Nordstrom Family Adventures

Wedding Dress Shopping

2009-06-22T23:31:00.000-07:00

Laura's Grandma Morrison came and offered her expert advice!

Sharlene, Laura's "Auntie Shark" made sure those pesky straps were out of the way.

Roomate Jenae had dressing room duty.

And Laura really needed her help!

Hmmmmm...it is beautiful, but not "the one."

Good by dirt, hello grass!

2009-05-29T22:52:00.001-07:00

Daniel had lots of help from his Dad, cousin Greg, Adam, and
the 3 missionaries that are living in the apartment.

Grizzly is lovin it!

The first official piece of sod!

After

Before

2009-05-29T22:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday #22 for Laura.

Brittany, Ferrin and Hillary, friends from high school came by to wish Laura
Happy birthday

Some of Laura's friends from home, and Matthew helped her
celebrate her last birthday as Laura Nordstrom. Her next birthday
she will be Laura Neil! I have to be honest, that is kinda
weird for me!

A day at Burney Falls with the family

2009-05-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, the perfect picnic!

Not sure what Laura and Matthew are doing out on that rock???

Tanner and MacKenzie, they are such a cute couple!

It was Heather's job to keep the "man-eating squirrels" away
from her sister Laura. We all had such a great time, we needed
the break from work and school and house stuff.

Dan the quilting Man

2009-05-29T22:02:00.000-07:00

Daniel made quilts for Laura and Heather for their Birthday's.
Laura is enjoying a nap cuddled up with her new quilt and her
fiancee Matthew.

Laura's quilt is made of over 1200 triangles.

Daniel is showing Heather all of the different fruit
that are on her quilt. It is sooo colorful, it is
perfect for Heather.

Little Baby Aiden

2009-05-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

Trevor and Olivia visit their Mom and new baby brother.

He is soooo cute!

Good Job Erin and Rick!

April first.........

2009-04-03T19:24:00.001-07:00

So, Heather looks out the front window and sees this red thing way out in the pasture.....

As we get closer we realize that it is our mailbox wrapped in Christmas paper...

Stuffed with neck ties tied together. Now who would have done such a thing????
Very funny Elders! We love you too!

Laura and Matthew

2009-04-03T18:59:00.001-07:00

Well, this is Laura's boyfriend Matthew. And her Dad dutifully looking over his shoulder!

He is kinda a frail little thing, so Laura has to carry him around a lot. This was at Tanner and MacKenzies little house in Provo. We were all there (except Kristy) for breakfast. Thanks Mackenzie for the delicious crepes and fresh strawberries! Mmmmmm

dirt, lots of dirt!

2009-04-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

The girls and I planted these weeping cherry trees. They will eventually shade the front patio.

Daniel had to go back to Alaska, ya know, the JOB. So Travis came and filled the flower beds with the good dirt and compost that Daniel had trucked in.

Ready for the sprinklers and flowers

Christmas

2009-04-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

Yummy!

Daniels Danish Ableskievers, it is a tradition!

Finally! Our stone fireplace with the Christmas stockings hanging up! Oh happy day, I waited soooo long for this!

landscaping

2009-04-03T15:36:00.001-07:00

The "Redwood Forest"

He is so happy when he is on a tractor!

The missionaries live in our apartment now, so Daniel got their help to plant the trees. Elder Westergaard did landscaping before his mission so he was a lot of help. Elder Gilbert learned fast!

Well, in true Daniel fashion...... he and the Elders planted 42 trees in one day! Eighteen redwoods and the rest fruit trees.

more catching up

2009-04-03T15:26:00.001-07:00

Heather and I wired and hung the ceiling fans in the new house. It took us
2 hours to do the first one, but we got pretty good at it and the 5th one only took 20 minutes!

Happy B-day Kristy, we love you.

This is the last of the 11 puppies to be sold. I miss them, they were so cute!

I took this of Heather the first day of Seminary this year. She looks pretty
awake for 6:00 am!

catching up.....

2009-04-03T15:14:00.001-07:00

The wood floor is pecan, our floor guy did an awsome job putting it in. The first thing children (of all ages) discover is how much fun it is to slide down the hall in their stocking feet!

Kitchen, duh

Random stuff

2008-09-12T23:13:00.001-07:00

We have to give him a 5 minute break every 24 hours. It is the law.

He was so tired, he actually said that the cardboard was pretty comfortable. That is just pathetic.

I bet you are wondering what this is about! Ha Ha. Kristy's Golden Retriever had 11 more puppies and this is Father Mel, and Father Sasha from the local monastery. They fell in love with all the puppies, but finally chose this little girl. They said the 200 residents of the monastery were all so excited to get a puppy. He wanted me to take his picture and e-mail it to him so he could show it to the others, and so he could send it to his sister in Scotland. They were really nice guys.

Cabinets

2008-09-12T23:01:00.001-07:00

I went to the shop where our cabinets are being made, they let me "inspect" their work and take a few pictures for the blog. It was pretty exciting to see them all there piled up almost finished.

Well, he was working hard on the cabinets until I pulled out my camera, then he stopped to strike a pose!

Ha Ha, no mistaking this one, it is the linen closet that goes in the hallway.

These are the cabinet doors, they had to be ordered and had just been delivered. Yipee.....

Bathroom tile

2008-09-12T22:51:00.001-07:00

Our tile guy, Eric finished lining the shower with the moisture barrier and now he can get started putting the tile around the tub area. I am sooo excited, I just love the tile we chose for the master bath.

This is pretty good for a day's work. The face of the tub will have bead board made from PVC around it.

Eric cut the rounded pieces freehand on his tile saw, very impressive!

painting the interior trim

2008-09-12T22:34:00.000-07:00

Daniels Dad, Stan again showed up to help us out. He is filling and sanding about a billion nail holes in the trim before it can be painted.

After spending a day filling and sanding the trim, another day covering the painted walls with paper and plastic Daniel started painting the trim. He started at 9:14 p.m. and finished this last doorway into the dining room at about 4:30 a.m. Then he had to lay out all of the base trim in the garage and paint it. After he finished that he showered, packed his bags and we put him on the plane for Alaska where he will be working for the next few months. I can't believe he worked for more than 24 hours straight to get that finished before he had to leave, but he did it! What an awesome guy!

It turned out beautiful! Thanks Dear.

2008-08-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

The shower "pans" have to be put in and inspected, then Eric, our great tile guy can get busy with the tile. He was very happy when we got the AC unit hooked up and working so he didn't melt while doing his job.

Daniel had to put waterproof tile board around the tub before the tile can go on. This whole steam shower and tub project has been a ton more work than anticipated!

He just finished cutting out the hole for the tub, yikes, that looks huge! Yes, he is working late into the night again. He is under a lot of pressure to get as much done on the house before he leaves for Alaska so he has been working until 2:00 a.m. or so.

Kristy wanted lots and lots of shelves in her closet and that is what she got! She and Heather have been without rooms and closets for over a year, they are very excited at the thought of being able to put their things away in their own closet!

The Fireplace

2008-08-31T16:45:00.000-07:00

First Daniel set the hearthstones.

It literally took us days to choose, arrange and set each stone for the fireplace. The stones are different colors and all different shapes and since it would be the focal point of our home we wanted it to be just right!

And here it is all done! The mortar still needs to be done and the door put back on, but we are very pleased. Daniel is going to make a mantle from a piece of white oak from a roll-top desk he made at BYU. I can already picture our Christmas stockings hanging there!

random stuff

2008-08-31T16:31:00.000-07:00

The girls and I have been making salsa, Yummmmm. Thanks for the great receipe Heather L.

This is Travis modeling the latest in eyewear fashion from Lowes.

These are the wonderful guys from Essex Heating and Air hooking up the air conditioning systems. Good timing too, it was 107 degrees that day.

The crown moulding in our bedroom. It is so beautiful, Ken, our finish carpenter is doing an amazing job!

Helpful Heather

2008-08-03T21:49:00.001-07:00

Here is Heather "helping."
Here is Heather "helping" the next day.
Dad was tired of her idea of "help" so he taught her how to use the tile saw and put her to work.
She picked out the stone, cut it if needed, put the mortar on and attached it to the house. She did that entire section and it turned out great.
This is our friend Neil McCoy and of course Travis. Neil did a lot of the stone, and Travis helped.

"Stoning"

2008-08-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

Once the house was painted, we started putting on the stone. Daniel had a great time, he thought it was lots of fun.
And, of course he was working late into the night. He was actually having such a great time that he didn't want to stop.

The columns were a bit of a challenge, of course Daniel loved it! They turned out nice.
Putting on the water table stone.

2008-08-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

Rock and roll

2008-08-03T20:10:00.001-07:00

Daniel primed the entire house, then painted it with the help of course of his Dad......
Then after all of that, we decided that we didn't like the color. We tried several different colors and finally decided on the "right one." After mixing 12 five gallon buckets of paint WRONG, Lowes finally got it right and Daniel once again painted the house. We are really happy with this color.

The last thing to get painted.

Laura is a busy girl!

2008-07-07T23:26:00.000-07:00

Laura filmed the classes and concerts at the American Harp Conference this year. She learned a lot and met some important people.
Laura was the 3rd person to sign the poster that is now on display at the Lyon and Healy Harp store in Salt Lake.
This guy is Mr. Antonio Forero the President of Lyon and Healy harps. Laura should have asked for a free harp!
Laura got to play her dream harp. Problem is it cost $48,000. I hope her future husband can afford her hobbies.
Laura also got to assist in coordinating the volunteers for Stadium of Fire at BYU this year. It was a lot of hard work and some late nights but she loved it and had a great time.

Yea! Drywall!

2008-06-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

Wow, our room actually looks like a room.....I love it!

Each evening when the drywallers were finished Daniel, the girls and I went through and cleaned up. It was soooooo much fun.

Heathers room, ready for some tape and texture.

just a little problem

2008-06-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

When Daniel pressure tested the radiant heat system he realized that he had a leak so he had to chip out a section of the concrete slab and figure out where the leak was and then figure out how to fix it. It was quite a challenge, but of course he got it fixed and we are back in business.

I think it was about 3 a.m. when I took this. He was exhausted, but happy to have the puzzle solved.

Daniel hung the fabric that the insulation is blown into. And of course he needed a new tool to do it with. He had great fun with his pneumatic stapler.

The wall in the garage, all ready for the blown in stuff. It is supposed to be a great insulation system.

And now for the house......

2008-06-20T16:05:00.001-07:00

Daniel, his Dad, Bill and Carson East oh so carefully unload our front door.

Isn't it gorgeous, I just love it! Unfortunately it had a big crack in it and other "problems," so we sent it back. They sent another one and we had to send it back too. So we chose a different door and hope we have better luck!

This is the door in the master bedroom that goes out onto a patio.

I had a lot of catching up to do.......

2008-06-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

Kristy sold all eleven of the puppies. Just in time too, we were getting quite attached to them.

Our beautiful Kristina graduated from High School. Grandma Morrison, Grandma and Grandpa Nordstrom, and Aunt Sam came to cheer her on.

Her best friend Allie, they have been buds since they were 4 years old.

We are so very proud of her!

still more.......

2008-06-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

Heather turned 16

She was a server in Club Cougar. Next year she will be the cool tenor saxophone dudette for the Club Cougar band.

She and her friends had a great time spray painting the walls of the house at her 16th birthday party.

And she was the best player on her softball team. That was the opinion of all the parents, not just mom and dad!

Still more catching up.....

2008-06-20T15:18:00.001-07:00

Oh Tanner, I can't believe you did that to her!

Well ok, that is funny!

He he he, good job Kenzie!

Heather the bridesmaid

catching up

2008-06-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

Tanner and MacKenzie got married in the Boise Idaho Temple. She was amazingly beautiful, and I have never seen Tanner so happy!

Great Picture, thanks Erin.

And then we were wonderfully surprised by a visit from our daughter Erin and the cutest kids ever! They were here for Easter and Tanner & Kenzie's reception in Anderson. Great Fun!!!

Kristy's Senior Prom

2008-06-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

Back to the house

2008-02-20T09:49:00.000-08:00

After putting work on the house on hold to finish the apartment, things are going again, YEA! The house looks like a real house with the siding and shingles on. The doors come in a couple of weeks.

They should be able to paint it next week, then the stone around the bottom can go on.

This is our plumbers pride and joy. It is the brain that controls the radiant heat system. He explained it all to me..........ya, right uh huh.

Did someone say "Puppies?"

2008-02-20T09:25:00.000-08:00

Kristy's Golden Retriever had 11 puppies the week before Christmas.....Soooooo cute!

She has sold all but 5 of them, the last little girl goes to her home in the Bay Area this Sunday.

This little guy gets his bath before going to his new home.

They are alot of fun, but alot of work too! Kristy has put in lots of long hours taking care of them, not to mention lots of help from her Dad. It was sad for her to have put 2 of them in a crate and on an airplane for Fairbanks Alaska, she is really attached to them all.

Random pictures

2007-12-16T20:30:00.000-08:00

Laura's crazy cat.

Daniel and Heather sharing lunch.

Daniel just about killed himself working so hard to get the storm drain system in and rebar down before the guys came to pour the concrete. I had to go out one night around midnight and tell him to stop and come home.

Moving right along

2007-12-16T20:21:00.000-08:00

Insulation in the "apartment"

and in the shop

This is the guy that did the taping, I don't know his name, but he is really fast!

The apartment ready for texture

We hung a piece of duct work down in the apartment and turned the heater on to help the tape and texturing dry faster, I am determined to be moved in by Christmas.

One hard working Dad

2007-12-16T20:14:00.000-08:00

My father-in-law Stan, the hardest working retired person I have ever seen. He spent a couple of days on the trencher putting in the trenches for the drainage system, and sprinklers, and other stuff that I don't know what they are for. I think he kinda got a kick out of driving it.

Here he is capping off the septic tank.

More concrete

2007-12-16T20:04:00.001-08:00

The front walk
The entryway
Pouring the "breakfast" patio.
I thought it was very cool how they stamped the design into the concrete.

More stamping.

Lots of windows

2007-12-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

We drove to Oregon to pick up the windows, this is the one for the dinning room. It was tricky getting it loaded and unloaded.
And here it is put in, I love it!
I told Daniel and Brian, our framer, that they could not stop until all of the windows were put in, so here they are working into the night. I am one tough superintendent!

Random house stuff for real

2007-11-04T21:22:00.001-08:00

This is the underground propane tank, I call it the "green submarine."
The HVAC system for the apartment.
Daniel, his Dad, and Travis got the fireplace put in, we have already had a cozy fire!
Hey Dan, careful with that hammer! The glass block window is in the shower in our bathroom.

No, it is not Santa, Daniel is putting the chimney cap on.

Random house stuff

2007-11-04T21:05:00.001-08:00

Thanks Dad!

2007-11-04T20:54:00.001-08:00

Daniels Dad made a trip to Oregon to pick up a "couple" of things for us for the house.
He got everything from solar tubes to siding and bathroom faucets. He is really a life saver, we appreciate him a ton!

Kristy's 18th Birthday Party

2007-11-04T20:34:00.000-08:00

Kristy told her daddy that she wanted a bonfire for her birthday party, and she got one, Nordstrom style! It is a good thing our yard is big, everyone had to move waaaaay back, it was so hot!
How cool! The first party in our new house, no worries that it isn't finished yet. They played ping pong in the kitchen.
Grandpa stops by for a birthday hug, and to make sure Daniel isn't burning the place down.
Heather and Kristy's best friend since nursery, Allison, take a break from ping pong to have a hamburger.
A great view out of the living room "windows."

moving along...

2007-10-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

Yea! the columns at the entry are up, now we just need the stone around the bottom.

Daniel framed in our fireplace, complete with flames and all!

Stan securing the columns, he is at the new house everyday doing a bit of everything.

The roofers are working hard to get the house roofed before it starts raining.

Pictures of the house

2007-10-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

The house is coming along fast. We are ready for the roofing and windows.
This is the kitchen and dining area. Looking out into the backyard.
Cool pan ceiling in the living room.
And what will be the most important room in the entire house..... the pantry! I have never had a pantry before.

The "Apartment"

2007-10-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

The apartment has an amazing view of Lassen Peak from the front window.

The stairs going up to the Apartment, this downstairs area is a laundry room and storage area.
Well, it is hard to tell, but this is the kitchen dining area.
Bathroom. It is going to be a nice apartment, it is actually bigger than our first house!

A Road is Born

2007-10-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

The dirt truck starting our road. They brought in 11 truck loads of road base.

Well, there it is, our road/driveway. And there is my hot minivan just waiting to take a spin on the new road. The area where our vehicles are now parked will be the front lawn. Life is good!

We have a well!

2007-10-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

The well drillers setting up the drill.

These guys were fascinating, watching them work was like watching a well choreographed dance. And when they were finished they had drilled down 170 feet and found us really really good water! Yea!

Tanner's "vacation"

2007-09-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Tanner spends his few weeks of summer vacation working on the shop driving a real life Tonka Truck. It took him about 15 minutes to teach himself how to run it.
He also strapped on the tool belt and ran a power tool or two. Thanks Tan!

Up goes the house

2007-09-18T13:26:00.001-07:00

They finally start framing the house. I can't believe it is actually happening! It is soooo exciting.
I held my breath as I watched the roof trusses be gently set on the house.
Our framers are really hard working guys, I do my part and bring them warm chocolate chip cookies regularly! This view is the back of the house, they are standing over the covered patio area.

Up goes the "shop"

2007-09-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

When I left for Girls Camp this is what the shop looked like...
Wow! A lot got done in a week! The upstairs is going to be the apartment where we will live while the house is being finished. After we move into the house the missionaries will live in the apartment.
Oh my goodness Daniel, it looks huge!
Eddie, the roofer dude, roofing.

More fun camping...

2007-09-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and Travis, what is with the flowers?
Daniel enjoying the perfect roasted marshmellow.
Tanner and MacKenzie getting cozy by the fire.
Giant Elk dude in Fern Canyon.

Taking a break from the house

2007-09-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Agate Beach at Patricks Point, if you look close you can see Daniel dwon there somewhere.
Yep, there he is relaxing with a good book, the sun and surf. Life is good.
Another wonderous sunset from Wedding Rock. We just love it here.
L to R, Daniel cooking breakfast, Travis, Jennifer(Travis' girlfriend), Heather, Laura, MacKenzie(Tanner's girlfriend) and Kristy next to the fire with a good book.
Heather and Laura enjoying Fern Canyon

A big stuck truck

2007-09-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

The first of 7 concrete trucks that came out got stuck, very very stuck. I thought the day was over, but those guys are good. They got the truck out and just kept on going. Why is he smiling?

Rainy day

2007-09-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

A crew of about 10 guys and a boom truck drove two and a half hours up from Sacramento to pour the slabs for the house and shop and it rained.....alot! After waiting for it to stop, which it never did,they decided to go ahead anyway. It was a wild day.

Not as easy as we thought!

2007-07-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

After nearly breaking his back unrolling the first 1000 foot long spool of radient heat tubing....

He got smart and in true Daniel tradition, made an invention to make the job easier! What a smart guy I married!

"smilies"

2007-07-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

Kristy became a master at bending "smilies," they are the wire rebar ties that have to be bent into a "U" shape. We called them smilies.

Laura doesn't really have her own room in our new house, so Daniel is sharing his office with her so she will stop pouting.

Heather is not dead.

I was desparate!

Rebar time.

2007-07-30T09:36:00.001-07:00

Since they won't be spending time at the lake this summer, the girls decide to get their tan while tying rebar!

Heather was wondering if tying rebar would count as a homemaking skill for her Personal Progress.

We did it!

2007-07-30T09:22:00.001-07:00

It took us all day in 110 degree heat, but we finished the insulation, and are ready for rebar!

Still going......

2007-07-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

Daniel showed up with 310 sheets of rigid insulation.... we got it all pieced together and layed down where the radient heat will go. These girls were awsome!

A long day

2007-07-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

First we smooth out the gravel and spread the yellow plastic insulation.....not so bad!

A long day

2007-07-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

Kristy and Laura are the best looking construction workers ever!

4th of July fun

2007-07-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

While some families go camping or boating on the 4th of July, not us, we really know how to have fun! We cleaned up the concrete from around the footings, laid out the rigid insulation where the radient heating will go, and generally had a blast! It was a blazing 112 degrees so the boss made sure we had lots of breaks and water.

Hard working Dan

2007-06-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

Daniel and his loyal dog, Grizzly, take a well deserved rest in his Father's Day hammock. These past few weeks have been grueling for him, (Daniel, not Grizzly.)

More new house pics

2007-06-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

This is a first class operation, we even have a workers

"break" area. The electrical and plumbing conduit are being placed in the ditches, the forms are almost done, we can pour concrete soon! Yea!!!

More new house pics

2007-06-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

Tanner's friend Travis Jarrett. We love him, he always shows up when there is work to be done, or warm chocolate chip cookies to be eaten.

More new house pics

2007-06-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

This is Laura's idea of working hard!

More new house pics

2007-06-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

Mark Crumpton, our friend and electriction working into the night.

Just for fun!

2007-06-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

These are just fun random pictures that I thought some of you might enjoy. Kristy and her "puppy" Maggie, our moving sale-people will buy the strangest things. Laura hugging her harp, my favorite rose, and Tanner's worn out shoes from his mission. He told me to wear rubber gloves when handling them, because they had Africa germs on them. Tanner has been home for a year, I finally threw his shoes away.

Backhoe doing it's thing

2007-06-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

This is sooo cool. Actual work has begun. The footings are being dug, and rough plumbing going in. If it looks really hot and dry.....well, it is.

The Permit Pole

2007-06-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

Daniel puts the permits, (it is California so you have to have a permit to do everything!) on the power pole just inside the gate. Let the building begin! Yea! We have been dreaming of, and planning this for so long, it is like a dream that it is finally happening.

Moving is Fun!!!

2007-06-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

Daniel's Dad Stan, and good friend Marc are real heros! The worked long hours for 4 days helping Dan move us out. They saved the biggest and heaviest for last, the piano! Way to go guys!

Tanner and George

2007-06-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

Tanner and George spend a quiet moment in their room before packing up. Well, he didn't actually pack, he went back to school and left the packing to George!

We love beets, sorta

2007-06-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

This is the "first" crop of beets. I hope the people that bought our house like beets, there are 3 times this many beets still in the ground.

Daniels Garden

2007-06-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a bumper crop of white and blue potatoes.

Good-bye garden

2007-06-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

It broke our hearts to leave Daniels luscious garden! The fruit trees are loaded, and the veggies are almost ready to harvest. A sad parting.

Good-bye house

2007-06-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

Our last family photo in front of our home of 15 years!