Ta da!

I did it! I'm done!  I wanted to make a picture book of my parents and give it to them on their anniversary.  Their 39th anniversary is -4 days ago (March 27th) which means I was late, but hey.  I did it! I'm done!  It's ordered!  PS, aren't they so cute :)

This was then . . .

This is now! (When they were in Hawaii!)

And this is what has become (minus a couple grandkids and a couple more on the way).

Okay, so I've never really done the whole however-many-things-i-love-about . . . kind of list and now I think it's time.

My dad:

He's such a hard worker.  I can honestly say he's the first thing I think of when it comes to work.  He is exactly the opposite of lazy.  Even when it looks like he's not doing anything, he always seems to be contemplating something deep and meaningful.  Most of the work I witness first hand is his garden.  It's inspiring.  I hope someday I can be as good as him.  He's also incredibly spiritual.  I love talking to him about gospel subjects or asking him questions about the scriptures.  He's always got an answer for me or a fresh perspective.  My dad may fall asleep in the middle of family gatherings, but he is so caring and loving I can't help but love him.

My mom:

Get her out from behind the camera and you will find how service oriented she is.  You can even see the evidence in her freezer or on her kitchen counter.  She's always baking up a batch of Friendship Bread.  (If you don't know what that is, we need to talk.) She is always willing to listen and be sympathetic to any plight.  She loves to quilt!  Our family would be frozen without all the quilts she's made for us, especially our kids.  It's becoming a lost art, but not with my mom.  She's going to quilt until her hard working hands fail her.  And yes, her other passion is pictures.  She says her mom didn't take many so she's making up for it.  Well, that must skip generations because I have to constantly remind myself that somethings do require a camera to remember. She loves her grandkids and is always taking them on walks.  I love my mom.  She's one of my bestest friends.

Thanks Mom and Dad.  I'm glad you got married and had 6 kids. My life wouldn't be the same if you didn't. :)

Most recent project

Our kitchen table chairs are covered in stains so I thought I would finally do something about it.  I took my 40% off coupon down to Joann's and bought some fabric that I just fell in love with.

Here's before . . . 

and here's after.

Yeah for staple guns! Next project: Brooklyn's curtains

Next movie review

So we rented this the other night and Mike made me watch it with the lights off.  Mike had already seen it and assured me it was a good movie.  I have to wait until I'm over the last horror movie before I go see another so I finally got in the mood to see this one.  Between covering my face with a pillow when I knew something was going to jump out, squeezing Mike's hand in suspense and saying "yucky" every time it was, I actually enjoyed this movie.  It had a great plot that was pretty easy to follow.  I didn't even have nightmares.  My favorite part had to be the mannequins he set up around town so he wouldn't feel so lonely or going hunting for deer in a mustang was pretty cool too.  So if you're in the mood for a scary movie, this one will do.  ****

Give said the little stream . . .

Making handcrafted items is a dying art, but they are so fun to make & get! So, here's a little game to encourage the handcrafting to live & thrive!! The first 5 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a super-duper handmade gift from me.What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise!The catch is that you must participate as well-before you leave your comment here, write up (or copy & paste as I did!) a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Remember that only the first FIVE comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick!

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!2. It will be done this year (hopefully sooner than later.)3. You will have no clue what it is going to be.

C'mon, you know you wanna play!

Movie Review!

(Spoiler Alert!)

So I rented this movie in need of a romantic story.  Richard Gere has a pretty good record at being in the center of  romantic movies (i.e. First Knight, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, etc.) So I felt pretty safe knowing this would turn out to be good.  I didn't know anything about the story only that the woman's "life would be changed forever."  Typical story, boy and girl meet at beach house, girl going through a divorce, boy widowed or divorced, I can't remember . . . they fall in love, only to separate back to their homes at the peak of romance. The whole "absence makes the heart grow fonder" theme takes place.  They write letters to each other and it is so mushy I love it.  Finally, boy plans to come back to girl forever, but never makes it.  He dies in a mudslide!  What the heck.  I didn't want a sad love story.  I wanted a happily ever after love story.  I mean, it ends well, closure and all with ponies running on the beach, but man,  I wasn't looking to cry that night.  So if you want a good tear jerker, mushy and gushy with romance, rent this one, just plan on being sad. **** (4/5)