30 May 2014

Introducing Grandchild #8

  Baby Grace Teralyn joined the Lee branch of our eternal family in June 2014
 The happy family all together 
Big sister Sophia is very happy to have a little sister 
We were fortunate to have Jason & Lissa with their girls and Tyler & Rachel with their son with us all at the blessing day. 
 A proud father 
Happy 3 generation photo
Granddad Carson enjoys a quiet moment with Baby Grace
Baby Grace modes her newest outfit on a blanket created for her by Grandma Carson and Great-Grandmother Lorene Christensen
A cute close-up of her blessing dress, created by Grandma Carson and Adrianne just for Grace.  It is made to resemble Adrianne's wedding dress with fabric leftover from when Elaine made Adri's wedding dress six years ago. 
Editors Note: Details were left out on purpose to prevent identity theft. Those who know the family have access to the details elsewhere

29 May 2014

April and The Rest of May

I shall forever be playing catch up on this blog....
I invited the neighbor ladies over for a cherry blossom luncheon on the 17th.
 It was fun to get out my pink tablecloths and flower-charger plates.
 I served two different types of savory crepes for the main course.

 Then there was a crepe bar for dessert. I guess it was a hit because I didn't have any leftovers!
 I made these cherry blossom cookies from sugar cookie dough,
and packaged them up to give to the ladies as they went home. It was a nice way to welcome Spring!
Here's one of the Easter bunny cookies I made, too.
 Here are some pictures from when Kent's younger brother, Joe, came to visit at the end of April. It was his first time to see Washington, DC.
 You can see they had lovely weather, and rented bikes to do their sightseeing.

On the Saturday before Mother's day I put on a mother-daughter lunch for the activity day girls. There were 24 girls and their moms who attended.

Kent, as usual, helped me with the set-up. I put up a photo booth where the girls could take pictures with their moms wearing hats, boas,or scarves. Then we ate a nice lunch of chicken pasta salad, croissants, veggies and fruit pizza, (all which I made by myself), and then the girls presented a skit for their mothers. It was my last activity with them since I was released the next week.
Kent had purchased a living social deal on tandem skydiving, and made his jump in May.  I wasn't interested in skydiving, but went along to document the occasion.
Kent was by far the oldest person who was making a jump that day.
 Not that you can really see that this is Kent, but it is.  The first thing he said after he landed was that once was enough for him.
Each spring we try to visit the National Arboretum in Washington, DC when the azaleas are in bloom. 
 By the time we went in May they were past their prime, but there were still some lovely blooms.

We've been seeing signs to the "Lyndon Johnson Memorial Grove" for all the years we've lived here, so we finally went to check it out.  It wasn't that exciting, just a small park along the Potomac River.
 If I remember correctly, this granite slab is from Texas, where President Johnson was from.
My last big event of the month of May was hosting a garden party for my Bible Study group.
 I had fun channeling my inner "Martha Stewart" and using some recipes and decorating ideas I'd found on pinterest.  (Layering the lace tablecloths was an idea from pinterest.)  I served crab quiche, ham and broccoli quiche, fresh pineapple, sweet potato muffins, and blueberry breakfast cake.  There was herb tea and water to drink.
 With the help of my right hand man, Kent, we draped 20 yards of sheer fabric to make a false ceiling and cover the bare beams of the deck above the patio. I then draped it behind the food table. I added party lights, a chandelier, some paper lanterns, and voila! garden party decor!
                               
I was very blessed that the weather was just right--not too hot, without much humidity.  You never know what the Virginia weather will be like in the months of May through August.
 My theme was lavender and hydrangeas, though the real hydrangeas in our yard weren't blooming yet. Of course, Kent always has the yard looking lovely, so it's a nice setting for a garden party.
 Doing this kind of event is stressful for me, yet I love doing it. I like thinking ways to incorporate my theme, coming up with creative decorating ideas, and planning the menus.  I think what I need it a bunch of servants like they have on "Downton Abbey" to help me carry out my grandiose schemes!!

14 May 2014

Grandma Time in Texas

I spent a long weekend in Katy in March.  Lissa and Jason had planned an overnight trip to Austin, so I got to spend two full days of quality time with Kiera and Savannah.
 While Kiera was in school I took Savannah to the mall to go shopping with me.  She was a good little companion.  Here's a selfie (in the mirror) I took when we were in the dressing room at Old Navy.
Her reward for being so cooperative was to ride the carousel in the mall.
 I got to experience the process of dropping off and picking up Kiera at school.  The school has a very organized system in place.
 The girls in their church dresses.  Savannah's hair is turning more blonde and she's looking more like Kiera as she gets older.
 Savannah's hair was very red like her mama's when she was little, as you can see from this picture from February 2012.
The girls are good friends and play together pretty well most of the time.
Before I went to Texas Kiera had asked me to sew her a dress like the one Elsa wears in the movie, "Frozen."  I bought the fabric and pattern before I got to Katy, but didn't want to attempt to make the dress until I could fit it to Kiera to make sure it was the right size.  
I purposely made it a bit big so that Kiera would be able to wear it a couple of years, even if she grows. I felt like I was making a prom dress, and I certainly hope it holds up to being worn by a five-year-old!  Kiera was thrilled with the dress, and I'm glad I have the ability to make it for her.