June 26, 2009 Be there or be square!

93

I just counted. 93. That's the number. The number of what you may ask? The number of pairs of socks Paul has. How is that even possible. He just cleaned them out and replaced so many with new socks. I don't think he threw any away. 93 pair? I just can't even wrap my brain around that number. Oh wait, there's 94...........he's wearing a pair.............

And p.s. - that's only dress socks. This doesn't count the athletic socks in the downstairs bedroom in a drawer.

Obsessive sewing..........

I got home today at 10am from excercising and this is the first moment I haven't been cutting out material or sewing. LOVE these patterns! The single ones are capris. The matching ones are long pant for my two granddaughters! Love them!

Crab Pants............Take them off!

For some unknown reason, I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Now I don't think that happens very often - in fact, rarely! (Paul may have other ideas about this) He asked me to meet him for a morning beverage (aka diet coke!) and I went but was a crab the whole time. Not the kind of crabby that I acted mad at him, just the kind of crabby that everyone and everything was on my nerves! I can't for the life of me even think of what it was. Paul asked if something was the matter. I told him I just had on crabby pants for some reason. He asked if he could help. I told that asking me made me feel crabbier so please don't ask. He tiptoed out of Mac's with the question to me "I think I have a break between work and high council meeting?" Pretty bad when your husband is basically asking if it's okay to come home! Well, it just got worse as the day went on. I was crabby about CStar. An attendance program for my institute class. Don't ask as I may get crabby again. I couldn't keep anything in my hands. Things just kept dropping out of them. Crabby. Went to Michaels and tried to pull a cart out and three kept dribbling out after the one I had. So I went to a different line of them. Same problem. Some guy that worked there started laughing and made some jovial remark - he did not see that I had on crabby pants. I may have looked at him and said something along the lines of ......... well, let's just say that it was rude. Crabby. I also had returned to me in the mail an opened envelope that used to have a gift card in it for my dad. Someone had stolen it! Crabby! I had scheduled to go with my friend April on our daily hike/walk. I thought about calling her and telling her to forget it. I thought about calling her and telling her we were just going to sit and sip on a hot chocolate instead of walking (to which she would have said yes as I would have said it with an edge in my voice!) Alas, she showed up - I told her I was crabby. She asked why. I told her I didn't know. She then told me that perhaps she had left her 'ear muffs' in my house to which I told her that if she put them on I would be crabbier.....she left them in the house. Well, we went on quite the walk. We both sweat like pigs. (It's one of the things that I love most about April - she's an equal opportunity sweater like me! There aren't many of us out there.) We marched down the mountain and right back up it. We sucked air for a bit (especially me as I'm 20 years her senior. Ouch. Crabby.) But by the time we finished I felt great. My crabby pants had been left somewhere on the hike - not to worry......I wore workout pants just in case. I felt a kick in my step. It was fantastic. I had great conversation. I felt like I listened and shared some thoughts. A great combination. So thank you April for walking/hiking with me everyday. Thank you for not making me feel so old. Thanks for helping me with the dreaded crabby pants that I wore for so much of the day. What a waste of my energy. I look forward to our walk tomorrow at 8:30! (And by the way, I made my dear husband a delicious quiche filled with swiss cheese, whipping cream, brocolli, french fried onions, cayenne pepper and threw together some oatmeal/peanut butter cookies that he loves to send out the door with him. I hope he can forgive my crabby pants. I'm pretty sure he will.........last time I checked, he's near the perfect husband category!)

Gramma Zee + grandkiddies = LOVE!

Andi seemed to do just fine after eating the paint! I think she looks a bit like ninja turtle. They look pretty cute in their craft shirts!




Swinging at the park




I made super hero capes - Andi loved carrying hers around. She WOULD NOT put it on. Carter pretty much lived in his. He wore it to the playland at McDonalds. He wore it to OMSI. He wore it to the park. I didn't let him wear it to church, baths, or sleeping. He busted out some pretty awesome moves when he wore his cape and mask. He ran fast like 'Dash'! (What is The Incredibles!)






Absolute angels on Sunday morning - even thru church! I could hardly stand to leave them at the nursery. It just seemed forever til I got to see them again!





This was Andi's idea of getting herself dressed. I drew the line on this outfit!



Loaded up and on the way to OMSI!




To say they were soaking wet may be an understatement! Andi loved the fish and struck up many conversations and saddled up to anyone who looked like a mom!







Our last stop at OMSI was the sandbox. Carter wasn't too sure about getting his toes in the sand but once he figured out there were sifters, it was a done deal.






So pretty much, I had the best week ever. I sure hope I get to do something like this with all my grandkiddies. It was so fun to just play and play and be there 100% for them. It's an experience that has changed me forever. Thank you Carter and Andi for making me feel like I was the best grandma in the world! I love you!

sewing projects

Theses are projects I did once the grandkiddies were asleep!'. I made two dresses for Andi. I made a matching one of the coral one for Reece. The kimono pj's are like a previous post that I had made for Reece but this is for one of Summer's friends who is having a girl. She picked out the fabric. She paid me in a bottle of diet coke, black licorice, and a package of chocolate necos! The skirt was a very difficult project. I had seen it on display at Fabric Depot and knew that this was a skirt I must make. It's floor length and when Andi put it on, she just floats in it! Dani is hoping to get some pictures of Andi in it by her professional photographer friend, Heather Ward! Such fun projects! Glad I have some little girls to sew for and one more on the way (which I've already purchased material for her blessing gown!)





I made up these flip flops today. They were one buck at Michaels. I purchased about 3 bucks worth of ribbon and cut them into 6 inch peices and burned the edges so they didn't fray. Then I just tied them on. My friend April thought this would be a fun project/gift for her little girls. I couldn't agree more.

Happy Birthday Summer!

My oldest daughter turned 29 today. Happy Birthday Summer! She is a super great daughter and I thought perhaps I would list a few of my favorite things about her!

1. The smile! Honestly, you just can't beat her contagious smile!
2. Generous spirit! She is really generous is her giving of time and talents to others.
3. She is a worrier! She worries about Reece. She worries about Joshua. She worries about our family. She worries about her Dad's health. She worries about her young women. She worries about her siblings. She worries about her nieces and nephews. It's all good worry. She just really loves her family!
4. She is a good good mom. Ms. Reece is really blessed to have her as her mom. She is so attentive. She is so patient. She knows hers limits and makes sure that she walks away when those limits are met. She just knows she has the most perfect, most beautiful, most wonderful daughter! She appreciates being a mom so much. After losing two pregnancies she really appreciates being a mom in a different way.
5. She loves to connect with our family. She calls often. She asks about everyone. She loves her sibs, their spouses, their kids, her parents, her grandparents. She writes her 95 year old grandpa who is......well, just really old....a card every so often. He so appreciates that.
6. She appreciates living a clean wholesome life. Nothing else to say about that!
7. She is a good daughter.
8. She is so talented. Crafty. Plays the piano beautifully. And she is the meanest soccer player I ever watched. Mean in a good way of course. I'm pretty sure she talked trash with the best of them in high school! I lived for her games!
9. She doesn't like confrontation. This is mostly a good thing I think!
10. She is so non-judgemental - to a fault! She just doesn't judge people by anything. I think she really respects others and their choice of life-style.
11. Strong sense of right and wrong.

Well, I could keep going with my list. And I'm sure my other kids will expect a list on their birthday too! I hope I remember! Remind me will ya?

Happy Birthday Summer! You are just a blessing in my life. I wish you lived closer. I love you as a daughter, sister in the gospel, and friend!

Love, mom