Some Childhood Obsessions Never Die

So, as you may or may not know, I grew up with a slight obsession with Nancy Drew. My grandmother had given me all of her Nancy Drew books when I was young, and I devoured them all, over and over again. When friends would come to play, I would usually talk them into playing "Nancy Drew" with me, which basically consisted of us running around the apartment complex pretending to solve mysteries. Oh, what I would have given to run into a *real* mystery! Of course, I was always Nancy Drew, and my friends were Bess and/or George. I don't think I ever gave anyone else a turn at being the teenage sleuth herself.

Fast forward to adulthood. I still love Nancy Drew, but for years my beloved books were locked away in a "pie safe" cabinet. They looked nice in there, but they weren't exactly being displayed as befitting a much-loved collection. Enter my husband, who loves me enough to not only agree to display my books, but to design, make, and hang the needed shelving. He's pretty awesome.

I was looking for a "before" picture, but the only one I can find is way before, like right when we moved in. I guess I had no reason to take a picture of that corner of the living room since.

So here's the result:

It reminds me a little  of the Apple newsstand. I love how all the books fit, and that the covers serve as art for that corner of the room.

And, side shot! We were originally going to put the books in the shelf "trough," but due to a slight curve in the wall and varying book thicknesses, many of them would tip forward and fall out. Putting the books on top of the shelves solved that problem, and allowed us to see the whole cover. I love happy accidents like that. 

You can also see my new, modern, print of the Oakland temple. I adore it. I purchased it on Etsy from a  store called Kiki & Company. I still want to hang a few prints above and below the temple print, just to fill in the space. I'm in love with the prints from Pop Rocks Design ... church related prints with a 70's touch? Did he read my mind?!?

As you can see, I love how it all turned out. It's so fun to choose a book, sit in my little corner, and bring back childhood memories. I can't wait until my girls are ready to meet and fall in love with Nancy Drew, too.

Another Beautiful Day

On Saturday, June 2nd, Beatrice made the decision to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ by being baptized! She looked beautiful and felt excited and happy for her big day. She had been looking forward to it for a while.

Normally in our church, all the kids that turned 8 the month prior all get baptized on the same day, assuming they have made that decision. This time, Bea was the only one getting baptized, so it was a nice, intimate gathering and she was surrounded by her dearest family and friends. She was disappointed that none of her school friends or teachers came, but her favorite Primary teachers did, so that soothed her troubled heart a little. (Well, that and the cards and gifts her school teachers sent, too.)

The program was lovely, with talks by Grandma Betsy and myself (though I don't know how lovely I was), and a song sung by Natalie. Bea was baptized by Jay, of course, with grandparents, siblings, friends, and extended family looking on. It was a very sweet experience, and hopefully one she will remember forever.

Squinty Smiles! The sun was right in our faces, but we did our best

Congratulations, Beatrice! We are so proud of you for the sweet, wonderful girl you are, and your decision to be baptized. We love you! 

Who Knew I'd Love Avocado Green So Much?

Well, after a short lull, we were bit by the home improvement bug again. I guess the projects really are never-ending around here, but they vary in intensity and they come in spurts, and it feels like it's been a while since I've had one to share on the blog. Lately, we've been working on our living room, and I'm excited to show you some of the changes we've made there. But, that's not what I'm showing you today. (I know, I'm such a tease!)

Before I continue, there is something you need to know about Jay and I.... we are the world's worst gardeners. It's true. I can barely (never) keep plants alive. Thankfully, I'm much better with humans. Anyway, because of this sad reality, Jay and I long ago removed the majority of plants from our front yard. A few remained, however, and they were starting to take over our front yard, stealthily creeping onto our front walkway. It was embarrassing, and we finally said, "Enough!"

This is what the front of the house looked like when we bought it almost three years (!) ago:

These are the changes we made about 1 1/2 ago ... I think. We had removed a lot of plants and had cut back the ones nearer the door, but trust me, they came back in full force.

And this is the front now:

Basically, we removed the rest of the plants, added pavers and about 20 bags of pebbles, and added some colorful flowers. Oh, and we painted our door and added a bench! There's still a little more work to be done, especially in the flower department, but I am very happy with it.

Here's my adorable bench, built by Jay. I like to sit here and watch him play "pickle" with our kids and their neighborhood friends.

Bench close-up! No more overgrown plants! Just some rocks, pavers, and Pippin.

Our "color block" pots, the idea for which I stole from Pinterest. Or, rather, from a blog post someone pinned on Pinterest. It's very complicated. Anyway, I adore them. Nothing like a little paint to gussy up cheap planters!

And, the front door before & after:

We went a little more "mid century" with the flat panels and the single doorknob. I'm thinking about adding some retro house numbers vertically on the left door, but Jay is not sold on the idea, so we'll see. I feel like it still needs something. Maybe the flowers just need to grow a little more... I don't know. I love the color, though. ("Spritz of Lime", though it looks more avocado.) It gives everyone a warning about the color combinations they are about to encounter on the inside. :)

So, hopefully the entryway feels a little more welcoming now, and people are less afraid of being attacked by a bush or a rouge yellow garden hose. I know I feel better!

Can't wait to show you what else we've been up to!

Classic Movies that Scare My Children, Plus A Birthday!

Last week, Beatrice turned 8 years old.

She choose to have a "movie night" with a few of her friends. They watched Annie, ate cupcakes, popcorn, and full-size candy bars, and sang "hard knock life" at the top of their lungs. It was quite cute.

Now before you ask, no, it was not the original Annie with Carol Burnett, it was the 1999 made for TV version with Kathy Bates. I know, I know, I am a horrible mother. But in my defense, we actually own the original Annie and my girls don't like it. They are scared by the helicopter scene, and they may have been emotionally scarred by Carol Burnett, only time will tell. Jay, on the other hand, loves the original, and has been known to quote it from time to time.

"Punjab, get me a drink!"

My children also don't like the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as much as they like the Johnny Depp version. I realize that admitting these things is akin to confessing my failure as a parent, but it is what it is. Gene Wilder frightens them (which is sort of the point, I suppose). Natalie also hates the blueberry part, no matter what version we're watching.

They do like The Sound of Music, though, as long as we skip "Climb Every Mountain," so I guess I am doing some things right.

Ok, back to Beatrice. She had a lovely party, and then the next day - her actual birthday - the celebration continued. It was our last day of baseball (insert slightly guilt-ridden whoop of joy here), and then we had a very mellow family party in the evening. Bea's Primary teacher came to her last game and held up a birthday banner while simultaneously attacking her with purple silly string. It was fantastic (though I don't think the parent in the background approved of the whole situation).

The silly string is flying! 

Bea with her fantastic Primary teacher and her teacher's sweet husband

At home, we were supposed to have Bea's favorite meal of tacos, but I was frankly too tired and hot to cook, so we had leftovers instead. Thankfully, Bea does not hold that kind of thing against me. We did have a "baseball cake" and Giants-themed decorations, so all was not lost. Plus, Grandma was there, and she gave Bea a much-longed-for present: walkie talkies.

Note the towel on Grandma's shoulder. This is a Pierson / Fear habit that has made its way into my life. In fact, I'm sitting here at the computer with a dish towel on my shoulder as I type. It's like second nature. One day I'll have to make a picture book with only pictures of family members sporting the shoulder towel.

Because Bea turned 8 and will be getting baptized in a few short weeks, our present to her was her own set of scriptures, complete with a sparkly pink scripture bag. She was very pleased with them and is happy to have her own set. It has made her much more excited for family scripture study!

So there you have it. Life is moving pretty fast but I'm trying to enjoy it and be more "present" every day. It's a struggle for me, I admit it, but I'm making strides. I'm so proud of my sweet children. They are good kids... even if they are scared of Gene Wilder.

When The Cousins Were Here

Jay's sister, Rita, and five of her six children came and visited us during Spring Break. We had a lot of fun catching up with one another. And of course, we made sure to take them to some of Sacramento's hot spots. Like the pioneer school. :)

I love seeing them all lined up in a row. We're just missing Steven!

We also got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Capitol, and we're able to get on both the Senate and Assembly floors, thanks to Jay's "connections." :) We even peeked inside some of the Senators' desks. Some of those people are messy! Their desks rivaled mine in 3rd grade!

Most of the gang also took a trip to the top of the Capitol building cupola with Jay. Betsy, Dexter, Calvin, and I stayed behind. I've done it before and I thought the boys were too young, but when Dexter figured out what was going on, he was *not* pleased to be left behind. (We made it up to him about a week later, though. On his 5th birthday, Jay woke him up early and surprised him with a Daddy/Son outing to the Capitol, where Dex bravely made the ascent.)

You get really good reception up that high, right Rita?

The descent down can be even scarier than the climb, but everyone made it back safe and sound.

Thanks for visiting us (and putting up with us, too), you guys! You are wonderful!

Perks of Being a Mom

Several times a day, during good weather, grubby little hands reach out to me and say...

"Mom, I picked this for you."

And at the end of the day, as I look at the little pile of dried flowers and weeds (mostly weeds) that have accumulated on my counter, I am reminded how lucky I am to be a mom. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go break up a lightsaber fight gone wrong. 

Mission Time

It's been a long time since I was in 4th grade, but all the memories came flooding back when it was time for Natalie's mission project!

She chose Mission San Jose de Guadalupe, in memory of her former hometown (which she has kept on a pedestal since we moved). Turned out pretty cute, if you ask me!

Finally Five

This is how it feels to turn 5:

Dexter was a pill for about a week leading up to his birthday, but it was just because he was so darn excited. On his actual birthday and the few days since, he's been an absolute angel. He is taking a lot of pride in being 5, and is excited to finally start school in the Fall. He's been waiting a long time.

We had a small "Star Wars" party for him and 5 of his little friends from church, and he had a blast. It was pretty low-key, but I did manage to stress myself out making lightsabers out of grapes. Don't ask.

A few pictures from his big day...

Some of the gang, and the grape lightsabers

Dexter's friend Lily, whom he talks about non-stop

I thought he would be most excited about the Star Wars blanket I made him, but nope! The paintable cars were a huge hit. He had been asking for them everytime we went to Joann's (which is once a week, if not more!)

And, of course, a shot of the cake

Happy Birthday, D-Man! We love you!