Bookmarks,,,,

Okay, so here is the deal...my father, yes, that 60+ year-old man whom I love with all my heart told me that I needed to update my blog. I find that funny on many levels, but the biggest is the fact that my father even knows what a blog is and what you are supposed to do on it! So, I was talking to my Favorite Daughter and told her that I needed to update my blog but that I really had nothing to discuss; I asked her to give me a word, the first word that pops into her head and I would talk about it. I am thinking that maybe she will give me something cool like....brownies or puppies or LEARNERS PERMIT (these words have been popping out of her mouth a lot lately!) but no, she gives me the word bookmark. Bookmark? Really? Here it goes...

So, when Garrick left for college, I was a bit...depressed. Although, I really will not admit this to too many people. Anyway, I decided that I needed to do something, so I did some scrapbooking (yuk) and some reading (love) and some cleaning (yuk) but I just needed to do something else. Well, I remembered at a youth conference once I learned to make bookmarks out of wire and beads. So, I thought I would make some more. I bought beads and wire and even tools (!) and started on my project. I made bookmark after bookmark after bookmark. I gave them to people, I saved some for myself. I experimented and failed, however, I experimented and succeeded too! Here are a few that I saved for myself:


I know, they are totally cool huh? Anyway, when my son leaves for two years for a mission, I cannot even begin to tell you what I will do to ease the depression. I am thinking, however, it is going to be way bigger than bookmarks! And then there comes the even bigger day when my daughter decides that she needs to graduate and leave the house too! Oh joy! What, oh what will I do all alone? Well, that, my friends, is a bridge that I refuse to cross until I come to it.

So, there you have it...I can make a fairly good discussion about any word...any takers?

Am I really that deserving?

I know I say this a lot, but where the heck did last month go? No really, not only last month, but frankly the last five years!!! It seems like time literally flies. I cannot catch up with it. Before I know it, my son will be on a mission and my daughter will be graduating high school. - Oh no, I cannot even go there...

I did want to say how wonderful my beautiful daughter is. On Sunday night, we were watching the Super Bowl, just her and I, and we got so excited when Arizona went ahead and then were totally bummed when at the end they lost. But that is not what I wanted to say... LOL. After the game, she wanted me to put her hair in curlers because she wanted curly hair (duh) for Monday morning; So, I was putting curlers in her hair and we were laughing and joking around about nothing really, just having a special mother/daughter moment when she looked up at me and said, "I am so glad you are my mother." I said awwwww and then pretended to throw up. But, truly, deep inside I was crying. She is so wonderful and I love her so much, I am so glad she is MY daughter. When I had to put my Sweet Cookie to sleep in November, I was sad when I slept by myself (when Trent was working nights) because frankly, I had not slept without my doggie for almost 12 years. Anyway, she slept with me on the nights that Trent was working...and she continues to sleep with me when Trent is working. This even means that on Saturday and Sunday, or days that she does not have to go to school, when Trent comes home at 7, she has to move to her own bed. She just does it, not once complaining.

I don't know what I did to deserve the most wonderful son and daughter in the whole wide world, but I thank my Heavely Father each and every day for them. How blessed I am.

We are finally done...almost

We have been painting the inside of our house for months now. We started with one room at a time, but when we got downstairs, because all the rooms are connected, we had to get it all done pretty much at all one. I chose a hot chocolate brown with white trim. I LOVE IT!! At first, I thought it was going to be a little dark, but fortunately we have high enough ceilings and light enough floors that it really worked out good. Trent did most of the painting, but I must say that I did the hardest part. Trent could not trim very well, he kept getting brown on the white and then white on the brown. So, I trimmed, the ENTIRE house. That is not easy work! So, really all Trent had to do was paint between the lines!

Here are some before and after photos:

Before

After

Before

After

Any way, we only have the master bedroom left but Trent (LOL) has a lot of work to do in there before we can start painting. The previous owner had wall paper on the bottom half of the walls as well as a border on the top. Oh, I guess we have both upstairs bathrooms too. Yuck...I we are far from done.

I hate it when...

someone you love is hurt and you can do nothing about it

someone you love is making hard decisions and you have to let them do it alone

someone you love is making wrong decisions that will effect the rest of their life

someone you love is having a really hard time with life

I know, I know, its been a while

Can I just say how busy I am. Does that count for not updating my blog? I think so.

Okay, let me catch you up. First...went home to New Mexico for Christmas. Had a wonderful time. I love home. Here are some pictures:

The Johnson/Wood Families (sorry its a little blurry, but I just wanted to blow it up a bit)

My brother and me fooling around

My parents, brother, and myself

My son left for school again. :-( Man, I miss him when he is gone. Here is a picture of him leaving (he had a fever and was kinda sick).

He is now feeling better and is doing homework and studying very hard!

I got a hair cut. Here are a couple of pictures:

I am still getting used to it being so short. I think I like it. At least I did not cry (this time) after I cut it. I think I was ready for a change. In fact, I know I was. I hate change, pretty much with a passion. I like to keep things the way they are. However, there have been a lot of changes in my life lately. My son going away, my daughter dating, my dog dying, etc. I felt that maybe it was time to make a change that I could have some control over.

Here are a couple of pictures of me and Natalie messing around:
I love my family and am so happy with all the time I get to spend with them.


Happy New Year my friends. Let's make 2009 a great year.