Topper and Fam

24 May 2012

The Family Business

On an unrecorded date, in a then undisclosed location, my husband found my brother and the two were able to snap this photo. I'm so glad they did.

I'm even more grateful that they both came home safe and sound.

GI Brother and Dear Hubby - Camp Liberty, Iraq

A few years and one Business Degree later,

Dear Hubby commissioned GI Brother as he graduated from ROTC!

...To uphold the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies foreign or domestic...

During the commissioning ceremony, I was interested to see the many fathers or other relitives administering the oath. Seems like military service can be quite the family affair. In my own family history I have my grandfather, my father, four uncles, and two aunts with military service. Another Aunt married a serviceman. My Dear Hubby's family has multiple great, great generations of decorated soldiers dating back to the Civil War.

I didn't grow up a military kid, my dad was not a career soldier. I didn't give military service any real thought. My husband's immediate family is not military. Does our families' history of service represent the per capita norm of military to civilian in the population, or is it "in our blood" or somehow subliminally in our upbringing? Is it our exposure to pictures of men and women in uniform that makes it seem like a normal occupation to choose from? Was it the money, benefits, travel? How came we to this at once noble yet insufferable profession? I better stop musing...

Back to the event at hand...

Dear Hubby, GI Brother, and Brother Computer Genius

It was great to see everyone. We're very proud of Uncle Army Man (formerly GI Brother).

I guess we're pretty much a patriotic bunch.

18 May 2012

So What's Up? Let me tell you....

Chicadee and Big Red have been dancing.

Dad has been choking people out.

The girls have been smelling the ...tulips.

Yippy Skippy is still our sunshine.

Dad makes sure we stop for treats now and then.

Big Red is sharing the load.

Topper continues to learn from mothers who have taken the road before her.

We love the temple! Nauvoo, IL

And we love each other

"I could never love anyone more than I love my sisters." Jo March, Little Women

Kansas City Temple! So Wonderful!

A new mowing slave has been initiated. (Slave labor, indeed. $10!)

Running, running,....

running....

More dancing. Say it isn't so!

? (By request.)

Silly, silly, ready for summer!

16 January 2012

This is Chickadee and Big Red. We are having fun editing the blog for Topper. This is a pic of us playing music for the family at Thanksgiving.

14 December 2011

Tid-Bits

I don't know about you, but cleaning off a computer desk often results in finding little tid-bits that you just don't quite know what to do with. These little notes and what-nots usually end up set aside "neatly" in a corner taking up space on the otherwise newly cleaned surface. This provides a nice place for the piles that soon (usually only a matter of hours) begin to re-accumulate and ensures the continuation of the cycle.

I sat down this morning to work space that could not be worked in. Upon proper excavation I found this little gem that has been discovered several times and reburied several times.

This was a conversation that we found funny enough to jot down, presumably around our wedding anniversary back in March. "Me" is Big Red.

Front

Back.

This little half-sheet of paper has surely lived a long, happy, useful life. It can now rest in peace in my recycle bin.

And don't worry, I have a different scrap of love from which to start my new pile of clutter.

26 November 2011

Gingerbread Meets Art History

The LDS Trail Center in our area has a gingerbread display every year for the Holidays.

I've never made a gingerbread house. Nor do I have an abundance of patience or interest in cake decorating or the like. I have however, in good Young Women fashion, participated in some cake decorating activities through the years, and I think my mother might have also tried to teach me a bit from time to time. So I do have somewhat of a knowledge base and rudimentary exposure to the basic skills necessary for such an endeavor.

Last year something inspired me. At the display they had a simple little house covered in Fruity Pebbles. I said to my Mother, "Look, French Impressionism!" An idea was born, I asked a friend of mine at church the next Sunday if she wanted to play a little game with me next year for the gingerbread display.

The game? Do gingerbread in the style of modern artists. She said yes!

The Results:

"Deck-the-WarHol"

Gram was instrumental in making this whole thing happen!
I COULD NOT have done it without her help!

A peppermint fence builder.
(I printed 100 Soup Cans on velum and glued the velum on with icing.)

"Rays Lookin' Fun"

Rolled and trimmed banana Laffy-Taffy with colored sugar sheets.
Icing piping along all seams will complete the look of this "Sunrise."
Yippy-Skippy was the taffy queen, but we didn't get a picture.

Big Red calls this the "Artsy photo."

Four "Crispy" Trees

This looks better later, after the white/blue icing gets
roughed up like Monet brush strokes.

The Pic-House-sso

This was by far the most ambitious. I took sections of the following works and did my best. By the time I reached the Accordionist, I was growing low on patience and supplies, so that panel is more of a general cubist attempt than a reproduction.

Pitcher and Fruit Bowl

But will it stand?

Amazingly, Yes!

Finally Finished!

And added to my friends Calder, Munch, Mondrian, and Kandinsky...

...our game is complete. whew.

*Post Script: Special thanks to my friend Lauren who came over and helped me solidify my ideas. She also helped me pick out artwork, and bake and size the very first gingerbread pieces. We had so much fun! And there was a gingerbread Relief Society workshop that was very informative especially in the icing department. Then there is my patient family who lived gingerbread for a week! Love to all!