Mrs. Potato Head

Piper is at that age. The one where just about everything she does and says is funny. She wore these Mr. Potato Head glasses for a half an hour tonight.

And then a few minutes ago, as we were reading books on the couch, she was examining her leg and the roundness of her calf. She interrupted the story to say, "Mom it looks like I have a stomach in my leg."

Grandma's Sunny Day

Some of you know my mom, Dedee. If you do, you know she's awesome. She just wrote and illustrated (watercolored) this book for her family.

She uses weather as an analogy to explain her sometimes difficult life as a child and her conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The picture on the cover looks just like her, doesn't it?

I'm not showing all the pages and you probably can't read the text. These are her siblings: Mimi, Dedee, Peggy, Timmy, Sally, and Butch.

Piper is the hand model.

I love this page. So simple. Her parents split up and her mom moved out. "That was a rainy day."

She had to move back and forth between her parents' houses.

When she was a teenager, she "felt foggy". Then a friend introduced her to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Book of Mormon.

She read it and followed Moroni's promise.


She prayed and describes the Spirit as a "warm sunshine in my heart that spread through my whole body."

On the final page she says, "Heavenly Father answered my prayer. My life became clear. I know if I ever become confused or have questions about my life, Heavenly Father will help me."

Did I say my mom was awesome or what? She gave us this book the other day as an early Christmas present. All other presents will pale in comparison!

Christmas Dance

Bronwen just headed off to the Christmas Dance with Brad Petersen.

[Sorry these pictures are awful. The red eye wouldn't come out]

Bronwen let me do her hair!

Brad, Bronwen, Brittanee, and Dallin

Thanks, Kayla and Jerrilee, for lending and sending the dress!

Christmas Treats

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is Grandma May's caramels. Jason makes them and we cut, wrap, and eat them.

They turned out perfect this year.

We'll see if this jar lasts a few days.

Grandma Dedee had us all over for cookie decorating. It was so nice to leave the mess at her house.

Piper has one decorating trick. Red hots.

Thanksgiving Turkey Trot

Thanksgiving started with our own May Family Turkey Trot. It was held in Twin Falls, up the road from Grandma May's house.
Dalton organized it for his Scout Family Life merit badge. There was a 5K and a 1 mile. We made our own starting line with flour and water.

Uncle Jerrod, our official timer, couldn't run with an injured leg. AWWW, Jerrod.

Jason

Dalton and Ethan . Dalton did the 1-mile and then ran with Ethan as he finished the 5K.

Bronwen and Lauren.

Speaking of Bronwen and Lauren, two guys (above) showed up for the Turkey Trot (friends of friends) that we had not expected. Bronwen and Lauren had just rolled out of bed in time for the run. As soon as the guys left, they wailed, "Why didn't anyone tell us hot guys were coming?!"

Aunt Jerrilee (far right) and two friends (moms of above-mentioned hot guys).

Erin

Classic!

I love it when this happens. We had guests over for dinner too.

Listening In

Dalton: Ethan, if you got $20,000.00, what would you do with it?

Ethan (without missing a beat): I would get a giant box of lemonheads and then save the rest.

Dalton: Oh yeah, I'd get the lemonheads too. But then I'd get an iPhone 4S, some Freerun shoes, and some clothes.

Ethan: But if you save the money, then when you are 16 you can get a sweet motorcycle.

Dalton: Oh, cool. I would save it too then. But I would still get the iPhone 4S.

XC Region

Yesterday was Ethan's Cross Country Region Meet. This is Ethan pre-race, looking serious (and knobbly-kneed). Is that the eye of the tiger I see?

Logan hosted Region this year. Our home course is at the American West Heritage Center. Gorgeous scenery, fun course, with hills!

Finishing. His goal was to break 19:00. His time was 18:59. Close, but good enough! That's 6 min. 8 second miles on this 3.13 mile course! WooHoo, Ethan!

Setter

Bronwen is the setter (again) for the Logan Varsity Volleyball team this year. She is right in the middle of the season. It hasn't been the best season so far, but they are improving.

Bronwen wishes she were taller (she's just 5'4"), but she's got the highest vertical jump on the team.

Jump serve. She rarely misses.

Is the team dancing here? I can't remember.

Clockwise from top left: Mindy, Sarah, Taylor, Coach Dan, Nicole, Ashley, Bronwen, Katie, Britt. Dan is a new coach. Bronwen likes him. She likes that he is a guy; there was a lot of female drama with our previous coach.

I liked Coach Dan from the beginning: at tryouts, he told the girls not to use their cell phones at all. "In fact," he said, "If I even see you with your cell phone , I'll ask you to leave."

Back in the Saddle

I'm taking piano lessons again! "Again" meaning I haven't since I was sixteen.

I'm really learning how much I don't know. Andrea, my new teacher, is a perfectionist. When I play a song I've been working on all week, she stops me after two measures and tells me six things wrong with my playing. She's right, of course, but it's still intimidating. After being stopped several times through Debussy's First Arabesque, I told her I was afraid to play any more. My hands got clumsy and I made more mistakes than was really necessary. I just need to get a thicker skin. When I fixed all those problems (it took a few weeks), the song sounded much, much better.

I am loving the practicing. I look forward to it. Dalton watched me the other day and said, "YOU are the one that loves the piano. I hate it. Now that you're taking lessons, we shouldn't have to any more." He does have a point, but he still has to keep taking lessons for a few more years.

Homecoming

Homcoming 2011. Bronwen went with Dallin Dahl. First date and first dance. First bouttonniere (that's me, saving Dallin from being stabbed). They were so cute!

Oh my, I'm old!

Master Redo After

I first posted about painting my master bedroom here. I actually painted it and did the window coverings right away, but it took me two months to take pictures.

Just a reminder: here's a "before" shot. Very vanilla.

And this was my inspiration fabric - used to make roman shades.

And this is it now.

This isn't my room, but if you'll notice the curtains of this room done by Steven Gambrel, you'll see he added ribbon to give them a military touch. The curtains in my room are hand-me-downs from my stylish sister, Holly, and she copied these curtains in making hers (now mine!) She just glued grograin ribbon to premade linen curtains.

With the roman shades pulled up. [No, I don't know how to adjust my camera for backlight]

My nightstands and bed frame look so much prettier against the dark blue walls (NOT purple, as they look in this picture). I've been saving these prints for two years. I bought them as my souvenir from Sweden, where my mom took all the sisters for a family history trip. I always wanted to hang them on "His" and "Her" sides of the bed. They are the long-ago queen and king of a small town called Orebro.

I love their quirky faces: the queen is looking up at the ceiling.

It was fun to use stuff I already had and make them work; it's much more satisfying. I really just bought the frames and the paint. And Jason put in a lot of time hanging the roman shades and curtain rods!