Once it was Pajamas

2nd project from room clean-out: Roxie pajamma pants, too small for her, but elastic cut off, cut through crotch and resewn into eternityinfinity/loop scarf (one long loop that you can double loop around neck or pull up for a hood, or wear as a shawl). Soft and warm for the cold weather we have had lately!

Suzu wore it to school a few days ago-met her design approval.

Padded Benches

Cleaning up Roxie's room meant tearing apart the cousin-sleep-over bed cushions. She had piled them up in living room, at my instructions, to clear out her floor. As I looked at them, then measured, they were the right size, with a little cutting, to fit toy chest and churh pew. Of course I already had fabric. So NO COST project. One I did with black and white striped strips-no cording, just the strips sewn in the seams; blue cushion I made a long tube (leaving an openinging to put foam inside) and did the triangle point trick at both ends (fold seam like a tent, sew across the width of cushion and cut triangle flap off). The hardest part is stuffing the cushion inside and hand stitching closed.

Le Bebe

This was my gift (dinosaur wash hand mitt-Target- over head of hanger with receiving blanket -a yard of flannel sewn to shiny silky gray smooth fabric) inside to hold head up), to this sweetheart:

Fun shower. 7 pregnant women in our church group. Here are the 3 next due:

I am full of advice and slightly naughty with some of it. It is okay that my baby is alomst 12. I did tell the ladies I know we kept our babies awake with our parenting efforts and trying so hard to put them to sleep. We figured that out by Roxie, letting her fuss a little, but learning how to self-sleep.
I helped with the decorations the night before, following directions from pintrist:

Would have loved to have taken these chairs home with me...perfectly orange.

Celebrating with Food

Max got a new job: cook at Gino's. Named for the Colt football player. Who will supposedly make an appearance at the restaurant next month. We showed our support by going to eat there as an extended family. And got our picture (21 & 22) on their facebook page if you look at their opening picture album (copied below)!

Youth Standing Strong

People are constantly amazed when I tell them I teach Bible Study class every school morning at 6 am. They really do come. Not for me. But to learn more about Christ and feel good.

The LDS youth theme for 2013 is "Stand ye in holy places" and be not moved. Go here for more information.

Suzanna is 5th from the right.

Lost in Pin-Translation

One Pretty Thing showcases crafts, ideas. Had to try this old book wreath. And I see now, comparing them, that I should have used more pages and maybe flattened them a little??? If you can't rip up an old book, even if you bought it "withdrawn" from public library circulation try sewing expired coupons or magazine pages for a colorful wreath!

Fun fast easy gift for local craft queen.

More Walking Photos (from Monday)

Clue to finding the local dinosaur murals/graffiti!

Cold Morning Walks

We didn't want to be those New Year's Resolution Burnouts, so we started early. Friday marked the 4th week we have walked, 6 days a week, before seminary, before John leaves for work. Super-dark-early, since our nights are filled. We have learned to layer against the cold, unzip as we warm up. Familiar route, close to home, in case one of us needs to run back and retrieve the car for the other...

John is a good walking buddy, motivator, friend. He thinks of it as our morning correlation meeting. Good time to make plans. We wear matching reflective vests, very visible in the dark.

Skinnier? Not yet, but not changing much with how we eat. Muscle weighs more than fat, anyway, right? We are getting "toned," but the goal is healthier.

Our stake youth conference is going on a trek this year, and John would love to volunteer. We invite our teenagers to come with us, but they haven't wanted to, yet.

Shaking Hands with T-Rex

Dinosaurs hiding in our hometown.

Getting Ready for Valentine's Day a Little Early

$1 for frame. Free anatomy book from a decluttering friend. "You Are Here" written on heart from paint chip. Idea from...can't find my source to give credit. Not my original idea.

Gift to Nephew

Well, it was harder than I thought to copy. Fun.

Suzanna's Galaxy Dress

Galaxy Dress DIY: Glow in the dark stars and all! Start with dark navy or black dress, bleach, then use white soft fabric paint for dot stars and glitter spray paint for sparkle. She wore this to the stake youth dance "Galaxy Ball."

Making Marriage Work

John forgot his phone, I forgot our camera, so no visual evidence of our trip last night. We were asked to go to the temple as part of our local congregation's conference, with no set meeting time, just to go whenever we could. John took Max to two doctor appointments so he was home early. I slept on the way down and was irritable/cold when getting out of the car and not-united feeling. I had yelled at John when I thought he was going to hit an oblivious phone-talking pedestrian and he raised his voice back at me so I was ready to just march into this building ahead of him, without holding his hand, feisty.

Not a good way to enter the Lord's house.

Maybe this has happened to you. You know you are supposed to be reverent, humble, full of loving thoughts, and you can't get past the hurt, irritation, stupid-fight moment.

He teased me all the way in that we needed to kiss and make up or something specific would happen. And I didn't repent fast enough, and we were asked to sit up front, so I had to quickly ask for help changing my stubborn heart. So I could be in the right frame of mind, the right open heart, the right listening ears.

We make covenants in the temple. Promises with God. Every time we go is a chance to remember those promises and do a self-evaluation of how well we are living them.

We serve our ancestors, those who never heard of the Gospel, and allow them, by proxy, to make those covenants with God.

We were married in the Salt Lake Temple. Best decision of our lives. Going often helps strengthen our marriage.

"...and they lived happily ever after..." because they worked together, walked, talked, dated, listened, served, set goals, laughed, danced, repented and forgave and kissed often...

Looking for the Perfect (Mark) Quote

Three Candidates:

This is the mark of a really admirable man: Steadfastness in the face of trouble.
-Ludwig van Beethoven

It is the mark of great people to treat trifles as trifles and important matters as important.
-Doris Lessing

Being aware of your fear is smart. Overcoming it is the mark of a successful person.
-Seth Godin

Miss Dee (angel) to the Rescue

Background: Wet, mashed, composting leaves on the street in front of our home. 4 feet wide and 30 feet long. Not fun to jump across to go get the mail. I have little patience for the eyesore of recycling or yard waste. I may have nominated it once or twice for the honeydew list. I am sure it is pride that irrates me, makes me worry about being the house with the trashed, neglected yard. I hate to be thought of as lazy or not taking care of our home. This pile of leaves was supposed to be swept up by the city street cleaner machine, but I guess we got it out too late in the fall...? I put on my boots this free afternoon and started shoveling...

Miss Dee (angel) drove by and did a U-turn, pulled up to the curb where I was working. She got out, friendly, "I'll hold the bag, two hands make light work!" She was wearing white pants. "They'll wash fine!" I asked her if she worked in the middle school cafeteria, if she lived near by. "I just want to do the Christian thing, no way was I going to drive by with you out here working on your own...." Her husband passed three years ago, her two boys are in the military, one army, one navy, "That's Dante..." She let me give her a big hug after we got the last bag tied. I told her she was an answer to prayers. "God bless you, Miss Jenny!"

I feel humbled, cared for, listened to in my complainy terse prayers of "we need you." We are blessed, when we ask for His help.

Glow In Dark Bouncy Ball Earrings

It would be fun to have a Jen club. Meet Jen W. She goes to Church with us. I was her boss one summer. She is a good worker. Creative, funny, wise. Today we had an earring-making day. She showed me some nifty tricks. Shared a rinestone to put on my zombie necklace. We made matching earrings, went thrift store shopping and dollar store searching for more tiny junk finds. My favorite are the astronaut ones--I'll show you after I get the jump rings to finish them off.

One injury/one bandaid day. Shared potsticker chopstick lunch. Lots of laughs & hugs & advice about our personal burdens.

What is Your Soul Worth?

$10.00 @ Target. LOVE it, but was dismayed to see on my receipt the cashier had somehow completely not scanned it, only charged me for the other things in my bag. Freebie? No. Keep me honest, please! The service desk lady was grateful I stopped to pay more money on my way out of the store.

If it had been $100.00 or even $1.00 that got forgotten and not charged--it isn't worth the trade-off to me.

Now my soul-rug is a good reminder of who I want to be.

Things I Am Thinking About This Week

Rodney White, the artist, has become mass-popular, but I love the patina, the words.

Another source I like: Hang a Ribbon on the Moon.

I am looking at different ideas to display family trees, family history visually, decoratively. Anything else you have seen?

Artist Inspiration

A modern Mormon artist I admire: James Christensen

"Ten Lepers"

I took a watercolor class from him when he taught at BYU. I haven't watercolored in years, and I've been thinking about starting again, dusting off my kit. Buying a new brush or two (since I've used my good ones with acrylics).

I am thankful for my talents/interests in art. I was challenged yesterday to find a way to share my gifts with others. And I thought of a daunting project that I need to start this week. With paint. It is time. More to come...

Artist I Admire: Harry Anderson

Harry Anderson's paintings are used often when we teach in the LDS Church, and not many members know he was a 7th Day Adventist. "In the mid-Sixties, he expanded his religious horizons to include the Mormon Church, for whom he created a mural for the 1964 New York World's Fair. It was done in oil paints which he'd abandoned early is his career due to allergies to turpentine. New thinner products allowed him to explore the medium again. He produced a dozen more oil paintings for the Mormons, many of which have been reproduced in one of their publications entitled the Family Home Evening."

And his paintings are everywhere, in visitor's centers across the country.

Laser Game at 6 am in Bible Study Class

3 year old mural on basement classroom wall:

Welcome to seminary. DAILY seminary. EARLY MORNING seminary. Class starts at 6 am. Every school day. We start with a song. Suzanna plays the piano.

This was the early/on-time crowd. The hot chocolate for early birds is no longer a crowd draw. 3 more students came after we got started today.

This is a memory map of our Church building, not really drawn to scale, but you can see the two long hallways that meet in the chapel foyer? It was a building we have all been to, seen most of the rooms (not many knew about the mother's lounge for nursing moms). Every "room" has a scripture mastery, one of 25, from the New Testament.

I have made laminated flash pages, with the reference on one side with helpful hint pictures, and then the full scripture written out on the reverse.

This morning I put the map up on the wall and played a game with these laser finger pointers:

If an activity helps one student learn/remember one scripture one time, I have done my job.
Suzanna's feedback, "Seminary was fun this morning!" as she left for school.

Need a Little Soothing Pink?

Scout Fund-Raiser: auction off services. I volunteered painting a room. This was going to be a Santa surprise, but the new key didn't fit the lock while the family was gone Christmas Eve, so it was delayed. Here is the BEFORE...

...(I did try to paint over the vinyl lettering, reverse stencil-style, didn't work with texture of walls or age of vinyl.) During...

Almost after; needs another coat of paint...

Dark greeny-gray needed a white base to work on for this WONDERFUL pale pink, Benjamin Moore "Bridal Pink." Idea for this color from Making it Lovely blog. It looks nearly white going on, but the build up of coats shows a really subtle, sweet pink, without any sticky-gaggy Pepto Bismal feeling. It has been awhile since I painted a room, and it was very relaxing, therapueutic, even if I came home sore from bending over to cut in the bottom of the wall. I always cut first, then roll, but I have heard of some painters rolling first. I keep a plastic shopping bag over the tray while the first coat dries (2 hours on a non-raining day).

Gracious Lady

Today was the funeral for a Gentle Woman. A real lady. Proper and funny, personable and refined. Southern accent, humble, gracious. Mother of our stake president and wife of the patriarch. It was great to see her posterity gathered, all but one missionary grandson, solemn and full of tender feelings.

Suzanna came, since one of her granddaughters is a hopeful BYU roommate next fall. The grandson on a mission was Stewart's freshman roommate. Two of her great grandchildren are my little friends who used to come every Tuesday to play. It is hard to think of our life without the Halsey influence!

And her husband said the best choice he ever made was to marry her.

Commemorating "Firsts"

Happy Birthday to my first Son-by-Marriage!

Your name is written on Emmalyn's heart, permanent ink!

(Sarah Pope, photography)

First couple dance to first in-laws. My in-laws call each year and sing "Happy Birthday" on the phone, this last year I was at work and put them on speaker phone. We thought about doing that to you, but couldn't figure out which version of the song you would like the most and then how to do it without waking you up at 4 am your time. Maybe we will start that first tradition next year?

Happy Birthday-dirge style? En espanol? With our 2nd verse? 'Tis love brought you into our family!

Zombie Cat & Friends

John joke: "What is the difference between a green cat that wants to sit on you and eat your brains and a regular cat?

The zombie cat is green."

I don't hate cats. I just do not like them. I would never shoot one. They make me sneeze, and I have always been leery of them ( I think it is from seeing Lady & The Tramp in a movie theatre with my dad when one of my siblings was born). Is that true? Film was made in 1955? Were they still showing it in theatres 12 years later??? Dad, do you remember?

Sunday night we celebrated 12th Night, and the hostess requested we bring a Christmas ornament as our ticket to dinner. We've already taken down our tree, so these were some spontaneous, use what you have creations. I got zombie key heads for Christmas, and used one for the cause. Fishing line and ribbon can turn anything into an ornament!