Today.

Monday was beautifully sunny and warm.
Today is cold, overcast and snowing.

I'm going to some of Women's Conference today and meeting a friend.
Last year I rode my scooter to the Conference, the weather was so nice.

I'm taking Britni to the airport today
Chris left for Kentucky yesterday.
Sheyla may be moving out in just a couple of weeks.
 
I'm a little sad.
I'll get over it.

Sweet pink wool felt I-pod holder.

Remember that I bought these at DI and washed them in very hot water to make 100% wool felt.

I made myself an i-pod holder!
It's so sweet I think it's going to give me a tooth ache!

By the way...

 I also painted the wooden step-ladder. 

Which, by the way, is my fathers.

For some reason, it ended up on the moving van when we last moved to Florida.

So he had to get another one.

When we moved back to Utah, I just kept it.

I love that ladder.

It always makes me think of my father.

He is supposed to be retired right now but works full time.

He used to be able to drop everything and come on over and help with anything.

On occasion, if I asked, he would clean my kitchen floor.

While on his hands and knees.

That's how he always cleans kitchen floors.

 I was recently reminded at how many times he helped us move and clean our house, as I cleaned my daughters floor.

On my hands and knees.

And it made me smile.

Sometimes, he went to the movies with me.

Even to chick flicks (which he likes).

He doesn't have the time any more.

He has always been a work horse.

Just like that ladder.

Now, just a little weathered and worn.

Just like that ladder. 

He's just not painted yellow.

It'll do.

This is before.
You will have to see yesterdays post to understand the magnitude of the spray painting fever that possessed me.

After.
I think it's quite fun!

Addie is in many of my pictures.

But I got this picture soon after the sun was coming up over the mountains.

Painted flowers.
No before.
But trust me, it's much cuter this way.

I know, I have a ton of gardening and weeding to do.
But one step at a time!

This is at my front door.

I like it all!

Can you ever spray paint too much? I think not!

This cute plastic wicker settee fell apart on Saturday as I moved it to spray paint.
It once fell apart just a few years ago and my Dad was able to rescue it enough that it has sat in it's present location for many years.
I got it for Mother's Day about 14 years ago when we lived in Florida.
It's not 100% plastic.
It has survived near hurricane weather and the snow and heat of Utah.
So it makes me a little sad that it will have to go to the dump this weekend.
It's past fixing.

This one is also plastic.
I have seen and liked (but not for inside my house) a lot of yellow in home decorating.
So, I thought of using it for outside.
I was going to paint the other settee this bright yellow.
So, I came up with a cheap alternative to use what I have and just buy spray paint.

I have some oldish chairs that we recently replaced (oh, how I loved them).
Almost each one is broken.
I thought I would paint three chairs different colors and have them replace the old plastic wicker settee.

 This wooden chair (which will be the third wooden chair) has been outside for years and is very weather beaten and is almost falling apart.
I originally tried to paint the little bistro set a light yellow but I thought it was too light and loved this bright yellow.

I love this blue color.
I am also painting two bird houses (that I have had for years) different colors.
I have had a set of metal flowers that are autumn colors that I had an epiphany today to spray paint them too!
I don't know why I haven't thought of it before.
I know there's a chance it all could look ridiculous!
I don't care.
I am a spray painting fool!
The colors make me happy!

Violas.

Every day gets greener and greener.

And that's one of the reasons I love Spring so much!

I thought I was buying pansies but it turns out I bought violas.

They are related to pansies and are just as hardy.

Good thing because yesterday morning we woke up to a blanket of snow.

The great thing about Spring is that the snow all melted by mid day.

And today it is raining.

It's even more green than on Wednesday when I took these pictures.

And I love green!

It seems Addie likes the camera.

Yet, she plays coy.

These are my rhubarb plants that I don't have to do much to and they grow amazingly beautiful.

The grapevine is still dormant but will soon start to green.

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's Party!" 

How silly and not surprisingly that Robin Williams said that!

Coffee table for the sunroom.

I've been wanting a coffee table for the sunroom for years.
I could have just bought a table from DI and painted it.
But haven't.
I have been fascinated by these tables from Ikea and wanted to try them.
Sheyla put them together today.
$7.99 each.
Darling!
We have an amazing view from every window.
I know, lucky!

My mother-in-law gave us this cool and funky serving tray that belonged to her parents.
They lived in a very cool modern home (I will have to find out the name of the style because I know it's retro, cool and popular).
I have had it in the china cupboard and thought it would fit nicely (and without spending any more money makes it all the more perfect)!

Proof Positive!

Super duper cute fabric!

Ikea and being distracted.

I took Sheyla up to Salt Lake City today and on the way home we dropped by Ikea to buy the fourth and last chair (of those funky white chairs---which makes two on each side of our table with the wood chairs on the ends).

We spotted this amazing expandable table and I drooled.
It can hold fourteen people comfortably.
We have had twelve people for dinner but more frequently, we have 8.
And our family is growing.

I gasped when I saw this cool and funky light.

But it's made of paper.

I bought 1 yard of super cute fabric at Ikea and a pillow insert to make a pillow for the window seat to replace one that I just recovered that has an old and very lumpy pillow in it.
And that brings me to the distracted part.
I have more than three big walls I need to paint and I have been easily and often purposely distracted.
And last night I planted some flowers.
So, what do I do today?
Other than several other errands out of town and laundry and organizing and the kids that are at home need attention and taking Davis to guitar lessons that were canceled last week but we found out after he went to the door and no one was home and then he remembered what his teacher told him last week and planting the rest of the flowers and watering flowers and plants in the house and working on the book I'm making for Britni and doing the dishes and reading the paper and watching American Idol (as if all I did was work) and family scripture and prayer and life!
I find more projects to add to my multiplying list of projects.
It's frustrating and fun all at the same time!
I don't know how other people get so much done!
I'm even a stay at home mom with the youngest being a teenager.
In my defense, I have had much to do with my family which takes precedence over projects.
And some times I am just too tired.
Or there is laundry.
Or I like to read the paper.
Or I want to read a book (I just finished The Help by the way and it's fantastic).
Or there is a movie I have to watch.
Or I am just too tired.
Or there's something else to do.

There's always tomorrow to put off projects.
(I really am lucky, by the way, to do all the things I do and all the things I don't.)

I

Sunday dinner.

This cute couple brought this cute little dog (they are babysitting her).
She has an adorable squeaky, almost non-existent bark.
Chris is leaving soon for Kentucky to try his hand at selling pest control and as soon as he can, will send for his adorable 15 week pregnant wife.

I took this silly girl up to Salt Lake last week to sign up for school.
We drove around to look at the apartment and job potentials.
Once again in a matter of one month (well two years ago it was actually 1 1/2 months) 3 of my four kids are moving on or out to the big big world.
Although, this time, two of them are now married and already out (but they have lived close by).
I will still miss them all.

Yes, that is painters tape on the walls.
Still not done.

This one didn't want her picture taken and pouted.
She has been quite sick for about a month.
They ruled out Lupus and are still trying to figure out what's wrong.
The last few days she has been worse with what they are treating with antibiotics because they thought she had strep throat but now they think she may have Mono.
She is one sick girl.
How I ache to take care of her.
I am grateful she married someone who is so thoughtful and kind.
He is taking such good care of her.
They are leaving soon for Alaska so he can try his hand at selling alarm systems this summer to save up money for school next year.

This silly one, had meetings much of the day.
Luckily he was able to come home for dinner.
I'm lucky he is such a good guy.

This one is now obsessed with skate boards.
He fell on Saturday and skinned his hands and knees.
He now has protective pads for most everything without being wrapped up in bubble wrap and he still looks like a cool skate boarding teenager.

I LOVE Sunday dinners.

Shiny new bike!

Look at my cute new bike!
I just love it!
Jeff insisted that we buy it (from K-mart) while we were in St. George.
I just went on a little bike ride (I had to walk up the hill a while too).
I'm going to have to ride on flat roads for a while because I was breathing so hard I could have easily called someone and have them think it was an obscene phone call!

Daffodils and little purple pansies.

I love daffodils!
I think of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the scene where Willy Wonka eats the teacup that looks like a daffodil.
Did that really happen?
And it makes me happy that Spring is here and daffodils are everywhere.
Anyway.
We have a few scattered daffodils and I love it!

I bought a few pansies from the grocery store.
I really wanted to buy a flat of little purple pansies from a garden nursery but I didn't have time.
The grocery store had some and I went to the grocery store.
I love purple pansies.
Did you sing that song about the little purple pansies when you were young?
I did.
It was one of my favorites.

There are signs of green on some of the trees.
Some don't even have buds yet.
But I nearly gasped when I saw this tree.
I know. I am easily surprised and delighted.

There is still a lot of brown from the winter.
The snow just barely melted.
Yesterday was the most beautiful day yet.
I even did some work in the garden.
I just couldn't resist.

Seagulls and Utah like peas and carrots.

We were driving down the road and we saw a million seagulls flying around a field.
The picture doesn't even begin to show how many bird there were.
I've never seen so many seagulls.
Really.
I wonder if there were a million crickets?

Last Bryce Canyon pictures....promise.

My favorite picture from the whole trip.

How cool is this!

How silly is he!

This area is way below Bryce Canyon which didn't have any snow. So, naturally we hiked and had an adventure.

On Friday we drove to St. George.
We went through Zion's National Park.
The back way.
There is a 1.1 mile long tunnel.
In the rock with a few open areas to see the sky and rock.
It is spectacular.

We spent some time with Jeff's parents, brother and his family.
We had dinner with my cute oldest sister and her family.

It was perfect weather in St. George.
Just in time to come back to a little bit of snow.