One More Thing

(Yes, the blogging is taking a back seat... I actually wrote this post yesterday BEFORE logging off.)

I thought I would quickly post a few pictures from the Bridal Shower these awesome ladies threw for Britta over the weekend.  I love these gals.

 (Austin attended via Skype for a while... as part of a fun question/answer newlywed-type game.  Can you spot him?)

This was really the only time Britt would be in CO before her wedding except for Christmas/Tay's wedding in late December.  I appreciate my wonderful friends for going to so much work and effort on a holiday weekend.  You ladies are the best, and I am truly grateful for your friendship.

Thanksgiving and Backseat Blogging

The blog is taking the back seat.  I know I've said that before, but this time I'm serious.

But before I make it climb over the seat and shut up be quiet for a while, I thought I would briefly share about our Thanksgiving weekend.  Why not, since I'm already logged on (which is why I am drastically reducing my regular Blogger visits from here on out... at least until I'm through the impending BIG EVENTS going on around here).

Bill's Mom and Dad made the long drive from SLC to visit for the holiday.  They also packed their car to the brim with wedding items I had purchased for Tay's big event while I was in UT a few weeks back.  AND they brought Britt along, too, who needed to be in town by 1 pm for a doctor's appointment, requiring an oh-so-early start time (3am!!).
They are the best.

On Thanksgiving morning, I arose early to get that big, defrosted bird in the oven.  We were planning on eating around 1 or 2 in the afternoon.  I checked the turkey temp a little before 11am... that baby was done.  Pull-it-out-of-the-oven-immediately done.  Maybe even slightly over done.  That put a firecracker under my (and everyone else's) behind to get the rest of the dinner together as quickly as possible.

 The turkey may have been a little dry, the gravy a little under seasoned, the jello a little runny, the cheese a little spicy, and the apple pie a little mushy (my MIL's sweet potatoes were the best dish of the day), but the family togetherness, joke-telling, and conversation were, as always, awesome.  And we all walked away full.  To the brim.

Later that evening, the Yoshikawas came over for a dessert buffet.  Yum-o.

Tay, Shi and Mar headed out late that night to check out some deals at Walmart, Target, and Game Stop.  Bill, his parents, and I stayed home.  Away from the crowds.  Away from the frenzy of consumerism.  Away from people yelling at you for using a perfectly good unlocked door, just because they didn't notice it first (remember last year).  Instead, we played a few rousing games of Pinochle.

We headed out to a few stores later in the day on Friday, and found the shopping to be most pleasant.  The stores (and roads) were nearly deserted.  Those hoards of people that pulled an all-nighter were home sleeping, I'm sure.

We ate leftovers for two solid days, until everyone begged to stop.

I'm such a good hostess.

Feasting for the Last Time

Last Wednesday Bill and I met Mar at school for the annual FVE Thanksgiving Feast.

(You can see the past couple years here and here.)

When I mentioned I was going, and it would be the very last one ever, Bill postponed his temple session an hour or so to join us.  He certainly did not want to miss out on the delicious pressed turkey, reconstituted potatoes (we like them around our house, remember?), chewy stick-in-your-teeth corn-on-the-cob, communal salad with pumped-on dressing, and spice cake.

Mar, of course, was delighted that he came.

I clearly remember the day Bill and I attended one of Taylor's middle school parent nights (it was here in CO, so it couldn't have been the first, which would have been in UT -- where perhaps the phenomena would not have been so distinct).  As we shuffled into the gym with a myriad of other parents, I felt so young.  I think we may have even commented to each other about how young-ish we were (some of those other parents looked so gosh darn old)... and how someday, when we were going to Mar's middle school parent's night, we would be on the other end.
The old-ish parents.

That's less than a year away.

I already feel old-ish, so bring it on.

Patch-make-it-work

I have spent the past two days diligently sewing away on Taylor and Lynnea's wedding gift... a quilt.  I enjoy piecing quilts together and feel so darn creative, knowing that no other quilt in the world will look quite like mine.  I purchased the fabric last week, then washed and ironed it in preparation for the fun to begin.  Yesterday I spent the entire day cutting and piecing the blocks, and today was spent sewing all those blocks together.

Except...

I'm not sure I like the end result.  I loved the fabric I chose, but now that those fabrics are side-by-side, all together in one solid piece... I'm not so sure they "go."  I have a {sinking} feeling in my stomach that it looks a little too "Hollie Hobbie" (to steal a phrase used on the Project Runway marathon I watched listened to today as my sewing machine hummed all day long).

The pieced quilt top actually reminds me of a dress:

These dresses that my sister and I are wearing here.  I think my mom had one to match, too.

Those were the days of the patchwork revolution.  It was stylish.  With it.  In.

(Here we are obviously ready for church... my sister is in that same lovely dress we wore on Halloween.)

Patchwork was everywhere.

On tablecloths...

Pre-printed on polyester and cotton...

(My grandma wore this top all the time)

And in quilts (of course)...

 After two days of tireless cutting, pinning, laying out, and sewing...

I pretty much ended up with that dress.  In quilt form.

Hmmmm....

I  may have to start over.

Shhh... don't tell my family, who already think I'm nuts for sewing like a madwoman the past two days.

My biggest worry is {time}.  I don't think I can find another two days +
(for measuring, edging, backing, and binding).

An Anniversary

Twenty four years ago today, Bill and I got engaged.  With all the engagements and wedding plans going on around here, I can't help but reminisce.

This is the only picture taken the night Bill asked me to marry him.  It was at my sister's house, and thankfully she had the presence of mind to pause amid all the excitement and snap one.

This is where it all happened.

(On our 12th wedding anniversary we brought the kids along and snapped a few pictures.  March 2000)

I knew it was coming.  Bill had called and said he hadn't gone to work that day, and I immediately suspected that he had spent the day shopping for a ring.  He asked if I wanted to go out that evening.  Of course I did.  After a stop here and there (I think we went to the mall so I could buy my dad a birthday gift), we ended up here.  At the Old Farm.  A little community of town homes off of 700 East.  We were going to feed the ducks, he said.

We got out of the car and went around to the trunk.  He had two brown grocery bags full of popcorn, with the tops neatly folded over.  He handed me my bag (I noticed that he was careful to give me the "right" one).  We walked over to this little dock, and started feeding the ducks.  It was getting dark as we chatted and tossed our popcorn.

I felt the box at the bottom right away, but I played along, wanting to drag it out as long as possible.  Then I had a thought.  Wouldn't it be funny IF... I put my hand into the bag, held on to the box the ring was in, and then just dumped the popcorn crumbs into the cold, dark pond??  Bill would totally panic thinking I had just dumped that ring in right along with the crumbs... he may even try to go in after it... it would be funny, wouldn't it?

I decided I had better not, and instead played surprised as I finally pulled the box out of the bag and said, "What's this?"

Of course, I said yes.

Then we drove by my sister's house (she lived the closest, and remember... this was WAY before cell phones -- we are so darn old) to share the news.  Afterwards, we stopped by Bill's parents, and then made the long drive back to Bountiful to get my parents out of bed to give them the good news.  

They were as thrilled as two-parents-being-pulled-out-of-bed-late-at-night-to-find-out-their-daughter-is-marrying-a-guy-she's-only-known-for-2-months-and-it's-only-been-8-short-months-since-their-last-wedding could be.

Happy engagement anniversary, Bill!  

If I had to do it all again...

I would have pulled that nasty trick ;-)

I Had a Dream

Last night I had the worst dream.  Actually, it was this morning, after my initial alarm went off.  Billy-my-hero said he would get up to see the girls off to Seminary, so I could get a few more minutes of shut-eye.  I'm not usually one who can go back to sleep after being awakened, so today was one of those rare exceptions.
Maybe I was meant to have the dream.

Since the dream was about Britt, and in the end pretty silly, I thought I would share some of the silly pictures I found of her in my vast digital files :-)

It was Britta's wedding day.  We had arrived at the wedding place late.  (I say wedding place only because it was NOT the Temple.  Instead, it was a super cheesy reception-type-center in a strip mall.  I was confused, but went along with it, since the guests were already there.)  Bill and I sat in the back of the large, crowded, gym-like space, as some officiant began to talk.  The sound system was horrendous, and the speaker in the ceiling above our heads had a constant, annoying, high-pitched buzzing.  I leaned over to Bill and told him we would need to get some of our money back from that obviously low-budget establishment.

After a few minutes, we were told that we would be moving to another location for the marriage (in our church it is also referred to as a sealing -- you can read more about it here.  They are only performed in dedicated temples, so the fact that, in my dream, the sealing was open to all the guests, and not at a temple, confused me even more).  This caused the need for us to exit one area of the strip mall, walk around a large red truck parked at the front entrance of the business next door, and enter a door on the other side that led to a super large mega-church-like congregational-style-seating room.  As we were walking to the second location, I noticed that it was getting dark.  "What time is it?" I asked... someone.  "Six o'clock," was the reply.

What?  Six??  The reception is supposed to start in 30 minutes.  Panic started to settle in.

Once again Bill and I were seated at the very back of the room.  Britta was a glowing white dot on the stage.  Austin, however, was nowhere to be seen.  The wedding guests waited and chatted amongst themselves.
Then it hit me.  

I hadn't purchased any refreshments for the reception.

I ran over to where my mother-in-law was sitting (at the back on the other side of the room).  What should I do?  Should I run to Costco or Sam's?  Which store would be better?  Where are they located?  Which one is closer?  I should have pre-ordered some veggie and fruit trays... How on earth am I going to get the food to the reception in time?  Should I leave the wedding?  I'm going to HAVE to.  

Thoughts of still-frozen cream puffs, eclairs, and mini quiches (certainly not a favorite, but I was desperate) ran through my head.

Britt was still the tiny, shining white figure on the distant stage, patiently waiting for Austin to arrive...

I woke up with a ginormous pit in my stomach.
Relief.  It was just a dream.
And, like George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, I felt like doing a celebratory dance that it was.
I still have time.

Here is my self interpretation of the dream:  {Obviously} I am anxious.  I am worried about being unprepared, or forgetting some important detail (like refreshments!).  I am worried about unintentionally leaving someone off the list, or stepping on toes, or being too controlling (so instead, in the dream I just went along with whatever the plan was, even if made absolutely no sense).  I know things may happen that are completely out of my hands (where was Austin??), and I am worried about how they will affect the overall carefully-planned event, and my reaction to them (I would never the leave the wedding to go to the store, I'm sure of it).  I don't want to be the cause of stress or anxiety to those around me, especially to my own darling daughter.

Good thing that reality is much better than dreams.  Especially that one!

And, with the fear of a fiasco in mind, I will put all my effort into making it the best day ever for my children.  Then I will step back and let it happen... putting out fires, if needed... running to Costco, if needed... adjusting to whatever the situation calls for, with a smile on my face.

And, as someone wise once said (which someone wise posted on Pinterest, and thousands in agreement repinned):
"If at the end of the day you are married to the one you love, then everything went perfectly.

A Tasting + I'm a Mormon YWIE

Yesterday I made two recipes that were possibilities for Tay's wedding luncheon.  One was the cheesecake-in-a-jar recipe that I found on Pinterest (a plethora of ideas at your fingertips), and one was a saucy chicken recipe served with boiled red potatoes.  

For Sunday dinner, we had a family tasting.

The consensus:

thumbs up for the cheesecake

thumbs up for the potatoes

thumbs down for the chicken, not because it wasn't delicious (it was!), but because it was {saucy} and {messy} and looked a little like slop on the plate.

After dinner we attended Young Women in Excellence with Shi.  Lex was unable to make it due to a "mandatory" work meeting at B&BW, which she most likely didn't mind, since she would have had to conduct YWIE had she been there.  I think she would rather have teeth pulled.  We were sad that she wasn't able to attend her VERY LAST YWIE, though.

The YW leaders had put together a video of each of the girls doing an "I'm a Mormon" spot, which they shared with the parents.  Such a cute idea.
The girls brought a display of one of their value projects for the year... here was Shi's:

She had actually taken MORE for the display, but edited it down to these two simple things.  

I'm good with simple these days.

Afterwards I snapped a few pics, just to remember the evening.

My goals today are: 
get the fabric ironed and cut for both Tay and Britt's quilts
make a run to the bank
make a flip chart for a Christmas song for Primary (so much to sing, so little time)
possibly make a few returns to various stores, if time allows.

Once kids are home from school, goal time is O-V-E-R, since by then I am either in high demand, or ready for a nap.

Gotta run.

Past Blasting

As I was diligently laminating and binding stuff for Primary Singing Time tomorrow, Taylor sat at the computer nearby and said, "Hey, Mom, you haven't been posting much lately."  (I totally appreciate that he checks on a regular basis.)

I know.  I've been busy.  I laundered all day Thursday, and worked at the school all day Friday (I finally agreed after being asked for the third time -- I really wanted to use the day to work on quilts).

Besides, there really hasn't been that much to write about, unless you're interested in how my elevated stress levels are impacting my usually pleasant personality ;-)

I did, however, recently come across some pictures I thought I would share... I just couldn't figure out how to get them to scan.  Billy-my-hero stepped in and helped me out.  One of these days I'll have him give me a demo, but I was just too darn busy today.

(Those headpieces were a-ma-zing, don't you think?)

(Lace.  Shine.  Poof-y sleeves.  Who could ask for anything more?) 

(The satin dream.  Plus more poof-y sleeves.)

My sister got married a year before I did, so of course, I tagged along as she shopped for a dress.  I guess I tried some on just for the heck of it, which was a good thing, since I didn't shop for a dress ONCE when my own wedding rolled around the following year.  I chose, instead, to wear the same lovely dress my sister wore.

The funny thing is, this style of dress is making a comeback... sort of.  For years the lace-covered beaded bodice, chiffon-y skirted, long-sleeved dress was so old fashioned.  As I was shopping with Britta, I saw {lots} of dresses with many of those same elements.  Perhaps there weren't a lot of long sleeves, but I predict they will be the next big thing.
The white tux with tails?  Not so much.

Tomorrow for Sunday dinner, I will be testing a recipe or two for Taylor's wedding luncheon.  I hope they turn out awesome, because I would love to get the menu nailed down, so I can focus on other details.
Like decorations, table settings, and line flowers.  And quilts.

Whirlwind Pictures

Since I had very limited access to a computer this past week, and now that I have safely arrived home, I thought I would share a few pictures of the whirlwind I mentioned in my last post.

Here are a few of the dresses that Britta really liked, but eventually ruled out before saying YES to the dress.

 (Britt didn't like the half-sleeve on this dress, and would have had them capped had she selected this dress... I {loved} the longer sleeve.  I pretty much tried to keep my mouth shut throughout the process, though, other than sharing honest opinions and encouraging words.)

Britta didn't have any particular style she was looking for, which made decision making a little more complicated -- she wasn't comparing apples to apples, she had to choose between apples and oranges.  Sort of.  In a wedding dress kind of way.

Taylor and Grandma Goldsberry came along on the second day of wedding dress shopping.  It was awesome to have their support, and even Britt mentioned that she was really glad Tay was there, since she valued his opinion from a guy's viewpoint.

You will just have to wait, along with Austin, to see the dress she said YES to.

Game night at Grandma and Grandpa Goldsberrry's.

 Taylor and Lynnea were demonstrating poses from earlier in the day, when the photographer would tell them to do somewhat unnatural things, like put their foreheads together, then "act natural... do what you would normally do..."  They were in the Salt Lake Library.  We all had a chuckle over that one.  

Or maybe just I did.

 I heard this was the {eternal} 6-person Aggravation game.  I wouldn't know, since I hit the hay around midnight (I can't remember if that was pre- or post- daylight savings time).

The next morning, Lynnea was heading back to Idaho, so we snapped a picture of the happy couples.  

K-I-S-S-I-N-G.  

Everyone had pretty much just gotten out of bed.

 (The serious parting-is-such-sweet-sorrow pose.)

 We snapped a few pictures at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building after church on Sunday.
Josh and Kayla plan to have their wedding dinner in this very room.

I didn't get any pictures of the half-dozen Dollar Trees we visited with Grandma Syddall, or the Astro Burger stop we made to fill our empty tummies (which, btw, was delicious).  Rats.  I'm sure that would have been an interesting photo diary.

Britt and I did snap a quick picture the morning I left... 

...just so I could remember that I was there, too :-)