Labor Day & Service Project

Labor Day was a special one for us. We have a tradition in our family of doing a service project every Labor Day. We've had the opportunity to help out almost every sibling in my family. We've helped paint houses, redo landscaping, and put in new fences. This year, it was our turn. We needed a lot of help with getting wood for the winter. A few months back when we were feeling very overwhelmed with our list of to-do's, my brother suggested we do the service project at my house.

So we packed up all the littlest kids and sent them off for a fun playdate at Grandma's house. All the kids old enough to work cleaned out our woodshed. They did an AMAZING job! I am impressed with how well my nieces and nephews work! The went steady for a couple of hours, moving woodchips, bark, and wood boards and sweeping up a huge mess. They were brave, even when some Yellow Jackets tried to crash the party and stung one of my nephews.

The older boys and men spent the day chopping and hauling wood. They brought at least 3 truckloads of freshly chopped wood to our house. It all got stacked, neatly, too! Scott thinks they got almost 2 full cords of wood!

The Ladies and I prepared a big feast of Pizza, salad, and watermelon for all the helpers. I had a very bad experience with Papa Murphy's take and bake. They were 30 minutes late opening up, and after I showed up to put in my order, the girl assured me it would be ready in 20 minutes. So I went to buy more paint, and when I came by 25 minutes later she hadn't even started my order! I had to wait an extra 30 minutes for her to make my 10 pizzas, because they were understaffed and only had 1 person working the store. She gave me 2 free pizzas, sodas, and cheesy breads to say sorry. But I had a bunch of hungry workers who had to wait an extra 1 1/2 hrs to eat since the pizzas took so long to bake. So next time I have a big pizza party at my house, I will definitely buy some already baked somewhere else!

The women all helped me finish painting the inside of my house! I've been wanting this finished for years, but have never been able to get to it. We painted my entryway, hallway, bedroom, and 2 bathrooms. We went through about 3 gallons of paint. It all looks So lovely now! I've recently enjoyed rehanging all my pictures. I almost feel like I got a new home!

It took much longer to paint everything than I expected, but everyone did a marvelous job! Everything got 2 coats, and now I get to choose a new bathroom trim. :)

The kids had a magical time with Grandma. A cousin and sister in law stayed to help Grandma. They made chocolate covered strawberries and pretzels. They went to the park and watched movies. My 2 little girls had so much fun, they didn't want to come home!

Julianna is usually a stinker at home, so I was delighted to hear from my Mom that she was an absolute sweetheart while I was away. She was sunny, smily, no cries or complaints. I never got to see her act this nicely, however, because as soon as I showed up she began doing her demanding fussy act. I guess she really puts one over on me!

My Mom is the best cook ever! Here she is baking a pie!

My poor mom worked so hard taking care of the kids and making good food, that she ended up really injuring her neck. It has taken her several weeks to begin to heal from it.

Food is the best kind of art: edible!

Looks like all the little hands are happily occupied!

You can tell she's a girl: it's all stacked neatly in rows!

Mmmm...tasty!

I love my Angel!

My sister's son: Handsome Hyrum

Hello? Anyone there? I'm told that Julianna happily entertained herself with this telephone for hours!

Angel & cousin Spencer. He's a sweetie!

Someday I want to be able to make pies as pretty as my mom's!

I still can't believe these blondies are my own kids. Incredible genetics.

My sister in law took all these pictures. She is really good at capturing some great moments on camera!

After the big service project, we all went to my Mom's house for a big Labor Day BBQ feast! It was a great end to an exhausting day! The men were so glad to sit and eat after chopping wood all day.

Scott and I felt like we'd been given a new lease on life! We were blessed with wood for the winter, we had a clean woodshed! (It was messy when we bought our house...it's never ever been clean as far as I know!) And our house had beautifully clear new walls! No more kid pencil drawings and disastrous messes smeared all over my hallway walls. I'm hoping to keep it that way! (fingers crossed)

It was especially touching to see almost 20 grandkids working together on a tough project. My son (who does NOT like to do hard labor) came up to me with a delighted smile saying, "Mom, I like this service project! It's fun, we're really having a good time!" 4 hours later when he had to stack wood again, he wasn't so chipper, but all those kids were good sports. I am impressed with their endurance and good attitudes. I can't wait to see what they all grow up to be someday!

Thank-you family for you love and support, and for a wonderful day! Your love means the world to us! We will treasure this experience, always!