Paint: Part ONE

Nothing strikes a shiver of cold fear through my husband's heart more than the words,

"Let's paint!!" 

But I coaxed him into helping me and did my best to convince him what a great idea it was!!

 BEFORE

Boring.

Drab.

White.

Dingy.

AFTER!!!

Fresh.

Rich.

Lush.

I am so happy!!

Look forward to Paint: Parts 2, 3, & 4!!

Little Residents

I have been noticing an excessive amount of bird feces coming form my awning the last few weeks.

I made a mental note to have Brent pressure wash it away over his weekend.

While I was unloading some paint (more on that later!!) from the back of my Tahoe, I jumped to catch the top of the hatch to pull it down, and saw these!! 

3 baby birds!!

I saw a pair of birds a few months ago, carrying grass and twigs, but didn't think about it again!!

I just happened to glance up and saw them for the first time!!

It warmed my heart to see new little creatures.

Ella loved them more!!

Even if they made a horrible mess!!

Memorial Day

I am a very traditional person, so Memorial Day always finds me at the cemetery, silk flowers in hand.

When I was younger my Granny was dedicated about making her way to both cemeteries to see all the family members who had gone on before her.

When I was old enough to drive, I had the occasional year to accompany her. She took her time, wandering from stone to stone.

She would brush off a little bit of dirt.

She would hand me the silk flowers so I could bend down to stick them into the ground when she got a little less spry.

I love history and she would tell me about each person who had gone on, how I was related to them and always a little anecdote about them. 

The last few memorial days I spent with her, we never made an arrangement.

I would just show up at her house at a random time of the day.

She would gather her silk flowers, fluff her hair, and put on her favorite pink lipstick.

Off we'd go, into the heated day and walk amongst our dead.

The very last year we went together, I didn't want to go.

I convinced myself that, surely, some other family member had already picked her up and taken her.

It had happened before.

But guilt gnawed at me, and finally at about 7:30 in the evening I drove to her house.

She answered the door with a look on her face that was a little sad.

I smiled at her. "Has anyone came to take you to see Grandpa yet?"

"Well, no." she replied.

"Well come on then!! We're losing sun!!"

A little light came into her eyes and she scampered as much as an 84 year old woman could to the bathroom.

"Let me hurry and put on lipstick. Your Grandpa would just die if he saw me with out it!!"

She fluffed her hair.

I saw a grocery sack sitting on her table filled with dozens of fake flowers in various colors.

My heart twinge a little.

How could I have almost missed this? It was so simple and I had been so grouchy about it.

I scooped it up and peered into it. There were some faux lilacs. There always was. That was Grandpa's favorite color.

She was ready and we headed out to the car.

I couldn't look at her when I apologized. "I'm sorry I'm so late Granny."

She shooed it away with a wave of her hand. "You're here now!!"

We walked around the hot, rocky ground at the Overton cemetery. 

All of her family is there. Her parents, siblings, cousins.

We talked about them and she told me how defiant she was as a young girl to her parents.

She slyly grinned at me and glanced at me from the corner of her eye.

"Guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree."

I glared at her mockingly, but I can't deny it.

We headed over to Logandale.

It was so still.

No one else was there.

She went straight to my Aunt Pat and handed me the bundle of pink flowers she had.

I knelt down and shoved them in as deep as I could so they would blow away.

I brushed a little dirt off her name and rose to my feet.

We wandered past a few relatives, the rebels buried in Logandale!!

We got to my Grandpa.

I was handed the lilacs.

When I stood and turned, I saw a tear slide out from under her big glasses.

I saw a pair of brown eyes that matched my own filled with shimmering tears.

She put her arm around me and squeezed me hard.

"I didn't think anyone was going to come. Thank you for coming to get me. You're a good little girl lady bug."

I laughed a little to hide my own tears.

"I'm hardly little anymore Granny."

I wrapped my arms around her and rested my head against her shoulder.

I felt the familiar feeling of her stroking my hair with her hand.

She always stroked my hair because she thought it was so soft.

"Oh you'll always be my little girl."

Granny died 6 months later.

I will never forget that day. 

We stood looking at my Grandpa's head stone for a few more minutes.

Then we wiped our tears, teased each other for crying, and went back to the car. 

I will never forget how I felt and what was said.

That day I realized how old my Granny was.

That her time in mortality was not going to be much longer.

I am so glad I went to her house that evening.

I am so glad we got to spend that time together.

That special day that belonged to only us.

I miss you Granny.

I love you so much.

Saturdays

This is the 3rd year Brent has worked a weekend shift.

We are getting pretty efficient in the Bowler house hold at finding things to pass the time on Saturdays!!

Every one else has their own families and fathers home on Saturday so there are few opportunities to have friend days!! And that's ok!! We just have to get creative!!

We always go for a walk and I am in charge of the weekly program in our ward, so we go to the church and play in the nursery while I make copies and fold. 

I usually do my "warehouse" shopping on Saturday. Think Walmart and Costco.

We always watch a movie and have some popcorn. 

 I try to come up with some kind if craft to do.

Several times it has just been a new dollar color book from the dollar store and a new dollar pack of crayons!! And we sit down and color for an hour or so!!

Today we utilized my scrap bag today!! Yarn and googly eyes are a staple around here!!

We made prayer rocks!! 

Scarlet, Me, Ella

 When I was little we had a primary activity day and the leaders helped us make our prayer rocks.

So I may be ripping this idea off from Sister Leavitt!! 

The idea is that it sits on your pillow, and when you lay down to go to sleep at night, you'll bump your head on the rock and be reminded to say your prayers. You take it with you to kneel down on the floor, and then leave it. 

When you awake in the morning, you'll either step on it, or trip on it and it will remind you to say your morning prayers!!

Then it's placed back on your pillow to spend the day!!

I always thought it was a cute idea. 

 Obviously Scarlet had help constructing hers.

However, how she wanted it was very specific!!

She was very sure she wanted braids!!

 Then we made hand puppets.

Ella's is yellow and Scarlet's is pink.

Scarlet got to do all the gluing and it was almost more than she could handle!!

She also made sure I knew she wanted her kitty to have a "puffy tail!!"

Which in our house hold translates to when a cat gets scared and it's tail goes straight up and gets all fluffy.

This is a product of a few Saturdays ago.

Our corn is growing!!

New Plants!!

Brent and I have been married for nine years.

And for nine years I have cried and complained about not having a yard or grass.

I know the old adage is don't judge a book by its cover, but let's face it, if the out side of your house looks ugly, people are going to think the same about the inside!!

We painted in January and that placated me enough for a few months. 

But this empty dirt bed has been like an ugly scab on the exterior of the house.

The back yard is trying with all its might to grow a little bit of grass and it refreshes my soul!!

So today I borrow my dad's truck and went to Home Hardware with intent of buying every desert hardy plant they had!!

This particular side of the house is HOT. It's the south side and the house is angled weird so it takes the brunt of the heat even worse than the west side.

I indeed cleared out a good portion of the desert flora!!

I bought this bush. A red tipped phontinia.

It was pretty good sized and its leaves will turn red in the fall.

I can not express to you the joy this bush gives me.

These are lantana.

They're supposed to spread and be able to stand even the worse conditions and heat.

I hope they're serious about that.

These are Texas sage.

They should get pretty big and bushy and have little purple flowers.

These are an experiment.

It the ridiculous winds last week, my mom's giant cotton wood tree split off a huge section of trunk and branches.

I harvested them!!

We did this in the back yard earlier in the spring with 2 we had cut off some stray trees down town.

Yes, we had permission.

 They're small but growing so we'll have to see if these 3 can survive.

Ella and I planted corn in seed cups.

Nothing is safe from the quail so I keep them on the porch and bring them in at night.

We're getting a few little sprouts of corn all ready!!

My front flower bed is surviving and has some new additions!!

If I ever buy a house again (and at this rate, that's in 10 years) I won't even look at anything with out a yard!!

I will NOT start over again!!

Mother's Day

Today we celebrate mothers.

Becoming a mother has been the most wonderful, rewarding, difficult things I have done.

I love my daughters so much it brings tears to my eyes every time I think of the depth of it.

I hope they will always know that I will always love, cherish, support and protect them.

 I love my mother.

I am grateful for her strengths.

I hope she is proud of me.

 I am grateful for Brent's mother.

I know that both Brent and my dad have their eyes closed, but the moms look great!!

They get to have the good picture today!!

 Here are some other mothers I love.

They are not mine, but I love them too.

They are my friends and I respect them.

They each have a different quality that I want to find more of in my self.

I miss them.

I miss my Granny so much. 

I think of her every day. 

6 1/2 years have passed and I don't think I'm over it yet.

 My beautiful sister.

Her children are my daughters' best friends.

She is such a good example to me.

I love her.

 My little chickens love their Grandma.

I hope one day she can be their refuge from the storm,

like my Granny was for me,

when they need unconditional sympathy and one of the snickers hidden in the freezer behind the ice tray.

9 Years

9 years

2 little girls

6 houses

6 jobs

4 cars
3 cats

A lot of tears

A lot of smiles

A lot of hard work

A lot of love

Happy Anniversary

May Day

I have said it before, and I will say it again-

This year has gone by SO fast!!

It was May Day already and school will be out before we know it!!

 This is how Scarlet felt about May Day when we first arrived.

But when the music started she was so excited and happy!!

She was a very good girl and sat next to me and Daddy and loved watching all the dances.

Even the Hokey Pokey that seemed to last FOREVER!!

 Kindergartners always do the parachutes.

Brent and I did them when we were there!!

The rest of the pictures were just a few a snapped from far away.

We were at the wrong end, but we still got to see her!!

She was smiley and cute!!

I was flooded with nostalgia and it pulled at my heart to know she's growing up so fast!!