Photos Framed!

Is anyone like me?? Does it take you what seems like FOREVER to finish a project that has been in your head for the last few months? (Sometimes the last few years??) Well, this one I have wanted to do since we moved into the home. It included having my parents buy and transport the frame from Utah. (Thanks Mom and Dad!) After it arrived it sat downstairs while we waited for our kitchen remodel. It survived the dust and the moving it from place to place.
When the remodel was finished we had Christmas and New Years, having 3 family parties here at our house to celebrate! I was consumed with moving back into the upstairs and getting order back in our lives. Finally, this month I have had some time to do the fun projects! This was super simple once I made the time to work on it. Photos, paper, some embellishments. The M was an afterthought. Last Saturday Steve gave me a chunk of the day and occupied the kids. I was putting the frame together and thought it would be fun to add the big M I saw at JoAnns. I jumped in the car (something I just can't normally do with three kids in tow) and went and got the M. My handsome husband hung the frame and M on Valentine's Day (how romantic!). The photos look like the frame and M are lost on the wall. They really do fill up the space. I will get full room phot0s once the mantel and bookcase are complete. I love that feeling of accomplishment that I get when I look at that wall. Something that won't be undone in 5 minutes. Something that will stay for a long, long time!

So Very Easy!!

These were my valentines to the kids this year. They were seriously so easy to put together!! I printed the letters in the font I wanted off the computer, cut the fabric and the iron on stuff (at the moment, I can't recall the correct name), ironed them to the bags, and stitched around them. I bought the bags at JoAnns and the fabric on the bags is fannel. They turned out pretty cute! They are the kid's church bags. They will fit a Book of Mormon and other sacrament meeting kid's stuff. I filled them with some art supplies and a bit of Valentine candy. They were a huge success!

Isabelle is modeling the proper use of the bag. She is all dressed up pretty for church on Valentine's Day.

Been working on the bookshelves. Wow, do we have a lot of books!! I didn't think I would fill up so much so fast! BUT, there is still plenty of room for more. Just didn't think I owned as much as I own.

Oh, here is a sneak peak of a project I will show you soon. This one I'm super excited about.

So Excited!!

Guess what we had installed this last weekend?? I'm so excited that my shelves and my mantel are in. I gave our carpenter a drawing of the shelves and I picture from a magazine of the mantel. I'm so excited at how these have turned out! (These pictures are terrible! My sister-in-law keeps trying to teach me how to use my camera. Maybe I should take her up on the offer?!) The one above is a crooked view of the shelves that face our dining room. The one below is a shot of the whole unit, the second set of shelves going down the hall to the bedrooms.

I'm very pleased with how the mantel turned out. Steve said that now that we have a shiny new mantel the brick looks old and worn. I quite like the contrast of the old and the new.

So, I have my work cut out for me trying to fill these spaces and make them ours. I have boxes of books to fill our shelves. I know that I will not fill them up with the amount of books I have, but that just means we have room to grow!

It feels so good to be getting these things done! Since last July I have been putting a lot of the moving in on hold. Now that these spaces are finished (kitchens, bookshelves, etc.) I can move everything in and really make our house a home.

We Love Grammy!!

Grammy came this last week and happened to be here on her birthday. Melissa made her the most incredible chocolate cake. Four layers of yumminess! We had Mom (the grandkids joined her) do a scavenger hunt to find her gift. We loved watching her blow out her candles and so enjoyed celebrating with her. Love you Mom!! Come back soon.

Cousins

As I look at these photos I can't help to think of what these kids will think as they look back on these in just a few years. I loved growing up with a lot of cousins. I love that my kids get to grow up with a bunch of cousins. I love watching them rub shoulders with each other.
Love that they love being together. There is such a connection between cousins, a love and friendship that is unique to this special relationship. (Love this girls expression in the one below. Friendly or fiesty?? I think a little of both.)

Can't you just see how comfortable they are with each other? Love it!

Book List 2010

This year I decided to make a list of books to read. I thought it would be fun to compile this list from favorites books of my family members. I'm starting with the Huish side of the family first. It took me awhile to put this list together, but here it is. What a variety!! There are some that I have wanted to read for years and some I would never have chosen on my own. I'm so excited to get started reading all these books!! I'll keep you posted on what I'm reading and I would love for anyone to join me. I'm starting this next week with To Kill a Mockingbird. It sitting on the nightstand ready for me to dive in!

Dad Huish- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

by Stephen R. Covey
Mom Huish- To Kill A Mockingbird

by Harper Lee
Aaron - The First 2000 Years

by W. Cleon Skousen
Melissa - Neverwhere

by Neil Gaimon
Andrew - Bid Time Return

by Richard Matheson
Erin - The Screwtape Letters

by C.S. Lewis
Michael - The Screwtape Letters

by C.S. Lewis
Laurie - A Wrinkle In Time

by Madeleine L'Engle
Marie - Ender's Game

by Orson Scott Card
Keaton - The Hero and the Crown

by Robert McKinley

Preschool

Our theme was oceans this last week in preschool. We read the rainbow fish and made our own rainbow fish. We went fishing for fish with numbers. We read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. We painted and put glitter on fish. We watched a little ocean video and talked about the ocean animals as we put them on our ocean mural. We focused on the letter F. The kids all went home with their own fishing poles and the fish they had made. I had so much fun putting all these things together and doing these fun project with the kids!