For Deborah's 1 Week Anniversary!

It was just about exactly one week ago that the happy couple came out of the temple...The photographer had said it would be nearly impossible to get pictures on the temple steps because of all the other weddings. Surprise! There were only a few other weddings

(eight, compared to up to 90 on some dates). Part way through the pictures, we realized that this was the first wedding

that all six of our children have been able to attend.

At Catherine's wedding, Deborah & Ryan had to stay in France

since it was near the end of the school year.

For Ryan's wedding, Catherine was expecting

and couldn't take the Arizona heat.

Also, Justin was finishing up a semester in Rexburg.
For Justin's wedding, Catherine was in Wisconsin with a newborn Brenna.
Who knows what the extended family configuration will be
when it comes time for Elizabeth's or Alice's weddings!

Deborah's Marriage, Part 2

Although the weather was warm, it was windy with some sand blowing.

Everyone squinted a bit to keep the dirt out!

We missed having Grandpa Jack and Grandma Lee with us.

After months of looking for the right color of dresses, what we came up with worked quite well!

(Except for Elizabeth's jersey jacket that wasn't supposed to be along.)

Even the dresses for Emma and Marta (and Brenna, too!) turned out well. Whew!

Deborah's Marriage

The bride glowed. The groom was handsome. The location was the best.

What more can I say?

Hydrangeas

I happened in Aldi's just after a new shipment of flowering plants, and found a gem, for a mere $3.99. The varying colors caught my eye.

Since then, the colors have progressed. The pink is pinker.

The greenish bloom now has hints of powder blue.
And the third bloom is progressing from blue to pink (with a lavendar step in-between).I wish I could plant it in my garden this summer, but I'm afraid it will always be an indoor plant here, unless I give it to Catherine for some Texas-living.

I'm glad the Lord made beautiful flowers!

Wedding preparation progress

1. One dress down: Alice's. (Well, actually, the zipper and hem aren't finished yet, but will be today!) Elley's is under way. I have ones for Marta, Emma, and Brenna cut out. Those are simple and should go fast.

2. The "fake" bridal bouquet for the pictures to be taken ahead of time. There will be real flowers on the real day. A woman in our church happens to be the oldest of nine, and has planned and produced several of her siblings' weddings. I made a plea for assistance and she was really happy to help out. First, a trip to Hobby Lobby, while all the florals were on 50% off sale, and she knew exactly what was needed.

Second, we (SHE) put it together while a group of us watched a Jane Austen movie. Actually, I did help: I cut some of the stems and glued every one of the blue flowers onto their stem because they came off too easily. Those babies will not come off now!

Gulp! Time is getting short.

Back to the sewing machine!