The Special Christmas Pillow

When you get all snuggled into your bed
And upon this special pillow place your head
Put a smile on your face
And fill your heart with joy
When you think of these words spoken to each girl and boy
By a prophet named Gordon B. Hinckley.
I can remember his love for us distinctly.

"We can all be a little kinder, a little more patient,
a little more helpful."

Now, aren't his words delightful?

"We can reach out to ones who are in distress,
we can replace anger with love, and put out all selfishness.
We can get on our knees and pray
then stand on our feet to bless."

So, when you are ready for bed each night
And all tucked in tight
Don't forget to celebrate with kindness, patience and love: the real reason
For remembering our Savior this Christmas season.

- Joyce Messick

Little Lucy

She was happy for a few minutes and the light coming through the window in the back bedroom was just right.

Ryan's Family

I love living so close to family!! We had so much fun taking these photos. The barn in the background just called out to us, "Come and take your photos here!"

Daddy-daughter photos are priceless and my favorite.  A vintage look...

Angel Face

Cute and Independent

Sweet Baby Face

Confident and Sophisticated

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Shooting Photos in Salt Lake City

The door knobs on the front doors of the Temple. No one goes in or out of these doors but many brides and grooms stand in front of them for photos.

Detail on the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

The Salt Lake City Temple. Freedom and Peace.

Peaches

A cooler day.

No baby yet.

Beautiful hills of Virginia.

Family Reunion

A week of glorious fun and relaxation at Lake Anna.

Living A Dream

Having fun with a new camera and photo processing software.

My adventure in Online Dating

I have tip-toed in and out of several online dating sites. I answered a few basic questions about myself - age, height, hair color, location, church activity and a few more boring details. I did the bare minimum by describing myself as – fun. Then with the excitement of a 14 yr old going to her first school dance, I did the advanced search for men, aged 56 – 62. The first searches showed the guys close to my hometown. I widened the search – read a few descriptions, got nervous, deleted my profile and logged out.

I will let you know when I get brave enough to add a profile picture, expand on the description of myself and keep my profile active for more than 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, I am having a great time with these cuties who live next door.

One Skirt = Three Little Dresses

Now that I am an upcycler/recycler extraordinare, I don't see ready-made clothing as something to buy and wear. Oh no, they are just pieces of fabric. Designer fabrics that can't be purchased at my local fabric store. Fabrics just waiting to be fashioned into something smashingly cute.
Take a look at this skirt. When I saw it at my favorite store, my brain was telling me, "This is not just a BIG skirt - It is a skirt with a LOT of fabric for only $8.00."

Maybe with some clever folding, cutting and sewing, I could make a few of these little dresses:

You can do it too!!
From the waistband to hem, fold the skirt into thirds.

Then, from the waistband to hem, fold all the layers of the skirt in half.

Cut out a size 12-18 month 'swing' dress pattern.

It makes three of these:

Sewing Sassy Aprons

My gift to you - well, some of you. To my girlfriends or brides-to-be or to someone who has been especially nice.

The Recently Seen G'Kids

Avery: On the slide at the park. At the zoo wearing the inspiration for my Upcycle #1 project.
Jackson: On the ferry in Galveston. In the Gopher Tube at the zoo.

Ruby: Easter Morning. At home wearing Upcycle Project #3.

Frumpy to Sassy

When Gina saw this skirt in the craft/sewing closet (aka the Magic Closet), she instantly said, "I always wanted a pencil skirt." And she proceeded to cut it shorter and sew about 8 inches off the sides.
In 30 minutes this skirt went from a frumpy size 14


To a sassy size 6.

Upcycle Project #2

It was so easy to make this peasant dress out of the body of the shirt. Using bias tape I made a casing in the neck for the elastic. Then put elastic in the hem of the sleeves. The original hem of the shirt becomes the hem of the dress.

Upcycle Project #1

This old shirt of mine was in the “give away pile”. After close inspection and some inspiration from Gina, I figured out a fun way to change it into a jumper for Avery. First, I cut off the ¾ length sleeves and the collar.

Then I sewed the sleeves together, using the cuff detail for the top of the jumper. The pointed collar adds a little detail to the straps.

Hula Hooping

Forget your cares. Let the world go away. Veg out.
As a little girl I hula hooped, jumped rope, rode my bike and hopscotched all my little girl worries away.
I am hoping that this hula hoop can take me to that carefree place. This hoop works so much better than the hoop of my youth. The size and weight help to propel it around and around. I have made several and given away a few. Some recepients were less than enthusiastic; others were kind of excited. The hoop that I filled with mung beans creates the sound of rainfall. Then I got a little crazy and filled a hoop with water. It is pretty heavy but it is actually the easiest to use.

What will become of .....

I love walking up and down the aisles of big do-it-yourself hardware stores. I can imagine a new chandalier in the dining room, see new golden paint on the walls of the upstairs bedroom and visualize new tile in the master bathroom shower. I can even conjure up a picture of something fun made out of these materials:



As you can see, I bought 100 feet of irrigation tubing, two rolls of electrical tape, 8 conectors and a pair of tubing cutters. I am going to make something fun and classic and it will be something that you want. I am going to make it (well, I hope to make one) tonight. By Tues. or Wed. I will be ready to unveil my creation - if I can pull myself away from all the fun I will be having with it.

When I grow up...

I want to be a Family Photographer. That means that I need to buy a camera - one that has lenses that screw on and off. My brain is so confused - is it the camera or the person behind the camera that takes a good picture? I keep hearing and reading that you need "good glass". That means expensive lenses!!! I have aperture, ISO and shutter speed all floating around in my head. Here is what I decided for now. This is what is most important. If you don't have this - well,then just don't bother to take the camera out of the bag. The most important thing -- CUTE SUBJECTS!!!
Just wanted to share a few photos taken with a Sony Super Steady Shot DSC-H5. It has been a great little camera. But I need a Nikon or a Canon or an Olympus or a Fuji.

Vintage Dress

While on a high school theater trip, Rhonda bought this dress at a vintage clothing boutique. It was made in the 1940 - 50s. She wore it to the Homecoming Dance and looked gorgeous in it.

The workmanship is truly a work of art. I just love the pleated details.


In February, Tammy and I tried to sell it to a vintage clothing store. We just wanted to find a happy home for this organza beauty. The store buyer loved the detail and styling but noted that the fabric is falling apart. She offered me $20.00 saying that she would have to put it on the clearance rack. I decided to keep it.

This morning I came up with this great idea: