Projects & Portraits

#recycled_tshirt project:  cut an animal t-shirt in half, sew to front of hoodie or jacket.  Because of stretch and not enough pins, (PIN MORE THAN I DO IF YOU CARE) his nose is slightly UN-aligned.  But I love colors: brown jacket someone gave me that had some stains on front & clearance t-shirt I never would have worn.  This I will wear.

 More recycled t-shirt projects:  simple circle necklaces, hand sewn, using neck ribbing or bottom hem, or sometimes sleeve hem as ribbons to tie around neck.  They help make shirts modest without wearing another layer underneath.

Sam before his first group date!  He turned 16 this summer, and he and Alan from seminary class went bowling with 2 girls from stake!

Faces

Family Faces, Trip West

Button necklaces!

Frozen Dole pineapple floats, Emma-style!

Beautiful Emma graduated!

Deborah visually graduated for me! (hard copies coming in snail mail)

 

 

Me & Lu at beginning of trip West, 1st overnight stop

Brother Steven saying "Don't take my picture!"

James & Emma, Timpanogos LDS temple

Me, Becca, Deborah: sisters

Mom-Jane and Aunt Betty: sisters

Nephew Simon & his mom

Dad & Mom on Cecret Lake hike

Stewart, Suzanna, Emmalyn

My favorite picture I took of my parents

Group Shots

I filled up my entire camera card with 325 pictures on this trip!

This couple are from the same county where I live! Snowbirds, spending all winter in St. Thomas, lucky!

Traveling with a Sister

Luanna is a bold, brave woman!

She ran a local race! A cruise ship from Canada was island hopping and racing, inviting the locals to participate.

Shaved ice at Rudy's blue truck across from Del Sol shop. Try it with milk!

Death Warmed Over

"'Warmed over' refers to the preparation of leftover food to serve again. Leftovers are less desirable than food just now cooked, and the warming process can damage them further. They get overcooked, dry, limp where you want crispy, stiff where you want soft, charred around the edges. Sauces separate. Flavor vanishes. So "warmed over" is an intensifier: Not only did he look awful, he didn't even look fresh. It's 'death warmed up' in the UK' From _The Dictionary of Cliches_ by James Rogers.

It's been a hard week.

Recovering from last week's professional painting (this mural is in a PA restaurant entry & I wished I had painted it!), trying to do too much, losing my voice, my patience, my sleep-from coughing & feeling like I am drowning-not-able-to-breathe-death. What starts as allergies and cold-induced asthma moves to post-nasal drip/sore throat, advances to sinus infection and officially broncitis. Gross.

Ready for a vacation with this sister! (36 days from today!)

I am thankful for modern medicine (prednisone works, when you need it, but wild, vivid dreams!?), good doctors, super student Suzanna teaching seminary this morning solo, cheerful hugging hard-working husband.

Maxwell comes home from BYU tonight. I was hoping to have more done before he arrived. I guess to impress him? Is that just pride talking? He is family, not company, but we've missed him. I wonder what changes he will notice? I want him to feel at home, welcomed, celebrated, included.

He wants to learn how to make rolls, bread, while he is home. Good goal. I will turn him into a baker within 2 weeks! You other pre-missionary mommas, start earlier! We are cramming life-skills into the time we have left before he turns 19 and follows his brother!

BYU photo ID picture found by John.

The Words for the Year

My sister chooses a word to focus on each year. Great way to motivate yourself. Easier than listing 10 goals.

Mine is "Prioritize."

What does that mean?

I have so many good projects/ideas/talents that I am never bored. But I do get overwhelmed with the piles of resources/junk/research.

This year I want to slim down. Physically, environmentally, emotionally. To let go, find release, lose some stuff.

One of many great inspiring bloggers kept a number list, getting rid of 2010 things in 2010. So one up it this year with 2011 things!

So far I am almost up to 200 things I've let go. (No, not pounds, yet. Working on that one.) Two love bags to the thrift store, a bundle of swim shirts and skirts to a niece, an Ikea corner desk (we dumpster dove for once upon a time) and put on the sidewalk (didn't work in our living room anymore). 1811 things left!

John=Patience
Jennilyn=Prioritize
Maxwell=Energy
Suzanna=HAPPPY
Samuel=Brave/Kind
Roxie=Organzied
FAMILY WORD=Obedient

The Button Story

When we, Jenny-Deb-John the baby, lived in San Jose, California, in the rented blue-green stucco house near the Rocket Park slide and the eucalyptus trees by Dad's work, I had a button necklace. Buttons from Grandma Laura, Great Grandma Jane Davidson. I remember playing with Mom's button jar, stringing the buttons on, and knowing some of them were family-old ones. Wooden ones, old shell ones, probably some bake-lite retro ones! I loved that necklace. I remember running it through my hands when I was supposed to be asleep, thinking about the adventures the buttons had seen.

One day a playmate from across the street offered to trade one of her glass menagerie treasures for my necklace. I picked out a tiny blue peacock and she grabbed the necklace. I went home, noticed one of the legs of the peacock was broken off, missed my button necklace and instantly regretted the trade. I tried to trade back the peacock, but the friend refused. I am not sure if I even told my parents, but I was heartbroken and very sad.



(Pacifiers make GREAT buttons! I have sewn them on quilts, through the holes of these MAM brand pacifiers. Cut off the used nipple, and they lie flat against the cloth.

I've been trying to re-create that necklace ever since! And this holiday, I am sending all of my sisters a button bracelet. I want them to know they are precious to me, and I wouldn't trade them for any worldly treasures. They are all keepers!

If I made it too small/big for your wrists, they can be re-strung with elastic. Or you can use the buttons for a project you need! Know that I value you.

Sisters

Sisters teach me things. They listen. Share. Giggle with me (even past 40, yes!). Eat treats with me. Support one another. Talk about real things. Cry with me.
I have 3 Landbeck sisters...Sara, Amy, LisaEight Babcock sisters: Deborah, Jen, Julie, Laura, Luanna,Rebecca, Sare, Alysa. I don't have a picture of Heather Eagle-Pipe (Indian Placement Student). Cousin Wendy lived with us like a sister...Deb and Wendy. Yes, that is a real badge. She's got my back, when I'm in SLC!
We come from all over the states. Provo, Iowa, Kentucky, Iowa, Provo. (Do I have that right?)

VA Beach. Johnny brought us out ice cream sandwiches.
Sare & Michael's wedding.
Sare & Michael.

My little sister got married before I did. Hard at the time, but great now to have our children be similarly aged cousins!
Steven Alysa, soon-to-be-parents.
David & Julie!

Happy Birthday TODAY to sister Jen! (photo from her blog, link with figtreefarm on the right sidebar)