Now we 2 are 2, instead of 9 (or 32 if you count everyone!)

New Blogspot dedicated to "TREATS" YUMMY

2010-11-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

ziamountaintreats.blogspot.com

2010-11-06T19:00:00.001-07:00

12- ¼# bag 4-1# bags 3- 1.5# bags 1- 2 ½ gallon
$16.00 $17.00 $20.00 $25.00

I’m just gearing up for a December production run.

This Almond Toffee Popcorn is made from butter, sugar, corn syrup, almonds with a touch of salt. NO PRESERVATIVES.

I will begin production after Thanksgiving so it will be fresh for your Christmas Holiday. I do have limitations on how much I can produce; if you have an interest, get in touch with me right away.

If you’re thinking Thanksgiving, email me at zialady7@gmail.com. and reference popcorn, if you leave a message.
If you want me to mail the gift for you, add $9.99 and this will include a card.

Now we 2 are 2, instead of 9 (or 32 if you count everyone!): Come on you know you love it!

2010-04-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

Now we 2 are 2, instead of 9 (or 32 if you count everyone!): Come on you know you love it!

Come on you know you love it!

2010-04-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

So, last Wednesday, while driving home, Leigh comments that it was about time for me to gas the car up, as it was getting low. . .point taken. I didn't leave the house on Thursday but Friday, I went up to the school to pick up Joslin. . .I glanced at the gauge and "Holy Cow!" it was all the way over. . . so Joslin and I stopped at the station, she went in to use the restroom and I proceeded to gas up. The machine took my card, but I could not get the pump to stay on. . .it has happened to me before. . .I would gently squeeze it on and it would immediately pop off. So, I would repeat the process, pulling the nozzle out of the tank a little. . .same thing. . .I FINALLY got 1/2 gallon in after a dozen attempts, then determined "You know what, I'm taking my business elsewhere." I went in to let the clerk know that the pump on #5 was NOT working. However, there were three people in line so I told Joslin. . ."Let's just go. . someone else will have to deal with this." It was then that I realized that the gauge was all the way over to the FULL side. :( Leigh gased it up without telling me. . . Totally cracked me up. . . . So glad there were three people in line so I didn't get to explain THAT ONE to them. . . .lol

Teary eyed story

2010-02-13T16:25:00.000-08:00

Leigh shared a conversation he had with Sammy this morning.

Sam: Grandpa, when you die will I be all grown up?

Gpa: I hope you are very grown up when that happens.

Sam: Oh, good, 'cause then maybe I could say a prayer or give a talk or something.

Hmmmm. . . . .The love of a child.

Just click on the picture

2010-01-01T10:18:00.000-08:00

I still don't get how to do all this stuff. . . . click on the photo below and you will get to view all of the family.

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

What a blessing our children/in-laws/grandchildren are to us. We were fortunate to be able to get everyone here for a photo op. It was too cold to do a shot far from the warmth of the house so the boys shoveled the snow off of the deck and we did it right there. We had lots of "white Christmas" experiences for the youngsters. . .Jada would stay out in the snow for hours at a time trying to get a snowman fashioned. Unfortunately the snow was a little dry for that.

We hope that in 2010 we can work on becoming more consistent with our scripture study, family prayers, FHE and temple attendance. We know that by working on the basics that other things fall into place.

We wish you all a most properous (physically and spiritually) NEW YEAR.

Merry Christmas Greeting

2009-12-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas 2009
Leigh and Joyce Cox

We have once again been blessed with a wonderful year. Leigh was able to travel across the country with his brother Randy early in the year.
I got to turn 60 this year and what a celebration we had. Lots of “roasting” went on that night and my head ached from smiling so much. I appreciate all who came and made it such a fun night.
In May Leigh and I traveled to Indiana to visit with Kim and Austin. Above you see us at Lake Michigan shore while on an outing one day. It is a huge body of water with Chicago barely visible across the way.
Our entire trip was filled with wonderful people, sights and scenery. We made it to Valpo, Indiana, Nauvoo and then on to Adom ondi Ahman. Our visit with Kim and Austin was wonderful and they showed us many places of interest in their Valparaiso area. They joined us in Nauvoo, as well.

We met Dale and Mary Jo Christensen at a Bed a Breakfast they own at AOA. This is interesting only because Dale’s father taught me Algebra in Jr. High. He graduated a year or two before I did. They are exceptional hosts and just let me give the Marydale Inn a big plug if your travels are taking you to northern Missouri in the future.

Bryce and Anna added to their family in May. . .Avery was born a little early but she is doing great and is such a cute addition to their family. Summer took up to Idaho/Utah for a little family time, including Tommy and Jill’s wedding on July 8th at 10:00 A.M. (7/8/9 at 10).
Tommy has NO excuse for ever forgetting their anniversary J.

For a few years we have thought about having a Cox Cousins’ Camp here in Lakeside. We were able to pull it off this year when for a couple of day all the grand kids were “on-site”, with the exception of the old married grandkid. What a busy time that way. We really appreciate our children who saw that this event happened, no matter how crazy it was.

(all but Andrew, and Tommy)
We wondered outloud to each other whose great idea it was do to this!!!! When they are a little older we think it will be easier.

We had other travel plans but the H1N1 virus cancelled them. . .then Leigh’s back has been needing surgical attention so we postponed traveling until that could be taken care of. In November he went under the knife and had the operation. . .I will let the picture of his X-ray say it all.

He is doing pretty good. . . .is complying with instructions to behave for 3 months.

The year has held some challenges as well.
Caroline’s mother passed away in May after being diagnosed with cancer.
Austin was laid off at USS.
Thomas and Austin both joined the Army National Guard.
Then, Leigh’s back issues.

Quick rundown on the children:
Troy and Heidi and 3 children, still in Orem and doing well.
Eric and Caroline and 4 children live in Pinetop and are busy parents.
Becky has been caring for her 4 children who are still at home and they await Thomas’s return from Boot Camp. She works 2 days/week.
Justin and Stacy live in Queen Creek and are doing so great. Stacy is astoundingly talented artistically and Justin is taking up metal work.
Bryce and Anna and their 2 children live in Mesa. . . .Those little ones keep them going.
Katie and Donovan and their 3 children are still in Glendale area of Phx.
Kimberly is living with us while Austin finishes up his bootcamp experience.

But we are very fortunate to be here in this wonderful country and able to celebrate the birth and life of the Savior Jesus Christ. We declare Him to be our Savior and give thanks for all that enriches our lives, including the difficult times.

We wish you all a happy holiday season.
Remember the reason for the season

With love,

Leigh and Joyce Cox

Whew!!!

2009-07-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

Not only have we had visitors of the human variety, but yes, the bears are back. FYI that is a quarter next to the "gift" which was found in the middle of the driveway. We knew something was up when the dogs were raising such a ruckus during the night. The paw print was found later by Sammy and was only 10 feet away from the dog run. No wonder they were barking.

We had a nice trip to Lagoon July 1st. Becky was not going to take Sariah in, thinking she would be sort of a pain. She relented and we all found that the only crying Sariah did was when the rides were over and she had to get out of the car. . . .There was nothing she went on that scared her. Which is more than I can say for some of us:)

We even found a few dinosaur skeletons on BYU campus to "WOW" the children. This shot is a little blurry but you get the idea. A nice small area, easy to keep track of curious children in and free!!

For years we have been thinking a COX CAMP for all the grandkids would be great. Well this year we nearly pulled it off. 16 of the 17 were in town and at our place for a couple of days. The weather was terrific; the addition of three dogs to our two complicated things a little but all in all it was fun to see the grandkids get to know each other and play so well together. A BIG THANKS to Katie as she was the activities director for the games portion of the camp. Red Rover Red Rover. . . . . . BullDog. . . . .AddOn. . . . . .and let's not forget Duck, Duck Goose. Leigh and I are thinking it should get a little easier as they grow a little more. Lots of little ones this year.

Wow, It has been a while.

2009-06-18T14:09:00.001-07:00

We had a two week cross-country trip in May. Here we are in Chicago at the park by Lake Michigan (It probably has a name, but it escapes me.) Kimberly and Austin and his brother and sister in law joined us. We took the comuter train in to Chicago and spent the day in the windy city. The weather was jus right for quick walking. We went to the Museum, Garret's Popcorn , Giordano's Deep Dish Pizza place, and the Navy Pier.

The next weekend we went to Nauvoo and spent three wonderful days enjoying the kindness of the tour guides, the entertainment of all the productions they freely gave us and the beautiful spirit that was brought to us by the stories tenderly shared about a people trying to establish Zion in that land. Here you see Kimberly operating the printintg press they have on display. We also enjoyed a wagon ride, four musical productions and lots of walking tour sites. We also got over to Carthage.

Here you see Kimberly and her dad at the Carthage Jail Memorial. Following our visit there, we parted ways with Kim and Austin. They went back to Indiana and we went over the Adam Ondi Ahman in northern Missouri. I met up with a boy (now a man and his wife who operate a B & B Marydale near Gallatin, MO.) who graduated a year ahead of me in Blackfoot, Idaho. His father was my Algebra teacher in 9th grade and I had a crush on his older brother. His sister married one of Leigh's best friends from Snake River High. What a crazy small world we live in.

We returned to find our newest Grandaughter, Avery Elizabeth, who arrived a month early!! There were weight concerns early on but everything is going well now. Isn't she beautiful?

We head up to Utah next week for Tommy and Jill's wedding. I will try to do better at updating.

Finally Retired

2009-05-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

Since moving here Leigh has been collecting change in a five-gallon water bottle with the oft repeated phrase, "When it gets full, THEN I can retire." So, although he hasn't been at the hospital for a few years, he recently achieved "retirement" by the filling of the water bottle with coins. It got to be a little annoying, waiting for it to get full because he would always whine if I ever paid for anything with coins. . . .he would insist that I give them currency and obediently put my change in HIS bottle. Not a great plan because I sort of like my own stash of quarters. . .anyway. . .last month it got full and he began the BIG sort. Sammy was right there helping. I even got into the act by trying to find the 50-Quarter state set thingy. If any of you have quarters from Hawaii OR Alaska. . . .we only found 1 Alaska and 0 from Hawaii!! (We were trying to get 8 sets in all).

Hey Mother Dearest

2009-04-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to upload the song Justin did for my party. Go to Youtube.com and search for zialanelady. It is the only video that will come up. Uploading it wasn't necessarily hard. . . .it just took forever. .

Happy B-day to ME.

2009-04-05T23:02:00.001-07:00

Okay, I realize it wasn't really my actual birthday. . . . so I'm not really 60 . . . yet. However, can I just say we had the best party last Friday night? My long time friend (I've known her since Jr. High!!) Lucy Frost surprised me by coming!! You can sort of tell by my crazy face. All the kids but Troy were able to make it. Kimmy flew in from Indiana unexpectedly (No thanks to Shell Bell). There were special songs and dances and lots of laughing. We found out that 40 is about all the living room will comfortably hold! Thanks again to all who attended. I am STILL smiling!!

I may post a comedy/song that Justin did on facebook. I waited and waited for it to upload here but it would not. If you are related it will be worth all 7 minutes. . . let me know what you think!

We love our Grandkids!

2009-03-24T09:18:00.001-07:00

Grandpa's getting pretty brave in his old age. . .He NEVER lets me give him a shave. I think he is trying to "bond" with Sammy.

We had an impromtu sleepover last night when Jared (these three's baby brother) wound up in the hospital overnight because of his oxygen levels. Once again Grandpa is the man as he helped them build the tent and got the movie all set up. He even slept upstairs with them. I, on the other hand stayed up way too late attempting to better my wordtwist score.

We often wish that ALL of our grandkids lived in town. We are so thankful we get to see them all as often as we do.

We hope all of you have a wonderful Spring Break. . . . .we will be breaking later.

A few shots from the last couple of weeks.

2009-03-12T23:39:00.000-07:00

Yeah for Uncle Randy and his ride in the Semi. . . we all squeezed in . . .all 9 of us.

I didn't know I raised a cowboy, either. . . but he wasn't going to post this photo so I did. His business partners and staff donned the cowboy get-ups to participate in the POLAR BEAR plunge to raise money for Special Olympics. . .It was FREEZING that day.

Proof that SOMEBODY loves Kim and Austin since they moved to Indiana. . .Leigh and Randy spent a night with them on the cross country trip. (I want to go too.)

Man does not live by bread alone but. . . having a house filled with that sweet smell can certainly calm the troubled beast. Good Job, Heidi.

Ear plugs work!!

2009-02-21T14:05:00.000-08:00

Leigh is off on an adventure, with his brother Randy, so it is just me and the dogs and the cat . . . . and the neighbors (The Montoya Family). I went to bed late last night. I didn't lock the dogs into the house but allowed them the option of going out into the dogrun; this required ear plugs for me because the banging of the doggie door is distracting, annoying, irritating, etc. Sometime in the night I became aware of an odor. .which I didn't identify right away. I don't know when it became clear what the smell was but when it finally registered (SKUNK!!) I was perplexed how the skunk would have gotten into the dog run. As morning approached and my earplugs worked their way out of my ears, I became aware of the dogs barking. Rather than get up I just yelled at them to be quiet, which seemed to work. Long story short: The dogs' dogrun gate had been left open and Ginger and Pepper had been roaming; they had been sprayed, and by 12:30 A.M.they were barking and barking at the neighbor's house. :( Becky had to move to the back bedroom to get some relief from the dogs. Thomas suffered in silence murmuring threats against Pepper specifically. When I woke up at 8:30, I called Becky and left a message for them NOT to get too close to the dogs as they seemed to have gotten sprayed by a skunk. Then I noticed that I had 12 missed calls with the bulk of them from . . . . . the Montoyas, beginning at 12:40, 1:00, 2:05, etc. Becky didn't get my message but about 9:00 she and Thomas came down to the patio and cautiously stepped into the house. . . .thinking that something must have been terribly wrong at our house since I hadn't answered the phone and the dogs had been so persistent. Crazy night for them but a testimony to me that those 200 pair of red earplugs that I bought all those years ago wasn't such a silly purchase after all; they still work.
Sorry Montoyas.

Old Habits Die Hard

2009-02-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

For years (probably only 3 or 4) our YW made and sold Valentine Cookies as a camp fundraiser. Each year since, I make a few to give away. I had some good help this year in Joslin as she really has the knack for decorating. I was saddened to know that there are so many I would like to give them too but can't because of the distance. So check out the results. . . .know that if you were here, you'd have gotten one and make plans to come visit next Valentines so I can deliver it in person!!

I send you all my wishes for a happy Valentine's weekend. Hug tightly, those you hold dear. We all need each other.

Happy Ground Hog Day

2009-02-02T21:13:00.001-08:00

Just doing a shout out to Becky and Katie for hauling wood in for Dad a week ago.
To be honest I was a little nervous to use our stove again. You know, since we had
that chimney fire on Christmas Eve 2007. Yeah. Well, we are using it and it has
made our livingroom such a cozy, comfy place; our heating bill has been cut by
more than half . It is a little messy AND it proves difficult talking Leigh out
of the whole "charcoal starting fluid" means of fire building, I like it!!

Isn't he cute?

2009-01-29T09:10:00.000-08:00

Leigh is very agreeable to some of my Photo Requests. He ,being a horseman, helped

this time, I'm sure. We were about a block up from the fish market in Puerto Penasco

in front of a store labeled "muebles". I know what it means, just wondering if any of

you do. The time of day could not have been better for the outcome of the previous

post's shot. We were in Mexico over the New Year holiday.

New Year's Eve we watched. . . . "Ghost town" which I LOVED. The

humor cracked me up. Be advised in the opening scene the main character is talking on

the phone to his wife (a conversation you can listen to with no concern) however when he then calls his realtor you might want to mute it and just know he cancels his deal with the

realtor. Also, towards the end of the movie when the dentist has a heart to heart with his

business partner. . . .some phraseology is used that totally describes him but is not

something you would necessarily want said in your home (you can listen until he is led to the dentist chair and asked to sit down). He is told by his partner that he is a total jerk and self consumed and no wonder he has no friends. . pretty much. I watched it 3 times. Laughed everytime.

To make the NEW YEAR memorable Trudy Rawlings, Lacey Rawlings and Shanlee Finch all jumped into the unheated swimming pool at the place were were staying. Well, I got in too but a little more slowly. We FROZE. Gave me an appreciation for those folks on the jetliner who were stuck in the river waiting for rescue. I thank them for the chance to travel to that beautiful place.

Wordless Friday Who and Where?

2009-01-23T22:36:00.000-08:00

Post gift chuckles. ... . .

2009-01-12T23:30:00.000-08:00

I already shared with you Sammy's confiding in me about future Christmas present desires. . . .Probably won't influence me much as there is quite a lot of comfort in knowing EXACTLY what the grandkids will be getting. Not such a bad thing for me to deal with. For our own children this year I tole painted quilting frame stands. Okay, I admit this is not a "hot' item on most people's want list but personally I have come upon situations when I really needed a set. . . . .so. . . . in case any of them are up against that "need" in the future. . . . . waa laa. . . .they are set.

+ + + + + + + + + a few interesting conversations are listed below+ + + + + + + + +

Thomas: (the Sunday following Christmas) Mother, I forgot to thank you for the quilt stands.

Becky: Oh, my gosh, he can't keep his hands off of them. . . .he's finished 3 quilts already this week.

+ + + + + + + + +

Donovan: (To Katie as he is looking in the back of their new truck, after receiving the "gift") Hey, Katie, what's with the fence?

+ + + + + + + + +

Bryce: Mom? Remember last year when you bought me ammo for my guns for Christmas. . . . .and then this year you got us those quilt stands? Well . . . . . . . . . .I just really like stuff for my guns.

+ + + + + + + + +

Love you guys. . . I will try to think of gifts next year from your perspective. . . K?

Gramma?

2008-12-28T23:12:00.000-08:00

Sam: (While playing with the dogs at our house Friday) You know, gramma, . . . . uhm. . . remember those pajamas you made for us at Christmas?

Me: Yes.

Sam: (Silence) (Silence) Uhm . . . . . I just REALLY like toys.

Our dreams came true! A WHITE Christmas!

2008-12-24T13:51:00.000-08:00

Our niece, Sarah, visited us from Provo over the weekend. Monday night we got a good-sized storm through the area and Sarah's anticipated 6:00 A.M. departure time on Tuesday morning was pushed back until 9:00 A.M. We managed to get her stuck, the Subaru stuck. . . . .the Dodge Ram Dakota stuck. Thanks to Andrew and Tommy helping we also managed to get them all UNstuck. NOTE: She traveled safely to Provo only encountering snow when she reached University Street in Provo!!

We celebrated Eric's 37th birthday on Monday night. The grandchildren helped with the Nativity reenactment. Pretty chaotic with so many little ones but hopefully they will remember the story and remember paying honor to the birth of the Savior as a family.

Some of the children and grandchildren went Christmas Caroling with us following the dinner. It was a blustery snowy walk but we were able to sing for a family whose mother had unexpectedly passed away 1 1/2 weeks ago. What sweet feeling to try to bring a bit of the tender spirit of Christmas to a family who are so obviously grieving over their loss.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday, it left me speechless

2008-12-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

Sammy: Is this YOU grandma?

Me: Yes.

Sammy: You look really good.

Me: Thank you.

Sammy: I didn't know you could look like that.

Me: It was taken a long time ago.

Sammy: Yeah, before you got old.

Finished!!

2008-12-05T20:58:00.000-08:00

It was nearly 30 years ago when I finished my 1st nativity set. . . .This is my 8th. It is always a treat to coat them with the antiquing stain and wipe them down to a more subdued look. I was a little reluctant to decorate early this year but thanks to Leigh dragging all the boxes out last Friday, we got it done. I am not sure why I seem to fight these things but the help I am given by Leigh is immeasurable. Now, as I walk through the house and see all the festive spots of color and sparkle, I love it!!
Our Thanksgiving was very nice. A little chaotic, but wonderful, none the less. I mention chaos because, in addition to having 13 adults and 12 children, we had 3 labs and 2 shitzus. . . .(in and out of the house pretty regularly) we also had a cold wet snow/rain storm (enough for a snowman) that helped oodles in keeping the childrens' clothes and our floor . . . . . .interesting.
Leigh accepted the assignment of frying the turkey. It was really delicious but the house just missed that special aroma of turkey with dressing slowly baking throughout the day and my gravy; I wasn't thrilled with how it turned out. We had Caroline's traditional jello, which we all love, Justin handled the relish tray department, Katie brought the pumpkin roll and Becky the baked cabbage and corn dishes. . . .We were stuffed. . . .even though the turkey was not.
Now we are planning a quick trip to SLC and Provo areas. Our nephew is getting married and we are going to try our hand at attending the MTC Christmas concert. . .no. . . .we have no tickets but "Yes" we are going anyway and trying the whole standby process. I will report later.
We will have a quiet holiday, in contrast to last year when we had the Christmas Eve chimney fire episode. . .I am rather thinking quiet will be great. When we brought the decorations out this year there was still a lot of smokey smell in them. When I first noticed it I sort of freaked out. . . . .as we had started a fire earlier in the day. . . . and I was certain the smokey smell was emanating from the chimney again. . . . .I was very glad to be wrong.
We are having an Eric's B-day celebration/Christmas Caroling party on the 22nd; you know, because Eric LOVES that kind of thing. . . Well, maybe not him but I think the children and grandchildren will like it.

Sleep In Heavenly Peace

2008-11-20T08:47:00.000-08:00

I've finished by 8th Nativity Set. . . . all except antiquing. I want my children and grandchildren to know that I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I enjoy this season of the year when everyone seems to feel a need to be a little more concerned, kind and generous.

This reading is one that I got back in the '80's when Katie was a baby. I remember memorizing it and reciting it for the girls in our ward as I sat in a rocking chair with her. It is a tender piece and always helps me to remember the "reason for the season". I hope you enjoy it and share it with others. I am not personally acquainted with the author. I appreciate her words and say "Amen" to them.

Merry Christmas Jannah Lynne. .. ...Sleep In Heavenly Peace
Written by Cheryl Adams Ferguson 28 December 1974- 4-:20 am

Here am I., A mother. .
Holding to my breast an infant daughter. .
Twelve days old this Christmas Eve.
As I watch your tiny features,
The miracle of life unfolds itself
Time after time
In your slightest stirring.
You are truly a most wondrous gift.
Tiny and delicate
But full of so much beauty;
You have brought with you such a great measure of love from our
HeavenIy home.
I wish you could remember and express
The activities of preparation in the realm
From which you have come,
For surely, they too celebrate
This day of days, Knowing better than we,
the meaning of Christ's birth.
And all that followed.
As I feel you close to me I cannot help but think of Mary,
And wonder at her strength. I wish the scriptures
had given her a page or two
To share with all the mothers of the world
Those sacred things she pondered in her heart.
Having felt so recently myself the strains of childbirth,
I think of her with wonder and compassion.
How difficult it must have been
To travel on a donkey as she did
Swaying from side to side
Trying to keep her balance
With nothing to lean an aching back against.
Finally, they arrived in Bethlehem
But found no resting place
Where she could get the proper care.
And yet, ..If it were me. .
I think perhaps I would be glad of a stable.
A place apart from the rowdy folk
To privately bear the pain And bear the child.
A place of our own in the ancient land
Where we need receive only those who knew his mission. ..
And believed.
And then the child was born!!
"She brought forth her first-born son
And wrapped Him in swaddling clothes
And laid Him in a manger. .."

How thrilling it must have been for Mary
To hold, at last, the child she had been promised.
What thoughts were hers as she smoothed damp hair upon His head
And watched with awe the tiny babe upon her lap?
I wonder if she was too tired to think
But rested quietly in the bliss
That follows when the
Wracking pain is done.
And joyfully realized
She had born a son,
And wondered at the miracle of Him,
Ten tiny toes. ..
And just as many fingers,
Molded to perfection. .
Though in miniature. .
And artfully assembled In the tiny being.
What did she know that night Of Calvary
Of Golgotha Or Gethsemane?
I hope His final days were not revealed to her as yet,
That she knew only that He had a special mission to perform.
I hope she was allowed As other mothers are
The privilege of dreaming for her child,
The joy of feeling Him And loving Him
And contemplating the miracle of birth.
I hope she had the quiet moments I'm sharing now with you
The rich reward for awkwardness
And discomfort for a few months
And agonizing pain for yet a while.
I hope she could not see in His tiny hand. .
Curled tightly around her finger. .
The prints of a nail.

I hope she could not foresee the breaking of that heart ..
Beating rapidly against the rhythm of her own.
I hope she did not know the rocky sorrowing path
Those tiny feet must trod.
But wept only tears of joy
As she beheld the Son of God.
But rest content, little one,
That other babe has grown And gained the strength to Drain the bitter cup.
And though his life was roughly taken,
To His mother's joy and
His Father's glory
He was lifted up
He conquered death
And through it saved us all.
No one else must suffer As He did.
Our salvation is assured
Because that tiny babe Was born of love
Love great enough to save the world.
That is the message of Christmas Beautiful birth and
Wondrous rebirth, A gift of a son
And of eternal life.
My little daughter
Rest assured these things are true.
The miracle has occurred.
The child has been born The mission fulfilled
And all is well.
No matter what the world Outside is shouting.

This knowledge is your heritage. I give it to you,
As my parents have given it to me.
It is my anchor in a wildly crashing sea. It calms all troubled waters
And sfills my doubting, tired soul with deep tranquility.
I love you And I will keep you tight within the circle of my love,
my Darling daughter My gift and blessing From my Father.

And so this night
All warmly wrapped in Christmas glow
I thank our Father
For His Son
and for the knowledge of His great redemption.
Keep this knowledge with you.
.My little girl,
May it ever light your life
And give you hope and comfort
When I, myself, cannot.

Rest your heavy eyelids And be assured
That no matter what each day of life may bring,
You may take your troubled heart to Him
And He will still it as He did the turbulent waters
on the Sea of Galilee.

So curl your tiny hand around my fingers.
Let me feel you. . Soft against my cheek.
Merry, Merry Christmas
Little girl of mine. .. Remember Him. .
And sleep in heavenly peace.

Grounded, again?

2008-11-12T15:29:00.001-08:00

I am referring to little Samuel. Actually, I don't think he is grounded but I was worried there for a moment.
Yesterday I brought out my unpainted nativity set to work on. Sam was over so I got him a plate with brown paint on it, a brush and one of the camels (10 inches long). I told him to paint where the camel's hair would be. I wasn't sure if this would appeal to him, but as it turned out he was very engaged by this project. He did a good first coat and would have gone on to another piece if we had not had to leave the house to go eat (I took Leigh out for Veteran's Day -- by the way thank-you to all who called to thank him for his involvement with the military.) As we told Sammy that he would need to leave because we were leaving the house, he offered to stay there and watch the dogs and paint. Well, we explained that his mom and dad needed him home and it wasn't a good idea for him to be at our house alone. Maybe he could come back later and help me. (By later I meant another day, just to clarify).
We got home from eating about 7:30 or so and I immediately got to work again. I had recorded some NCIS episodes and I was just watching them as I painted; very relaxing and fun. About 9:45 Leigh headed off to bed but I wanted to finish with the purple paint. Soon the dogs started growling and I suspected a skunk. . . but then I was a flashlight and I realized it must be Becky. Imagine my surprise when Sammy appeared at the back door, without a coat with a flashlight!! He very matter-of-factly walked in, shut off the flashlight, came to the table and said, "Which one can I paint Grandma?" "Sam, it's very late, does your mom and dad know you are down here?" "Oh, no the rest of the family went to bed." "If they don't know you are here, you could be in a lot of trouble." Then, because I wanted a witness to this event, I said "Go tell grandpa 'Hi'". Which he did. Leigh then walked him up to his house, where EVERYONE was now up, scouring the house and yard for one little missing boy.
I spoke with Leigh just a while ago and Sam was visiting again so there was no grounding from grandpa's house but I'm pretty sure there will be consequences to pay.

Boo

2008-11-03T19:07:00.000-08:00

We actually planted pumpkins so the above event could happen. . .Ironically, as it turned out we only got one pumpkin to mature by Halloween and it was NOT as big as this beauty that our neighbor offered to us. Grandpa and the boys, Sam, Tyler and Ryan did us proud with their skills.

Halloween turned out to be a warm evening, in stark contrast to those previous ones in which you had to wear jackets over your outfit, etc. I stayed home to man the front door, and would have totally been stood up if were not for Tyler, Ryan, Lauren, JJ (Jared) and Caroline. Thanks to them I got to hand out something.

I spent part of last week down in Phx with KT and D's family but mostly at the condo in Sun City helping with a little project that KT has going. I really enjoyed the time there.

Well, tomorrow is election day. I have prayed mightily that the good people of this country will get to the polls and vote. I hope they have studied the issues. . . and the people. I have found it easier to "liken the scriptures unto me", as I see how easily people are swayed by the "charisma" of people. It feels that many values I hold dear are not viewed as sophisticated enough for many of the elite. I'm not sure, . . . but I feel a "pride cycle" coming on.

A wonderful weekend

2008-10-02T14:13:00.001-07:00

Fall Festival weekend happened here in the White Mountains last weekend. That normally means lots of strangers from out of town descending on our little community for a few days of "festivities". We got more out of it this year than we normally do because we planned a "final campout of the year at grandpa's house" event. Not everyone could come but most did.

With all the rain we have had the yard was beautiful. . . green and unfortunately "mosquitoey". We kept the repellant on the picnic table easily within reach so we could find it. Tasty food took on a whole new flavor when seasoned with that repellant residue sneaking into our mouths from our face. Oh, well.

The parade on Saturday morning was great with the theme being White Mountain Treasures; more meaningful to use because Tyler and Caroline were involved with the Cub Scout float, those two are treasures, indeed.

I was involved with a White Mountain Chorale performance, an event we do every Fall Festival Weekend. Show tunes, spirituals, folk music . . .a wide range of music that is fun to sing. I've been a member of the chorale for close to 18 years. I have many memories of being there on the stage awaiting a performance. I was happy my family could be there to support me in my singing that night.

I was a late bloomer in the "solo" singing department. . .well into my 40s. I received my first solo assignment from LaPreil Rhoton, the program chairman for the Relief Society birthday dinner nearly a hundred years ago. She walked up to me and said, "I'd like you to sing this song at the birthday celebration". She was very matter of fact. I looked at the music and saw it was for a solo!! I wondered if it had escaped her attention that I didn't sing solos. Then I got to thinking. . .hmmm "This may be one of those opportunities for growth I've heard about." Armed with that possibility I told her "Sure, I'll do it!" I can not tell you the bullets I sweated as I approached the piano the night of the performance. . .whew! There was an "E" that was not easily in my range and believe me I had worked and worked for it. My accompanist's family was well aware of my struggles, since a bulk of the practices were in their home. As the music approached the challenging "e" I could see my accompanist's husband standing in the back of the room. When I nailed it, he punched his arm in the air and offered a silent "YEAH!!" Yeah, I felt the Lord had blessed me with a new level of courage, a knowledge that scarey things are "do"-ble, and a voice that from time to time is capable of singing all by itself!.

Whew!

2008-09-24T21:09:00.001-07:00

With the pictures this time, I hope.

2008-09-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

During and after "Redo"

2008-09-24T21:02:00.001-07:00

Before - bathroom vanity

2008-09-24T21:00:00.001-07:00

Okay, I know that saltillo tiles don't really belong on the counter top but hey, we needed a counter top and we had tiles left over from the floor. . . Now, 13 years later we opted to "try again".

Just ckecking in

2008-09-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

We have been busy with an upstairs bathroom "redo". New cabinet, new texture, new lights, mirror, etc. You get the picture. I have decided to try casting a concrete countertop for the cabinet. I get a little more nervous each day I procrastinate. I think when I get home from work today I'm just going to do it!!! If it doesn't work, I'm out maybe $30 bucks. Then there is the problem of how to polish it. . . Youtube, can get you into some trouble, I've decided. It looks pretty easy on the computer. . . I will let you know and post a picture of the finished product.

Politically speaking, I am one of the many who have gotten a little energy back as far as the upcoming election goes. I would love to see the country embrace those values of the founding fathers. Yes, I realize they were not perfect men, but they all relied upon God and called upon Him to help them in the words they would say, write and fight for. Our freedom was given to us at a price and I am thankful to God for it and excited to see individuals who, although not perfect, are not ashamed to mention His name openly.

I want to be like Nicole!!

2008-08-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

Let me start off by saying that I have been able to visit Nicole (she's married to my nephew Clint) in three of her homes. Without exception she has a talent for decorating. Not only that, but her level of tidiness is monumental. Are you getting the picture? July found me once again taking a "tour" of their latest, newly built, home and loving her sense of style while at the same time being awe struck by the showcase cleanliness I found. I mean there are six people living in this house. What's going on?

Okay, so Nicole might be considered a "clean freak", or maybe just a gal with so much energy that she has to pick stuff up. . .A place for everything and everything in it's place. A drill I'm sure her children know by heart, based on the way their rooms were kept. I love her and wish I had some of her drive.

She and Clint have a beautiful little family, and they are certainly growing up quickly. At least my yearly visits allow for great growth spurts in the children. Nicole shared a scare she had for her youngest daughter a year ago. "We were all sitting around downstairs. This was when we lived in the farm house. Aspen went upstairs, I thought maybe to get a drink, and did not return when I expected her to. Our neighborhood was like one giant construction site at this time with sub division homes literally going up all around our little property; I had a fear that Aspen had gone outside." I knew that this story had a happy ending because, after all, Aspen had helped give me the tour this day. Nicole continued her story, "So I ran upstairs and sure enough the door was unlatched and still open, and when I got outside, there on the driveway was her little doll." When I heard this and felt the panic in Nicole's voice I sort of cocked my head to one side, felt that something was not quite right, and before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "And she knew perfectly well it belonged in the toy box!"
Nicole, stopped short and laughed and agreed, yes, she certainly knew better than to leave her doll on the driveway!!

Nicole, if you read this, know that I love you and thanks for your great example.

New Arizonans!!

2008-08-16T21:56:00.001-07:00

Question #1. Which of the 5 cars parked at a drive-in Blanding, UT, did not make the trip from Provo to Lakeside with us on July 27?
Answer: The second white one from the left!! You see, Austin and Kim moved in with us for, and I quote, "Anywhere from two months to a year". They had three vehicles and we only had one but that meant a car each on the drive home. The two of them (Kim and Austin) are recent graduates of BYU who hope to go on to graduate school at some point. In the meantime, Kimberly is getting in-house Physical Therapy experience at the hospital here in Show Low (Working for Eric's Physical Therapy Practice, and Austin is busy studying for the LSAT ?????) (I think) and applying any place he can for interim work. We have been blessed to have Austin here because we are using his skills and help on a few projects around the house this summer. To be fair, we should state how fun Kim is to have home and how her "straightening up" energy is very much appreciated; it motivates me to get busy. She is also turning into quite the little purse designer and seamstress.

Question #2: (In the second photo)Who looks like they are about 1/2 an hour from getting pulled over for running a stop sign at the intersection just before Mexican Waters?

Answer: It obviously wasn't me, because I'm not in the picture. I was told the dialog between this driver and the officer went something like this.
Officer: So where are you headed?
Driver: Arizona.
Officer: This is Arizona
Driver: Really, I didn't see any sign.
Officer: (Pointing to Arizona Department of Public Safety Patch on the shoulder of his uniform) Right here is the sign.

Okay, it was Austin. Check out the photo again and it sort of makes sense, don't you think? I guess when the officer saw that there was no way Austin was going to be able to access his "documents" (because the front passenger side of the truck was packed up to the window level with stuff and the jocky box could not be opened) so the officer just handed Austin his license and told him to drive more carefully. He's a lucky fellow, that son-in-law of ours.

Back from Idaho/Utah trip

2008-08-07T13:01:00.001-07:00

Our children were often told of the Sunday drives Grandma and Grandpa Cox would take with their children up to Wolverine Canyon after Sunday School; they would eat lunch before returning to attend church in the evening. There were stories of the horse that fell over the cliff found on the way up to the canyon. . . stories about the boys (all 8 of them) chasing through the area while their parents rested on a blanket following the simple lunch. One of their adventures took them up to "40 horse cave". Leigh isn't sure why it is named that, just that the boys used to make the climb up to it occasionally. While coming down one time they happened upon a den of snakes, rattlers. Happened upon, as in stepping among them before they realized what was happening. It scared them to death and luckily no one was bitten. To this day those often thought of "snake" jokes you can play on your parents hold no humor for my husband.

While in Idaho Falls we made the drive back up through that canyon and enjoyed the beauty up there. Leigh couldn't resist the urge to make the hike up to the cave. . .my poor choice of shoes and a portion of fear about possible rattler encounters kept me down with the car and camera.

It was a lovely day and we enjoyed it very much

Mt. Humphrey and the Bear

2008-07-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

July 12th found Leigh and Eric (along with others that Eric works with) charging up the side of Mt. Humphrey, the highest mountain near Flagstaff, AZ. They had planned this little outing several months ago and had taken the appropriate measures to get in physical condition. Caroline and I and the children were in Flagstaff, as well, but our outing was of another kind.

The maps that Eric found on-line indicated that they would probably be hiking 3.9 miles one way. They headed out to the trail head from the motel about 7:30 and thought they would return by noon or one.

Caroline and I began our outing at a beautiful city park, then moved on to a donut shop, Bookman's and a drive-by nostalgia tour of NAU campus. I say this because nearly every time I get to Blackfoot, Idaho, where I graduated from high school, I try to do the nostalgia tour for my kids in the hopes they will get a sense of what my life was like and where I lived, etc. The children were very well behaved, especially considering there was alot of the in-the-car- seat. . . out-of-the-car-seat. . . .in-the-car-seat. . . out-of-the- car-seat action. All those straps and buckles just complicate THAT whole process, let me tell you. We returned to the motel about noon and I promptly began reading my book and fell into a restful nap.

When I woke up it was 2:00 and we had heard nothing from the guys. I was thinking they could have at least called us. . I mean cell phones, . come on. I wasn't too frightened but felt a few pangs of worry. . . I'm sure it had something to do with Leigh's dream the night before in which they encountered a bear while hiking. In the dream Leigh promptly pulled his little pocket knife out, opened it up, stepped between Eric and the bear and said, "You go on back, son, you have a young family, I will deal with the bear." "Are there bears on Mt. Humphrey?" I asked myself.

Caroline and I determined that if we had NOT heard from them by 3:00 we could officially "get worried" and drive to the trail head to recover their mutilated and mauled bodies. (I don't think I actually shared Leigh's dream theory with Caroline until they were safely back.) Shortly after 3:00 we did hear from them.

Turns out that the hike was closer to 13 miles, with the first four being extremely steep. Much of the trail was littered with rocks which made for unsure footing; not shale but river rockish type of stones. . Meteorologically, they encountered it ALL: Clear skys, partly cloudy, in the clouds, hail, rain,. . . the works. But thankfully, no bears.

I'm proud of them for following through on this goal. As you can see the scenery was beautiful.

Who says it's hot in PHX?

2008-07-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

I arranged for Leigh and his boys to have a Boy's Weekend. I don't know how many times Leigh has asked why they (the guys) don't ever get to have one since I often get to go to the "Girl's Week" activities my sisters and I plan for us and our daughters. I arranged a week at our time share in Scottsdale and informed everyone about three months ago. As it turned out, none of the boys could make it; so there you go. . . I went down after a couple of days so Leigh wouldn't be too lonely. To be fair, some of the kids were able to bring their families by for a day visit or even a couple of nights stay and it was nice to share the resort with them. Kawika, Katie's baby boy, was really into the grapes and I liked this picture so I'm sharing it with you.
I hope your summer is holding a few fun vacation moments. They are wonderful.

This one's for YOU, Buffy

2008-07-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

My mother called them Forget Me Nots. . . I remember them as "those cloud cookies". Want a treat but your out of shortening. . . not a problem. . . .out of brown sugar . . . . not a problem . . . out of flour. . . . NOT a problem. The trickiest ingredient for these cookies is NOT an ingredient at all but the BROWN PAPER BAG that you are to bake them on. . . What store has brown paper bags anymore? Luckily for me I have a roll of kraft paper for gift wrapping that worked just fine.

Preheat oven to 325

2 egg whites
1/8 teas. salt
1/8 teas. cream of tartar

Beat until foamy, sort of stiff then add:

3/4 cup white sugar - slowly
1 teas. vanilla
1 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 cup of chopped nuts (optional, pecans or walnuts)

place teaspoon sized dollups of mixture on ungreased paperbag lined cookie sheet.

Time to bake may vary from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on how crunchy you want the cookies. . . . I usually like them to be a little browned and if they get too crunchy then they are a little messy to eat. . . . Let them cool completely then place in air tight container.

So, I like it, what do you think?

2008-06-20T13:38:00.001-07:00

I finally remembered to get the paint mixed and purchased. Most everyone was down with the door color being red. In fact I had only one suggestion other than red. I think I had my mind made up for A red, it was just determining which red; I took a poll and this one won. Leigh is even impressed. He has such a hard time picturing color in his mind, before we put it on anything; later he'll admit it works and he likes it.

Camping near Green's Peak

2008-06-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

We spent last week in the great out of doors. First two days we battled the wind and I mean it was CRAZY blowing. We took the dogs with us and they frolicked every day. We came across a herd of about 30 ELK beautiful. Our Grandkids joined us for a couple of nights and we went geo-caching. You can see them with the ammo box "treasure". Then, of course, the most fun camping activity. . . .sitting around the fire. The wind finally calmed down and Leigh gathered rocks, dug this pit out and here you see him enjoying it.

We most likely will go out again next year about Father's Day weekend. Not likely before. It is too much work gathering and setting up and then coming home again. I give Leigh most of the credit for the back-breaking work. He is awesome.

Miss Joslin

2008-06-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

Back in March, while visiting BYU over Spring Break, we threw caution to the wind and took a few photos. Here is Joslin, next to an interesting rock on the south side of the Museum of Fine Art. We took a few pictures at this location, then someone pointed out to us a "Do Not Enter" sign posted in front of the display. What can I say? We approached from the back and trust me, we saw no such request from that direction.

Isn't she beautiful?

Summer may be here!!

2008-06-10T06:23:00.000-07:00

I have placed a photo of our back flower/vegetable garden. . . As proof that the weather is finally warming up. We are enjoying summer and once again find ourselves in the position of having to keep a request for moisture close to our hearts and lips. We are saddened by the reports of devastation that the spring storms are wreaking across the nation. We pray for those affected to find comfort and peace and love during these difficult moments.

Now, on to more trivial mundane concerns.

I have been annoyed with my hair getting just a little too long so I took the scissors to the front a couple of weeks ago, however, the back was still too long and mangy looking (I presume, although I really don't ever see it very well). I decided that someone in my family ought to be brave enough to give the back a cut and I was right!! Surrounded by family and my eleven year old grand daughter was the bravest. (Perhaps even a little braver than I). She was very confident giving the cut. She was snipping and snipping all the while humming softly. I think she just may have the knack.

I mean, REALLY!!

2008-06-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

Talk about a blast. We have had a houseful of company and it all began last Thursday night. The only children of ours we haven't seen in the past week are Kimberly and Austin. We had 29 of our family members here plus 10 of the Scussels and 4 of the Pinkoms (Friends of Troy and Heidi's) and Heidi's sister Lisa's family of 4.

It has been a busy and exciting time. Part of the excitement came when I opened the fridge we have in the garage to retrieve the two beautiful fresh strawberry pies I had made. At first I thought that someone had wanted a piece ahead of schedule. Which, to be honest, I couldn't blame them because they were gorgeous and would have tempted anyone. Then I looked a little closer and realized that most of the first pie had been eaten. . . .then I thought, hmmm, "I think they must have eaten all of the fancy scalloped crust". Looking back on this little conversation I was having with myself, I'm pretty sure I was in denial. Upon further scrutiny there was NO crust anywhere in either pie tin but there were black dog hairs among the strawberrys. I was amazed that 1) the dog could get into the fridge 2) he could totally slick up all the crust and leave a good portion of the strawberrys unscathed, except probably for a good coating in dog slobber, which sort of resembled the glaze I had put on them. I mean REALLY!

Our dinner on Saturday night included the Scussel Family and we were able to get a photo op, mainly to let Tracy Scussel (Mother and Grandmother to many present) see what a blast she missed out on. Our yard has been blessed with business. Only one hairline fracture, that I know of. We loved it not the fracture, but the yard that holds the kids that play so hard sometimes one of them gets a hairline fracture. We have more to report but I will get to it later. I mean, REALLY, you can only handle so much fun in one post, right?

I Love My Family!!

2008-05-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

What began as week in Mexico turned into a family trip to SLC for the funeral of Leigh's brother Lloyd. It was totally unexpected and caught us all off guard. Bryce had work commitments that he was not able to get out of so he couldn't come, BUT we did leave space for him under the hat in the family picture we took at the cemetery.
We have done quite a bit of reflecting on the importance our immediate family holds in our hearts and also our place in the extended family. We know that our desire to be united eternally is not a guarantee that those ties will be in effect. We each have the responsibility to do what we know to be right to our best ability.
Leigh and I thank our family for their support of us and each other in those events that take place in our lives. We love them, we have been blessed by them, we hope they will be ours forever.

Hurrah!!

2008-05-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

My comment thingy is back!!!

Happy Mother's Day AND 40th Anniversary!!!

2008-05-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

A beautiful Sabbath Day. Temperatures here in the mid to high 70's. That is about perfect, if you ask me. We had a Celebration Brunch with the Montoya Family. I even used real plates!! Anyone who eats here often, knows that typically paper and I are buddies. I decided that 40 years called for a little class so we did it up right, plus our table fit everyone, which usually is NOT the case. I mean, with 32 family members our 8-place table doesn't work too often.

Joslin took a picture of the 40th Anniversary SMACK. We are headed down to Rocky Point next weekend for a weeks' stay down there. We are very much looking forward to the trip.

I often reflect on our 40 years together. I had no idea of what a blessing my children, grandchildren, in-laws and husband would be to me all those years ago. I walked into marriage with a great leap of faith; I did. I felt the Lord would direct me on a daily basis as we navigated our way through the years. I give the Lord credit for those successes I have experienced in my life.

End of sermon!!

2008-05-10T00:16:00.000-07:00

I am not sure how, but there doesn't seem to be a way to leave a comment on my last blog. . .which is funny, as I was hoping for some color direction with our front door. Just email me any thoughts you have.

Tonight at 9:06 (according to Eric) Caroline delivered Jared Cox. We were at the hospital when he was born. Not in the room but in Eric's office (that was an interesting turn of events, Hmmmm). Everything went splendidly and even miraculously, based on some difficult deliveries she has gone through in the past. Baby is 7# 8 Oz. and 20" long. Very healthy. Everyone is doing great.

Survey Time!!

2008-05-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

My husband has been so busy, the past two weeks. He has been caulking, scraping and painting the exterior of the house. I got recruited to do some of the trim and Sammy was a great help to me. I want to paint the front door. . (here shown in the primer white it came with a bazillion years ago). Red, seems to pop into my head whenever I consider colors. I WANT YOUR OPINIONS. . . . . Give me some ideas. One or two colors?. . . .I just need some help.

. . . .I've been trying to post a few other pictures from our BBQ we enjoyed last weekend. . . Just know that Thomas made a very handsome chef AND Sariah totally loved the potato salad.

Who wants to be my BFF?

2008-04-22T17:11:00.001-07:00

Katie, Kimberly and I had a whirlwind trip to Chicago this past weekend. I had a blast. One of the things we did to make us laugh was look at every stranger we met as our new BFF. We journaled our happenstance meeting with them. Cracked me up.

I think we wound up with 20 new BFFs. It made it a little easier talking to people, knowing that we could then add them to our book.

Above you see Penny, who I believe is from Valparaiso, IN. She is a single mother of two teenagers, a boy and a girl. They are her niece and nephew that she adopted when they were 5 and 7 (or something like that!!). What a dedicated mother she is. We had a great visit while riding on the South Shore Line which travels in to Chicago from Indiana. (We actually had a motel in Indiana. . .40 minutes south east of Chicago . . .a great bargain of a room). We had nearly 40 minutes to visit and I REALLY liked her; I think if I lived near her, we truly could have been BFF!! ((Penny, if you read this, I mean it!! Pinky Promise.))

Here we are sitting atop the Grey Line Double Decker Bus. . .We took an abbreviated tour which should have lasted 2 hours but wound up being about 1/2 hour. . . We stopped to ride up to the top of the Sears Tower and when we got back down . . the Tour Bus was gone with no others scheduled to come to that location!!! The girls tried chasing one down with me huffing and puffing, but to no avail. In spite of this, we totally loved our experience on foot in downtown Chicago.

Tomorrow we leave for Kimberly's BYU Graduation!! Now, THAT makes me feel . . . . .proud, happy and a little old.

Fifty What!!

2008-04-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

This is my husband in action. We played a few little games following lunch today and I caught him going to some length to "get-that-ball". I showed it to Eric and suggested we make a poster out of it for hisPT office. Then when Leigh goes in for an adjustment, Eric could use it as a visual of things to avoid, if you don't want your knees and back to hurt. Actually, Leigh loves seeing the yard being used by the children and grand children and he loves to help them improve their skills. He couldn't be happier than when out in the yard with the kids.

I know, it just doesn't seem right that time marches on, but it does. It was a crazy week so we got together this afternoon for a birthday dinner/cake/icecream. I had lots of help blowing the candles out, which proved to be pretty funny because they were the non-extinguishable kind and they kept flaring up again. I got more than a little "raspberry" splatter from those cute little boys. We did not actually have the candles on the cake (but sliced bread), which was a good thing, as there was too much spit flying trying to keep them blown out. The cake, which Joslin baked was hot from the oven and we didn't want to risk the candles melting all over it.

We enjoyed a nice Stake Conference this morning and enjoyed the speakers very much. We received a challenge to involve ourselves in service to the community more often, with no expectations. I see that as good advice.

Quick catch up

2008-04-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

We did spend Easter up in Utah with our oldest and youngest children. We actually stayed at Kim and Austin's. I cooked some stuff for her since they both are so busy with work and school. I'm glad they found it tasty. Becky and Tom were in Orem, as well. What a fun time we had.
The week prior we spent a little time with Hampton (bearded dragon), Daisy (big dog) and Cocoa (little dog) at Justin and Stacy's while they were on a Greek Vacation. I have some pictures and will try to get some on the blog later.
We have SPRING and Leigh has been so busy working out in the yard. It has really paid off as it looks so nice. We replanted some Iris and hope they will pull through for us.
On May 17 we will be traveling to Rocky Point. We are looking for up to four people to come and spend a little time with us from the 20th to 23rd if anyone is interested. Justin and Stacy will be with us for the first few days. We hope it is warm.

From the mouth of a child

2008-03-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

So mom and dad left today from Utah... they had a good time here (as far as I could tell). I am sure mom will post some pictures when she gets home. I just thought I would drop in and say hello because she forgot to sign out of her blog on my computer! I accidentally posted on someone's blog under her name! Anyways, Austin and I enjoyed having them here. I just ate some more of the breakfast sausage gravy she made for us! Yummy!

Thanks for coming Mom and Dad! We love you!

(Don't worry mom, I will sign out now) :)

Kim

2008-03-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

Friday , March 14, 2008

I have been Tagged once!!!!! Thanks Wendy!!

(Your assignment is to write 7 random facts about your life.)

1. About a year ago my sister Elsie and I got into a little mischief at Katie's house after her family had gone to bed for the night..we found her camera!! Took the pictures that night then left the next morning. It was fun.

2. I enjoy the t.v. shows-- Medium, Extreme Makeover, lots of HGTV design type shows and the CSI/Law and Order stuff. Man, is that ALL I do . . . watch tv? (In my defense, with tivo I don't watch all the commercials or all of the show in the HGTV just the beginning and the reveal!!)

3. An elementary school memory . . . A friend and I (Christine Anderson) dressed up like we were going for a ride in a "tin lizzie" (big dust coats and goggles). We sang "Come away with me Lucille, in my merry Oldsmobile. . . . Down the road of life we'll fly. . . .automobubbling, you and I. To the church we'll quickly steal . .. then the wedding bells will peal. You can ride as far as you like with me, in my merry Oldsmobile." As we were singing this, a classmate was pulling a wagon across the stage that we had decorated with cardboard to resemble an old fashioned car!!!

I was also a cheerleader inthe 5th grade. Crazy.

4. The Flinstones were the rage when I was a child. . I must have really liked them. I have a picture of me, as a high schooler, with my hair pulled up in a "Pebbleisque" ponytail on the top of my head with a chicken-leg bone pushed through it. Oh, man. Was I da bomb or what?

5. One of my biggest pet peeves is not being able to retrieve my messages from the cellphone. I've never learned how. . .How lazy is that? I just talked with my daughter and she told me I don't even have my voicemail box set up. . . so, that explains it.

6. My best friend hmm. . . that's a good question. I may have an opening for that position. . . submit your application ASAP.

7. I'm not sure what fears I have. . . I am NOT excited at the prospect of skydiving and don't even have it as a "PLAN", although I did go on a glider one time and was perfectly at ease during it.

I tag Donna, Bonnie, JoAnn, Kathy, Elsie, and various others.

8:31 PM 0 comments

Some of our Grandchilcren with Christmas PJ's

2008-02-29T13:37:00.000-08:00

Finally, I actually made this post from my computer. I know Christmas PJs is old news but perhaps not to all of you. Troy's family was not able to be here with us so their three children are absent. The flannel is big green frogs with pink heart-shaped lips. . . with extra pink hearts flying all over the place. It was the year to use fabric that the boys might not be thrilled with. . .My perogative, I guess.

Traitor

2008-02-29T13:35:00.000-08:00

On Thursday of this week we (Our Ward Enrichment Book Group) invited Sandra Grey, first time author of the book TRAITOR, to speak with us here in our home. Here she is shown on the right with Sandi Brimhall. We all were very impressed with her historical novel and found her to be a very charming individual.
She lives in St. John's, AZ and made the hour drive over to speak with us. I recommend the book and would like any feedback you would like to share.

Ta Dum

2008-02-25T09:47:00.000-08:00

Leigh and Doug Stanger were busy, Friday and Saturday getting the flooring in.We are very happy with its looks. Now we can start moving things from the garage back into the house. We are one step closer to having a Livingroom back.

I Hope They Call Me On a Mission.

2008-02-25T09:44:00.000-08:00

We were able to have the Elders over for supper last Monday nightalong with a trainer from the valley. For some reason this sitiuation presented itself. Sammy, holding his own in conversation with the three. I was able to catch the moment and wanted to share it with you.

2008-02-20T19:44:00.000-08:00

This was taken a week ago. Leigh shoveled every 1/2 hour to try and keep up with the downfall. Even at that the part of our deck that is constantly shaded wouldn't clear down to the concrete. That little stretch gets so icy that no one wants to brave it to come and see us.Last Saturday Leigh was finally able to get all the snow and ice removed. . . We are not awaiting a possible storm Thursday of this week. We are anxious to see Spring. . .as selfish as that sounds.

2008-02-20T19:41:00.000-08:00

So, this is the new wall color we have in the LR. I am getting accustomed to the richer color. It was a good call that Becky made in suggesting it. What do you guys think?

Big thanks!!

2008-02-16T17:44:00.000-08:00

Many "Big Thanks" come to mind this week.

The biopsy was not malignant, however, there may still be surgery in my future, depending on what the doctor decides. I appreciate all the thoughts and prayers that were offered in my behalf.

Our drought-ridden Lakeside has been the recipient of lots of snow in the past week. It is just lovely to walk outside on a post snowstorm day. Everything is enveloped in the sparkly white. I've thought often of the line from "The Wintry Day, Descending To Its Close" (a little sung but very powerful hymn) "as though, twere Nature's hand had spread the pall, a symbol of forgiveness unto all." The atonement wipes our sins away. A beautiful truth.

My daughter Katie has posted pictures from her computer to our blog!! I appreciate that. I'm pretty sure my computer will work if I just get the correct settings on my control panel somewhere. Until then, I can email them to her and she will take care of it.

Those a just a few of my thanks. Have a great week.

And this is ????????

2008-01-29T22:10:00.000-08:00

We spent the weekend down on the valley with Justin and Stacy. We had a little pizza party with Thomas and Becky's family. The highlight was seeing the cute puppys of Cocoas; two tiny black things. Saturday was State wrestling tournament for Jr High. Andrew was awesome. He took 4th place.

We learned from Eric that his little boy, Ryan, had experienced a seizure early Sunday morning. They were taking him to the hospital as they called us. By the time we got up on the mountain Ryan was nearly back to normal. All the tests, to date, have been clear. We are so thankful for all those who petitioned the Lord in his behalf.

My picture of the week is a guessing game. This photo was taken in the past 2 months here on our property. Just wondering if anyone out there can figure it out. This whole guessing thing could become an integral part of my blog, since things can be pretty slow around here.

Maybe this will work

2008-01-24T22:07:00.000-08:00

I have my photos in picasa. By going to them it gives me the option to "blog this".
"This" happens to be our livingroom after the fire department put out the smouldering material early on the morning of 12/24/07, but before the other smouldering material was found 8 hours later by Thoms and Leigh. The livingroom looked much the same even after the second finding. I actually think the firemen did a good job of keeping the mess under control. I commend them.

Hmmmm

2008-01-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, just so you know, Leigh's computer uploaded the picture just fine. Nevermind that his computer has absolutely no pictures relating to our family on it. I think the blue hills are soothing.

I may have posted? Who knows?

2008-01-23T07:02:00.000-08:00

I haven't figured out the photo uploading function. . . It can't be that hard cause EVERYONE else does it. . . Hmmmm.

Following our blessed* chimney fire on Christmas Eve things are getting back to normal. We took the opportunity to repaint and put new flooring down. I have even managed to talk Leigh out of the pool table and quite possibly the television bracketed to the wall!!! A livingroom again. What an idea.

*I call it blessed because thank goodness we didn't follow through on an idea we had to scoot up to Provo to see Troy and Heidi that day. We were here to smell it and call it in. They came (firemen) tore down part of the ceiling and pulled out the insulation that was smoking, hauled it out in to the driveway and put it out with water from the truck, then left when it was all done. However, nearly 12 hours later, when Thomas and Leigh returned to wrap up their afternoon's work of rewiring some romex that had burned through, another "hot spot" was detected, still smoldering. Once again the fire department was called. So, I think of that day as messy but blessed. Another reward of that event is that I'm all over getting rid of junk now.
For instance, since we could have lost EVERYTHING, I am able to let go of the church magazines we have been carting around since 1977!!!! Not that they are "junk" but they are so available on line that there is no need to hang on, you know what I mean? I did keep the May and November issues. . . .felt good about that, if we ever lose the power we at least have those to read!!