April In Review

It's been a uneventful month, for the most part. Only a few highlights:
28 - 30: My brother and his wife were in town from Virginia. They were in Utah for their son's master degree graduation. We had some good visiting time. It was great having them there to confer with about the sale of Mom's house and land. She has two people offering to buy. No decision has been made yet.
28: Started a food/recipe blog. Check it out at An Eater's Journal.

TV series watched on DVD
Finished off series five of Monk
House
Foyle's War
Rosemary and Thyme

Books Read
Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear
Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books by Paul Collins
Crossed Bones by Carolyn Haines
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston
Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters

April was a bit disappointing because I expected spring and only received fleeting glimpses. There's still the promise though, because tulips and daffodils are blooming even though it's still chilly.

Ode to My Husband

This happens to Candleman all the time. Well, not exactly the bat thing, but all the rest. I never hear a thing!

Have You Ever . . .

I found this fun little meme over at Exceedingly Mundane and she said I could steal it.

Have you ever…

(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Skipped School
(x) Watched someone die
(x) Been to Canada
(x) Been to Mexico
(x) Been to Florida
(x) Been on a plane
(x) Been lost
(x) Been on the opposite side of the country
(x) Gone to Washington , DC
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Played cops and robbers
(x) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang Karaoke ….
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only?
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t?
(x) Made prank phone calls
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose - or other places!
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) Danced in the rain
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
(x) Been skinny dipping outdoors

Looks like if you live long enough you experience a lot of various activities, although lots of them were done when I was much, much younger!

Please let me know if you do this meme. I'd sure like to look over your answer.

March Recap

Highlights
March 1 - Candleman and I continued on our quest for sunshine and warmth in Arizona. We drove from Cameron to downtown Phoenix where we picked up a Hard Rock pin for Candleman's collection. (Crazy, I know!) People were streaming in from all directions to the U.S Airways Center for a Phoenix Sun's game. Next we went to Mesa to see the LDS temple. It was much more impressive than in the pictures. We drove on to Tuscon to spend the night.

March 2 - We woke up to fields of saguaro cacti and the most amazing desert I've ever seen. When I think desert, I think dry, red or brown soil, only small growing things spaced many feet apart - basically - BARREN. The Sonora was lush with growing things, at least in the spring. We spent the morning at the Desert Museum. It was totally amazing. That afternoon we drove to Sunshine to visit Candleman's sister, Norma and her husband Victor. The last time we saw them was when they visited for Thanksgiving in 1989 when Katie was only a baby. It was so good to see them. We could have visited for hours/days, but we had limited time. Drove on to Kingman for the night.

March 3 - It was on to Hoover Dam, then a drive along side Lake Meade, onto St. George and finally to Cedar City. Dinner with Susan, Julie, Jason, Audree, Porter and Brooke at Bajitos. I had a tasty flauto. Lots of fun visiting, too.

March 4 - Mom, Candleman and I drove to Brigham City to visit with Aunt Carol and Pam. Uncle Gordon passed away in Feb and I was unable to attend so it was good to offer our condolences. Mom stayed the night with Carol. We went to Layton to wish Alyson a happy birthday. She's 30. We took her and a friend to dinner at McGraths.

March 5 - Candleman got up earlier than me and went to pick Mom up, then came back and picked me up. We visited the Hobby Lobby in Layton and I couldn't get over the variety of decorating stuff they had. I am definitely going back there when all our remodeling is done. We drove on home, arriving about 4:30. It was a wonderful trip. Some of the snow had melted, but there was still plenty more and it was in the low 30's. Moan! Spring is going to come, isn't it?

March 10 - Katie started her job at Andrea Flemming's Day Care today

March 11 - Even though Candleman is retired he feels too young to not to have a job. He started working today as a oilfield roustabout for Circle D.

March 30 - Snowed all day; big heavy snowflakes. And it was cold!

March 31 - Yesterday's snow all melted, but there is still some from earlier that needs to go!


DVDs
Psych
More Monk
Hamish McBeth
Enchanted
I Am Legend

Books Read
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda
Far North by Will Hobbes
The Collectors by David Baldacci
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
Bones to Pick by Carolyn Haines
Crossed by Nicole Galland
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
River Secrets by Shannon Hale
Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline
Maps of Bones by James Rollins
Yellowknife by Steve Zipp
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Looking For Spring? It's Here!

This site will take your mind off the cold and drab. Go to this blank page and click to your heart's content. It cheered me up. Hope it will do the same for you.

In My Pink House . . .

"In my pink house there's a hockey table," says my 4-year-old granddaughter. "My father's name is King Noah and my mother's name is Karen." King Noah has a swirly, Bugsy moustache. Even though her parents tell her that King Noah (from the Book of Mormon) is a bad guy, she says, "Not my dad, King Noah. In my pink house he's a nice guy."

Can you believe the imagination? I think it's amazing and absolutely darling.

In her pink house, Megan has a big, pink, 4-wheel drive, Ford truck. And since her pink house is in Canada she can look out the window and see the Puffins. (her Papa and Grandma took a trip to Newfoundland and brought her back a toy Puffin)

But everything about the pink house is not wonderful. For example in her pink house she has a brother that is very mean. (I guess that means that her brother in real life isn't mean?) And her mother, Karen, died. :-(
But she has a new mother. It's Hannah Montanna!

We have to be careful in learning about her pink house. If we ask she gets very protective with the information, but if we happen to be talking, she may slip and reveal something. The other Monday night, Megan, Jeff and their real Mom were over visiting. Mom mentioned that it was getting too late and they would have to have Family Home Evening tomorrow night. Megan, who was coloring at the kitchen table, said, "In my pink house we have FHE every night.

Used to be that I felt deprived that I didn't have a stuffed animal to sleep with as a child, or an imaginary friend. I thought maybe I could make one up. But would it be the same if I KNEW that he was imaginary? Now I wish I'd had an imaginary house. Oh, what fun that would have been. Now I just hope that Megan holds on to her house in the clouds for several more years. (or forever)

February! *A Month in Review*

I am a bit slow in getting this posted. Hopefully, late is better than not-at-all.
Highlights:
Feb 4 - New LDS church presidency announced with Thomas B. Monsen as president with Henry B Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf as his counselors. My sister's birthday, which I forgot and now need to do something magnificent to beg forgiveness. ;~D
Feb 5 - The new McDonald's opens. The old one was torn down five months ago.
Feb 10 - Katie moves home after living in Layton with Alyson for 3 1/2 months. The job market didn't cooperate.
Feb 28 - Candleman and I take off on a sun-seeking trip. This is what our front yard looked like on the morning we left. Mom comes along as far as Cedar City where she will stay with my sister for a few days. Susan, Julie, Mom and Candleman and I go to dinner at the Garden House. Delicious cream of asparagus soup and apple strudel. Then we played 6-dice for awhile. Of course, the best part was the visiting and laughing.
Feb 29 - Candleman and I drive to Zions Park. We did lots of picture-taking, some hiking and I even read a few pages from Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline. We stopped for lunch at the Rewind Diner in Kanab. I highly recommend it. We tried falafel and loved it. Then it was on to the Glen Canyon Dam. The drive from Page, AZ to Cameron was fascinating. Our world is so beautiful and varied. We spent the night in Cameron. Candleman bought a new flute and drum at the huge gift shop. Dinner included the best Navajo fry bread ever. Also, it's Leap Day!

Books Read:
Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters
Random Passage by Bernice Morgan
The Book of Atrix Wolfe
Magyk by Angie Sage
Wild Wood by Charles de Lint
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

On DVD:
Monk
Bones
Ballykissangel
Transformers

Thoughts:
We've had lots of snow and cold weather, but we have enjoyed some sunny days that caused our snow amount to decrease. Candleman and I have suffered from flu and colds on 2 different occasions. The basement remodeling is progressing. We are now completely plumbed for natural gas water heater, furnace, stove and fireplace. To escape the winter blues, Candleman planned a quick trip to Arizona.

Who's Fooled?

Your Quirk Factor: 53%

You're a pretty quirky person, but you're just normal enough to hide it. Congratulations - you've fooled other people into thinking you're just like them!

How Quirky Are You?

In Review of January

Highlights:
Jan1-3: Alyson and Katie were still here for the holidays.
Jan 25: Wes and Kristina were in Vernal and stopped in for a visit, along with their 2 sons, Leonard and Remington.
Jan 30: Mom took Steve, Verona, Shaneen, Myke and I out for our combined birthday lunch at JB's.

Books read or listened to:
We Shall Not Sleep by Anne Perry
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
The Bleeding Dusk by Colleen Gleason
Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett
Austenland by Shannon Hale
Midnight for Charlie Bone by
Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs
Maggie Again by John D. Husband
The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Movies watched at the theater:
None

Favorite movies watched at home:
Amazing Grace
Horatio Hornblower
Persuasion
Mansfield Park

Favorite tv series discovered on CD:
Monarch of the Glen
Monk

Favorite new food:
Myke's chicken pot pies

Chicken Pot Pies

I wish I could say I made this magnificent-looking chicken pot pie, but I can gladly say that I ate it! Candleman has been cooking for years and now that he has retired he has more time and inclination to experiment with fresh herbs and exotic foods. It hasn't hurt that I enjoy watching the cooking channel, which he's sat down and watched a few times with me.

I've been on the look out for the last couple of years for a really good chicken pot pie recipe. I've mentioned it to him and he put in on one of those back burners in his head. Every once in awhile he would mention something or I would that would be good in a pot pie. This last year for our Thanksgiving pies I decided to buy Pillsbury refrigerated pastry sheets. He loved the taste of them and decided they would be the perfect crust for pot pies.

Last week Candleman up and decided it was time to give it a go. I just stayed out of his way. When he brought one of these golden beauties into the family room for me to eat, I was astounded at how delicious it looked and then I marveled, bite after bite, at the glorious taste.

I am amazed that he could just imagine what ingredients to put together to get such scrumptious flavor. And I'm a bit bewildered because I always thought I was the cook of the family. It's not a fluke that most great chefs are men. Lest you think I'm complaining - I'm not. I always dreamed of being married to a chef and now I am! Didn't even need to change husbands. Isn't life full of surprises?!

So with this cooking success under his belt, as well as a few others, Candleman has started a blog about food. I have been begging him to write down his bean soup recipe and now his chicken pot pie recipe, so he did in his blog. Check it out at Fiddling With My Food. There's witty food commentary as well as 2 (so far) delicious recipes.

The Year in Review

I have enjoyed reading several year-in-review posts by family and friends so I decided to try my hand at writing one. My major drawback is my memory. I think that if I borrow or steal a few topics from others I can pull this off.

New things learned Life doesn't usually turn out how we expect it to. It takes courage to let go of expectations and live the life you are given. And that courage must be renewed on a daily basis.

Life doesn't usually turn out how we expect it to and it's a darn good thing it doesn't.

Something I still haven't learned: How to maintain a healthy balance of hope while accepting my limitations.

Favorite new foods: Bakeapple berries, especially when served over a slice of cheesecake. And that chocolate dessert in PEI.

Books read: I counted this year and discovered that I read 87 books. That pleases me but I sure wish I could read faster.

Favorite books: This was very hard to narrow down because there were so many that I enjoyed. I've listed my favorites in no particular order.
I Am the Messenger
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Anne of Green Gables
My Grandfather's Blessings
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Scarlet Pimpernel
Ship Fever
Devil in the White City
Barometer Rising
Wonderlust
Mistress of the Art of Death


Trips: Only one if you don't count the occasional trip to the city. BUT what a one it was! Our trip lasted 5 weeks, put 11080 miles on our car, and took us as far north and east as St. John's, Newfoundland. We drove from Utah to Wyoming, S and N Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, Ottawa, Montreal, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and back to Utah. It was fabulous.

Regrets: Only one and it's not anything I had any control over. There were several times on my trip I wished my family could be with me, taking in the splendors and experiences Candleman and I were enjoying. Twice my mother has taken her seven children and their spouses on trips (Seattle, Boston) and we had such a wonderful times. I found myself looking around a few times on this trip to gage my mother's/siblings' feelings, but they weren't there. It would have been grand if they had been. I also wish my kids and grandkids could have been with us some of the time. All that said, it was absolutely marvelous being on this long trip alone with my husband.

Biggest disaster: The entire basement flooded while we were in Canada. Family and friends had to move all our furniture and stuff upstairs and into the garage. Those people deserve years of rich blessings.

Biggest blessing in disguise: The basement flooding! With everything moved out and the drywall removed by the clean up crew, we have redesigned the whole area. We've moved the stairs which enlarged our dining room so we can have the whole family over for dinner or playing games.

Items I won on the internet: I've won several contests on book blogs. Most of the prizes have been books. It's always a thrill to win and receive a new book in the mail. During Dewey's 24-hour Readathon I won a cell phone. The phone was worth $70 and I received a $20 calling card, too. I gave the phone to my youngest daughter when she sprouted her wings and moved away from home. She says it's a great phone. It even takes pictures.

Sightings: I've been interested in botany for many years and only dreamed of seeing real lady slipper orchids growing in the wild. I actually stood in a small field of several while in Newfoundland. It was a giddy experience. We also saw big icebergs off the northwestern tip of Newfoundland - in the latitudes of melt. Most thrilling was seeing puffins, also in Newfoundland but this time off the eastern shore. I nearly cried when I saw hundreds of them standing outside their nests, flying overhead and swimming in the ocean. They are so unbelievably cute.

Meetings: We met 2 couples traveling together in Thermopolis, WY. One of the wives gave me a mystery, Alone by Lisa Gardner as we all went our own ways in the morning. We were treated very graciously to dinner at a Moroccan restaurant in Ontario by Lotus and her husband. Lotus is the first person from the blogosphere that I had met. I was a bit nervous, but she and her husband and daughter put us at ease instantly. We had a remarkedly pleasant evening that we shall never forget. Oh, also Lotus gave me a book I had been wanting to read. She had remembered me commenting about it on a blog post. Later we had the privilege of meeting Raidergirl3 in PEI. It was fun to hear of the trivia games she and her husband had been involved in. We wanted to start up some trivia groups when we got home. It hasn't happened yet, but we do play lots of knowledge-type games with family. Raidergirl3 graciously presented me with the 2nd and 3rd books in the Anne of Green Gables series. She remembered that we were going to listen to the first on iPod before arriving in PEI. Can you believe such thoughtfulness? In Aug (or Sep) Melissa the Booknut was visiting relatives in my Utah hometown and we were able to squeeze in a desert at JB's. We had such a good visit. I just realized that I dropped the ball by not having a book gift for her like my 2 book-blogging hosts had for me. I'm feeling pretty crummy about that! Good grief! Melissa if you ever make it back to my little back-woods area, I promise to be a better hostess. We might could arrange for my sister, Framed, to take her lunch hour and visit with us, too.

Favorite movie: Amazing Grace

Best TV episode discoveries: Prison Break and Numb3rs (one of the things I like is watching the seasons from Netflix because we don't get any advertisements. I probably will never watch a series on regular TV again. I take that back - I still watch The Amazing Race on tv.

Favorite live performance: Anne of Green Gables the Musical - truth be told, it was the only live performance! It was so, so very delightful and heart-wrenching.

Biggest lifestyle change: My husband retired the end of June and I retired the end of October. Wheeeee!

Number of guys kissed: Two - my husband has got to be the best kisser in the whole wide world. I had to say that to gross out our daughters! I'll let you guess who the other guy was I kissed.

The BEST part of 2007: Being in love with my husband of 35 years.

Five Things About Me Meme

This meme is from one of my darling daughters, Alyson from In Nuce.

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago: (I can't even remember yesterday!)
1. Getting ready to send my 3rd baby girl off to Air Force Boot Camp
2. Teaching 8 different science classes at the local alternative high school
3. Trying to think of a memorable way to celebrate our 25-year wedding anniversary
4. Wishing for a grandbaby
5. Enjoying my favorite snack - Mystic Mint cookies which have since been disguised as Dark Chocolate Covered Oreos and are not carried by any grocery store. Instead they carrie the Milk Chocolate version which is no way as delicious! GRRRRR!!!

5 Things on my T0-Do List today:
1. Get feeling better
2. Go to bed early
3. Watch the last 2 episodes of Prison Break Season Two
4. Read 100 pages in book 4 of the Cliff Janeway series, Sign of the Book
5. Finish this post

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Take my mother, brothers and sisters on a cruise to Scandinavia
2. Take my children and their spouses and my grandchildren to Disneyland
3. Pay someone to help my husband with the basement remodeling
4. Remodel my kitchen
5. Add dormer skylights to gather lots of light into my house

5 Things I'll never wear again (or have never worn):
1. Sleeveless blouses
2. Fake fingernails
3. Stiletto heels or any shoes with pointed toes
4. Maternity clothes
5. A bikini, although I will be wearing a swimsuit in the spring when I start going to water aerobics again

5 Favorite Toys:
1. Computer, obviously
2. iPod
3. DVR
4. Slow cooker
5. Food processor (I hope I get one for Christmas and so I can play with it by the hours!)

5 People to tag:
1. Halie from Belles and Whistles
2. Robin from A Fondness for Reading
3. Paula from The Magic Bookcase
4. Stephanie from Staephanie's Confessions
5. Candleman from Carpe Crustulum

Bare Naked Trees

Candleman and I decided to go for a drive around the valley today. With the building boom going on right now we want to keep abreast of what's happening. The first thing I said when we left the house was how I hated to see all the bare-naked trees and bushes this time of year. He said they are really quite lovely and just different than other times of the year. I think there are some beautiful tree specimens that look striking without their leaves, but most are not that wonderful to look at, besides they look cold. And a little unnatural.

I remember when a friend of ours moved to Utah from San Diego. He and his family came in the winter. After several weeks he asked us why we didn't cut down our dead trees, bushes and vines. We had a good laugh. In all fairness to our friend - he was young and had never lived anywhere besides San Diego. Heck, we moved to San Diego in January and found flowers in blossom. Why would we move back to cold, frigid, barren Utah you might ask. It's really a good question and one I ask myself every year after fall has ended. I always have a ready answer: I love the seasons and I love to look up at the night sky and see stars. I will put up with winter just so I can have spring and fall. Summer's okay, but I love spring and fall and I missed them terribly when we lived in souther California.

One trip home from San Diego I had fallen asleep and my head was leaning against the window. When I woke up I kept my head rested against the window and looked around and up. There were millions upon millions of stars twinkling in the sky. I was so shocked. Didn't we have stars in California, I asked Candleman. He affirmed that they were there but we just couldn't see them because of the bright city lights and the high level fog. I really hadn't missed them until I saw them so brilliantly on that trip home and I became aware of the vast differences in the night sky.

That trip home was over 30 years ago before any of our children were born and it was just the two of us. Now all these years later our four girls are grown up and out on their own and it's again just the two of us. I mentioned to him the other day that retirement is kind of like a honeymoon except we are more in love now, more comfortable with each other, and we like each other a whole heck of a lot. I feel bad for those young kids who don't stick it out, over the hills and dales, so they can enjoy the type of relationship that comes from shared struggles and triumphs. I guess what I'm trying to say is "Life is good right now." I know it won't always be this blissful, but that will come and go, too. It's just good to stop occasionally be grateful.

What's My Name????

Just another fun meme. I found this at Caught Between Worlds and stole, I mean borrowed it from Debi.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Fluffy Yukon
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Vanilla Mystic Mint
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
C-Web
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Yellow Bunny
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Rae Hillfield
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Webch
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
Blue Water
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Noble Willard
9. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
Ambush M & M
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )
Rae Bernard
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Stats Seattle
12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Christmas Daisy
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Blackberry Jeanie
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Chicken Nugget Linden
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
Reading Thunder Tour

Eight Random Facts About Me Meme

Cereal Girl has tagged me for this fun little meme. The rules are

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. List eight (8) random facts about yourself
3. Tag eight people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them)
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

I am borrowing Cereal Girl clever idea to include pictures along with the random facts. I fully realize that these facts and pictures are going to reveal things about me that may be better left unsaid, but what's the fun in that!

1. I went back to college when I was 41 yrs old. I majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry. After graduating at the age of 44 I became a high school science teacher.
2. I enjoy looking at and identifying flowers. While in college I fell in love with botany and, even though all only one botany class was required, I took 5 botany classes. I love dissecting flowers and keying them and identifying their scientific names.

Here I am at Casa Loma in Toronto trying to figure out what this cute little yellow-flowering bush is. (It's not kosher to dissect blossoms at a local sight-seeing spot.)





3. I usually eat lunch everyday during the school year at McDonald's. They know my order by heart and recognize my voice at the drive-through. I always get a 3-pc chicken select with sweet and sour sauce, apple dippers instead of fries and a large diet coke. (This helps explain that jolly looking person I've turned into in the above picture!)

I even take pictures of McDonald's on my travels. I know, I know! There's simply no explaining it. The picture at the top was taken in Bessemer, Michigan. (That's a pretty reliable guess, but if anyone knows for sure, please let me know.)

The picture at the bottom is the Rock & Roll McDonald's in Chicago. It doesn't look any bigger in the pictures, but it IS! Chicago's is 2-story with an escalator and with the parking, the 2 drive-thru lanes, the Rock & Roll bldg and store it takes up a whole city block. Across the street on one corner is the Hard Rock Cafe, on another corner is a famous Chicago hot dog place (I have a picture, but can't read the name) and down the street a block is the famous Gino's East Pizza, home of the famous Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.

Just one more note before I leave McDonald's - Our local McDonald's shut down on Friday and will be closed until Jan. 2008. They are tearing it down and building a new one its place. I hope they know that I'll be weaned by then!

Okay, one more note - I can't stand McDonald's burgers!

4. I hated traveling when I was a child/teen. My dad was in the army and we moved a lot when I was growing up. My memories include a station wagon; 7 children and 2 adults (one who was quite strict); no air-conditioner; homemade sandwiches by the side of the road; camping by the side of the road; visiting Vernal, Utah; having to sit in the back seat sandwiched between my 2 older brothers and 1 brother just 13-months younger (you know who had to keep her legs tight together, don't you?); having to sleep sitting up with your head bobbing around; and, worst of all, the hot, desert air blowing through the windows. I have hated the desert ever since.

When I remember these times together in the car the Norman Rockwell picture of the family on vacation always pops into my mind. We didn't have a dog, though. (Couldn't find a picture on the internet. ;-p

5. I love to travel since I've matured and since the advent of air-conditioners. When my children were young we couldn't afford to travel. When my husband got a better paying job and I started working, we decided we needed to make some trip memories before our oldest daughters left home. Our daughter's were 18, 17, 16, and 5, so we decided Disneyland would be something we could all enjoy. And did we ever! Except that 2nd daughter didn't want to go and we missed her terribly.The next year we went back to Disneyland with my youngest sister and her 2 children and fell in love with it all over again.

Since then there have been several trips - some with immediate family, some for National Science Conventions and some with extended family. Two really memorable trips were when my mother took her 7 children and their spouses to the Northwest in 2002 and the Northeast in 2004. We made some terrific family memories and saw so many interesting things. Of course, there was much gaiety and laughter. Candleman and I fell in love with the Northwest and returned in the summer of 2005 with our youngest daughter and another car with some of our extended family. Before going to the Northeast with Mom and family, hubby and I spent 2 weeks touring the coastline of Oregon. Needless to say, I love the Northwest. (I'm fitting many random facts into each one of these eight, aren't I. Oh, well! This summer Candleman and I took a 36 day vacation to the Northeast and Canada.

6. Still on the theme of travel - I love to travel with my husband and best friend, Candleman. One summer we drove to North Carolina to see our daughter who was stationed there with the Air Force. When we returned I scrapbooked the trip. A good friend and fellow scapbooker and teacher was looking through my album and gasped at how many roadside pictures I had taken. She asked how I got my husband to stop because her's would never stop. Wow, I felt so blessed. Candleman will even turn around and go back for a picture (most of the time.) Sometimes he'll even pose crazy for a picture like the one on the left in Portland and the one on the right in Chicago. (click to see the great faces!)

Another good thing about traveling with Candleman is we both like to stop at a nice restaurants occasionally and we like to eat food indigenous to the are. Many of our best memories deal with food.

And still another is that we both like listening to books on tape interspersed with music. This last trip we bought 5 cds with maritime/Celtic/folk songs that we listened to between some good books.


7. When I'm busy doing something, I look sooooooo mean and I hate it! I've always wanted my face to look happy and pleasant all the time. I've seen people like that. And even though I feel happy inside, my face still looks grouchy, unless I'm actually smiling.







8. I've been going to water aerobics for 2 1/2 weeks. Maybe I'll post a picture after several months to see if my upside-down smile has disappeared along with a few inches around all the major parts of interest. Speaking of which, after my first time at aerobics I came home soaking wet and my husband asked, "How did that Dolly Parton life jacket work for you?"


And now for the 8 people I'm tagging. I hope they will have as much fun doing this meme as I did.

• Katie my youngest daughter known to post at Into the Rush (life), Under the Covers (book reviews), Katie's Scraps! (scrapbooking) , and Kate and Aly (scrapbooking)

• Alyson my 3rd daughter who has the following blogs: In Nuce (life), Fifty Books (book reviewing), Alyson's Scrapbook (scrapbooking), and Kate and Aly (scrapbooking)

• Candleman who owns the following blogs: Candleman, Candleman's Peek at the Universe

• Framed of Framed and Booked and Life's a Picture

• Cath at Read_Warbler

• Gentle Reader at Shelf Life

• Janet at Joyful Jottings

• Lynne from Lynne's Little Corner of the World

New Contest

Go to 5 Minutes for Mom and enter to win a

flat-screen TV.

My Type of American Accent

What American accent do you have? (Best version so far) Neutral

Click Here to Take This Quiz

You're not Northern, Southern, or Western, you're just plain -American-. Your national identity is more important than your local identity, because you don't really have a local identity. You might be from the region in that map, which is defined by this kind of accent, but you could easily not be. Or maybe you just moved around a lot growing up.


I did move around a lot when I was growing up. My dad was in the Army and we often stayed in a place less than 3 years. The longest stay was in Lincoln, Nebraska for 6 years.

Home Sweet Home

We made it home from our wonderful trip on Sunday evening. It was a blessing to return happy and healthy, with no mishaps on the trip. No flat tires or car problems. BUT the same cannot be said for our poor house. A week and a half before our return the sewer backed up. Luckily our 18-yr-old was home to discover the 2 inch flood in the early morning hours. Can you just imagine if nobody had found it before we arrived home?! I shudder at the thought. We instructed K to call Service Master to come clean it up. Several members of our families and a neighbor came in the evening and put all the furniture up on blocks.

The next day Service Master informed K that all the furniture, washer, dryer, laundry, etc. etc. had to be moved out. We have a big laundry room, a bedroom, family room, bathroom, small workshop and a good-size study downstairs. What a nightmare! As often happens in an LDS community, friends and family rallied in force to save the day. My girls thought it would take days to do the job, but with all the help it only took an hour. I have spent more time than that trying to think of a way to repay the kindness. How do you adequately express gratitude for such great service?

A couple days later Service Master said they would have to rip out all the carpets, remove my craft cupboard, remove all the lower cupboards in the kitchen/laundry room and 2 ft of dry wall in every room. So my sweet daughter and her wonderful husband boxed and carried up all the scrapbook supplies, stored items in the laundry cupboards and the 30 yr-old wheat storage under the basement stairs, plus who knows how much more!

When we arrived home the carport was neatly packed with furniture, appliances (besides the washer and dryer there was a stove and frig in the laundry room), my new desk, filing cabinets, M's two desks, etc, etc, etc. The living room, kitchen, dining room, and bedrooms were all stuffed with more prized possessions and junk.

The sad thing was that our daughter's boyfriend had snaked the sewer line a week before when K told us the toilet had bubbled. We didn't mention to him that there were two places that needed to be snaked. Seems it was the other pipe that backed up. Roto-router came in and cleaned it out. They said the pipe had ingrown tree roots, but that it should be good for another 6-7 years. We're not going to risk it. M is going to replace the pipe.

The clean-up crew from Service Master is still taking care of the damage. When they finish we will have to tear out all the paneling and drywall because they said the sewage crawled up between the paneling and drywall. It's going to be a major task. Thank heaven M is retired and doesn't have to go back to work and only do repairs in his off time. The insurance company has been very cooperative. Another blessing. We have made the upstairs comfortable for the 3 of us by moving everything that didn't belong under the back awning of the patio and surrounding the area with heavy plastic. Our computers are set up on the dining room table and we can eat on the picnic table. Hopefully most of the basement will be restored before winter.

We are a bit devastated, but not bad. A bit overwhelmed, but we keep giving each other the "one bite at a time" pep talk. I've decided I would like to move to a smaller home. Our four daughters are so in favor of that. Nobody ever wants to clean out our basement again. Mostly we feel grateful. We have the best daughters in the whole world. I can't believe how the 3 that live close have shouldered the responsibility while we were away. The husband of 1 daughter and boyfriend of another have done so much, as well. They are great guys. And our dear extended family and friends have pitched in so willingly to rescue us. K's friends (40 in number) and our bishop joined in to move things in no time. Our life is richly blessed by these willing people. I'm so afraid I will not be able to tell everyone how very much I appreciate them.

We're Off For an "Explore in the Woods"

The time has come. Hooray. So much to do to get ready, but we' gotter done!' We'll be leaving Sunday for our long and wonderful drive across northern US, into Canada, through the Maritime Provinces and back home again.

Candleman and I have a blog where we're going to update friends and family of our whereabouts. Since you're all friends or family, please drop by and add more splendor to out trip with a comment. Just click the title.

The Folks Aren't Home

. . . Find out where we are!

Grandchildren

My husband decided we needed a new, super-duper camera for our up-coming vacation. Of course, we had to try it out and learn all the button and whistles beforehand, so we took a gazillion pictures of our grandkids. I thought I'd share a few with you

This is Jeffery, age 5.


And this is Megan, age 3.



Jeff loves to play with any one of Papa's 10 - 20 squirt guns. He can play for hours with water. But watch out because he's the best 5-year-old squirter there is! (His words) And he's fierce.


Both kids love to play with the hose (if there's water coming out of it). Here's Megan watering the square foot gardens. We appreciate the help with our tomatoes and squash.


This is Megan posing for Katie. Don't those little feet make you chuckle?


And here's proof that miracles do happen!

"8 Things" Meme

I've been so slow in responding to this meme. No real good excuse, either. Just been in a bit of a slump lately.

Here are the rules for this meme:
1: Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2: People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
3: At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
4: Don't forget to leave them a comment and tell them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

Eight Things About Me
1. I'm an Army brat. My family moved a lot when I was growing up. I hated it, because I would just make friends and then we'd move. The longest place we lived was in Lincoln, Nebraska (6 years). The next longest was St. John's, Newfoundland (3 years).

2. Now that I'm grown up(?), I love to travel. My husband and I do really well together on car trips. We also do well hanging wallpaper.

3. I didn't do so well when it came to spacing the births of my four daughters. I wanted children as soon as I got married. For several years I couldn't get pregnant. Then, in less than 3 years, my first 3 daughters were born. Eleven years later our 4th daughter arrived when I was 39 years old.

4. I graduated from college when I was 43 years old with a biology major and a chemistry minor and a secondary teaching certificate.

5. I married my husband 2 days before my 22nd birthday on Dec. 28, 1972. That means that Christmas, my anniversary and my birthday all take place within a 5 day period. We've been married 35 1/2 years.

5. I would like to move to the Northwest USA when my husband retires, but my children and grandchildren are in Utah, so we'll be staying put.

6. I have 4 brothers and 2 sisters. I was the third child and first girl. I remember driving in our station wagon from Nebraska to Utah in the summer to visit both extended families. The four older kids - 3 boys and me - were crammed in the back seat. My two little sisters had to lay on the stuff in the back and youngest brother would sit on my Mom's lap. We'd fall asleep with our heads bobbing. There was no air conditioning and the dry, hot air was miserable. I think that's why I hate deserts. Boy, things have sure changed, haven't they?

7. It's become a tradition to have a big 4th of July party at our house every year. All my family and my husband's family who live close by are invited. Everyone brings a pot luck dish. We barbecue hamburgers and hot dogs and I make 2 5-gal containers of home-made root beer. When it gets dark we haul the chairs to the front lawn where we watch the fireworks that are shot off in the nearby park. It's always great fun. This year we will miss that because we're leaving on our trip July 2. My youngest daughter is not happy, but I told her they ought to go ahead with the tradition. Hope they will. Hubby and I will be in Ashland, Wisconsin watching the fireworks on Lake Superior.

8. I was the first granddaughter in my mother's family and my grandpa spoiled me rotten. I loved it and loved him. He bought me my first hula hoop and took me in his old beat-up pickup truck to a drive in movie. I remember standing on the seat next to him mesmerized by Debbie Reynolds singing "Tammy's in Love" in the 1957 movie, Tammy and the Bachelor. I was 6. My grandpa died when I was 10 or 11, but he told Grandma to give me the big bible they'd bought from a traveling salesman years before. I used to sit and look through it by the hour.

If you read this and haven't done this meme yet, consider yourself tagged.

Travel Suggestions, Please . . .

Seeking Travel Suggestions

My dh will retirie the end of June and would like to celebrate with a trip. You don't hear me squaking. I'm thrilled to death, but need some help. And who better to ask than my blogging friends. I'm going to list some of the places we are considering and if you know of any 'must see' sights or 'must do' activities in those areas, please let me know. We will be vacationing during the month of July, if that helps, but we don't need any suggestions as to where to watch the fireworks on the 4th.

Suggestions do NOT need to be the normal touristy places, but they can be. If there's a terrific library, beautiful park, peaceful cemetery bench, interesting