Posted with BlogsyYes I am back!! BUT...no home yet
we are hoping to be in it by the middle of March!!
My hubby and I have been traveling gypsies!!
Zigging and zagging all over the western united states!
After we packed up the house and the moving trucks left. I say truck(s) because the moving company did not bring a big enough truck and had to come back a
second time to finish the job!) ..
We then packed or rather stuffed the car with all our luggage (winter clothes for 2 months or more) our dog (large chocolate lab that has bad breath) and our youngest daughter (who cameand helped her old mom and dad pack up the house)
and left the great state of Texas and headed to Colorado
to stay at my sister's house (1 dog, 5 kids one of which is a brand new baby!)
right before Christmas!!
(Aren't we nice)
We always love staying with Tiff and her hubby and all our nephews and niece.
Then..... a few days before Christmas we re-packed the car and headed to our oldest daughter and son-in-laws apartment (2 bedroom, 2 kids, 4 adults and the dog!) in Salt Lake City
to be with our grandkiddies for Christmas morning! Oh and at this point and time....we had not been able to get any Christmas shopping done...so we crammed everyone into the car and trekked over to the mall (along with everyone else in Utah!) CRAZY!!
Bazillions of people, long lines, traffic beyond belief...after two days of that we finished it all.
Christmas morning with the grandkids was AWESOME!!!
The day after Christmas we re- packed the car again with the bad breath dog and our youngest daughter and headed to Southern Utah to my mom's house where there was tons of snow!
Mom had yummy food and chocolates for us everyday!!
We celebrated New Years Eve with tons of family and friends.
We played hysterical games and ate more amazing food and more chocolates!!
On New Years Day we drove (without the dog) to the Las Vegas airport and hopped on a plane and headed to San Francisco to go and visit my husband's parents and his siblings and meet our new niece Ava
and nephew Kyle
before my hubby flew to Asia for 3 weeks!
(while we were gone my bad breath dog was out by the hen house at my moms and got a hold of one of her chickens ....Poor mom was trying everything..screaming, kicking and yelling at our dog to get her to stop...she finally grabbed a bucket and hit the bad breath dog on the head to get her to let go...which she finally did.... but the chicken bit the dust..feathers were everywhere...so sad)
Poor mom yelled so much that she completely lost her voice for a few days!
Are any of you still reading this crazy travel log? There is much more....
After San Fran.....I flew back to Las Vegas... and then drove back to mom's house to stay with her while my hubby was gone. My cute mom continued to fill me with her chocolates everyday!! I have noticed for some reason my pants are a little tight around the waist.
(On a scary note: the day after I came home my husband's youngest brother had a heart attack at the age of 43. They had to shock his heart 30 times!! It was touch and go for over 2 hours! He came through it and is home now but it scared us to death!...My poor hubby was over on the other side of the world worried sick but all is well now)
A few days before my hubby returned from Asia (21 different cities)...I drove back to Salt Lake (with bad breath dog and youngest daughter) to stay at our other daughters
apartment again (2 bedroom, 2 kids, 4 adults and bad breath dog) Crazy!! My sweet
daughter and amazing son-in-law are sooo precious to let us come and stay!
It is always fun to be with them! My daughter and husband decided we needed to celebrate Chinese New Year. It is the year of the rabbit..Mike brought the kids back a Panda bear dressed as a rabbit from China.
They cooked us some delicious Chinese food and Madeline set a gorgeous table.
My tired hubby returns from Asia..only to hit the ground running... it is time to find a house!
For days and days we looked and looked and looked at houses...(drove our realtor nuts) we finally put an offer on one (short sale) but someone put in a bigger offer and bumped us out. Soooo we were back out looking again...we found another one and we are hoping it all goes well.
In between house hunting... my hubby, daughters, grandkids and I went to tons of amazing thrift stores, consignment shops, Ikea, and other great places and found some amazing things!
I can't wait to show them to you and put them in the new house!
So since we are in the wait mode we decided to go back Colorado to my sisters
(5 kids, 4 adults and 2 dogs) and mooch off of her for another week :)
We have been having a fabulous time scouring thrift stores in her area too
(can't wait to show you the deals)!
Next week we plan to go back to Southern Utah...then back to Salt Lake and then a quick trip to Arizona to visit my dad and his wife and then finally back to Salt Lake to hopefully move in to our new home!!
In the coming days and weeks I will be sharing with you some amazing transformations from my mom and sisters homes. All do it yourself ideas!
Centerpiece Wednesday will start up again later in the spring so be thinking Easter ideas!
Ta Ta For Now
Karin :)
Since my daughter just had a baby I thought I would do a repost of a baby shower she threw for her sister in law a couple of years ago.
Okay I just need to brag a little bit about my amazing daughter Madeline. First of all she is only 21 years old, married to an incredible man named...Peter and she is pregnant with her first child and my first grandchild!! OH yeah..I am going to be a grandma and I can't even wait!! We find out what she is having on Friday!!! I am chomping at the bit to go and spend money on this new little baby girl or boy!
Last weekend she put on a an incredible baby shower for her sister-in-law (they are due within a few months of one another). It was a Dr. Seuss themed shower ..."Oh the places you will go" and Madeline did the planning decorations, and food (with some help from her cute mother-in-law and mother of the mother to be). Madeline found inspiration from a website called stem parties and she did one amazing job. Check out these photos.
Last weekend she put on a an incredible baby shower for her sister-in-law (they are due within a few months of one another). It was a Dr. Seuss themed shower ..."Oh the places you will go" and Madeline did the planning decorations, and food (with some help from her cute mother-in-law and mother of the mother to be). Madeline found inspiration from a website called stem parties and she did one amazing job. Check out these photos.
All the cute table decor that goes along with all the bright colors of Dr. Seuss books!
Look at all the eye candy!!
Green Eggs!! No detail was spared for this adorable baby shower!
How amazing do these brownie pops look. Madeline made these as well.
Oh my gosh are you checking out the adorable fish bowl centerpieces with the fur!
More photos and all her directions and recipes are on her blog http://www.peterandmadeline.blogspot.com/ go check it out and leave her a comment and let her know what you think.
Martha Stewart you better look out there is a new girl on the block and her name is Madeline! he he he he
Sorry I just had to brag about my girl. :)
As most of you know my brother is still battling colon cancer that has metastized and he still has tumors in his body. He has continued chemo treatments for almost one year now (which is about 40 rounds of chemo) and it is starting to take its toll on him. This last round of Chemo has really taken it out of him. His sweet wife told me the day before yesterday that he could only sit up for 10 minutes at the most. Tim says he is very uncomfortable all the time...his feet are numb and tingly and it feels like they are asleep all the time and it feels very weird to walk on. He looks like he has aged 10 years in one year. He continues to have bowel blockages that are excruciating for him...
This was taken one year ago in August after his colostomy and diagnosis of Colon Cancer
This picture was taken in July of this year at his sons wedding. He still continues to have his gigantic smile on! :)It is so hard to watch him go through this trial in his life and yet there are so many sweet blessings from above too. So many amazing, kind people have given their time and their talents and their money to help them in so many ways. People have been to their house on numerous occasions to help clean the house, mow the lawn, watch the youngest children. Recently my brother's oldest son got married and from many many prayers Tim was healthy enough to travel to California to attend the wedding and attend a reception there in California that was all put on by their friends there. Then come home for a small reception at their own home. So many family and friends came to help with the activities. Family and Friends were there to help scrub floors, redo some grout in the front entry of the house that was cracked and broken, washed dishes, dusted, vaccummed, prepared and donated food for the reception, decorate, clean up the yard, mowed, trimmed and weeded..and more were there to help clean it all up.
I know the Lord knows each one of us and what our needs are and it is through others that he meets those needs.
There are angels all around us...I have met some.
I am once again asking for help for them.... he has not been able to work.... they have little to no money. The kids need school clothes, the mortgage is way behind as well the car payment. We are going to hold another garage sale in Sept.
If any of you know of companies or individuals that would or could help them in any way please send me their information so I can contact them. Or if any of you would like to make a donation you can do it here on my blog through paypal.
Thank you for your prayers on his behalf. That is the one thing that I know can help more than anything else.
Karin
We had an incredible time in Southern California last week. We stayed in Dana Point, traveled to San Diego for a wedding at the San Diego Mormon Temple for my nephew..Tommy's wedding, we went to the beach, did a little shopping and just had some great family time.
Here is our sweet baby Ella in her cute bathing suit and hat all ready for the beach.
I took this pic of my sweet nephew Grant.
Baby Ella stretching her little chubby legs.
Me and Tiff attempting to body surf in the ocean
Another sweet nephew...Taylor...boogie boarding!
The two youngest of my brother's kids. Charlie and Grant.
Ella and her beautiful mom Madeline.
My cute hubby with Ella, Tiff and I hanging at the beach.
Tiff and I pretending we are 14 again..jumpin in the waves.
Seeing some old friends in San Juan Capistrano and at a fun restaurant called The Sun Dried Tomato Cafe.. The food and company were fabulous!
The San Diego Temple and the newlyweds with the rest of Tim's kids.
The building is spectacular!
More of the crazy Cummings family. Love this pic!
The newlyweds! Tommy and Kashea!
Tim with his boys...Missing the oldest and the youngest in this pic.
Grams and Gramps with our baby Ella.
Tim and Liz...forever sweethearts in front of the temple.
The Kiss! So sweet....
My cute brother and sister and I.
Isn't this just a gorgeous place!
Me and my little dolly...Ella :)
My two beautiful daughters.
Does it get any better than this? So so Sweet!
Shopping in the little shop called The Cottage in Laguna Beach. Loved this slipcover!
This table was filled with tons of eye candy for the home. Dishes, glassware, linens etc... I took a quick pic because I don't think they wanted photos taken in there. Oh I wish I could have photographed the entire store it was soooooo beautiful. Filled with all kinds of beach cottage decor.
Balboa Island at night.
Where are you all headed this summer?
More of the crazy Cummings family. Love this pic!
The newlyweds! Tommy and Kashea!
Tim with his boys...Missing the oldest and the youngest in this pic.
Grams and Gramps with our baby Ella.
Tim and Liz...forever sweethearts in front of the temple.
The Kiss! So sweet....
My cute brother and sister and I.
Isn't this just a gorgeous place!
Me and my little dolly...Ella :)
My two beautiful daughters.
Does it get any better than this? So so Sweet!
Shopping in the little shop called The Cottage in Laguna Beach. Loved this slipcover!
This table was filled with tons of eye candy for the home. Dishes, glassware, linens etc... I took a quick pic because I don't think they wanted photos taken in there. Oh I wish I could have photographed the entire store it was soooooo beautiful. Filled with all kinds of beach cottage decor.
Balboa Island at night.
Where are you all headed this summer? Father's Day Dinner and Tablescape
By The Style Sisters - Wednesday, June 17, 2009
We Celebrated Father's Day early this year and this is what we came up with for my hubby's special dinner.
My daughter Emily and I used this "manly" bit of red and tan striped fabric from Ikea and made a simple tablecloth for our table. 
Then we set the table using our "manly" dark brown almost black place mats with white square plates on them. Then we got out the clear bubble glass goblets and placed them on the table as well. I had the glass apothecary jar filled with these fun porcelain white balls that have black letters on them sitting on my sideboard and we placed that in the center of the table with some of these fun black wooden decorator items that I bought at Hobby Lobby $2.50 each!!
Then we set the table using our "manly" dark brown almost black place mats with white square plates on them. Then we got out the clear bubble glass goblets and placed them on the table as well. I had the glass apothecary jar filled with these fun porcelain white balls that have black letters on them sitting on my sideboard and we placed that in the center of the table with some of these fun black wooden decorator items that I bought at Hobby Lobby $2.50 each!! Oh yeah I scored big on those little puppies. I recently saw them in another home dec store for $30.00 a piece.
Emily saw these fun fish napkin ring holders sitting a drawer and decided that there were perfect for our "manly" tablescape. She pulled the white napkin through and then put the silverware in between the napkin and the napkin ring. The table came out looking perfect...not fru fru at all but nice and "Manly" for our special man. he he he
Here he is reading the most precious card that Emily made for him. Very simple but the words were so heartfelt that I think if you look very close there is a tear in his eye.
This is the Father's day meal. Grilled Tuna steaks with fresh Mango salsa, Grilled asparagus, broccoli salad (made with turkey bacon by the way and it was good), and a little bit of chicken pasta salad. It was all scrumptious.
Then for dessert....My hubby loves chocolate and Ice cream so we made him a Chocolate Lava Cake and topped it with creamy vanilla ice cream and a few fresh raspberries.
Emily saw these fun fish napkin ring holders sitting a drawer and decided that there were perfect for our "manly" tablescape. She pulled the white napkin through and then put the silverware in between the napkin and the napkin ring. The table came out looking perfect...not fru fru at all but nice and "Manly" for our special man. he he heHere he is reading the most precious card that Emily made for him. Very simple but the words were so heartfelt that I think if you look very close there is a tear in his eye.
This is the Father's day meal. Grilled Tuna steaks with fresh Mango salsa, Grilled asparagus, broccoli salad (made with turkey bacon by the way and it was good), and a little bit of chicken pasta salad. It was all scrumptious.
Then for dessert....My hubby loves chocolate and Ice cream so we made him a Chocolate Lava Cake and topped it with creamy vanilla ice cream and a few fresh raspberries.He was in pure heaven!
What are gals doing for your man for Father's Day this year?
What are gals doing for your man for Father's Day this year? 
