Ready For The Holiday

The tree is up. The packages are wrapped. We've been to several outstanding Christmas programs, including the Tabernacle Choir with David Archuleta, we've shopped, eaten out a time or two, bent our diets, had family over to make cookies, had a sleep-over with a couple of girls, sewm a skirt, rode Trax to Temple Square, participated in the Ward Choir Program, scraped 8" of snow off or the deck at least twice, and generally prepared ourselves for both Christmas and New Year's Eve! Yes, I know it's a bit early for that, but I like to be prepared!!

Joe and Andy dropped in last weekend so we could give them a pillow of themselves that a friend made for us. Of course, thay had several other reasons for being in town, but it was good to see them. I think Joe's ankle looks great; surgery fixes a lot of problems...

Christmas truly is for children! I gave piano students small stockings with boxes of "Junior Mints" and they all seemed thrilled! Tis the Season, I guess.

Merry Christmas to All! Let the good times roll!!

Winter Is Here!

We had a major blizzard last week!! Mostly wind - very harsh wind, but only 4-5" of snow. It was a bit of a disappointment, I must say. Lots of schools cancelled evening activities, and so did choirs and other organizations. It was windy and the roads were really slick, but we were out on the roads and had them pretty much all to ourselves. We got to see Greg's team (Red Devils) win in overtime at the buzzer by one point. More exciting than the storm!! :-)

Have had a couple of "sleep-overs" with the two eldest grand-daughters. They are so sweet and a ton of fun. Tonight, we dipped pretzels in chocolate. Pretty tasty activity!

We will have their help tomorrow morning after breakfast - putting up the Christmas tree! They love it and we do, too!!

Got a bee in my bonnet (I think John put it there) and bought two of the girls lovely Christmas dresses. Eldest is at the in-betweens, so I made a cute red plaid skirt to go with a nice red, sparkly top! They all look so pretty. I am blessed to have them in my family!

Enjoyed the turkey dinner at Mike and Katie's. Potluck makes it work and the company is hard to beat. Yummy food, as always!

Getting ready for Christmas....guess it's time for us all to do so....!!

Getting Ready for the Holidays

There are still lots of leaves on the trees here in the valley!! In the stores there are red and green Christmas decorations!! What is wrong with this picture??
We have had a pretty cold and rainy week. Hopefully, next week will give me a day warm enough to put my tulip bulbs back into the ground.

Was fun to have the Noorda boys sleep over last Friday. They are such fine boys. I am proud to be in their family!!

Had chili at Mike and Katie's for Halloween. Those four children are really special, too. They are so good to each other. Must have kind parents.

It's time to clean - wash down - the basement! I need to have it all ready for the holidays. That might mean a party or two...:-) I think it's been three years now that the basement was finished. John got new white doors up and a hernia. Drat! Sure looks nice though!!!

Hope the Holidays are special for all of us!!!

Summer is Over!

I guess we can call summer a "done deal"! We are still having some hot days, but the nights are getting cooler - who doesn't like that?!

We have painted our double front doors a soft, medium green (somewhere between 'sage' and 'spruce') and love the change! John also put up new polished nickel lights and door handles. That, along with five new doors to complete the basement remodel from three years back, makes me feel all ready to be mostly indoors for winter! Sure looks terrific! Thanks a bunch, Hon!!! Sure do appreciate all the work! It is a lot cheaper than a new house!

I'm still trying to get on top of my glucose and cholestral numbers, but I'm getting there! I do feel great, though. John still is monitoring his AF. Guess we're both getting older - duh!!

All the grandkids are back in school and our youngest Washington boy is finally baptised! We're really happy for him.

I have a full schedule of piano students once again; love teaching them!!

I must say that I appreciate the goodness of each of our family and extended family. We are richly blessed, for sure!

John and Bev - "and the next generation"

The Family

 

Family Photos

We had a 2-hour photo session in the wind at Wheeler Farm! I was so very impressed by even the youngest who kept on smiling even though our "smiling muscles" were getting tired. Except for the wind, we had just awesome pictures. Ike took 5 snaps of each pose, so we have lots from which to choose. I believe the total was 399 shots; that's a lot in anyone's book. The reds, whites, and blues looked so good. Everyone was so cooperative. We had dinner at the Golden Corral afterward. That seemed to please the tired children.....and adults!! :-)

Our Vacation Came To Us!

Tammy and Dayle drove out to see us! That was great! At least we got to see them, after we cancelled our trip to go up to see them in the Northwest.

Lots of shopping for appropriate clothes for the family picture; sure hope it turns out well on Saturday! My feet hurt from walking the whole mall, but the In-n-Out burger "animal style" made it worth it!! :-)

We drove to Sherry's for some birthday celebrations from John and me....Dayle, Sr., Dayle Jr., Jason, Nick, Jeff (way early, but it was sawhorses and he might need them for finishing the basement). Jeff and Sher made homemade ice cream and I brought two cakes - one white and one chocolate! Fun, crazy evening. We got rained out of a swimming party at the Scera Pool. Lots of rain and lightening!!!

John took the group to the This Is The Place Heritage Park for a full day! They all enjoyed it, but got dry and hot. Glad to get lunch and some water to drink. I stayed home and rested my feet while baking two cakes!

It's so great to see our family grow in amazing ways. We were impressed that Julie at 16 years rode in the STP (Seattle to Portland) ride - all 204 miles of it. Mike and Dayle, Sr. made good fellow-riders for her. Great job, we are so proud of you!

Our Vacation

Well, you just never know when plans will change, so it's good to be a bit flexible. We had planned on a car trip to the Northwest for a baptism, but that got changed, so we adjusted. After cancelling 16 piano students, we decided to go it on our own. Went to Jackson Hole. Great fun. Rode the stage coach; had dinner at the Bar J. It doesn't get much better than that!! Stayed in Thayne, thanks to some inside info from the wonderful "out-laws"! Peaceful and enjoyable.

One night in Lava was all we could take. I seriously don't get why it's such a destination! I don't care for hot water sitting, and my titanium knees wouldn't help me get into the river, and the hotel was beyond ancient! At least we can say we went there and had a nice steak dinner!

This past week we had a "stay-cation". Went to a great show ("Knight and Day"), visited the Planetarium uptown, went to the YoungLiving Lavendar Gardens in Mona, and got to attend the Pioneer Day Tab Choir Concert with some friends. Lovely week. Now to get back in the groove...:-)

Happy Birthday, America!

Well, I think summer is here! The yard is looking pretty decent and John has a spectacular garden of potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes! We thank Jackson and Justin for keeping the lawn nicely mowed!

We had a nice dinner for our friends, the Evans, who will be heading to the Manilla Temple Mission. We will sure miss them and wish them every success and happiness!

Had a "luau" piano recital this past weekend. A dozen students came, played a piece, wore a lei, got an "Aloha hat", and ate Hawaiian Haystacks. Lots of fun!

We're gearing up for the big barbeque here on July 3rd. We are looking for nearly 30 people. All family - either in-laws, or out-laws; we love them all! John received an awesome new grill for Christmas and is anxious to give it a workout!

All of our grandchildren seem to be doing well; from two going back east for a week each to a new up-coming baptism to a 4-year-old pedaling over here on the bike trail with his whole family for Rootbeer Float Cupcakes! It's a good life.

Enjoy the celebration and stay safe!! Happy Birthday, America!!!

Summer Has Arrived!

I have great news - I think the cold, wet Spring has stepped aside for Summer. We have had two pretty warm days and I'm encouraged. My poor flowers have been wondering if it would ever get warm enough to grow. Even with rain during the night, we have hope this morning.

I love the shade of trees, but the maple trees in our front yard sure give me a lot of work. First it's the "tails" off the aspen trees, then the endless "helicopters" off the maples...I'm forever clearing out the flowerbeds. When they are finally clear, I'll use the "Preen" and then bark dust...my standbys.

School's out. I have four new younger piano students. They are cute, but I prefer them to be over eight years of age. Six is a might young for me.

You should see our potato plants. John should have a wonderful harvest this year!

Happy Summer to All!!!

Spring Is Finally Here!

Where has the time gone??? We seem to stay busy; time honestly seems to have sped up in our later years. We are both feeling much better these days. I am still trying to figure out what keeps my blood sugar in control; the medication is very slow in working.
I had a lovely Mother's Day thanks to my sweet hubby who surprised me with some beautiful jewelry, and my children who were both thoughtful and generous. I am a rich soul in things that can't be measured!!!
Family challenges come and go, thankfully! I guess we grow from the roadblocks in life, but aren't we "grown" enough? Guess not!
I planted two flats of pastel petunias this morning. Had to sweep the beds of quaking aspen "tails" before I could proceed. Took two hours, but the weather was cloudy and the temperature was in the cool zone, so I was in heaven. I'm a northwest violet, I guess; heat doesn't agree with me.
We took a leap today and ordered a brand-new Dell computer!!! Hope it works out well for us. We have been very grateful that a son and son-in-law have given us "leftovers"from their former computers, but it was just time to fly solo. Wish us luck!

How Time Flies!!

And I Thought I Was Healthy

Well, a couple of weeks of dull headaches landed me at the doctor's office. I hardly know him, because I have been so healthy in the past. That is, if you don't count surgeries...hee, hee. Well, I now have to watch sugar, cholestral, and stress!! Isn't that makes of life?? Well, I'm trying to be very good, but these new meds are seriouly making me "sick". I do hope that I either get used to them or get taken off of them.

I wish I were feeling better. John and I have dedided to make ourselves a final denim quilt and then to give away - or throw away - all of the denim we've been saving for 20-30 years. All of our children have a quilt (and yes, Sherry made theirs!) and we had to give away our camping quilt of many years. Most decidedly, it was worn out! I hope to get the little squares all sewn together; the backing is washed, sewn, pressed and ready to go.

Next weekend is once again "Girls' Weekend". Why I so look forward to these times, I don't know. It's just girls, talk, treats, eating out, T.V. appearances and staying up late. Of course the whole purpose is to scrapbook.....yeah, right! It is always fun!

Home Again!

Well, the project mentioned in the former post was a homemade denim quilt. John helped me so much, or it would never have been completed! We cut 288 squares for a 16 x 18 square quilt top. It was fun to see "jeans" that were worn by our children in middle and high school. I cut about 90 squares, using the magic roller blade, but John did all of the rest. It was misery getting it pinned onto the quilting frame with just the two of us, but we did manage to do it. I tied 4 rows of square knots of red yarn, but John did all of the rest. What a trooper. We found a red and white/beige print of baseballs for the backing, which seemed perfect, since the Andersons are such baseball fans. We pulled the print over the top and sewed it down, making a nice print frame around the denim. It did turn out mighty nice. We rolled it up tightly, like a sleeping bag, and put it into a plastic bag and it fit in John's suitcase. Miracle of miracles!

I think they were surprised and pleased. Now, all of our children have denim picnic/canping quilts. If we get inspired, we may attempt to do one for ourselves. I think I gave our 40-year-old denim quilt to the D.I. a couple of years ago. My sister-in-law made it for us as a Christmas gift the first year they were married and it got a lot of wear and tear. We have loved it and hated to part with it, but it truly was time.

We watched a couple of basketball games while we were there. Lots of excitement. Lunch out with Dayle seems to be a tradition. He's the only one who orders fish tacos, however! :-)

A shopping trip to Centralia was profitable. John found flannel-lined denims, I got some black Naturalizers, and Tammy got a set of dishes. A subway sandwich later we were all "happy campers".

It's amazing how convenient travelling has become. Our only hold-up is my metal knees. Every darn time I set off the buzzer and have to be patted down. Do I really look that threatening? A grandmother of 12?? Oh, well, if it keeps us all safe, I am willing to cooperate.

It's good to be home. Next big push is preparing a dozen students for a piano recital this spring.

Where, or where are the crocuses? I am so ready for daffodils and tulips!

It's 2010!!

I hope you enjoyed your holidays and that the new year brings you many good things! We are feeling pretty healthy now, but 2009 was a medically challenging year. John's stack of bills is a bit thicker than mine, but I suppose we are each "worth" about the same!

We are excited to go to Washington to visit four grandchildren and a daughter and son-in-law that we don't see enough. It will be a much needed break and should be a lot of fun. Just hope we all stay healthy. It's a lot more fun to be together when you feel well!

John and I have finished a project that shall be mentioned on a future blog posting. It was a lot of time and work, but turned out pretty nice.

I am enjoying about a dozen students at present and have scheduled a recital for the middle of March. Will be fun getting everyone ready to play.

That's it for today.