Redecorating

This summer Josh and I took on the task of redecorating the upstairs and our downstairs guest room. We thought that we'd have the upstairs finished in June, take a rest for the month of July, then finish up the guest room in August. Well, we did get it finished in August but there was no rest. We painted everything - ceilings, doors etc - and it was definitely more time consuming that we expected, especially since we usually only had a chance to work on Saturdays. We also had a really hard time deciding on colours. We ended up with about 20 different tester paints before choosing our final colours. We even painted the whole entry and then decided that we hated the colour (I swear it didn't look pink in the store!), so we repainted it. In the end we are happy with how it all looks and are very happy to be finished!

One of the biggest challenges was finding entertainment for Maya while we painted. She spent a lot of time playing with cousins and friends but when she was home she always wanted to help paint. One day I told her she could paint her own picture on one of the walls in the kitchen. We called it the Great Wall of Maya. The lesson I learned is that big, sloppy handprints on the wall don't get covered up when you repaint. Next time I'll have Maya use a paint brush only.

Entry

Lounge RoomKitchen

Guest Room

Destruction Duo

Before

(They look so innocent)

One night Lucy and Drover got a little scratch happy on our kitchen walls. We patched it up and Josh and Maya added some hopeful "No"s to the wall.

I'm sorry to say that our dogs can't read. They continued to scratch at the areas we'd patch and began some new holes. They made it all the way through the gyprock and chewed up the insulation behind.

They had a chew on the skirting boards too.

Why Drover and Lucy, what white noses you have!

After

(Fortunately we were planning on redecorating our kitchen this summer anyway)

Utah Shakespearean Festival

Last week Mum and Dad took me, Maya, Sara, Alyssa and Kate to the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. Dad arranged for me to use his laptop with its wireless internet in the car so that I could do my work on the drive down. He and Mum were very thoughtful and arranged everything so that we would have a great time, which we did. The didn't let us pay for a single thing ourselves, including the souvenir masks that Maya and Kate got. Thank you Mum and Dad!

We got to Cedar City on Monday in time for all seven of us to see Pride and Prejudice. Maya loves Pride and Prejudice and had just watched the BBC film the week before. Ever since seeing the play she loves it even more. She wants to get an American Girl doll that looks like Elizabeth Bennet and she is planning on dressing up as Lizzy for Halloween. I am really enjoying how much she enjoys that story - it is so much fun to share our love for it together.

Besides seeing the play, Maya was excited to stay in a hotel. She and I were in a room with Sara and Kate and the girls found the whole experience exciting: the door keys, the buffet breakfast, the pool, running back and forth between Mum and Dad's room and ours. I think if we went and stayed at a hotel near home for a few nights Maya would consider it a perfect vacation!

On Monday night the girls went to child care and Mum, Dad, Sara, Alyssa and I went to see Much Ado About Nothing at the outdoor theatre. It was such a good production. I am in constant awe of the ability of the actors to remember all of those lines! I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

On Tuesday afternoon the girls went to child care again and the rest of us saw The 39 Steps. I can see why Tara reviewed it so well on her blog. It was hilarious. This is definitely a play Josh will enjoy and I look forward to seeing it again with him someday.

Statue of Fred C. Adams, the founder of the Festival.
A memorable fountain...

Camp at Wheeler Farm

M and Kate went to a day camp at Wheeler Farm this summer. It went for four weeks and they got to ride a horse, milk a cow, collect chicken eggs, groom a donkey and play and explore around the farm. They had a lot of fun and it was great they got to be there together. One of the duckings in this duck family was often swimming off on its own. The girls named it Independent.
This tree is called the Lightning Tree and the girls were talking about how much fun it was all week. Its a very old Box Elder tree that I guess was hit by lightning years ago. M and Kate are little monkeys who have spent half of the summer in the tree in the front of Mum and Dad's house, so this big climbing tree was perfect.

They were also excited to show me the cubby house in the "back woods." They gave me a tour and even though I can't remember the various areas now (my nickname is Dori) it reminded me so much of the cubby house I had in one part of our yard growing up.

Displaying their sidewalk art. M's is dolphins and Kate's is an undersea scene with a turtle.

Up and Coming Photographer

M's latest career goal is to be a photographer. One day Annabelle came over to play and M took these photos. She chose the outfit and directed the posing.Annabelle enjoyed being the model.

M's next photo shoot was me washing Drover. It's not quite so glamorous as the pictures of Annabelle.

Foot Spa

Josh got me a foot spa for my birthday. I was so excited when I unwrapped it and saw what it was. I love foot spas and my poor feet really need the attention. M was very quick to have a turn at soaking her feet and when Alex came over he got in on the pampering too.
People must know that my feet need attention because Corinne got me a pedicure for my birthday. She and I are going to enjoy a pedicure together this week.

Puppies' First Sleepover and Hike to the Y

We decided to spend Memorial Day with Corinne and her family. We spent the night and then hiked up to the Y. Lucy and Drover got to come. They were cozy on the drive down......and had a cozy place to sleep at Corinne's.The boys were very excited to have two canine house guests. It was great to hike up to the Y with lots of the family.