Sunday Fun

Love These Kids - ALL of Them!

Sunday with Trevor, Laura, Brady, Patsy, Grant, Erin, Adam, Gabby, Tanner,
Troy, & Annabelle.

Doesn't get better than this.

Oh - and Katie was there behind me watching the pictures unfold.

 Grant was done with the standing in one place routine.

 

Erin graciously trimming my tree.

  Patsy helping Grant unwrap an ornament.

Trevor and Laura.

Trevor tossing Grant in the air. Grant LOVES this!

Tanner playing his bass. 

Patsy and Brady.

And my most favorite picture of all . . . my little blue boy drawing on his chalk board.

Love love love this kid.

Merry Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween!

I am thinking either Dracula or Spock next year . . .

Happy Birthday Katie!

My oldest child is now 30 years old.

Wow!

I threw Katie a small family party.

Her favorite color is pink and so I envisioned a room filled with 

pink flowers, pink balloons, and of course a pink cake with pink candles.

Yet somehow it didn't quite work out that way.

First . . . I am now a full time working woman.

Second . . . if I have a 30 year old child I am way old.

Third . . . I wish I had a really good excuse but I don't.

So when I called Dick's Market to order a cake the morning AFTER my daughter's birthday

and requested a birthday cake for that afternoon I was told there was

one last white cake with raspberry filling left.

"It's yellow, and purple, and green, and pink."

Great I thought. It will be fine.

Well . . . let's just say it's too bad it wasn't Grant's birthday.

However, he ended up enjoying the cake so much that Katie was fine with the 

ugliest cake we have ever seen.

Besides, I ended up making her a homemade buttermilk chocolate cake

with divinity frosting because I felt so bad about the boy cake.

Here are the pictures from Katie's party:

Thank Goodness My Floor Was Clean

Grant and I had a nice evening together.

We played.

He had a bath.

I put one of my old t-shirts on him.

He ate some candy.

I took some pictures.

My happy place.

 

PC in Autumn

I had a marvelous Saturday in Park City.

Seeing my older boys - old friends - and attending a ground breaking

for a park in honor of Matt Knoop who died while serving the Lord in Brazil.

Here are a few pictures of the people and places I love.

Sam, Brady, Troy, Patsy, Trevor, and Laura.

Brady realized he should be standing by Patsy so

the middle shifted around a bit.

Then I took the most adorable picture of Trevor and Laura - ever.

They are very cute together.

I adore all of these kids - and loved the snippet of time I had with them.

Then I hiked into the hills with Maureen and took tons of pictures.

Here are a few of my favorite.

Just a few.

Goodbye Summer - Hello Halloween!

My pictures say it all . . .

 Shellie, Kathryne, and I headed out to the Great Salt Lake on Labor Day.

It had been years since I have ventured out to that big mass of salt water.

It was fun . . . and fascinating . . . and I love the adventure.

Friends. A very good thing.

Grant's Sunny Afternoon

I am only going to post a few pictures out of the 200+

that I took yesterday of Grant playing in his backyard.

I am putting together a book for Katie for Christmas

with pictures of Grant and so I don't want her to see all of them.

(She already knows about the book - it's a tradition!)

These are the pictures that made me laugh and smile.

Grant and Lucy

Grant and Sammy and Miles

Grant trying something new . . . climbing through the playhouse window.

Grant realizing he is stuck . . .

Grant screaming at me because I am taking a picture

instead of rescuing him from his playhouse window . . .

Grant happy that I finally rescued him and placed him on his slide.
We had a wonderful hot August afternoon together.

I love this little blue boy of mine.

New Blog

I have started a new blog that will just be about my art.

I am trying to become serious about being an artist,

and so I am working hard to produce paintings every week.

Some weeks are more productive than others . . .

but I am hoping that one day I can sell my art.

I will start with making prints to sell of some of the

paintings which I have already done.

It is amazing how each picture gets a little bit better.

Hopefully one day I will be able to say I am a professional artist.

Until then . . . Daffodils, Daisies, and Dragonflies

will be where I post my pictures.
(Link in my sidebar: A Dash of Others)

What Have I Been Up To Lately?

This:

 I did this little pastel bird while watching

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers a week ago.

Actually . . . while I was listening to the movie.

It's hard to watch when you are working on a painting -

so musicals are always my favorite accompaniment
to my board, paper, and sticks of color.
A way fun evening to say the least.

What Kind of a Grandmother Am I?

What kind of a Grandmother takes a picture of her grandson doing this?

Me I guess.

The Dog Days of Summer

Grant and I spent some quality time in his backyard tonight.

Grant is pure boy . . . and I adore this kid with all of my heart.

He makes me happy.

Oil Painting - At Last

I am finally back into painting . . .

only now I am tackling the dreaded oil paint.

Here is the painting I produced this weekend.

I figure the more I paint the better I will become

so I better start painting a lot.

This is the Great Salt Lake at Sunset.

Please keep in mind I am an AMATEUR!
(Also - it really does look better in real life - I promise.)
One more also -

it will look better if you step a few feet back from your computer.

It is a sort of Monet styled type of painting.

I think. I hope.

Either way - I love the time I spend with my brushes

and my oil paints and my mediums and my palette

. . . and my music.

And two dogs and a bird who sit and watch me.