Grandparent Gift

I had procrastinated creating a special gift for my Grandparents for Christmas this year until the very day of Christmas. So after we unwrapped all our presents and the kids were giddily playing their new wii for hours, I cut out a bunch of photos, tore up some cardstock, and got to work on making this simple scrapbook for my Grandparents. I didn’t really have a theme for it until I started putting it all together and the “Did you know?” idea seemed fitting. It would work for any visitors who came to my grandparents to read and it will work wonderfully for my children to learn a little bit about their great-grandparents and enjoy pictures of themselves. It’s not as fancy or perfect as I would have liked it to be, but I was pleased with the way it turned out on such short notice – simple, heartfelt, personal. 

Project Post

We moved in the spring. Since that time I’ve had fun making this house our home. Most of these projects happened a while ago, but since the last few months have been busy with more than just painting, I haven’t gotten around to bragging about documenting the work I’ve done.

It’s mostly been a lot of little things.

Like recovering this dingy lamp shade with an old shirt I had.  

And getting the rest of this room ready. My little Haven finally gets her own haven (for a little while at least).

I got help from my 4 year-old painting this old shelf and picture frame. She loves to modpodge with me..

I’ve had these four frames since my mom passed away 5 years ago. The frames were an old looking silver and inside were four cross-stitched flowers. I decided to give them all a makeover with a little spraypaint and cut-out bird silhouettes from scrapbook paper.

We found an old dresser from Goodwill and I used an orange basecoat to show through the distressed topcoat.

Then came the dilemma of repurposing a bunch of display knobs and pulls that my husband came home with from work. Who wouldn’t love an assortment of high-end hardware for free. Yay for perks!

We had to sell our beautiful kitchen table because it didn’t fit in our new kitchen. So we got this b-yoot (also for free).

Refinished it a bright apple green and Voila!

Now it just needs a leaf so our family can fit around it. Dear Santa…

But the biggest project was figuring out what to do with the big blank wall in my family room. I don’t have a picture, but it is a large wall, and an empty canvas on which my mind could wander. 

My sister gave me the idea of a family tree.

I googled tree silhouette images and picked one I liked best. Then I used my sister’s projector to project the image onto the wall. This made it super easy to trace the image and we got to painting.

Then I bought some cheap wooden plaques from WalMart and Hobby Lobby. I spray painted each one, printed up some old photos of mine and my husband’s ancestors, and modpodged them onto the painted plaques. I stuck the little ones onto the tree by simply using some sticky putty. I also printed pictures of our immediate families so the children can have constant reminders of their aunts and uncles. I used bigger plaques for those photos and put them on the wall with 3M command strips. Last, I got a “family” sign for a few bucks at Walmart and stuck it up with another command strip, and….

there you have it. A beautiful, fun family tree to keep the spirit of our predecessors in our home and on our minds.

One side of branches is my husband’s and the other side is mine. I love to point out different physical features to my children and have an easy reference whenever I tell them stories about one of these noble and valiant persons.  

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It’s been an exciting adventure putting my own stamp on this home. You should have seen it before...

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I think I’m done decorating for a while ----

That is, unless I am decorating for Christmas…

Glimpse into Heaven

Today I got a glimpse of heaven. Through another’s eyes.

It was our ward’s Primary Program and my three oldest were to showcase the beautiful songs and speaking parts they had memorized. This is a Sunday each year where the chapel overflows with supportive grandparents and family members. My children have never had more than their Dad and I to smile at them, mouth helpful words to them, and be overcome with joy and love because of them. That is, until today.

And I didn’t even know it.

I arrived late to the meeting and entered the chapel just after the opening prayer with Grady’s infant seat in my arms and leading Haven by the hand. The others had arrived early to save a seat. I found their row, placed Grady’s carseat in the aisle outside our bench, told everyone to “scoot over” and sat down. As I was dealing with getting Haven situated and consoling a crying Taryn, who was upset that I wouldn’t let her sit on my lap, I glanced down at Graydon – 5 weeks old and has never cracked a smile except in his sleep – and he had the Hugest most beautiful grin on his face. My attention was turned back to the sobs of my 4-year-old until I could look at him a few moments later, and the smile was still plastered from ear to ear. This was definitely more than a “gassy” reaction and his eyes were wide and bright, no where near a sleepy slumber as he stared off into the void. There was no one in neighboring rows making faces at him. And yet the smile persisted. For at least five minutes, every time I looked at him, he wore the look of a splendored stupor. His happy attitude lasted through half of the meeting until he got fussy from a dirty diaper.

We enjoyed the program immensely. Apparently, our primary chorister is incredibly ambitious and every song they sang from the outline was coupled or tripled into a medley of other primary songs. These kids learned a lot of lyrics this year! Taryn became the one for the congregation to watch. You know the one. She sang the greatest (meaning loudest), and held out those loud, semi-pitchless notes just a second longer than everyone else. She presented her speaking part into the microphone with equal fervor, even adding a few words that she said she felt “inspired” to say. Evan sang the songs with precision and beamed with each doting smile from his parents. His perfectionism showed through during his speaking part, which was delivered with amazing accuracy and clarity – and seriousness, with nary a smile. Zion was a tough one to spot. Her height hid her behind the taller children. But she would peak her head around from time to time so we could see her glowing eyes and send her encouraging smiles. The movements of her mouth were much less exaggerated than that of her sister’s, but I knew how much she loves and knows those songs and did not doubt her contribution to the cause. She spoke her line about Adam and Eve effortlessly and it appears her speech impediments have all but disappeared.

It was an amazing program – bringing me to tears on a number of occasions. It was a meeting truly fit for the angels. I could not have been more proud and honored to be the parents of those three incredible children. I only wished other family were there to witness their achievements.

When I got home, I realized they were.

I laid down, exhausted – as church always makes me. My mind reflected on Grady, and his continuous and knowing smiles during the meeting. I kept replaying them over and over, baffled. Why was he smiling so much? Then, in the peaceful quiet, it hit me. Not as a thought, but as a fact. She was there. She was there!

Grady was smiling at his Grammy!

My mom had come. She traveled further than anyone to see her grandchildren present their special messages and say hello to the grandbaby to whom she recently bid a heavenly farewell. I could suddenly picture her doing “piggies” to his toes and “weeing” all the way home as only she can. No wonder he was smiling so big. His newborn eyes, still tuned to the things of heaven, were the only ones focused enough to see the angel in our midst. In the same moment that my heart filled with joy knowing that she had come, it filled with equal sorrow. I wish I had known. I wish I had felt her enveloping arms. I wish I had taken a breath and savored a sense of her presence.

I didn’t know it, but I glimpsed into the heavens today, through the eyes and smiles of my newborn babe. I have no doubt of it now.

And if the contents of heaven can send an impossible smile so easily to a baby unable to wear one, then that is the heaven waiting for me.

Sometimes the veil between this life and the life beyond becomes very thin. Our loved ones who have passed on are not far from us. -President Ezra Taft Benson

Big News

First Leap

She is ONE! At least I think so… not exactly sure yet how to celebrate a birthday that only exists every four years. But we have lots of time to figure that out.

What a fun, fun age – especially with such an awesomely FUN little girl.

She didn’t dig in like I had thought she would. Instead, she was mostly content to just stare at the many encouraging faces surrounding her. For as many smiles as we give her, she answers back with a dozen more. She is such a sweet, beautiful little Haven. HAPPY BIRTHDAY little Chunky Doll!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

We gobbled delicious turkey, played at the beach, got our turkey-bowl on, made crafts, and enjoyed the company of much-missed family and even some kissin’ cousins.