A Keeper

I am so proud of you, John! You've worked hard over these recent years to complete requirements and training for your apprenticeship. I know you and Kelly both have been looking forward to completion (you did that a little while back) and deserve recognition from the company along with friends and family for your accomplishments. I knew from the first time I held you, you're a keeper! I love you bunches and don't say that often enough ... especially with you trying to end calls before I can slip it in. :) I do love you though and I am so proud of you!

It Didn't Work Out

I didn't realize until just a minute ago how very long we have been working on this possible land deal. Way back on August 7th I'd posted a note about it. (Maybe, Just Maybe) We did finally get confirmation this past week, they are not interested in the property. :( So sad. It would have been nice to put all this behind us.

On a brighter note, I did get a couple more updates made! Check out these posts ...
Fun at the Fair
Riding Alone
Sittin' and Strummin'
Little Fledgling

Cute Little Necklace

TJei loves going to school and she loves to learn. She certainly sees the social benefits of attending school, too. She got in trouble and had a time out for running around in the classroom. When I asked her about it, she told me Wes was chasing her. Of course, she had a smile on her face as she told me, too. Yesterday as she climbed off the bus she was sporting this little necklace; a single strand of yarn with pony beads strung onto it. She said it was a friendship necklace, her friends had added the beads.

Later in the afteroon, I took TJei and Mia over to the little playground adjacent to the ballfields. The girls were having a great time sliding, swinging, and climbing. I was sitting on the steps to the play equipment when suddenly TJei screamed out, "My necklace!" I turned to look and saw Mia at the opening for the slide and she was pointing inside the slide tube at TJei. I scrambled to the upper platform just as she freed herself from the necklace - a single pony bead had snagged in the seam where the slide attaches to the platform and a single strand of yarn had suported her weight. TJei had been hanging by that cute little necklace!

What a frightening reminder to watch for loose clothing and items on children as they're playing.

Wild Child

She's so sweet but she sure has a wild side! It's the topside, just in case there's any doubt. :) This girl has the wildest hair ever! One of Jodie's friends straightened her hair yesterday and her locks have been waging a war to get back to their ringlet state. It's a good thing her smile is so precious!

Rice Paper Wrappers

Yesterday I spent the day helping Lori learn how to can fruit and make preserves and butters for canning. This was her very first time trying to can and it went really well. She canned a couple quart jars of peach halves, eight jars of peach preserves, six jars of peach butter (which tasted awesome!) and three jars of apple butter. It was so fun to introduce these new food preservation skills to her; she is an eager learner. Lori dries fruit and her family and friends appreciate those efforts. She even gave me a bag of dried apples last fall. :)

At midday, her husband came home for lunch and while we stayed busy in the kitchen, he worked at the counter to prepare a lunch which he shared with the two of us. Yum! It was so good! He had made Vietnamese Rolls. They are similar to Chinese Egg Rolls - a wrap with meat and vegetable filling. The rice paper wrap though is a sheer translucent wrap soaked for a few seconds in water to make it pliable. The rolls are served cold, although they could probably be steamed and served warm. Either way, lunch was good and I am now trying to locate a source of rice wraps ... so anyone there in the valley willing to stop in at import stores or specialty food marts to seek out a package or two (and maybe some peanut sauce) would be doing me a huge favor. Thank you.

:)

Living Vicariously

It seems that's become my motto these days. Live vicariously through words and actions of friends and family. I have become such a homebody over recent weeks and thrill at the sight and sound of adventures being realized by others. Take for example, my friends and neighbors Christine and Spence ... oh my gosh they are living the dream right now. Mid-life hippydom, how much better could it be?

No schedule, no commitments, just travel and land where they may. They've spent time in Utah, then traveled to Hawaii for a week. All that sun and sand - they look tanned and gorgeous and then tap into a spa for a bit of relaxation therapy. Oh my. After returning to the mainland they visited their two adorable grandchildren (one happens to be mine, too!) and then visited home for a day or two. I just talked with Christine and they've changed their minds from what they thought their plans would be. Instead, they are going to try catching a bit of the fall foilage on the east coast. That would be so fabulous! Wishing them well as they continue along on their journey.

John called last night. He was picking Kelly and Baylee up at the airport. What fun for her (I'm sure there was hard work, too) to spend that time with her brother and sister in-law and their two little boys as they settled into a new home. Kelly's dad is visiting, too. He'll have all this amazing Grandpa time with little Baylee. It is so fun to visit family and I'm glad Kelly was able to take this time and travel to Texas.

When I woke up this morning, there was a photo message on my phone. Oh my stars! Felicia sent me a profile picture of her cute little belly. I can't believe she is due! I haven't seen her since before her move to New Mexico so it was a surprise to see her belly. I'm already missing the time that won't be there with baby Jayden when she arrives in the next few weeks. That picture gives me a sense of sharing in the growth of this little one.

Jacob and Maria are so good about sending digital images and little notes about Davis' accomplishments as he progresses from babydom to toddlerhood. I relish those updates and look forward to learning of his growth and development. Especially since there doesn't seem to be a chance in the near future for me to make any travel plans to spend time with little ones - just get to do it vicariously.

Monday Morning

The day is off to a good start and I'm reflecting on memories of last Monday. The phone rang and when I answered the sweetest little voice was there, "Happy Birthday, Moma." Baylee was on the other end of the line and although my birthday had been a couple days earlier, it was like that special day had bridged over the weekend - the gift of a child's voice in my ear. It was so sweet.

So Much To Catch Up On!

There is so very much I need to get sorted and get posted. I've been such a major slacker over recent weeks. Part of that time I was under the weather but still could have gotten an occasional update.

Today, I've had so very many reasons to smile and reflect on the day and those I care about. TJei has about mastered my speed dial options - she can call her mom, her grandpa, any of her uncles and even Aunt Ogie on demand. And that's just what she's done over recent days. She called Grandpa to wake him up this morning and she made a couple calls to Aunt Ogie trying to catch Bella and wish her a belated happy birthday. It didn't matter that she had left a message on voicemail for her, she wanted to talk to her little cousin directly.

I love living at this time! I love the technologies we have available to us to make it possible for little cousins (of all degrees) to share birthday greetings and tales of kindergarten. Oh how I would have loved the freedom to make calls to loved ones over the years before cell phones came on the scene - freedom from enormous long distance charges. Those bills were so tough even though I was usually limited to just a single call on Saturday mornings. It would have been prohibitive to place calls to other members of my family, just my mom and she'd share news and updates. On special occasions, I would place brief calls to other family members - extend a greeting and my love.

Now, we have cell phones. Communications are on a totally different level, especially now that many of my siblings are on the same calling plan as me (Verizon bought their provider). After the series of kiddie calls - that I didn't know about at the time, Zena called to share some sister time. That was nice. Our conversations typically cover a broad range of topics, this morning was no different. Although there were a few surprises in there, too. I had no idea she had been diagnosed with diabetes earlier this year ... and we're close. How did that slip off the checklist of things to mention?

At church today I was able to visit Hermana Goodman - newly returned from a mission in Spain. It was so nice to share a hug with her. She is the youngest daughter, youngest child of a dear friend and she attended school with my son, Jacob. It's so good to have her home and I know that her mom is delighted to have time with her again.

We're having leftovers for dinner (chicken and dumplings) so no cooking a big meal. Life is good. Someday soon I'll get around to making a few of those updates.

Riding Alone

Mia toughed it out and rode many of the carival rides by herself because TJei had teamed up with a little classmate to spend time with at the fair. Can't you just tell how concerned she was about being alone?

Fun at the Fair

TJei caught up with Peja at the fair and the two of them had fun riding carnival rides together. The two little girls are in the same kindergarten class and have quickly become friends. One week into the school year TJei boarded the wrong bus - Peja's bus - for a little detour after school. They are so cute together!