Christmas Day

Christmas Day, the entire family was able to see the twins through the glass from the NICU. I don't think Jack knew what to think. Only Parents and Grandparents can visit, making this visit pretty special. We are in doubly in love.

Max and Maggie

 

Max and Maggie are here

The twins arrived earlier then expected for Ashlee and Paul on December 17, 2016 (34 weeks). She was admitted into the hospital to be watched over for pre-eclampsia, but the next day started labor on her own. Maggie struggled with every contraction, so they quickly took her in for a C-section. Everything happened so fast and we are so grateful that Ashlee and the babies are safe and doing good. They will be in the NICU for several weeks.

Life at Pebbles without Ashlee and Jack is different. I already miss Jack fixing things with his little tool box. We are a small family business and Katie is now doing a great job purchasing. Lindsey will work on our website and both she and Abby will help merchandise. Colette will be our working manager. Ashlee will take on responsibilities when she is ready, but we know she has her hands full. I love my family (employees too) and appreciate their help!

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers for our family. We appreciate you!

Brenda

 

 

Ashlee and Jack

For those of you that come into the store, you may have noticed that Ashlee (our daughter and store manager) is expecting twins. Yep. Jack is getting a baby brother and sister,  due in January.  He makes my heart happy when he comes to the shop with Ashlee and is always tinkering with his tools and 'fixing' things.  He is often a dog, lion or dinosaur  and is known to growl at kids, sometimes scaring them. He doesn't bite we have to tell them with a smile and they become friends. He does not share his treats well, unless his mom gives him the 'look'. His world is about turn upside down.

 Invitro has been such a blessing for she and Paul with Jack (4) and now the twins. We know we are not in charge and are in constant prayer that all will be well. Her body is showing signs of early struggle, so she will stay in the hospital for safekeeping and will be delivering them ahead of schedule in the next day or two.

Thank you for your prayers...
Brenda

Jack and snuggle time with Abby

Happy Father's Day

I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the men in your life. Our girls pamper their Dad and I believe he must be the most loved Dad in the world. There's just something about a Dad and his daughters. . .

Kelsie and Josh Wedding Photos

I know many of you have followed along with our daughter Kelsie and her Josh. We got the wedding pictures back of their wedding day and celebration... thank you Chelsie Clarke. She was a joy to work with.  I would have to be honest and say I miss them. Dating for 5.5 years, one gets use to having them underfoot, but it brings me joy to see these two settling in and so happy to finally be married.

Wedding Day of Kelsie & Josh

I am learning to enjoy the moment. Thank you for your patience as we worked on the wedding for Kelsie. They have happily gone off on their honeymoon and have begun their life together. My mind will once again turn towards catching up on the creativity at Pebbles. Here are some of the details we created for the reception. With the help of my family, I thought it turned out beautiful!

For the reception we spent our time thrift storing for just about everything... oh! the thrill of the hunt. We gathered a variety of silver metal trays at the thrift store and spray painted them with an antique brass finish. Kelsie picked out her favorite plates and we E6000 them together onto glass goblets. I think one of my favorite projects was dipping the assorted glasses into white latex paint. We picked out a bunch of 5x7 and 8x10 frames for the tables and also larger ones for display and spray painted them cream. Abby and Ashlee dipped wooden tongue depressors into acrylic paint for the sign in table, guests will write a dating idea onto the stick. I was delighted to find chalk markers for the blackboards that were so much easier to use then regular chalk. Kelsie does not like roses. She loves peonies, so I ordered garden roses. The Jam Tart Sweetheart Garden Roses took my breath away and opened up to resemble peonies perfectly. We ordered them online at fiftyflowers.com.  We hung white lights and white banners. Doughnuts were ordered from Banbury Crosse in SLC. I will post a few more pictures, once they come back.

 

A wedding this week...

What would any of us do without Pinterest nowadays? This wedding was easy to plan for Kelsie and Josh because she pinned all the details she loved and gave us a vision. This is probably my favorite thing I did for them and I want to do it for Larry and I, and all of our daughters and their husbands. It would be fun to do this for each child too! They wrote down 100 things they loved about each other and I put them on clipboards with their initials. This list will be much needed through all the challenges of life and remind them of their love for each other.  I love the clipboards. 

A wedding this week

I thought these turned out pretty cool. I gathered metal trays at our thrift store and spray painted them an antique brass finish by Rustoleum. I thought we would place these in the center of the tables with off white tablecloths and place a photo of Kelsie and Josh on it, along with a little gathering of jar vases and candle. Everything is coming together in my head, but my fingers are still crossed.

A wedding this week

The move. Josh had 3 boxes and the rest was Kelsie... other then the thrift store furniture they have been picking up here and there. We are sure going to miss her, but they are ready to begin their lives together.

A wedding this week...

We went to the temple as a family with Kelsie and Josh in preparation for their wedding this coming week. It was a perfect day being all together. Our family is LDS... I know many of you may not be and thought you may like to understand what we believe in here. The inspirational stories are wonderful too. 

A wedding this week...

Our donut  pedestals were a breeze to make with $1 thrift store plates and a tube of E6000. After they are glued, just let them sit for 24 hours to harden. Can't you just picture them with donuts on them?

A wedding this week...

Time for wedding cake practice. Our daughter Ashlee has been doing a practice run through with the Funfetti wedding cake... the grooms favorite. It's perfectly tiny for the bride and groom to cut. She will bake until she gets it perfect and we will continue to eat it until she does... which she has already, we just haven't told her. 

A wedding this week...

Gathering frames at the thrift stores is the best ever! Pay attention to the basic design and know it will be easily transformed with a coat of spray paint... all for under $2.00 each. How can you beat that? Since it is still plenty cold here in Utah, I had to spread out a tarp in the laundry room and spray away... I have a soft spot for frames.

A wedding this week...

The reception date has been set for Friday March 7, with the wedding ceremony and luncheon on Saturday.  Kelsie picked the colors and we went into full gear and started collecting at the thrift stores... the thrill of a discovery makes my heart skip a beat. How can you beat a one of a kind deal?They want donuts from Banbury Cross in SLC and so a trip up there for samples was a must! We will figure out the rest as we go along. 

A wedding this week...

Here is their wedding announcement and engagement picture. Kelsie likes that it is simple and clean.  I painted the flower  which was inspired by Rifle Paper Company... her favorite style. Now the task of gathering names and addresses begins.

A wedding this week

Where to begin? It does feel like life has stopped for a bit as we prepare for this upcoming wedding. 

I thought I would share them with you as we go along this week. My  dreams of a balanced life flew out the window when Kelsie said 'I do' to Josh or her JB as she calls him. Five and a half years of dating should have prepared me that this day would come, but it feels like it is suddenly here and there is much to do. Life lately is filled with thrift store shopping,  addressing announcements, looking though pictures and missing the days when the girls were all home, wedding showers and enjoying our last days with Kelsie in our home before she begins her life with Josh. Many of you have followed along with us, but for those who haven't, I thought I would share this week with you... 

Josh got home from his mission end of November. While he was gone, Kelsie graduated as an RN. Feelings can change during a two year separation of a mission, but these two hit the ground running.

 Welcoming Josh home from his 2 year LDS mission to South Africa

Kelsie and Josh... together again

He asked and she said yes in December

DIY Pictures : Family

Time for quick family pictures with our trusted tripod. Not sure if an 'all coordinating'  picture will ever be in our future.  Everyone seems pretty content keeping it casual and I love to see each of their personalities and watching our family grow... Not everyone is happy and all smiles in our snapshot of this time but I look at each one of their faces and thank the Lord always for each one of them. I love my family. Of course there is some photo shopping that needs to be done still, but that can wait for another day.