Blame it on Homearama

Time to switch bedrooms around....this time Marleah gets to go solo.

After seeing the cool painted kids bedrooms at Homearama this year, I took matters into my own hands.

Marleah loves it.

Sum Sum Summertime

This summer I've been blessed with watching two extra kids everyday-

actually they are my girls' second cousins.

Alyssa is just a year older than Marleah, and Dylan is soon to be 6.

Sorry, Dylan- you've been thrust into a girl world, but you're holding your own just fine!

Isn't he handsome?

We've gone to playgrounds, the movies, gone swimming, to the library, the store, climbed trees, made crafts and the summer is only half over!

It's so nice to have everyday playmates for my girls, and often the bunch of them are playing with the handful of neighborkids too.

Here's Alyssa and her longtime friend Shawna- two gorgeous girls!!

Jump rope turner, extraordinaire.
Lucy comforts with a smile.

She's my "in your face" kind of kid- adorably grimy and grinning!

There's nothing like a summertime!

Four Score and.....wait...only 13 Years Ago

13 years ago today, I married this cute blond boy who I had met in bright red Converse sneakers across a racquetball court.

The sneakers are long gone, replaced with many many pairs of running "shoes".

He's still cute and blond.

We've had lots of good times, too many bad times. But let's be honest- how many people would get on the thrilling rollercoaster ride if it didn't have highs and lows?

Trust me- it's still thrilling.

What a long, strange trip it's been.

I love you, Matthew!

A Touch of Art

Been a bit since I've posted anything, and I came across this....it's a painting by James C. Christensen (my favorite) and it's titled "Sometimes the Spirit Touches Us Through Our Weaknesses. This is not one of his most recent pieces, and I've reflected on it many times since I first saw it (I think while at BYU where he was a professor of mine for a blip). Here's what the artist says about it....


The Latin post nubila phoebus translates as “after clouds, sun” which is something like our saying “every cloud has a silver lining.” The iconic Christensen hunchback-as-Everyman is somber and a bit troubled. “The hump represents his troubles,” says Christensen, “and we all have them, but there is a little light at the place where the angel spirit’s finger touches the hump. I wanted to show how we grow from coping with adversity. Humbled by our weaknesses, we can be more open to things divine.”

Nice, don't you think??

And here's another painting I love, by Steve Hanks...

Water is one of the hardest things to draw/paint, and Steve Hanks has been mentioned as one of the nation's best watercolor artists. I just love the serenity and grace of this one...makes me wish I was there.

What does it make you feel??