3 generation play dish cupboard

Many years ago my dad made a little miniature play dish cupboard for my sisters and me. Somehow, I ended up with the cupboard and I refinished it for Jordan and Claire when they were little girls. It was originally painted white with red trim but I painted it yellow with blue trim (bad mistake.) Our girls enjoyed playing with it for many years. It fell into disrepair over the years and some of the original features were changed or broken. It had little glass doors on the top of the cupboard, but those where long gone by the time I got it for my girls. The little drawers had come off their runners and the bottom cupboard doors had fallen off. I thought about throwing it away...but decided to keep it in case it could be restored. Last fall I hired a man in our ward to fix it and bring it back up to it's original glory. He made new cupboard doors for the top and reattached the bottom cupboard doors. He remade the runners for the drawers and he found new hinges and hardware. I really wanted to have it ready for Lauren and Ellie to play with it this summer, so Rick helped me start the LONG process of stripping the paint and repainting it the original colors. What a job! Finally I got it done and our little grand girls were able to play with the cupboard made by their great grandpa Earl. They loved it! We got some new dishes and some play food and they had a great time. I'm happy I hung on to the cupboard and that it could be restored to it's former beauty and serviceability. So fun! And it's great to have a little something of dad's handiwork in our home again.



















































This little red horse was made by Andy in a shop class when he was in high school. It's a lot like the little wooden horse my dad made for us kids when we were young. I'm so happy to have a similar one to go with my little cupboard. They are vintage toys and bring back such happy memories. I hope our grand kids enjoy playing with them as much as we did.

2 + 2 = 4

Two more grandchildren are going to be added to the two we already have! We're so excited to welcome two more little girls into our family. By the end of the year, our assets will have doubled. How cool is that?


CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR DAUGHTERS AND THEIR HUSBANDS

• Jordan and Jake are expecting the end of October (see her blog here) AND
• Claire and R are expecting November 17 (see her blog here) for more details.

HAPPINESS!!!

Happy Birthday to the man I love!

54 things I love about my husband on this, his special day:

1. He gave me Jordan
2. " " " Claire
3. " " " Dave
4. " " " Andy
5. When he smiles, you can't see his teeth (only when he laughs really hard)
6. He cleans the bathrooms every Saturday
7. He's given me 1,000,000 back rubs
8. He appreciates and enjoys classical music
9. He loves BYU sports almost as much as he loves me
10. I love hearing him speak and he is always prepared
11. He can't do home repairs but he has changed thousands of diapers and done millions of dishes
12. He is patient and kind
13. He is punctual
14. He has a strong internal clock that helps him do what is right.
15. He willingly fulfills his church callings.
16. He is wise.
17. He is balanced and sees all sides to issues. This comes in handy on the job
18. He is not materialistic.
19. He likes to drive our cars until they die
20. He runs every morning without fail (going on 30 years now)
21. He is disciplined and does a true fast every month, 24 hours to the dot
22. I love our night time chats. We sometimes laugh until we cry
23. He always compliments my cooking
24. He hates lotion and rarely puts it on, but wears sunscreen every day
25. I love it when he holds my hand
26. He rarely watches TV but does enjoy watching college sports
27. He is determined not to get his hopes up too high for the BYU football season this year
28. He cleans up well, like a new copper penny. He also looks good in a suit
29. He pays the bills every two weeks and keeps our budget in check
30. He's loves to visit with people and he loves company to stay with us
31. He invites people to sit in the "chair of distinction" in our living room and visit
32. He says prayers with me morning and night.
33. He has faith.
34. He is steady and constant and is well respected
39. He works every day for our family and he even enjoys it. He'll be forced out at age 75 and he doesn't want to leave much before then.
40. He's handsome, even without hair!
41. He is my biggest cheerleader.
42. He loves to look at nature, but not sleep in it
43. He supports me in the things I want to do.
44. He LOVES being a grandpa.
45. He loves the gospel of Jesus Christ
46. He came from a good home where he was well taught
47. He plays the piano very well and he also use to play the clarinet
48. He loves Credence Clear Water Revival, much to the aggravation of his wife
49. He has mowed the lawn every week and shoveled snow for a single neighbor lady for more than 12 years
50. He reads the scriptures every day and he has read the entire standard works many times - including the Old Testament.
51. He is very smart and he has an amazing ability to memorize
52. He loved his mission to Peru and he continues to speak Spanish very well
53. He reads the newspaper every day without fail and knows a ton about current events and all sort of trivia
54. He loves Heavenly Father

Happy Birthday David

My mom married a wonderful man on May 23, 1998. They've had a great time together these last 11 years. They have traveled around the world and have seen some wonderful sights. They've gone on a few cruises and they have enjoyed each other very much. Mom met David in Arizona and they hit it right off. They've enjoy playing tennis together and have played on many teams, competing in lots of tournaments. Our kids have yet to win a game against Mom and David! They have enjoyed playing card games, doing the daily puzzle in the newspaper and they have especially enjoyed dancing over the years. David is a great dancer and he and Mom have had a great time together.
David has six children and many grandchildren. He sings well and his children and many of his grandchildren have beautiful singing voices. He enjoys music and knows lots of good ole tunes. He turned 80 years old last year and his family had a great big party for him at Bear Lake to celebrate his life. It was fun to attend and to wish him well. He is a kind hearted man who has been a great companion for my Mom over all these years. They served a mission together at the London temple and Rick and I were able to visit them and travel around England for two weeks with them while they were serving there. Those are great memories I'll always cherish.
He celebrates his birthday and Father's day all on one day - June 21.
Best wishes to you David on your birthday. Thanks for being such a good companion and husband for my Mom. Even though you've had some health challenges and have had to slow down some, I enjoy talking to you and appreciate your kind and gentle ways. You're easy to love and I appreciate you very much.

Living Legacy

Our kids (headed up by Jordan) gave us this wonderful book for our 30th wedding anniversary. It's the condensed story of our lives since we got married on June 16, 1979. It contains many precious pictures of our kids and great family pictures taken over the years. The best part is a tribute each of them wrote to us. We'll cherish it and reread it many times. Thanks dear ones. We love you more than you will ever know. You truly are our living legacy.
3 John 1:4 - (We) have no greater joy than to hear that (our) children walk in truth.