PICNIC SET FOR TWO

 

This is the picnic set I sewed up and purchased at Target for Rachel.  I used placemats to make the silverware rolls and placemats to make the bag.  (Sadly, she has since lost the bag.)  The silverware roll has a napkin, a small garbage bag, a straw, and a fork, knife, and spoon.

I found it somewhere on the blogosphere and copied it and now I can't find where I got the idea.  If someone has seen, let me know.  I'd like to give credit.

WHATERR YOU WANT TO CALL THEM ...

My husband's cousin's wife is an amazing photographer.  Check her out here.  She is doing all of Rachel's wedding stuff and Ben's senior pictures.  So I thought I'd make her a couple of camera critter, lens pets, whaterr you want to call them.

Here's a lady bug with scary eyes.  I should have put more white on there.  I wanted it all black, white, and red to get newborn's attention.

 

And seriously - my owl will NOT LOAD STRAIGHT!  I don't know why.  This one was just for fun. I showed it my kids and one thought it was a peacock and the other a duck.  So maybe it's a stretch calling it an owl?

I pretty much just googled images and then drew my own pattern from what I saw, cut it out of felt, and sewed it on to those awful scrunchies from the 80's that WalMart still sells.  (At last!  A good use for them!)

GETTING CAUGHT UP ...

This week Larry had a work related function at another office. This office does a Christmas gift thing where everyone brings in a homemade ornament, and then they have a silent auction and all the proceeds go to the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery. Kind of a good idea. So, I spent Tuesday searching for ornament ideas that weren't dumb or made with pipe cleaners (those never look as good as the pictures!). Finally I made this one (pictured below) and a Swedish heart out of similar paper. We put some Dove chocolates in the Swedish heart and a note that explained them (thanks mom, for teaching me about these). To my UTTER shock the Swedish heart won the best in show award! (Trying and failing to think of the quote from a Christmas Story where the dad wins a very special award and it is the leg lamp - Utah, what is it?????) I thought this ball was cooler, but it just shows, chocolate makes everything better

That's right, TWENTY little circles all cut and folded just so and glued together. Just call me Martha. Martha Molly Mormon Stewart No Insider Trading Thank You. I thought hanging it on a wire with beads at both ends was a great touch. If I had had more time, I would have sprayed it with glitter spray.

I (((HEART))) DONNY OSMOND!!!

Yes, there is another man in my life. That man would be Donny Osmond, whom I have loved since I was about ... well ... six years old! Let's evaluate his possible influence on my life:

A- Purple has been my favorite color my WHOLE life!
B- Three of my four serious boyfriends had dark, wavy hair. (Although it is straight in the above picture, it was wavy during my formative years.)
C- All four serious boyfriends could sing.
D- Larry, the fourth serious boyfriend (and winner of my heart)- has curly brown hair, a fabulous voice, AND he can dance!


Today I broke a rule of mine and watched "Oprah" because, well, my first favorite boy band was on. Who can't love the Osmonds? I don't want to know if you can't.

On the Oprah show, the Osmonds were very sweet. They bore their testimonies about eternal life and eternal families. They were sweet and supportive to each other. The tributes they paid to their mother and father were so sweet. When Marie said that she wished her parents could raise every young man in the world, that she has great brothers, I was nearly teary. They danced (they can still move in unison!) and they sang and it was just a great, feel good show! I was so glad that I watched in instead of taking a nap.

I thought (again) how it is so ironic that this "tragedy" that two deaf sons is the blessing that started the Osmonds on the road to stardom. Of course, none of them are perfect, but it didn't come off that way.

Then, as icing on my cake, they ended the show with their trademark song, "May Tomorrow Be A Perfect Day ..." I seriously did get teary.

Memories - sitting in the yellow beanbag chair in the Holbrook house, watching the show with all my siblings. Acting the show out afterwards. Using the yellow and orange string lights as spotlights. I totally wanted to be able to rollerskate like they did. I could go on and on but Rachel wants to post her tribute on Facebook :) - successful parenting!! She loves Donny, too!

For my birthday two years ago, Sari, me, Rachel, and Utah saw DONNY in Concert in Spokane. Oh my gosh!! He is BEAUTIFUL!!! He can totally dance for a grandpa, for anyone for that matter! It was a great night! We made the shirts just for the concert and EVERYONE loved them. I should have brought more and sold them on the side, I would have made a fortune. (That might have been illegal?)