To Laura...

Can you believe these May birthdays?!!!



To the sweet "caboose" of our family,

When you were little you, were my "little buddy".



When I got married I didn't think you would forgive me.

That is, until you became an aunt.

You've always loved being an aunt!




Finally, you had your own turn at marriage and motherhood.

And you've done wonderfully!

You've always been a beautiful, fun mom!



You and your "men" make quite the team. :)



With all the time that has passed, I love how we're still "buddies", eventhough we're so busy with our own lives.





You have so many talents, not the least of which is knowing know how to make "the good times roll!"



One thing that kind of bothers me is how you're always going to be so much prettier and younger than I am! Dang! :)



So... please know that I love you and wish you the happiest...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATH!!!

And so the May birthdays roll on... :)




Today I pay tribute to my dear sister Kathy.
(Sounds like you're no longer with us, sorry about that.)

Well, here comes another birthday! (Those pesky things.)

By the way, did you know that you share a birthday with Jimmy Stewart and Cher?!

Just thought you should know. Or is that old news?

You know I was reminiscing a little thinking about our childhood while preparing this post.

We were so different in looks, personality, disposition, etc.



Most of what I remember is that I was the precocious (that's precocious not precious) blonde and you were the beautiful dark headed "Indian Princess".

Still, I think we had a lot of fun together.



Of course we did have some things in common, like...

- big poofy feathered bang hairstyles and wearing our shirts with the collars standing straight up.

I'm telling ya, it was all the rage! GO, 80's!!!



Well, I have to say that you have aged well and you always look good, even without makeup. :)



In fact, you're downright beautiful!



Glad you're my sis!



Love ya forever,
Suz

P.S.

Happy "39" Birthday, Mom!!!

OK...anyone reading this post will first notice that Mom is turning only 39 when William turned 40 just yesterday?...hmmmmmm...

Well, Mom, you have definitely turned back the clock these past few years. You have gained an energetic beautiful new you!



You're fun and zany. (Think of Lucille Ball with black hair!)



You can be beautiful and elegant. (Think of Audrey Hepburn.)



You have a great love for all your precious "jewels" and they love you!



You enjoy being a "Grand"-ma and spending time with each one.

Hiking with Joseph in the red cliffs of southern Utah.



Bonding with grandkids while recuperating from foot surgeries.



I'm grateful for all the special memories we've had so far.

All the grandbabies you've welcomed into the world, like your namesake, "Elisabeth JoAnn".



Remember the Gaslight Theatre? Fun, fun, fun!



Of course, how could we forget our Girls Day in May of '08!



Well, the list could go on and on but I will never get this post finished at the rate
I'm going...

You've definitely shown us how to "live life to the fullest" and with a "cup half full" mentality and "there are no strangers" you are a one-of-a-kind woman!

Yeah, MOM!

So let me just say that I hope you have a great day and "I LOVE YOU and HAPPY BIRTHDAY"!

Your daughter,
Suz

Happy "40" Birthday, William!!!

To my younger brother, William, aka Bill, Billy, and other embarrassing monikers:

Welcome to the "40's" club!

You knew it had to happen sometime, didn't you?

Just remember, you're in good company. :)

May 18 Birthdays:
Perry Como - famous singer (Mom knows who he is.)
Reggie Jackson - need I say anything?
Pope John Paul II - the pope before the current one - you know, the "Popemobile"
George Strait - famous country singer (Dad knows who he is.)
Brooks Robinson - baseball player from 70's known as "The Human Vacuum Cleaner" (you'll have to read more about that!)

As I was preparing this roast, I mean, toast to you, William, I researched a little about your birthday. Did you know that your sign is the "Taurus" (that's the bull). I wonder if that's referring to your bull-headedness or your talent for talking. Just kidding! Love ya!

Did you know that there are some significant things that have occurred on your birthday over the past years? Maybe you remember them?

Mount St. Helens erupted! (1980) Where were you? I was a freshman in high school. I remember thinking "Whoa, what are all those people going to do?" My college freshman roommate was from Washington and told me all about the ash clouds covering everything.

The movie, Shrek, was released (2001)and the world will never be the same. :)

In 2004, Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches a perfect game(at the ripe old age of 40!) See, life is not truly over as you know it!


Well, I just want to say, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" and that I love you very much. Besides, we're kind of like twins, you and I, don't you think?









Have a great day, William, and just remember...you'll always be my "little" brother.



P.S. Besides, I heard your fishing skills improve with age. (Or maybe its the patience with fishing that improves?)

Prom Past and Present and Peach Colored Dresses

Here I am circa 1983 with my Senior prom date,David Tenney. We had a fun date and I remember finding this light peach dress at the Gunne Sax outlet in San Diego just a week or so before. I think I paid $25. Believe it or not, it was a popular dress style back then!



Flash forward 27 years...

Here's Sara in MY prom dress.



She said it reminded her of a pioneer dress. I don't remember feeling "pioneerish" when I wore it.

SO...Sara was asked to her Junior Prom and she needed a dress. She has great friends that encourage each other to be modest and bargain hunters too. We just happened to be at D.I. a month before prom when Sara spotted a rack of various formal gowns. They were various styles, new and older. Some of them obviously worn only once and by the name brand, quite expensive. She decided on a silk handbeaded peach colored dress. (There must be something about peach...) It was lovely! It fit her perfectly! It matched her fair complexion! It was only $10.00! It was definitely going to need some altering though.



With some time on her hands before Prom, Sara decided to tackle this dress as a Personal Progress value project. Off we headed to JoAnn's Fabrics. We found some contrasting fabric for 50% off to make sleeves and a sash. Still not sure of a pattern, we were undaunted.

In the end, Sara got it all done the night before using ideas just out of her head, no pattern, and "Wa La!" I think it turned out great!



Here's some pictures of her fun Prom date. They had a blast!

Mother's Day 2010

Well, another Mother's Day has come and gone.

I admit I felt a little trepidation entering into the weekend, knowing Mother's Day was coming with all its traditional bestowing of gifts and words of praise and, for some reason, I was kind of dreading it. I think it was that perfectionist part of me reminding me of all the things I haven't done or don't do well as a mother. Can you believe that? Man, it was a little stressful, let me tell you.

So my first Mother's Day gift came when I got to talk to Joseph Saturday night. I admit I got a little emotional at first. It was SO good just to hear his voice again! He's doing incredible and just loving his mission. It sounds like he's planning on staying out until November so it will be later than we thought but we're still excited to see him this Fall!

Justus wasn't able to call from the MTC but he will call on the 17th from the airport on his way to Chile!

Well, that night I had my second gift when Rich told me to head to bed early and he would take care of getting everyone to bed. (A lengthy and exhausting task at times!)That little "love spoon" started the good feelings rolling so by then I started to relax and decided to enjoy my day tomorrow, "Come What May". I know I'm not perfect and I'm pretty sure my kids know it too. :) So here's how my day went:

Woke up (a little later than usual - 30 minutes maybe?) and showered first thing. (AHHHH bliss!)

The kids all came into the room with gifts, flowers, breakfast.



Jonah and John made scrambled eggs with cheese, wheat toast, fresh fruit, and OJ (my fave breakfast).



Sara and Anna gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Jarom presented me an "explosion card box" he made in Kindergarten full of precious drawings. Beth gave me a certificate for a personal pedicure and some new nail polish and black flipflops to go with it. Jonah and John also bought me some beautiful silver sparkly earrings. The best part was just the smiles, hugs, and kisses, and love pouring out.


We went to church where I played the organ as usual and wore a corsage made from the flowers of the girls' bouquet. It smelled so sweet!



Jonah sang in a young men's quartet and did a great job! They handed out chocolates from the ward after Sacrament Meeting (good choice!).



After church, we came home where I got a foot bath, massage and treatment from Beth while Sara made Beef Stroganoff (from scratch!). Ahhh, I was in heaven!

After dinner I got a nice little nap and then woke up to cheesecake with raspberry puree and ganache (my fave dessert).

Then we watched "Nature" on PBS ( a weekly Sunday tradition) and Beth painted my toenails a gorgeous cheery raspberry color. :) (I know, the toes aren't pretty but the nail color sure is.)



I think it all went pretty well.

After a wonderful "monkey in the middle" hug after family prayer I felt like it turned out to be a good day and that I was OK.

Not perfect, but definitely loved, and OK. :)

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!"

We've all heard this good old fashioned mantra probably from our Depression Era grandparents who passed it on.

Well, let me tell you, in light of the recent economic downturn I think this sage old advice has particular new meaning. Of course, some people prefer to call it "going GREEN" but I like to think of it more sentimentally as "wisdom from our loved ones before us". :)

Sooooooo...I'm posting a few pictures of projects I've undertaken in my effort to make things last longer.

First of all, it seems with little kids that they outgrow their clothes OVERNIGHT. And since Anna is the last girl (that's right, no more kiddos on the way, REALLY!) I especially like to make her darling clothes stretch a little longer. Here's some cute examples.

Anna is a typical little girl who hates turtlenecks. (Are they even in style anymore?) So, rather than get rid of the cute shirts, I "refashioned" them by cutting off the turtleneck and using the scraps to make a ruffle on the front. Cute, huh? She'll actually wear it too!



I took some cute brown knit stretch pants from Carters and turned them into capris, sewing the scraps as a ruffle on the bottom. She should be able to wear these for awhile.



Here's a cute dress I bought at a children's consignment shop for $3.00 and really liked the colors in it.



I thought it needed a few changes, including some kind of sleeve, so I cut off the back ties and used them to make an arm ruffle and the center of my big flower on the sash. Then of course I had to make a hot pink tulle petticoat for underneath. The materials were all scraps (except the tulle) and for about $2.00 more here's the end result. Very fun and fresh and springy I think! (Now I just need to get a picture of Anna wearing it.) Girls are SO fun to dress up! :)





Here are a few last odds and ends:

some baby bibs made from pants



The possibilities are endless and makes you take a new look at your clothes closet!

The Bumbo !?

OK, so what is it with these names? Boppy, Burpie, Bumbo?!

After 8 kids, I discover this funny looking seat - the Bumbo.


Of course, not that my other kids EVER survived without one, but, come one, this looked great! You know, it helps your baby sit up with support and (the best part) they stay in one place, they can't move.

They even have these cute Bumbo Seat covers at an online boutique called "Sweet Cheeks". (cute name, huh?)



Well, I saw these at Walmart for $40. Maybe...not.
And then I just happened to mention that I wanted one at a baby shower and the next thing you know, I get a call from a sweet sister in our ward and she has one for me! Wow,I tell you what, we have the BEST ward here. :)

Of course we quickly picked it up and tried it out.



Isn't Jeremiah just a cutie patootie?!




POST SCRIPT: While making this post I discovered online that there have been accidents in the Bumbo, especially while on elevated surfaces. OOPS! I guess the original packaging (which we don't have) has warnings to this effect.

SO........NEVER leave your child unattended!

We'll be sure of that.