cute son Kasey towering over his poor cute granny Elaine.
Some of the family here preparing our pioneer feast. We could only bring foods that the pioneers would eat on the treck to Utah...Man they ate well!
Many thanks to our Pioneer Ancestors for their faith and determination to follow the Lord.
They certainly made my life better and I hope that generational chain of faith holds strong for many generations to come. Happy Pioneer Day!

New Pics from Sister Henson

2008-07-15T18:45:00.001-06:00

Kitten Free Campers

2008-07-06T20:49:00.002-06:00

We took our trailer out for it's maiden voyage this weekend to Bear Lake. It was so beautiful there and so much cooler. We didn't take a picture of the whole thing set up (don't know why) but here are a few of our little home away from home. No one would go with us so it was just Blaine and I. That's an interesting phase of life. When we came home Blaine had the brilliant idea to take our kittens to wal-mart and see if we could find homes for them. It worked!!! We are now cat free and I am officially declaring this home a cat free zone! Good job boys.
All in all it was a great 4th of July and I must say how much I love this country!

Blaine's newest obsession/itch....has been satisfied/scratched

2008-06-30T20:02:00.005-06:00

Blaine had gotten the idea in his head that having a trailer, of some kind, would be best thing ever...He's been looking on ksl.com for months....thinking, planning, trying to find the best one ever for the least amount on $$. So just when his fever had reached it's peak....he comes home with this. Now is this the best one ever? Who knows, but it's ours now. I guess this makes me a camper? :|

(straight out of the 90's wouldn't you say)?

Blaine's 47th Birthday in Jackson Hole

2008-06-29T20:16:00.005-06:00

So it was Blaine's 47th birthday this weekend and to make him feel better about being in his late 40's we decided to go to Jackson Hole. He grew up in Jackson so it's home to him. We had a great time and I'll just share the highlights...

I wanted to see three things while there. A Bison, a Grizzly and a Moose...guess what...I got that and more. You see the moose above in the water here, she had two babies on land. Can you see them?
Here if you look very close....you'll see a brown lump to the right of the tree. That was the Grizzly. Blaine wouldn't go up and surprise him so I could get a better shot. Bummer :(
Here we were at Old Faithful...Cooler than I expected.
Here is Blaine wrestling a bison. So manly..
I'm pointing to a sign that said Jackson Hole Pendleton. Now some of you know
that I grew up in P-town and Blaine grew up in Jackson...how cool is that? Two
worlds colliding.
Beautiful Tetons...So pretty
So here we are at the antler arches in the Square. The heart of Jackson so to speak. Wayne and Nancy were with us for part of the trip as it is also Wayne's b-day just 5 years younger.
We stayed at a cute little cabin that was pretty OK and very affordable. It's called the Kudar Motel (or something close) and they were great to us. We were glad we stayed there. Great location to town.
Then Wayne made us go to Oklahoma...no not the state but the play. But the play was as long as the drive to Oklahoma would have been :) (kidding kind of) They sang happy birthday to the boys but our pictures weren't that great cause you can't see Wayne.
Here was Blaine's b-day cake at the silver dollar bar. We all went there after the play to get some food and happened upon a great band. Really enjoyed the live music...(better than the play;)
Then to our surprise...we ran into Bigfoot while shopping. Can you believe he was looking for t-shirts too? Very nice guy...but hard t fit.

This clip is our pride and joy. After we had seen Old faithful we happened upon this big boy right on the side of the road. Made for great footage and the granting of my wishes to see the three main animals in the park. Fun trip and so great to get away. Loved it all!
Happy Birthday Babe...

Baby Nico's blessing and a shout out to Meagan

2008-06-22T18:00:00.007-06:00

So Today was Nicolas's baby blessing with friends and family all gathered to celebrate. Sam and Gaston are holding baby Nico, Blaine, Tyler and Coco are hamming it up for the camera, Grandpa Lynn, Blaine and Kasey are small, medium and tall...and then there are the video clips which speak for themselves. Just a few family members that were there for Nico and wanted to say hi to Meagan. I have to say that I personally feel very blessed in the familial area...I love Blaine's family as much as I love my own...how great is that?!

Back to the grind...

2008-06-18T20:10:00.003-06:00

Well my plans of taking the summer off have faded into the distance.
I made the fatal error of applying for a job at the local hospital because
I thought it may take awhile to actually get another job. But thankfully
(much to my dismay) I got the first job I applied for.
So for the next 4 weeks I have no life, then I'll be part-time
once again...love, love, love part-time!

This pic has nothing to do with my job, but I don't
take very many pics if I can help it, so this is all I had...
We were dropping our missionary off at the MTC. 5 months
and counting...(sorry Meg but it's true)

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there!

2008-06-15T18:07:00.003-06:00

This alert young man is the father of my children...and a good father at that. Being that it's father's day, he was left alone long enough to take a little nap right after a delicious dinner was served until...
we thought he had slept long enough. The only child missing of course is our own missionary but we're thinking of her as we take the picture. I think the kids would agree that in spite of his little quirks (several, but don't we all) that he's a pretty nice dad and he loves his kids!
Speaking of Dad's this one is the best father I have;) We lovingly refer to him as fatcat and I can confidently speak on behalf all of my siblings when I say he's the best Dad and we love him. Thanks for beating the odds Dad and being such a great family man. We love you!!!

How many do you see?

2008-06-12T22:31:00.002-06:00

How cute are these babies and how many do you want? Actually I'm getting to the point where I look forward to them going to a loving home. They are so naughty sometimes :)

Do you see the pure black one in the middle?

Omaha or Oz

2008-06-09T10:29:00.003-06:00

Just look at what the tornado's did to Sister Henson's apartment! (kidding) While they have been on several tornado watches this week, all is well in Omaha. The missionaries and members are safe at this time. Keep praying for our brothers and sisters in the midwest!
Here is a bit of Meagan's letter to me.

"I attribute our safety to the red shoes you sent me mom. Someone teased me about being Dorothy, but they sure came in handy".

And I just thought they were cute...:)

Snuggle Bunny Belle...

2008-06-06T16:57:00.006-06:00

A quick testimonial from Annabelle's Mom. Julie called me at 10:00 last night just to tell me how much she loved her sling. The baby was a little fussy so she put her in the sling and Annabelle snuggled into a 3 hour nap. Good for baby and great for mom!

So I've been experimenting with baby slings because they are the latest thing and they're expensive to buy. My daughter found a pattern from mykarmababy.com and the web site gave step by step instructions. This fleece sling you see is one of my favorite because it's so soft and snuggly. When I put my niece into it and she immediately fell asleep and stayed that way for a good two hours. I think she liked it as well!

This is me taking a bad picture as usual but happy about my finished product. I'm going to make a few more to have on hand for baby showers etc.

Just a note: they sell for about $50 and I made this one for under $10

My babies

2008-06-05T18:19:00.004-06:00

Look how big my kitties have gotten. They will be
4 weeks old this Sunday and they are getting so cute
and naughty. They keep escaping from their little
pen and we've had to re-enforce it with a table leaf..:)
Too cute, I'm tempted to keep one of them but we'll
see what happens...you can still see a few random shoes in the closet.
They now serve a greater purpose of a climbing hill for the babies :)
I knew there was a reason I had so many pairs!

My little Slugger...

2008-05-31T20:52:00.002-06:00

So Kasey had a baseball game today and I was determined to get some good shots of him and maybe a video clip of him hitting a home run..:) I had my camera out and was filming, but I got a little distracted and missed a great hit out to center field that was an automatic double because it bounced over the fence. Can you believe it. I'm always teasing Blaine about his photographic skills, or lack of, but I'm not any better it seems. So we'll have to make due with this cute shot of him just before he's going up to bat. I'll keep trying Kasey...you keep swinging. (can you believe he's almost 6 feet tall)?

Annabelle Elizabeth Henson joins the family!

2008-05-29T13:58:00.005-06:00

On May 29th at 12:39 Annabelle Elizabeth was born!

She was 19 inches long and weighed 7 lbs 5oz. Mom and baby Belle are doing great. I was invited into the delivery room yesterday by Julie and I must say it was quite an experience to see a baby being born without being the one doing all the work. Amazing... Thanks for letting me join in the family circus and witness a miracle. Now you only have 20 more years of child rearing to go..:)

I do hope the next time I witness a birth it will be one of my grandchildren being born... hint hint

2008-05-27T14:34:00.003-06:00

Just a little bit of Sister Henson's most recent letter to me...her mother
(concerning transfers coming this week)

"I'm so anxious and nervous about transfers this week. I'm afraid that people will get lost. I guess I need to trust more but I just don't want to go. I love the members, investigators and recent converts so much. It's just not my time! Ahhh! I hate transfers. So pray for me to be comforted so I'll know where the Lord needs me".

don't worry sis...he will

2008-05-27T10:15:00.002-06:00

Well it appears that I am a lady of leisure once again. The spa that I was working for has gone under and I'm out of a job. So to keep busy until I find a new one, (not in a great rush) I tried out a new apron pattern that was so easy. Coco, who is modeling the apron, is going to give it to a friend for a shower gift. So I guess if anyone knows of a part time job in the greater Provo area, let me know, (but not too fast;)

Seriously....Kittens for Sale!

2008-05-25T17:54:00.000-06:00

The kittens are now 2 weeks old. Their eyes are open and they are starting to get cute. So cute in fact, you probably want one...right?
We have 2 calicos, one pure black and a grey stripe.
Here's a good idea...the next 4 people to look at my blog gets a free kitten! Check your mailbox's in about 4-6 weeks....:)

My birthday trip back home.

2008-05-19T20:26:00.001-06:00

So I just had a birthday on the 16th of this month and rather than having people pity me I usually try to go somewhere. This year I went back to the place of my birth. Pendleton Oregon.
A town of wheat ranches and Cowboys and Indians.
This is the home I was born in, (not literally) and my parents have lived here for 44 years.
My Mother keeps the house and yard looking amazing and I love to go home because everything is always beautiful and clean. (not something I've taken after :(

My Mother....She hates to have her picture taken but she often steals the show as you'll see in the video clip below. We had fun this weekend and I always love to go home...and I also love to come home...I miss my own family after a few days...Love you guys thanks for a fun Birthday!

You may notice a change in this posting, but after much encouragement from certain family members (i.e. death threats) I have elected to take a certain picture off the blog. I do what I can to keep peace in the family ;)