Spiritual
Dee enjoyed a wonderful evening session at the temple on Wednesday night.
We had a wonderful Sunday at church. We were spiritually fed during our Fast and Testimony meeting. There was a baby blessing, which would seem rather typical. However, this was a baby born to a second marriage in a blended family. We knew Dad and his first wife before the wards split, and I saw some blog entries involving illness and such during the years. When our wards were re-aligned, we had dad and his three children at church. The little girls always were just sweethearts, and his son was awesome too. Later, we saw him at church, with a wonderful woman he had met online. She was a single parent of a 10 year old boy. They married, she moved here, and they decided to have a baby. It was so wonderful to see the love this mom has for all the kids and this dad has for all the kids. Both sides of the family just treasure their New family members and this new baby boy. This truly is a happy ending and it was wonderful to share in it. Great lesson in Sunday School about Paul and his teachings in Corinth, and in Relief Society we spoke of women's roles, of the story in the New Testament about Mary and Martha, and about keeping Christ as our main focus and not letting distractions get us off the course toward returning to our Heavenly Father.
I did some indexing on Sunday. I have now indexed 5056 records this year.
Dad did some work on Family Search and contacted his cousin to perhaps release a reserved name or two for him to perform work for these ancestors of his.
In reading, I am in 2 Nephi 2 in the Book of Mormon. Dad's reading: Book of Mormon: 2 Nephi 26 Bible: Exodus 38, The Fourth Thousand Years and Josephus continue.
Family
The Wilkins Family
We had a superb...magnificent...and absolutely wonderful Monday with the Wilkins...
Swimming
Having fun...
All too soon, it was time to go home. Many hugs and a few tears, but so very very happy that they came!!! Thank you Mike for providing for this trip for them!!!
The Ethan Rice Family
Cameo and Ethan had busy a busy week. Cam's end of month always means late nights, and she worked till after nine on Monday. Ethan took Tuesday off for Dove opening day, dental work, and other things he had to get done, and then work at the pizza restaurant. Cam also worked late Thursday and Friday, and Ethan worked as well. She did give me a heads up, so I could adjust activities to make sure Kaylee wasn't too bored with us!
The Doran Rice Family
Kelsie had a great birthday on Wednesday. Happy Eighth Birthday!
The family had a birthday breakfast with Kelsie's aunt and Grammy on Saturday
Saturday swim party, and a great weekend for the whole family!
Morgan
We didn't hear from Morgan this week. He was planning on coming to the Saturday party, but must have been busy working.
Kayty
Kayty's Monday involved a root canal. No fun! She did attend Singles Family Home Evening...a game night...dressed in her One Direction Love!!! She had a tooth pulled and crown prep at the dentist. She had good days at work all week.
The Nathan Rice Family
Nate stopped by on his lunch hour Monday to drop off a little road treat for the Wilkins. Crispy M&M's...and "interesting" wedding memory that Nate and Allison share... He grabbed a bowl of cereal and then headed back to work. He came over later to work more on the lathe and do some milling work as well.We saw him Wednesday as he helped Dad test out his crossmember fit. Jessica had a good doctors appointment that day. All is well and Annalee is happy and not very anxious to leave her safety, warmth and ease.Nate is still working hard on his truck, getting brackets and belts aligned so everything will work.
Work
On Monday, Dad talked to Klemens, Boss A, and was told in confidence that he had taken an early retirement. Layoffs do that. It was a good time for he and his wife. Later in the day, we received this note...
To each of you …
It
has been my GREAT PLEASURE to have known you and to have worked with
you over these many years. It has been meaningful to me to share
together the experiences of life, joy,
wins and changes over these last 20 years. Thank you for the many times
that you have engaged with me in projects and helped point me in the
right direction. People that I have met and spent time with, all over
the world, have made this time a great ride for
me.
When
all else is said or grumbled about in regards to corporations, metrics
& charts one thing for me is certain - the technology in THIS
business is really pretty cool!
Gloria
& I plan to travel a bit but mostly look forward to finally living
in our Prescott home and maybe move to Germany next year. If you are
ever going that way give us a
call and stop in.
Best wishes and good health to you all and hope to see you on the other side of work someday as well.
Adieu.
Klemens and Gloria Raab
Kaylee and I had a great Monday playing with cousins. She was so happy she didn't get a nap, but did rest a bit while watching "The Fox and The Hound" with Kayty. She did well at swimming lessons...Daddy stayed out of the pool this time, and she was advanced to Level 3 for next time!!!
Apple matching
Apple dot pictures
Notice Nano in the background. She came by to pick up the items I had brought home from her birthday party, including the flowers that Kayly thought smelled so nice and her many crockpots. |
Apple painting
Apple felt board
Apple playdough
Applesauce (not a fan was she)
Caramel apple
Apple tree
Apple puzzles
Playing with the apples
Mini Apple Pie creation (alone...many steps to the process...with a two year old. Next time, much more stuff to be pre-done)
Apple stamping
Apple counting
A quick trip to Albertsons for Fried Chicken for Papa, and some fresh, first of the season candy corn for Kaylee.
Swimming and playing outdoors in the under 100 degree weather for three days!
Dad's Truck
Dee did some machining Monday to prepare for welding on Tuesday, since he took the day off to hunt. The welding went well and Dad was pleased with the finished product.
There was some shrinkage as a result of the heating so after fit testing with Nathan, he will have to make a shim to assure a good fit. With the cooler weather of Thursday and Friday, he did some grit blasting.
Dad's Garden
The pepper seeds began to sprout and are now "sunning" under the grow lights.He also started some seeds on Wednesday evening: cilantro, lettuce, spinach, Chinese cabbage, and collards, and he will plant carrots in the old winter tomato garden.
He also worked on trimming down the pomegranate plant and got the white flies on the grapevines sprayed. Those grapevines are so much work!! He also prepped the old tomato garden and got those nasty worms we have fed in his office (they weren't bad tenants, but no one ever tells you that with worm raising come LOTS of other bugs!)
Other highlights
Nano called Tuesday morning. She had spent Monday visiting and lunching with Aunt Paula. She hadn't seen her sister in 42 years! So wonderful for ALL of us! Many thanks go to Scott and Sharynn for their individual and superb efforts in getting these brothers and sisters together!!! Your surprise was Epic and Mom will NEVER ever forget!!!
September 1st is Dee's Dad's birthday...and OPENING DAY of Dove Season. Ethan arrived early, and, fortunately reminded us that Dad needed to update his bird stamp. They left a little later, but it was good.
Poor Beau...It was going to be too muddy where they were hunting (an unknown concept at our house this monsoon), so Dee didn't want Ethan's truck messy. Plus, Beau doesn't see or hear very well anymore. They left...and he sat by the door and whined and moaned and cried for over an hour.
Sadly, the hunt was not so good! Dad and Ethan each got three birds...not exactly a dove stew!
As I mentioned earlier, we had many visitors this week. Grandma and Curtis came by one day and brought Dad TONS of genealogy stuff, including some old bibles and some heirlooms from his great grand parents.
Nano came for a quick trip to pick up. I breathed a sigh of relief, not because she was leaving, but because her taking her stuff home indicated the party that had been in the works for months, and intensely in the works since I came home from camping in July, was finally DONE!!!
While Dad was at the temple on Wednesday, I got enough work done and went to Dollar Tree and then to World Market, where I saw this:
I have way too many pumpkins, but it was beautiful!
We had planned a final family swim party with Dad's chicken for the first Saturday in September. With Amber's mom moving to Maine, Nano's party, etc. we had no time to get together for Kelsie's birthday, so we combined activities.
Kooper having fun with Nano's cane. |
Cameo brought her homemade salsa. It was awesome! |
Swim Time
Birthday time
Time to blow out the candles...
What's wrong, Kelsie???
Yep...trick candles a la Doran!
Nate was busy machining in the garage and got the parts he needed complete, and when he returned home, he called and said they fit! Ethan took a quick opportunity to run up and dove hunt near here after the eats. Not too many birds there either!
It was a great evening with cousins having another chance to play together, and we are so glad nearly everyone could come (Morgan, we missed you. Kayty worked but came in time for dinner and cake.) The pool is getting cooler, and it won't be long before I won't head into it at all.
Saturday evening, after clean up was done, I started emptying the living room shelves, packing all my pics in bubble wrap and storing them in the music room and hut. Fall decorating begins next week.
It has monsooned nearly everywhere in Arizona. We get storm warnings on our phones. We watch reports on tv of huge storms and tons of rain. The Phoenix Zoo was even closed for three days this week to clean up damage from downed trees (Now, really, people, who in their right mind goes to the Phoenix Zoo on an August or early September day??? I don't think you can even count on one hand). As of yet, we have had nothing. I had hopes the last few days. The rain was moisture from Hurricane Kevin, and since Ethan's nickname for Joshy has always been "Kevin", I was just sure it would be our lucky storm.
Nope
I saw somewhere that this monsoon has registered 3.5 inches of rain at Sky Harbor Airport, though they did mention that there were people who had gotten little to nothing since late June. The monsoon lasts officially till near the end of September, so I am hoping...
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