Dan & Sherry

Christmas is a little late this year

2012-01-23T20:48:00.000-08:00

Nothing to do but sit by the fire and keep warm!

a lundry room story

2012-01-21T17:07:00.000-08:00

Our mud/laundry room got a new floor just before Christmas. It had ugly brown indoor/outdoor carpeting in it - YUCK! Who would put carpet in a laundry room? Well after ripping out the carpet we discovered the concrete floor was so uneven - perhaps that explains the carpeting huh? Dan and Walt just shook their heads and wondered how to level it up. I suggested more concrete to fill in the uneven areas. I told them to make it work (as Tim Gunn would say) and left the room. 3 days later we have a new durable porcelain floor that is beautiful and so much more conducive for a mud/laundry room.

Before... the new concrete drying

and after

Happy Birthday Dan!

2012-01-21T16:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Dear! (I'm glad you are as old as me now :) You are a wonderful father and husband and grandfather - the grandchildren just adore you. Thank you for all you do for us! I love how you love us. Thank you for letting me do whatever I want. Not many people can say that... I am pretty spoiled if I do say so myself. For your birthday I will let you play in the snow with your skid steer - see how nice I am. And if you play your cards right I might let you win at Monopoly tonight. Since our power has been out more than it has been on for the last 48 hours I have enjoyed "camping" with you. Thank goodness for our wood stove and the swimming pool!

All good things must come to an end

2012-01-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

We made it to Jan. 18th without any snow and I was thinking it might stay that way. But yesterday it started snowing and it is still snowing. Dan has plowed twice and will plow again today; our house and 2 neighbors. It is beautiful and a little fun to be snowed in! and it has warmed up. The snow is very wet and heavy and I think the roof is coming off with the snow when the snow slides off the roof. Sounds like a freight train. We were supposed to go to Boise today but it looks like that is out.

Frozen

2012-01-16T20:01:00.000-08:00

So far this year we have had just a little snow and it has been wonderful not to have to plow the roads. It has been freezing cold though and the river has frozen completely over! There are piles of beautiful ice crystals sparkling in the sun like diamonds along the road. Water running out of the pipes under the road have frozen in place. We took a walk and Grace and Caroline tried to skate on every little frozen patch of ice they could find. Upon further inspection of the river we decided it was safe enough to get on. Tyler, Jayna, Grace, and Caroline made their way down the steep bank to go skating on the river in a shallow spot where you could see the rocks below the ice. Pretty amazing! When we were done skating we warmed ourselves by the fire built by Papa and Spencer.

A place for everything and everything in its place.

2012-01-13T10:13:00.000-08:00

My desk was an absolute mess. It took me 3 days to take everything out and re-organize it. But I can find everything I need now. I am still looking for 2 shelves that go with it which will help me even more. A place for everything and everything in its place.

What Not to Wear

2012-01-13T10:07:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning out and organizing my computer desk and watching What Not to Wear on the TV. Dan is sick this day with Bronchitis and is in his recliner dozing off and on when he said, "I think you should go on that show". Then he took my picture. I have to agree. Someone PLEASE PLEASE nominate me for that show - as you can see - I desperately NEED it!

sooo CUTE!

2012-01-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

I came home from church and played with my paper dolls or I should say my magnetic paper dolls. I put some of them on my fridge and dressed them up - they are just sooooo cute I can't help myself! What adorable fridge magnets they make!

just a girl at heart

2012-01-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

Another of my very favorite things I got for Christmas was this little red tin full of magnetic Betsy McCall paper dolls handmade by Jayna. These are the cutest things ever! I can't even imagine all the hours Jayna spent doing these adorable little dolls. I just LOVE them! There are countless hours of fun here for me and all my girls!

My mom just loved them, having grown up playing with paper dolls. So for her birthday Jayna and I are getting her some too :) We ordered Gone With The Wind, 1940's Highschool and The Babysitter paper dolls. My mom will love spending some time with these wonderful dolls!Happy Birthday Mom!

2012

2012-01-07T15:59:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

We went to Boise and spent the night at Jayna's and spent New Years Eve with Gabe and Christy. We were all there except Curt and Kallie who had other plans. We ate all the delicious food that Christy had spent all day making! I don't know how she made all that deliciousness and took care of her 3 little ones! I need her to cook for me. I think I'll trade her cleaning services for cooking for us! I wish I lived closer to all my kids and grandkids. The grandkids enjoyed playing together in Brigitte and Spencer's new play room and Grace and Caroline joined the adults in playing SCUM. We had fun doing that for awhile and then we tried to play Pictionary. The best part was Dan drawing pictures of words he couldn't see. It was hilarious! He thought 'Platypus' was 'playground' and something else was song because he didn't have his reading glasses! We all got tired around 10:30 and went to bed - so no we actually were not awake when 2012 came but it did arrive! Thanks Christy & Gabe for inviting us!!! We had a wonderful time!

Books!

2011-12-31T23:00:00.000-08:00

My favorite Christmas gift was a present to myself (not the doll house, but I love it too :), it is a digital book that I spent most of 6 months making. It is a book about my childhood titled 'Growing Up Stewart'. I just LOVE it! I spent many hours scouring through boxes of old things and scanning in old pictures of me, my old clothes, things I made in school, etc and then taking pictures of items that I could not scan - EVERYTHING is in this book. I even found a lock of my hair and my schoolwork from first grade. I had been wanting to do this for some time and finally the timing was right and so I did it. My mom came up last Summer and we spent many hours working on our books. We had so much fun. After I finished my childhood book I started on my second book which covered the years from when I married Dan and then went through the next 20 years until our children graduated high school. I am now working on my 3rd book which will include the kid's weddings and then grandkids. This will bridge the gap until I started blogging in 2008. Yea my history will be done!

2011-12-31T22:30:00.000-08:00

Curt & Kallie left on Sat., Gabe & Christy & kids had to leave on Monday, and Tyler and mom and Harold left on Wed morning and Jayna and the girls decided to stay the rest of the week. I don't think any of us got dressed all week. The girls robes are starting to look a little ratty. We just layed around in our pj's and ate and watched HGTV. We ended up cooking another turkey on Tuesday so we ate that all week. Harold went and helped Dan with his project in Lowman one day. We went swimming and went to the Market one day. Jayna started me out making a rag rug with some material scraps that I had. The first time we had to unravel the whole thing and start over. The second one is better but I will probably unravel it and do it again just for some practice and also because its not perfectly oval like it should be!

A Merry Little Christmas :)

2011-12-31T17:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas was wonderful as usual. We had our Christmas Eve on Friday night instead of Sat night with a really nice sit down dinner with smoked turkey and ham. Then we had a little program and let the girls open the robes and PJ's I made for them (yes - the very ones that ate my soul) - the girls loved them and spent the all week wearing them! My mom told her story about getting the bracelet made from a piece of a plane by her brother Stan when he was in the war. Everyone enjoyed it. Then it was time for bed and the kids went right to sleep. We opened presents on Sat morning so it would be less hectic on Sunday where we could go to our hour of Christmas music program and just enjoy it. We had all the kids and grandkids and my mom and Harold - 17 in all! We had to find extra sleeping quarters and the king bed in the loft came in very handy. It was cold (7 degrees at night) but we warmed it up with our propane heater and put an electric blanket on the bed. Tyler & Jayna volunteered to sleep out there despite the fact that there is no bathroom facilities. They liked it so much that when a bedroom opened up in the house (Curt & Kallie could only stay one night so they could have Christmas with her parents too) they chose to stay out there where it was nice and quiet. It just may be that this will be the bed in the future that everyone is fighting over. The girls all slept in our bedroom on the Cabelas bunk beds which they thoroughly enjoyed! Mom and Harold came on Wed so I had my mom to help me with the cooking which was just wonderful! We tried to make rolls but sadly they did not rise as they were supposed to. Sat morning we all got up and opened presents about 7:30 am and tried to open them one at a time and we did pretty good. I think everyone liked what we got them - at least I hope so! We had a lot of people so we also had a lot of presents to open! The grandkids were so excited over their presents - they got sleeping bags, teepee, scooters, dolls, baby play station, etc.... We got mom and Harold a Wii! They have no idea what it is but I'm sure they will like it once they get the hang of it.

from Christmas past

2011-12-23T09:52:00.000-08:00

This is one of my mom's favorite poems from one of her childhood books. She brought it with her so we could share it for Christmas. Mom and Harold arrived Wed. night and tonight Curt & Kallie, Gabe & Christy, Tyler & Jayna, and our 6 wonderful grandchildren will arrive to spend Christmas with us. We are so blessed! Tonight will be our Christmas Eve dinner and tomorrow morning will be our Christmas morning (a day early) so that Sunday might not be such a hectic day - just an hour of Christmas program at the church in the morning and a relaxing day to spend the celebration of Christ's Birthday. Merry Christmas everyone!

yesterday was my birthday!

2011-12-13T14:36:00.000-08:00

Me age 16. I haven't changed a bit have I? Well, you can't have everything. Last night was our Empty Nesters Christmas party and they sang happy birthday to me and Roberta (we are twins - just 20 years apart). We had a white elephant exchange and Dan ended up with Elk jerky so he is a happy camper today! I spent the week mostly being sick with a bad cold that Dan had the week before. He didn't want me to feel left out so he passed it on. Sunday I felt pretty good and we had 5 couples for dinner after the Community Christmas choir program at 4:00 pm. I made Christy's Swedish meatballs with gravy over mashed potatoes. It was a big hit and enjoyed by all with many eating seconds, then we had ice cream with carmel and chocolate and nuts toppings for dessert. Afterwards the Shimers stayed and we played pinochle until 10:30! We are in charge of cleaning the church and checking the building every night. Two sweet sisters cleaned for me last week because I was sick. Dan & I just got back from cleaning it for this Sunday. The bathrooms took me 2 hours and Dan is great at swabbing the deck. Tonight Dan has a scout board of review and I'm going to watch TV and sit by the fire and do a few more Christmas cards. I'm done with buying presents for everyone and that feels great! I am so excited to have everyone here for Christmas. Mom & Harold might even come!

Benetts Baby Blessing

2011-12-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful weekend in Boise getting ready for Benett's baby blessing. Jayna, Christy and I prepared some food on Sat. afternoon for the brunch after the blessing. It was a really nice Sacrament meeting (9:00 am) although Spencer had been sick and was not feeling well at all. All of our family was there and most of the Beal family came so Gabe and Christy had a house full. We had lots of delicious food and enjoyed one anothers company. Gabe had just completed a new playroom (sectioned off a part of the garage and dry walled and carpeted it for the kids to play in which they all loved! It even has a TV! I'm sure Brigitte and Spencer are loving it to play in! Benett looked darling in the cute blessing outfit she found for him.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T19:42:00.000-08:00

random pictures of our Thanksgiving Day in Boise. Gabe & Christy fixed a wonderful dinner! Everything tasted so good! Curt & Kallie and Grandma C and Sherry Jo came for dinner. Tyler & Jayna & girls were in Utah at my mom's. We just ate and snuggled the new baby and Hobble (which Spencer calls Bobble - appropriately named for its 3 legs!) Sorry - no good (un-blurry- pictures of Gabe, Christy or Spencer!

snowy Sunday

2011-11-13T11:49:00.000-08:00

Today was our Stake Conference and we also woke to 3 inches of snow! We didn't plow though because it is supposed to warm up and melt the snow. We watched via Satellite at our church. The speakers were all really great and President Walker said something that I wanted to remember,"It only matters to the Lord where we are going not where we have been." I love this saying. It is so true. No matter what mistakes we have done in the past we can always move on. Like in the race of life, it doesn't matter how many times we stumble and fall as long as we get back up and finish the race. Here are some pictures I snapped (in the car) on our way to church this morning. Everything is so beautiful with a fluffy white layer of snow on it. The sun was just coming up and reflected in the snow everywhere.

Celebrating Vetrans Day

2011-11-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

11.11.11

tonight in Garden Valley at the new library they are honoring all the Veterans who have served or are now serving. A member of our branch has put together a really nice plaque to honor all those who have served!

more pics of Benett!

2011-11-10T18:30:00.000-08:00

I went to Boise again this week and helped Christy for a couple of days. We ate (I'm her food buddy) and we watched a scary movie and took care of the kids. We went to the grocery store one morning and then came home and made 4 freezer meals. I feel a little better knowing if she has a hard day at least she has dinner she can pop in the oven. Christy is doing remarkably well and is feeling great. If only she could get a little sleep I think she can make it. Although, I seriously doubt she'll be able to take all 3 kids to the store by herself for awhile! Benett is such a great baby (we'll pray he stays that way - no colic). He seems so much older than he is - like a wise professor. His hair and eyebrows are really light. Maybe he'll be like cousin Caroline in coloring. Brigitte is such a good little mommy to him and wants to do everything to him and to her babies that mommy does. She changes her Baby Flowers dolly about 20 times a day! It is fun getting to know Spencer better. What a little darling he is. I had the best time just snuggling him. Brigitte and Spencer below entranced by the Lion King movie.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

It will make it easy to remember Benett's birthday because it's on Uncle Curt's birthday and Halloween! Gabe took Brigitte and Spencer trick or treating around their neighborhood and I went to a few houses with them and took pictures. We couldn't keep up with Brigitte who tore around 50 mph on her scooter! Aunt Kallie had given Christy this cute Halloween outfit for the baby - just in case he or she decided to be born by Halloween- and he did! The outfit actually fit! Spencer and Brigitte were cute in their outfits and by the 2nd house even Spencer knew that he was gonna get some candy!

a new baby!

2011-11-02T17:56:00.000-07:00

Christy had her baby Friday afternoon and surprise - it's a BOY! We were all just sure it was a girl! The baby was breech so Christy went in Friday morning to the hospital so they could try and "flip" the baby. She had a C-Section scheduled that morning if they couldn't get the baby to turn but thankfully for all the prayers that were asked by everyone we know - surgery was avoided. A true blessing! She went right into labor and delivered that day. Kallie and I got to witness the birth and it was amazing! He weighed 7 lbs 4 ozs and is 20 inches long and just perfect! Born on Uncle Curt's Birthday too! Now we have Lila and Spencer and Curt and this baby sharing birthdays. Makes it easier to remember for me. I've been there for all 3 of Christy's babies births - just thrilling! I just returned home after helping at Christy's for 3 days (mostly spoiling the baby if the truth be known). They came home from the hospital without naming him so for 5 days I have been calling him Stanley! He's just so serious I can't help it. But last night they came up with a name - Benett. We really like it. Here are his first pictures!

Fall Splendor

2011-10-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

adventure in juicing

2011-10-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

I got a steamer/juicer last year and finally got to try it out this year. I read the instructions and them ended up calling my mom 3 times to ask questions! Dam was gone for the day so I was on my own. It was quite messy. My kitchen was covered in grape juice! I only got one bushel but next year I will do 3 or 4! There is a learning curve but I think I've got it down now so next year will be a breeze! I will also do apricot juice next year. Can't wait! I ended up with 20 quarts of grape juice and 1 quart of grape jelly/syrup.

Dan and uncle Jim brought me home some elderberries to make syrup so I put them on to juice an went about doing laundry etc. I came into the kitchen to check on things and the clamp on the hose wasn't quite in the right place and there was juice all over my stove and on the floor. And I was just starting to feel confident about this juicing thing! I'm sure there is still a puddle under the fridge and stove that will be there awhile!

I'm in love!

2011-10-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

with Essential Oils!
my house is smelling great!
sore muscles are gone!
teeth are clean!
all naturally!

We were at friends a couple of weeks ago for our weekly Sunday afternoon get together when I mentioned my ongoing sore muscles and Gary and Anita mentioned they had just the thing for me. I got the recipes and ordered up some essential oils and I just love messing around making up concoctions and potions. The air fresheners are most awesome!

Grandma's Dishes

2011-10-08T12:16:00.001-07:00

Grandma's dishes

Yesterday I had an Oprah aha moment. I should actually put dishes in my hutch! I might even use them sometimes. I finally decided to put all my pretty vintage breakable glass dishes in my hutch on display; dishes from relatives - Grandmother Irene Branson's 1910 butter dish, Grandmother Thea Stewarts beautiful purple dishes, pitcher and bowls from our wedding, and many more treasures I have collected throughout the years. For years I have kept them wrapped up and stored away so nothing would happen to them. Why? I decided the time has come. I should enjoy them everyday! I have used the hutch to display teapots I have collected from all over the world but I will find a new home for them. I'm learning to live in the moment but its hard sometimes.

a painting adventure

2011-10-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun while mom and Harold were here. They stayed 10 whole days!!! The guys went after wood, split it and stacked it. I'm so glad we have our winter wood! I can almost cope with the coming winter ALMOST! Mom and I went to Market and got breads and cheeses and yummy things to eat, we made fried green tomotoes, had a BBQ at Jayna's house, fixed Chrity's benches, took nature walks, walked down to get the mail and carried home lots of packages!, watched the X Factor, Project Runway and Dance Moms and soaked up the last days of Summer! It has been the nicest September I can ever recall. Every day was PERFECTION!

We painted ceramics too. Mom had made these two Thanksgiving Pilgrams at her Senior center and brought them so we could paint them at my house. I was so excited. I love to paint ceramics! We were supposed to be able to use pastles chalk to color them, but it didn't work out so well. It didn't work at all. The only paints I had were poster paints and they wouldn't stick to the slick surface on the already fired ceramics. It took several coats of paints just to cover a little and then we would smudge what we had just painted. Pretty soon we had paint everywhere except on the Pilgrims! They turned out really funny but we had a good time sitting outside at the picnic table in 87 degree weather. We laughed so hard we nearly fell off the benches! Mom wouldn't take them home and now they are here on my desk laughing at me everyday. I will keep them just because they will remind me of the wonfderful sunny afternoon we spent together. Love you mom!

family BBQ

2011-10-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

2011-10-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

One day mom and I had to run into Boise to get an engine for the wood splitter and we stopped at Christy's and helped her pad her two new benches. She was trying to sew thick white vinyl and it wasn't working out. After a quick accessment we decided that we should get some wood cut to fit the foam and either hot glue the vinyl on or get a staple gun. I ran to Lowes and cut 2 boards and decided to get a staple gun. We seriously had like an hour to do this before we had to get back with the engine. Christy fixed us some lunch while mom and I cut, stapled and finally got two padded bench seats done! It turned out pretty good considering we had never done it before! The white vinyl looks great with Gabe's wonderful table and matching benches!

our winter wood!

2011-10-07T19:23:00.000-07:00

thanks Harold for coming up and helping Dan!

our Lowman visit

2011-10-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

while mom and Harold were here last week we took a load of stuff up to the Lowman property and checked on things there. Mom took these great pictures! well - except for the one she is posing in!

one thing we did....

2011-10-05T15:24:00.001-07:00

almost as much fun as the Tilt-o-whirl!

Gun Toting Grandma!

2011-10-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

Can you believe she's the Primary president?

just a few days in Garden Valley
and
my mom has turned into a
gun toting Grandma!

the pictures were actually not taken here but at my brother's house in St. George! but they were too funny not to post! I can't believe my mom actually held these guns! We have enjoyed every minute of the 8 days that we have just spent with my mom and Harold. I will post more later but just had to stick these beauties up!

PERFECTION

2011-09-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

This has been one of the nicest Septembers I can recall. Beautiful clear sunny days with temperatures in the 80's and cool crisp nights so nice that you sleep like a baby. I have washed and line dried everything that could be washed and hung out! I just love that fresh sun shiny smell!

I don't know how she does it

2011-09-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

I really don't know how she (Jayna) does it! I think I'm pretty capable of taking care of 3 kids and 1 dog for 4 days but maybe I was wrong. Here's how it was supposed to go.....

and here's how it went:

Sunday, Day 1; It is morning and Tyler & Jayna have just left for their long drive to Jackson Hole, WY. The kids' schedule is on the fridge and the only thing we have to do this day is get to church by 1:00. As we were milling around I thought I smelled gas. Jayna had mentioned on their way out that they had to replace the water heater last week because of a leaky gas line. I thought maybe she put the idea in my head that was why I was smelling gas and of course Dan could not smell it. I have always smelled gas at their house since they moved in though. I just decided to call the gas company. They arrived in about an hour. Not bad for a Sunday morning. Sure enough, the gas man could smell it too and was getting readings as high as 20% so he went into the cellar and eventually isolated the problem. It was a cracked valve on the line that ran to the new addition they had been put in last summer. I knew I had been smelling gas all year but noone believed me. I knew I wasn't crazy - at least not all the way. The repairman had to turn off the gas to the stove which means no cooking, but I'm not complaining. McDonalds and Taco Bell are fine with me. My back has been out for a week and I plan to go to the Chiropractor 3 times while I'm here. I decided I could not go to church and sit for 3 hours, but manage to get the 3 girls ready and send them off with Dan. Sunday evening was nice we were just chillin in the back yard and the girls were playing with Rosie. Dan goes into the house and comes out with a shocked expression on his face. I say, "what?". He just motions inside the kitchen so I look inside the door and this is what I see....

I am completely shocked and panicked. Lila is standing there with a permanent marker saying, "I didn't do it." I had no idea how to take a permanent Sharpie marker off a painted surface so I googled it and came up with a list of remedies; hairspray, alcohol, toothpaste, WD-40, etc. After looking at the list I tried a bleach cleaner and alcohol which did NOTHING! I then grabbed our Colgate toothpaste and started rubbing and it started to come off. Grace, Caroline and I were rubbing toothpaste everywhere, but it is coming off so we keep scrubbing until it is all off. Of course, by this time I am sitting on the kitchen floor and my back is so out all I can do is crawl over to the couch and climb on it and lay in pain, but I don't care because the marker all came off!

Monday, Day 2
We all get up at 7:00. I get the girls dressed, feed them breakfast, pack Grace a gluten free lunch and Dan drives Grace and Caroline to school at 8:00. I take Lila with me to the Chiropractor - it's sweet relief! Christy also comes to the Chiropractor and then we decide to go to Tuesday Morning to shop and let Lila and Brigitte play together for awhile. They run around the store killing imaginary spiders. We can hear them yelling, "kill the spider, kill it!" from all over the store but we pretend we don't know them. Dan picks Caroline up at school at 11:30 and had just gotten back home when the school called our cell phone (thank goodness they had our number!) and said that Grace was sick. So he turned around and went back to school to pick up Grace (without her carseat since I had them in my car). Dan gave Grace a pop to drink and soon she was feeling better. Later I take both Caroline and Grace to Piano lessons. So glad they are learning to play!
Later we eat sandwiches and go to the park to let the kids and Rosie run off some energy. The Heating and Cooling repairman had made it out and did fix the valve so the stove was turned back on but it was so hot and my back was still hurting so we did sandwiches. Then it was time for baths and bed.

Tuesday, Day 3
Today we got up at 7:30 (see I already got more efficient - made Grace's lunch the night before), Dan took Grace and Caroline to school and I took Lila to school - clear across town and much to my dismay - I had no idea where I was going. I couldn't remember where her preschool was. I had taken Caroline there 2 years ago but couln't remember the name of the street. But when I got there I saw it and remembered and drove right to it. I also got to see the 'Castle" house on Warm Springs. I want to move in!!! I also see where East Jr. High used to be and is now the Donna Larsen Sports Park. I drive around our old neighborhood and I miss it. Later after we have picked up the girls at different times from different places we go eat at Chuck-a-Rama where the girls tank up on ice cream and all the sweets they can. We invited all the kids but Curt is sick and Christy is out of commission. She made soup to take to 2 families and they called for 2 jalepenos and while she was cutting them up, she got the oil on her fingers and it started to BURN. She tried everything but nothing worked. Finally, as a last resort after trying all the other home remedies, she had to put urine on them. That's right. But it totally worked! After we ate we headed over to Christy's to see how she was doing and also to see her 8 (yes 8!!!) baby kittens and let the girls play with Brigitte for awhile. Spencer is attached to Dan and tells everyone 'goodbye' as he thinks he is leaving with Dan! It too cute. We get home at 9:00 - way past bedtime and the girls are all tired. We have quick baths and its off to bed. They are all asleep by 9:30! I make Grace's lunch for tomorrow and talk to my mom on the phome. They are not going to be able to come tomorrow to Idaho because Harold's sister has died and they are going to fly to Indiana for the funeral. Darn it. I had so many plans. I go to take a shower and decide to let Rosie roam in the kitchen for awhile since she didn't get out much today. It's now 10:30 and I come out to the kitchen to find this~

she had chewed up all of Jayna's recipes- that naughty dog!

Wednesday, Day 4
Dan has an early morning appointment so he takes the girls to school on his way. I take Lila to a play date/preschool which is close by and then run errands and go back to get her and then off to pick up Caroline and we 3 go to the Chiropractor. The girls are used to going with me now and as we walk in they demand their fruit snacks from the nice lady at the front desk and then they are off to play with the toys. I see Emily there 2 days in a row so her kids are there to play with. I vow to make one good meal during our stay and prepare baked potatoes, chicken, salad and bread and Christy is bringing zucchini bread. Curt is still sick so he and Kallie don't come. Gabe and Christy are late and it is 6:30 before we start eating because she had to take one of her new baby kittens to the vet because it has a foot that needs amputated. Poor thing. We finally eat outside and the kids are just playing around and having fun. We are all startled by loud crying from Lila. She had been playing some game where she was standing on an old railroad tie that is tied to a post and she slipped off it, hitting the back of her head on the way down. There is blood running down the back of her head and soon it soaks her dress. We strip off her clothes and put her in the tub and wash out her hair so we can see how bad the cut is. It's not too bad but I decide that we should take her to St. Als Hospital. It is after 8 PM and all the Immediate Care centers are closed. We call Tyler and Jayna and they are in Mountain Home so they will meet us at the hospital. Lila is a champ and doesn't cry at all at the hospital. She gets 2 staples and we go home.

Lila having fun playing on the post that soon turns against her

Thursday morning - Lila's 2 staples

and Caroline decided to become Jewish

I can't make this stuff up!
But we are home now and I am going to bed at 8PM.

the good stuff

2011-08-31T14:34:00.000-07:00

It has started - the hunt for our winter wood. Dan has been helping his Uncle Jim cut wood and he came home with this beautiful Ponderosa Pine. It's almost too pretty to burn up; big huge rounds. Today and tomorrow he is back up to the Lowman with 3 other guys from our Branch cutting more wood. As part of his calling he helps get wood for the Widows in the area. They need about 14 cords of wood. Walt and Dan have been working on the trailers and they are all in great shape to haul wood so let the fun begin. I have to say when I got up and put on my sweats (it is 38 degrees this morning) I silently cursed. On Sunday I saw some yellow leaves laying on the ground as we went into the church building, (again, I silently yelled at them), is Fall just around the corner? I can't cope.

Saturday Fun!

2011-08-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

Tyler and Jayna and girls + Rosie, and Todd and Annie (Tyler's sister) and boys came up for the day to float the river by our house and have a Dutch oven cook out in our pit. It was good times. We had a painter here painting the family room so we had a lot going on that day but it was great to have company and they cooked for us, so what more could we want!

I loved the way our Family room turned out. It's so much brighter now! It's a pale blue-green white color. We took out all the furniture and I can't wait to get new lighting and get the floor done in a hardwood!

Before pictures
of our Dining Room/Family Room

After

Summer fun!

2011-08-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

Curt and Kallie came up 2 weekends ago. Curt helped Dan cut up some wood and Kallie and I went into Crouch to go to the Farmers Market, the new Garden Valley Market and the new Library! We had a good time buying produce and caramels and then we went into the Red Rooster and Kallie fell in love with a Loom! So we bought the Loom and some fabric and came home and Kallie started weaving! They had to leave Sunday morning so we headed off to church where Dan is enjoying his new calling as first counselor in the High Priests and I am teaching Primary. Just after we got home Gabe and Christy showed up with tons of yummy food so we spent the rest of Sunday playing and eating. It was a GREAT WEEKEND! The week before Jayna and Grace, Caroline and Lila came up for 3 days and we floated the river. Or I should say we floated and walked; it was so low in some spots our tubes wouldn't go over the rocks and we had to get out and walk until it got deep enough to float them. But it was so much fun and we have enjoyed having everyone here! It seems like Summer is just starting and I hope it lasts awhile!

Nephi Peter & Marie K. Anderson

2011-08-10T14:34:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of my great great grandparents [daughter Celine married Lewis O. Johnson - the parents of E. Lewis Johnson, my mom's dad] Niels Peder Pedersen and Mette Katrine Jensen from Denmark who changed their names to Nephi Peter and Marie Katherine Anderson when they came to America. Theirs is quite a story. They first lived in a dugout along the Bear River, they had to learn to speak English and live off the land. Nephi became a Surveyor and surveyed much of Utah. They eventually settled in Brigham City and built a beautiful home that is still there today. It is now Myers Mortuary. When I went to Uncle Stan's funeral which was there in this building I took some pictures! Many of the homes original features are still there. It's just beautiful! The curved staircase is really a masterpiece.

Stanley Lewis Johnson

2011-08-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

I was in Utah last week for the funeral of my uncle Stanley Lewis Johnson who passed away at almost 91 years of age. To say he had an outstanding life would be an understatement. For a young boy growing up on a farm in Garland, Utah to becoming a Professor at Portland University, traveling the world, corresponding with movie stars, you could say that Stan lived life to its fullest.

I remember riding in his famous blue convertible as a child from Utah to Idaho with my brother Jon when we were small. It was very exciting!

My last memory of Stan is when he was spending the night at our house in Boise 2 years ago while traveling with mom and Harold to stay with them for a few days in Utah. It just happened to be American Idol night and Gabe and Christy were there and we were all gathered around the TV. Stan had taken a shower and was wearing one of Dan's robes and sitting in the recliner, just happy to be there. Christy asked him if he would like a coke (something he was not supposed to have since he was diabetic) and he said sure and his eyes lit up. He was smiling and enjoying himself. He even commented on a few of the singers on the show. That is my last memory of uncle Stan; the one that comes to mind when I think of him now.

I got to spend a whole week with my mom and that was so wonderful!!! I got to help her with a few of the funeral things and a couple of days afterward I went with her to meet with the attorney, since she is the trustee ans Executor of Stan's will she needed to know how to proceed.

The siblings did a wonderful job of putting together a really great funeral service. The day started off just for Stan with a typical Portland weather day (unusual for Utah - especially this time of year) with rain and clouds and then parting to let the sunshine and warm weather return right after the service. Stan was buried in Brigham City with full military honors which was quite a thing to experience. After the salute they folded up the flag and gave it to my mother explaining what a sacrifice that our Veterans have made for our country and that we should never forget them. It was such a spiritual moment and everyone shed some tears. My mom was overcome with the magnitude of the moment and she is honored to have his flag of service. Afterward, we went to Aunt Lola's church and had a luncheon which had been put together by all the cousins. There were about 80 people there to honor Stan. It was wonderful seeing Uncles and Aunts and cousins that I haven't seen for years. Uncle Ed was even there (he is Grandma J's youngest brother).

cute cute cute!

2011-07-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Brigitte!

We went to Boise Wed night to celebrate Brigitte's birthday and what a bash it was! Christy & Gabe went all out! A circus theme with Brigitte as the ringmaster! The decorations were so beautiful! Christy had found giant animals; a giraffe, zebra and lion to join the party! Gabe made a pink tightrope walk that the kids could walk across while holding an umbrella. They even had a cotton candy machine! We ate and visited and watched Brigitte open her presents. We got her a pink scooter. All too soon the night was over. But while it lasted it was a magical place for all to enjoy. I'll got lots more photos to post at a later date.

Sunday News + Happy Pioneer Day!

2011-07-24T13:33:00.001-07:00

Happy 24th everyone!

Pioneer Day is an official holiday that commemorates the entry of Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. These pioneers had traveled across the plains from various locations in the eastern United States, some of them being forced from the towns they were living in. Some of the pioneers had come from Europe, arriving on the east coast only to pack up a handcart and travel to Utah. The journey was not easy, and many many people died along the way. Some of the handcart companies experienced terrible weather and hardships, and families sacrificed everything to make the journey to Salt Lake.

I would have made a terrible pioneer woman and I'm sure I would have perished - probably the first week. I am amazed at all they sacrificed for us! Last night we went to our 24th of July celebration here at our church. It was just lovely! We had hamburgers, hotdogs, baked beans, potato salad, corn on the cob, side dishes and watermelon for desert. We all thought about how the pioneers had nothing this good to eat after their 15 hr day of walking. We are all very thankful!!!

Well I've got lots to write about. We've had Christy, Brigitte and Spencer here this past week. Christy had girls camp at Camp Glenwood and she came here to sleep at night while I watched the kids during the day. Their Young Women's group came and ate dinner one night at our house. I hardly got any pictures of the kids. Poor Spencer was really sick and had a raging high fever and just wanted to be held. She took him to the Dr. on Friday and he has some viral thing - something like hand, foot, and mouth disease. His throat is just raw with sores. Poor little thing. We felt so bad for him.

Today I taught a lessons in both Young Womens and Primary. It was fun! I made cookies for both classes and barely had enough because we had so many visitors today!

Dan had an meeting with a member of our stake presidency at 8:00 this morning for an interview to become a High Priest so that is our most exciting news! More to be announced.

We've got something new around here!

2011-07-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the old Merc grocery store here in Garden Valley
while some are sad to see it go, I am one of the happy ones for a newer nicer store!

the new store - Garden Valley Market

Glammed up!

2011-07-14T20:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture from our ear piercing adventure to the mall. I had gotten my ears pierced when I was 23 but I didn't wear my ear rings and the holes closed up so here I am 28 years later.... getting them re-pierced with my eight year old granddaughter! I guess it's never too late for a little bit of glam in your life. We even picked out the same earrings! Grace did make me go first and I have to admit it did hurt a little!

Horse Show!

2011-07-11T20:57:00.001-07:00

Grace had a horse show on Saturday morning so we decided to stay in Boise after her birthday party and go to her horse show as well. It was in Nampa at the Idaho Center. We got there and found out is was outside. it was a hot sunny morning and there was limited shade but we found 2 chairs noone was using and dragged them over to the little shade tree and took turns sitting in them. Jayna luckily had brought some hats and water bottles. Grandma C. came with us and she was a little put out that there was no where to sit and we had to wait and wait and wait some more before it was Grace's turn. But it was worth the wait when Grace did a wonderful job and walked away with 2 first place ribbons!!! She was so excited! Grace is a natural - a real horse girl! She loves riding Patch. She did everything just perfect! The girls entertained themselves and the rest of us by torturing Papa with Lila's 'poison hand' and Caroline sneaking up on him and dumping water on him. We waited almost 3 hours before it was Grace's turn! I did not get a picture of Grace with her 2 big blue ribbons so I will have to get one later.

backyard fun!

2011-07-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Tyler & Grace!

2011-07-07T16:07:00.000-07:00

We had a joint birthday BBQ at Jayna's for Tyler's 32nd and Grace's 8th birthday. It was great and everyone was able to come except Curt who was working in Idaho City. Grandma C. even came. Tyler got a Hammock and Grace got her ears pierced. I got my ears pierced again along with her! Pictures to come.... I can't believe we have a grandchild this old~!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

We had a very quiet 4th. My back was out and we didn't even venture into Crouch to watch the fireworks. Missed last years too. I guess we'll have to wait for next year to see what the city offers for fireworks. Saturday we delivered the girls to Tyler & Jayna in Horseshoe Bend. Jayna is doing GREAT so that is good! Sunday morning I woke up and couldn't move. My back was completely out. Dan called and found me a substitute for my Primary class and I called the GV Chiro and he actually could get me in at 11:00. It helped some. Then Dallas called and he and Julie were going to drive up here so he brought me his anti-gravity chair and I have been hanging upside down ever since. I love it. Last week I went to my Boise Chiro and he worked on my back some more. Its really bad this time and is not 100 percent yet.

the lazy days of summer

2011-07-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

Nature walk

2011-07-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

The girls and I took a nature walk while papa was working on our road. We had 2 narrow roads that he made into one larger road. It is so much better! Next week we will get some road mix so it won't be so dusty. I am so sick of dust I could scream! The girls had fun picking flowers and listening for 'bears & cougars'. Grace took a baggie and picked up some fools gold which she thinks is the real stuff - I wish!.

2011-07-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

We see lots of animals here where we live and the girls were delighted to see this bull crossing the road in front of our car on our way to the Library and these beautiful mares and foals on our way back from swimming. There are about 8 mares and 6 foals running through this beautiful pasture! We usually see them either coming or going to swim. The babies are just so cute!

2011-07-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to get in all my pictures from the last 3 weeks! We had so much fun swimming every night at the pool. The girls had a blast! Lila kept asking if 'Brigi' was coming and I felt so bad that we hadn't brought Brigitte up with us also. We definitely need to get all the girls together here sometime this summer. Caroline even found herself a Dolphin to swim on. His name was Papa. He's a good sport.

dolls

2011-07-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

While the girls were here last week they wanted to hold "the babies" in the doll cabinet so I decided it was the perfect time to dust everything. Gotta do that every now and then and the girls were delighted to help!

2011-06-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

I found an old tote of Jayna & Christy's childhood dresses in the attic. Grace Caroline and Lila have been playing dress up in them pretending to be Mary, Laura, and Carrie from Little House on the Prairie. Then they decided it was 1885 and they were sailing on a ship (think American Tale) to America to rescue baby animals. So hilarious!

then....

and now...

a girl and her horse

2011-06-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

We took Grace to a horse lesson while we were there. She takes lessons with a friend and they have so much fun riding together. We haven't been to a lesson in over a year and it was fun to see how much she has improved! She's a real horse girl now!

Ivywild Park - the perfect Summer place!

2011-06-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

2011-06-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

Some more pictures from our stay in Boise. One day Christy took Grace and Caroline to Lucky Peak with her and left Brigitte with me to play with Lila. I filled up a huge bowl with water and they played "tea party" the whole time. I forgot to mention that in addition to the kids we also had a puppy to watch. She's pretty adorable though and the kids certainly love her. Rosie is her name but I called her Mollie the whole time!

the last 2 weeks

2011-06-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

for the last 2 weeks we have been in Boise staying with Jayna- helping out while she recuperates from her tonsillectomy and sinus surgery. She is doing really well. She has had some rough days but is now over the worst of it and feeling pretty good. She gets her splints out tomorrow so we'll see how that goes. Her Dr. gave her a RX for a Valium to take before her appointment so that should help! Christy helped out with meals and we so appreciate her wonderful skills in that area! She also seems to have a boundless supply of energy and everyday called to invite the kids somewhere fun. I left Dan to give Jayna her meds and take Rosie out to potty and I took the kids to get them out of the house. This outing was to Settlers Park in Meridian. It is wonderful! A great playground with a water park as well. The kids all had so much fun there. We took a picnic and ate on the grass. It was great! Spencer eventually warmed up to the idea but wasn't sure at first. The girls just ran wild - from one thing to the next. Caroline especially loved the Pirate Ship which dumped bucketfuls of water on the adventure seekers standing below it. Once I looked over and there she was with a bunch of grade school boys and she didn't even notice!

Happy Anniversary Darlin!

2011-06-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

On our wedding anniversary I found myself killing time with Caroline at the outlet mall while waiting for Grace to finish a birthday party at Ice World. Caroline and I were browsing through the Kitchen Outlet store when I saw a potato masher that I thought I should get since ours is starting to wear out. It's 32 years old afterall! We got it for a wedding gift. I found it ironic that I was buying one on our anniversary. Dan was in Garden Valley for the day getting our sprinklers to run while I took care of Jayna & the girls (I include Rosie). That night we ate one of Christy's delicious dinners that she had made for us - Amish Casserole. So that is how we spent our 32nd wedding anniversary.

2011-06-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a visit from Gabe and Christy and kids over the weekend. They needed to just get away and all of us have been under so much stress - and the kids were a great distraction and a good source of entertainment. We are all so sad but know that life goes on and we must too. And just to be clear - that's an empty cream soda bottle that Spencer is carrying around!

Heartbroken

2011-05-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

Loss. A little four letter word that entails a mountain of feelings. We are heartbroken. Pure and simple. Curt and Kallie have lost their first child- a precious little boy on their 3rd wedding anniversary. Every member of our family has been forever touched by this sad event. The sadness we feel is overwhelming at times but I know somehow we will all make it through this dark time. My heart aches to see Curt and Kallie go through this terrible pain. You never want your kids to hurt this much. They are in a dark place but I know from my own life's experiences that things will get easier and they will be happy again. I have written more about it in my journal but this is all I can manage for the blog.

our week

2011-05-22T18:05:00.001-07:00

I have a lot of pictures from our week in Boise! We enjoyed spending some time with the grand kids!!! We stayed with Jayna's girls while she went to CA to squeeze Tiffany's new baby girl and we had Brigitte come and stay with us there for 3 days. Gabe and Christy went to Seattle to celebrate their Anniversary and Christy's birthday and to buy a new car!

We took all the kids to Cabelas and I wish I had taken my camera. Spencer just loved watching the fish! The girls had a great time exploring all the tents and seeing the animals. We did loose Brigitte's baby (her little blanket) and had all the employees and random people looking all over the store for it. 40 minutes later we hear over the loud speaker,"will the family looking for the little blanket please come to the front of the store." They found it in the fudge shop on a shelf. We never would have found it. We had already looked in there twice!

We went out to eat at Chapalas and Pizzalchic - two places that have gluten free foods that Grace has been dying to go to. One afternoon Dan watched all the girls while I had an eye exam and got some new glasses so I can drive and watch TV. Its been a good run - my lasik lasted 11 years but now things are getting blurry again. I probably will get lasik again but for now this works.

Another afternoon I put Lila and Brigitte down for naps and I took Grace and Caroline shopping at Old Navy. Fun times! But on Saturday morning Brigitte and Spencer both woke up with Fifths Disease. They had both been exposed 10 days ago but Christy thought they had missed getting it. Its not a problem for anyone unless you are pregnant then it can cause some problems. I hope Christy doesn't get it.

We are back home and Curt and Kallie came to spend Sunday with us! They brought meals to make for us! We loved it!!! They did french dip sandwiches for one meal and the other was grilled steaks and chicken to perfection; with a wonderful Caesar salad, grilled asparagus and cherry tomatoes with parmesean cheese, grilled french bread and for dessert - Strawberry short cake with real whipped cream. YUM! still making my mouth water. We ate outside on the picnic table - our first for the summer. We taught Kallie how to play pinochle (we girls totally smoked the boys!) and ate Hershey's chocolate bars with Almonds while we played. It was AWESOME. Thanks for coming up!

(princesses can wear two different shoes!)

latest news

2011-05-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to Boise for Dan to have his colonoscopy; something that he has put off for months but finally did. Not a lot of fun; let me tell you - I'm never having one! His results were very good though - not even a polyp so that is good. His dad had colon cancer so he will need to be screened every 5 years now.

Christy has been exposed to Fifths Disease and it is dangerous for pregnant women who have not had it. She is going in tomorrow to be tested so we pray that she has had it and everything will be fine.

Christy tells me that Donny and Marie are coming to a Boise Walmart for a CD signing on Friday. I really want to go but probably won't get there. I just love The Osmonds and would love to see them in person!!!

My back has gone out and I will go to the Chiro tomorrow and it will hopefully be fixed.

Oprah's 25 years on her TV talk show is coming to an end. Her last show is May 25th on Christy's Birthday!

Curtis got a new job and we are soooooo thankful and excited for him! We pray that is will be the beginning of great things for him :)

2011-05-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

first of all - Happy Mother's Day to our Mothers!!! We love you!

I had a really wonderful Mother's Day weekend as well. I love my girls so much!!! I have the best daughters in the whole world! The girls and I decided that what we really wanted was to go out to dinner.

So on Saturday Dan and I went to a baptism at 10:00 here in Garden Valley and then we drove to Boise and had a nice dinner with our kids and grand kids. We missed Kallie though who had volunteered her time that day for a good cause - some charity marathon or something(?). We ate at Willow Creek Grill and RAW and I had 2 sushi rolls that I am still dreaming about. YUM! Tyler took a couple of pictures of us with his camera phone.

Then on Sunday after church we had 5 couples over to our house for dinner. We had a marvelous meal prepared by our husbands. Dan fried trout for us all and we had strawberry short cake for desert. A really wonderful weekend! I took pictures of all my beautiful flowers!

Library! out with the old and in with the new

2011-05-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

our old library

our new library

views from the library!

The Royal Wedding

2011-05-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting around to blogging. I'm way behind. Last Sunday we had 5 couples over for Sunday dinner and it was just wonderful! Today Dan is fishing with some of the guys and I am working on my life history. Its finally nice here. The weather has been in the upper 60's - I'll take it!

I loved watching the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton! It was fun to see a real life Prince & Princess! I was glued to the set - fast forwarding when I wanted to (who wants to watch 4 hours before the wedding!) I loved Kate's dress, her veil, and her crown most of all. She really is just lovely. I am sad to see that Prince William is losing his hair though, I had such high hopes for him to keep it, but I still love him! I always thought Christy would marry him but she went and married Gabe instead.

I wanna be Kate!

Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

I know that my redeemer lives.
I know that my redeemer lives.
What comfort this sweet sentence gives.
He lives he lives, who once was dead.
He lives my ever-living head.
He lives to bless me with his love.
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed.
He lives to bless in time of need.

He lives to grant me rich supply.
He lives to guide me with his light.
He lives to comfort me went faint.
He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.
He lives to silence all my fears.
He lives to wipe away my tears.
He lives to calm my troubled heart.
He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives my kind wise heavenly friend.
He lives and loves me to the end.
He lives and while he lives I’ll sing.
He lives my prophet, priest and king.
He lives and grants me daily breath.
He lives and I shall concour death.
He lives my mansion to prepare.
He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives all glory to his name.
He lives my Savior still the same.
Oh sweet the joy this sentence gives:
“I know that my redeemer lives”
He lives all glory to his name.
He lives my savior still the same.
Oh sweet the joy this sentence gives:
I know that my redeemer lives.

Spring Birthdays!

2011-04-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed some Saturday Spring festivities at Jayna's house. We celebrated Lila's 3rd Birthday and Spencer's 1st Birthday. They were both born on April 21st! Jayna's house is decorated so cute for Easter! We just added in some birthday things and everything was beautiful. Kallie's sisters came with their little boys and it was fun to see how big they've gotten! The food was AWESOME! Unfortunately for Dan and I, we did not get to fully enjoy all the deliciousness due to a stomach bug that we both have. We tried not to contaminate everyone and I did not even get to kiss the birthday kids! We ended up coming home Sat night. We had planned to go to church with all the kids but are resting today instead. We so enjoyed seeing everyone! It was fun to see Christy and Kallie's baby bumps and watch the grandkids chase after bubbles from the bubble machine, and open some presents and to hunt some Easter eggs! We love our family!

take one, take two, take three, take four......

the little man with his ladies
no matter how many photos I take~
I just can't get them all looking at the camera at the same time
props to Caroline though -
I took like 20 photos
and she is smiling her heart out in every one of them!

doo-dads menagerie

2011-04-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a really warm day and we decided to do some spring cleaning. We opened the doors and windows and didn't even build a fire until evening. It felt good to just work. Everything is soooo dusty. And I HATE dust - its right up there with spiders. First, we put in a new kitchen light (it was a pain and supposed to match the first one we installed last year but it doesn't - so now we have to find a new light that matches one of them and replace the other one - oh boy.) Then we brought in the extra tall ladder and Dan climbed up to vacuum the shelves and wash the high windows and ceiling fan. What a mess! Then we made a million trips up and down the ladder to set things on the shelves. I know I will be cursing myself when we have to dust all these things in the future but it looks good today!

I heard a rumor and it's true!

2011-04-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

HP and McCartney’s company, MPL, to revolutionize the fan experience

HP and McCartney Productions Limited (MPL) announced an agreement to digitize and deliver the library of legendary musician Paul McCartney via a private cloud.

McCartney has one of the most comprehensive libraries of any artist, much of which has never been viewed before. His library includes images, artwork, paintings, film and videos, as well as masters of some of the most popular songs ever written. Additionally, during his successful career, he has accumulated iconic imagery, including the cover artwork for the multimillion selling No. 1 album, “Band on the Run.”

Under the agreement, HP will work closely with MPL to digitize the material and design and build a state-of-the-art content management system. McCartney’s library will then be delivered through a private cloud environment. Portions of the library will be made available to fans so they can have a personal and unparalleled glimpse into McCartney’s work.

“I’ve always been interested in creative ideas and new ways of reaching people, so this is a really exciting initiative for me,” said McCartney. “I hope it will allow people who might be interested to access parts of our archives they might otherwise not be able to. I’m looking forward to working with HP on this project.”

Why am I happy with this news? Well, guess where HP is head quartered? Boise!!!!

....maybe sometime in the future Paul will visit Boise and I could accidentally run into him.... hmm I'd better get a job at HP!

Our Sunday and Monday

2011-04-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday we went to church and taught our lessons and then later in the afternoon went to Anita's house for a wonderful dinner with 6 couples. It was simple wonderful! She had made turkey soup and we each brought a side dish and then we had Strawberry shortcake & ice cream and sang Happy Birthday to Bill. Dan had to leave early for a meeting in Emmett and I got a ride home with Walt & Glenda who live close by so I could stay longer. Anita showed us her house and it is decorated so cute! It makes me want to get mine done but I hardly know where to start. It was a really fun evening. We have the most wonderful friends here and we just love our little Branch! Tonight is Empty Nesters and we missed it. Dan had a Doctors appt. in Boise (his pre-appointment for his colonoscopy) and we ended up running errands all day. I was able to get a few things for the grandkids for Easter and for Lila's and Spencer's birthdays which we will celebrate Easter weekend. Sorry Jayna - I totally forgot to bring you your Easter baskets! I've lost my mind. I'll bring them soon - I promise!

guess who's pregnant?!!!

2011-04-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

that's right~ Gabe & Christy are expecting a baby at the end of October!!!

We are so excited to get 2 grand babies this year!!!

Congratulations Gabe & Christy!!!
[we're sure you will somehow survive having 3 kids under the age of 3!]

spending time with family

2011-04-10T18:59:00.001-07:00

We've had a crazy last few days and I haven't had time to blog. My mom has been here off and on and we have worked on digital scrapbooks/journals. I was able to help my mom get the last few years into a book. It was so much FUN! Can't wait to see it in print!

Mom and Harold went to Portland for a few days to see Stan who had another stroke. He's doing a little better now and we hope he'll be able to recover enough to enjoy some things again. Stan's speech is getting better and he was able to go outside (with the help of a wheelchair) and enjoy the sunshine a little bit. Mom & Harold came back Thursday and left early Sat. morning.

We were able to work on our books and listen to General Conference. Some of the highlights were: we are getting a new temple in Meridian! we have 52,225 missionaries out! the church Welfare system is 75 years old and it was mentioned in many of the talks. President Monson talked about taking more opportunities to serve.

Harold helped Dan buzz up some firewood and then they were gone. I snapped this picture of them just before they left. Wish I looked this good at 7:00 am! While Mom & Harold were gone Dan & I went to Boise just for the day. We got some more white paint to finish the kitchen (pictures coming soon), made a Costco run and made a quick stop to squeeze the grandkids! Spencer is walking and is so CUTE! He's so adorable and good natured you just want to smother him with kisses. Such a sweet luvable boy! He loved Dan and laid his head on his shoulder and when I tried to take him he just hung on even tighter and laid back on Dan. It was too cute! Brigitte is definitely a Papa's girl. She just shrieks when she sees him and can't wait for him to play with her and when he stops, she yells, "again!' I didn't get any great shots but at least I remembered my camera this time!

posing at 7:00 am!

Spencer is walking!!!

Brigitte had a case of the wilds

holding still for a shot

don't squeeze the butters

Brigitte showing us her Easter bunny art project
that she and mommy made

Spencer showing off!

saying goodbye

Lila with her bike that we got her for Christmas

Caroline on the scooter that we got her for Christmas
it's finally warm enough that they can use them!

trying to get all three to smile at the same time.
It couldn't be done. They had friends there so they couldn't be bothered!

more Spring Break FUN

2011-04-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

Dan & Harold out on Friday with the man toys working in the yard.
It was so nice. I think Spring is here!

Harold is a man on a mission!
[he was trying to run us over]

Harold is in his element!

We went on a walk to get the mail and my mom breaks out in a jog!
She's in training to climb Mt. Timpanogos sometime this summer...

our driveway - gushing with a 3 foot gap of running water from the snow melting!
Dan will be working on this as soon as he can get some road mix delivered.
We can barely get in and out.

Dan got caught up in our 65 degree Spring day and hung up my baskets of flowers
I made him take them down the next day. Its too early!

Dan scooping up pine needles to burn and Harold sweeping them up. NICE!

some wild geese land in our yard for a few minutes

Spring Break

2011-03-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

This last week we've had all kinds of crazy Spring weather; snow, rain, sunny skies, cold days, warm days, etc. Dan & Harold tried to cut up a tree but the wood wasn't any good. They did make a trip to the sawmill and bought some odds and ends firewood so I think we can make it through Spring! I can't believe we have almost used up our huge stash of firewood! Now we know next year we'll need a bit more. I can see that we will need to have a fire in the morning and then one at night for awhile yet. While my mom has been here we have been working on our photo books, she is working on 2007 to 2011 and I am working on my childhood. We have two computers set up, side by side and while we work on our digital books we eat chips and chocolate (well balanced don't you think?) We visit and eat and talk until we are silly. It has been fun. We go swimming almost every night. Mom arranged for us to get Whitney for a few days so we got the chance to reconnect with my niece who I haven't seen for 8 years! (the last time I saw her was at Justin's wedding and she was only 5!) She is 13 now and so beautiful. She still looks like she did - a lot like Justin. She is very sweet! It was so good to see her again. We were able to have her and her half sister Sidney, stay with us for a few days since its their Spring Break. Whitney was on crutches because she hurt her foot by kicking the wall when she was asleep. She had her tonsils out and the pain pills made her do weird things but she managed to get along - even to go swimming. They were here to attend church with us on Sunday and Whitney went into Young Womens and Sidney came with me to Primary. We found out that Whitney and Sidney were baptized a year ago! What a wonderful surprise. I wish we would have known, we surely would have gone. They are doing wonderful and I'm so happy for their family. We also sustained a new Branch Presidency on Sunday who will be just great. While the girls were here, we fed the deer, colored, played dominoes, watched movies and drank smoothies (the girls loved them). On the way home we stopped at Christy's and she fed us lunch and brought down a huge bag of clothes for Whitney to take home. Thank you so much Christy! We appreciate it! You are wonderful!!! We had planned on taking the girls to get a skirt and a pair of shoes so that really helped out since we only needed to shop for shoes. We squeezed Brigitte and Spencer and off we went to Payless Shoes and got each girl two pairs of shoes - one for school and one for church and then we took them home. We visited for a little while with Candice and then headed home. We left a spare computer for the girls to do their homework on. I loaded on some photos of Justin so Whitney would have them. We stopped at the Chevron, filled up with gas (super unleaded = 7 gallons for $27 dollars!!! - we've got to get a car that gets 30 mpg), grabbed a subway sandwich and candy bar and headed home in the pouring rain with windshield wipers that we need to replace. Today it is more working on our books for mom and I and the guys have been watching movies and setting up Dan's new computer which arrived yesterday from Dell. We tried to take a drive to scope out some firewood but we didn't get far. The road is still snow packed and closed 3 miles up the Middle Fork. Tonight we are going swimming and then watching Idol, YEA!

time for a change...

2011-03-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

I went into town for a hair appointment, stopping at the new library (boy is it NICE!!!) to drop off some books and pick up a few more and then off to Crouch's finest beauty shop. My hair is almost 5 inches shorter than it was this morning. I also opted to get shorter bangs. Something new for Spring. Dan tried to take a picture of my new length hair but after a dozen shots this was the best he could do... Picnik couldn't even save it [sigh]. Now I realize why there are no good pictures of me. My husband can't see and he doesn't know the tricks of taking a flattering photo = a bad combination... Do I look like Dora? I'll have to ask Brigitte. My mom and Harold will arrive tonight! They will stay a few days. I hope we can do as well as they do when we are their age! Tonight we will make smoothies and watch Idol by the fire. Life is good.

date night

2011-03-21T16:59:00.000-07:00

Friday night we attended the Relief Society birthday dinner at the church. We had a really nice dinner and then some entertainment. I sang a primary song with 4 other ladies and Dan and Ken & Lon played 5 songs with their guitars. Its just like high school again. They only had 3 practices but they did really well. Not the best picture of us - such an unflattering angle but oh well... I have included one song the band played with an audience sing-a-long!

weekend fun

2011-03-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

I'm a week behind; here it is Friday and I am blogging about last weekend. Gabe & Christy came up and we spent the weekend lounging, swimming at the pool, eating and playing games - the usual stuff! I had to drag out both high chairs since we moved the dining room table into the family with carpet. Can't wait to get some wood floors in there! Brigitte and Spencer loved the deer. The deer kept coming right up to the window where they were and looked in at them. Spencer stood there and giggled at them. He is not walking yet but is awfully close. He will take a step or 2 and then realizes what he is doing and sit down. He is eating with utensils now and it is so cute, he can feed himself already! I think the deer entertained them even better than the little play kitchen. At one point Brigitte wanted to show Bambi her picture of Dora that she colored - it was too cute! Dan entertained Brigitte and Spencer for hours hiding under a blanket with them in a fort. At first Spencer wasn't sure if he liked it or not but he soon got into it. We're so glad they came up and entertained us for the weekend!

Unimaginable

2011-03-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

On March 11 at 2:46pm JST a massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake occurred near the northeastern coast of Japan, creating extremely destructive tsunami waves which hit Japan just minutes after the earthquake, and triggering evacuations across the Pacific Ocean. The earthquake and tsunami have caused extensive and severe damage in Northeastern Japan, leaving thousands of people confirmed dead, injured or missing, and millions more affected by lack of electricity, water and transportation. This is just so sad. My heart goes out to all the people affected by this tragedy.

here comes the sun...

2011-03-11T12:04:00.000-08:00

It seems winter keeps hanging on. I am so ready for warmer days!!! The Beatles tune Here Comes The Sun keeps running through my mind.

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right It's all right

so I want to know where is that sun? We have about burned through our humongous wood pile so we know that next year we will have to have a couple more cords. Our driveway is melting so that is good but now we have lots of mud. I would probably be insane except for going swimming every night, the meals we enjoy at the Senior center and American Idol and Lifetime movies! We did see a squirrel last week begging for food but now it has gone [hopefully not dinner for the Pine Martin]. Winter has taken its toll on our poor little 4 legged deer friends. One of the small ones - we call him Scruffy - because he is a motherless little neglected one - has ribs sticking out and walks with a limp. The poor thing wonders up on our porch begging for food. Its really sad. On a lighter note Kallie had her first Dr's appointment yesterday and everything is just great; they even heard the baby's heartbeat. We really are excited for them - and us! Tonight Gabe & Christy are coming up so we are looking forward to having them here for the weekend. I ordered some embroidery items on line and they have arrived so now I am officially a grandma who will be embroidering as she watches TV. This morning Dan asked me if we could live anywhere we wanted where would it be? well, little darling, a warm and sunny beach comes to mind.

couldn't resist posting these pictures - Amazing!

2011-03-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

I looked out the window and what did I see...

2011-02-26T11:15:00.001-08:00

no - not popcorn popping on the apricot tree, but a deer - a deer had come clear up on our porch looking for food. What could I do but feed him/her.

it's that time of the year

2011-02-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

no, not Christmas - it's American Idol time! I am so excited for the new Judges. I didn't know if I was going to like Steven Tyler & Jo-lo but I have to say I really like them and they add to the show. Don't miss Simon at all. I think 2011 will be the best year yet! Last week was Beatles week and I loved Tim & Julie's "Something". They are 2 of my favorites. The Judges have selected the top 24: Naima Adedapo, Clint Jun Gamboa, Haley Reinhart, Paul McDonald, Ashthon Jones, Karen Rodriguez, Robbie Rosen, Tatynisa Wilson, Tim Halperin, Julie Zarilla, Scotty McCreery, Jovany Barreto, Lauren Turner, Rachel Zevita, Kendra Chantelle, Jordan Dorsey, Lauren Alaina, Stefano Langone, Jacob Lusk, Pia Toscano, James Durbin, Casey Abrams, Thia Megia and Brett Loewenstern. I am disappointed that they cut Colton and Holly. They definitely should have been in the top 24. But they have a talented group of kids this year so it should be entertaining. Yes, I'm a die hard fan! I just have to add that I'm so sad Medium has run its course and is no longer on the air. Dan & I were watching a show that we had taped and at the very end we found out that it was the series finale. Bummer. No more Cold Case or Medium.

wishful thinking

2011-02-24T09:04:00.000-08:00

Dan is out plowing snow this morning. So much for Spring! I guess it was just wishful thinking. We woke to more than a foot of new snow. Dan's mom had sent me some pictures of Niagara Falls in 1911 - the year it froze over to cheer me up. She said, "at least you're not this cold!" I had not seen this picture before. No one knows for sure that this picture was actually taken in 1911 but some believe it to be so. Its good enough for me! I read a book a few months ago titled The Day The Falls Stood Still. I really enjoyed it and now I can see what they were really talking about! I'm glad we are not that cold!

eating their Christmas pie

2011-02-24T08:42:00.000-08:00

I had a Christmas pie that was left from Christmas - mostly cherry - and I had frozen it thinking we would eat it later. So we thawed it out on Presidents weekend when the kids were here but it was too mushy and unappetizing to eat so I set it out for the deer. They came running to eat and we had a dozen deer fighting over it. They absolutely loved it and after it was gone right down to the last drop - then they licked each other off too! It was so cute to watch them. And now Spring surely must be right around the corner because a little squirrel has woken up and has become a resident on our front porch begging at the door. I gave him some popcorn which he /she loved! I didn't get any pictures of our Presidents Day weekend. Tyler and another leader and four boy scouts came and spent Friday night with us. They ate dutch oven cooking and went sledding and swimming at Terrace Lakes. We only had one mishap with the scouts - someone put too many egg shells down the garbage disposal and plugged up the sink. Dan & Tyler to the rescue with a big bucket - they took the drain pipe apart and presto - the clog was gone. We didn't do much over the weekend. The Haws family had been sick the week before and they were all still under the weather a bit. Then Saturday Caroline started not feeling well and Sunday she developed a hoarse barking cough and couldn't catch her breath. She was burning up Sunday night so they left early Monday morning to get her to the Doctor. Later they called and said she had pneumonia and that one of her lungs has fluid in it. Then on Tuesday Jayna called and said Lila was sick so they had taken her in also and that both girls tested positive for influenza and that maybe Dan and I should get some Tamaflu. We are taking our Gammadyn Cu and crossing our fingers instead! Dan has to be on court Monday morning at 9:00 AM and we have no where to stay in Boise. Kallie has been really sick with the flu, Christy's kids have been throwing up, and Jayna has the flu at her house. I think we'll just get up early Monday morning and drive in.

2011-02-19T15:26:00.000-08:00

2011-02-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

Dan wrote this beautiful letter to me for Valentine's Day!
I just had to share. I love this guy!

What's for dinner?

2011-02-15T20:54:00.000-08:00

Tonight we ventured in to the Garden Valley Senior Center for dinner and was pleasantly surprised. Anyone can go and eat for $6.00. I'm not sure what the Seniors price is but its definitely worth the $6.00. Tonight they started off with a fresh salad bar with cottage cheese then they served (cafeteria style - think school lunch) turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, mixed vegetables, corn chowder (not as good as Christy's though!) and then they had cherry cobler or blueberry cheesecake for dessert. For drinks it was OJ or lemonade. It was Great. We will be going back! Some of the members of the Branch were there so we visited with them and then we went swimming for almost an hour. The water was perfect.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:01:00.001-08:00

Here are some old Valentine's that I have found while sorting through my boxes. The first one is from my dad to me when I was 3 years old. The 2nd one is from Dan that he gave to me Senior year. We had been dating for 4 months then. Precious! When I was a little girl, I dreamed about my Valentine. What would he look like, Who was he? Where was he? I always dreamed I would be like a Princess living in a Castle (with 7 kids -maybe like Pitt & Jolie). I love my Valentine! Even though he gets on my last nerve sometimes, all he has to do is smile that smile or slap me on the behind as I walk by and I am hopelessly in love. He makes me happy. He rubs my back (and feet ) and puts lotion on my back after we swim. He dances with me in the kitchen. I love my Valentine!
Yesterday after church we went to Sunday dinner at one of our friends houses. We sure do enjoy all the company of the good friends that we have here in Garden Valley. The people are so kind and generous here in our small branch and we love them. Maybe one of these days our skating rink [formerly known as our driveway] will thaw out so we can reciprocate and have dinner at our house! Everyday it melts and every night it freezes into a sheet of ice. We've had a couple of 50 degree days though so we are gaining. After we got home we celebrated and watched the movie Secretariat which was really good. Tonight we have Empty Nesters so we will be forced to eat way too much again. Last night at dinner one of the guys was telling us about the cave that Joseph Smith returned the gold plates to. Very interesting! He's going to send us a copy and I'll put it in my blog book. Well that's about it. We didn't make it down to Boise and I didn't get the grandkids anything for Valentine's day :( but I did send them a Valentine in the mail. We love and miss you all! Happy Valentine's Day!

Secretariat

2011-02-09T08:10:00.001-08:00

Dan has been reading the book Secretariat which he got for Christmas. He just loved it. Now with the movie out we have been talking about it. I told him I remembered the race from when I was 13 years old.

The past 2 months [just in case you've been wondering where I was] I have been sorting through box after box of my old things stored in the attic and then scanning them into the computer. I have decided to write my life history - finally! I am doing a book online and am starting with my birth up until I got married. My growing up years. I have found amazing things long forgotten. Fortunately for me I never threw anything away! I am so excited to be working on this project. Dan is busy on his lawsuits, so we sit side by side working away at our computers breaking only to eat or go swimming so we don't get DVT.

One of the things which I found was my newspaper clipping of Secretariat that I clipped from the Idaho Statesman Sunday paper June 10th, 1973 and yes, I have kept it all these years. I thought it was amazing race [June 9th] that Secretariat had run! He became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years with a Belmont Stakes victory that was destined to become a legend. He won by 31 lengths and still holds the record at 2:24 flat for the 1 1/2 mile race. We usually bought the Sunday paper after church from a vending machine in Baker City, Oregon. It was a 45 minute drive to church and we didn't always make it but this Sunday we did , so I was glad. We didn't have a TV at the Radar Site (on Dooley Mountain with no electricity or running water for that matter) but we did have a battery radio and I had listened to the race on. Even at 13 years old with my limited knowledge of horse racing I knew that this horse was something special. For days to come it was the only thing on the radio!

and now the BIG news!!!

2011-02-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

that's right! there's a baby on the way!!!
Congratulations Curt & Kallie !!!

at our Super Bowl party Kallie wanted a group photo so we all got ready and just as Curt was going to snap the picture, Kallie yells out, "I'm pregnant!". Curt was really taping us and got all our shocked faces and screams of happiness on tape! We are so excited for them and for us to have another grandchild on the way! We're sooooo happy for you guys !!! Last night they told Kallie's parents and did the same thing - group picture and Kallie says, "I'm pregnant" and noone does anything and she says it again and again and they finally catch on! I can't wait to see the videos! Kallie is going to post them on a blog.

Super "BOWL' Sunday

2011-02-07T15:50:00.000-08:00

We went to church and taught our lessons and then came home and packed a little bag and headed to Gabe & Christy's house to watch the Super Bowl. We are not die hard Super Bowl fans by any stretch of the imagination but the food makes up for it - especially when it's Kallie and Christy's cooking! They had so many delicious things to eat we hardly knew where to start! Kallie also sent us home with cute packages Valentine cookies and cupcakes. They are too cute to eat - well almost. I didn't get a picture of the cute D + S cookie before we ate it. Kallie, thank you! You are so thoughtful and together!

What did make this Super Bowl a little bit interesting was that Korey Hall is playing for the Green Bay Packers. He is from Glenns Ferry, ID so that is what makes it interesting. He played for BSU and is now playing pro football - someone from Glenns Ferry, our hometown. That is pretty unbelievable! I'm glad that the Packers won. They beat the Steelers 31 - 25.

Here are some pictures of our fantastic Sunday!