Project Uplift--UPDATED!

Caution! Under construction!

If you look past the cute kid you'll see the wall paper that was in our bathroom. My sister in law was jealous because she's into the 1950's era. We hated it. It was silver with butterflies in pastel blues and yellows. The wall paper was on two walls of the bathroom and plain white paint on the other two walls.



So, one day about a week after Tom got the staples out of his head, he decided it was time to remodel the bathroom. Before long I was wishing he had waited until my foot was healed before starting.

He started by texturing the walls...in huge sweeping designs. (The kids helped him...lol.) Then he painted. I didn't feel like going to the store with him so we ended up with purple paint that dried about twice as dark as it started. It was way too overpowering for that small room.

So, the next trip to the store I went with him. Unfortunately, the shade I wanted is right between the one we got and the next one up. There is no middle ground on purple paint. The salesman made sure we had primer this time, and Tom applied it to the bathroom...and the dark purple paint came down in sheets!



Next he decided he needed to scrape everything off the walls and ceiling. He practically had it down to the plaster. Finally, he textured again, applied the primer and then the paint. The last step was the deep clean...

He's still working on that, but at least the bathroom is now livable!

The problem with painting is that other things look old and used. I made a new curtain for the window from a shower curtain, and I bought a new cup, soap dispenser and rug.



Notice the container sitting on the sink. I'm so used to living on a shoe string. Why go buy toilet brush holders for good money when an old ice cream container will work just as well? A friend recently posted on her blog about covering a container with scrapbook paper and modge podge. Now our old ice cream container/toilet brush holder looks kinda cute, if I do say so myself...Thanks for the inspiration, Mandi!



Tom painted the door with the purple paint and scrubbed the door knob until it shines. He painted the trim with pure white. Notice the light switch...he still needs to clean the texturing stuff off.

I also bought a new towel rack, and found one I liked over at Freddie's. It was half-off and they gave me another $1.50 off at the register. I hung it on the wall.



We have no room for toothbrush holders in our bathroom, but I saw this idea at a friend's house when we took our vacation back east. There's two pockets for each of us to store toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and whatever else.



Last, but not least...

For those of you who are like me and forgot what one of these looks like...

Tom bought a brand new heat vent cover! He looked at the old one (probably original equipment from the 1950's) and decided we needed a new one that works and doesn't have 14 coats of paint on it...lol.



Now that the work is done, I am so glad we did it! I love my new bathroom! Stay tuned for future projects.

Eagle Cake

When Johnathan had his Eagle Court of Honor I made a special cake for the refreshments. I made the center part of the Eagle badge in color flow icing and the rest in regular buttercream frosting. All that was on a cake made by yours truly. 100% homemade by mom.

Well, this time around Johnathan is coming home on Thursday. Company is coming Thursday and Friday afternoon, our nephew is racing in the Twilight Criterium Saturday, followed by Timothy's Eagle Court of Honor. With all that going on I decided the cake will be a Winco special this time around. Tim chose white cake with chocolate frosting and raspberry filling. The writing will say, "Congratulations, Eagle Scout!"

This is the decoration for the cake...



The entire thing is color flow icing. The kids talked me into letting them help so it's a little rough, but it's the memories that count.

My email fix for the week

Last week...

its wierd to think that the mission is really coming to a close. this transfer like every transfer is flying by and fast as it possibly can. i gave my testimony in my final zone conference. all the signs are pointing towards boise but it still doesnt feel like its accually here. all i can do is keep going, sprint to the end and then watch life as it changes 1000% again.well i love ya dad
john

This week...

sounds like you had a really really neat week and an opportunity to ponder and in turn recieve that direction. i love how that pattern works. desire to know something, study it out, ponder and receive. its a process which repetes itself over and over and over again in the book of mormon. this week has been a good one for me. ive been faced with some new trials in not used to facing. even right on down to this last transfer. and these things have certainly been for my good. i still can hardly beleive that ive only got a week left. i imagine itll hit me about the time i take a drive by myself after ive been released that im going home just like it didnt really hit me that i was leaving to come here to indiana until about mid mtc. awesome job on doing your member missionary work!! i wanna thank you for the missionaries there for doing that. i challenge you to share your missionary expereinces in fast and testimony meeting. that way others can feel the spirit of it and do it themselves!! well hey ill see ya in a week or so. i love ya
john

your experience with your foot reminds me of doctrine and covenants 121. in this section joseph starts out with his prayer which is basically him complaining about his situation and expressing that he feels like he and the saints are being forsaken despite the fact that theyve done everything the lord has expected of them. he tells god to take care of their enemies and make things better and then the lord says "peace be unto thy soul" and that his "affliction will be but a small moment" and that if he endures it well he'll be exalted on high. so mom, endure it well, as youre doing, and God will exhalt you to the person you want to be and the person he wants you to be. its been a pretty good week here. i have a couple more requests real quick. first. one of the ladies here was interested in getting a recipe for shepards pie. and also if its not too late i know dad was looking around for work while im between mission and school. what about the boise tour train? well weve continued to see miracles here in elwood. so much has happened in elwood i dont know where to start. weve been finding a ton of new people and learning a lot as weve been working through struggles with our companionship. the sanmigels are doing well. theyre pretty busy now because of work and its hard to sit down with them but they still have interest. Bill and Teresa Blake and still progressing slowly but surely. its been hard to recontact some of the new investigators we've recieved but were working hard and getting it done! know im doin well and i love you all and ill see ya soon
john

Family Night Fun

Hannah taught us what she learned at girls camp. If you are on facebook, I've linked to a video of bishop's night at girls camp. It's fun to watch.

Gratitude

I’m grateful that Hannah and James had a great time at camp and returned home safely.

I’m grateful for great teenagers who are making correct choices in their lives. I’m grateful for the things they teach me every day and for the privilege of associating with them. Our family would not be the same without them.

I’m grateful for a missionary son who is working so hard he doesn’t know what day it is or have time to write more than a few lines in an email each week. We have been greatly blessed because of his service. The time has gone so quickly, but we do look forward to seeing him in 12 days!

I’m grateful for medical technology. Besides our accidents, in the last 6 weeks our niece was in an accident on a 4-wheeler and sustained serious injuries to her face. Our nephew who has epilepsy had brain surgery. Also, one of my sisters had extremely bad migraines this week. Without the medical technology we have today all of them could have had very different results from their health issues.

I’m grateful for friends and family to lean on in times of need. From shopping to letting me cry on their shoulders, I appreciate all they have done for me.

I’m grateful for our country and the freedoms we enjoy. I’m grateful that I can choose where to live and how to live. I’m grateful for the privileges we enjoy, and for the service of so many men and women that allow me to live safely in this country.

I’m grateful for our religious freedom. I’m grateful for my forefathers and the sacrifices they made to make my life and blessings possible.

I’m grateful for the love of Heavenly Father. He loves me no matter what I do or don’t do. I’m grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ, and the fact that the atonement can be applied to my life and be a great blessing to me. I’m grateful for the gospel knowledge I have to guide me, and for every part of the church from leaders to programs to opportunities to serve, learn and grow.

I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July!

Quiet time is ending

Hannah just came home from girl's camp. She had a great time. It was her first year. She loves camping and the outdoors. She gets along with everyone and makes friends easily. And I don't think she ever gets homesick. I really wasn't too worried about her.

Reunion

Every year we go to the Bright Family Reunion. It is the one reunion we look forward to, and actually the only one we attend every year. This reunion is for the decendents of Hazen Wesley and Leah Merrill Bright. Their photos are the first two photos on the slide show above.

For decades we have been meeting one weekend a year and camping for a couple nights. The two most common locations for this reunion is Willow Flats Campground near Preston, Idaho, and the Malibu Campground in Logan Canyon.

Every year the group gets bigger and bigger. Some people are campers like us and others only come for Saturday and go home after dinner. It works no matter what you decide to do. When everyone is there the parking lot is completely packed. It's a challenge to find a parking space sometimes when you're the last ones to arrive! This year, for the first time, we were FIRST to arrive.

After we said goodbye to the Grubers at the Sunrise Campground, we headed into Logan for Linda to get online, to pick up a "few" groceries, and to wait out the storm. When we saw a break in the clouds we headed to the campground and set up camp. Later we returned to Logan for some rainy day activities.

First we visited the Logan temple grounds. My great great grandpa was the first Logan temple president, and my grandparents on my mom's side worked as officiaters there for several years. Grandpa was the only officiater over the age of 90 working at the temple. Grandma and Grandpa Housley's photos are also in the slide show above.



Later in the afternoon we found a cheap movie theater and watched a movie.



Logan Temple in the evening
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We camped in the Malibu Campground Wednesday and Thursday nights. Then it was time to move to the group site for the reunion. We just picked up the tents and walked them to the group site.








Moving the small stuff...



Hanging the tarp...again...







After the work was done, the kids tried drinking from the thermos without a cup.

Then we waited for people to arrive...

There's a baby moose in our camp!

This photo sums up Saturday...

My cousin, Sherwin saying, "BRRRR, IT'S COLD!"

It rained ALL day!

The afghan I made for the raffle

The doily I tatted for the raffle

I also knitted some crazy socks, but didn't get photos of them.

During the day Saturday, Tom decided he needed to go somewhere for some excitement (and warmth). I laughed to see 4 of my cousins directing him out of the parking lot!

Sunday we packed up to come home. This is a view of the temple as we came out of the canyon. Every time we visited our grandparents in Cache Valley while we were growing up my sister asked mom and dad to drive around the Logan temple on our way to their house (and on the way home, too).

There was one other memorable story from this trip. On the second day, Shellece's camera battery was dead so Linda and I kept taking photos and planned to send them to Shellece later. We mentioned that we should download them onto Linda's laptop at the end of our time together...that didn't happen. On Friday I was messing around with my camera and accidentally reformatted my memory card. Later that evening Linda was messing around with her camera and erased all her photos.

So how did we get so many photos?! I came home, found a recovery program I could use for free and managed to save most of the photos on Linda's card. Mine was hopeless. At least we ended up with a good selection of photos anyway! But lesson learned...never mess with your camera until all the photos are downloaded!

Caves and Springs

We did lots of exploring with the Grubers. The first photos are from the Paris Ice Cave. There is ice in it year round.


Tom and James slid down the snow you see in this photo.


The exit of the cave

Tim and James going to the mouth of the cave.

The exit is visible from the entrance. We could have spent hours at this cave climbing the rocks and exploring. It is not improved at all...it's just there in the rough.

Another place of exploration was Paris Springs. It was 300 yards from the Paris campground. That is a beautiful campground.

The Minnetonka Cave was a work out. 896 stairs round trip.

This is the bride and groom. The bride is above and the groom is below. I was told that the guide said when they get together they will be married...but in the meantime they are having a very long engagement.

The Seven Dwarf room and Casper the friendly ghost.

These are the "Stairway to Heaven"...71 steps. They went up them and then turned around to come back out of the cave.

St. Charles canyon

Tres amigas! Linda, Ann and Shellece

This is the back of the Paris Tabernacle. The guide told us that when they started putting the roof on they realized that the pitch of the roof was wrong on one side of the wall. Look closely and you can see a line just below the roof line on the right side of the photo. They had to add a bit to make the roof fit right. All the adults in our group looked at each other and said, "Tim Perry would have loved that story!"

Paris Tabernacle from the front. The ceiling in this building was made by a ship builder so it looks just like the inside of a boat, but turned upside down.

Next post...

Bright Family Reunion

Camping with the Grubers

This was our third year camping with the Grubers. They introduced us to Idaho by taking us to Baumgartener Campground and Grandjean Campground. So, this year since they moved to Utah we decided to introduce them to Utah just a bit, and we went to Bear Lake.

We didn't know we were going to be camping during one of the coldest, wettest June's in history.
We arrived Saturday to rain and freezing temperatures. We could see our breath in the air. Dinner took forever to cook because the cold ground just sucked the heat out of the charcoal. Also, we couldn't get a good fire going because all the wood was wet. We joked about going to Gruber's and camping at their new house. After that first night we figured out a few tricks and cooking time was cut dramatically, and we did manage to get a good fire or two going. Every day got a little better as far as weather was concerned until finally Tuesday was beautiful.


Apples to Apples was a huge hit in our campsite. The kids played that every chance they could.

Here's the whole group.

The Grubers

Here we are.

On Sunday we drove all the way around the lake.

We thought it would be too cold to swim. The kids thought otherwise. Here are Hannah and Aseana.

And here's James.

Playing in the sand.

Boys will be boys...Sean and Tom doing donuts on the beach

Sean and Shellece found lots of things for us to do that we had never known about. It was crazy that we had been going to Bear Lake our entire lives and never knew about caves and springs, etc. Bear Lake Hot Springs was one of those finds. I think we never knew about it because mom and dad were always vacationing on a shoe string and didn't want to pay for 9 kids to play in the hot springs when a perfectly good lake was available for only $4.

Tim, James and Gordon are playing ball.

Tim and Gordon

I'll add more later. Other finds were the Minnetonka Cave, the Paris Springs and Ice Cave, and the Paris Tabernacle. The week ended with the Bright Family Reunion. I have lots more to show you!