Visit from Grandma Bee

While I was in Argentina, Grandma Bee came to play with Ryan and the kids. They had a wonderful time making these fruit parfaits.

If that weren't fun enough, they also got to make these wonderful fairy houses. I'm pretty sure that we grow flowers for the butterflies, birds and children, although not necessarily in that order.

They got to go to Bays Mountain and enjoy a pontoon boat ride. I'm happy to report that no one fell in the drink, and they saw multiple fine beaver lodges.

Happy Birthday Carl!

 Carl turned 4 and thankfully Grandma Bee had sent these fine machines to top his birthday cake. Ryan's creative genius really came through in the digging, pushing and scooping of this creation.

It is really fun to bike ride with a four year old on the back. It is a little humiliating when everyone on the trail is faster than you are, but no one else has such great conversations.

Here we are supporting the marching bands in Bristol, TN. It was the snack that got us through the tough times.

 We have friends in our ward that let us come out a pick pumpkins for Halloween. Then kids loved it and took as many as they could hold. 

For Halloween we had a pirate, bunny, leopard and cat - all purchased at the dollar store and enhanced by day-to-day outfits from Wal-mart.  I love holidays for a fraction of the cost.

Carl and I spend a lot of time together with the girls at school, and he can make a mean batch of muffins.

Garden project

We have a large patio/garedn on the side of our house that was covered in black plastic and rocks. The rocks spent most of the time being hauled around by creative kids and the black plastic had a tendency to flap in the wind. We decided to haul out all the rocks with help from the Finches and then redo the patio into a more plant friendly environment (mulch). 

Why not wear hot pink protective eye wear you've stolen from your sister?

 Lucky Carl got to drive a skid steer at the local landscape supplier. I'm pretty sure that we will never be able to provide him with a more exciting experience.

 That is a lot of compost to move around.

And here's the pile of mulch that came on the very same day. Nothing like hard labor.

Here's the finished rock patio/path with mulch. Now I can plant flowers without moving around rocks and cutting up nasty black plastic. Our patio is going to be significantly cooler now. Not really necessary during winter, but we'll look forward to it this spring.

Dining Room Remodel

So maybe I didn't get a pre-remodel picture of our dining room either. But this is what it used to look like - with family meal in full swing.

Ryan got a new 3 foot ladder for his birthday that I am using to wet the wallpaper. I'm pretty sure that you're not supposed to step on the top. The kids and I got that room scrapped clean in 2 days. I've taken to rewarding them with frozen yogurt for their hard work. I really feel like I am getting the better end of the deal.

Sometimes it's fun to jazz up old chandeliers with Chinese take-out boxes when you're celebrating the Chinese New Year. They were unused, lest you think we grow mold and bacteria on purpose. Can you see Carl hard at work? After this project, and before the next, Ryan decided to take his Dremel and round off all the corners of kids' plastic scrappers. The whole time he was muttering something about spackling all the new nicks and scratches.

This room took the longest to complete because we couldn't decide on a light fixture. We finally decided on this fine drum light. You might think it looks familiar. This brand of this light is hanging in many LDS meetinghouses all over the US, just not this style. Also notice the beautiful platter rack Ryan made me to house my thrift store treasures from Japan. He got some big new tools so that he could make it for me - a great investment!

Here are the curtains I made to finish the windows. I hope to never use a slippery polyester fabric again. That project probably took three years off my life but it is done and we love our dining room. Come over for dinner whenever you are in the neighborhood.

Home Remodels 2017

Cold weather puts me in the mood for taking down wallpaper. Something about the smell of old paste makes me really nostalgic. It also gives me and the kids something to do when we are trapped indoors. These pictures were taken a year ago when we started these projects. Don't worry, we finished them a long time ago. In fact, I think Alice has grown 5 inches.

Those are 10 layers of wallpaper you see being torn from the wall. No small task, but the kids love doing it. To the right you can see the completed stairs and landing. Ryan did a great job putting a substantial handrail in.

We found this original hanging light stored in a dark basement corner. It looked so much better here than the 1980's etched glass number that until recently graced the stairs.

 The next project was fixing the downstairs bathroom. The beautiful oak wood trim and door had been painted with three coats of white paint. It takes a lot of toxic paint stripper to get that off.  This was the nastiest home improvement job I have done to date.

Once again I failed to get a pre-demolition picture. I was just so excited to get all the paint, tiles, claw-foot tub and over-sized vanity out that I completely forgot. Or maybe it was the fumes from stripping the wallpaper that clouded my memory.

Ryan was in charge of removing the built in cabinet that was nearly unusable because the toilet was right in front of it.

 Here is an example of wallpapering the ceiling. The ceiling is so easy to do once you get used to the numb sensation in your arms. There are no windows or doors to cut around.

Before: (photo from previous owner's for-sale photo gallery)


After: The finished bathroom with a Moroccan flair. The key to a great bathroom is ease of cleaning (hence the vinyl that looks like tile but doesn't have dirt-trapping-grout, and the solid-surface countertop with integrated sink lacking a grime catching joint too).

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Last month I went to Argentina for an International Nutrition Conference for some continuing education hours. I feel like I need to be very clear that I was there to increase my understanding of the current research, effective interventions and strategic planning that goes into insuring healthy food for everyone. 

This might not be apparent in the pictures I've included. I would hate to bore anyone with pictures of me + slideshows, me + research buddies, me + free food, and me + my name badge, to name a few awesome selfie opportunities. I have merely included the view of the train station from one of the lecture rooms.

I think it's always good to get yourself oriented and acclimated to a new city as soon as you can by walking or riding a bike all over it. I was nervous about this bike tour, but thankfully going up and down the hills of Tennessee with Carl on the back had adequately prepared me. 

Here I am at the Boca Juniors soccer stadium. A shout out to all the fans!

Could this be a tourist trap? How could a resist? I am a sucker for these picture opportunities.

A little known fact is that they celebrate Mother's Day in Argentina on October 15th. What a fun surprise for me at church. I wonder if I made it on their facebook page.

I don't remember seeing such vertical fruit stands in any of my other trips. It's quite mind boggling to me how they get the stuff out of the middle.

On one day of particularly tedious lectures I opted to broaden my education by taking the ferry over to Uruguay. I rented a bike and made it straight over the cobblestone roads for the most picturesque of locations and the "handcrafted goods". I've become really suspicious of such goods since many of the same goods can be found in tourist traps all over the world. But it's fun to look around and chat with the vendors.

 On the way out of the country I caught a bus, got totally motion sick, and stumbled to the temple on the outskirts of town.  It was so good to be there.

Johnson Family Reunion

We're fully recovered from the non-stop excitement that was the Johnson Family Reunion this June, so it's time to look at back and re-live some of the highlights.

photo copyright - racheljonesphotos.com

Only room for 2 on Grandpa's lap for story time?  That won't stop some curious grand-kids.

A lot of people think the best part of the NASCAR Bristol Motor Speedway tour is after you get 'out' of the transport van.  We make a strong case here for the opposite.

Warrior's Path, Watauga Lake, Steele Creek . . . did we hike enough that week?  It depends on who you ask.  These kids can really hit the hills though, by anyone's standard.

Craft time was a big hit.  There's nothing quit so fun as customizing your own fidget spinner.

No reunion is complete without a dose of memory lane embarrassment.  Love that perm, Michelle!

Thanks for coming to Tennessee - see ya'll in 2 years!