Project Procrastinators Party-The before

Hey you! Yes you. Don't look around to see if maybe I'm talking to someone else. I'm talking to you. Come here, a little closer. Closer. That's good. I have a little secret to tell you. But I need you to pinky swear that you won't tell anyone else. Do you pinky swear? Good!

Did you know that I was actually royalty. Yup! You heard me right. I am royalty. I am actually a queen. "A Queen?", you say. Yup! I'm an actual queen. And what am I the queen of? I'm the queen of procrastination. I know, I know, you think that you are the queen of procrastination. But I promise you that I am the actual queen. And I have the proof.

Melissa over at the Inspired Room is having a Project Procrastinators Party. Today we are suppose to declare the project that we have procrastinated on and show the "before" photos. Then on May 14th, which is in 2 weeks we are suppose to show the "after" photos. You know, the big "TA DA" moment.

Well here it is 12:05pm Pacific time which of course makes it 3:05pm on the East Coast. So today is already half over & I'm just now getting around to making my post about my procrastination project. I started this post this morning, but got side tracked & I am now just getting around to finishing it. So right there proves that I am the procrastinator queen. Last I looked at Melissa's blog there are already 49 people on the list. I'll probably be the last one on the list. I sure hope that someone gets to my name on the list. But if they do, I am finally prepared. Well, sort of.

And if I needed something more to prove to you that I was indeed the procrastination queen. Here is exhibit #1:

This chair is one of 6 that goes with my dining room table. This dining set originally belonged to my Great Grandmother. It originally wasn't painted black. This dining set sat in my parents shed in their backyard for about 20 years. I've always wanted this set, but by the time I had a house that it could fit in, the years of storage had caused quite a bit of damage to the wood. I wish I had taken before, before photos but I didn't, so you will just have to take my word. So since the wood wasn't good enough to restore, the best next fix it is paint. So hubby & I decided we would paint the chairs and the table black (hubby was able to salvage some of the wood on the table & make it pretty so the table & chairs aren't completely black). Then I was suppose to reupholster the chairs.

Well, we painted the chairs & table 3 years ago. You heard me right, 3 long years ago. But did I reupholster the chair seats at that time? No! I think 3 years qualifies as proof that I am the procrastination queen.
Aren't the chair seats just lovely? They are yucky!!! But not as yucky as the layer of fabric I already removed from the chair 3 years ago. This is the nice fabric. Just a little worn.

This is the fabric that is going to be on my chairs by May 14th! I love toile! Much better don't you think? And how long have I had this fabric? For 3 years. I told you I procrastinate.

And since we are becoming fast friends, I will let you in on another little secret. I'm not only the procrastination queen, but I am also commitment phobic. (I heard you gasp.) I can't make up my mind about anything. But doesn't that go hand in hand with being a procrastinator? I thought so.

So I'm not sure the chair will be my procrastination project. It may just be the blanket chest/coffee table in my family room. Which will now be known as Exhibit #2:
I bought this chest probably about 15 years ago. (Did you gasp again? I thought so.) I think I got it from JC Penney catalog. My intention was to paint it white & distress it. I love Shabby Chic. But is it white? No, it is still naked. Only now, it is grungy & dirty and has a stain or two.



So this chest is the final proof that I am indeed the Procrastinator Queen. You can all bow to me now. Is my crown a bit tarnished? Probably because I have put off polishing it. I am the Queen!
This is how I currently camouflage my chest. Did you notice the unfinished items on top? I have a little naked box that I plan on covering with broken egg shells & painting. And the tray has a broken handle that needs to be fixed. I might get those 2 projects done, lets say, by 2020. But I'm not promising.

So I just need to make up my mind as to which of these 2 projects (I'm not counting the 2 little projects, just the chair & the chest) I am going to do for the big "TA DA" on May 14th. Come on, you really didn't think I was going to make a decision today, did ya? Remember, I'm the procrastination queen. I probably won't decide until May 13th.

So be sure to check back on May 14th to see which project I chose and to see if I got the project done. But don't hold your breath, I am the queen!!! And don't tell anyone, it will be just our little secret.

Poolside Tea Party

Welcome to another Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. Be sure to visit her blog as she has a yummy tablescape this week. And after your done wanting some of her dessert, you can find the list of all the other participants for this week.

Shhh! Don't tell Kim, but we are going to take over her tablescaping for this week. And who are we? Why we are Martha & Mildred. We are two of Kim's Boyds bears. You see we were rummaging through Kim's storage area in her garage rafters & we stumbled upon the first Christmas gift her hubby gave her. I know she will be so excited to see what we have found. So what better way to surprise her than by doing a tablescape for all of you (and Kim) this week for Tablescape Thursday.

And what did we find that Kim will love? It is a doll tea set that Mike (that would be her hubby) purchased for her from an antique store. Not sure if it is very old, but she loves it. And so do we. Kim used to have a doll collection (up until her last garage sale) and she also had this little table & chair set. What was missing was a tea set for it. So her hubby found her a set & gave it to Kim for their first Christmas together. He knew she would love it (and he was right, but then he is always right, lol) as she also collects blue & white dishes.

Here we are, I'm Martha (on the left) and over there is Mildred (on the right). Say Hi Mildred. Hi!!! Aren't we cute? Now back to our story. Since Kim no longer has her dolls (we convinced Kim that she didn't need those old dolls, bears were better), Mildred & I decided we wanted to have a tea party by the pool to show off Kim's little tea set. You see Kim loves us almost as much as she loves this tea set. So she will be so happy to see us using her tea set. I know what you are thinking, "Aren't you afraid that Kim will sell you at a garage sale someday?". Well the answer is "no". Kim loves us too much to sell us or give us up. We mean more to her than her dumb dolls did (obviously as we are still here). Luckily for us, she didn't get rid of our table & chairs. She wanted to sell them on ebay, but she wanted to dress them up a bit & so far she hasn't. Isn't it great that Kim is a procrastinator?

The tea set didn't come with larger plates, only what you see here. Not sure if they originally did or not since we weren't there when they were made. And there is nothing printed on the bottom, so not sure who they are made by or where. It's a big mystery. OOh I love mysteries.


One of the tea cups has a couple of chips. Don't tell Kim, she'll think we did it.

This is Mildred. Doesn't she look like she is enjoying her tea? Pretend you see tea in the cup. Kim doesn't drink tea, so we didn't have any to stage with. She just loves tea cups, not tea.

For the table cloth we used a vintage napkin that Kim bought off ebay. She bought a lot of 40 napkins for $10.00 a month or so ago. It works great as a table cloth for this small table. I had a hard time sneaking it out of the house though.


And here I am (Martha) with my spot of invisible tea. Do you like my bow?

Mildred & I want to thank you for visiting this week. There are 2 more place settings at this table. One for Kim & one for you. Do you want to stay & have some invisible tea? The weather is perfect for sitting by the pool. This week the temps are in the 70's instead of the high 90's like last week.

Be sure to come back next week to see Kim's Mother's Day tablescape. And this week her cousin's daughter Tina also did a tablescape post. She works at Cost Plus World Market & gets to do tablescapes for her job? How lucky is she? You can find her post here. Be sure to leave comments so Kim will be happy that we posted for her.

Yippie Aye Yay!!!

Raise your hand if you knew what this post was going to be about by just reading my title? Come on, you know this song is stuck in your head too. If it isn't, you haven't seen the latest commercial from Jack in the Box. I'm giggling here just thinking about it. It is so stupid, but brings a smile to my face & makes me laugh just thinking about it. And I can't get that dang song out of my head!!!

If you haven't seen it yet, or you want to torture yourself some more, just click on the commercial below. But I'm warning you, you won't be able to get this song out of your head for the rest of the day. And maybe the rest of the week.







In case you were wondering, here are the words to the song:

Way up west (way up west),
there's a story told (there's a story told)
about a bunch of cowboys.

Tiny and bold. (tiny and bold)
Ridin' tall. (ridin' tall)
Tall in the saddle!
Herdin' cows the size of schnauzers
but they're cattle!

YIPPIE AYE YAY, MINI SIRLOIN BURGERS!
YIPPIE AYE OH, MINI SIRLOIN BURGERS!
YIPPIE AYE YAY, MINI SIRLOIN BURGERS, HA!

Now don't you just want to run out & get some? I know I did. Along with my free french fries & drink (just got my coupon in the mail). They were pretty yummy, but too much food for me (can you believe I'm admitting this?) Now if I could only get that song out of my head. Yup, I'm still smiling & giggling. Yippie Aye Yay to you all!!!

What's on my Wall-Master Bath

It's time for "What's on you wall Wednesday" hosted by the fabulous Barb over at Grits and Glamour. Be sure to visit her blog to see the moss letter she made to hang on one of her walls. While you are there you find the list of this weeks participants.

This week I am showing you my master bathroom. You will find one major theme running throughout my house. White walls. I know, I could hear you all gasp. I lived in apartments for most of my adult life with white walls. I always said that when I owned a house I would never have white walls. But guess what? My house has white walls & we have lived here for almost 4 years.

I have white walls not because I love white walls, it's mostly because I am too lazy to paint & I am commitment phobic (I can't decide on a color to paint each room). And I have a hubby who can do anything, but hates painting. Plus he had just painted every wall white prior to our purchasing the house (we was working for the prior owner getting it ready to flip when we decided to buy it). So he said the walls don't need painting yet. Someday I will have color on my walls (probably when I decide not to be so lazy & finally choose a color). But until then, white ain't so bad.

This is the wall above my tub. The window mirror came from JC Penny catalog years ago on clearance. The shelf I've had for years & I painted it white. About a year ago we heard a loud crash in the middle of the night. We awoke to find this shelf & everything on it in the tub. It seems one of the sawtooth hangers on the back came off & down came the shelf. Most everything on this shelf now was on the shelf then, except for the stained glass rose and the vase with the seashells. I did have a couple of casualties though. Two crystal candle holders shattered into a million pieces & were not salvageable. So I picked up a couple of replacements at Home Goods & by shopping my house. The largest crystal candle holder did not break (miraculously). The french bottle broke, but hubby glued it back together. The 2 birdies also got broken. Hubby glued them back together, remade their tails & painted them. They look perfect now. As you can see I have added more to my shelf than what was on it originally when it fell. I like tempting fate. I'm pretty confident my hubby made sure this shelf wasn't falling again. I have faith in him. But I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.
Here is a closeup of what's on the shelf. The french bottle w/flowers came from Mervyn's a few years back. The crystal candle holder is my replacement from Home Goods. It is sitting on a little silver tray from the Paris hotel in Las Vegas. The birdies were from Tender Heart Treasures catalog. The candelabra is from Home Goods a few years ago. And I already told you hubby made the rose stained glass piece BK (before Kim, which is me).
Here is the right side of the shelf. The smaller crystal candle holder I already had & was a replacement for one that broke. The larger one (the miraculous one that didn't break) I've had for years as well. Not sure where either came from originally, probably from a thrift store. The glass vase with the shells I got on clearance at Marshall's last year. The shells I probably got from Marshall's or Ross for my wedding 3 years ago.

I think this sign came from Home Goods a few years ago. I love anything Frenchy!!!

This plaque was an ebay purchase a few years back. We went to Europe in 2003 & when I got back I was in a French kick (still am).

Here is the entire wall over the bathtub. Notice that I didn't show you my bathtub? All I can say, be glad I didn't show it to you. It needs cleaning. It is a big garden tub & I have never taken a bath in it. I heard you gasp again. I am a shower girl. I do love baths, but I love Jacuzzis better & my tub isn't a jacuzzi tub, but I have a jacuzzi spa outside by the pool. So that is where I relax, outside in my jacuzzi. What is better than watching the stars at night? Plus I can't justify using all that water for a bath.

Here is the wall in my toilet area. Notice that I'm not showing you my toilet either. You'll see that I won't be showing you any of my bathroom fixtures. I was in a hurry to take these photos & my bathroom wasn't quite presentable. Maybe someday I'll show you everything.

The towels came from Ross. Except for the monogrammed hand towels, they came from Home Goods last year I believe. The Paris print was a thrift store find. I think I paid $3.00 for it.
Here is a close up of the print. It isn't the best photo as it's hard to take photos of prints that are behind glass. You get a lot of glare and/or reflection.

This is one of the walls in the little entry area between our master bedroom & the master bath. I got this shelf/rack at Target a long time ago. This is where we hand our jammies & bathrobes and some of my jewelry. Above I have some tin boxes. The 2 on the right came from A Special Place catalog, they were part of Tender Heart Treasures. I loved A Special Place catalog. Was sad to see it go away. They merged it with Tender Heart Treasures, but even now they don't have much of this type of stuff.
The teddy bear dressed as a lamb I've had for years. Not sure where I got it. The sign above with the cherub & french writing came from ebay. The box on the left, I can't remember where I got that. But it matches the other boxes pretty good.

Right across from the above shelf is my linen closet/vanity area (again I am not going to show you this area as it is a mess & it is not what is on my wall). But these prints of Paris are on my wall. The frames came from Aaron Brothers Art at one of their penny sales. Buy one frame at regular price, get 2nd frame for a penny. The Moulin Rouge print is actually a photo we took while in Paris. I just printed it out in black & white. The top photo of the Eiffel Tower & the bottom photo of Paris from the 1920's I printed off a CD I have with vintage Paris prints. I love these frames & prints.

On the back wall of my vanity area I have this little frame/mirror (more glare & reflection). The vintage prints I printed out on my computer from my CD. You can see some of the items in my vanity area. Someday I promise to clean up this area & show you (you'll probably notice dust on my vanity items). I collect perfume bottles & love vanity items so I have lots.

Well there you have what's on my walls in my master bathroom. I really only have one wall that I can decorate in my master bath (the wall with the window mirror & shelf) which is the north wall. The rest of this wall has my shower. The east wall is the mirrored doors to our walk in closet. And the vanity/linen area. The west wall is where our double sinks are so a huge mirror takes up this wall, along with a window. Someday hubby is going to make a stained glass window for this window. The south wall has the door to our toilet area, a medicine cabinet mirror & clock which I did not take a photo of, as well as the walkway to our bedroom. The toilet area does have a window in there that hubby is planning on making a stained glass window for. I should have taken a photo of the stained glass piece we have standing in the window for now. At least I can look out, but no one can look in. I still don't turn on the bathroom light while in the toilet area though.

Well there you have what's on my master bathroom walls. I promise you that you are not missing anything not seeing my entire bathroom. It is your standard builders grade bathroom with faux marble counter & oak vanity with white fake tile around tub & in shower. And we have teal blue carpeting on the floor. I know, carpeting in the bathroom? I would love to put down tile, but it's a money issue. So for now I have to live with my teal carpet. But I do want to paint my cabinets black. Maybe some day.

So what's on your walls?

Getting to know your family-Taylor

I just got back another family questionnaire. This time from Taylor. Taylor is my niece, daughter of Eric & Jeannette, grand daughter of Dorothy & Carlos, great grand daughter of Edith & Merlin.

Here are TAYLOR'S responses:

1. What is your occupation right now? I'm a nanny for this family in my ward 2. What color are your socks right now? Black and White checkered 3. What are you listening to right now? Enya 4. What was the last thing that you ate? Quesidilla 5. Can you drive a stick shift? I can't even drive 6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My friend Ashley 7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I like everyone! 8. How old are you today? I am 18 years old 9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? SOCCER!!!! 10. What is your favorite drink? Cranberry Grape Juice 11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Nope...only highlights 12. Favorite Food? Mexican food 13. What is the last movie you watched? The Chronicles of Narnia 14. Favorite day of the year? August 18th 1990 :) 15. How do you vent anger? I cry and punch pillows....or I just hold it in until it subsides 16. What was your favorite toy as a child? I don't remember 17. What is your favorite season? Winter! I love snow! 18. Cherries or Blueberries? Strawberries! 19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? yes? 20. Who is the most likely to respond The Fam 21. Who is least likely to respond? People who don't see it 22. Living arrangements? At home with the parents 23. When was the last time you cried? Two days ago, I've been getting really emotional lately...lol 24. What is on the floor of your closet? my shoes and school supplies 25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to? hmmmm... 26. What did you do last night? I watched tv then went to bed 27. What are you most afraid of? Being stabbed 28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Plain 29. Favorite dog breed? Great Danes 30. Favorite day of the week? Friday 31. How many states have you lived in? One 32. Diamonds or pearls? CTR RINGS!!! lol 33. What is your favorite flower? Dried out roses

Don't you just love finding out more about each other? I know I do. I didn't know that Taylor loves Great Dane dogs. I loved Great Dane dogs too when I was her age. In fact, I had a black one named Toby. I just found a photo of him in my hope chest.

And her favorite flowers are dried out roses. Doesn't Aunt Joni love those too? And she is definitely a Langston as she loves mexican food. But she didn't put Pepsi for her favorite drink, so her mom's side must be having some influence on her.

Thanks Taylor for participating. Who's next?

2nd Time Around Tuesday-Grandma's Rocker

This is my first week participating in 2nd Time Around Tuesday hosted by Diane at A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words. Be sure to visit her blog to see the fabulous estate sale treasure she found as well as this weeks list of participants. If you love 2nd hand treasures like me, not that I'm a 2nd hand treasure, I just love them, then you too will love this weekly meme.

For years my Mom had this rocking chair in her house. It had originally been in my Grandma's house and when she died, my Mom took it home to her house. All these years I've loved this chair & have told my Mom that I wanted the chair. I figured that someday when my mom was gone that it would be my turn to love & take care of this chair.

But luckily for me, I didn't have to wait. A couple of years ago my Mom gave me the chair for Mother's Day. It was the best Mother's Day gift I ever received.


The chair sits in our living room (with our ugly teal carpet). This isn't your typical rocking chair. This one has springs that it rocks on. The one thing about this rocker is that you have to be real careful how you sit in it. If you sit back too far, you almost get dumped out of it backwards. So you have to balance yourself just so to sit in it. But I have learned how to sit in it without tipping it back too far.
When my Grandson comes over (which is not very often), I love to rock him in this rocking chair. And even when I don't have my Grandson. I love to sit & rock in this chair. This is something so soothing & comforting about a rocking chair. Especially one that has memories attached to it & is as old as this one.
I wish I knew more about my rocking chair. I called my Mom this morning to see if she knew anything about it. She said no. All she knew is that it belonged to her Mom, my Grandma. She wasn't sure if it had belonged to anyone else in the family or not.

So if anyone else in my family knows anything more about the history of this rocking chair, let me know.

All I know is that I feel loved while rocking in this chair. I love it and will treasure it always.

Welcome to "Sunday Favorites"

Welcome to the first "Sunday Favorites" meme hosted by the fabulous Chari at Happy to Design. Chari started this as a way for each of us bloggers to share our favorite posts from the past instead of having to think up a new one. Brilliant!!!! Plus it's a way to catch up on posts that we may have missed earlier or enjoy a repeat of one we love. And because it doesn't have to be about anything specific, you never know what you might find. Be sure to head on over to Chari's blog (after reading my post of course) by clicking here. You will be able to find all the other people participating in this new fun party. Plus you will get to read about Chari's beautiful Tea Bedroom. I love it!

Now most of my posts in the past few months have been about decorating or tablescaping. But before that I did write about random things that happened in my life. So today I thought I would repost about one particular day at work. I originally posted this on Nov 13, 2008. I hope you enjoy it.


Yesterday while I work I was given an award by a six year old. An award you say? How exciting!!! Well I was excited too when Joey (the six year old grandson of the woman I work with) announced in front of my desk that he was handing out an award to a winner.

That got my attention real fast. I got all excited to finally be recognized for something, anything, didn't care what it was for, just wanted an award. Something to justify my existence. I had visions of a gold statue with my name engraved on it. I was already thinking about my acceptance speech, when I said to him, "You are giving me an award?" He then looked at me & said "No, I'm giving my Grandma the award as she is a winner" and then he proceeded to walk over to his grandma's desk & hand her a piece of paper (the award) with his 6 year old gibberish written on it. I was crushed, my hopes had been dashed, my heart sank. Never mind that I wasn't going to be able to give my acceptance speech, I wasn't getting an award.

Then Lynne (Joey's grandma) says to him, "don't you think that Kim deserves an award too?". Joey said "Alright, I'll give her an award". He then came over to me & handed me the wrapping from a band aid & said "Here is your award". I got all excited again & said "I get a winner award too?" and then he said as only a six year old can say, "No, it's a loser award, you get a loser award". LOSER AWARD???? L-O-S-E-R. It felt like someone put there thumb & index finger in a "L" shape & put it up to their forehead to say, LOSER!!! Who in their right mind wants a loser award? What kind of acceptance speech can I give now? I'm not a loser, but a "loser" award was what I got.


A few minutes later (after Joey's grandma chastised him for giving me the loser award), he comes up & tells me he has another award for me. I said, "so I get a best person in the whole wide world award?". Joey looked at me intently & then grabbed the 2nd award out of my hand & went over to Brandon & said "Brandon, here is your award". So Brandon got the "best person in the whole wide world" award & not me. Stab me in the heart, why don't you.

Then Joey's ten year old sister Kelly brought me a piece of paper that she had typed up with the words "WINNER AWARD" with my name on it. I stuck my tongue out at Joey & said "See someone thinks I'm a winner, nananananana!!!!" This got Joey mad, he comes over to me & says that he wants the award Kelly had just given me. He didn't think I deserved a winner award so he was miffed that his sister had given me one. He tried to grab the award from me. I wouldn't let him have it. I finally had to sit on it to protect it. This got Joey madder.

When Joey realized that he wasn't getting the winner award back from me, he proceeded to tell me that it wasn't a winner award, but a wiener award. A wiener award? This kid obviously doesn't like me.


So there you have it, I was given an award, but it was not the award I had dreamed about receiving. I guess it was the award that Joey thought I deserved as he thought I was a sore loser when he gave his grandma the original award. It was pretty funny though seeing how upset Joey got when his sister gave me the winner award to make me feel better. You can't make kids fake what they don't feel. Maybe I should have tried bribing him? Maybe next time.

Tablescapes from my work

This is a tablescape posted by my cousin's oldest daughter Tina. Does that make her my 2nd cousin? I'm still trying to figure it out. Anyways, she works at Cost Plus World Market & gets to tablescape for her job. Lucky girl. I hope Tina doesn't mind but I thought this post was perfect for Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. Be sure to visit Susan's blog to see all the other participants. You can find her blog here. And then you can see the tablescape my Boyds bears did for me this week by clicking here.
Kim

Here are Tina's tablescapes:

This is the California Poppy collection. This is how it looked at Easter.

This is the Mum collection for Mother's Day.

This is the Jesenya collection, super popular and the picture doesn't do it justice.

Again, part of Easter

So I know some of these are a bit late since Easter has already passed but I've been kinda busy with work. At my work (Cost Plus World Market) I get to dress up the tables and have a bit of fun. I hope you enjoy!

Tina


Thanks Tina for sharing your tablescapes with us this week. Hopefully we will be seeing more tablescapes from Tina. Be sure to welcome her to our weekly fun by leaving her a comment.
Kim

Friday Family Face-Marti

Hello family & friends. I'm bringing back an oldie but goody today for your enjoyment. I'm talking about the Friday Family Face. You know where we get to know someone in our family just a little bit better. Well guess who finally sent me back the original family questionnaire? It is none other than my favorite older cousin Marti. See I can say that without hurting any ones feelings since Marti is the only cousin I have that is older than me. She was the first grandchild in our particular Manning family tree. She is the daughter of Joni, grand daughter of Edith & Merlin.

I love my cousin Marti. She was always the happy one in the family. I don't remember her ever being sad. She is quite the optimist. I loved when we would go to their house or they would come to ours when we were children. I always had a good time with Marti. I just wished that we lived closer now so we could see each other more often.

Here is Marti's family (minus hubby Larry) in 1990

I asked Marti to tell us about her interests and/or hobbies: My business is Balloon Works and Event Design. You can see my online portfolio at http://www.balloonworks.balloonhq.com. We have been in business since 1997. I say ‘we’ because it is a family endeavor. My crew and staff are my children. Each one of them has worked with me on jobs, they can inflate, build, rig, repair and pop balloons. Some of them are great at designing and coming up with new ideas for events. Their least favorite thing is when I have to get them out of bed to do an early job. I appreciate all the help they give me. Aside from learning how to do balloons, they have learned how to work together, making a plan, design concepts, color theory, patience, time management, working with clients, listening skills, how to work, pricing, billing, etc. Colleen even wrote her college entrance essay on why she hates balloons. It worked, she was accepted to BYU!
This photo is from 1962. From left to right is Marti, me, Becky & Eric. I would have been about 4, Marti 5, Becky 3 & Eric 2.

Here are the questions I asked Marti & her responses:
Your full name? Marti Bunker Graff
Your age? 51
Spouse’s name? Larry Lee Graff
Children’s names & ages?
Erin Blue Winters 29 married to Mark D. Winters
Sean Michael Graff 27 getting married 5/23/09 to Paula Rosenthal
Kira Rose Pope 26 married to Stewart A. Pope
Colleen Elizabeth Keske 24 Married to Andrew A. Keske
Kathleen (Katie) Anna Harp 22 Married to Seth M. Harp
Lauren Lee Graff 19
Ian David Graff 17
Daniel Benjamin Graff 14
Job description? Homemaker, full time caregiver to my mother-in-law, business owner
Where do you live? Templeton, California
I nabbed this photo off of Marti's blog. This is Marti & her daughter Katie

Places you have lived? Provo, Utah; Simi Valley, Northridge California and Templeton California
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Close to my family
Education? Some college
One word that describes you? Only one word? I am now over 50 and have accomplished much—ummmm one word, the most cherished title I claim is MOTHER.
Happiest childhood memory? So many absolutes—digging holes in our back yard, getting my drivers license after failing the test twice, having a happy home to come back to everyday, any Christmas- I love telling my kids about the Christmas when we had a blue tree.
Happiest memory of teenage years? Being Laurel class president. I learned a lot about leadership in that calling.
Happiest moment in life? Giving birth is high up there! And every time I get a new temple recommend
Marti & her grand daughter Kylee

What makes you happy and mad as hell at the same time? When you save a toddler from running out in the street
What makes you laugh? Lots of things; anytime we (family) are all together, we giggle and laugh.
What makes you cry? Excellence, ie: watching athletes attain greatness at the Olympics; our National Anthem; listening to beautiful music in Sacrament Meeting; being taught by the Holy Ghost; when my heart is broken; chopping onions
What has been your biggest challenge or something you struggle with. Fear
Who has been the biggest influence on your life, or who is your hero? I was asked this question when I was a teenager and did not have an answer. Now I would tell you that it has been the people who have moved through my life that have influenced me and shaped my character. My mom and dad were the cornerstone. I have had some great role models and try to pattern their strengths into my life. I have learned to look to the Savior and work to mirror his character. Jesus Christ is my hero.
If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today? Cry? Run around in a panic? Repent? Contact all my family and tell them what was in my heart.
Marti & her sister Emily (another of my cousins)

Before you die, you would like to: Live!
What do you (or did you) want to be when you grow (grew) up? When I was young, the only options for girls were to be a school teacher or a nurse, neither interested me. I was also stumped when I needed to declare a major in college, so I told people I was going to go to school to be a scholar.
What is your ultimate goal in life? Live so that when I meet my Savior, he can say to me “Well done.”
What has been your greatest accomplishment? Wife, Mother and Homemaker- it is not as easy as it looks! I started working on drafting a “Homemaking Diva” course and listing what skills you would have to master to merit graduating with this degree. Here is a partial list:
Cooking- steaming, stir fry, roasting, braising, sauces, seasonings & spices, etc.
Baking- pies (crusts & fillings), cookies, cakes, muffins, quick breads, yeast breads, etc.
Decorating- window treatments, table settings, painting, wallpaper, flower arrangements, hanging pictures, furniture placement and care, style, color theory, bedding, shelves, storage, etc.
Cleaning- laundry, stain removal, house, floors, carpets, kitchen, fridge, oven, bathrooms, etc.
Time Management- calendaring, scheduling, keeping track of all the family appointments, callings, scripture study, family prayer, FHE, etc.
Finances/Budget- coupons, living with in your means, debt control, savings, etc.
Home Maintenance- plumbing, appliance repair, spackling, knowledge of tools, car repair, etc.
Preserving- foods, canning, drying, freezing; memories, photos, journals, antiques, heirlooms
Yard Maintenance- gardening, vegetables, flowers, lawn, landscaping, watering, etc.
Sewing- clothes, mending, quilts, etc.
Health- nutrition, first aid, hygiene, exercise,
Personal- hair care, make-up, dressing modestly and with style, get adequate sleep!
Other- relationships, communication, patience, discipline, effective parenting

What do you think is the world’s biggest problem? Not keeping the commandments of God.
Are you a spiritual person? I work on it daily.
What is something you believe in? The Atonement
What has been your hardest decision in life so far?
Marti & her grand daughter Kylee. Marti made the dress for Kylee's blessing. Isn't is beautiful?

What is the craziest thing you have ever done? At the tender age of 18, I went to Europe for a month.
What are your goals for the next 5 years? Finish raising our sons, see that they graduate and send them on missions. Build a stronger, loving relationship with my husband, Larry. Hope his Parkinson’s progresses at a slow pace; greet our new grandchildren with open arms and warm kisses.
What are you really good at? Delegating; canning (I am a Master Food Preserver); cooking; balloons, tole painting; decorating for events; being creative in general; punting (the skill of moving from plan “A” to the nonexistent plan “B” when everything goes to pot)
Do you weigh yourself? And if so, how often? Either my jeans fit or they are too snug. I am allergic to large numbers, when I see them on a scale, I break out in guilt.
What are you listening to these days? Talk radio, books on CD and whatever music is left on by the teen last driving the car.
What song describes you & your life? “ I Stand All Amazed”
What are you most proud of? My children!!!!
Marti the baking queen!!!

What is something no one knows about you? If I tell then it won’t be a secret.
Are you a dog or cat person? Arf, arf-Dog
Are you a morning or night person? Night, but I still have to get up to see my boys off to work and school.
What is your pet peeve? Be careful when answering this one, it indicates a person’s personal flaw. What I mean is, often the answer you give is one of your own weaknesses and that you cannot tolerate seeing it in others. I will take the fifth.
What do you love about your spouse? That he is working to improve himself.
When & where did you meet your spouse? One beautiful Sunday afternoon, in a small dark disco called ‘The Sugar Shack’ in North Hollywood, as extras in a movie.
Marti being silly

When & where you married? Los Angeles Temple, January 12, 1979, we just celebrated our 30th Wedding Anniversary!
What do you love about motherhood or fatherhood? All the mushy stuff
What do you love about being a grandparent? Little arms around my neck in a strong hug.
What is your theme song?
What is your motto? “It could be worse….”
What celebrity crushes did you have as a teen? David Cassidy and the Monkee’s. I liked Davy Jones best but my cousin Kim liked him so I had to pick another one, it was a tie between Peter and Mike. I think Becky liked Mickey, so I couldn’t pick him either.

One thing you love about your body? It works!
Something on your mind lately is? “Ummmmm, wonder what I am going to fix for dinner?”
Your life would be more simpler if? That money tree would finally grow and produce fruit.
What surprises you most about your adult life? Time goes by so quickly.
Who would you love to meet living or dead? Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, Corrie Ten Boom and her family (read The Hiding Place!), George Washington and the other founding fathers. I do not know what I would say to them, except “Thank you!” I think I would be tongue tied and feel small in their presence.
Marti with her Dad & siblings at her Dad's 75th birthday party. I nabbed this photo from Tina's blog. Tina is Becky's daughter.

What is the nicest compliment anyone has offered you? That no one has ever spoken poorly of me.
Name 2 objects you use in your everyday life? Computer, fridge
What did you do for Halloween? Drove Daniel to a party and waited for it be over by going to the church and participating & cleaning up from the Trunk and Treat multi-ward activity.
What are you going to do for Thanksgiving? Stay home and invite friends over, cook a lot of food, EAT!, clean up, play games.
What are you going to do for Christmas? Rejoice! We get to concentrate on Christ’s birth and the impact he has made in our lives ...And...we get to have family around our dinner table, breakfast table, in the living room, waiting for their turn in the bathroom, piled up on the couch, oh all around, it is great.
Favorite food or drink? Chocolate
Favorite food or drink that is not good for you? Chocolate
Favorite treat or dessert? Wanna guess? Brownies, M&Ms
Favorite ice cream? I asked my dad this question years ago, his answer was vanilla, how boring! With all the great flavors to choose from, why plain old vanilla? Then I was introduced to toppings-my favorite is vanilla if ice cream is being served in a bowl. When I go buy a cone, I often try one I have never had before.
Marti's family at daughter Colleen's wedding

Favorite place to eat out? Thai
Favorite vacation spot or place to travel? Tahiti was fun
Favorite color? All the colors I see in a sunset or on a tree
Favorite movie? “People Will Talk” with Cary Grant
Some of the Bunker clan from our family reunion in San Diego in 1990 (not positive of year)

Favorite book? I was just asked this question by a good friend of mine who is an English teacher, she was surprised when I answered- Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. As the kids have been in school, I have tried to read what they are reading- for a number of reasons 1) so I know what they are studying 2) I can help them with their essays 3) these books are often classics and describe elements of the human condition 4) to increase my goal of being a scholar. I like the book Frankenstein because it is so masterfully written. The story is so wrongfully retold in the movies, that the plot surprised me. It is truly a horror story about what the denial of love can drive a man to do. Over the years I have read lots and lots of books, mostly the classics. I do not want to waste my time on junk. I also like to read the Newberry Award winners. Contemporary authors I enjoy are JK Rowling (her work with the Harry Potter series will be on the shelves as classics, this is a topic I love to discuss), Eoin Colfer (Artimus Fowl, etc.), Tolkin, Funke, Steinbeck, etc. I look for books written for young adults, they are ‘safer’ in their content and language, yet have creative enjoyable stories. Since I spend so much time in the car, I ‘read’ books on CD. Since the kids are often with me, they listen to the books too and have me ‘catch them up’ with the story. It has been a great family activity and they are exposed to this great literature as well.
Favorite thing to do or favorite pastime? Pastime? Pastime? This phrase does not compute.
Favorite holiday & why? Christmas, it is all about believing and family
Marti's family at grand daughter Kylee's blessing.

Favorite decorating style? Comfy
Favorite day of week & why? Sunday, we get to attend church and take the sacrament. Everyone in the house is doing what they should and I do not have to crack the whip.
Favorite time of day & why? When I crawl into bed. It feels so good!
Favorite thing about yourself? I am capable of accomplishing almost any task.
Favorite memory of Grandma & Grandpa Manning? One summer I went to spend a few weeks at their house, I was around seven. Grandma and I went to Colorado to visit her family. (Remember Aunt Edna? She would reach out and pull you into her huge, warm, soft breast for the best hug ever! They would also fix breakfast that would make Kings and Sultans envious.)
Grandpa was not home when we got back. Grandma was very upset that the house was in such disarray. There was white powder on everything, the bed in her bedroom was pulled away from the wall, drawers were open, etc. I think it was a phone call from one of her friends that she learned that her house had been broken into and robbed the night before. Because we (Grandma Manning and I) were not there, Grandpa was sleeping in the den. A robber climbed up on top of the shed in the backyard, tore the screen, opened the window that was over their bed in the master bedroom and entered the house. He thought no one was home and went through all the drawers as he made his way through the house. I think he was surprised when he found Grandpa asleep in the den. Then woke him up to open the HUGE black safe. The thief was armed. Sometime during the robbery the gun was discharged and the bullet ricocheted around the room, leaving a gouge in the floor and a dent in his desk. After he took what he wanted, he threatened Grandpa and left by the front door.
All of the white powder was from the police dusting for fingerprints. Grandma and Grandpa’s friends came over as the story spread and I heard the story about the ‘break in’ over and over. I remember that my stomach hurt. The thing that puzzled me the most was I could not see the crack in the ceiling where the house broke. Children are very literal.
OR how about one summer when Grandpa collected a jar full of HUGE grasshoppers and took them to City Hall to complain that they were eating his garden.
OR swinging on the back porch swing during thunderstorms.
Or staying in a cabin at Rainbow Lake. Fishing with Grandpa and watching Grandma crochet doilies.
OR enjoying the great lunches Grandma would pack for our drive back to California after a visit.
Or how she would make us strip off our clothes in the backyard when we came back from spending the day on the Bunker farm.
Favorite possession? My testimony of Jesus Christ and my membership in His church.
Your advice to others? Don’t sweat the small stuff. Choose to be happy. Work beside your children. Smile.
Your advice to others? Stay strong, decide what you value and live accordingly. Learn to know God and his son, Jesus Christ. Listen to the still small voice. Repent with out being compelled. Fight for the principles of liberty and freedom. Love your family, build good relationships, laugh often, forgive freely, enjoy the sunshine. Serve others. Say goodnight to the sun along with a prayer of gratitude for a good day-no matter what your day was like.

Bunkers at the Langston's house in 1990. This was the last family reunion we had. At least I think it was. We need another family reunion. Who wants to join in? Let me know & we'll plan one for next year.

Well that does it for another episode of Friday Family Face. Thanks Marti for all your answers. I think you get the prize for being the most thorough on your answers. I'm glad that you played along. I love getting reacquainted with everyone in our family. Don't you?