2nd phase of the redecorating...

I don't want to show too much of the redecorating project, before the big unveiling, but...

It is a tough job on the designer to include all the special things in our lives that are old, and new and borrowed and play the blues....

But I can say that the design includes great lighting to highlight some very special items that mean an awful lot to someone very special that lives here.

Which is always great leverage to get him to step in and help with the execution of the plan.

I can't wait to unveil the finished room when we are all done.

I love my Mom, and I am so happy she is willing to share her talents with me to make our home feel a little more like a haven.

Stay tuned... more to come!

The begining of the redecorating...

No rest for the weary... we have been redecorating.

Some rooms in my house desperately needed freshening up, and a new look, or a fix on function. So while Nene is visiting she agreed to lend me her magic touch.

We cleared out the living room, and got to work.

My strong silent mysterious man is always 1st to grab the carpent cleaner... it's just "his thing". He doesn't do dishes, laundry or windows, but he cleans carpets.
I got the living room painted almost all the way painted the 1st day and then when my boys came home they helped me finish it up.
We had to take a break on the 2nd day to get the teenager to Katie for a very desperately needed haircut.
While he was out working on his golf tan, he had no time to go see her... so it got pretty bad, before it got better.
But all is well in the universe again!

Nene comes to town...

My Mom is finally here...

It is so good to have her here with us...
We had to send her to work with the teenager, so she could pass her 1st initiation test on the golf cart, (he he he).... no, just kidding. He was really excited to show her where he worked though.
She said he never stopped talking the entire trip across the greens to lock down the bathrooms... and she said it was quite and adventure, just like I described on my 1st tour of the golf course post.

The teenager had a science project to finish that was due the very next day... of course we had 3 weeks to work on it, but they are never as much fun, unless you wait until the last minute to finish them. So ALL HANDS ON DECK!

Even with all the help, it was a late night and we were all getting tired.

But the DNA model turned out presentable, and we weren't up all night getting it done. Just til 9:30pm... UH SEATTLE TIME! (that translates to 10:30pm Boise time... or in other words, wayyyyyy past my bedtime.) But the teenager assured me it wasn't nearly the latest we have ever stayed up working on a project due the next day.... "remember the 5th grade maps? I was pretending to fall asleep at the table so you would finish coloring them for me... that was a 2am'er Mom". He is way too young to be telling on himself and giving up truths from his past life, don't you think? I think there is an unwritten rule of about 40 years old before you can unvail the hidden truths of days gone by to you mother, unless you have siblings as partners in crime, then it is 50 or until you are sure you can either out run Mom, or she isn't strong enough to take you down or ground you anymore!

Getting this thing in his backpack and transported to school without a breakdown will be another blog, for another day.

Mothers Day...

Well after we all officially got attached to the puppy, we finally got her delivered to her new home. I have to admit, I did cry a few drops of tears when we drove away. I guess that is the mother in me kicking in... I just want her to have a good home, and be happy.

She is a cutie, I can't wait to hear her name... it has changed a few times since she left our house. But she is in a really good home now and definately has some big adventures ahead of her on the farm.

For Mothers Day, my boys took me to get a new upgraded cell phone... that was fun, and then out to ice cream. They were being really sweet!

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Today in our sacrament meeting the primary sang, and that always always gets me crying, then they had asked a young husband in our ward to speak and not everyone knows, but he and his wife have been trying for 6 years to have a baby.

So if I wasn't crying before, to hear him speak about mothers and their divine nature on mothers day really had me bawling! He was being so tender about the subject. Then his wife had been asked to say the closing prayer, I knew she had been crying the whole meeting behind me, and after she left the pulpit, she buried her head in his chest on the stand and they were still there comforting each other when we left the chapel.

I don't always feel inadequate as a mother, but I do have my moments.

Today, for some reason, all of the things I heard and felt made me realize my huge responsibility as a mother, and how many times I have fallen short, and what a short time I have left to be a constant in my sons life. I cried and cried the rest of the meetings trying to avoid anyone asking me if I was okay.

When we got home from church, my sweet dear husband was so comforting and helped me realize somehow it would all be okay.

And that we only had a few short hours before the MIL would be here "shouldn't we be working on tidying the house a little"?

Just when I think I am the sensible one in the marriage, I learn it might just be him after all!

Father Son Campout...

My boys went on a Fathers Son Campout Friday night. The teenagers friend Conor went with them, since his Dad couldn't make it, and he is like one of my boys anyway.

I like to send the camera, so I can at least have a glimpse of what their experience was like. But I am finding it is better sometimes not to know what happens at events where there are no women among them.

They start out pretty harmless... Morgan got to go on this trip, so it was fun to see she had a good time hunting critters while she was up there.

And this is no surprise, cause my strong silent mysterious man has a soft spot for the little babies and can spot them a mile away.

I used to love to get pictures of my teenager, getting dirty, being a boy. But now he just looks like he is probably causing trouble everwhere he goes, with that innocent smirk on his face, getting away with things he can't get away with at home.... hahmmm Mt. Dew, Haaahummmm.

And I used to think it was cool to get neat pictures of the nature they would see on their trip...

But now they feel more compfortable sharing the funny stories that go along with the pictures.

This poor cute little whistle pig... okay here is the funny (or not) story about the whistle pig.

They are driving home, and see him on the side of the road... all still and staring back at them.

So my husband, the father of the child in the car with him, the adult example to the boy he is in charge of in the car with him... yes that husband...

stops the car and pulls out his hand gun from under the seat and says in his best scar face voice....

"say hello to my little friend"

and left handed out the window pulls off a shot!

At this point I almost can't even understand the rest of the story, the boys were laughing so hard telling me about it...

I guess he "dropped him"!

My husband says he never thought he would actually hit the thing, "they usually run and dodge pretty good, they are hard to hit".

Yeah, great example to the young impressionable boys in the car with you.

"Better a silly girl with a flower than a silly boy with a stick!" (A Knight's Tale)