One of our summer projects

We have been living here for 1 1/2 yrs. I don't know why nothing more extensive was done to the closet in the Master bedroom. Maybe because it was just guys living here and they didn't care for more space, but the truth is, it was getting rediculous. I tried to come up with several solutions to fix it, but none would be perfect for our needs.

The issue: The hanging bar was fixed to the shelf above it. The shelf broke on the left side of the closet, making it unstable to hang anything from it, so it limited our hanging space. The one shelf we had came down low enough to reach, but not practical enough to stack anything high on it. I took this picture before we took the shelf down. I did not clean up or move any item for sake of my reputation. This is how we'd been living for about a year. Pretty unorganized I'd say. The time came to buckle down and do something about it. We went looking for closet organizers at IKEA, Lowe's, Home Depot, online and everywhere we went, it never met with our needs. Standard drawers come 14" long, 14-16" wide, and 6" deep. I had a problem with that, since drawers were what I wanted most of. Who has enough hanging room for seasonal clothes? After talking to my dad about it, we decided to make it ourselves. Online we were quoted over $900 to have it made, so we took it upon ourselves to have it our way. After several weeks of all day saturday and many long afternoons, we finished our closet! The demensions were perfect, the drawer space more than we dreamed, and it fit perfectly into the little niche that was our closet space. I love it! The drawers are 21" long, 22" wide, and 6-10:" deep. We left 9" from the bottom drawer to the floor so we'd have enough room for our shoes. My dad is the master carpenter behind the project, and it's not professional quality, but it is perfect for us. We didn't need anything super modern or expensive, cause we plan to use this place as a rental after we move. Still, isn't it lovely? We are happy to add that it has been kept perfectly clean and organized since we moved into it. We put hooks on the walls for our workout clothes and ties, and a long 8" hanger bar for dresses and winter coats. (Since we have no coat closet). The total cost- under $200. Thanks dad for helping us!

Conference isn't complete without a Tea Party

Evan's brother and his family came to visit a few weeks ago. They live in Michigan and have kids the same ages as most of their cousins, including a 17 month old who loved to play with P. It is so fun to be on the parent side of things and to watch my child interact with others, especially family. Being the big kid he is, he is the same size as most 2 yr. olds, and thinks he's capable of the same physical abilities, but he's not. My heart swelled time after time, watching his mind work as he started learning to interact with others his same age. He would watch with avid interest every move they made, and try ever so timidly to engage in the activity. Sure they were pushing toy bikes around, but it was so fun for them. I really enjoyed their visit, and getting to know Misty more. Misty and Jacob

Saturday, between the afternoon session and priesthood, our husbands watched the kids so the girls could go out. We ate at souper salad, and talked. What an awesome family I married into! There was nothing in the conversation that was spectacular, or even important, just sisters being together. I loved it! I have amazing sisters-in-law. I looked around at them during our lunch and felt so lucky to know them all. Thanks gals for a wonderful visit! I love you all!

Lynette and Terri

Playing with the cousins isn't complete without a tea party! The house got awefully quiet, so we went looking for the little guys. We found them in a bedroom, the 3 of them, having a tea party! This is what happens when boys have older sisters I guess. My little guy was sitting down, sipping "tea" with the other 2 boys. They were not shy about it, nor did they know it wasn't such a "masculine" way to bond. We thought it was so cute! They smiled for the cameras, and we left them to finish what they started. I think these pictures could be used for blackmail in the future if I need them!Matthew, Jacob and P

Another fun part of our conference weekend was seeing the brothers together. It is not often that all 4 Zaugg brothers get to hang out and talk and relax. I loved seeing them all in their white shirts and ties being excited to go together to listen to the prophet's voice. They are a pretty amazing group, I'd say. Here's a picture of them all together with Rob, the not-so-Zaugg, but every bit part of the family. You are such wonderful men!

Dan, Tom, Evan, Rob, and Jim