Happy Birthday, Dad!

When Mom called me that Friday afternoon, I immediately knew something was wrong.  I could tell in  the tone of her voice.  I still clearly remember what she said, "Hi honey," I said Hi Mom, then "Dad has had a heart attack. . . "  What?  I couldn't believe my ears, my heart dropped.  This couldn't be happening to my dad, because up until this point I just simply took it for granted that you and Mom would be around forever (or at least until I didn't need you anymore, which you know won't happen because I will always need you).  You were only 61 years old and if you ask me, that is way too young to be having a heart attack.  Mom was crying but tried to reassure me that you were going to be okay.  She told me it was a minor heart attack (come to find out later your levels were the highest some of the nurses had ever seen in their whole careers so I don't think it was too minor).  I called Justin to tell him and when he got home he told me to get in the car and go.  I came down by myself because I had to be there for you, for Mom.  I had to see for myself that you were going to be okay.  The drive down was crazy and because I got stuck in road work traffic I didn't make it to the hospital in time to see you that night. 

The next morning I was up and ready to go early because I couldn't wait to see you.  It was a very somber feel in the cardiac ICU with the central nurses station and all the rooms around the perimeter.  I could see in the other rooms and there were some people who were on ventilators and in comas with all kinds of tubes hooked up to them. I was actually afraid to see you to see what kind of shape you were in, and then we got to your room and I was so relieved because you looked great.  I had to stay long enough to make sure that you really were going to be okay.  I used to call home and mostly talk to Mom, but now I need to hear your voice and make sure that you are still feeling good and doing what you are supposed to (I don't mean to nag, just want you around a lot longer).

You kept telling me that you were given a second chance and I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am that you are still here.  I try to make a conscious effort every day to be grateful for my family and realize how fragile life really is and that it can change in an instant. 

I thank God every day for helping you to get off that mountain.  I thank God every day that Mom had the sense to not even hesitate, but to get you in the truck and drive to Panguitch.  I know you had other angels watching over you too.




Source

Happy birthday, Dad!  I am so grateful that you got a second chance.  We have a lot more memories to make!

I love you with all my heart!    

Beautiful Bedroom Furniture Makeover. . . .

If you remember many months ago I did a post HERE about a trade I did with my amazing sister-in-law.  She is a very gifted cleaner (I say gifted because I don't know how she does it, but the dirt just seems to scram when she is around, no joking. she is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!)  She gave me her part of the trade waaaay back in April and we are just getting around to her bedroom furniture makeover now (I know that is so sad).  I did go through quite a few life changes recently though.  I changed jobs, went back to school and was feeling a little overwhelmed as of late, but I am coming back around.  I am ready to start creating again. . . in other words, I'm BACK!  (I know, it's about time).  After seeing the finished product, you will understand why I got excited all over again.

Here is the before with the infamous Jaggyr giving the thumbs up:

This beauty's name is Palmer and let

me tell you Palmer is truly a looker.  This

set used to be Shan's Granny's.  She got it

in the 50's.  She loves the furniture, just

not the cherrywood finish so much.

Shan wanted to make it her own and

the pictures speak volumes.

Just because something has sentimental

value doesn't mean you can't put your

own spin on it.  It hasn't lost any of the

value that it holds for you, it just needs an update.

The below picture shows the dresser after sanding, the

bottom drawer has already had the wax applied so

you can see how it really sets the color and makes it pop.

Isn't she gorgeous?

Dear Palmer, I-Love-You!

I usually love legs, but

Forget the legs, look at those Curves!

Here Palmer is in her own home, not her

room yet, but she is just chillin'

in the front room for a while.

Shan loved it!  She said she was going to

sleep on the couch so she could keep looking at it.

This cute little night stand has been painted to match.

Here is the headboard. 

And, here is the mirror that we are in the process of

finishing.  Shan should be able to put her

room all together in the next few days

and what a transformation it will be! 

I love you Shan and thanks for all you do

for me!

I hope you love it as much as I do!

This project was completed with Caromal Colours

textured basecoat using Parchment and Colonial Blue.

I did not do any sanding prior to painting.

That is the true beauty of this paint.  It bonds to almost

anything, nearly no prep work.

If you would like to get some of this amazing paint for yourself,

click on the Caromal Colours button at the top

right of the screen.  Be sure to use the coupon code

BrendaUtah (case sensitive) to save on shipping.

BARN SALE COMING SOON!!! 

I am going to be having a barn sale the first weekend of November here in Riverton.  Watch for more details to come soon.  You are not going to want to miss this one!

This project linked to Debbiedoos

Birthday and First Day of School

This handsome boy just turned 16.

Where did the time go?

Such a good kid.

I love you, Bub!

First day of 2nd grade.

Ask him how school was and every

single day he simply says, "Awesome!"

I love that he loves school so much!

Hopefully it lasts.

And here is my baby:  My last baby to

start school.  I really can't believe it.

She is so excited to have started

kindergarten.  She has been ready since

last year.  I do believe that she feels the

wait was so very worth it.

She is such a beauty and such a sweet girl!

My two little munchkins!

No more babies.  We have moved

on to the next stage of our lives

and it is so nice to see our kids grow up to

be amazing people!

It's What Fun Is!

www.lagoonpark.com

The kids and I (minus Kesh 'cause she had to work) just spent a fun-filled day at our local amusement park, Lagoon, yesterday.  I took the two youngest with me while the two older boys went off to ride the "big kid rides."  I texted my husband while there that the look on the two little one's faces was priceless!  Huge, ear-to-ear grins!  Running from ride to ride!  Going back to the same rides over and over!  Jaggyr was so excited that he got to ride on his very first roller coaster ever!  The yells of excitement when we were on a ride scared me because I thought he was afraid. . . nope!  Just uber excited!  It was a long day and we had an absolute blast! 

Jaggyr has already started school and Ella starts this week so summer is coming to a close.  My older three don't start until the end of August, though.  We have had so much fun, but I am ready to get back to painting and DIY.  School always brings some sense of structure back to our lives that I am craving right about now.  Along with the start of school also comes sports, practices, games, fund raising, etc.  But I am ready for it. 

Thrifty AND Chic?

Yes, it is possible to be thrifty and still find amazing items for your home.  You can also find gently-used clothing at an ounce of the price.  Case in point. . . I took 2 of my kids with me to the DI (which is our local version of a thrift store).  The one in particular we went to had just moved to a new, much larger building, so we were anxious to see what treasures we could find there.  I usually have the best luck finding clothes for my girls, in particular my youngest, Ella.  Ella has grown about 5 feet tall in the past year and so all of her pants and shirts are too short for her.  Plus, she needed summer dresses, and we found just that. 

Here's Ella's haul!

She will be darling in her "new" outfits!

This little Downeast Girl dress cost $1!

She informed me that she would be wearing

this on the first day of school.

Here is a set of chipboard letters

from Making Memories, $1!

I thought I might use the outside

as a stencil for some signs.

How can I possibly go wrong for $1?

Now, you might ask, "What do a cute ornate jar

with a red lid and a nutcracker have in

common?"  Absolutely nothing!

Jaggyr is just in love with nutcrackers.

He didn't go with me to the DI, so he

gave me some of his hard-earned cash

just in case I might come across a

nutcracker. . . and I did. . . and

I couldn't pass it up for .75 to make a

little guy happy.

Nutcrackers actually scare me

more than a little.  Their eyes

are so far apart, their teeth are

always showing.  I don't know, they

just seem a little creepy to me.

I got these 2 shelves which were identical,

until I painted Caromal Colours Parchment

over the black on one.

I liked how it turned out, so will

be painting the other one as well.

These shelves were $2 each.

You can't find prices that cheap,

except maybe at a yard sale.

It took me less than an hour

to paint and distress the white shelf.

Total Transformation!

This may look like an ordinary whiskey

barrel with beautiful red geraniums and

sweet potatoe vine, but what you don't know

is that I bought a hanging basket full of

red geraniums from The Home Depot

on clearance for only $5, regularly priced $26.97!

I just separated the geraniums and re-planted them.

So not only do I go to thrift stores, I

seek out clearance prices everywhere

I go!  You just need to be willing to search.

I got a package of the little flags at

Target in their $1 section and placed

them around my yard.

Below is the wood flag I got at a yard sale

for only $2.  I also used this as a pattern

to make more flags.

As you can see, we are so ready for the 4th of July!

Thrift stores truly hold treasures if you

are willing to take the time to search for them.

By now, I have a hard time paying full price

for really anything.

Next stop, Extreme Couponing!

Summer Fun with the Slip N' Slide

Summer seemed like it was a little late in coming this year.  I'm not complaining because I love spring weather, the thunder storms, the cool nights, highs of about 73.  But, the kids were sure ready for some summer weather so we could pull the ole Slip N' Slide out!  Summer finally came and here are some great shots of the kids with the neighbors.

Here is my Little Guy, Jaggyr!

Jag can make it all the way to the end

on one slide!



Next up is Grace, our neighbor,

and Ella's Best Friend. 

And here is Caybie, Grace's Brother.

(And a little cutie too!) 

Their mommy just had a brand new

baby 2 weeks ago, a little girl named Lucy!

Talk about a little cutie!

Caleb is not quite ready for the belly slide

just yet, so he sticks to the knees

then he crawls the rest of the way!

Here's my sweet Ella!

She is going to hate me when she is older

for putting this picture on here!

Ella decided that was quite fun,

so here she goes again!

Jaggyr likes to make sure the slide

is straight and everything is just

right for the next contestant!

And here are the 2 besties! 

They love to play together!

Fun times were had by all.  I have a feeling this is going to be a summer staple.

I had better stock up on the popsicles.  

Wood Worker In the Making

Justin and I spend quite a bit of time in our garage repairing furniture, painting, and simply creating.  Our 5 kids also help us when they can.  Our true middle child kind of took more of an interest in what we do when we brought a band saw home from my brother-in-law's house for us to use.  He watched my husband cut out things and was amazed at the detailed cuts my husband could make using the band saw.  Justin and I were painting and Mr. Middle started looking closer at the saw and asking some questions.  Justin told him he could cut something out, so we got him some safety goggles, showed him how to use the saw and sat back and supervised.  He started to cut out his name, but on the last letter my brand new blade broke.  Suffice it to say, I will not be posting a finished product this time, I will just leave you with some photos of the process:

The creative bug strikes even the young!

Random thoughts of Brenda's Brain

I am so sorry for my rant of yesterday!  I am ashamed of myself!  I was just so down about losing so many pictures, but I was mostly mad at myself for not doing something about a backup plan, even though I knew that I should.  Please forgive me? 


I did go to Staples last night. . .


. . . but I did not buy anything until today after work.  Just and I went to Walmart after Staples and found the exact same item for $20 less.  I had just received a $20 off $20 or more coupon from Staples because I signed up for their rewards program, but left it home, so we decided that I would go to Staples the next day, see if they match prices, and utilize my coupon.  I approached the girl at the register and she informed me that they do match prices.  This was great news for me as I was also able to use my coupon and save $40 off what I was going to pay the night before!  We are usually such impulse shoppers, but we did do a little leg work this time that paid off.  I ended up getting a Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex portable hard drive.  It is a 500 GB, which should hold around 142,000 photos!  That is awesome!


I have been extremely happy with how easy it is to use and it was very affordable.  Heck, some of the little 4 GB flash drives were over half the price of this.

I have great news!  My shabby armoire sold just a few days ago!  Click Here to see "Kennedy."  I adore this piece!  It is my favorite piece (for reals!).

I just picked up an old sewing machine/table tonight.  The spindle legs are magnificent!

 Even the light still works!  No pedal, though.

Here is a pic of an antique bench my family

found this last weekend at a yard sale.

It is lusciously chippy, red, and old!

Here's to hoping the sun comes out from behind the rain clouds soon!  Cheers!