April- May and part of June 2014 Ether 12:4

 This picture of Kaeleb represents what we have learned the past 2 and 1/2 months about patience, faith and perseverance.

WARNING:  This story is a little yucky.  Graphic topic, please excuse the potty talk.
It has been a uniquely challenging Spring around here.  During that fun trip to St. George I blogged about last time Kaeleb caught a cold.  It turned into bronchitis, as it always does with him.  In the middle of it he spiked a fever which made us think it went bacterial so he was put on an antibiotic. 

The antibiotic did as antibiotics do and killed all the bacteria in his body... including all the good flora in his intestines.  He started having tummy troubles.  Severe troubles.  Like 15 times a day troubles.  We became a little suspicious after a full week and took a stool sample in to the doctor's office.  

He tested positive for a nasty gut infection called Clostorum Difficile, or C.Diff for short. It is a spore that multiplies like crazy in the absence of healthy gut flora. It sometimes takes several rounds of medication to kill it, and sometimes a nasty procedure I won't mention unless we get to that step.  It is potentially fatal sometimes so we were willing to do whatever it took to get him better. 

He was pale and lethargic, lost weight, and was dehydrated.  He lost his appetite for food and drink and we had to beg and plead for him to eat and drink. The medication tasted HORRIBLE and made him nauseous, so he threw up several times too.  In addition to the medicine he has been taking 3 probiotics and an anti nausea pill.  Let me tell you how fun this has been for everyone... mmm, not much.  He missed more than 2 weeks of school and went for only half a day on the days he could go.  He missed a field trip, playing with friends and school parties.  It was really hard on him!  Kwint and I spent a lot of time worrying, researching, asking advice from Kris, a GI specialist and my nurse friend Aubreigh.

 The picture above represents the day Kaeleb got his MOXIE.  He ate a whole bowl of Top Ramen and drank the broth.  We knew then that he was going to fight as hard as we were to get him better.  He squared his shoulders, became patient with his symptoms, ate as much as he could and drank a ton of root beer.  He got so sick of gatorade and fruit juice that we can't even get it in his sight.  But root beer worked.  Today he took his last dose of the second round of meds.  Now we wait to see if it comes back again.  We have prayed and fasted as a family, and put his name in the temple both in Provo and in Guatemala.  (Thanks Mom!)  We trust that he will be healed and we are so proud of him for all that we have learned from him as he found his faith and strength from the Lord.

Life did keep going as much as it could.  This picture below represents all the Addy and Amy time I have needed to survive this time with joy in my heart.  I paint her nails and do her hair. :)

 Spring in Heber is super funny.  75 degrees one day, snow the next.  This was Brenny in late April.

 Brennan has been the glue holding us all together.  He just keeps bouncing along trying to keep us all happy.  Once in awhile he blows his top and we all remember to chill out.  He is eating pizza after one of our morning trips to Costco.  I am sure going to miss my Brenny time in the mornings when he goes to 1st grade this fall. :(  I have so loved his companionship for the last 5 years of Kaeleb's school life.

 I decided the red accent walls had to go.  I have been craving calm, relaxed, neutral walls so I could accessorize with pops of color.  For 7 months since I painted the cabinets I have been desperate to paint over the red.  It felt so harsh against the white.  So, I finally just did it one day without telling Kwint, as I knew he would object.  I LOVE how the kitchen looks!  Now when I am done with red I can paint all my accessories turquoise.

 

Sometimes I do weird things. Do you see how sad and boring the Kitchenaid mixer looks up there?  I knew it was asking to be red.  So I spray painted it.  Everyone thought I was crazy.  Mostly because I started with the toaster-- you know, to make sure I could actually spray paint an appliance before I tried it on something expensive.  I threw it away and bought a new toaster because the paint got inside the toaster. And to erase the visual reminder of how crazy mom is.  BUT, the Kitchenaid has been thanking me ever since! 

                                                 
 This was my farewell picture to the red living room.  I was super reluctant.  It took hours for me to cross the line from the kitchen to the living room.  I knew the boys would hate it.  Especially Kwint. But my stubborn side won out.

Here it is now... I say calm, relaxing, and neutral.  Kwint and the boys say BORING, lifeless, and ugly.  Oh, you should have heard the horrible things I heard when they got home from school!!! The boys HATE it.  Kwint was at least smart enough not to voice his opinion when he saw how upset I was from the boys' reaction. I admit, I don't love it as much as I was expecting to.  Maybe the artwork doesn't work (too gold) but I just got it for Mother's Day from GnG so it will stay awhile.  Maybe I need patterned curtains?  I am willing to work on it.  It's a work in progress.  The wall has become the canvas instead of the art.  No biggie.  I can handle it.
                                      My next step will be adding trim around the windows like Brian and Annelisa did next door.  Think how nicely that white trim will look with my white mantle!  That may be the thing that will add what is missing and hopefully then, everyone will feel better.
                                    
 This is simply a funny moment one day when I was busy and told Brennan to make himself lunch.  He ate an entire half loaf of french bread.  Not sure how school went after that, he may have slept through it.

 Memorial Day weekend Kaeleb was feeling better and GnG had just purchased a new RV (Gma's retirement present!!) so we asked them to take the boys on an adventure while we celebrated our anniversary a bit early.  They ended up staying in Layton, which worked out because while we were off having all our 14 year celbrations, Kaeleb got sick again and it was good they were home. Bleh!  But let's not think about that right now!

We started by attending a friend's wedding, and then an evening mountain bike ride at Dutch Hollow.

 I need to get the rest of the pictures from Kwint's camera to tell the full story of the next day which we spent at the cabin, biking to the lake, and enjoying the aspen forests.  (I bought an aspen tree that next week to plant in our yard.  I know they spread annoying runners.  But I love them!)

On Monday we went for a hike up and a trail run down a mountain.  I do love our style of dating.  Dinner and a movie is not it.  Our style is a workout.  So, yeah, we do weird things.  It's what we like.

 And then we did also go to a restaurant and see a movie. :)

 Meanwhile, the boys played with sticks in GnG's backyard.

 Oh, another Addy day.  Sometimes I just go over to Amy's and bring her home with me.  She helped me plant flowers this day.  Until a crazy torrential rain suddenly hit.  It lasted only 5 minutes.

 It happened to be the same 5 minutes that the boys were walking home from the bus stop.  I don't know if you can tell how drenched Kaeleb is in this pic.   And please, ignore the disorganized garage.  Now that I pointed it out.  It will be one of my summer projects.

 And somehow, it was the last day of school.  HOW did the year pass so quickly??  This was one of those great days, when Brennan graduated from kindergarten and made me cry happy tears.  Kaeleb barfed in the entry way of the school just minutes before this picture was taken.  Later that night Brennan cut his finger on a tin can and stared at the blood until he also barfed on the kitchen floor.  Fabulous.

 These are my June 1st pictures of my flower beds.  I am determined to make something pretty outside.  I am sick of being jealous of Annelisa's flowers and decided if I want mine to look as good I better be outside as much as she is.  It has been fun chatting with her across the yards.

And-- Welcome BASEBALL SEASON!

Brennan is on the Braves this year and thwocks the ball like a champ!  He and Ashton are on the same team.  The catcher just would not move so I could get a good pic.  But he is there, number 9, up to bat.

 And here he is on 1st.

 This represents all of my trips to the cute boutiques in town.  I love the home decor world a little too much.

 And this is a sweet moment, making s'mores on Friday night (June 6th).  The boys ate their s'mores and then ran off to play night games with their friends.

 And that is when things got ugly.  Brennan took a hit to the face.  It was accidental.  A 13 year old neighbor was looking for a flag (capture the flag is their go-to game) he lifted up a sprinkler box lid and threw it behind him, in hopes that the flag was hidden inside.  He didn't know Brennan was standing behind him.  It hit him square in the mouth and shredded his gums.  They were pulled completely off his top teeth to the roots and looked like hamburger.  EW!  One tooth is loose but none were lost.  We took him to Kris who cleaned him up and advised us on saltwater rinses and soft foods.  He is so tough and takes pain so well.  And so far the gums have already reattached though they are caked with scabs.  What trauma!  It has been so emotional to be worried about both kids at the same time.

This picture represents our peace in troubled times.  We have needed to be there and are grateful to have a temple nearby.  I am thankful for worthy priesthood holders who have been ready at a moment's notice to bless our boys.  (Kwint, Kris and Ryan, I thank you!)

                                                           

Spring Break

This week was Spring Break.  We spent the first few days at home, since Kwint and I had to work.  The weather was PERFECT so the boys played outside ALL day for 3 days while I worked on the computer and did a few projects...

My first ever cushion.  This was Grandpa Vic's "Captain's Chair"  It sat at the head of his and Ruth's table. (see last post)

 And my favorite... Addy's dresser!  I love the ombre!  I took the 3 paint colors from our basement TV cupboard and created 2 more for this dresser.  Amy and I had fun with this one while the boys played the Wii. :)

 Remember how dedicated I am to making something of my flower beds this year?  Here's my first attempt. I have 3 perennial bushes in the front bed and I added some daffodils and purple tulips... at least they should be purple, though I have not seen them yet... Obviously the edges need to be cleaned up and either pavers or curbing will spruce the place up.  But at least I got out and tried!  Me and my black thumb!! 

We spent the rest of Spring Break in St. George, which was a lot of fun.  We are always flooded with memories of living there, which has made it hard to feel like a vacation spot again.  But this time, it
did feel like a vacation, and was renewing and relaxing, even though we crammed in several bike rides, two hikes, a trip to a museum, and a BBQ at Tam's.  I always forget to take pictures on trips, why?  Who knows.  But here are a few, at least:

                                                                     BrenKae

 (this is their nickname when we mix up their names, which also is a handy way to refer to both of them at the same time. Ha!)

Here is the brood of cousins, minus Saige who was ahead of the group, but just as cute.

                                                      MamaDada and BrenKae

                           Yes, we have a joint nickname too, given to us by Kaeleb at 10 months old.

                                        Here they are scrambling up the red rocks...

 And, vandalizing the walls of a cave... which we scolded them for and so they wiped it off.

 St. George Children's Museum- What a fun place!  The kids go room to room learning about different careers.  This was in the farm room.  Gracie is driving a farm truck.

 Kaeleb and Brennan flying an airplane in the Airport room

 Kaeleb sending himself through the x-ray machine on a conveyor belt... What kids doesn't want to do that?

 And Brennan, being an auto mechanic.

 There was also a post office, bank, government office, stage and sound room, and much more.

On Saturday I went with Tam to look at chalk paint.  She has several pieces of furniture from Grandpa PM and Grandma Lettie as well as from Dave's parents who have both passed away.  A few of those were built by Dave's grandpa.  She is ready to paint them and hasn't used chalk paint before.  Oh boy!  Is she in for a treat!  She is about to be converted and obsessed like me!!  I just know it!

These are cute pieces at a store called Grey Beginnings, which I am ready to transport to my own shop which I don't own yet, but wish I did.

There were two of these super cute side tables.  I want them so bad!!  If I'd had room in the car.... I still wouldn't have needed them.  But I still want them.

 I love the color of this dresser, although I may never be bold enough to use it in my own house.  It was pretty.  It's more coral than it looks here.

 This little table is the color Tam liked best.  I can't wait to see her furniture!!!

One of the stores sold chalk paint dust, which you add to boiling water and a cup of latex paint to turn it into chalk paint.  You can choose any color you want, and it is half the price of Annie Sloan.  So, I bought some, of course.  And I need to paint something before Thursday using it, so I can tell Tam if it is good paint or not.  She has this Friday off and is going to buy her paint on Thursday, from one store or the other.  My problem is... I have nothing left to paint.  Except the rocking chair in the living room, but I feel like it needs to stay in it's wood finish. Hmmm,  or the front porch bench?? I just happened to notice it in the picture below..... Or maybe the tray tables we never use?  Perfect!  Stay tuned!

This is what we found upon our return home:  My daffodils bloomed!  Still waiting on those purple tulips!

The Basement Ramblings

 Happy Spring!  This week it got cold, rainy and windy outside.  But not INSIDE my house... Amy gave me these tulips for my birthday.  They are REAL.  You can see the bulbs.  And in the fall, I can plant them.  Isn't that a smart gift?

 Last Sunday we had a little party for my birthday and Aunt Marie's over at Kris and Barbi's.  Aunt Marie is 89 now.  And still driving herself down to St. George for the winters!  Wow!

I bought some new clothes with my birthday money... and this red clock, which reminds me of Amy because she loves clocks, and a bunch of chalk paint.  Which I used to:

...paint the bedroom set I didn't want to sand and stain.  I am a little shocked by the darkness, but Kwint LOVES it.  The color is called "Semi Sweet".  I used a new-to-me brand called "Rethunk Junk".  Don't tell Annie Sloan, but I actually like it better than hers.

AND..... Sometimes I do weird things.  Like paint the old furniture that was rotting in the unfinished basement.

Why would I do such a thing?  I am still asking myself that question.  The main answer to that is, I want to start a blog about furniture makeovers.  I love it so much that I kind of want to start a painting business and redo everyone else's furniture, since I am officially out of things to paint at my house.  I love how I have made old hand me down "junk" into something unique and "ours".  I would love to do it for others. I decided to practice with different paints and primers on the old junk.

I have always hated going down in the basement.  It is dark and cold and surrounded by insulation, raw wood, and pipes sticking out everywhere. I thought, "If I make the old junk cute and decorate it, I can pretend the basement is finished and maybe I will like it enough to hang out there and it can be my craft room."

I needed a workshop, because it is too cold outside and Kwint is not loving the medley of paint spills I have decorated our garage floor with.  Eventually, I want to build a workshop in the back side yard where I can do furniture, but for now, I decided to section off a chunk of the basement for painting. I have a good heater and two big windows for ventilation.  So, welcome to my workshop!

I was so excited to start painting that I neglected to take "Before" pictures, so bear with me and imagine these pieces old and dark with brass hardware.

 This piece, I now love.  I HATED this armoire!  It had big, heavy decorative doors which I removed and threw away in the same breath.  I was going to chuck the whole thing but one day while perusing Pinterest I discovered the lovely idea to paint a dresser white with turquoise "ombre" drawers.  I was desperate to try it.  It became the "media center" in our basement, where the kids can watch movies while I paint this summer.  Now I feel pretty tempted to ombre Kaeleb's dresser with Navy fading up to light blue.  Not sure how he will feel about it yet... not that I ever ask first...

 This is Grandmas Ruth Kemp's table and chairs.  She gave it to us when we moved to Ivins, when, at the same time, she and Vic moved into a care center in Kaysville. They both passed away shortly thereafter and the table is a family treasure.  I painted it black a few years ago but I used a spray varnish on top of spray paint, which ended up peeling and it looked AWFUL.   This time I used chalk paint and it better stick!!  I have had great success with chalk paint so far, so my fingers are crossed.  The color is "Cotton".  The chairs I spray painted, and they are already chipping, so I will have to repaint them eventually with chalk paint.  I just hate painting the spindles with a brush.  Super annoying.  But, the colors make me happy.  The kids sat here and did their homework while I painted one night.  I have visions of them nicely playing board games in this nook. Ha!  It will be chaos like everything else.

 This little stool belonged to Kwint's Great-Grandma Lettie, who died when he was a baby.  We love it, because she was so dear to his mom. 

 This bed frame was Kwint's Grandpa DeVon's.  It has been many colors, most recently, green.  His parents gave it us when we moved into our Green Valley house.  It was Kaeleb's bed there. It is our guest bed now.  My mom and Gary have slept here a few times.  An unfinished basement is not much of a luxury guest room, but it is a bed, at least.  They are leaving on another mission in May, so no one will be using it, but I redecorated it so I would like to look at it while I sew.  I need to take a close up shot of the duvet, since you can't really see the details.  I made it from a set of sheets from Walmart.  It has little circles in turquoise, navy, and lime.

The nightstands were honey oak.  We made them one summer when Kris was home from med school.  Bailee was a baby, and we had no kids yet.  We made them for our bedroom in the Clearfield Condo.  I really love the lamps.  Amy bought the same ones for Addy's room and I got jealous, so I went and got some for myself.  I felt sort of guilty about making actual purchases on an unfinished basement.  Not guilty enough to take them back though.

Across the room is my sewing desk.  I used regular latex paint and primer on that one.  I definitely prefer chalk paint.  It just goes on more smoothly.  My favorite thing is the chair.  It was a cheap task chair from Walmart and was all black.  I spray painted the frame and reupholstered the seat back and cushion in this cute turquoise chevron fabric.

I also spray painted the ladder teal.  Like I said, I do weird things.

On Friday we babysat the Starks kids while they went to the temple, so Addy was the first guest to use the media center.  She watched a little bit of Brave and then we all watched Frozen. Well, actually, they sword-fought and used the banana chair as a slide while Frozen played in the background. Brennan gave Addy his old tickle me Elmo.  Look how happy it made her!!