Mimi's visit

Mimi was here this last week and we had a blast!
Alison went through a sunglasses craze and was barely seen without them.
I'm not sure why she's naked here, but that seems to be how things work in our life.

I always learn a lot from Rachel, and this particular trip she enlightened me to www.pinterest.com. Before you check it out, beware that it's highly addictive.
Thus began our crafting extravaganza.

We started with pillows for the deck.
And you can see in this picture was Ben worked on while we sewed...the back yard! I know you probably don't remember, but a few short months ago, where the swingset is was all "forest".

Then we made this candle
And then a Thankful Tree.

We're hoping to start a new tradition this year. Starting November 1st, every evening at dinner, we'll each write on a leaf one thing we're thankful for and then hang it up. Then on Thanksgiving, we'll take all the leaves off and share what we wrote. I'm excited about having a time each evening to put our focus on the blessings of life and also teach our kids that being thankful doesn't just happen one day a year, but should happen everyday.

We ended the craft making with sweater pillows for the couch. I LOVE them! We found these sweaters for $0.98 at the DAV and I picked up the new shelf for $3.

We were spoiled to have Mimi here...and sad to see her go.