Showing posts with label extended family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label extended family. Show all posts

12/23/15

Living room makeover and other miracles!

November was the most amazing month. So many blessings and miracles. I'll start with the living room makeover. I've been getting my courage up for over a year because it was a LOT of painting. I'm talking Living room, dining, kitchen, down the stairs, and hallway. AND 13 DOORS. Even the ceiling was painted! Dax and I painted the ceiling Halloween day. It had to be done, because everything was green. And a total transformation ensued. The catalyst for starting this project was when I sold the big wall art I made back in 2012. A lady was on the search for a big modern piece to hang in her new restaurant/coffee shop she's opening in town and saw my ad just after I listed it. I feel like it was meant to be for both her and me. Once I had a giant blank wall that needed changing, the ball was rolling and there was no stopping it.

Here is before:


3 weeks and 3 days later, just before our Thanksgiving guests arrived, we were just putting the room together and touching up the last of the 13 doors and the trim down the stairs. There are still things to do; a few pictures to hang, a few places to touch up with paint, and a light fixture to build. BUT- I'm so happy with how it all turned out! It looks so different!
AFTER:


There will be more and better pics after the Holidays are over because I don't plan to keep things perfectly tidy while I have memories to make. We hosted Thanksgiving for Dax's family. The Saturday after, my son Mack was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was such a beautiful day. Two of my sisters and their families came plus my dear Mom and Dad. I guess I was due for a Mom visit; everytime I hugged my Mom, I cried.


Life has had its unexpected turns for our family but I can't explain how happy I've been. It makes no sense logically, but I've felt so peaceful and had such joy. I truly understand how the Nephites felt during all their battles and wars when it says in Alma 50:23 "But behold there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi". I've never seen or felt so many blessings in my life. My heart is overflowing with gratitude. I'm not saying stuff is easy, but I know the our Heavenly Father and our Savior have carried us through our trials. It's been amazing and humbling. The answers to my prayers have been innumerable. The feeling of joy and peace in my heart is indescribable.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Every year Christmas means more to me and this year is no exception. My faith in the Savior has grown! He can heal our hearts and help us be more than we are on our own. I love the testimony of President Ezra Taft Benson, "I know that the Lord lives. I know that He loves us. I know that apart from Him no one can succeed, but as a partner with Him no one can fail. I know that God can make a lot more out of our lives that we can."

I know that is true!

Tomorrow my Christmas Baby turns 14! It's been so fun to have her home for Christmas break. My house is bustling and fun and full. I love it! I wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

4/12/15

winning streak

We went to Fantasy Canyon a few weeks ago. Cool place. On the way home, we stopped in Vernal to grab some snacks at Walmart. I dropped off Dax, Mack, and Quinn at Sportsman's Warehouse to browse while Preslie and I went to get food. (Hunter and his bud opted to stay in the car.) When we all met back up and started for home, Dax told us that they saw a walking stick in Sportsman's and Mack was way into it. Mack told us it was made from a bull penis.
Preslie: eww!
Mack: It's not like they just ripped a penis off a bull and made a cane out of it right then.
He is so logical. Dax told us it was covered in a shiny clear resin so it wasn't like you were touching an actual bull penis.

We cleaned our church building a few weeks later and as Mack was mopping the gym floor he said, "This floor looks like wood but it's covered in bull penis."

We enjoyed spending Easter/Conference weekend with Dax's fun family. Grandma's egg hunt was a hit, also Easter baskets, and playing with cousins/being together. My boys LOVE baby Audrey so much. They just melt for her. So tender!


We were able to attend a family dinner for my people in my sister's newly finished basement (apartment). My niece and her hubs have moved down there and will welcome their first baby next month!

Dax suggested we go see my Uncle Norman while we were in the city. Norm had bladder cancer and has had like 8 surgeries to remove it. He just isn't ready to go yet! He has to endure dialysis 3 days a week where he gets hooked up to a machine that drains his blood, cleans it, then pumps it back into his body at a chilly 36.5 degrees. He says it is the longest 4 hours of his life and he almost freezes to death each time. He and my Aunt Jane are the nicest people and so fun to go hunting with. They both live for the deer hunt and love cruising around in the mountains on their Razor together. Aunt Jane has always been able to spot deer miles away before anyone else can see them. Her enthusiasm and kindness is contagious.

Dax and I saw Ghost the musical at Hale Center Theatre in WVC. Awesome show. Our friend Kacey is the set designer and does an awesome job. Highly recommend!

On April Fools' Day, I pulled out of my driveway to take kindergarteners to school and there was a Century 21 sign stuck in my front lawn. Too funny.. I snapped a pic to send to Dax and was on my way. Later I saw that our newspaper was having a contest and wanted people to submit a pic of their April Fool's jokes. I submitted Mack furiously ripping the moving sign out of the ground. Well, for once Mack's rage came in handy; he won me 4 movie tickets!
The next day, I was checking my email and I had received one from my favorite home diy blogger. Thinking it was just her newsletter I opened it and couldn't believe my eyes when I read that I had won a GE lightbulb package and a $100 gift card from Home Depot!!! What a huge (shock) blessing as my basement bathroom (etc. etc.) has been waiting to get finished for years. I couldn't help but think of a quote I saw scratched on a piece of paper on my MIL's desk during Christmas..

"What you make happen for others
God will make happen for you."

Not saying that a HD gift card is a gift from God. But I'm not saying that it isn't. I have helped a lot of my friends paint, decorate and finish other projects in their homes. I love doing it, but it takes work and time away from my home and family. So maybe, just maybe this is my little tender mercy and it is my turn to check something off my own growing list of house projects. I've lived in my house for 6 years and have an unfinished basement and partially finished yard. It is hard to know whether I should finish those up or redo the things that are already wearing out in the finished part of my home.

We returned home from our family visits and found a message on our machine that Quinn had won the Easter coloring contest at the grocery store! Dax suggested that maybe we drive to Colorado and pick up a lottery ticket..

Spring Break has been lovely and free from the rigors of school schedules. I've also had one less kid because Wyatt (my nephew I watch full-time) was at his Grandma's for the week. I've organized, cleaned and de-junked closets, shelves, the storage room, garage, and back porch. I am like my Mom; I enjoy housework that makes things look beautiful and organized. Dax and I got a wild hair one afternoon and started a pathway through our future garden. I love when Dax and I do projects together. I'm the visionary and he's the efficient manual labor that gets it done. I'm a great assistant, but he stirs concrete better than me.
I love my big little Quinn. She is trying to repair her broken ravioli toy.
I enjoyed helping Preslie make an edible replica of a plant cell. It looked and tasted great. Brownie with cream cheese frosting and chocolate, nuts, and pretzel organelles. This project fulfilled its purpose; she aced the cell test.

This big guy, after months of begging, just got his own library card! It's like he's told me before, "I'm practically a grown man". Now, it's official.

Last night, Dax took Hunter out and set up camp for the turkey hunt this morning. At 5:30 am, they dragged themselves out of bed, got set up and scored a beautiful bird!
I won big when I landed this awesome husband. I love him and the family we have together. I enjoy blogging about the highlights of my life with them. I recommend blogging (or keeping any kind of journal). It is like free happy medicine. With no crappy side effects!

1/2/15

teenage dream, eclair cream, Christmas gleam

I have a teenage daughter! Preslie is 13.

 Chili, breadsticks, a birthday cake, and eclairs were made for the celebration.

At 13, Preslie

  • is very responsible. She gets up and gets ready for school on her own and completes all her homework without being asked. 
  • doesn't like to be late to things. 
  • likes routine and things to go how she has them planned in her mind
  • fears dogs and most other animals, men, talking to strangers (especially grown-ups), 
  • likes to dance and sing
  • is a great swimmer
  • memorizes song lyrics freakishly fast
  • doodles her name on everything
  • is quickly catching up to me in height, and has surpassed me in shoe size
  • is unstoppable when she puts her mind to something: knocking out her chores, getting straight A's, earning money for something she wants, etc
  • laughs a lot and is fun and spunky to be around
  • has a spaz attack when she feels any strong emotion such as fear, lovey-dovey-ness, or frustration.
  • is a bit shy to people she doesn't know well but I always forget that about her because she has so much personality at home and with her family


We spent Christmas in southern Utah with Dax's family. 
Some of my favorite moments were:
Having a "snowball fight" in the top floor of the St. George Children's museum. It was all fun and games until my MIL went downstairs and Preslie was down there searching for us and had been for the past 30+minutes. She thought we left without her. Crappy Mom Award! How did I not notice one of my kids was missing?


Other highlights: 
  • playing games after the kids were in bed
  • good food. way too much food!
  • amazing Christmas lights displays
  • Everett Mangus
  • playing Elf hide and seek with the kids
  • having parties in the Cabana out back
  • watching the kids perform talents they came up with on the spot
  • holding baby Audrey
  • Hunter's mentos and diet coke geyser. Also when Mack took the bottle with the remainder of coke in it and spun around dumping/flinging it everywhere.
  • Quinn carrying around her coloring book she opened Christmas morning. A reminder that children really do love the simple things.
A cool thing went down after Christmas! The whole Mangus side of the fam got together for the first time in many years. SO fun to reunite and connect with those great people. 50-sh people, I think.

After 7 days of fun, we headed home. Great to get back in the swing of things.

The warm weather we enjoyed earlier in the month is O.V.E.R. The kids and I went sledding at the park by our house on New Years Eve. It was 7 degrees. 
The lighting was so cool from the bottom of the hill looking up.
Little kids in snow clothes are adorable.
That evening, we watched the movie "Romancing the Stone" from the 80s. Mack cut out of there before it was over and I found him upstairs looking on Amazon. He asked if he could order this toy:
"We could totally make that." I said. The next thing I know, he is hauling my sewing machine up the stairs. Mack and I rung in the new year sewing a stuffed Enderman thingy. 



 Happy New Year! Love, Tristie

11/30/11

Thanksgiving

(click image to view larger)

Tons of family, tons of fun, and tons of driving. The actual Thanksgiving meal was delicious! We spent most the time in St. George with Dax's parents. The weather was gorgeous, great for a carousel ride, fun friday shopping with Preslie, and a walk in beautiful Snow Canyon. We saw parents, sisters, brothers, new baby, aunt and cousins!

6/17/11

new ride

Another trip to the big city. This time to pick up our new (to us) Dodge Durango!

Wa-hoo for enough space!
Yay for enough seat belts! (Preslie won't have to ride in the back-back cargo area anymore...)

And hooray that we were able to see 2 of my nieces who were in town visiting my parents.

9/14/10

week without Mack


Mack spent Monday-Friday with my parents last week. It was AWESOME. It was just what this over-stimulated, under-rested Mom needed. He was very excited to go on a special Mack trip to Grandma's all by himself with his own suitcase. He did a lot better than we all thought he would considering how much he cries before we take him to nursery on Sunday. Granny and Grampa spoiled him, of course. He got all the one-on-one attention he wanted (and deserved) and we got a quiet house with no catastrophes for five quiet days. Don't get me wrong, we did miss him dearly!

While he was gone...

Dax went and cut a bunch of wood for this winter



we got the rocks for our front yard
I FOUND MY WEDDING RING!
I cut Hunter's hair and curled Preslie's hair for picture day
I enjoyed quiet time with my sweet baby

I slept when she slept
I finished reading Fablehaven 4 to Preslie and Hunter
I ate grown-up lunch
I called and chatted with my sisters (so nice without constantly worrying what my toddler was getting into)
I took Quinn for walks

I sure love my cute boy! It was so fun to go to Salt Lake and see him again. He squeezed me so tight and just kept saying, "Hello! Hello!" And "I love ya, Mom." We met up with him and my parents at my uncle's 75th birthday celebration. I can't believe I have an uncle that is 75. (And my niece just went to college last week, too! Crazy. anyway...)

We made it for the tail end of the party but from what I hear it was quite a bash. My Uncle Dee seemed super happy to have so many family and friends surprise him and put on such a fine party. I got to see a few relatives that I haven't seen in over a decade. I got a picture of just a few.

We spent the weekend with my parents, saw Aunt Sharon, got stuck in a road closure in Parley's Canyon for 2 hours, and are now home safe and sound and all together. He might be a little intense, but we are glad the Mack is BACK.