Saturday, January 31, 2009

An Inconvenient Debt

Our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren are going to curse our very names...

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Baby, Baby

Our lovely Miss Avalon has been growing, and I need to post more pictures of her. She is bringing much joy to our home!

Christmas Eve




Meeting Granna




Fashionista!(Check out those cute boots I got at her baby shower!)




First Smiles!!!



Little Miss Placid

I know, I know-- I'm shameless. But we are having so much fun with this little angel! :-)

Saturday, January 03, 2009

2008: Year in Review

It's a tradition in my family for my mom to give each one of her children a "Year in Review" questionnaire to fill out. I thought it would be fun to share my answers on my blog this year!


1) A Great Adventure: Morganne and Brennan and I all got to be involved in last year's Shakespeare class's production of "Twelfth Night." Brennan had the lead role of Sebastian, Morganne was Olivia's maid, and I was in charge of the costumes. (My sainted mother-- a wise, experienced, professional costume designer-- came and helped me out a ton. THANKS MOM!!!) We each learned a lot, and had a blast!

Morganne with Lady Olivia


Brennan giving his soliloquy


My mom and Lliam modeling some of the fruits of our labors


The Cast of "Twelfth Night"



2) A Happy Event: Well, I can't just pick one! In 2008, (March) Gavin got baptized,



... (August) Lliam received the Aaronic Priesthood and was ordained a deacon,


...and our Miss Avalon finally arrived, amidst much joy and rejoicing! (December)



3) A Sad Event: We had to sell our much-loved home in Mesa, because we could no longer afford it, and moved into a rental. We do like our new home, but we really miss the yard and trees!

"Nestlewood Cottage"

4) Looking Forward to: Getting out of debt, directing "A Midsummer Night's Dream," finishing my four books. (!!!)

5) Something for the books:
In June, I went to San Diego without hubby or kids for Shakespeare training and had a blast! It was my first time in California, and I fell in love with it.

The beach at Encinitas

My Fellow Shakespeare Trainees, Megan (l), and Reya (r)


6) Don't Remind Me!: I ended up firing my midwife, whom I LOVE. (See my post in November for more details.) I felt terrible...

7) New Interest or Hobby: I have had a wonderful time teaching Shakespeare to homeschooled teens. Morganne, Brennan, and Lliam are really loving the class, and my other 26 students seem to like it, too.
Everyone loves a coronation!

8) Car Story: Hmmm... we really don't have one this year. Our BIG van (Ruby-Mae) and Russell's Caddie are still getting us where we need to go.

9) Kid Story: Well, it's rather late in the year, but I guess our MacKenna wanted one last "hurrah." On December 30th, she decided to sit in the bathroom sink upstairs while she let the water overflow-- TWICE in that one day!!! (Russell has since turned the water off under the sink.) The carpet in her room is still damp, and we're hoping there's no lasting damage to the house. (groan!) She seems to be having a rough time being three... *sigh*


10) Miracle: In spite of the odds, our house in Mesa sold!!! (We won't talk about how much less it sold for than we paid for it.) We know that God was mindful of us, and we are sooo grateful!

All in all, I think 2008 was a great year for us, and I am confident that 2009 will be even better.

(Thanks, Mom, for providing the questions!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!