New Dresser!

After re~painting the girls' room and making it actually look good. I decided to keep going with one of their dressers. I got this dresser at a Habitat For Humanity shop in Colorado several years ago. I painted it bright pink for the girls and it has served us well. I even spray painted little palm trees to match a comforter I made for them. I decided the pink was no longer right for the room and it needed a makeover. Since everything else in the room was matching pink or green I went with just plain white. This will also make it easier to move around if we ever get new dressers for the girls.
First I had to strip all the paint off. I used a paint thinner and a scraper. It went well; except for the dresser top where I had spray painted. The spray paint apparently made a seal for the underneath paint and it was difficult to remove and even sand down. There were small raised spaces where each palm tree had been. After a while I was satisfied enough to move on.I love how the paint bubbles up with the thinner doing its work!All scraped off. Well, mostly! I even filled in the holes from the hardware so I could get rid of the drawer pulls that we had. They were annoying to me. I can't explain it!A coat of Primer to make sure the underneath madness doesn't start seeping through. I even decided to paint the back white just for more finished look. All the white splotches you see on the sides are where I had accidentally gotten pink paint from the last time. So I covered it up as to destroy all evidence of the previous dresser!

I bought some new hardware and moved it in. I am happy with it. This is a very well built dresser. I am happy that I was able to find it when I did.

And to top it off I found a perfect headboard on clearance at the furniture store and brought it home to complete the room!

Of course, wouldn't you know it...Last week I was driving around town and a woman had a bunch of furniture out in her front yard. I stopped and she had a matching dresser to the other dresser the girls have in their room. It would have been perfect to bring home and I could use this white one for something else. But the insane woman wanted $100 for it. It is OLD. I had dressers exactly like these when I was about four years old. And they were not new when I had them! Hello lady, get some sense! I did not buy it. After all we have a perfectly good dresser!

I might go check the thrift stores in town later today to see if she just donated it somewhere! shhh

Book Club!

For an updated Halloween post click here!


Yesterday I had book club at my house again. This time we read "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain... Well, some of us read it. Most of us had not finished it yet. Either because it was hard to get into or because they were reading something else that they couldn't put down. I am one guilty of not getting into it, though I have enjoyed what I have read. Mark Twain has a great style to his writing. I am hoping to finish it before next week when my Mom's book club (that I also go to) meets to discuss "Tom Sawyer"!!!I also made this yummy dessert for the club. I always try something new when people are coming over. It turned out really good. It is basically a giant snowball: chocolate cake with a cream cheese filling with pudding frosting and coconut topping. I am excited to make it again for another occasion. It was a big hit.
We also fed the missionaries last night after book club. Jeff made the soup recipe that I posted not too long ago and we served them the same cake. They loved it all. Thanks, Jeff for taking care of dinner while I chatted with my ladies!

Its Unanimous!

Well, you all should be very proud of me because I have kept my mouth shut about this and not told a soul! Today Jeff was put into the Elders Quorum Presidency as 2nd Counselor. Apparently all his checking in on people who don't come and making phone calls to invite people to activities has landed him in the hot seat! I think this will be great for him. He has been saying that he doesn't really know many people in the ward. This will be the perfect opportunity for him to meet and get to know as many as possible. He will be away from home more often when they have visits to make but I think we will be blessed for it as well. "Yay Jeff" for being worthy and willing to serve! We love you and know you will be awesome!

Also today was our Primary Presentation program...it was really good. I am proud to say that Bronson and Madelyn had their lines memorized and said them perfectly clearly. Kaitlyn also had hers memorized but opted to read hers at the pulpit. What do you do? She was also very eloquent. The nicest thing about the program today was that I was not in charge of it! haha I just sat there and enjoyed it. One Sunbeam in particular was great for entertainment's sake. She knew all the words to the songs and could sing on key (always a bonus) and she would belt it out on every song! You could hear her above all the others. Thanks Adelynn for your dedication! I love "good church" days! haha

She Keeps Growing

Kaitlyn had another Dr.'s appointment in Mesa last week and she has grown another inch (plus) since July! That makes more than four inches for the year. I am so glad these shots are working for her and that she is catching up on some much needed growth. It looks like we should be able to do these shots for several more years based on her growth plates and bone age...That will be great to get her as "tall" as we can!
The Dr. did notice that she has uneven hips and took a closer look at her legs. We discovered that Kaitlyn has one leg that is longer than the other; only by about half an inch though. We need to bring it up with the regular Dr. sometime and then maybe see an orthopaedic Dr. to talk about getting a lift for her shoe and any other possibilities.
We really like her Endocrinologist. He seems just right to work with kids and help them with their issues without making them feel different. Kaitlyn, I think, likes him too; which is good since she will be seeing him probably until she is about 18!

Happy Halloween!

This year for Halloween, my mom put on a carnival for all the grand kids. We had done one about six years ago when there were about half as many kids and it was fun. Since it was on a Saturday everyone was able to make it over for the weekend. It was a lot of fun!

First, Madelyn went to school that Friday for all the festivities. Kaitlyn was actually sick that day and missed everything. Don't you hate it when that happens?! We are lucky enough to be able to have actual Halloween parties at our school. I guess in many areas they call it Fall Festival and keep it on the politically correct side of things. We have a parade with all the kids dressed up and teachers as well. Everyone participates! I love that!

Saturday, at Mom's, there were so many activities to do. We had carving pumpkins, painting pumpkins*, a doughnut eating contest*, a bean bag throw (into the giant jack-o-lantern)*,
check out my skeleton hands fingerspelled shirt!
making popcorn skeleton hands,

a "fish pond"*, a pinata,

a costume fashion show,

Yes, that is me in the bunny costume and would you believe I went around the whole neighborhood like that???
and a haunted house!

Not to mention the prizes that went with each activity! It was crazy fun for everyone and at the end of the day we had dinner in a pumpkin and a bunch of other delicious food. Followed by trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. It was a great day of fun with family and smiles all around. Happy Halloween everyone!
* for activities I did not take pictures of...I need to get those photos from Megan and Mitch!

Okay, One More!

Last night in our Family Home Evening everyone was saying something they liked about another person. There was no rhyme or reason to this and most comments were along the lines of "I like Madelyn because she helps me clean or because she plays with me." Bronson was called upon to say something he liked about Daddy. Bronson in all seriousness said, "I love Daddy because he doesn't punch me in the face."
And the winner of the Funniest~Kid~In~Town~Award goes to...(rum roll) Bronson Ryder Hatch! That kid cracks us up!

Sunbeam Moments!

Today Bronson gave his first talk in Primary. He was so cute this morning getting ready. We put his suit coat on him and combed his hair extra nice! He seemed to know it was all for his presentation! When the time came for him to go up, Jeff went with him to help. Jeff would whisper what to say in his ear and Bronson said it exactly how we practiced at home. Then I saw that Jeff would whisper in his ear and Bronson would whisper back to him and they would go back and forth a few times before Bronson would actually say his next line. After church I asked Jeff what was going on when Bronson was whispering back to him...He said that Bronson was telling him that he didn't want to say that part right now! Luckily, I guess, Jeff won that argument because he gave the rest of his talk exactly as it was planned out! He is so funny! We love all the crazy, funny things he says all the time! Good job, Bronson on your first Primary talk!
(Picture coming soon!)

Kids, Kids, Kids...

Here are some funny conversations I have had with the kids recently:

1)
Madelyn this morning after eating breakfast (she's always hungry right after eating): Mom, am I allergic to {sneakers}?
Me: (thinking~what could she be talking about?...oh!) You mean Snickers??? Yes, you are allergic.

2)
Bronson (after I told the kids they could watch a movie): Mom, I wanna watch "Sweeper By The Dozen"!
Me: We don't have that movie. We have "Cheaper By The Dozen"!

3)
I took the kids to EAC to watch a drama production of "The Emperor's New Clothes." Right after the new clothes were revealed ...
Madelyn: (with wonder) They're invisible!
Bronson: (with practicality) Its just a hanger!

Quilts...

I finished this quilt today. I started it probably sometime in September and put it away for a while. Today all I had to do was add the borders. It wasn't hard, but time consuming. I used a jellyroll that I bought at Walmart. It was a bunch of assorted batik fabrics (already cut into 2 1/2 inch strips). I normally stay away from fabrics like batiks just because they are not my favorite look. But I was branching out. I had to decide on a pattern that used strips since that part was done for me; and when I saw this one I went with it because I have done this pattern before and knew exactly what to do. I ended up picking out a background fabric which I thought worked nicely with the other colors in the batiks. I think it looks yummy! If I were the kind of person who names her quilts I might call this one: Confetti Cake or Tutti Fruity !!!
What do you think???

Happy Birthday Dear Gwenny!

Today is my sister-in-law, Gwen's, birthday. We are very excited to celebrate this today as it has been a long time since we have had cake. Luckily, Dad made some cake in her honor and we participated in eating it. Yay! We hope your day is as great as you are! Oh and the kids sang you a song too! (Again I apologize for their lacking musical skills!)

Since Hunting Season Is Upon Us!

This is seriously cool. Enjoy!

My New Kitchen Bling!!!

In April, we had the opportunity to have a home demonstration for Salad Master where we learned about some seriously great cookware. This cookware has proven to improve peoples' overall physical health as well as to help people lose weight and eat less and more healthily in general. We loved it but could not afford to buy a new set of pans at the time. We made an unspoken decision to work on saving some money to buy some in the future. In the mean time, we have been using our "poison pots" as I dubbed them after hearing about the many health hazards associated with copper, Teflon and a aluminum pot ware!Not long ago I was talking with my good friend who happens to sell these pots and she mentioned she was going to sell a certain set. I immediately offered to buy them from her. And Voila! We have a our new kitchen pots and pans that have a lifetime warranty and look so pretty. I love how they all nest inside each other and the handles are interchangeable. No more "poison pots" for us. And here's to some healthier eating habits. My old pots have been reduced to the camping supplies and that's if we don't just take these with us everywhere we go from now on! Thanks Sandy!

The Halloween Phantom

Last night there was a knock on the door...I quickly opened it to find no one. Looking down I noticed a plate of yummy brownies with a note attached. Hmmm...peculiar! Looking up and down the street I saw no running shadows or car lights fading away. Happily, I picked up the plate and brought it inside to read the note to the kids and decide who we will leave some goodies with tonight. What a fun surprise!Oh, and the brownies were delicious!
Photo courtesy of bakersbakery.wordpress.com

While The Cat's Away....

Since it was a four day weekend for the kids and Jeff is on his seven days off right now, he took the kids camping overnight Friday.

I didn't go because I have already been camping twice this year and I am done until about 2018. So I stayed behind.

They had tons of fun and got to go hiking and shooting.

And spend time with Daddy! He loves spending time with the kids too so everyone was happy!

While Jeff was gone with the kids I took full advantage and decided to re~paint the girls' room. Not too long ago I moved their furniture around and noticed how nasty looking their paint looked. This is because when we first moved in I just hurriedly threw paint on all the walls.

He took the camera with him so I didn't take any "before" shots...but I found one we already had. Don't look too closely at the terrible paint job but you get the idea!

Here is an "after" shot with the shelf I bought at a yard sale for $5. I am glad I was able to incorporate it into the room.

I picked out the paint colors to match this comforter set on their bed. Normally I wouldn't pick out a green...but it matched and I do like it!

I love it when everything is uncluttered...too bad that won't last beyond tonight!

AND my favorite touch: I took down the ceiling fan blades to clean them off and decided to try out some decoupaging...I actually found both of these fabrics in my stash and easily cut them out and glued them on. I think it makes the room just that much cuter!