Bella's NEW ROOM!

Jesse, Tara, Bella and JJ moved into a great home on Traverse Mountain last year. For Bella's 4th birthday in August, I wanted to decorate her new room. Bella (Snow White on the right, left is her cousin Caroline Moon) helped me paint the room periwinkle blue and I worked on the other elements at home and then on a day in August put together the room. It was great fun to see how excited she was, and still is, when she shows someone her "new room". I was over there the other day and took a few pictures, but now I realize the pictures are only of one side of the room....oh well.

I'm really happy with how everything turned out! The inspiration for the entire room were the flower alphabet cards I found last year at Thanksgiving Point and just loved. Next came the choice of quilt fabrics that I found while in Columbus, Ohio for a work trip. The periwinkle color was chosen to best match the quilt and then while I was trying to figure out a headboard and considering things like a picket fence, I came across this old door frame....already yellow and quite dilapidated. It just needed a lot of sanding and a top coat of finish.

The woman who quilted my quilt top also quilted the fabric which I put in the panels on the door. It softens the door for a bit for a headboard, and I love the floral pattern we picked for the quilting, which she did in a hot pink to match the colors in the quilt. I backed the quilt with a cozy yellow fleece blanket and made a pillow from the same.

The garage sale night stand and desk chair I painted the periwinkle blue and there is a garage sale decorative metal book shelf that is painted yellow. I made little flowers to go on the edge of the lamp frame out of the quilt fabrics.

I've seen picture frame/pictures done similar to this and with the tiny clothespins I thought it was really cute. So, all in all, I'm quite pleased with myself. I appreciated my daughter-in-law Tara giving me license to do whatever I wanted! What a treat! And I love that little Bella and it makes me happy to see how much she loves her room!

Gingerbread House 2011

This year I decided to do a castle themed gingerbread house to commemorate our trip to Disneyland with Tyler, Kai and Bella. It was a crazy project since I just didn't really have
a plan when I started. Beside the paper towel tube towers, I just wasn't sure how it was going to come together. But come together it did. Good thing these days the project spreads itself
out over many days. In the past I used to put the house together before Thanksgiving
and then we would decorate all Thanksgiving after dinner. It was CRAZY! Especially since we always did little houses for the cousins too.

On the downside, I had to do it mostly by myself. With Lindsey having 22 month old for Max, there justwasn't much time she had when we could work on it together. But the work she did made a BIG difference. I certainly don't have the fine motor coordination or patience that she does so the very detailed things, like the door, are of her making.

So here it is.....Gingerbread creation 2011

Lewis Family 2008

It obviously takes me awhile to get these photo books made....But I'm finding that there is a certain advantage to the retrospective view.
The memories are even sweeter when looked at this way.

Click here to view this photo book larger

I miss these little girls

I miss these little girls . . . a lot.
Life goes on sometimes in fast forward, and we don't get to
be with them often enough at all.
These pictures are from January, when Franklin and I went
for a visit to see Austin, Lizzy, Tyler and Kai in Yelm, Washington.
It was a quick "fix", but just so fun to be with them.

TYLER & KAI !
We Love You & Miss YOU !

I do like getting notes in the mail. Note that in the picture
above Tyler & I are swinging together!
I'm glad she sees us having fun together.

When I get down sometimes, I can count my blessings,
such as these wonderful little girls that are part of
OUR FAMILY,
and I feel better.

A Tender Mercy for me

A few days ago I had an experience I'd like to remember.
I needed to know that Heavenly Father cared about my family.....

The story needs a little background, so here's the background.
Monday night Franklin & I, and several other couples
went to dinner at the home of some friends.
I was assigned to bring the bread.
So I did.
I also brought butter . . .
on this beautiful butter dish . . .
with this beautiful butter knife . . .

which had been carved from blocks of wood years ago by my dad.
It's one of my most treasured possessions.

I came home that evening with some leftover
bread in the bread basket.
That was that.

The next night I didn't get home from the office until about 5 and I had
to be at the church for a Young Women's dinner at 6. Then when I got
home at 8:30, I still had some work to do and to pack for my trip to
Denver the next morning.

I noticed my butter dish still on the counter, but no knife.
I looked around for a few minutes,
and also looked in Franklin's car, but couldn't find it.
Having much to do, I couldn't spend more time, but
figured it would turn up.

A number of my tasks that evening had to do with some loose ends
regarding a child or two.
Yes, these children are all adults now,
but if you're a parent of adult kids,
you know that the parenting and concern just goes on.
There is one of mine that is struggling in particular right now, and that
child had suffered a disappointment that day that I was upset about.

I do what I can to help . .
and then
I worry and I fast and I pray.

So that night when I went to bed at about 11:00,
I was still pretty wound up.
I wondered to myself, is Heavenly Father really listening?
Even if He is, "bad things happen to good people",
I really can't expect any different.

And then!
A thought just P-O-P-P-E-D into my head!

"THE KNIFE IS IN THE GARBAGE"

That's it! I remembered emptying the leftover bread in the bread basket
into the trash can! The knife must have gone in as well.

So at 11:15, I hopped out of bed, went out to the side of the house
where the trash cans are, took out the most recent kitchen trash bag,
and went through it.

Sure enough....there was the knife.

I was so grateful to have that special knife.
I would have been sooo sad to lose it.

And I knew
that it was Heavenly Father's way of gently reminding me . . .
"I do know YOU, and I do know what is important to you.
Trust in me. "

Max turns ONE

Franklin and I went to Denver to help Lindsey and Joe celebrate Max Joseph's first birthday.

Amazing to watch what having a child does to ones world.
I know they think, as I did about my own, that nobody ever loved their
child as much as they love theirs.

Lindsey and I had fun planning a "wild rumpus" for Max's birthday party.
Yes, we realize 1st birthday parties are for the parents, and luckily Joe and Lindsey had
some nice new friends in Denver to share the fun with.

Then, of course, there is the traditionally messy event of the first birthday cake.
Max started out a bit cautious, but once given a taste he
figured it out pretty quick!

He was also willing to share!

And after getting washed up, enjoyed his new birthday toys!
We love you MAX!

Lucky US!

We were so happy to have some great family time last weekend.
Lindsey, Joe and Max were visiting from Denver and
we had the opportunity to stay at some friend's cabin
right on the slopes of Sundance. Jesse, Tara, Bella, JJ, David and Kate
(and Kate's friend James) were with us too.

Ski in - Ski out

Perfect for coming in for lunch and for mom's with nursing babies!

It was SOO fun seeing 3 year old Bella on skis for the first time.

She LOVED it and was a natural!

She has a special (and funny) relationship with Uncle David!

Still a little young to ski,
but Max loved toddling around in
the snow.

Indoors there was much fun to be had too....
the best company, fun games, a little reading, great food . . .
Missed Austin & family . . .
We definitely want to do this AGAIN (if possible).