A Few More Treasures . ..

So, Heidi and I convinced Mom that our project today should be to get rid of extranneous wall decor in the house today. Starting in Mom's office . . .here's what we found:

Okay, so the little paddle lookin' thing is actually from the kitchen, but it's just as hideodorous. Our other favorites in the office were a way old version of the YW theme with pen marks all over it and stuffed handprint thingys from 4 of Mom's kids. I found out that Mom used to belong to a craft club; every month she'd get a package of supplies and instructions to make certain crafts. I'm pretty sure her entire office was decorated in those tacky crafts.

So, after going around the house, somehow I realized the second time passing through the living room that we had somehow passed over this little gem. Um .. . .right. My favorite thing about this one is how totally random and ugly everything in all these compartments is. Mom claimed she loved the shape of the octagon thing, so she found things to put in it. I didn't even let her consider keeping it because even if she did like the shape and took out this ugly stuff, . .. she's prolly refill it with more ugly mismatched stuff. Notice the broken hands of the praying boy . . .

The changing of the wall decor wouldn't be complete without playing our little game . ..namely, swapping decorations or items around the house waiting for Mom to notice and laugh. This game started a few years ago when we were taking down Christmas decorations, and occassionaly we like to play it again. But when you have a pile of ugly wall decor that we're getting rid of . ..oh, it makes the game so much more fun! Here's a couple of my personal favorites:

(featuring the lovely Young Women rainbow thing that used to hang in the Master bedroom)

.. .and this one . . .

(That's a little picture of me with painted pasta on the homemade frame . .. also from Mom's office. I'm pretty sure I made that in girl scouts.) I also put the Steeles in the bathroom, and I swapped the wheat thing from Mom's office (see above picture) with the fake flowers in her bathroom.

And if that wasn't enough for today . . ..we also cleaned out Mom's clothes!! Here are some great gems we found there . . .

This is a lovely pantyhose holder from Aunt Lynette. If you look closely, you can see the little pocket where you put stuff in. Can you believe there were still panty hose in there?!

How about this dress here:

Does this dress ring a bell to anyone? Let's add some peeps, and see if you see what I'm seeing! =)

That's it folks! The exact dress Mom was wearing in this picture. And let me tell you, when she was my age (which is how old she was in this picture), she was rill small. My bust barely fit, and believe it or not my arms almost lost circulation putting on this thing. But, it was definitely fun.

Demotivator

Are you familiar with those demotivator posters? You know, like the one with the guy who just got punched, and you see his sweat flying everywhere, and the caption says "PAIN: You will feel that in the morning." Well, sometimes I think of myself as a demotivator poster while I'm in Midland. Granted, that doesn't mean that I'm being punched or waking up with extreme pain, but I do feel quite the demotivator.
I came home for the summer with the intent to help Mom pack and move, right? Well, it seems I'm too early for that. Especially since she's getting professional movers, I can't do any of the packing because I'll be gone by the time they actually come. So, when it comes to sorting out junk in the house .. . .well, I've discovered that there's hardly a room or closet or cupboard in the house that can't be sorted through without Mom's supervision. "Oh, I'd like to save that . . .I'll use it someday." Um, right, Mom. You can go ahead and use that big ugly kerosine lamp and the cassette tape holder because I'm sure they'll fit right in at your new house.
Clearly, you can see my sense of demotivation right now. It seems like any task I try to do, I have to stop right away because Mom's not there to give me a run-down of what she really needs to save. Perhaps that's why I find it so satisfactory to sleep in so much . . .it's not like I'd be much help around the house anyway.
So, maybe I was wrong. Perhaps the Lord is telling me that I didn't come home to help Mom pack and move like I originally thought. Perhaps the reason I came home was for my benefit . ..to learn a lesson or two on patience.

A Visit to the Terrestial Kingdom

If any of you end up there (not that I'm wishing you there), have no fear. Bro. Bushman told us in Institute that we can visit you! And bring you little burritos! Those were his exact words. =)

West Texas Treasures

I suppose I should make all sorts of cool posts about tour to Korea and Japan.

Maybe I will someday. But for right now . . .it's time to divulge some last-time Midland moments in a post entitled "West Texas Treasures." Perhaps you'll see why I love this place so much. =)

This here is the infamous Texas grocery store called HEB. I'm not lying when I tell you it's the biggest grocery store I've ever seen . .the biggest aisles, the biggest carts, the biggest selection. Especially the selection of Texas pride paraphanelia as pictured here. I have some other great pictures of this place, too. Like the giant "Beer and Wine" aisle sign and the giant Texas flag posted above the door. Gotta love this place.

I'm convinced that some of the greatest sunsets ever witnessed are along the wide open spaces of the Permian Basin.

And the sissy stars . ..yeah, those ugly metal stars are huge in Texas. Don't ask me why; I think they are hideodorous. This one was at Sonic Drive-in of all places . . .oh brother!

And who ever said selling the house wasn't bittersweet? Notice the awesome curbside "3604" lettering. Love it.

Here's a series of shots I call "Car poses." Feast your eyes . .. I think one is on the way to FHE, one's on the way to the store, and one's on the way home from swimming (first time all summer I've been swimming . .. what is my dealio?)

And, while I've been in Midland, I even got my teeth cleaned! Here's a picture of me and our long-time dentist and hygenist, Dr. Bash and Kris. They sure look different without face masks on, that's for sure . . .(you're taller than I thought . .. =)

Perhaps the greatest part about being home is serving with the full-time sisters, Sis. Stevens and Sis. Ficken. Here we are in the hot Texas sun, and another picture of us with Steve our awesome new member and Rich, the coolest investigator ever. I seriously have learned so much from going out with them, I've made wonderful new friends, and I feel just a little bit more prepared each day to serve my mission in Peru.

So folks, keep your eyes open for another post about the marvels of Midland, the treasures of Texas and the happenings of home! =)