Gramma?

Sam: (While playing with the dogs at our house Friday) You know, gramma, . . . . uhm. . . remember those pajamas you made for us at Christmas?

Me: Yes.

Sam: (Silence) (Silence) Uhm . . . . . I just REALLY like toys.

Our dreams came true! A WHITE Christmas!

Our niece, Sarah, visited us from Provo over the weekend. Monday night we got a good-sized storm through the area and Sarah's anticipated 6:00 A.M. departure time on Tuesday morning was pushed back until 9:00 A.M. We managed to get her stuck, the Subaru stuck. . . . .the Dodge Ram Dakota stuck. Thanks to Andrew and Tommy helping we also managed to get them all UNstuck. NOTE: She traveled safely to Provo only encountering snow when she reached University Street in Provo!!

We celebrated Eric's 37th birthday on Monday night. The grandchildren helped with the Nativity reenactment. Pretty chaotic with so many little ones but hopefully they will remember the story and remember paying honor to the birth of the Savior as a family.

Some of the children and grandchildren went Christmas Caroling with us following the dinner. It was a blustery snowy walk but we were able to sing for a family whose mother had unexpectedly passed away 1 1/2 weeks ago. What sweet feeling to try to bring a bit of the tender spirit of Christmas to a family who are so obviously grieving over their loss.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday, it left me speechless

Sammy: Is this YOU grandma?

Me: Yes.

Sammy: You look really good.

Me: Thank you.

Sammy: I didn't know you could look like that.

Me: It was taken a long time ago.

Sammy: Yeah, before you got old.

Finished!!

It was nearly 30 years ago when I finished my 1st nativity set. . . .This is my 8th. It is always a treat to coat them with the antiquing stain and wipe them down to a more subdued look. I was a little reluctant to decorate early this year but thanks to Leigh dragging all the boxes out last Friday, we got it done. I am not sure why I seem to fight these things but the help I am given by Leigh is immeasurable. Now, as I walk through the house and see all the festive spots of color and sparkle, I love it!!
Our Thanksgiving was very nice. A little chaotic, but wonderful, none the less. I mention chaos because, in addition to having 13 adults and 12 children, we had 3 labs and 2 shitzus. . . .(in and out of the house pretty regularly) we also had a cold wet snow/rain storm (enough for a snowman) that helped oodles in keeping the childrens' clothes and our floor . . . . . .interesting.
Leigh accepted the assignment of frying the turkey. It was really delicious but the house just missed that special aroma of turkey with dressing slowly baking throughout the day and my gravy; I wasn't thrilled with how it turned out. We had Caroline's traditional jello, which we all love, Justin handled the relish tray department, Katie brought the pumpkin roll and Becky the baked cabbage and corn dishes. . . .We were stuffed. . . .even though the turkey was not.
Now we are planning a quick trip to SLC and Provo areas. Our nephew is getting married and we are going to try our hand at attending the MTC Christmas concert. . .no. . . .we have no tickets but "Yes" we are going anyway and trying the whole standby process. I will report later.
We will have a quiet holiday, in contrast to last year when we had the Christmas Eve chimney fire episode. . .I am rather thinking quiet will be great. When we brought the decorations out this year there was still a lot of smokey smell in them. When I first noticed it I sort of freaked out. . . . .as we had started a fire earlier in the day. . . . and I was certain the smokey smell was emanating from the chimney again. . . . .I was very glad to be wrong.
We are having an Eric's B-day celebration/Christmas Caroling party on the 22nd; you know, because Eric LOVES that kind of thing. . . Well, maybe not him but I think the children and grandchildren will like it.

Sleep In Heavenly Peace

I've finished by 8th Nativity Set. . . . all except antiquing. I want my children and grandchildren to know that I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I enjoy this season of the year when everyone seems to feel a need to be a little more concerned, kind and generous.

This reading is one that I got back in the '80's when Katie was a baby. I remember memorizing it and reciting it for the girls in our ward as I sat in a rocking chair with her. It is a tender piece and always helps me to remember the "reason for the season". I hope you enjoy it and share it with others. I am not personally acquainted with the author. I appreciate her words and say "Amen" to them.

Merry Christmas Jannah Lynne. .. ...Sleep In Heavenly Peace
Written by Cheryl Adams Ferguson 28 December 1974- 4-:20 am


Here am I., A mother. .
Holding to my breast an infant daughter. .
Twelve days old this Christmas Eve.
As I watch your tiny features,
The miracle of life unfolds itself
Time after time
In your slightest stirring.
You are truly a most wondrous gift.
Tiny and delicate
But full of so much beauty;
You have brought with you such a great measure of love from our
HeavenIy home.
I wish you could remember and express
The activities of preparation in the realm
From which you have come,
For surely, they too celebrate
This day of days, Knowing better than we,
the meaning of Christ's birth.
And all that followed.
As I feel you close to me I cannot help but think of Mary,
And wonder at her strength. I wish the scriptures
had given her a page or two
To share with all the mothers of the world
Those sacred things she pondered in her heart.
Having felt so recently myself the strains of childbirth,
I think of her with wonder and compassion.
How difficult it must have been
To travel on a donkey as she did
Swaying from side to side
Trying to keep her balance
With nothing to lean an aching back against.
Finally, they arrived in Bethlehem
But found no resting place
Where she could get the proper care.
And yet, ..If it were me. .
I think perhaps I would be glad of a stable.
A place apart from the rowdy folk
To privately bear the pain And bear the child.
A place of our own in the ancient land
Where we need receive only those who knew his mission. ..
And believed.
And then the child was born!!
"She brought forth her first-born son
And wrapped Him in swaddling clothes
And laid Him in a manger. .."

How thrilling it must have been for Mary
To hold, at last, the child she had been promised.
What thoughts were hers as she smoothed damp hair upon His head
And watched with awe the tiny babe upon her lap?
I wonder if she was too tired to think
But rested quietly in the bliss
That follows when the
Wracking pain is done.
And joyfully realized
She had born a son,
And wondered at the miracle of Him,
Ten tiny toes. ..
And just as many fingers,
Molded to perfection. .
Though in miniature. .
And artfully assembled In the tiny being.
What did she know that night Of Calvary
Of Golgotha Or Gethsemane?
I hope His final days were not revealed to her as yet,
That she knew only that He had a special mission to perform.
I hope she was allowed As other mothers are
The privilege of dreaming for her child,
The joy of feeling Him And loving Him
And contemplating the miracle of birth.
I hope she had the quiet moments I'm sharing now with you
The rich reward for awkwardness
And discomfort for a few months
And agonizing pain for yet a while.
I hope she could not see in His tiny hand. .
Curled tightly around her finger. .
The prints of a nail.

I hope she could not foresee the breaking of that heart ..
Beating rapidly against the rhythm of her own.
I hope she did not know the rocky sorrowing path
Those tiny feet must trod.
But wept only tears of joy
As she beheld the Son of God.
But rest content, little one,
That other babe has grown And gained the strength to Drain the bitter cup.
And though his life was roughly taken,
To His mother's joy and
His Father's glory
He was lifted up
He conquered death
And through it saved us all.
No one else must suffer As He did.
Our salvation is assured
Because that tiny babe Was born of love
Love great enough to save the world.
That is the message of Christmas Beautiful birth and
Wondrous rebirth, A gift of a son
And of eternal life.
My little daughter
Rest assured these things are true.
The miracle has occurred.
The child has been born The mission fulfilled
And all is well.
No matter what the world Outside is shouting.

This knowledge is your heritage. I give it to you,
As my parents have given it to me.
It is my anchor in a wildly crashing sea. It calms all troubled waters
And sfills my doubting, tired soul with deep tranquility.
I love you And I will keep you tight within the circle of my love,
my Darling daughter My gift and blessing From my Father.

And so this night
All warmly wrapped in Christmas glow
I thank our Father
For His Son
and for the knowledge of His great redemption.
Keep this knowledge with you.
.My little girl,
May it ever light your life
And give you hope and comfort
When I, myself, cannot.

Rest your heavy eyelids And be assured
That no matter what each day of life may bring,
You may take your troubled heart to Him
And He will still it as He did the turbulent waters
on the Sea of Galilee.

So curl your tiny hand around my fingers.
Let me feel you. . Soft against my cheek.
Merry, Merry Christmas
Little girl of mine. .. Remember Him. .
And sleep in heavenly peace.

Grounded, again?

I am referring to little Samuel. Actually, I don't think he is grounded but I was worried there for a moment.
Yesterday I brought out my unpainted nativity set to work on. Sam was over so I got him a plate with brown paint on it, a brush and one of the camels (10 inches long). I told him to paint where the camel's hair would be. I wasn't sure if this would appeal to him, but as it turned out he was very engaged by this project. He did a good first coat and would have gone on to another piece if we had not had to leave the house to go eat (I took Leigh out for Veteran's Day -- by the way thank-you to all who called to thank him for his involvement with the military.) As we told Sammy that he would need to leave because we were leaving the house, he offered to stay there and watch the dogs and paint. Well, we explained that his mom and dad needed him home and it wasn't a good idea for him to be at our house alone. Maybe he could come back later and help me. (By later I meant another day, just to clarify).
We got home from eating about 7:30 or so and I immediately got to work again. I had recorded some NCIS episodes and I was just watching them as I painted; very relaxing and fun. About 9:45 Leigh headed off to bed but I wanted to finish with the purple paint. Soon the dogs started growling and I suspected a skunk. . . but then I was a flashlight and I realized it must be Becky. Imagine my surprise when Sammy appeared at the back door, without a coat with a flashlight!! He very matter-of-factly walked in, shut off the flashlight, came to the table and said, "Which one can I paint Grandma?" "Sam, it's very late, does your mom and dad know you are down here?" "Oh, no the rest of the family went to bed." "If they don't know you are here, you could be in a lot of trouble." Then, because I wanted a witness to this event, I said "Go tell grandpa 'Hi'". Which he did. Leigh then walked him up to his house, where EVERYONE was now up, scouring the house and yard for one little missing boy.
I spoke with Leigh just a while ago and Sam was visiting again so there was no grounding from grandpa's house but I'm pretty sure there will be consequences to pay.

Boo

We actually planted pumpkins so the above event could happen. . .Ironically, as it turned out we only got one pumpkin to mature by Halloween and it was NOT as big as this beauty that our neighbor offered to us. Grandpa and the boys, Sam, Tyler and Ryan did us proud with their skills.

Halloween turned out to be a warm evening, in stark contrast to those previous ones in which you had to wear jackets over your outfit, etc. I stayed home to man the front door, and would have totally been stood up if were not for Tyler, Ryan, Lauren, JJ (Jared) and Caroline. Thanks to them I got to hand out something.

I spent part of last week down in Phx with KT and D's family but mostly at the condo in Sun City helping with a little project that KT has going. I really enjoyed the time there.

Well, tomorrow is election day. I have prayed mightily that the good people of this country will get to the polls and vote. I hope they have studied the issues. . . and the people. I have found it easier to "liken the scriptures unto me", as I see how easily people are swayed by the "charisma" of people. It feels that many values I hold dear are not viewed as sophisticated enough for many of the elite. I'm not sure, . . . but I feel a "pride cycle" coming on.

A wonderful weekend

Fall Festival weekend happened here in the White Mountains last weekend. That normally means lots of strangers from out of town descending on our little community for a few days of "festivities". We got more out of it this year than we normally do because we planned a "final campout of the year at grandpa's house" event. Not everyone could come but most did.

With all the rain we have had the yard was beautiful. . . green and unfortunately "mosquitoey". We kept the repellant on the picnic table easily within reach so we could find it. Tasty food took on a whole new flavor when seasoned with that repellant residue sneaking into our mouths from our face. Oh, well.

The parade on Saturday morning was great with the theme being White Mountain Treasures; more meaningful to use because Tyler and Caroline were involved with the Cub Scout float, those two are treasures, indeed.

I was involved with a White Mountain Chorale performance, an event we do every Fall Festival Weekend. Show tunes, spirituals, folk music . . .a wide range of music that is fun to sing. I've been a member of the chorale for close to 18 years. I have many memories of being there on the stage awaiting a performance. I was happy my family could be there to support me in my singing that night.

I was a late bloomer in the "solo" singing department. . .well into my 40s. I received my first solo assignment from LaPreil Rhoton, the program chairman for the Relief Society birthday dinner nearly a hundred years ago. She walked up to me and said, "I'd like you to sing this song at the birthday celebration". She was very matter of fact. I looked at the music and saw it was for a solo!! I wondered if it had escaped her attention that I didn't sing solos. Then I got to thinking. . .hmmm "This may be one of those opportunities for growth I've heard about." Armed with that possibility I told her "Sure, I'll do it!" I can not tell you the bullets I sweated as I approached the piano the night of the performance. . .whew! There was an "E" that was not easily in my range and believe me I had worked and worked for it. My accompanist's family was well aware of my struggles, since a bulk of the practices were in their home. As the music approached the challenging "e" I could see my accompanist's husband standing in the back of the room. When I nailed it, he punched his arm in the air and offered a silent "YEAH!!" Yeah, I felt the Lord had blessed me with a new level of courage, a knowledge that scarey things are "do"-ble, and a voice that from time to time is capable of singing all by itself!.

Whew!

With the pictures this time, I hope.

During and after "Redo"

Before - bathroom vanity

Okay, I know that saltillo tiles don't really belong on the counter top but hey, we needed a counter top and we had tiles left over from the floor. . . Now, 13 years later we opted to "try again".

Just ckecking in

We have been busy with an upstairs bathroom "redo". New cabinet, new texture, new lights, mirror, etc. You get the picture. I have decided to try casting a concrete countertop for the cabinet. I get a little more nervous each day I procrastinate. I think when I get home from work today I'm just going to do it!!! If it doesn't work, I'm out maybe $30 bucks. Then there is the problem of how to polish it. . . Youtube, can get you into some trouble, I've decided. It looks pretty easy on the computer. . . I will let you know and post a picture of the finished product.

Politically speaking, I am one of the many who have gotten a little energy back as far as the upcoming election goes. I would love to see the country embrace those values of the founding fathers. Yes, I realize they were not perfect men, but they all relied upon God and called upon Him to help them in the words they would say, write and fight for. Our freedom was given to us at a price and I am thankful to God for it and excited to see individuals who, although not perfect, are not ashamed to mention His name openly.

I want to be like Nicole!!

Let me start off by saying that I have been able to visit Nicole (she's married to my nephew Clint) in three of her homes. Without exception she has a talent for decorating. Not only that, but her level of tidiness is monumental. Are you getting the picture? July found me once again taking a "tour" of their latest, newly built, home and loving her sense of style while at the same time being awe struck by the showcase cleanliness I found. I mean there are six people living in this house. What's going on?

Okay, so Nicole might be considered a "clean freak", or maybe just a gal with so much energy that she has to pick stuff up. . .A place for everything and everything in it's place. A drill I'm sure her children know by heart, based on the way their rooms were kept. I love her and wish I had some of her drive.

She and Clint have a beautiful little family, and they are certainly growing up quickly. At least my yearly visits allow for great growth spurts in the children. Nicole shared a scare she had for her youngest daughter a year ago. "We were all sitting around downstairs. This was when we lived in the farm house. Aspen went upstairs, I thought maybe to get a drink, and did not return when I expected her to. Our neighborhood was like one giant construction site at this time with sub division homes literally going up all around our little property; I had a fear that Aspen had gone outside." I knew that this story had a happy ending because, after all, Aspen had helped give me the tour this day. Nicole continued her story, "So I ran upstairs and sure enough the door was unlatched and still open, and when I got outside, there on the driveway was her little doll." When I heard this and felt the panic in Nicole's voice I sort of cocked my head to one side, felt that something was not quite right, and before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "And she knew perfectly well it belonged in the toy box!"
Nicole, stopped short and laughed and agreed, yes, she certainly knew better than to leave her doll on the driveway!!

Nicole, if you read this, know that I love you and thanks for your great example.

New Arizonans!!

Question #1. Which of the 5 cars parked at a drive-in Blanding, UT, did not make the trip from Provo to Lakeside with us on July 27?
Answer: The second white one from the left!! You see, Austin and Kim moved in with us for, and I quote, "Anywhere from two months to a year". They had three vehicles and we only had one but that meant a car each on the drive home. The two of them (Kim and Austin) are recent graduates of BYU who hope to go on to graduate school at some point. In the meantime, Kimberly is getting in-house Physical Therapy experience at the hospital here in Show Low (Working for Eric's Physical Therapy Practice, and Austin is busy studying for the LSAT ?????) (I think) and applying any place he can for interim work. We have been blessed to have Austin here because we are using his skills and help on a few projects around the house this summer. To be fair, we should state how fun Kim is to have home and how her "straightening up" energy is very much appreciated; it motivates me to get busy. She is also turning into quite the little purse designer and seamstress.

Question #2: (In the second photo)Who looks like they are about 1/2 an hour from getting pulled over for running a stop sign at the intersection just before Mexican Waters?

Answer: It obviously wasn't me, because I'm not in the picture. I was told the dialog between this driver and the officer went something like this.
Officer: So where are you headed?
Driver: Arizona.
Officer: This is Arizona
Driver: Really, I didn't see any sign.
Officer: (Pointing to Arizona Department of Public Safety Patch on the shoulder of his uniform) Right here is the sign.

Okay, it was Austin. Check out the photo again and it sort of makes sense, don't you think? I guess when the officer saw that there was no way Austin was going to be able to access his "documents" (because the front passenger side of the truck was packed up to the window level with stuff and the jocky box could not be opened) so the officer just handed Austin his license and told him to drive more carefully. He's a lucky fellow, that son-in-law of ours.

Back from Idaho/Utah trip

Our children were often told of the Sunday drives Grandma and Grandpa Cox would take with their children up to Wolverine Canyon after Sunday School; they would eat lunch before returning to attend church in the evening. There were stories of the horse that fell over the cliff found on the way up to the canyon. . . stories about the boys (all 8 of them) chasing through the area while their parents rested on a blanket following the simple lunch. One of their adventures took them up to "40 horse cave". Leigh isn't sure why it is named that, just that the boys used to make the climb up to it occasionally. While coming down one time they happened upon a den of snakes, rattlers. Happened upon, as in stepping among them before they realized what was happening. It scared them to death and luckily no one was bitten. To this day those often thought of "snake" jokes you can play on your parents hold no humor for my husband.

While in Idaho Falls we made the drive back up through that canyon and enjoyed the beauty up there. Leigh couldn't resist the urge to make the hike up to the cave. . .my poor choice of shoes and a portion of fear about possible rattler encounters kept me down with the car and camera.

It was a lovely day and we enjoyed it very much

Mt. Humphrey and the Bear

July 12th found Leigh and Eric (along with others that Eric works with) charging up the side of Mt. Humphrey, the highest mountain near Flagstaff, AZ. They had planned this little outing several months ago and had taken the appropriate measures to get in physical condition. Caroline and I and the children were in Flagstaff, as well, but our outing was of another kind.

The maps that Eric found on-line indicated that they would probably be hiking 3.9 miles one way. They headed out to the trail head from the motel about 7:30 and thought they would return by noon or one.

Caroline and I began our outing at a beautiful city park, then moved on to a donut shop, Bookman's and a drive-by nostalgia tour of NAU campus. I say this because nearly every time I get to Blackfoot, Idaho, where I graduated from high school, I try to do the nostalgia tour for my kids in the hopes they will get a sense of what my life was like and where I lived, etc. The children were very well behaved, especially considering there was alot of the in-the-car- seat. . . out-of-the-car-seat. . . .in-the-car-seat. . . out-of-the- car-seat action. All those straps and buckles just complicate THAT whole process, let me tell you. We returned to the motel about noon and I promptly began reading my book and fell into a restful nap.

When I woke up it was 2:00 and we had heard nothing from the guys. I was thinking they could have at least called us. . I mean cell phones, . come on. I wasn't too frightened but felt a few pangs of worry. . . I'm sure it had something to do with Leigh's dream the night before in which they encountered a bear while hiking. In the dream Leigh promptly pulled his little pocket knife out, opened it up, stepped between Eric and the bear and said, "You go on back, son, you have a young family, I will deal with the bear." "Are there bears on Mt. Humphrey?" I asked myself.

Caroline and I determined that if we had NOT heard from them by 3:00 we could officially "get worried" and drive to the trail head to recover their mutilated and mauled bodies. (I don't think I actually shared Leigh's dream theory with Caroline until they were safely back.) Shortly after 3:00 we did hear from them.

Turns out that the hike was closer to 13 miles, with the first four being extremely steep. Much of the trail was littered with rocks which made for unsure footing; not shale but river rockish type of stones. . Meteorologically, they encountered it ALL: Clear skys, partly cloudy, in the clouds, hail, rain,. . . the works. But thankfully, no bears.

I'm proud of them for following through on this goal. As you can see the scenery was beautiful.

Who says it's hot in PHX?

I arranged for Leigh and his boys to have a Boy's Weekend. I don't know how many times Leigh has asked why they (the guys) don't ever get to have one since I often get to go to the "Girl's Week" activities my sisters and I plan for us and our daughters. I arranged a week at our time share in Scottsdale and informed everyone about three months ago. As it turned out, none of the boys could make it; so there you go. . . I went down after a couple of days so Leigh wouldn't be too lonely. To be fair, some of the kids were able to bring their families by for a day visit or even a couple of nights stay and it was nice to share the resort with them. Kawika, Katie's baby boy, was really into the grapes and I liked this picture so I'm sharing it with you.
I hope your summer is holding a few fun vacation moments. They are wonderful.

This one's for YOU, Buffy

My mother called them Forget Me Nots. . . I remember them as "those cloud cookies". Want a treat but your out of shortening. . . not a problem. . . .out of brown sugar . . . . not a problem . . . out of flour. . . . NOT a problem. The trickiest ingredient for these cookies is NOT an ingredient at all but the BROWN PAPER BAG that you are to bake them on. . . What store has brown paper bags anymore? Luckily for me I have a roll of kraft paper for gift wrapping that worked just fine.

Preheat oven to 325

2 egg whites
1/8 teas. salt
1/8 teas. cream of tartar

Beat until foamy, sort of stiff then add:

3/4 cup white sugar - slowly
1 teas. vanilla
1 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 cup of chopped nuts (optional, pecans or walnuts)

place teaspoon sized dollups of mixture on ungreased paperbag lined cookie sheet.

Time to bake may vary from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on how crunchy you want the cookies. . . . I usually like them to be a little browned and if they get too crunchy then they are a little messy to eat. . . . Let them cool completely then place in air tight container.

So, I like it, what do you think?

I finally remembered to get the paint mixed and purchased. Most everyone was down with the door color being red. In fact I had only one suggestion other than red. I think I had my mind made up for A red, it was just determining which red; I took a poll and this one won. Leigh is even impressed. He has such a hard time picturing color in his mind, before we put it on anything; later he'll admit it works and he likes it.

Camping near Green's Peak

We spent last week in the great out of doors. First two days we battled the wind and I mean it was CRAZY blowing. We took the dogs with us and they frolicked every day. We came across a herd of about 30 ELK beautiful. Our Grandkids joined us for a couple of nights and we went geo-caching. You can see them with the ammo box "treasure". Then, of course, the most fun camping activity. . . .sitting around the fire. The wind finally calmed down and Leigh gathered rocks, dug this pit out and here you see him enjoying it.

We most likely will go out again next year about Father's Day weekend. Not likely before. It is too much work gathering and setting up and then coming home again. I give Leigh most of the credit for the back-breaking work. He is awesome.

Miss Joslin

Back in March, while visiting BYU over Spring Break, we threw caution to the wind and took a few photos. Here is Joslin, next to an interesting rock on the south side of the Museum of Fine Art. We took a few pictures at this location, then someone pointed out to us a "Do Not Enter" sign posted in front of the display. What can I say? We approached from the back and trust me, we saw no such request from that direction.

Isn't she beautiful?

Summer may be here!!

I have placed a photo of our back flower/vegetable garden. . . As proof that the weather is finally warming up. We are enjoying summer and once again find ourselves in the position of having to keep a request for moisture close to our hearts and lips. We are saddened by the reports of devastation that the spring storms are wreaking across the nation. We pray for those affected to find comfort and peace and love during these difficult moments.

Now, on to more trivial mundane concerns.



I have been annoyed with my hair getting just a little too long so I took the scissors to the front a couple of weeks ago, however, the back was still too long and mangy looking (I presume, although I really don't ever see it very well). I decided that someone in my family ought to be brave enough to give the back a cut and I was right!! Surrounded by family and my eleven year old grand daughter was the bravest. (Perhaps even a little braver than I). She was very confident giving the cut. She was snipping and snipping all the while humming softly. I think she just may have the knack.

I mean, REALLY!!

Talk about a blast. We have had a houseful of company and it all began last Thursday night. The only children of ours we haven't seen in the past week are Kimberly and Austin. We had 29 of our family members here plus 10 of the Scussels and 4 of the Pinkoms (Friends of Troy and Heidi's) and Heidi's sister Lisa's family of 4.

It has been a busy and exciting time. Part of the excitement came when I opened the fridge we have in the garage to retrieve the two beautiful fresh strawberry pies I had made. At first I thought that someone had wanted a piece ahead of schedule. Which, to be honest, I couldn't blame them because they were gorgeous and would have tempted anyone. Then I looked a little closer and realized that most of the first pie had been eaten. . . .then I thought, hmmm, "I think they must have eaten all of the fancy scalloped crust". Looking back on this little conversation I was having with myself, I'm pretty sure I was in denial. Upon further scrutiny there was NO crust anywhere in either pie tin but there were black dog hairs among the strawberrys. I was amazed that 1) the dog could get into the fridge 2) he could totally slick up all the crust and leave a good portion of the strawberrys unscathed, except probably for a good coating in dog slobber, which sort of resembled the glaze I had put on them. I mean REALLY!

Our dinner on Saturday night included the Scussel Family and we were able to get a photo op, mainly to let Tracy Scussel (Mother and Grandmother to many present) see what a blast she missed out on. Our yard has been blessed with business. Only one hairline fracture, that I know of. We loved it not the fracture, but the yard that holds the kids that play so hard sometimes one of them gets a hairline fracture. We have more to report but I will get to it later. I mean, REALLY, you can only handle so much fun in one post, right?

I Love My Family!!

What began as week in Mexico turned into a family trip to SLC for the funeral of Leigh's brother Lloyd. It was totally unexpected and caught us all off guard. Bryce had work commitments that he was not able to get out of so he couldn't come, BUT we did leave space for him under the hat in the family picture we took at the cemetery.
We have done quite a bit of reflecting on the importance our immediate family holds in our hearts and also our place in the extended family. We know that our desire to be united eternally is not a guarantee that those ties will be in effect. We each have the responsibility to do what we know to be right to our best ability.
Leigh and I thank our family for their support of us and each other in those events that take place in our lives. We love them, we have been blessed by them, we hope they will be ours forever.

Hurrah!!

My comment thingy is back!!!

Happy Mother's Day AND 40th Anniversary!!!

A beautiful Sabbath Day. Temperatures here in the mid to high 70's. That is about perfect, if you ask me. We had a Celebration Brunch with the Montoya Family. I even used real plates!! Anyone who eats here often, knows that typically paper and I are buddies. I decided that 40 years called for a little class so we did it up right, plus our table fit everyone, which usually is NOT the case. I mean, with 32 family members our 8-place table doesn't work too often.

Joslin took a picture of the 40th Anniversary SMACK. We are headed down to Rocky Point next weekend for a weeks' stay down there. We are very much looking forward to the trip.

I often reflect on our 40 years together. I had no idea of what a blessing my children, grandchildren, in-laws and husband would be to me all those years ago. I walked into marriage with a great leap of faith; I did. I felt the Lord would direct me on a daily basis as we navigated our way through the years. I give the Lord credit for those successes I have experienced in my life.

End of sermon!!

I am not sure how, but there doesn't seem to be a way to leave a comment on my last blog. . .which is funny, as I was hoping for some color direction with our front door. Just email me any thoughts you have.

Tonight at 9:06 (according to Eric) Caroline delivered Jared Cox. We were at the hospital when he was born. Not in the room but in Eric's office (that was an interesting turn of events, Hmmmm). Everything went splendidly and even miraculously, based on some difficult deliveries she has gone through in the past. Baby is 7# 8 Oz. and 20" long. Very healthy. Everyone is doing great.

Survey Time!!

My husband has been so busy, the past two weeks. He has been caulking, scraping and painting the exterior of the house. I got recruited to do some of the trim and Sammy was a great help to me. I want to paint the front door. . (here shown in the primer white it came with a bazillion years ago). Red, seems to pop into my head whenever I consider colors. I WANT YOUR OPINIONS. . . . . Give me some ideas. One or two colors?. . . .I just need some help.

. . . .I've been trying to post a few other pictures from our BBQ we enjoyed last weekend. . . Just know that Thomas made a very handsome chef AND Sariah totally loved the potato salad.

Who wants to be my BFF?

Katie, Kimberly and I had a whirlwind trip to Chicago this past weekend. I had a blast. One of the things we did to make us laugh was look at every stranger we met as our new BFF. We journaled our happenstance meeting with them. Cracked me up.

I think we wound up with 20 new BFFs. It made it a little easier talking to people, knowing that we could then add them to our book.

Above you see Penny, who I believe is from Valparaiso, IN. She is a single mother of two teenagers, a boy and a girl. They are her niece and nephew that she adopted when they were 5 and 7 (or something like that!!). What a dedicated mother she is. We had a great visit while riding on the South Shore Line which travels in to Chicago from Indiana. (We actually had a motel in Indiana. . .40 minutes south east of Chicago . . .a great bargain of a room). We had nearly 40 minutes to visit and I REALLY liked her; I think if I lived near her, we truly could have been BFF!! ((Penny, if you read this, I mean it!! Pinky Promise.))

Here we are sitting atop the Grey Line Double Decker Bus. . .We took an abbreviated tour which should have lasted 2 hours but wound up being about 1/2 hour. . . We stopped to ride up to the top of the Sears Tower and when we got back down . . the Tour Bus was gone with no others scheduled to come to that location!!! The girls tried chasing one down with me huffing and puffing, but to no avail. In spite of this, we totally loved our experience on foot in downtown Chicago.

Tomorrow we leave for Kimberly's BYU Graduation!! Now, THAT makes me feel . . . . .proud, happy and a little old.

Fifty What!!

This is my husband in action. We played a few little games following lunch today and I caught him going to some length to "get-that-ball". I showed it to Eric and suggested we make a poster out of it for hisPT office. Then when Leigh goes in for an adjustment, Eric could use it as a visual of things to avoid, if you don't want your knees and back to hurt. Actually, Leigh loves seeing the yard being used by the children and grand children and he loves to help them improve their skills. He couldn't be happier than when out in the yard with the kids.

I know, it just doesn't seem right that time marches on, but it does. It was a crazy week so we got together this afternoon for a birthday dinner/cake/icecream. I had lots of help blowing the candles out, which proved to be pretty funny because they were the non-extinguishable kind and they kept flaring up again. I got more than a little "raspberry" splatter from those cute little boys. We did not actually have the candles on the cake (but sliced bread), which was a good thing, as there was too much spit flying trying to keep them blown out. The cake, which Joslin baked was hot from the oven and we didn't want to risk the candles melting all over it.

We enjoyed a nice Stake Conference this morning and enjoyed the speakers very much. We received a challenge to involve ourselves in service to the community more often, with no expectations. I see that as good advice.

Quick catch up

We did spend Easter up in Utah with our oldest and youngest children. We actually stayed at Kim and Austin's. I cooked some stuff for her since they both are so busy with work and school. I'm glad they found it tasty. Becky and Tom were in Orem, as well. What a fun time we had.
The week prior we spent a little time with Hampton (bearded dragon), Daisy (big dog) and Cocoa (little dog) at Justin and Stacy's while they were on a Greek Vacation. I have some pictures and will try to get some on the blog later.
We have SPRING and Leigh has been so busy working out in the yard. It has really paid off as it looks so nice. We replanted some Iris and hope they will pull through for us.
On May 17 we will be traveling to Rocky Point. We are looking for up to four people to come and spend a little time with us from the 20th to 23rd if anyone is interested. Justin and Stacy will be with us for the first few days. We hope it is warm.

From the mouth of a child

So mom and dad left today from Utah... they had a good time here (as far as I could tell).  I am sure mom will post some pictures when she gets home.  I just thought I would drop in and say hello because she forgot to sign out of her blog on my computer!  I accidentally posted on someone's blog under her name!  Anyways, Austin and I enjoyed having them here.  I just ate some more of the breakfast sausage gravy she made for us!  Yummy!  

Thanks for coming Mom and Dad!  We love you!

(Don't worry mom, I will sign out now)  :) 

Kim

Friday , March 14, 2008

I have been Tagged once!!!!! Thanks Wendy!!


(Your assignment is to write 7 random facts about your life.)

1. About a year ago my sister Elsie and I got into a little mischief at Katie's house after her family had gone to bed for the night..we found her camera!! Took the pictures that night then left the next morning. It was fun.

2. I enjoy the t.v. shows-- Medium, Extreme Makeover, lots of HGTV design type shows and the CSI/Law and Order stuff. Man, is that ALL I do . . . watch tv? (In my defense, with tivo I don't watch all the commercials or all of the show in the HGTV just the beginning and the reveal!!)



3. An elementary school memory . . . A friend and I (Christine Anderson) dressed up like we were going for a ride in a "tin lizzie" (big dust coats and goggles). We sang "Come away with me Lucille, in my merry Oldsmobile. . . . Down the road of life we'll fly. . . .automobubbling, you and I. To the church we'll quickly steal . .. then the wedding bells will peal. You can ride as far as you like with me, in my merry Oldsmobile." As we were singing this, a classmate was pulling a wagon across the stage that we had decorated with cardboard to resemble an old fashioned car!!!


I was also a cheerleader inthe 5th grade. Crazy.





4. The Flinstones were the rage when I was a child. . I must have really liked them. I have a picture of me, as a high schooler, with my hair pulled up in a "Pebbleisque" ponytail on the top of my head with a chicken-leg bone pushed through it. Oh, man. Was I da bomb or what?





5. One of my biggest pet peeves is not being able to retrieve my messages from the cellphone. I've never learned how. . .How lazy is that? I just talked with my daughter and she told me I don't even have my voicemail box set up. . . so, that explains it.





6. My best friend hmm. . . that's a good question. I may have an opening for that position. . . submit your application ASAP.





7. I'm not sure what fears I have. . . I am NOT excited at the prospect of skydiving and don't even have it as a "PLAN", although I did go on a glider one time and was perfectly at ease during it.

I tag Donna, Bonnie, JoAnn, Kathy, Elsie, and various others.

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