My antique iron rack from an old SLC restaurant

My antique sideboard....I will change out the knobs

Here are a few of my favorite hatpins

I've really never thought of myself as a "collector". I throw things out and then think, "I should have kept that." I change out my decor fairly often and really don't like clutter at all. I have realized that I am pretty sentimental though, and feel a connection to old things. My favorite piece of furniture is an old sideboard cupboard that I got at a garage sale. It just spoke to me and I HAD to have it. I didn't have all the money to buy it at the time, but the man who owned it took half down and said he'd hold it until the next day. He kept his word even though he had several people offer him more than I paid. I also have an old iron rack and shelf from an antique store in Salt Lake and I have several smaller antiques such as pitchers, a scale, watering cans, and antique hatpins. I really love them all and often wish I knew the stories behind them. I notice my daughters like these things too. They have more modern leanings and mix those items with their antiques. My likes are more traditional, and there is something about good "old" things that make a home feel warm and inviting. When I started collecting hatpins, you could get one for about $50.00. Now I think my collecting days are over because you rarely find a good one for under several hundred dollars. If you have any you want to get rid of, please let me know.

Due to a job change, we moved back to Utah 5 years ago. I had been praying to find the right area to move to. We found a house that was partially done and bought it (as is) so that Wayne could finish it out. We built the deck, the fence, finished the basement, built my craft room and put in a yard. We found the perfect neighborhood with warm and kind neighbors. We live 20 minutes from Amy in one direction, 20 minutes from Colett in another direction, and 20 minutes from my sister Margaret in yet another direction. The beautiful mountains surround us and I never get tired of the view. I miss my son and friends in Montana and my parents and our brothers and sisters in Montana and Wyoming, but we manage to see them about every 3 months. Oh, if only I could jump in my rocket and land in Wyoming or Montana in just minutes, it would be perfect. Wayne has a great job here and wonderful people to work with but he's not as enthusiastic as I am to be here. He misses his friends, siblings and Shon's family and would probably move back to Billings if he had just the right job. We don't fish or hunt here and his golf

game is not as polished as it was in Billings.

We were only in our Boise house for a year and Wayne decided that he really wanted to move back to Billings, MT. I had a hard time with it because I loved my house in Boise but being the dutiful wife, I agreed. We lived in three rentals before we had our custom home built. We moved to the heights after we found a builder, Fred Stevenson, who we could trust to build just the way we wanted it built. We also became friends with with him and felt so terrible when he passed away in an accident a few years ago. We stayed in this home for 24 years. All the kids graduated from Skyview High School and Shon still lives in Billings just a few blocks from this house.

We moved back to Boise and built a new home there. I loved Boise with all the trees and parks. We found our perfect house plan and had it custom built. My Dad was the best brick layer

ever and he came from Wyoming to put the brick on the outside of the house and to build my fireplace. We were real grown-ups now and we took pride in the house and surroundings. We put in our first yard and planted trees for the first time. I loved the tall windows that went from the floors to the ceiling and the 1/2 acre we had behind us.

We moved to Bountiful, UT when Shon and Colett were one and two. We lived upstairs in the right apartment. It was a nice apartment, and again we made great friends. We had lots of impromptu picnics, swim parties for the kids and we built snowmen together. Scott and Sue Buttars were our best friends there. It was hard to leave them behind when we moved once again.

We then moved to "Colonial Hills Village", an apartment complex that had several buildings that all looked alike. We lived on the upper backside of one of the buildings. We made friends with all the other couples in the building and had lots of fun eating together and having all the kids play with each other. Shon was a tiny guy there and Colett was a baby. It would be hard to go back to this lifestyle, but at the time it was a very good fit for us.

I have been doing my spring cleaning and decided to go through my old pictures and slides and get them organized. I have also been thinking of all the places we have lived and how blessed we are to be in our beautiful home now. I found pictures of all but one of our abodes. This is our first apartment in Boise, Idaho. We lived in the downstairs and back of the house. It was not fancy but we liked it very much. The trees around the whole neighborhood were huge and wonderful and hid the squirrels that we used to feed.

Go to this link to remember the wizard.

http://thewizardofoz.warnerbros.com/index2.html

I remember the first time I saw the movie "The Wizard of Oz". I was just transported away to the other side of the rainbow. I cried for Dorothy to be able to go home, I wanted the tin man to get his heart and I loved the brainless scarecrow for his devotion to Dorothy. I also fell in love with the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".... so much in fact that it is still my very favorite song. I have left word with my children that it is to be sung at my funeral. When Wayne and I went to Disney World, the movie park had the set of "The Wizard of Oz" that you are transported through. I felt like my young girl self again. Never has a movie impacted me so much. I guess there really is no place like home.

Our newest little fireman...a chip off the old block.

This is the newest pics of Amy's baby. Oh I love that little Emerson.

What is it about babies? You just wanna eat em up.

Nicholas hands paints his egg
Isabelle just can't decide what to do but Millie is proud of her yellow one

Colett and family came over on Sunday for dinner and to color Easter eggs. It is a funny tradition that started with The Persians. They were the first to use colored eggs to celebrate spring in 3,000 B.C.

13th century Macedonians were the first Christians on record to use colored eggs in Easter celebrations. Crusaders returning from the Middle East spread the custom of coloring eggs, and Europeans began to use them to celebrate Easter.

St. Patrick's Day has come and gone and Easter is upon us. Where did March go??? I usually decorate my house up for all the holidays but St. Patrick's day only merited a cookie jar lid as a decoration. We don't have many Irish ancestors. I know there are a few...waaaaay back, but I just never got into this holiday. Where do drunken Irishmen fit into my lifestyle? We did used to make the kids green pancakes, green mashed potatoes, green jello, green kool-ade and green milk through the years but that's about all. I will always take a yummy cake if someone brings one over as Colett did this year however.

This is a picture of my Christmas cactus... a baby from the mother cactus of my great grandmother who brought it over from England if I remember right. I got a start from my Mom which I have had for several years. It's had a few blossoms but never anything too showy. This year it bloomed in November and is still blooming and I will probably have blossoms for Easter. It has been amazing. I gave starts of it to my daughters Colett and Amy. Amy's bloomed at Christmas and was very pretty but Colett's is still in the dormant stage. Maybe next year Colett. It has given me such joy this year. Every time I pass the room where it sits, my heart just rejoices. Thanks great grandma!

You know how sometimes you find something that you love... that just makes you feel good? Well, I used to use a lipstick from Estee Lauder that I loved (Runway Rose) and they quit making it. I have tried about 50 different brands and shades since them. I always end up layering different shades to get just what I want. Well, I found the one that is just perfect for ME with no layering. It's not too dark, not too light, not too pink not too yellow, not too matte, and not too yukky tasting. It's a Revlon lipstick called Champagne On Ice and it has a pearl base. It just makes me look polished without being too noticeable. Now I need to run to the store and get some more before they quit making it. Maybe I can keep a few in the freezer so it won't go bad. Now I'm out to find the perfect pair of jeans but that's a whole other story. UGH!

I have crazy dreams almost every night. Wayne says not to tell anyone or they will put me away but I had one a couple of weeks ago that was pretty silly. I had one of those.."This is soooo clever and I will make a fortune when I actually do this" dreams. I decided that pansies are so pretty but you can never put them in a vase because they are so flat and the stems are so fragile. In my dream, it came to me that if I hot glued 3 together in a triangle shape, they would stand in a vase and I could have a whole bouquet, much like this. Now does anyone want to back me financially while I publish this great idea?

TAG Colett sent me this to fill out.
1. What is your hubby's name? Earl Wayne
2. How long have you been married? going on 39 years
3. How long did you date? 3 years
4. Who eats more sweets? We're pretty even.
5. Who said I love you first? I think I did.
6. Who is taller? I am 5'7" and Wayne is 5' 10"
7. Who can sing better? Uh....that would be me. Wayne used to sing to the kids at night to get them to go to sleep but they would laugh. I have sung all my life...solos, groups, church, choirs, weddings, funerals, Montana Symphony, groups etc. Music is a very big part of my life
8. Who is smarter? I think we are both pretty smart but Wayne has an incredible memory which serves him well when he needs to recall things, and I can't remember the plot of a movie I saw last year.
9. Who does the laundry? Wayne did it once 4 years ago when I had my accident but would bring it to me in bed to fold. So the answer is ME!
10. Who pays the bills? We used to take turns but it stressed me out so Wayne took it over.
11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do
12. Who cooks dinner? I cooked for 15 years, then Wayne cooked for the next 15 and now we switch off or go out.
13. Who drives? We both do but I really don't like to drive. I do it because I have to but never really want to.
14. Who is more stubborn? Hands down... Wayne. He is Taurus the bull ..need I say more?
15. Who kissed who first? He did.
16. Who asked who out first? He asked me
17. Who proposed? He did.
18. Who wears the pants? I say he does but he may quietly disagree because he says I get anything I want

Wayne and I took our whole family to Disneyland last week ....all 16 of us. We were a little concerned about everything going OK with that many people but it really did. We didn't have contentions, we had wonderful weather, we didn't have to wait in long lines, in fact we went through the "Pirates of the Caribbean" and the "Haunted Mansion" with no wait at all. Colett and Isabelle started to get sick, but with blessings they made it through. Alex was ill, Shon was in a leg brace for a torn ligament and my leg was swollen but we all held up even with for 4 days of constant walking. It was really a dream vacation and we were able to be a kids again for a few days. I would go again tomorow. If your heart is in your dream. la la la la la la la......