Memorial Day 2009

Highlights of Memorial Weekend 2009:

1. Travis and Olivia (We missed you Amy! But totally understand where the importance of schoolwork is.)

2. Brooke, Wes and Merlin

3. Wii Fit challenges

4. Olivia flirting with Wes and loving the 'dog dog.'

5. The Rain, Wet, Muddy trip to Trapper Park

6. Cool, Wet Weather

7. The burgers and chicken that were meant for the BBQ, but never got grilled

8. Playing for Hours on the Grandparents Barney's Deck

9. Giving Sam College Advice...lots of it.

10. To catch a predator on Dateline

11. The start of the worst Morning Sickness EVER - oh and pot stickers...(yucky shivers)

12. Traditional "Lilac Swipe" and grave decoration

13. Families Can Be Together Forever

14. The Tricycle Unleashed!

15. Using the Petty's Deck

16. Being together

Good News!

Yes, it is true. We killed the rabbit. We are due in January. I am seven weeks along and yes, I'm sick, sick, sick the last few days! I was NEVER this sick with NQ. So I have decided this pregnancy must be twins. It's the only thing that could cause such a stir deep within! (Okay no confirmation on the twins, but there has to be a reason, right?) We're Super excited and glad to share this news!

Happy Birthday Mom

Love and Miss you!

Coolest thing I've seen on HGTV.

Last night on HGTV, they were doing a remodel (isn't the whole idea of HGTV?) and they did the coolest thing I've ever seen. It was an apartment that needed more room, especially in the kitchen. So the designers painted a Magnetic Primer on the walls, and over primer they painted on chalkboard paint. SOOO the WALL is a Magnetic Chalkboard!!! HOW AWESOME IS THIS IDEA?? In the kitchen they had spices in magnetic cans with a chalk written label next to it. Plus there were menu's, shopping lists, notes, whatever chalked or with a magnet ON THE WALL! Amazing. And, being a mom....how great would this be in a kid area?!!! Here you go kids, here's you magnetic letters and some chalk, get to coloring your walls! I told Shane about it, and he said, "I know. You can make Magnetic dry erase walls too." Men. HIDING THEIR USEFUL KNOWLEDGE!! Anyhow, now you know the delights of this idea too

p.s. I borrowed this photo from Flickr...I don't know who's wall this is, but it gives you the main idea. (I liked the one they did in the remodel better, but this one is good too.)

Wii enjoy our Free Wii Fit

Wii Did it. Wii got the Wii Fit package to go with our Wii. In fact Wii didn't have to pay a single penny for it. What?! How can this be?! How did you get a FREE Wii Fit? Did Wii steal it? Borrow it? Find it in a car? Trade something? Use some sort of fraud? Get it with our good looks? Rent out the child? No! Wii used our Credit Card "rewards Points" to get it! YEAH for using our card and reaping the rewards!

I've used it once, and so far...I LOVE IT! I'm excited to use it more!

Anyhow...Shane read in the paper and heard on-line that credit cards were starting to 'change' their points policies...and that some were dropping them altogether. The report advised to use up the points ASAP before they disappeared. So Wii logged on and it's like Christmas at the Petty's. We are looking forward to using the FREE Tricycle for NQ, the Mitre Saw, laser level and, the crown jewel of point redemption, the Wii Fit!

My Best Mother's Day ever!

I love having my baby boy. I love that he has my blue eyes and my blond hair and that all the rest is like his daddy. I love that today, after about a million kisses, he said "Momma! Stop kissing me!" I love kissing that midget. I love that he takes books to bed, books to the bathroom, and books to the car. I love that he does this with cars and trucks too. I love that he tells me "Momma, I sure love you."

I love having a husband who says "Go take a weekend trip with your sister. You'll have fun doing that." I love that he gives me love and support and things to laugh about together. I love that he is unselfish and caring and helpful. I love that he is a Great Daddy who helps me be a Good Momma.

This weekend, Brooke and I went to Thermopolis to use the weekend trip she'd given me for my birthday. We shopped, we lunched at The Pumpernickel, we visited antique stores, we saw shirts that were "Dyed in the Dirt," we sipped Berry Mangalow smoothies from the The Crow Bar, we purchased new Yankee Candles, we ate prime rib dinners and we checked the museum times.

On Sunday, NQ and Shane drove over for a long walk in the park and on the swinging bridge, we ate delightful Mexican fair at Las Fuentes, (NQ loved eating the chips and salsa and then just eating all of the fresh tomatoes from Brooke's Fajitas. He thought the fajitas were ravioli's, he enjoyed those too.) We toured the Dinosaur Museum and the Wax / Teddy Bear / Train / Barbed Wire museum, we colored and played marbles, we splashed at the Fountain Of Youth Hot Springs Pools and had an excellent day all just being together. We all celebrated on a beautiful, warm, green day. Brooke and I also visited the resident park buffalo and the baby buffaloes with their little baby buffalo buttons! Oh! And we saw Holly and family there enjoying the beautiful park also! (Actually, they saw us first.)

It was a perfect little weekend get-away and a very wonderful Mother's Day. Thank you to my wonderful family for making it so special. I love you too!

P.S. Photos are coming.

I Love the Cleaning Club

Mary P. had this great idea to start a cleaning club. What is a cleaning club you ask? It is where there are three (or four) ladies, who once a week, take turns cleaning at each other's house. This is a FANTASTIC, FANTASTIC, FANTASTIC way to get a LOT of cleaning done in a relatively short amount of time! Multiply what you can do by yourself in two hours TIMES three. Plus you have someone to talk to! Yesterday was Marys Yard Day. I loved it. With three of us working we perfected the porch, divined the drive, groomed the grass and slaughtered the sticks. I mean it was a TRANSFORMATION! Anyhow, I suggest that you get a couple of friends together, take turn, take charge and CLEAN! I'm SO glad Holly and Mary and I have a club that accomplishes some greater good.

Under Constuction!

Please note the new links on my Sidebar! Petty Photography and Cakes By Cami Jo are under construction.

P.S. "Petty Home Painting" and "Tiling while Smiling" are NOT considerations as other business ideas.

100th B-day and Trip to SLC

Shane, Brooke, Nathan and I recently enjoyed a trip to Salt Lake. The Occasion, a family reunion to celebrate what would be my Grandfather, Quin T. Shepherd's, 100th Birthday. I learned much about Grandpa's childhood and what a great entrepreneur he was. A bunch of stuff I knew, but there were some surprises that I was happy to learn! He worked in his father's creamery had a feed store, raised turkey's and chickens (50,000 at one time!) bred registered Herefords, and hogs was on several boards (School, bank, irrigation, etc.) and associations and was a father, husband, and grandpa to a family who loved him very much. We watched old home video's and looked at pictures and scrap books. Two of his grand kid's share his name and then, of course, Quin is the 'Q' in my own NQ's name. I appreciate my Shepherd side of the family more than they likely know, and I'm glad to share time with them.

My biggest regret was not taking a camera with me. I didn't want to be the 'annoying cousin' flashing in every one's face. So I did my best to look around and see how everyone has changed and aged (especially all the little midgets! Some of them are just NOT so little anymore!) NQ had a great time with Lily and Anna. And we didn't see much of Avery because she is a wonderful blessing to her parents and sleeps a lot! Thanks to Aunt Annette and Aunt Carolyn (and husbands!) for the perfect 'low maintenance' meal and home to share time in. Thanks to Uncle Ed for the idea, and the St. George family for traveling down! Thanks to all the cousins and families for having us!

Also while in SLC we journeyed to Provo to have dinner with Aunt Betty and her new husband Garth. They are so happy. Garth is very sweet, very smart and quite a catch. (Then, so is Betty.) Again, I regret not taking a camera.

I'm proud of my husband and sister for car shopping together and finding Brooke a good deal on a Hyundai Santa Fe. I'm happy that NQ and I were able to spend time in the yard playing in a yard with grass, sticks and stones, everything a boy needs for hours of entertainment. I'm glad Shane very much enjoyed his first trip to "the Old Spaghetti Factory" at Trolley Square. I'm sorry we had to go so soon.

Best Seat in the House

It's New and Improved! My bathroom work has paid off! After laboriously 'painting' the grout, sanding dirty tiles, sealing said tiles and grout...the wall painting began. I went with a light blue-green color and then a rich walnut brown for accents. The shower curtain and rugs are also all new as the blue shower curtain never went with the forest green towels and the place, until now all looked a jumble.

Before Painting




After Painting



Nice new accents above the shower

New Shrubs at the sink...I'm still working on a "frame" for the mirror. My friend Holly suggested that I continue the leaf-vine pattern in the brown paint around the mirror. I like this idea and may look into it further.

I Did use the Paint 'n Point system to paint the walls. It works great, but not as flawlessly as they would have you believe! Easier to clean than a roller. I also used some edging pads and a corner painter. However, you do still need to tape things up a bit.

Besides a little touch up work and pulling down the painters tape...this place is 'back in business' as they say! Please, Come, Sit and Enjoy the new view. I also have delightfully outdated reading material to look at.

Arts and Crafts

The Petty's (and friends of Petty's) getting their craft on!

A portrait rendering of NQ in colored pencil done by Judy Pace

NQ in the Dough! He plays for hours using a rolling pin, toothpicks, forks, spoons and best of all his squishing strength to enjoy this new craft. He loves it when mommy makes dinosaurs and fishy sculptures for him.

NQ's Water colors. Another in the list of Nathans talents. He's a fan of blue and green water color paint choices. He enjoys making "slides."

My turn at Art's and Crafts as I make Lori's 50th Birthday cake. Here are the 5o flowers representing 50 years. (I went for a monochromatic scheme. It appealed to me.)

Decades (a half a century) of flowers wrapped around the cake in turn.


Daddy being "crafty" when he parked his 4-wheeler on our front step. NQ loved the idea. Hey, at least it won't get rained on!