stayin' alive

I’m not sure how or when it got to be September, or what exactly happened to June, July, and August, but here I am—still alive, despite rumors to the contrary. Here is a brief (and mostly pictorial) recap of my summer:

Exhibit A: Family Road Trip

June took us to southern Alberta to celebrate my darling father-in-law's 80th birthday. (He's in the back row--the one in the hat.)

Really, what can be better than hanging out with cousins?

I was fascinated by the beautiful colors and textures of the rocks in Waterton Lake.
They are the same colors as many of the walls in my house!

(I took this picture for you, Susan.)
The water was freezing, but oh-so clear and refreshing!

Exhibit B: Back to the Mundane

These table cloths are waiting patiently on my project table to be ironed. My mother used to iron all my table cloths for me, so this ever-growing pile stands as an ever-present reminder of how much I miss her.

Exhibit C: Wedding Planner

Nearly every square inch of my basement is covered in wedding-related items--that is, the part of the basement that's not covered in laundry and ironing.

There are the boxes full of decorations and custom-made aprons,

the boxes full of wedding-guest gift basket goodies waiting to be assembled in a cute and alluring presentation, and . . .

. . . then there's Exhibit C1: Sewing, Sewing, and MORE SEWING!

The summer began with a very large drapery project (pictured, in part, above). Five dresses, one skirt, one jacket, and two table cloths later I still haven't made a MOB (mother-of-the-bride) dress that's fit to be seen in public. I've decided to play it safe and go with my favorite dress pattern, made this time in an iridescent silk taffeta (vermilion and pink tones).

Sewing yet-to-be-completed: three skirts, one MOB dress, one temple dress (possibly to be remade in better, more comfortable fabric), and seven decorator pillows (the latter of which are for clients--not for me).

Exhibit D: New (actually quite old) furniture found on Craig's List!

It's amazing what the thought of having company will do to open your eyes to the atrocities around your house. My sun room furniture, some 21 years old, had been recovered once and was looking a little worse for the wear. I found these two pieces on Craig's List. I won't be able to have them recovered before the wedding, but believe me--they're much cuter and in better shape than what I had. You'll just have to trust me on this one.

Exhibit E: Canadian Family Vacation Reversal

In August the O'Brien's (Linda is one of Mark's lovely sisters) came to our house for a visit, bringing Mark's dad Kay along. We had four days of shopping, game-playing, shopping, and--did I say shopping? We also enjoyed a cookout in the mountains, FHE around the Sunday dinner table, and we threw in a Donut Night for good measure.

Exhibit F: Families Really are Forever
While going through some of my mother's belongings, I came across her current temple recommend. It doesn't expire until the end of September. I love knowing that--at the age of 83--my mother died the worthy bearer of a temple recommend.

Exhibit G: Sarah Turns 12!

I can't believe my baby turned twelve on September 4th. We had a fun-filled day on Saturday and she was so excited to attend Young Women for the first time on Sunday.

I think that Mom is really helping me out on the cake-making front. Sarah's chocolate cake with yellow-tinted White Mountain frosting was one of my better efforts.

Exhibit H: Back to School
Emily is back in Provo and Charlotte moved to Portland to start job-hunting. *sigh* Thank goodness I still have Sarah and John at home to keep things interesting!