Kayty's Got Wheels

Yep...warning Will Robinson, danger approaching! Kayty bought a car. It was Friday, but she has had to work so much that I haven't gotten a picture of her and her new wheels. So, I decided to just leave it to the imagination now. She still needs to get her license, and so we practice, practice, practice. Dad has lost a few hairs on the round about with her, and I told her that if she ever again ASSUMES that someone is going to turn just because they have their indicator on, I am going to get some rosary beads...never hurts to have Mormon and Catholic help when you are near death...right? Anyway, keep us in your prayers...no matter what denomination you belong to...ALL are appreciated!

The Simple Woman's Day Book

The Simple Woman's Day Book
FOR TODAY, June 30th, 2009 ...

* Outside My Window...It is just lovely. I see our wonderful pool, the grass just watered a few hours ago, and just a very slight breeze. You would never, ever know from the view that it was 88 degrees at 3:00 A.M. and now it is probably in the mid 90's!

* I am thinking...about the things I have to do today. Yesterday got kind of messed up...Kayty got called into work early and I had to reschedule her bloodwork appointment. Cleaning got put off/not done. It's a new day, and maybe I can get things done.

* I am thankful for...the opportunity we have of having a new temple built so close to our home. I just get tingles when I think that it will be so close to us. I never ever would have dreamed such a thing would ever happen.
*

* From the kitchen...I am thinking about going to the food bank for a purchase tomorrow, so I busily cooked up a bunch of french toast, individually wrapped servings, and then will put it in the freezer for later use. It smells sooooo good in there!

* I am wearing...I am still in my workout clothes and my good running shoes...seeing if wearing better shoes helps my hip to feel better.

* creating...I want to make a cute star pot in the entryway for 4th of July, but I don't have the star shapes...have plenty of scrapbook paper, etc. So, maybe when the guys go to the lake tonight. Note to self: must not play Bejeweled on Facebook!

* I am going...to get to go to Trader Joes and buy yummy sunflower seeds after Kayty's blood tests. It is so out of the way that I have been saving for this trip!

* I am reading...I haven't been reading as much as I should. I read the Book of Mormon when I wait for Kayty, or when I am in the Thursday Food Bank Line.

* I am hoping...I can start on my Christmas ornaments. I am not making as many this year...postage is just not in the budget...but I have the one I want. Our theme: gingerbread men!

* I am hearing...Morgan...getting ready for work...eating some French toast.

* Around the house...One last load of laundry has to go to the dryer, kitchen needs attention after French Toast Marathon, kids' bath is the goal to superclean today.

* One of my favorite things...I just love my grandbabies. Ethan and Cam visited them this weekend and I just loved the pics...Adam got a neat nerf gun...and I could just imagine him and Daddy having a blast with it. And then they got Grace a Cinderella Barbie doll...her face was just full of excitement as she was opening it. It may be silly, but those kiddos, and the hope to one day hold my little Charles again, brings me such happiness. So, even though we are miles, or more, apart, they are in my heart and mind always.

* A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week..I want to go to the food bank tomorrow for a box purchase. I also want to hike tomorrow and Friday, and especially Saturday. July 4th is my birthday and it is just my favorite thing to go hiking early that day. Somehow, even though I have aged, if I can make it up that mountain, I am not so old. We are having the missionaries to dinner on Thursday....more of Dee's superb pulled pork.

Falcon Football Party

We had a great night...Nathan's football team came over for a party: swimming, volleyball, foosball, Dad's great pulled pork, and Grandma's wonderful brownies. It came out just great...parents sent chips and salads, one of Nate's teammmate's parents stayed and we had a great visit... though we do need to find a way to get more guys out here...five couldn't get here (school is ten miles from our house). When they got here, the temps were in the 108 degree range, and those crazy guys were...you guessed it...playing football. We parents found it odd, until we realized that they were playing for FUN! During the week, they have WORK football.
I would have loved to show you some pics, but Nathan refuses to let me photograph the team or the party, so just imagine the fun, and heat!

Writer's Workshop: Write a Poem to the Little Boy In Your Life

Grandson
Everyone wants to be first…that is, until you are
The first grandson…the first nephew…the first.
You are loved beyond measure, sometimes too much!
Too many wet kisses, too many games to play, too many things to do.
Everyone wants to be with you.
Come play with me Grandson. Come read to me Grandson.
Never is there time to just sit, and snuggle, and talk.
So much to do, when visits happen, and so soon till they all have to leave.
First, you have to be patient.
With your family…with Grammy’s and Papas and Uncles and Great Grannies
Who just want to do all with you.
With sisters and Mommys and Daddys who want the best for you.
You are the example, the leader…ever level headed and responsible
Hang in there, sweet Grandson
Our first love, the one that made us who we are.
We treasure you…first
Grandson

Something I Need To Remember!

I am a control freak...bad thing for our life and circumstances. I often can stay in control...for awhile...but then I lose it. I saw this today, and I thought it was so wonderful, at least for me, that I had to share! I am printing this up, and hanging it on my cabinet over the washing machine, and by the pantry, and on my mirror, and...well, you get the picture!

Respond with purpose

What upsets you is not what happens.
What upsets you is your response to what happens.
Just as easily as you respond in a negative way,
you can easily and naturally respond in a
positive, empowering, uplifting way.
The biggest problems are often caused by
what you choose to do about the smallest problems.
Most of those big, painful problems are so unnecessary.
Keep reminding yourself that you are in control of you.
You are in control and you can decide
exactly how you wish to feel at any point.
Imagine the power of remaining calm and focused
and resourceful when some totally unexpected,
disappointing development interrupts your day.
Truly, you can make the disappointments not disappointing at all.
Respond on purpose, with purpose.
Feel the power and the joy as every moment gives you a way to move forward.

Ralph Marston

For My Husband, The Father of My Children

This has been, by far, the most difficult to write. It is not that it is hard to find wonderful things to say about this wonderful man. My thoughts, however, bring such emotion, such tears to my eyes, that I find it hard to type, to think, to remember without wanting to immediately drop to my knees and express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for this wonderful, this precious blessing that He has so richly blessed me with.

My sweet husband has always wanted to be a Daddy. From the early moments of our relationship, he expressed a sweet love for children and a great desire to have a large family. As we held hands across the temple altar, when we were sealed for Time and All Eternity, Brother Vance urged me to look at those hands, for they were the hands that would work to provide a home and a life for my family. They would be laid on the heads of each of us, at one time or another, to bless us when we might be ill, to give strength through a trial, to help through life. And all that has come to pass. Those hands, those wonderful hands...

Those hands held mine through each and every labor and delivery. They were there to wipe my brow, to hold me up, and even to cut the cord on the last baby we would bring to the earth. Those hands lovingly held those babies for the first time. With Allison, he was sooo ill, but just looked in awe at this beauty...this wonderful blessing. With Ethan, he stayed by this baby's side as they were concerned for his health, and he had dreamed a dream that concerned him as well. All was fine, and he carefully held him, and handed him a new football. With Doran, there was great happiness, for this was the child that would carry his father's name. With Morgan, the labor was especially difficult, and he was there, as I looked and worried, holding my hand in his, reassuring me. He begged for another baby, and a few years later, those hands first called Allison when she finally had a sister, and then held Katelyn close to his heart. And, when Nathan came, he was right there by Dr. Matson and was able to cut the cord...to take him from the Dr. and be the first one to hold and share love.

Over the years, those hands have done many things for these wonderful children. They have thrown baseballs, built swingsets and teeter-totters, cleaned cuts and scrapes, baited hook after hook after hook, repaired bikes, built science projects, made the best Chinese food, guided tball teams, constructed kitchens and 4 story Barbie doll houses, held the head of a little one getting stitched, put up tents, read books, rowed boats and canoes, set apart, baptized, blessed, repaired transmissions, designed playgrounds, poured cement, held while swimming in a pool, drove everywhere: Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Bartlett Lake, Camp Geronimo, Utah, Monterrey Bay Aquarium, Pismo Beach, San Diego, Black River, Woods Canyon Lake, and Las Vegas. Those hands, scarred from being a machinist, from working around the yard and doing it all himself, and recently, from cuttng wood for me, show how much he loves, how much he cares, how much he wants for his children, and now his grandchildren. Those hands...they love us.

Thank you, my sweet wonderful hubby, for making my longest dream of being a mother come true. Thank you for helping me to be a good Grammy. Thank you for putting up, for saying the things that Need to be said, for being willing to be unpopular, and for sometimes feeling very unloved, and then waking up the next morning, and willingly doing it all again. Happy Fathers' Day!

My Son In Law: What a Dad!

Moms worry about lots of things: what their kids will learn while riding on the kindergarten school bus, what their kids will say about them to their teachers, parent teacher conferences, if they will make it to their destination alive the fist time they drive alone, high school finals, track meet results, whether they will have fun at the prom, and...where, and to whom they will marry. Well, my sweet wonderful Allison sure made a choice that I have never had to have a worry about... my sweet son in law, Mike. I knew he loved her when she had her wisdom teeth pulled, and I awoke to find him sitting by her side, caring for her. I knew he loved her as he gazed at her across an altar in the temple and married her for time and for all eternity. I knew he loved her when she had miscarried, and, through his grief, he carried a huge mattress down from the upstairs of their condo to the bottom floor so she could rest comfortably. I knew he loved her when he held her hand through days of labor, and then the news that their baby would be delivered by C-section early, and there were worries about his lungs. And then, I knew he loved her, and his new son, when I saw him walking down that hospital hallway, carrying what I first thought was a pile of blankets, but, as he drew nearer, saw that it was our perfectly wonderful Adam. He was a Dad in the truest sense of the word. And, Mike still is today.

Mike is such a wonderful Daddy. He sets such a good example for Adam and Grace. He works training others for gainful work and careers at Deseret Industries in Vegas. He does not get paid all he is worth, but the lessons he shares with my grandbabies are priceless treasures! They help with treats to take to his fellow workers. They have helped straighten things in the store. They get to share Thanksgiving with the most special group of people, and they learn that it is not how much you have, but how much you give that is important! It is hard to have family away. It is hard to have to be so far when your car doesn't, and you feel awful, and the kids are needing, and yet Mike never lets anyone know when things may get overwhelming. He just does his very best, and then prays for help when he just can't do more. He is a spiritual man. He was there in Flagstaff when Kayty was in intensive care, being treated for diabetic ketoacidosis, when we didn't even know she was diabetic, to help give her a priesthood blessing. He was there when we needed help on dances and he and Allison became our second dj system. He is there for our family, every time, and will do everything he can to help.

Mike is a fantastic Daddy. He is the one who flies kites with my grandbabies. He is the one that sleds with them. He is the one that feeds them not so good things to eat. He is the one that holds them when they are sick, that teaches them to play Lego Star Wars and other xbox games that have boats racing on them. He takes them bowling. He takes them to the park. He is just the best Daddy, and I never worry that he will not do all in his power to make sure that little family has everything it needs, both temporally and spiritually!

Thank you Mike. You are a dream son in law. You are the best Daddy. Thank you for loving Adam, and Grace, and my sweet baby, Allison. You have been an answer to prayer from the first time we heard of you. You have endured much torment from your brothers in law...thank you for sticking it out, and for being the Greatest! Happy Fathers' Day!

My Wonderful Sons...The Very Best Brothers and Uncles...Happy Fathers' Day

When you think of Fathers' Day, your mind, of course, goes to your dad, your grandfather, and we are, of course, so thankful for them. However, we have other unsung heroes..."dads" of a sort. They are the ones that throw you high in the air and catch you, even when your mom is not very happy about it. They are the ones that push you high on the swing. They walk in the room, when you are very small, and scare you so that you nearly jump out of your skin, and do it over...and over...and over, and you nearly jump out of your skin every time. They are the ones that sneak you licks of a dum-dum sucker. They are the ones that fill water balloon after water balloon after water balloon for you, then teach you to throw it on dad's car, and at Grammy, and then take the blame when one hits the upstairs neighbor's car. They are the ones that play games with you, that run with you, That give you too much candy and too little vegetables, that push you on a bike, that carry you to your mommy when you are hurt...They are...your uncles. My sons...Ethan, Doran, Morgan, and...yes, even Nathan...are the greatest uncles!!They all just adore Adam and Grace, and do anything they can to see them, to play with them, and to just love them. I don't know if they really set a good example for them, but they sure do show them just what fun means, what caring means...and what it means to love! Happy Fathers' Day, Uncle Ethan, Uncle Doran, Uncle Morgan, and Uncle Nathan!

What do you aspire to be?

Writing again...choosing from five ideas...what hit me the most...What do you aspire to be? Now, I am pretty old...will turn 49 in just a couple of weeks...and, due to age, finances, etc...becoming "something" just isn't in the picture. So, what do I aspire to be? Well, I was reading here and there on facebook today. Became friends with someone in our ward, a few splits ago, that I had not seen in years. Her kids are grown, has quite a few grandkids, and is absolutely in love with life. Her kids are all doing great - the last one is yet to marry, but not a problem. Looked at pictures of another old friends family reunion. Her family looks wonderful. Her oldest has graduated from college (Barack spoke at his graduation!) Daughters are beautiful. She has a great hubby and great career that she loves. Also saw relatives of hers...her brother in law was the one guy in the ward that we all were crazy for, in secret. He still looks great. Another friend is so thankful for her daughters. Two are married with kids and one is yet to find Mr. Right.
So, what does all this mean to me? How does it affect what I aspire to be? I first thought "I aspire to be in control of my life!" Ha ha ha. Is anyone really "in control". Sure, some make plans, and work to make those plans a reality. When you are talking about classes, there can be a plan, and an element of control. But, when you are talking about people, there is where it gets a little unclear. I know people who have kids who just do everything Mom wants. They do their homework right when she says, they take the classes she says. They go to the schools she suggests. Sometimes, though, when we are blessed with more independent spirits, there is no control. We try to guide...but they make their own choices. And, in spite of some of the troubles some of my kids have and do face, I doubt that my choice for them would have been any better, and I KNOW that it would not have made them any happier. So, I guess I just aspire to be content, and to feel peace with that contentment. Now, that doesn't mean I am ready for the rest home (sorry Morgan, but the walker will have to wait!)I still want to be the best Grammy ever to All of my grandkids, whenever they come...I want to serve a church mission with Dee someday. I sure would like to be able to someday not watch every penny, or the thermostat, or when I dry my clothes and bake some cookies, but, if I could feel content, like my efforts, though obviously not as great as others, would bring me...contentment. That...that is what I aspire to be!

Refilled and Refreshed

I am the worst kind of Grammy...the kind that just cannot live without her grandbabies! They have lived away for much, if not all of their lives, but not too far for me to get to in a few hours, thanks to a wonderful hubby who drives me there, especially when I am about to drive him nuts! I spent this last weekend reading with a kindergarten grad (who, by the way, is such an awesome reader! I was jut flabbergasted at the reading level he is at! But, I should not be surprised. Adam has always been just that kind of learner, and teacher. He even taught me, when still a babe, how to turn off my computer, and how to start our ceiling fan!!) and a sweet princess, who finds wonder and happiness in just about everything (except being awakened early on a Monday morning so that the family could have fun and bowl for a dollar a game...but had to happen before 8 am!) I hugged, and kissed, and loved, and watched, and snuggled. I played star wars light saber, pretended I was a cow in the lawn, watched the most awesome primary talk given by any grandson on the planet (hey, I am a Grammy...I cannot be biased!! He did give an awesome talk, and read it, and held up pics all by himself!!) I had to be brave when we had to return home...tears from Grammy cannot help matters...and "Grammy Bags" at home make it not so hard to see us go...but thank you, Allison, Mike, and Dee, for enduring me. I am now filled and refreshed again, but never will 4 months pass without me hugging and kissing and watching and listening and just sitting in awe and gratitude to a loving Father in heaven for blessing my life with such a tremendous blessing...to be a Grammy to such perfect grandbabies. And, to you, my sweet Charles, who sits waiting for all of us, I cannot wait to hug you, to kiss you (on the head, of course, if you are like Adam!) and to just be in wonder and awe and amazement at the son of God you are.

"Mama's Losin' It" Assignment

I want to write more, and I found a blog that gives weekly challenges...there are a list of potential topics to write about, and then share on Thursday. Last week, I was going to begin, but the perfectionist in me wanted to pre write, etc. and, since my time is not abundant, I just never did it. So, here is my effort...right off the top of my head...take it or leave it.

The topic I chose: Name your current addiction...

It has been often said that every cloud has a silver lining. Now, our current cloud has been reduced paychecks, and no second...and third incomes (my sweetie is a manufacturing engineer taking a 10 percent pay cut, a private disc jockey with no dances or receptions for the first time in 30 years, and a real estate agent who...well, that is self explanatory!)I have been seeking outside employment, but my 29 plus years as a stay at home mom is, apparantly, laughable, so no solid hits yet. So, we cut...and cut...and cut. No dinners out, no movies, no shopping for clothing, no haircuts, no fancy vacations (well, that is not a sacrifice...we have always camped in tents), and the most obvious...our food budget. This has taken me on some wonderful adventures: hence my current addiction-incorporting the food I get from the Westside Food Bank Food Club and the Westside Food Bank Sharing Cooperative into our everyday meals.

Our menu calendar has been used for many months. I can track sale purchases and plan meals accordingly (and I write on the calendar where the said meat, etc. is...I forget sometimes!) With the food club and weekly food bank, however, I can have a rough plan, but I have to "tweak" constantly, according to just what my bounty is. Two weeks ago, we received an abundance of artichokes. Sweet hubby cooked them up on our outdoor stove and the kids and he had a healthy feast/snack. Sweet potatoes have been turned into muffins, chili, and, next week, enchiladas. Now, I have so many red potatoes, and I refuse to let any of this blessed food spoil or go to waste, that I have learned to make garlic red potatoes, and mashed red potatoes. Tomorrow, I get to try red potato salad! I am so grateful for the internet...anytime I need, I can search and find new ways to use these wonderful treasures.

Now, this obsession does not go unnoticed by my children. Kayty loved the lasagna I made, until it was revealed that the sauce had grated carrots, chopped fennel, and eggplant layered with the cheese and pasta. Nathan looks twice at the muffins I make: bananas were fine, but sweet potatoes were starting to go to far, though he did find that they tasted great. I am often given quite a lot of bread, thus sub rolls are sliced on the diagonal, and made into french toast that I freeze in single servings, ready to pop in the toaster or microwave. I have also found interesting ways to serve yummy toasted rolls, by just buttering and cooking like you would a grilled cheese sandwich. I cooked a load of wheat berries in my crockpot, and then placed them in serving sized bags. These stretch my taco meat, my spaghetti sauce, and there is whole wheat in every bite. Everything I get, everything I search recipes for, becomes a sort of adventure, and it takes me in...I am so addicted.

The silver lining is wonderful, and has given me a chance to try things I would not have tried. It has given my family a chance to eat things they would never have eaten. It has given me the chance to stretch my bounds, to come up with new, and more exciting ways to use and never to waste. Who knew that a trip to a food bank, and sometimes a line to sit and wait in, would bring such pleasure, such knowledge, and such fun...and something to desire more than even chocolate...and I can get little bars of that from the food club and add them to my muffins...ohh, the delight!

P.S. Just got home...have a crockpot out on the back porch, full of Yukon Gold and Red Potatoes cooking to mash later, and another crockpot with sliced apples (Cleaning out the patio fridge), cranberries, honey and cinnamon Dee brought me from India in September. Should go great with the turkey mom cooked for us (she was cleaning out her freezer...what a great lady!)See, more silver linings...and I got MUSHROOMS and Peaches and celery this morning: I hit the jackpot!

Isn't He Amazing

Something very wonderful happened, six years ago today. Adam made me a Grammy! My how he has grown into such an amazing young man! He fills our lives with smiles and wonder, and even teases Grammy a time or two (telling me he has a pet boa constrictor that sleeps on the couch! Fortunately, Papa usually sleeps on the couch, since the said "snake" loves to cuddle!!!)Adam, we are so very, very blessed to have you in our lives!! Happy, happy birthday, my sweet grandson!!

Friend Makin' Monday: Ten Things I Love About Summer

My friend makin' Monday challenge is to write down ten of the things I love about Summer. Now, I live in Phoenix, Arizona...where we call a 90 degree day in June a cold front! However, there are some good things...I just hope I can come up with ten!
1. I get to be warm! I just hate being cold. I hate running in the cold wind. I hate it when I eat my salad at lunch and I have to cover up with a blanket. Summer means no more being cold!! (Except at Church...I just can't figure out how Sacrament Meeting is always sooooo cold!)
2. Eating sugar free banana popsicles! I love them year around, but...now, don't tell anyone, because this is just nutty...I have to sometimes turn the heater on in the car and eat them out there in the Winter. Not in Summer, though.
3. Swimming! I love our pool, and I love coming home from a hot run or hike and being able to just jump in and cool off.
4. School is out! I have always, always loved it when my kids didn't have school. Schedules could relax. No one had to be in bed early, or up early. (Now, I have not had this yet for Nathan. We are on week 2 of Summer, and we will be on the road tomorrow at 5:30 Am for football.)
5. Gardens. We have a great garden this year, and I just love crawling around searching for ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, and such. We even have watermelon growing!
6.Summer clothing is less bulky, so laundry is smaller. (I am starting to stretch in the loving department.)
7.Vacations. Well, ours will, again, be very minimalist. Finances do not allow for anything fancy.I guess Dee and I will just go camping somewhere, sometime.It would be fun to take bikes.
8. Longer Days. The sun is up earlier, which makes my runs a little less scarey, especially since I saw some guys out walking a couple of times the last two weeks and it has made me very hesitant to go run in the dark. Plus, if it is not blazing hot, we have more time to get projects done outside.
9.Yummy veggies. I love veggies, and there are some great Summer ones: bell peppers, cucumbers (our Garden ones are just fantastic!)
10. Summer means that Fall and Christmas are just that much closer!

There...I did it. Now, I think it might have been easier for me to find ten things I dislike about Summer, i.e. no baking, waking up hot at night (may be my age, too!), hot car seats, 100 degree nights, no grocery shopping in the middle of the day because everything will either melt or spoil...but it is good to think positive...right?

Did You Ever Notice

Did you ever notice that, many times, blessings come from our Heavenly Father in ways that we may not notice unless we are looking. Case in point: my dead battery. I walked out the door on Thursday morning...had to go and get Nate's good friend, get them to Nate's school for his football workout for an hour...went to start the car, and....DEAD. I was running late...so I ran in, asked Dee, and switched cars quickly. I was only 30 seconds late for his workout, too! What was the great blessing is that the battery died...IN OUR DRIVEWAY!!! It was a simple fix. We had another car ready to replace, and Dee had an extra battery (uses when they go fishing...some sort of underwater lighting attracts minnows that attract striped bass), so he could get mine running and get to work on time. The challenge was there, but the fix was there too. Dee and I remarked later that we have been blessed over and over lately in this way. We have older cars, which need repairs at times. However, every time there has been a problem, we have been where we could fix it, most often in our own driveway!! Blessings are there...we just have to Notice!

How Was Your Week?

Someone yesterday asked me (I am so sorry if it is you who asked me...I am so frazzled and worn out that I just plain forgot!)"How was your first week of Summer off?" I thought...and thought...Yes, it sure was the first week Nathan did not have school...the first week I didn't have to drive. But, what really happened? Nathan had football camp at Arizona State University. I originally was going to have to drive there and back (out to Tempe...an hour or more away during rush hour!). Good news, though, was that a group of great, wonderful football moms created a carpool. Hence, I only had to get Nate to school at 6:30 a.m. and pick him up at 12:45 p.m. So, I drove to and from his school Monday thru Wednesday...twice a day, just like during school. Then, on Thursday, he had EFY (our ward had been invited by another stake to what they initially said was EFY, but turned out to be an imitation youth conference...a good event, but since our budget is soooo tight, Nate could only attend during the day and didn't spend the night...saved a good amount of $...but he really didn't have that much fun, nor did he get the edifying experience others who could stay all night did...but, I digress...) Again, a wonderful angel in my ward, whose hubby is also facing work furlough, wanted to carpool. I was the drive there mom...Thursday, Nate had football workout for an hour before he had to be at Youth Conference. So, after a car switch, due to battery trouble, I got Brian, and drove them to school...then went to sit and wait for in the Food Bank purchase line (cool weather, wonderful company, and great veggies and fruits when the doors open) while my sweet Mom drove the boys on to the youth conference...another trip to school, mind you. Friday, same routine...but I drove directly TO youth conference...

So, to sum it all up, I drove every day, just like during the school year. This week, he has football workouts everyday, except Friday. Then next week off...my FIRST week of Summer vacation comes...June 15????