Today is Sheyla's Birthday! Boy, do I miss her!
She only has about 6 more months till she comes home!
Yesterday we got a box that she sent. She had a bunch of planners, a few small boxes and a photo album. So, Jeff helped me scan these pictures. The pictures are adorable. I love the color they put in there.
Sheyla is sounding better, even though she still struggles (who doesn't). She sounds more upbeat and happy!
I just finished planting vegetables in my parents planter boxes (no picture taken) and our long and narrow garden (it was pre-existing and easier to keep than make a whole new one). There are a few people that can grow wonderful gardens up here where we live but it is a challenge. Jeff used our old dog run and extra fencing to complete the fence around the garden (do you know how expensive fencing can be?). It has to be that tall because we have a ton of deer up here and they love to eat plants. The boys have worked hard to get the gardens ready. I haven't ever been much of an outdoor gardener so this is really an experiment. I also used my parents planter boxes because my dad now works full time and doesn't have the energy or the time to do it himself and it's a shame to waste the garden space. I am determined. I just hope the vegetables cooperate. I now need to get some cheap tomato cages. And it's only after 12 noon!
We have many many beautiful iris's in our yard.
We have had one less car than drivers and Jeff has been riding his scooter most days to work, so it hasn't made much difference. But, if it rains or for any other reason that it's not safe for Jeff to ride his scooter to work, we'd be stuck. Oh, we could finagle it somehow. It just wouldn't be convenient. Well, Jeff's parents had a third car and Jeff asked them if we could buy it from them. They offered to give it to us. However, they did need a laptop computer real bad and didn't know how they could pay for it. So, on Monday, Jeff bought a laptop computer for them at Sam's club and they gave us the car. I know we got the better deal. I took it today to get the emission tested and it passed, so we can finish registering it in our name. I didn't know that St. George people didn't have to get the emissions tested for their cars. Don't they have an environment down there? Anyway. We are very grateful for this needed and unexpected gift. It's a 1991 Mercedes. It's very well cared for and beautiful. Jeff's dad is quite the handy man and therefore, it is in great shape. I think this makes us cooler than we are without it. Lucky and blessed us!
We have lived here for almost 9 years and I am almost embarrassed to say that this is the first time I made something with rhubarb. Almost embarrassed because I don't ever pretend to be much of a cook, baker or home-maker. Almost embarrassed because I should be an expert by now with the 10 plants of rhubarb that we have in our garden. I must say: I didn't plant it, rhubarb doesn't require much upkeep other than watering (I think I have added some turkey mulch a couple of times) and I don't remember ever having rhubarb before last year when a neighbor made me some jam (made with rhubarb from my own garden). Rhubarb is one of the few things deer won't eat, that's one reason why rhubarb flourishes where we live. I have shared rhubarb with a neighbor and another neighbor is on her way to get some now. Anyone is welcome to have some!
A week ago I found some amazing recipes on a website called www.5dollardinners.com. I have tried a few recipes from this site and appreciate how detailed the instructions are. If you love rhubarb you must check out her site and if you don't like rhubarb you still should check out her site because it was only one days worth of recipes. She has some great ideas and recipes that are cheap to make, and is now in the process of writing a book. She inspired me to finally try making something with Rhubarb. Even though, in the past, I have actually clipped good looking Rhubarb recipes from pretty magazines, (that's as far as I got).
Today I made Strawberry Rhubarb Jam and Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble! I haven't tried the jam yet but the crumble turned out yummy, if I do say so myself (and I do)!
Today is Memorial Day. Sad to say we didn't decorate any graves or visit any veterans. But we did spend the day mostly with family, my parents and Jeff's parents and three of our four kids which is a nice way to spend any holiday.
Last year, Jeff and I got to go to Kauai and Oahu for the very first time in my life. I absolutely loved, LOVED the trip! I have always wanted to see Pearl Harbor. It was a very touching and sacred place. I appreciate all military men and women that sacrifice so much to serve our country, past and present. We had a short boat ride to the USS Arizona site and I was able to capture (only in picture) these two handsome and brave men during our tour of Pearl Harbor.
Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations, that we have forgotten, as a people, the cost of a free and undivided Republic. John A. Logan
And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier's tomb, and beauty weeps the brave. Joseph Drake
Davis is mowing the lawn.
We rented a wood chipper for two hours. Jeff and Chris worked the most. Davis worked pretty hard and I helped a bit. We had piles and piles of branches from the scrub oak. We are only about 3/4 done cutting them down. Jeff and Chris got a yard of topsoil and filled a long planter. They all have worked very hard today.
I love Spring and it's almost summer!
We got an e-mail yesterday from Sheyla. She said words like Awesome, Fantastic, So Much, and Excellent! She had a flu last week but sounded better and that it wasn't the end of the world. Wow. She looks Awesome, Fantastic, Excellent and so Beautiful!
I had a hard time believing I would be able to make this. But, I did! There is no way I could have made it without the teacher. She was a great teacher and there was only two students. I was so stressed about cutting pieces and putting it together. I was almost in tears, which is silly. The teacher let me come in early and she cut the strips. She was so very helpful and kind. I'm going to have to try to make more. Or at least, take more classes. I made plenty of mistakes but I'm pleased with the outcome, none-the-less! Yeah me!
After I ironed and tenderly, hung up the last shirt last night; I could have done a victory dance to the majestic and moving music of Rocky. If you don't understand all that I'm talking about--check it out here.
The man we bought the house from was a retired professor. He was also a master craftsman and made many things in the house: including doors, built-in bookshelves, a built-in china cabinet, bathroom and kitchen cupboards, wall paneling and anything in the house that is made out of wood. My husband said when he walked in the door, he knew it was ours and that the house is a "National Treasure". It is a remarkable house and we are lucky to have found it.
The man had text books in ALL the bookshelves. I have a lot of books, but in these shelves it doesn't seem like a lot. We have games and puzzles on this short wall. It makes me smile to look at all those games and puzzles. We've had a lot of fun with those games and puzzles over the years. Some have been given to us as gifts. Some we bought at the dollar store. Most we have accumulated over 23 years.
Is it so small a thing
I have found life an enjoyable, enchanting, active, and sometime terrifying experience, and I've enjoyed it completely. A lament in one ear, maybe, but always a song in the other.
At the end of last summer I took Davis to a local shop and we bought two gold pans, a scoop, a book on panning for gold and a tiny, tiny glass jar to put any gold that we found. Then we went up to Spanish Fork Canyon and went to a river (that is not known for gold) and panned for gold.
Of course, we didn't find any. But look how beautiful it was and we had fun trying. He was hooked and wanted to try more and more. See here for his previous obsession.
So we decided the next day to go to American Fork Canyon (because it is known for finding gold). We think we found tiny, tiny flakes (the eye can hardly see) of gold and put them in our tiny, tiny glass jar. Davis was hooked further and we took Jeff and Grandpa the next day and took a picnic to roast hot dogs.
The first picture is from American Fork. The other three are Spanish Fork. Well, we have gone almost a whole winter without hearing much about panning for gold. The last few weeks have been a daily bombardment of ideas, things he learned from the Internet, when can we go panning for gold, and can we make this to help us find gold? He made a modified sluice box out of things he found in our garage and proceeded to try to find gold in our yard, with our hose and just the dirt that he dug up. He talks about it every day. Our first gold panning trip of this year will be on the 22nd. He has a field trip that day but he hates going to amusement parks (it is near torture for him with the noise, the crowds, and the jerky rides). I told him I will take him to pan for gold that day instead. I told him we will schedule many days throughout the summer so that he can pan for gold but we will do other things too. He is a teenager on a mission. He had me find and print up a map of American Fork Canyon to give to the bus aide. He talks with most anyone that will listen, about finding gold. We have tried to instill in him that we most likely won't find enough gold to make money and that it's the experience together and beautiful surroundings that we can enjoy.
One of the treats of Mother's Day was the fact that Sheyla was able to call and talk with us for an hour! It is a peculiar phenomenon about missionaries that they only get to call on Christmas and Mother's Day (Sheyla has mercifully been able to call several times when she was really struggling). Understandably, missionaries would be distracted if they called home frequently. Sheyla sounded fabulous! She excitedly talked about the two baptisms they had recently. She talked about her TWO companions and how great they are. She giggled frequently. She said she loved us, twice!
These beautiful, pink tulips are from our garden. I love how the sun catches the bottom of the vase through the glass. Magical!
I signed up for a class for next Wednesday, to learn how to sew a retro apron! We are making the one on the left. I picked out the material (with help from the most friendly sales clerk--she called me love--she wasn't even British--and I'm sure I'm older than her--how cute is that--it cracked me up), thinking I will make this sweet apron for Britni. They told me I have to cut the fabric out before I go (I am a bit nervous about that). They also told me that we will finish it the same night (I am really excited and somewhat skeptical, about that)!
There is no way on the face of this Earth I would be able to think about making this on my own. Maybe with taking more classes I can actually get better! How cool would I be if I could make another one on my own! Inconceivable!
Britni copied this picture, matted it and framed it very nicely for me for Mother's Day. She said she wanted to do this because it is where it all began. Very sweet. When we got married my family didn't have much money. My dress was worn by my two older sisters for their weddings. My oldest sister had changed it some when she got married, second. We didn't have enough money for a professional photographer so we had our two brothers-in-law take our engagement pictures and wedding photos. I do love this picture. We are so young and sweet.
I wanted to make some burp cloths for my niece (in addition to buying a few other presents) for a semi-baby shower we had for her yesterday at my parents house. Jeff had asked me several times what I wanted for Mother's Day. I really didn't know. But on Thursday I had an epiphany while I was thinking about sewing these burp cloths. Britni is the one that has a sewing machine and sad to say it is not a great one (we bought it at Wal-mart one Christmas for her and it was fine at the time). Jeff had actually bought me a sewing machine long ago that was put through the ringer with all of using it and just a few years ago we gave it away. Anyway. My epiphany was: to ask for a nice sewing machine. It didn't need to be the best but it would be nice to get a really decent one. So I told him. He was excited that I told him something that I wanted and then he was on a quest. He did get me a very, very nice sewing machine (not the top of the line, but it is nearly that). I don't know how to sew well. It came with six lessons and I want to learn. I did sew three burp cloths. The cloth glided back and forth easily through that machine. The end product isn't great but decent for cleaning up baby vomit.
Here are only two of the many engagement pictures that Britni and Adam took on Tuesday. They are amazing. Both the pictures and the kids! Britni also picked up her wedding dress yesterday, so she was very excited and we set it up in her room and covered it with sheets. She has an apartment somewhere else so she only sleeps here occasionally. She has come over for dinner the last two nights! What a treat!
Sheyla sent us a short e-mail today with this picture. In the few short words she wrote, it gives me hope that she is well and mostly happy. I say mostly happy because everyone has ups and downs and missionaries seem to have them in extremes, at times. She has struggled much but hopefully she is over the worst part. She is working hard and sounds better than before. For Mother's Day she is allowed to call and talk for an hour! I also got a Mother's Day card from her today. These things make me so happy! I really do miss her.
I am lucky to have a sun room. There are windows everywhere and the view is amazing of the surrounding valley and mountains. We bought the futon about 12 years ago. At the time we were living in our tiny house in Florida. We had three bedrooms and each had two people sleeping in them. We knew that we wouldn't have frequent out-of-state visitors but we knew at least both our parents would come and visit us. So we bought the futon. We had a kitchen and eating area that was close to being a family room. It had plenty of room for our table and six chairs, three bar stools, and a three part bookshelf that I prayed to find and I did for $45 at a garage sale. Anyway. The futon fit nicely against a wall and when people came over we had plenty of room for people to sit on the futon or chairs at the table or counter and we gathered together, the kids played or did homework and it was cozy. When either of our parents visited they slept on the futon. There wasn't any privacy but no one complained. I loved that room. It almost reminded me of an old fashioned kitchen with a bed in it. Although, our room wasn't that crowded and the futon looked more like a couch.
We bought these wicker chairs in Florida about 12 years ago too. I just bought fabric to cover the cushions and pinned it together. No sewing. The pillows came with the futon cover.
I bought some fun fabric at Joanne's and with my handy staple gun recovered these seats. I know, no awards for decorating but this room makes me happy!
Semi-proof that I'm capable of having a clothes-free chair.
Sometimes when I am feeling really overwhelmed or I'm reading a really good book, I let the laundry go. I keep up with getting the clothes clean, because that's easy. I slack on folding, ironing (or not) and putting away.
