Joy in the Moment

I liked my sister Deb's blog response to her daughter SarahK's request to go take a photo, right now, in the moment and post it.

Don't fix your hair, or pose anything. Just the real you. I tried three times and Suzanna was watching and kept telling me I was missing (my arms are too short to do the hold it and click thing). She obliged and is our photographer, but I think she was rolling her eyes. The embarrassment of demonstrative parents?!

Here we are. It's been a bring-us-closer-through-trials kind of week. We are still in love. Strong marriage and commitment.


Paint clothes, sweaty from working, time for hot shower. Hot dogs for dinner.

Raspberry Room at Gma Sandy's

My mother-by-marriage has hired me to do some domestic painting. First job: the guest bedroom. Blue walls are gone. Now there is an intense raspberry color on the back wall. "Anonymous" Behr grey on rest of walls--and the ceiling. She let me do it. I sort of begged.

I love LOVE the look of painted ceilings. I think it was Christopher Lowell a decade ago that explained a white ceiling in a color painted room looks like your slip is showing. It stands out.

I have experimented with our home and on clients and have enjoyed the color bouncing fun 5th wall=ceiling. Another place to decorate!

Using the same paint as the walls erases corners, rounds out the room, turns it into a big hug of color experience!

Plus it is so much easier to cut in, one stroke on wall and ceiling is very fast. I highly recommend it.

(shiny wet paint-Don't Touch the Walls!)

This is before, with dirty cream ceiling and disappearing blue wall and primer on raspberry wall.


After. Look at how the ceiling/wall line blends/disappears! I went back with raspberry and crisped up the edge--looks terrible in this picture...

Got rid of Red Eye

I am learning to use my tools. Finally figured out how to get rid of the red and see the baby blues on this young man.

Until I have a new picture, this is all I have...This is the image I think of, when I hear that they have gone out on another date, blue shirt, green dress. They've been wearing the same outfit for a week straight in my mind.

I'm teasing a little bit. But I am getting tired of just seeing the picture of ME on Emma's blog! Time for new material! Emma, at least show me the cool shoes you are wearing tomorrow! Or even better, your shoes, his shoes. Then I can think all day about how closely you are standing to each other and read your body language. Words are not enough for me. I need to see, then I will believe.

And I say that with a straight face, even with my email sig-line of:

"Credendo Vides; by believing, one sees." -- James C. Christensen, 'Voyage of the Basset' (love his artwork! I took a watercolor class from him once.)

Family Tree

Imagine this tree with full baby's name, birthday and weight, parents names and their anniversary, and then back 2 more generations, and green leaves...

Some family trees have been pruned, branches grafted in, blended. It can be complicated, explaining relations to a baby. How do you show step-parents and extra grandmas and grandpas married in?

I ended up painting dashed lines that connected mom to her divorced parents and new spouses. I loved the client's desire to put what the baby will call each grandparent first, before their legal name, so Mom Mom, Pop Pop, Nonnie, GiGi, Granddad, Nana, and Pap have grown-up names, too, for historical help if Baby Addison ever wants to know their other names!

This is the last addition in the Pink Snail Nursery: a family tree. I don't want to post all their family info, but here is the tree before the "Hibiscus" Benjamin Moore paint names are added. The background uses the same paint from the walls with tinier shiny polka dots painted behind the tree. Cool effect when you catch it in the light, but hard to show with a camera. You have to see it in person.

This way, when they move into their someday house and the mural is painted over or left behind, they will take a piece of history with them!

I dropped this off today and was delighted to see Addison, beautiful baby! (And to meet her grandma! I told her I knew how she fit on her family tree and asked her if she was named after her father--knowing family history details opens up a world of delightful stories. When I see a maiden name of a great grandparent who marries someone with a name that would have fallen alphabetically next in a classroom, I wonder if they sat by each other in school, and when that crush turned into true love?)

Suzanna saw this and thought it would be cool if I made one for her...Can you say Christmas presents?

Steadfast & Immovable (nice way to say stubborn?)

We've been talking about strengths vs. weaknesses, the things that first attracted us to each other as a couple. I painted this last Thursday, thinking of our children and my hopes for them. It has taken on new meaning these last 6 days.


Mormon uses this word over and over to describe my hero-prophets. Good word. Good goal. Other options I considered for the top of this forgotten piece of furniture: Undaunted, immovable, upright, incorruptible, loyal, strong...


This was a road-side find, complete hutch (we have since put the top shelves out on our curb and it was promptly adopted!), very dark black stain, ugly hardware which was easily replaced by the brushed nickel finish. I have painted many layers of color on this, at least one for every year I have owned it--currently turquoise with white wash over, dark teal top with Benjamin Moore Glitter top-coat. Black & white check shelf liner inside...Pillow fabric by IKEA. Thrift store couch. Great Grandma Billie Persian rug...

Rule of Twos (kissing)

(Christine Jepsen's photo of Cupid at the Louvre! I visit taught her at BYU. Stayed in touch with Christmas cards but facebook helps us see current photos! You youth don't know how good you have it, the networking and easy connecting. Please don't begrudge us our over-enthusiasm for using the forum. Max finally admitted he is realted to me--today on facebook.)

(I love parenthetical phrases.)

The youth went to hear Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Quorum of the 70 speak last night at a regional fireside. This morning I asked them what they had learned.

Stay out of the kitchen.

Do not eat the chocolate chip cookie.

Memories matter.

Chemistry is powerful. (This all related to a great cookie metaphor he used throughout his talk, "it is easier to avoid than resist temptation" theme.)

He also taught them to remember the Rule of Twos in Dating: date in groups/double dating; only 2 kisses for less than 2 seconds total.

Then we started Scripture Mastery signs (not true ASL, but with some take-off from everything).

Moroni 10:4-5 is blowing a trumpet, like the angel Moroni on top of the LDS temples.

1 Nephi 3:7 is "DO" in sign language-which looks a little like the Monster Dance move (I had them sing with me through "I am a Child of God" until we got to the chorus and I could remember what I had taught the nursery kids on "teach me all that I must DO...").

My favorite was the feasting "foot-long-sub for $5" sign StevenS showed us and DevinK's dramatic Super Hero pose for put off the natural man-enemy to God-become saintly verse.

I will have to record them doing it, when we get through all 25. They said it reminded them of a crazy dance. Hmmmm. Yeessssss! Good way to learn using kinetic intelligence.

Amusing, light-hearted, fun morning with more discussion than we've had so far.

15 Minutes

(Yesterday I got to watch 6 month+ old bundle of joy Anna --her pictures are over in my sidebar under blogs I read--while her mom ran an errand. She was so quiet the whole time she was here--except for when I tried to put her down for a nap, so I picked her back up, sat down at the piano with her, and she was singing and smiling! She was really SINGING with me as I played Primary Christmas songs about Baby Jesus! Made me cry with joy and love and happiness at hanging out with an innocent baby again. Sigh.)

Between the time that baby Anna left from playing with me and before Samuel came home from school (15 minutes) John called.

He said I was always the first one he would call when something bad happened.

My first thought was for his safety--(this is the kind of phone call I've gotten after car wrecks...)

But I listened as he explained he had been severed from his state employment. Losing all benefits. Really nice ones I've enjoyed.

We have survived 4 rounds of lay-offs. State Secretary tightening the belt. Thought we were safe. Over-confident, maybe even cocky thinking all was well.

I couldn't quite get out the door to go to my quilt meeting. Could barely walk down to get Roxie from school.

Laura, my angel friend, took one look at me and asked what was wrong.

She is easy to talk with. Comforting. We talked about the blessings of having food storage.

I completely missed the Mommies' Night Out at Applebee's 9 pm-after FHE--(and I love those--imagine hanging out with other women from Church, no kids, no husbands, so you can talk as friends, eat chocolate, relax, laugh...)

John gathered us in family prayer last night, told the kids his news, and prayed for the windows of heaven to open. I hope they felt the comfort from the Holy Ghost, that things will be okay.

We know God knows our needs. That He is aware of our situtation. We are exerting our faith and prayers that something better will open up.

I didn't think I would tell the seminary kids--but as I talked to them about writing down a blessing today in their Tiny Plates, and we read the scripture 1 Nephi 1:20, I felt the Spirit testify as I told them that I know things will work out okay, that our faith and prayers as a family will show us what to do. We've been talking about hanging on to the Iron Rod=the Word of God, and how we will do that, getting ready for General Conference in a week. And as we continue to pay a full tithe, we will be blessed. I told them I wanted them to remember today, me telling them this story of the scary trial we are going through, and in a week, or two weeks, or a month or two, when Brother Landbeck has a new job, they will remember today and what I told them.

Talk about applying the scriptures to your own life! Real examples, real feelings.

Your whole life can change in...less than 15 minutes.