MISHA

This is the newest member of our family. I use that phrase loosely, she won't be in any family photos or anything. Her name is Misha. (Pronounced Mee-sha). Here is the story: When Richard was interviewing for jobs he had two offers that we were considering. One was in Boise and the other in Las Vegas. I was looking for adventure and I wanted to go to Vegas. He felt better about the offer here and so he promised me a puppy as a consolation gift. He isn't really a "dog person" so this was a big sacrifice. Well, conveniently for Richard we bought a house with no fence so I didn't get a puppy. Fast forward 18 months and we are 3 weeks away from building our fence. A high school friend of Richard's comes over for dinner and tells us that his parent's dog Abby had a litter of puppies, looking for homes. The next day I went to meet the puppies and she stole my heart. Richard lived up to his end of the bargain and here she is.
We could not come up with a name and my dad who has a brilliant imagination was throwing things out there. I think he was only 10% serious when he said "Misha" but we liked it. She is a pure-bred Golden Retriever. I don't really care about pedigree but it's a nice bonus. Scott's parent's gave us a great deal.
Cameron loves this puppy. He asks about her first thing in the morning and first thing after his nap. She is currently residing in the garage (no fence) but he loves to take her in the backyard and "chase".
I forgot how much I love puppies and dogs. They are so energizing. She loves to play and she is so trusting and affectionate. I love the way she looks at me expectingly and the way she cocks her head.
This is Eli looking on to the action. He loves her too. When we first brought her home he would just watch her and giggle. We are looking forward to warm weather again to spend more time outside with our new little buddy.

My favorite things, Today


If you can't tell, this is a sunshine. I love this time of year and I get so excited for Spring. Yesterday it was 60 degrees and I was driving with my windows down.

I know there are mixed opinions about this movie. There were things about it that I really didn't like. But setting those things aside I thought it was very powerful. For me the mark of a good movie is if it makes me feel something (not including anger) and if it makes me think. I thought about this movie for days. I'll be honest, I didn't really love the first God's Army and I had no intention of seeing the second one until I read my brother's review. I hope he doesn't mind if I share because he is a much better write than I am. After I saw the movie the review summed up my feelings very well.
"The humanity of the characters is what drives the main themes of repentance and Grace (the title is perfect because each character experiences Grace in a different way). There are twists in the plot but they are twists of agency consistent with the weaknesses and strengths of the characters. I could go on and on, but to do so would probably require me to give away too much. It's enough to say it's a really compelling story about people, some of whom happen to be LDS missionaries, but all of whom experience the Atonement in some way. " - Bryan Hall

And lastly, a new treat I discovered. I usually just put Nutella on crepes or toast, but the other day I had the brilliant idea to make a wafer-nutella sandwich. It was delicious. My new favorite treat.

My projects

I painted this dresser a long time ago and it really needed something. My first attempt was some sticker paper letters that Cameron peeled off. So I tried these little birds, decoupage. I got the idea from Martha.
I hope they aren't too girly. I guess maybe I should have done cars or elephants. Oh well.
These are just empty food storage cans that I spray painted. They make good storage for little things.
Not very fancy but very cheap!

Time to take a break!

So I am DEFINITELY spending too much time blogging. Today I stumbled upon a blog of an old friend, which led me to a link to another friend, and another and so on. You know how it goes. Anyway all the sudden I am seeing links on blogs to other blogs of people I know and I am thinking "Oh my, how does so-and-so know Bob? And how does Bob know Sue?" This world is just so small! But now I am panicking because my boys are waking up from their naps and I have been sitting at this computer for a long time and have accomplished nothing. Just wanted to share how glad I am for blogs to make the world not quite so big! Good to see you all old friends!

Sepia tone lovin'




Something about sepia just makes pictures look better.

What Little E has Been Up to

Cameron got this little push toy when he turned one year old, and Eli has discovered it. He acts so proud of himself when he takes a few steps.

The poor little guy, when he gets tired he crawls to his blanket and just buries his head in it.