New Beginnings

New Year In Blue

2011-01-28T16:01:00.001-08:00

Every year after the holidays, I am excited to put the Christmas away and to create something new for the new year. This year I am in a British mood as I have been reading British editions of Country Home, Country Homes & Interiors, and English Home magazines. I was inspired by a photo in one of these magazines, where a hutch was filled with French linens, white dishes and some touches of silver. So pretty!

Fall In Blue

2011-01-28T15:56:00.001-08:00

For Fall, I brough out my earthy toned things. Some of my Brown Wear, My mother-in-law's Brown Betty teapot, and some of my fall dishes etc... I was really pleased with this look, as I wasn't too sure what this color scheme would look like against this bright blue. It actually made them pop, which I love.

Completed

2011-01-28T15:45:00.000-08:00

Well, this is it! I am very happy with the way it turned out. I am especially loving how pretty things look inside of it. I change it seasonally, and everything I have put in it looks wonderful :)
For this spring and summer look, I filled it with some of my green and pink depression glass. I added a few other things for color. I found the green glass knobs at Anthropology.

2011-01-28T15:34:00.000-08:00

I know this picture is sideways... but, I'm just learning!

Anyway, this picture in one of my magazines became my inspiration for wanting a distressed blue piece. I loved the handles on this dresser so much, but have not found any this pretty yet. I will keep my eye out though. You never know when you might find what you are looking for. :)

2011-01-27T16:27:00.000-08:00

First, I made the decision to paint the cabinet blue. I had some sample paint colors that a friend had given to me, so I tried this first, just to see if I liked the idea. This color was pretty, and reminded me of a robin's egg, but in the end I felt it was too light, and kept looking.

Cabinet Redo

2011-01-27T16:19:00.000-08:00

This is our diningroom before we painted it yellow. I chose this picture though because it is the only "before" picture I could find of the cabinet in the corner. This piece has a fun history because it was the first thing Jeff and I bought on credit when we were young in our marriage. (in order to establish credit) . It has a matching table and chairs as well, but when we moved, they found a home at our son's house. Anyway, I wasn't loving this two-toned look anymore, but I didn't want to get rid of it either. So, I started thinking about painting it.

2011-01-27T13:11:00.000-08:00

It took a little longer than it should have to get this project done... putting the new switchplates on was a breeze, but several of our on/off switches were actually a dark old brown color... so, I got out my tiny paintbrush and painted them :) I used the satin white paint we had used for our trim, which dried quickly and had the perfect shine needed to make it look like white plastic. I think Jeff might be happy tonight when he sees my work. He thought he was going to have to buy all new electrical boxes for these! So fun.

2011-01-27T13:06:00.000-08:00

Our little house has these old brass switchplates everywhere. They aren't real ugly, but kind of dated and they show up a lot against our new paint colors. We went to the hardware store to look for new ones and actually liked the plain white ones best. This was cool, because they were one of the least expensive. :)

2011-01-24T19:51:00.000-08:00

Yes, I DID use Martha's Rain Water again! We really love this color and I didn't want to introduce another color into the mix. I am planning a photo wall near the top and think the photos in black frames will look great against this color. We also have all the hardware for a carpet runner, which I will add as soon as we have the extra money. I think I'll go for a sea grass or another natural fiber. We'll see...

2011-01-24T19:47:00.000-08:00

This is the stairwell leading to our upstairs. I liked that the stairs were their original stained wood and that the handrail was in such great shape. But, I wanted to paint the walls to highlight the wood trim and to brighten up the space.

2011-01-24T19:24:00.000-08:00

As you can see, I am still using the yellow drapes for fall and winter seasons. I made the pillow covers to bring in a bit more red for the holidays. I found this fabric when Jeff and I spent our anniversary in Victoria British Columbia.

2011-01-24T19:10:00.000-08:00

This is one end of the living room before we painted. This would have been Christmas last year (our first Christmas in Seattle) I had hung some drapes from IKEA just to bring in some color. I can't believe you can buy drapes like these for $14.00 a window. These were a real life saver for those first 6 months or so while I looked for paint colors. Although we have downsized quite a bit, most of our furniture fits nicely in this house. We are especially happy with our "larger" livingroom, as compared to the small livingrooms found in most older homes here.

2011-01-24T18:41:00.000-08:00

I chose Martha Stewart's Rain Water for the entry. We really love this color. This photo makes it look a little lighter then it actually is, but it is very fresh and pretty. I have never painted anything blue before, so this was my first "brave" move. The walls in the living and dining room are Glidden's Corn Silk. It took many test colors to find this yellow. The thing I like about it is that it changes with the weather outside. It keeps things feeling bright and sunny, but it is also a "warm" yellow that feels calm and cozy on a rainy day. All the trim throughout the house will be done in Martha's Tailor's Chalk.

New House Love

2011-01-24T18:26:00.001-08:00

I have to start somewhere, so I thought I would show some before and after pictures of what we have done so far. This is our front door/entry in it's original color. Not a bad color, but very dirty in real life and not very cheery for the rainy dark weather we get here. we are thrilled with the original lighting left in this home. The sconce on the left and the fixture peeking out above the door are two of nine :)

Hello From Seattle

2009-10-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

Where to begin? The story is a long one and I can't do it justice here, but I do want to say that God is in it all, and He continues to amaze us each day as life unfolds before us.We praise His Holy name, because without Him, we are nothing.
Three weeks ago now, we pulled away from our Clovis house with our awesome friends, Rich Kowamoto and Yvonne Downs to make our way to our new home in Seattle Washington.
God has seen fit to give Jeff a job here with the Seattle's Untion Gospel Mission. We will be working with the homeless and addicted people in this city and we are thrilled!
I wish I could tell you all the things God did, to bring this about, but you'll have to come visit to hear the whole story :]
Anyway, our drive was perfect. We had a blast together and arrived to find our realtor with keys in hand to our new home.
We live in the community of West Seattle and are just a few blocks from the Sound.
To say it's beautiful here is an understatement.
Below are pictures of our home as we found it. A 1935 house, it is in great shape, but the walls were very dirty and everything was dusty!
Yvonne and I spent one whole day scrubbing the little kitchen from top to bottom for example.
I am having great fun setting up house. I'll keep you posted on things as they
progress.

God's Leading

2009-05-08T23:14:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin? I have not blogged in quit awhile. I should be telling you all about my missions trip to South Africa (and I will some day), but for now, I guess I'll talk about what happened in my life the day I got home...
I guess I'll just spit it out. My husband lost his job.
I don't think I should go into all the details of why, instead I'll just tell you that this change has brought sadness and many sweet moments as well.
We have worked and lived at Hume Lake for 29 years now (minus the 3 that were spent at Bible college). Hume is our home. It's where we have lived, gone to church, loved our Hume family and served our Lord, so it seems so wierd that we no longer live there.
We have no doubt that this is all God's perfect plan for us and for Hume, but it's still hard to say goodbye to all that has been so familiar to us.
I think I will miss the people the most. My sweet friends and the darling kids at preschool, where I got to help each week this past year.
I'll miss my house and all the fun our family had there.( holidays, parties, dance parties, hours of visiting over coffee, snuggles with our babies, long serious talks, tears, laughter...)
I'll miss the view from my kitchen window
I'll miss the school room and all the hours we spent there
I'll miss my red door
I'll miss my bathtub
I'll miss sitting on the front porch in summer
I'll miss walking the lake
I'll miss the fresh air
I'll miss the view at the lake
I'll miss knowing that people are coming to Christ and that we are playing a small part in that
I'll miss busy summers and quiet falls
Enough of that...
I have been so blessed by the peace that God has given me. Honestly, it's been amazing and surprising. I know my heart is broken in several places, but for the most part, I have felt ok.
I am so thankful for the prayers of friends and family. I know this is why I am doing so well. I am especially thankful for our kids and their kind and gentle care of us during this time. I know they are very sad themselves, and yet they have been encouraging and helpful and have had such good attitudes. (Thanks Guys)
As of today, we are living in Clovis, with our son Nole and his family. Jeff is job hunting and I'm taking each day as it comes.
I'll close for now, but will continue as I can. I know this isn't written well, but if I don't just ramble, I'll never do this.
One last thing. God loves us, He's closer than ever and we will be ok.

Blossoms in the snow...

2009-02-16T11:18:00.000-08:00

It's snowing really hard outside, as I type. The tree branches are bending low with the weight of so much snow. It's a beautiful winter wonderland where I live. We won't be seeing signs of spring for quite awhile here...
So, you can imagine my glee to find two delicate, white jasmine flowers blooming inside my home!
Jeff bought this jasmine for me to set next to the front door last summer. When the weather became cold and I put away all my potted plants, the jasmine was still so pretty, I brought it inside.
I kept moving it around (mostly because it's big, and it was in the way), until it landed next to our sliding glass doors that face the back of the house. The sun comes through these windows every day and the jasmine seemed happy there.
Well, just recently, long, fresh limbs began to grow and vine around the older branches, fresh baby leaves began to unfirl, and wonder of wonders, two little blossoms opened their faces to the sun.
If you get close enough, you can even smell their sweet fragrance.
Spring may be far off here at Hume Lake, but my jasmine doesn't seem to care.
Hopefully, it will take residence near the front door again and bless us with more of it's sweet flowers. Until then, I'm content with these two.

Valentines Day with my Guy

2009-02-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

My husband and I had the BEST Valentine's Day weekend ever! No, we didn't go away to the coast, or stay in a beautiful Inn somewhere. We just had a blast at home. Now, we do live in a beautiful place, but that wasn't what made it so special. Honestly, it was the fact that we just love being together.
We have been married now for 27 years and our love and passion for eachother is amazing! I feel so blessed.
Jeff gave me a darling basket filled with bath stuff, candles, chocolates, chick flicks, home magazines etc... He also brought home all kinds of fun picnic type foods and we had a picnic in front of the fireplace. We talked about all our Valentine's Day memories from our lives and remembered a similar picnic we had in England one time together.
Our son, Edward wasn't home for most of the day on Valentine's Day, so we got a sneak peek at what the "empty nest" will be like :)
I love my husband more than anyone else on this earth. He is God's richest blessing in my life.

A Fresh Look

2009-02-10T15:56:00.001-08:00

2009-02-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

A Fresh Look

2009-02-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

We have never spent any real money on our bedroom. It always seems like we choose to spend the money on other parts of the house. So,the last time we were in town, I began dreaming about a new bedroom look and asked my husband Jeff, if we could spend some money. He said we needed to wait a few more months and then we could do it "right". So, later that week, I took almost everything out of our room, cleaned it really well and used some old things to give it a new look.
I wish I had a "before" picture. But, you'll have to use your imagination. We had two small vintage tables with old green paint on them, bedding in muted red and tans, and lots of odds and ends for decoration.
I thought a clean white look might make the room look bigger, so this is what I ended up with. Jeff likes it a lot, and I'm fighting the urge to add some color.
What do you think?

Learning To Knit Cables

2009-02-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

This was my first try at knitting cables. These gloves are so fun to make and they take no time at all! Of course, my first try had to be in the color green, because I love green and it makes me happy just looking at them. I learned a new technique for the thumb in this pattern as well. These gloves are knit in a nice wool yarn, so they are sturdy and should last awhile also. I hope to knit all my girls a pair of these in their favorite color too.
Fun~

Learning To Knit Cables

2009-02-10T12:54:00.000-08:00

Gloves

2009-01-30T16:11:00.001-08:00

Finger-less Gloves

2009-01-30T15:52:00.000-08:00

My friend Elisa gave this pattern to me because she thought it was a good, easy, first project. These gloves are knit on small double point needles in the round and were really fun to make! I think the biggest thing I learned was reading the pattern. Elisa had to translate several times, but I have almost completed the second glove and I haven't had to call her once :) As you can see, by the photos, it is a simple rib stitch for most of the gloves, but the thumb gusset was done in stockinette and required a few increased stitches (which I had never done before).
I really enjoyed this project. I've never worn this type of glove before, but if you see me out in them, be sure to tell me how cool they are :)

My God is Amazing

2009-01-30T15:27:00.000-08:00

I haven't been blogging, because I got a new laptop and I haven't been very good at figuring out the photo thing. But, I wanted to share something that happened in my life today.
Today I had the opportunity to sit across from a lovely young woman and to hear her heart about some situations in her life. I prayed a lot before she arrived, that God would give me words that would encourage, and that He would be glorified.
It turned out, that I was able to share a story from my own life when, God said "no" to my hearts desire and I had to submit to Him. The coolest part of the story came several years later when God revealed why He had said "no".
It felt so good share that God's ways are always perfect and that He alone can change our desires, if we will let Him. And, when He does, it's because He has something far greater waiting for us.
I am glad that today, the Lord reminded me of this time in my life. Of His awesome love and complete care for me.
I hope my story encouraged my friend, but maybe in the end, the memory was just for me.

Let them eat cake

2009-01-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

First of all, this isn't Eugenie, this is Erin, I've been instructed to blog for her and so here I am, doing her bidding.
Second of all, I'm pretty sure the quote "Let them eat cake" wasn't actually about cake and was actually about brioche, no seriously, look it up.

Dustin loves carrot cake and I'm determined not to be a woman who neither cooks nor bakes so I decided I would learn and my first(on my own) endeavor was a carrot cake, from scratch. here is the recipe in case you were wondering. It took me most of 4 hours to make this cake which while it was ridiculous turned out to be worth it. The most lengthy part of this process was peeling and meticulously grating 9 carrots, it was also quite a process to 'zest' the lemon, but like I said, well worth it. Anyways I won't bore you any longer here is the outcome, although you cannot enjoy the taste from the pictures alone.

2009-01-02T09:51:00.001-08:00

Avery Bay with a new camera!
Gabriel with a friendly mouse :)

Pa Pa with his stocking

AnnaMae and GwenNole and Heather with Avery and North

some of the "loot"
Erin and Dustin

Edward

Nathan and Grandpa, I'm so sorry I didn't have a picture of you!

2009-01-01T13:39:00.000-08:00

Em and Cody

The opening begins...

Everyone Came Home!

2009-01-01T11:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was such a gift to my mother's heart. Every single one of my children, their spouses and children AND pets came home for a long visit~ We had such a lovely time! We played in the snow, played games, did lots of talking and eating, and laughed at the babies and the puppies as they romped around the house. Jeff and I felt so blessed to have everyone home. We know this won't be the case every year, so we cherished each moment and thanked God for this gift. On Christmas morning, we opened our stockings, Jeff (Pa Pa) read the Christmas story from the Bible and then we opened our presents. As you can see, everyone from Great Grandpa to little Gwendolyn had a wonderful time :)

My New Thing

2009-01-01T08:04:00.000-08:00

Just recently my dear friend, Helen Schuler had me over to teach me how to knit. I have knit before, but it's been awhile. She started me on this little hat. It's called an Easy Roll-Up Hat. It is knit on circular needles. I have knit 7 of these hats I believe. (I keep giving them away :). I like to add a vintage button on the hats for girls, I think it looks darling. One thing I love about this hat, is that it looks good on just about everyone. My son put one on and folded the rolled edge into a cuff, it looked really cool on him. I have a New Year's resolution to get better at knitting. I am listening to knit and crochet podcasts and have subscribed to a knitting website called Raverly. I would say that this makes me an old lady for sure, but as I get to know the knitting community, many of them are young! In fact, today I'm going to my friend Elisa's house to learn how to knit finger-less gloves from her, and she's young :) So much fun! I'm thinking maybe my husband and I should go to town on a date day on Saturday so I can check out the new yarn store in Fresno. Maybe I'll use my Christmas money to buy needles and yarn. I'll let you know, how it goes. Until then, be creative.

Something New

2008-12-05T12:40:00.001-08:00

After being inspired by my sister, Cynthia's vintage Christmas tree, I enjoyed shopping the antique stores in Paradise to find a few for my own tree. I love the different colores and the sweet details on each. I have had a small vintage tree for years, filled with some of my grandmother's ornaments, but I'll put these on the big tree this year. Mostly, I love the memories they inspire and the love that I have for all things vintage.

Decorating the Tree

2008-12-05T12:20:00.000-08:00

This year I thought I would be decorating the tree alone (maybe with Jeff and Edward eating chili dogs and watching). But, Nole, Heather, Avery and North came up to help us! It was so much fun to watch the little one's excitement as they looked at each ornament. The result was so darling! (all the ornaments up front, in the center and only as high as they could reach). We ate the traditional chili dog dinner and enjoyed each other :)

2008-12-05T12:14:00.000-08:00

I love the photo above, especially Avery's little bottom stocking out... The next one shows the boys "watching" the decorating and the last one is North givine a shrimp (which he called a scrimp) a kiss.

2008-12-05T12:08:00.000-08:00

Such sweet little helpers...

Thanksgiving with my family

2008-12-05T11:59:00.001-08:00

(top) Edward with his mama, Carey. (middle) Auntie Lynn, Auntie Cynthia and Lynn's Aunt Barbara, and me. (bottom) Same with Erin :)

Thanksgiving with my family

2008-12-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

(above) Grandpa Lilley, Jeff, Edward, Me, Uncle Steve and Uncle Edward. (below) Jeff, Edward, Uncle Steve and Aunt Cynthia.

Thanksgiving with my family

2008-12-05T11:49:00.001-08:00

Edward shot a rat in Uncle Edward's back yard. Yuck! I always like to take pictures of Edward with his namesake. Our Edward Bruce is named after my brother, Edward Bruce.

Thanksgiving with my family

2008-12-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

Uncle Edward's yard in all it's Fall glory

Thanksgiving with my family

2008-12-05T11:32:00.000-08:00

My husband Jeff and I along with our two youngest children traveled to Northern California to spend Thanksgiving with my family. This is my brother Edward's home in Paradise, California. I love his house and yard, it fits him so well. We had a lovely time, visiting and shopping in the antique stores in town. The boys wen't disc golfing together and Jeff and Uncle Steve took Edward and Erin out to the movies one afternoon as well.

We stayed with my sister, Cynthia. She has a darling home too, but I forgot to take pictures of it! Maybe next time...

Time with our SanDiego family

2008-11-19T15:55:00.001-08:00

Just last weekend, Jeff and I got to visit with Annamae and her family. It was so nice to get to see them all! Nathan was turning 25 the following Monday, so it was extra special to get to be with him for his birthday. Gabriel was so darling. The minute we walked in he said "Do you want to see my bunny Grandma?" (Gabriel's Bunny is his very best friend, well loved and floppy). I of course had a conversation with Bunny and then kissed him hello. Gabriel rode around on PaPa's back most of the evening and entertained us with his new vocabulary. (Gwen was sleeping already).
It was fun to see AnnaMae's fall decorations and her beautiful new bedroom furniture. We got to visit again the next night, and then on Sunday we arrived bright and early with pink boxed donuts for everyone! This time, Gwen was awake. Anna had warned us that Gwen would probably be pretty shy and may not want to let us hold her. Well, she was wrong! It took only a few moments and she was in my lap, snuggling and being her sweet little self. She reminds us so much of Anna when she was little. We played and visited until the afternoon when it was sadly, time to leave.
On our way home, we met up with Emily and Cody for a little IKEA shopping and dinner.
On the way home, we decided we have the best kids and grandkids ever!
But, you already knew that.

Gwennie loves books and her PaPa

2008-11-19T15:51:00.000-08:00

AnnaMae has made a special reading spot for Gabriel and Gwendolyne under the livingroom stairs. Gwendolyne loves books and it didn't take her long to invite PaPa in for some reading time.

Little Family, minus one...

2008-11-19T15:41:00.000-08:00

Sandy Feet

2008-11-19T15:34:00.000-08:00

Gwendolyne seemed to enjoy covering our feet with sand...

Project Number Two...

2008-11-19T13:12:00.001-08:00

My other old blouse project is complete! My friend Yvonne actually shared this top with me. Now, we pass it on to Avery.

Avery's Skirt

2008-11-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

I like the way Avery Bay's skirt turned out. I wasn't able to use the tie from my blouse because I wanted to add a large pocket and it didn't work to have both. I added cream-colored cotton trim on the bottom and a wider cream-colored trim to the pocket. I hope she likes it!

Pocket Detail...

2008-11-19T13:04:00.001-08:00

Cute as a button...

2008-11-19T12:58:00.001-08:00

Here is little Gwennie in her skirt. She looks darling in it! The top was too big, so she'll have to wear it later on, I guess. AnnaMae thought she could just let the elastic out in the skirt as she grew and could even add a trim on the bottom so she could wear it again later with the matching top. We'll see if it lasts that long. I'll post more photos from this fun visit with Anna and her family later today :)

A Wedding in the family

2008-11-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

In September, our third daughter, Emily got married to her life-long boyfriend, Cody Mooney. I havn't blogged about it here yet, because I still don't have pictures to do it all justice. (the one above will have to do for now)
The wedding was lovely, and represented the bride and groom perfectly. The entire family was in the wedding and everyone pitched in to help in some way.
I can't wait to tell you all abou it, but indeed I will have to wait, and so will you...

An Old Blouse = New Outfit For Gwen

2008-11-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

My daughter AnnaMae showed me a blog where the girl had made some darling little girl skirts and was selling them. I thought it would be fun to make my sweet granddaughters a skirt, and so my mind began to think on it. I remembered that the last time I cleaned my closet I had set aside two blouses that I never wore, but couldn't part with because I loved their fabric. I pulled out these blouses and after calling the mommies for waist measurements, set to work.
My first project is for Gwendolyn because I get to go see her this weekend. She has the most beautiful blue eyes and I thought this fabric suited her.
I also found a little boys white T-shirt in my stash and decided to revamp it for little Gwennie.
I cut it down to fit her, added the blouse neck trim to the tiny neck-line, embroidered flowers on the sleeves and added a fabric pocket, tiny ties and a pink crocheted flower.
All-in-all, I like the way this project turned out. I hope it fits Gwendolyn. I can imagine this little outfit for winter with heavy weave stockings and brown leather shoes.
*Stay tuned for project number two: A little skirt for Avery Bay...

Plain boy T-shirt

2008-11-13T17:14:00.000-08:00

A Tiny Skirt...

2008-11-13T17:11:00.000-08:00

Revamped boy T-shirt

2008-11-13T17:09:00.000-08:00

Finished Project :)

2008-11-13T17:07:00.000-08:00

Celebrating Edward

2008-11-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

Our youngest son, Edward's real birthday is December 23rd. We were worried that his birthday would get lost in the Christmas holiday, so we have always celebrated it on his adoption day, which is October 27th.
This year, we had two celebrations and one of them was at his brother Nole's house on the evening of Halloween. This picture shows Edward (in the middle) with two of his favorite "big guys". His brother Nole is the pirate and his causin Matt is in the red ball cap. Both these guys have been good influences on Edward and he admires them both.
Edward is turning 18 this year, which is very hard to believe. It seems like not very long ago, that he was a tiny little guy asking a million questions and making us laugh. He still makes us laugh, he has a great sense of humor.

You never know, what God has for your life. I never would have guessed that I would have the honor of raising my sister's son. I know she would have wanted more than anything to have raised him herself, and yet she was brave enough and loved him enough to let us do it.
I'm sure God has wonderful plans for Edward's life. We as a family will be watching to see what those are. We are thankful for all that He has already done and we praise Him for letting us be a part of Edward's life in such an intimate way. Every time he learned something new or had a mile-stone experience I always thanked God that we were there to see it, and I asked Him to be a comfort to my sister who was unable to be.
It is my prayer that some day Edward will recognize all that God has done for him. All the love He has for him and the great sacrifice his mother made for him.
We love you Edward.

2008-11-03T18:34:00.000-08:00

Well, it's short now! I think I'd better leave it alone for awhile, or I'll be completely bald... It is EASY to fix for sure and gets me ready about 20 minutes faster than before. It has been about 10 years since I had hair this short. Jeff likes it, so that's nice :)

Small Sweater...

2008-10-30T19:02:00.001-07:00

I finished crocheting this little sweater today. I used a pattern from an old book I got on a sale table a year ago. I am practicing my pattern- following skills and even stitches etc... I am very pleased with the way it turned out. I especially love the way the edging acts like loops to go over the buttons and the hood is darling too. I love the way the colors turned out and am looking forward to my next project. The only problem is that it's not MY size...

Fun Times

2008-10-30T18:40:00.001-07:00

We had a nice weekend with our son Nole and his little family. Little North was excited by the pumpkins by our door. He would ask several times a day to go out and look at them. We all went on a walk around camp and ended up at the playground where we watched some deer and the kids played in the sand. North dumped a scoop of sand on Pa Pa's head and I overheard Avery telling an imaginary friend that she wasn't a very nice girl and she didn't want to play with her anymore. Heather brought me a cool white pumpkin and my favorite two coffee cookies for my birthday. She also made me a beautiful card to go with it that was signed by the whole family. Heather also made us a yummy fresh pasta dish for dinner and we bowled on the Wii together.It was a quiet weekend just enjoying time with each other... so fun

Hair Cut

2008-10-24T12:46:00.001-07:00

Well, here it is... I have been wanting to cut my hair for some time now. I like it, but I think I'd like it shorter. I have a really cute picture of a shorter cut and may go back on Monday. It does feel healthier though and everyone seems to like it.

Weekend Hike

2008-10-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend two of our girls came home for a visit. Emily and her new husband, Cody and Erin and her boyfriend, Dustin. We had such a nice weekend, but I especially enjoyed our hikes that we took together on both Saturday and Sunday. These photos are from our Saturday hike around Princess Meadow. It is amazing to me that this is our backyard! I thank God that we get to live in such a beautiful place.

The girls each brought their new puppies along, which was fun too. They both are so cute and have such sweet personalities. It felt like having grandkids come home for a visit. We sat around watching them play and laughed at all the cute things they did. And, just like with babies, the "parents" enjoyed putting them away for a nap so they could relax. Edward enjoyed having some young guys in the house as well. They played Wii Fit and other Wii games and stayed up late playing XBox. The whole weekend was such fun. The only thing that would have made it better, is if all the kids were home together. But then, my attentions would have been divided between my grandkids and the puppies...

Only Child...

2008-10-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

I wonder what Edward is thinking. It must be wierd to grow up in a house full of kids, to finally have them all leave home. Being the "only child" for the first time ever must feel strange.
No more sisters acting like mini mothers. No more big brother always getting to do cool things that you don't get to do. Now, it's just you. I bet he likes all of the attention, except when it means that mom (who has been home alone all day) is asking a million questions and wondering how he "feels" about something.
I know he likes it that all the "fun" food is his. Nobody else will eat it up, before he gets a chance to :) I think he likes that we are more relaxed with him now. This always happens with the baby...
My hope is that we will get to know him better. That we will get the chance to say the important things that need to be said and just at the right moment. (It is always the goal in your child's last years at home, to create a mutual respect and grace-filled love that they just can't resist.) One that will pull at their hearts in later years, give them the longing to call home, or to come and visit.
It doesn't seem right that my youngest child should be a senior in highschool. That he should be taller than his dad and have a sense of humor that is all his own. It seems like yesterday that we were working on being able to play quietly alone and how to take a deep breath and try again.
I love this kid and thank God for the gift of his life. The house seems quiet now, but what will it be like when he's gone?
Maybe we (Jeff and I) will run around in our underwear just because we can...
Or not.

Mini Berry Cobblers

2008-10-07T13:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I made berry cobblers for my son Edward. I had been looking for a good pie crust recipe and recently a friend gave me this one. It is the kind of crust that you just pat into the pie plate. It doesn't roll out, so it isn't good for pies with tops on them. However, I was making tiny cobblers, so I did place a piece of patted dough on the top before baking. I baked these little guys on 350 degrees until they were golden brown and bubbly. I filled them with mixed berries (the frozen kind) that I added some sugar and a tablespoon of cornstarch to. I sprinkled the top with sugar before I put them in the oven. They were so good warm. We wished we had vanilla ice cream to put on top, but a little milk was tasty too.

Pie Crust Recipe
1 1/2 Cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T sugar
2 T milk
1/2 Cup oil
Mix all together in a bowl with a
fork until it is kind of moist.
Press into pie plate with fingers

2008-09-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

fall is my favorite time of year...

2008-09-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

It is a wierd thing to look at a picture of your grown children and realize that you are their mother. I know this seems like it would be obvious, but every now and then, it just seems unreal. The idea that time has passed and somehow the little people you were "raising" are now out raising themselves and often times are giving you encouragement or advice when you need it. It is a wonderful feeling to realize that you "like" your kids. That they are people you would be friends with even if they wern't family. All of my children are young adults now, but they will always be my "little people".

Canyon Drive on Sunday

2008-09-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

I found a dollar in the river rocks

2008-09-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

Jeff found a katydid

2008-09-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

The view from our lunch spot

2008-09-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

Beautiful berries...

2008-09-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

The Kings River

2008-09-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

Rocky cliffs...

2008-09-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

Indian Paintbrush blooming along road side wall...

2008-09-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

I want to learn to draw better...

Nature Journaling

2008-09-28T20:04:00.001-07:00

I used to encourage my children to keep a nature journal. We would go out into the woods, or down by the Kings River and draw whatever we saw there that interested us. I remember being thrilled by their drawings and the details they saw in a flower or a nest. Just lately my oldest daughter AnnaMae and I were talking about our desire to learn to draw better and also to learn how to paint. She mentioned a book that she had seen on Amazon that she thought would be a good help in this endeavor. It reminded me of a book I had bought years ago, and it was the same book! I also dug out my old nature journal (the one I had begun with my children) there wasn't much in it, but the contents excited me. I am hoping to begin again soon.
I love the idea of looking more intently at what God has made. My husband is a master at this and amazes me with all he knows about our mountains.
By the way, in case your wondering, the book title is Keeping a Nature Journal, Discover a Whole New Way of Seeing the World Around You by Clare Walker Leslie & Charles E. Roth

He's just fun to be with

2008-09-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

A day in Fresno with Jeff is always fun. Here's our "loot" from yesterday's date day.
1. 2 pumpkin scented candles
2. 2 tuscan herb candles
3. a glass bobble ring
4. a funky green and brown bangle bracelet
5. a long sleeve bright green t-shirt
6. a short sleeve red t-shirt with logo
7. a grey sweater
8. a book on stone masonry
9. 1 magazine (Real Simple)
10. an electric razor (for Edward)
11. a box of salt (we were out)

2008-09-25T08:08:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been feeling nolstalgic about my mother. This morning as I got ready for an over-night get away, I remembered this purple cosmetic case hidden in the storage area of the garage. When I opened it, I was surprised to find a small brush (with a few grey hairs in it), a metal nail file and a small tin of Avon's Here's my Heart perfumed talc. My mother was an avid bath taker and always dusted herself with talc when she got out.
In fact, any time we were sick, she suggested a hot bath and always dusted us with talc, when we got out.
when I began to clean up the little case, I was intriqued by the memories that came to my mind. As I wiped down the plastic insides, the smell reminded me of cold shower areas in camping grounds. The ones with damp, cold cement floors and left over soaps on the floor.
I also remembered the day this case was purchased. I was with my mother and she let me pick the color. I was big on purple in those days :) when the sales clerk asked her what monogram she wanted on the front, she gave them mine. EMS for Eugenie Mary Strang.
I think I'll use this case from now on. It has such sweet memories of a mom who loved to travel, who was always thoughtful and had a thing for talc.

Cosmetic Case

2008-09-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

Something New

2008-09-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

I have not written in a very long time. I guess my life has been about other things.
Living, more than writing about living. I want to change my entries to appear to be more of a diary of sorts. Daily short chapters of what is going on in my day.
I will begin by saying that my life at this point is focused on learning how to live in a quiet, one child home. My husband has been gone a lot for work, so for the first time in my life, my days are pretty much what ever I want them to be.
This sounds blissful to those of you with little children making messes and hanging on you all day, but from where I stand, it's lonely at times.
I'm not sure what I want to "do" with my free time, and my teenage son is driving me crazy.
I know that God has great plans for me, I just wish He'd tell me what they are. :)

Whose that little lady?

2008-06-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

So Proud of You :)

2008-06-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

The Graduates

2008-06-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Erin Elaine!

2008-06-17T18:47:00.000-07:00

On June 2, 2008 Erin Elaine Lilley graduated from high school! She and her close friend Haley Lamb were the only two graduates from Hume Lake Charter School. We had a beautiful reception and graduation ceremony at Hume Lake for them. The girls chose to have Richard Kawamoto's yummy Chinese food and cake for their reception. Many friends from Hume and family members came to honor the girls. A video was played that showed each girls life and each of their dads said a few words about them before they received their deplomas.
We are very proud of Erin. She got very good grades this year and worked hard on her classses (which is hard to do, when there are only two people in your class).
We love you Erin and can't wait to see what God has for your future.

2008-06-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday North Hunter!

2008-06-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

North Hunter was born to us two whole years ago now, on June the 5th. He was such a beautiful baby. Everyone said so. When we took Avery his sister to see him for the first time, she covered her ears and made a face when he cried :) North has the sweetest personality. Everyone has a special place in their heart for little "Northy". He is quiet like his daddy, and is such a cuddle bug! When he was tiny he would search your face intently with his huge brown eyes (like he'd never seen anything like you before). He seemed so interested in your face. It melted our hearts.
North still melts our hearts every time we see him. He holds his hands up to be held and says the sweetest words in his big "man" voice (which he has had since the day he was born.)
North calls me "Ma". He calls everyone "Ma", even his daddy! North is a special gift from the Lord. I praise God for him. What a special boy.

Yes, all the way to Fresno w/ four in the back....

2008-05-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

Janelle Cross' Wedding

2008-05-12T12:52:00.001-07:00

IRONMAN AS A "FAM"

2008-05-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

2008-05-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

My Mother's Day Weekend

2008-05-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

I had a lovely Mother's Day weekend. One thing that was especially wonderful was that I got to see ALL of my children! Yes, even Nathan was home from deployment :) I got to have AnnaMae, Nathan, Gabriel and Gwendolyn for a visit and then Emily and Cody arrived as well(with Rylee, Cody's little sister.) On Saturday we all headed down the hill to Fresno where some of us attended a wedding and then we all went to dinner and a movie together as a family (Nole and Heather joined us too). On Sunday, Emily and Cody fixed me the most yummy mexican dinner and made a beautiful cake for dessert. We sat on the deck in the warm sunshine and visited after we ate. Cody did a little fishing and he, Edward and Jeff played around at rock climbing near the house. Oh, I almost forgot! Jeff bought me some beautiful plants for the front yard and planted them for me. I got very sweet cards from everyone and felt so loved.
"Thank You everyone for a great weekend. you are my favorite people!" Being you "mom" is a real blessing to me.

A Sunday Drive

2008-05-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday Jeff and I took a lovely drive down into King's Canyon. The weather was wonderful! We opened our sun roof and rolled down our windows and drove slow enough to smell the blossoms and to see the wild flowers along side the road. We stopped several times to take pictures and to admire God's handywork. We have so many wonderful memories in this canyon. Fun exploration hikes with our kids, animal sitings, camping. We feel so blessed to live so close to this beautiful place. We drove down with many things on our minds and drove home feeling refreshed and rested. God is good!

A View From My Back

2008-05-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

Jeff At Work...

2008-05-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Sooo Green and Cold!

2008-05-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

View From The "Jumping Rock"

2008-05-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Just Lovely!

2008-05-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

The Kings River

2008-05-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

My New Ride...

2008-05-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Heading Down Into The Canyon

2008-05-01T10:41:00.002-07:00

Gabriel Talon Ouimet

2008-05-01T10:41:00.001-07:00

2008-05-01T10:40:00.001-07:00

Say "Hello" to Gabriel!

2008-05-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

This little guy is my oldest grandson. Gabriel Talon turned three in January. Gabriel belongs to my daughter AnnaMae and her husband Nathan. I had a special blessing when Gabriel was born, because I got to be there! He was so tiny (a little early) and so cute. He reminded me of both his mom and his dad. Gabriel has a very funny personality. He is very busy and does the cutest things. My favorite memory of him as a timy baby was the time he sat next to Pa Pa and watched a little cartoon on the computer and laughed his head off. He was not even able to sit up on his own yet, and there he was just sitting there cuddled up next to Jeff and belly laughing. We got it on video, if you ever want to watch it. He still laughs all the time. Gabriel loves to talk to me on the phone, which is very fun. Usually after a few little bits of conversation he says "Pa Pa?" I'm not sure why he does that, maybe it is because Pa Pa is his favorite person! Gabriel is also very curious and loves anything to do with being outside. Pa Pa likes to show him things from nature because he is so into it. We still have a flattened dried out frog that Gabriel found in the road on a walk. Jeff won't let me throw it away. "It's Gabriels" he says... When he was smaller he was a bit afraid of bugs. When he would scream and run we would say "It won't hurt you" to him. Now, every time he is nervous about something he tells us "It won't hurt you". So sweet! Grandma loves here babies, what can I say?