Ellie at 10....my granddaughter.

Ellie's mom just sent me these. They are her 10 year old pictures. Although she seem much older than 10 when you talk to her. She is very mature, capable and personable. And she loves to have fun like her both of her grandma's. She loves to dance and does everything well that she tries. She is a great big sister and so kind to everyone.She is beautiful inside and out. We are going to see her in a few weeks and are so excited to see her and all of her siblings and parents. We are so lucky to have the greatest grandkids. I know that's what all grandparents say :)

My Little Get-Away to North Carolina

After a hideous night spent in a sleep study.....with electrodes all over my head, mentholatum up my nose, 4 trips to the bathroom, 2-3 hours maybe of sleep, gunck in my hair, and a freezing cold shower to top off the experience......I headed for Raleigh, NC .

I was trying to get to Chelsea's primary program. I made it with a few minutes to spare.It was spectacular. She does all kind of special music and arrangements involving lots of kids. Everyone loved it and it was fun to be a part of it...and see some of my grandkids participate. All those piano and voice lessons I drove her to...seemed so worth it when I Chelsea in action. It was as much fun to watch her as to watch the kids. They sang a song " You are 1 in a million". I found a frame with that on it and thought it was perfect for a family picture as a memory of the program and message. That is the picture of them all holding 1 finger up. It will be fun for them to remember their mom was an awesome primary chorister.

I had a fun week helping the kids set goals and make their boards, celebrating Gigi's 9 month birthday, cleaning out drawers, and going to see all the jump roping in action. I also got to go to 2 fun lunches...one at Chelsea's friend Monica's and then to the French restaurant we love, Le Farm. It has become our tradition. I had the best potato soup of my life. Later Chelsea and I went back for a yummy dessert. I love that place. I had a lot of fun playing with the kids and teaching Gigi to do Trot Trot to Boston and Pattycake. She is such a sweet and happy baby.

On Wednesday I drove over to Winston Salem to see Lindsay and have lunch. She had to work part of the day, but we had fun in the few hours we had. We had yummy take-out Thai food and I got to see the baby's nursery. Lindsay is so organized and has enough diapers to last a long time. She has done some cute things without spending alot of money...very resourceful and creative. Chelsea gave her many lovely baby things to make her parenting a breeze :) The cute wall you see she made from some alphabet cards Chelsea gave her. I gave her a rocking chair she had recoverd and it looks cute. She will be a great mother. Lucky little baby boy Adamson.

I drove home from her house in a terrible rain storm ( 2 hours) back to Raleigh in time for the birthday party and delicious dinner.

I had to go home the next day...got home in time to go right to work and then make it to a big YW activity I was in charge of with the other Mia Maid leader. It turned out great. I went straight to another loan and then home at 9pm to hang out with a friend for a few hours.

It was a really fun trip but I was tired when I hit the pillow that night. The" lack of sleep study" didn't help. I was sleep deprived for days.

I won't find out the results until mid-October.

I am so glad to live close enough that I can go visit often. I miss all my kids and grandkids and treasure the moments we have together.Can't wait until I can go again.

Lindsay's Baby Shower September 2011

My baby is having a baby boy in November. Kalisi Trendadue, from my ward, hosted an awesome shower for her in Richmond, Virginia. It was fabulous. She did a vintage theme with little red wagons and special vintage details all the way through. She did an amazing job on all the decor, the invites, the food ...everything was just perfect....as you can see in the pictures. She served kind of a breakfast burrito bar with toppings, fruit, quick bread, cupcakes and delicious punch. She even glued buttons on the cups and made darling napkin rings. She is so talented and nice. She had some wonderful generous helpers too. Chelsea made the cute diaper cake and fun diaper station ( where people write a message on a diaper for the new baby). It was so fun for Chelsea and I to be a part of it all .And little Gigi was a big hit at the party too. My niece Stephanie Brown even came down from Charlottesville, which was so nice.

Lindsay received so many wonderful gifts. Everyone was so generous and thoughtful. This is going to be one well dressed baby. It was fun to go home and look at everything again while they were packing up. Her favorite present was the vintage toys Kalisi found at a thrift store and made perfect. It went perfectly with the theme. She also received a wonderful group gift of gift cards to Target to get some things she may need. I even got a gift of a new photo album from Corrine Nimmo to put pictures of the new baby.

We have such a wonderful ward with such sweet and supportive sisters. It was a fun day and we can't wait for this new little baby boy to arrive. He may not be so little as his dad weighed in at 10 lbs. when he was born :)

My Italian Table September 2011

I have several choices for tablescapes for September. I chose Italian this time.

Some of my kids are coming home this weekend and we are going to have a fun dinner Friday night... Greg is grilling his yummy potato, chicken and vegetable medley.

We found these fun salad plates on sale at Kroger with all these Italian chefs so we bought them. Greg loved them because they all look like him with his chef's hat on.

It was nice because I didn't have to change the table runner, chargers, or placemats after the " Watermelon Table" in August. Just hauled done a few boxes from the attic...all by myself. At least down one level.

I sure wish I had put in a " dumb waiter" when we built this house. Greg says I did..him :)