My Mother

Frances "Melodee" Hart
(May 26, 1940 - November 21, 2009)

Melodee Hart, 69, passed away Saturday November 21, 2009 at St Mark’s Hospital in Salt Lake City as the result of an infection she had been battling for the past three months. Melodee was not new to medical challenges and has been courageous in dealing with affliction all her life. She has at last found her reward; she has endured in faith with an unwavering commitment to do good and to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She loved the Savior and her family above all else. She never knew an act of selfishness and easily found the good in everyone.

She was born to Mickey and Helen Hart, May 26, 1940, the oldest of four children. She was married March 18, 1960 in the Salt Lake Temple and began her career as mother to five fantastic children, 15 grandchildren and two great grandchildren plus three step grandchildren and four step great grandchildren. She is fondly remembered as Grandma Dodee coined by a grandson who could not say Melodee.

From all of us who know you, Melodee, so long until we meet again, we love you, we admire you, we honor you. In faith we hope to follow in your footsteps.

Funeral services will be held on Friday November 27, 2009 12:00 noon at the Kenwood 2nd LDS Ward Chapel, 3080 South 1765 East, where friends may visit with the family from 10:00am to 11:30am prior to the services. Interment: Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park. Online condolences to the family may be sent at: www.holbrookmortuary.com

Bah Hum-BUG!

I need a break from this parasite, I mean paradise!

I ventured to the storage shed to do a pre-inventory for Christmas decor.

You know, see how the tree survived the move - check on lights, that sort of thing.

I'm sure a few squeals (mixed in with a few slangs) caught the attention of our new neighbors when I realized these ants had decided to take their own type of inventory.

Crap - they'd set up an entire community - birthing center and nursery included!

. . . .My own ant farm!

Those little buggers even ate the nose off my Mickey Mouse ornament!

After 2 days of meticulously going through the ornaments - salvaging what memorable ones I could, we finally came to the bottom of what I thought was my airtight Rubbermaid.

Seriously - can I be done with these critter challenges?!?!?

Madi's latest

What in the world do you do with every single Hannah Montana fabric available at WalMart?

Produce the most comfy rag quilt for everyone to fight over.

Our Lanai DIY

One of the challenges of this transient lifestyle is coming up with creative solutions for each unique house we live in. Our current dilemma - how to cover the windows in the lanai.

I haven't had a problem leaving those lovely louvered windows bare until just recently. I love the greenery of the yard. But after a neighbor applauded our pajama karaoke session - I figured it was time to come up with a plan.

Only 7 months left with these windows - so I wanted to keep the budget . . . .well basically at $0.

Madi and I rummaged around Constance.

In keeping with the island feel, we came up with grass mats (like the kind from the ABC Store). We jimmied them up and and tried rolling them up each morning with ribbon I had sewn on - but that was getting old and the mats weren't holding together very well.

Enter Plan B . . . .

We succumbed to spending the $12 for mini blinds and $5 on new grass mats at the B/X.

Who knows - we may just splurge on a tiny bit of trim/bling. If not - I'll be o.k.

Not too shabby!