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A good friend, Kenyon, celebrated his birthday yesterday in the hospital. . . getting a stem cell transplant. See that bag of stuff above the balloon? Those are his brother's stem cells that will now be his and give him a second chance at life. He's been battling the CML type of Leukemia for a little over a year now and they have all the courage and faith in the world that this treatment will work and he'll be better forever but it takes a long time to get there. His wife, Annie, is one of my oldest and dearest friends and is documenting the whole process on her blog to keep friends and family and other Leukemia patients up on his progress. It's already been a touching and harrowing journey to follow. We wish you all the best, guys. Hang in there, Kenyon! P.S. Did I mention Kenyon was nice enough to help us move only weeks before hitting the hospital? Those Saturdays are even more precious when you realize you're going to spending the next year of them in bed! So, ...

Here is a baby quilt i just finished for a friend's new baby, Katherine Grace. It is hand-quilted, 36x36" with a beautiful Amy Butler print on the back. . . you can't go wrong if you have some AB somewhere in the quilt! Also, the white is an Egyptian cotton and combined with the high quality A.B. fabric, this feels like silk to touch, I'm not kidding.

Since the rest of the house is not ready for photos, how about I inundate you with cute pictures of Lucy? This post is for the grandparents and aunties. . . Someone is faster than my shutter speed. . . Getting into the laundry. . . Lucy and her buddy, Norah Can you tell which meal she liked better? At least Lucy's bathtub is done! I call this one Baby Guitar Hero. . .

Look at this fabulous idea from Ann . While visiting her Grandma Dolly in Vernal (is that right, Ann?) she decided to take some pictures around the house . . . what a brilliant way to document the lives of someone you love! And these pictures will help keep this an important place in their family history for years to come. Here's something Ann said that sums up her little photo essay: I love the scent of her fresh clean bath towels and the blooming lilac bushes, the sound of her creaky floors and doors, and the sight of my Grandpa's hats hanging in the hallway. For me, its refreshing to be in a place that doesn't change much and has had the same phone number since before I was born. . .

This is hubby's tie drawer. Those of you who know him know that he loves organization almost as much as he loves ties. Happy First Official Father's Day as a Father, Mike! I love you! Oh, and if any of you mama's out there are looking for a last minute somethin' for your papa's, hubby recommends ties from Ike Behar or Ted Baker, his favs.

. . . that some yard work takes very little work. I guess that's one of the benefits of an old home with an old garden, some things just bloom and grow out of habit. . . or thanks to someone else's years of hard work. Or maybe I can just be grateful that Mother Nature is a better gardener than I am. The other good news, is that for the part that does take work, I found that "neighbor kid with a lawn mower" that I'd been searching for. . . two of them, actually, and they're coming back till we get a lawn mower of our own. What a relief!

Before . . . After . . . I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Suffice it to say, hubby now has a rival for my affection. . . I think I'm in love with my kitchen.