School Pictures

I have TWO teenage daughters now!  Wow!  Most days things are bliss.  However, if you are the parent of teens you know that there are THOSE days, in which you seem to do nothing right in the eyes of these teens (or yourself for that matter).  Thankfully the good days outnumber the tough ones.  I do miss Kevin immensely on those tough days!

These girls are smart, funny and downright gorgeous!

The Junk Drawer - October 2021

I cannot help myself, crafts and decorating just keep calling me.  I had zero decorations in my powder room, so decided to decorate it on the cheap.  I bought this piece of wood and used my vinyl machine to put this cute picture on it.

Most of these decorations I had lying around the house.  I love the form and function it brings to the room:).

With Kendall doing so much dance and myself doing online yoga classes, I decided to pilfer mirrors from other rooms in the house to make a wall of mirrors in the den.  It turned out pretty good for zero dollars.

The only mirror that really needed to be backfilled was the mirror in the den bathroom.  I found this adorable mirror on clearance for $19.99.  The frame of the mirror matched perfectly with my yard sale shelving.  

One night I pulled the car into the garage only to find this waiting.  Yep, I was sufficiently freaked out.  Sidney had gored herself up and waited in zombie like fashion for me to get home.

Silly girl!

The Escape Room.

Sidney had been asking to do an Escape Room.  Kendall went last year with the Nelson's and had a lot of fun.  We decided to go for it.  It was an absolute blast!  We were FBI agents in the Boise Airport Sky Lounge cracking a threat.  I was super impressed at how well each of us did.  I think the guy running the place was impressed as well.  We were able to crack the case with four minutes remaining.  When we came out the trap door, the host was surprised as the room is set up for a group of 6-10 people to solve.  Yes!

After our awesome victory, we were famished and decided to stop for pizza.  As we pulled in, we saw the coolest police car.  Sidney was brave enough to jump in for a picture.

Vaccines and Kevin's Ring.

Earlier this year, I mentioned that the girls were in one of the COVID 19 vaccine trials.  It is a blinded study.  The plan was that all the participants would be unblinded this fall and receive the actual vaccine.  I may have also mentioned that Kendall unblinded herself early.  The study allowed for that.  If a participant had received the vaccine, they could remain in the study.  She was very sure that she had received the vaccine, since she had experienced some side effects.  She really wanted to go to summer camp, but also wanted to know she was vaccinated.  Sure enough, she was fully vaccinated.

Sidney decided to wait it out, as she did not have side effects and was not so sure she had received the vaccine.  It was revealed to us a couple weeks ago what she had received.  Drumroll please...Sidney had received the placebo.  She has now received shot 1 of 2 of the actual vaccine.

I have been uncertain what to do with Kevin's wedding ring.  I had put it on a ring holder, along with his watch and his chain.  Recently, I took it into a jeweler.  They turned it into this beautiful necklace.  The diamond and chain are from a necklace my parents gave me for my college graduation.  I love the way it turned out.  It is feminine, yet prominent.  The ring still has the ridges on the outside.  I love having it close to my heart.

The Doggos.

Little Bella is growing up.  She is almost 5 months old.  I am also happy to report that she is 90% potty trained.  I would say 100%, if we would actually listen to her when she rings the bell.  She has been a very sweet dog.  Bailey and her have become fast wrestling partners.

One day I was working in the office and I heard a crash.  I looked over the stair railing and could only see Bailey.  Bailey was looking back and forth from me to Bella as if saying, "Uh Oh, you did it now.  You are in trouble."

These dogs are extra special as they put up with all the girl snuggles. 

When things get a little chaotic, I just go ahead and kennel all the wild animals:).  

Yep, Bella is growing fast!

The Mustangs versus The Griz.

Uncle Roy texted the girls and asked them if they wanted to make a friendly wager on the Cal Poly vs University of Montana football game.  They had a batch of cookies on the line.  The girls and I conspired that if the Griz won the game we would send them some Cal Poly cookies to enjoy.

Once we had that plan concocted, I think they were sort of rooting for the Griz to win.  Sadly, that is exactly what happened.  Grandma Karen was kind enough to make us some CP cookies to send over to Uncle Roy.  The girls could not wait to hear that the cookies had arrived.

Since they were Grandma Karen's delicious sugar cookies, there was no turning them down.

Dance Team.

Last spring Kendall started taking dance classes.  She very much enjoyed it.  At the end of the season, she had an opportunity to try out for team.  Since we had only heard about it the night before, and it was a very big commitment, she opted to not try out and just take a full load of classes this year.  We also had a number of conflicting summer trips, as we did not have this on our radar.  

So...she was very delighted when, two weeks into fall classes, the studio asked her to join the teen competition team.  After a very short time of deliberation, she was a resounding YES.  She is now dancing 5 nights a week and one Saturday a month.  She is loving every minute of it.  She is also continuing to work at her new job.  Her manager has been absolutely awesome in working with her schedule.

These girls are fun and goofy and seem to have a great time together.  

Now our time has transitioned from hauling horses to trekking back and forth to the dance studio.  I love that these girls have found their passion.  I see many recitals and rodeos in my future.