We were delighted to have Mom and Dad Foutz visit this past week. They came out to help on the house as well as to visit. Their trip was just the energy we needed to finish up some long “listed” projects. There were several smallish projects in the kitchen that have long driven me crazy,…

A family in my ward is adopting a little girl from Kazakhstan this month. I talked with the mother and two daughters today at church and was touched by their excitement. I was impressed by the long process they have patiently gone through in order to welcome their youngest boy and now this daughter into…

Our tomatoes are doing well. They were inflicted with late blight, but it hasn’t been to harsh, and they are producing lovely. It seems everyday there is a little bag-full of cherry tomatoes for Tom to take for lunch.The cucumbers are growing beautifully. I purposefully planted the close to the edge so they would trail…

I have felt a need to focus on something besides just the home renovations for the next week. Most of the remaining tasks fall under Tom’s line of duty and he’s going to wait and do them with his dad when he comes. Basically the carpentry projects, cutting and adding thresholds, installing the remaining baseboards…

This week I finally checked two long listed to-dos off the eternal list. See below: It’s still in need of some wood trim around the sides, but it sure looks better than the old one with a third of the tiles missing. I was pretty proud of myself because I did the entire projects one…

August marks one year for us in 17105 Lomond Blvd. Mainly for my own enjoyment, but perhaps also for yours I wanted to post a combination of pictures of what the house looked like when we bought it, and what it looks like in present day.   This is the house when we bought it. …

I have a strong belief in the power of the Priesthood. I believe that the priesthood is God’s power given to man to do His work. I believe that the Priesthood is passed down through worthy men, and that it is ordained of God. I don’t think the Priesthood can be acquired through a program…

After spending more time with my camera over the last little while, I’ve felt determined to improve my photography skills. I am very very amateur, but I love the art form, and figure I’ll only get better with experience.  I’ll post pictures I’ve taken every little while. I would love to hear ideas, suggestions, or…

So it’s official. I’m passionate about flowers. People often laugh when I tell them how excited I am that I found a crocosmia at my local nursery, or that I’m thrilled that my tomatoes are ripening (We’ve already harvested about eight!). Why the need to make it official? I’ll tell you. Somehow, despite others’ surprise,…

Who would have thought one day Tom and I would drive to our local high school and listen to the President of the United States speak? I sure didn’t. So you can imagine my surprise, first, when I found out he was coming; and second, when Tom called to tell me his name was drawn…