the birthday boy....

Kurt's 43rd and we have been celebrating all weekend!

It's nice to have him home this year for his big day,

most years he is out and away...

we have been eating all weekend...

but,

we've been all together!!!

Happy Birthday Kurt,

we love you!

oh, for the love of books...

They are home, (Kurt and Lynzie) and it is nice, just as it should be, when your together with your family!

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I had a childhood book when i was little....

well,

I don't remember the book as much as i remember the little record that told the story....

i would listen to it over and over and over again,

up in the bedroom @ 998 South State St.

i had the whole thing memorized,

sometimes I would be Frances, and the the next time I would be Thelma.

I always liked Frances because she sang her little songs, and she wasn't bossy like Thelma was,

i don't remember what happen to that little record...

maybe, it got lost or broken when we moved.

Do any of my brothers and sisters remember this book on record?

but,

it was tucked away in my childhood memories, and forgotten,

until one day a few months ago,

i came acrossed it at the library,

all of a sudden I remembered

"A Bargain For Frances"

all those childhood memories came back, just like it was yesterday.

i checked it out and brought it home to read and tell my kids about this little treasure of a book.

as i read it to them I could still hear the voices on the record playing in my head,

and i could still imitate Frances tying to be sneaky and Thelma being bossy, it was heavenly.

It's funny how some things never leaves you!

So, we decided we needed to try to find this book and the tape on e-bay or amazon,

cuz it's a good little story but, you've got to listen to the tape to really get the true effect!

so, we searched and found it (and I should have bought it then) but, life got busy again and we moved...

then when Lynzie came home last night at 2 am, she said

"mom, I have a surprise for you!"

and she pulled out "A Bargain For Frances"

and two other books in the series that we didn't even know existed,

so,

we sat down right on the spot, and read then, it was so late but we just couldn't help ourselves,

Lynzie was just as excited as i was..

Borders Bookstores are going out of business and that's were she picked them up while in Utah...

I love her for thinking of me.

and so, these are some other good books,

by Russell Hoban, pictures by Lillian Hoban.

Bedtime for Frances.

A Baby Sister for Frances.

Bread and Jam for Frances.

A Birthday for Frances.

Best Friends for Frances.

A Bargain for Frances.

We stopped by Half-Prized Books today but no such luck.....

i'm just going to get back on Amazon and buy the books and tapes, so i can still enjoy then...

so my kids can enjoy then...

and then for sure, my grand babies will love these books just like we do!!!!

One day I was reading one of my favorite blogs and she loved "a Bargain for Frances" too,

and was reading it to her little Piper Jane,

and I felt myself getting a little bit jealous because I thought no one else knew about this book.....

it was just a book in my plain ole' childhood,

and,

how could anyone know and love this book more than me?

but,

they are good enough books to share, so if you get a chance....

oh, and now that i have my own, i'm not so jealous anymore,

go ahead, you can read them!!!

just 2 more hours to go.....

kurt and lynzie are on there way home!!!

and we couldn't be more happier, they have been gone way too long....

i've been on deaths door and everything in the house is falling apart.....

they'll get in around 2 am, so i'm just trying to hang out until then, it's like hurry up and wait or like christmas.....Oh, it will be so nice to have them back again!

this was the sweetest picture i took of them right before they left to go to Utah, they we studying the scriptures, Lynzie wanted to know more signs of the second coming, so we were studying in 3 Nephi when Christ visits the Nephites and all the signs that happened before He came, and what He did while He was with them, it can give us an idea of what might happen again. sweet little Lynzie wants to be prepared in every way, do you know how guilty you feel when your ten year old daughter is pushing you to get your 72 hour-kits- up-to-date-again......

we've missed them so, but i'm glad they've had nice weather to enjoy, cuz while they've been gone we've been hiding out at home cuz it's too hot to go outside!!!!

it will be nice to celebrate Kurt birthday this weekend together.

and we'll get to plan a get together with everyone when Diane comes, we love having family, i just wished we could have had more family visit while we lived here...

"I'm going to do everything I can to get to the highest kingdom"

she says.

it seems time goes by so fast....

moving is getting real....i signed our 30 day lease last Saturday...

Caitlyn's fingers are doing better, she is learning to bend them again, she can bend them as much as she wants, she just can't let them go straight because then they will 'pop' and break the tendons...

life is stressful right now....

and it will probably be so until we our all moved and settled....

i've been sick all weekend...

Spencer went to the Dallas Temple for the first time, i loved how he noticed the oxen,

i loved how he came walking into the front door and said; "I baptized Thor!"

then the next day he said " I love how every one wears white shirts, white ties, white shoes and white teeth"!!!

that made me laugh!

Whilst in Utah a few weeks back,

Camille, Polly and I got the chance to meet up again,

I haven't seen Camille forever,

but, it was fun how we could pick up where we left off,

I loved being able to laugh again,

and laugh so hard!!!

it's amazing that we were even friends in High School because we were all so different,

we still are.

but, I guess, that's what makes it work,

we can see the good in each other and balance out the bad.

Polly does our hair which is thyBESTgift you can give a girl....

and

she only charges us an arm,

(instead of an arm and a leg!)

we did our hair in the evening so we had the whole salon to ourselves,

Kurt stopped by and brought us soda and chocolates...

then after we went to dinner,

Kurt decided to come with us,

(because he's a trooper.)

and I think he saw a side of me that he's never seen,

or at least heard a few stories....

a few times during dinner i looked over at him and he was laughing just as hard as i was.

it was nice to re-connect!

thanks guys, i love ya,

hey, lets do it again in about 6 weeks....when we have re-growth!

getting my craft back on...

Kurt and Lynzie are on there way to Utah....

Caitlyn is just plugging away with her fingers and therapy and learning how to bend them little babies again...

Spencer got back from Scout Camp yesterday,

and I've heard nothing but stories about snake, frogs, latrines, bugs that were so scary looking, and all the other gross things 12 year old boys see and do at camp,

the first day back he talked himself to sleep with so many stories of trying to recapture his week at camp!

surprisingly enough, we all missed him while he was gone,

but, it only took me about 6 minutes of him being home to get agitated with him while I was trying to convince him that he needed to take a shower!

(what is it with boys and showers?)

it's been a busy week, and a weird one too because in my minds eye, we should be packing up our stuff and making our move across the country,

but, we will stay for a few more weeks for Caitlyn's therapy,

that is the most important thing right now.

I notice I start to get styfled if I'm not being creative, or at least trying to do something for the better good, I haven't really done anything since we've moved here because,

well,

#1- everything is packed away in the garage,

#2- this is only a temporary situation.

but, the last couple days I've really been feeling it, and it's been festering for a while now,

so, I keep putting it off with big dreams of what I could do when we moved to Utah and could get my groove on again!

but,

i've been weepy and feeling sorry for myself for the last couple days and today I'd had it...

so,

I found this cute pillow case (on the left) at a second hand store, and i thought of making a pillow case dress for Lynzie, I've never made her one, but that's exactly what popped into my mind,

and I thought for $1 dollar, I really could not go wrong, right?

so, I started looking through all the pillow cases to try to find a matching piece for shoulder straps or extra material if i needed it, I was just about to resort to going to JoAnne's fabrics to find a matching piece when lo and behold, I found the one on the right and it matched perfectly, it must of been the matching set!

you can't see the cute design of the cases, but, I think when it's all said and done I can get a cute picture of Lynzie wearing it!

so, I came home and threw those puppies in a hot water cycle,

usually pillow cases and linens gross me out and I don't even buy them,

but these didn't....

so, while I had my sewing machine out,

I decided to do a project that has been on my "to do list" forever,

a cute shirt that I like but didn't like the 3/4 length sleeves,

so I cut them, hemmed them, and uses the left over sleeve material to make a flower!

I also sewed another little project...

see what happens when you deprive yourself for so long,

you end up going a little nuts!

I tweeked the flower again after I took the picture, it looks even better now!

does any one need anything sewed while i'm on a roll?

p.s. I can only sew straight lines!