Grandma Time

As part of this year's Christmas gift, Grandma Smullin wanted to spend 4 hours with each grandchild, doing WHATEVER they wanted to do. This could include a breakfast or lunch. So when we went to Utah for Spring Break, our kids took their turns with grandma.

Abree was first up. She said she wanted to go to IHOP for breakfast, then to "Toys-R-Us" to look at toys. Maybe "look" wasn't exactly what she had in mind. She came home with a mermaid doll. :) Treyson was next. He wanted to go to Golden Corral. (He's an all-you-can-eat type of guy.) Then he said he wanted to "look" at shoes. Grandma said she wasn't buying any shoes today, so they went to Wal-mart and he came home with a new Zhu-Zhu pet.

On Monday morning, Taylee and grandma went to the Village Inn for breakfast, then to Michael's for some crocheting supplies. Taylee had been taught how to sew and knit from grandma, but now wanted to learn how to crochet.

Rylee and grandma went to lunch at Subway. Then off to a place that does nails. Rylee's request was to get her nails done. She got acrylic nails with green sparkle tips.

Grandma got a french manicure.

The kids had a blast spending time with Grandma Smullin.

Thanks Grandma for the wonderful memories!

Sewing with Grandma Smullin

According to Abree and Treyson we have 2 different grandmas.... "The Purple Grandma" (Grandma McKinley) and "The Sewing Grandma" (Grandma Smullin). While "The Sewing Grandma" was staying with us, the kids did some sewing..... of course! :)

First project was pajama pants for Rylee. She had missed the sewing session during the Summer, due to girl's camp, and wanted to learn how to sew. We found some vintage flannel (from Grandma Ison) and an old pj pattern, in my stash, and got to work.

Grandma taught her the basics of cutting out a pattern, the parts and functions of the machine and basic sewing techniques.

(She's wearing the new pajama bottoms. They are a light blue flannel with fluorescent pink and blue elephants. Perfect for bed time attire.)

Next up were book bags... or "side back packs" according to Rylee and Taylee (I tried to convince them that they were actually called book bags, but they wouldn't have it. To them, they were "side backpacks".)

Taylee's sewing skills were still sharp. She remembered the things Grandma had taught her in the summer and has great potential as a seamstress.

The sewing machine they used was new. The kids had received it for Christmas. I thought that they would LOVE it... and they did!

I was glad that now they could practice sewing on a basic machine and I wouldn't have to worry about them "practicing" on mine.

Treyson didn't join the sewing this time. He mostly did this.......

....and this.

Abree also made a bag with Grandma's help. She helped pick out the fabric, so no surprise it's PINK.

Thank you "Sewing Grandma" for your patience and skills!

More Birthday Fun

Some how these photos didn't make it into my last post...

Some of mom's favorite foods and favorite quotes:

"Every time I say the word DIET, I wash my mouth out with chocolate."

"There is a skinny person inside of me screaming to get out... I shut her up with chocolate."

"Well behaved women, rarely make history."

Words she lives by.

Suprise!

Last Saturday, we had a surprise birthday party for Jason's mom.

Background: Mom had been wanting to go to a well-known quilt/fabric shop in Burley, ID. Cathy and Melissa (Jason's sisters) offered to take her on a birthday road trip, from Ogden, UT to the Burley, ID area, for a "Shop Hop".

The set up: Friday, her birthday was celebrated as usual; lunch with friends, dinner with family, presents opened, birthday calls received. We hoped she had no suspicion as to what we were up to.

Saturday, while mom and the girls were shopping, the rest of us gathered in Jerome. We decorated the church and prepared for the surprise. As the "Shop Hop" came to a close, the last address of the day, was typed into the GPS. (Melissa's GPS had been on the fritz, leading them in the wrong direction and to strange locations, all day.) As they approached a corn field, with an LDS church on the right, mom believed the GPS was leading them astray, once again. Then they continued on into the parking lot of the church...

"SURPRISE!!!"

We jumped out, from behind a parked van, and ran to greet her.

We SPOTlighted her all evening.

We had decorated with cute bright colors and pok-a-dots.

We showcased her life with tables of her memories.

Dad made a video, put to music, of her 60 years of life. It included; baby pictures, wedding photos, young mommy moments and grandma shots with grand babies.

On the tables, we had decorated with items associated with events and stories of her life. At one point, in the evening, we asked her to tell us some of those stories. As she held her wedding dress up to her, she made some sort of comment about how it USED to fit. Bob piped up, "Grandma, did you wear that BEFORE you liked chocolate?!"

The stories held the grand kids attention and they ooo-ed and ahhh-ed and laughed at the funny things grandma did as a little girl. (She seemed to have several potty/bathroom stories???)

She told us that she had a little suspicion, but was generally very surprised. It was a nice evening and successful birthday celebration.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

PS- Great job Julia!