Spring flowers...

After picking confetti out of the grass, and getting a much later start on the morning than I had hoped {this is me, still pouting about teenagers}, I was able to get the fertilizer on the lawn and get it lightly sprayed before the irrigation water shut off.

.

Then I got to my flower planting... think water, water, water... don't forget to water them!!

If I make it through without killing the teenager it will be a miracle {yes, he is responsible for throwing the hose in the flowers, AAAHHHHH!!! just breathe!}

I thought I might try out some Gerber daisies this year, I really love them!

And it just wouldn't be a blessed day without someone tracking mud on the porch, literally minutes after I got it washed off! I think this was My Strong Silent Mysterious Man... you gotta love BOYS!!!
These planters were on the back porch when we first bought this house, and I have never planted anything in them live. Only put some fake greens in them.
I think I like them live... let's see if I can keep them live!!
There wasn't much to chose from for hanging plants... don't people make their own hanging baskets anymore?
I guess we will see how this blue stuff works out, it looks like it might fall over the edge, like I want.

Ivy geraniums.. hmm something new for me too... am I going too far out on the limb?
We will see.I kind of ended up with a red, white and blue theme on the back porch... it was my attempt to try and branch out... I always end up with pink and purple. I never buy yellow, but I did get one this year and stuck it out in front, because I had no theme going out there... my luck it will be the one plant that flourishes all season long! And the onion grass was here when we bought the house... and I forgot it blooms once a year and makes fluffy pink balls! Oh well so much for a theme.

Then I finished getting the bird houses secured in the tree.

Not that the birds around here are so stupid as to get in a house that low to the ground... but I just like to look at them, the teenager made them for me.

And the lone tomato plant! No pressure little guy, but I could use enough tomatoes to can spaghetti sauce this year! I still don't have my beds again this year, and not sure where I would generate the time to take care of them if I did.

So do me proud!And hopefully I can get to all those tomatoes before Morgan this year.

Oh the joys of gardening... I always start off so hopeful, that I might find the joy.

But so far I am just crabby!

Fun or not so fun?

We were hit again! It's starting to get a little old now. We woke up this morning with many chores on the list to get the yard and house ready for company coming for graduation... and had to spend WAYYYY too much time picking this out of our grass and trying to get toilet paper out of our tree (of which we just can't reach the top, and have to wait weeks for the wind to blow it out, nice look for company coming huh?). I am losing my sense of humor, the last time it was Vaseline under the door handles and BUMPER STICKERS on the car (I know!!!) , with a box of toothpicks and cotton swabs spread all over the grass. I was not happy and pretty sure that was not how the Lord wanted us to spend our time on a Sunday after it happened cleaning it up. Then to find out later that paint on the car is ruined!
.
This just feels like vandalism to me!
It's not fun anymore.

Gathering the sheep...

For our church youth group activity this week we came together and walked the greenbelt together.

One time won't get them prepared for the pioneer handcart trek this summer, but hopefully it will get them out and moving and inspire them to keep walking.

Then we played some team building games...

"Magic Shoes" was one of them... each team has to figure out how to get each team member across the river. You can cross wearing the magic shoes.

And each member can only wear the shoes one time...

Oh the strategy's that took place...

They quickly picked up that several would have to go in one trip to get the whole family across.

And they were creative too..

The dynamics were interesting... some big groups, some small, some with lots of girls.

Some twisted the rules just a little and threw the shoes back across the river to the other teammates... that was questionable strategy, but it worked.

.

A good time was had by all!

Word art and I found the photos...

I really can't take all the credit for the creative side of the Mothers Day projects... I found it here and fell in love, I don't know her, but I have been following her blog ever since.

It was shown as a "family" name sign... and I really love that too!!

My love of words got me thinking of a million ways to have fun with this idea...

1. Make a "save the date" wedding announcement card with photos of you and your man together spelling out the date.

2. A baby announcement spelling out "It's a boy" or a "girl"!

3. Send a series of photos in the mail of you holding a word that they would receive each day (so they wait the suspense of the week long question) to spell out "Will... You... Go... To... Prom?".

And all of that creativity led me to "alphabet letter photography"!

Oh how I really fell in LOVE with this idea!!

The very next days after I learned of this art... a friend in our church donated one to our auction! She makes them and only uses her pictures from LDS Temples around the world.

So cool!!! I have to have our last name done that way. It would represent out ETERNAL family! LOVE IT!!!

.

I finally found the photos I took of the almost finished projects in the back of the car on the way to the post office to mail. Sorry, not great, but you get the idea. My sis inserted a better final photo when it arrived in Seattle, she had taken some really cool shots at the farmers market downtown with fish in the background (I know, she is a show off... he he he jk Sis, they turned out GREAT!!!).

.

What I loved the most about this one, was that we all live in different places and were still able to come together for Mom on Mothers Day! That was my favorite part and a great symbolism for Mom every time she see's it.

I was really proud of our first attempt at this.

The other one... well a little more challenging to come up with a 3 letter word, and one that might inspire.

But I thought it was perfect for her! She doesn't always have the confidence that she was a great Mom, but we think she is! The hope was that every time she looks at this photo, she would KNOW it for herself too! What a great Mom (and grandma) she really is to us!

One of my favorite parts of this project, was that my boys were so willing to go take pictures at the last possible day we could make it and still get it in the mail on time, and it was windy and cold! (neither of them are big on taking photos, and to get several shots AND make them take photos of me too... yep going on miraculous... it was all for Mom).

And I loved the date in the corner!!

My other favorite part was the beads... it just summed it up!
I still have lots of fun ideas to do this project again, and again, and again in different ways, with different words!

Thank you to "My Mix of Six"!

Just for today...

I have had so much to think about, but the thoughts are just forced to come and go so quickly to move on to the next thought... that I haven't had much time to really think about my thoughts!

.

So when I looked at my calendar and saw a date I had made to go sew my trek skirt that I won't need until July... I almost changed plans. That could certainly wait, it is only May, right!

I am so glad I didn't! It was the most wonderful thing I did all day!

And I even got in some thinking time as I looked out the window in between modes of the project to a gorgeous view!! It was so peaceful... (did I just say sewing was peaceful?... uggg! I am losing it).

I loved talking with "the girls" about nothing in particular at all... and certainly nothing stressful! It was a wonderful couple of hours!!

.
And my skirt is done, Yay!!!

Thank you Alison!!

(check, just a bonnet and bloomers to go)

.

So in 2006 I was in red... I loved my red skirt and bonnet!

For 2010... I picked this smokey blue!

Next, I want to finish some thank you cards to the many many hands that helped us pull off a fund raiser dinner auction to raise some money for the scouts and our pioneer handcart trek!

That was last Friday night... and I am just barely getting over the burn from that huge event... but it could not have been done without countless hours of service from many many wonderful people. So the thank you notes are on the top of the list! They must know a glimpse of how appreciated they are.

Happy Mothers Day...

We are so blessed to have two of the best Mom's!

It was fun framing some pictures to send and surprise them with!

I can't find the photographs of the framed copies...

I am having photo and computer issues right now.

But I will add them later, when I find them :)

I love being a Mom, but I never thought I would be a good Mom, so I had no aspirations of being a Mom and wasn't excited about it at all... until the very moment I found out I was a Mom!

It was amazingly awesome!!

.

And I had a very good teacher that taught me the important things. I hope I have taught our son enough about the important things in life.

.

I never worried more than when I became a mother, now I worry enough for all the mothers anywhere, ever!

.

I am so happy that Heavenly Father knew to only send me one... I would never survive the following stages with another child...

tree climbing

motorcycles

putting the dog to sleep

drivers training

spelling tests

the first bike wreck

most family home evenings

the time before he was tall enough to hold his food up higher than the dogs could eat it

the day he was tall enough to touch the ceiling

when he learned to ask why?

learning to use blenders and electric mixers

hit by his first pitch at bat

wrestling with Dad

and I think graduation and sending him off on a mission will quickly be on this list!

.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I wouldn't trade it for anything from the moment I knew he was going to be ours!