This is not a resolution . . .

. . . it is another new beginning.  I will put the same kind of ticker in my side bar to track my path to better health.  Once again, I am tired of feeling like this, tired of having nothing to wear with a closet full of clothes (that I am too big for, again) and tired of being tired.

I have tried to start this week by cubing my grazing, munching and just being kind of DUMB.  It has already made a difference.  Two pounds off, heart burn letting up and less bloating.  First baby step, the way that seems to work the best for me.  Slow and steady.

Summer is on its way and time is wasting, here I go again.  At least there is only ten pounds to lose again . . and then on to new territory.

DECEMBER 2011

We had fun running across town to for Brianna's first concert with her little girls' Choir.  the girls were so cute and on their way to lots of talented performances!














After this was the attempt to get a picture of all the girls.  As usual, Lynneah was not impressed!

 A quick pic of all the grand kids at one time.  They sure had other things on their minds!  But gave us the best they could.
Variety is the spice of life, and these little stinkers sure give it to us.  Love them so much.  Jon, Sarah and I were all getting over the stomach flu so the kids had to stay away from us.  That was hard.  We ended up with Lynneah on my lap, but there is a good chance she was one of the ones who exposed us all to it.

Next the kids opened the gifts from our name drawing/gift exchange.  It was pretty hard as Lynneah went first, well kind of.  She never did really tear the paper on her gifts.  Lincoln was next; no problem with the tearing into the package.  Tatianna was next and was pretty excited  to get "just what I wanted"!

FINALLY . . . it was Garrett's turn.  We worried he would get a hernia before he got to go to town!   He has always LOVED Cwisamus!  So glad he still does!


Next it was Arianna's turn for a doll that looked kind of familiar . .




. . . and then finally it was the "biggest" boy's turn. Gabriel likes claiming the "oldest grand child" title well enough, that he doesn't seem to mind the wait.  Funny kid.









Baby Neah was busy toddling around the whole time and just being cute, cuddly and her own little self.  Such a joy to watch.  I get hit with a little emotion so often watching her as she develops her own little way in this big old world.  In a couple of months her little world might be turned upside down when she is no longer the baby.  Should be interesting!  BTW, take a look at the little Buddha belly on the little miss.  Her pants are usually at half mast with it pushing them down . .  she and the little . .  thugs wanna-be's running around.  Hang a chain on her and she'll fit right in . .  hmmm, that gives me a funny idea.  Have to think about it!

Getting  late and I'm tired, finish the rest of the month another time.

First a disclaimer:  I am not an expert on quilting.  I have learned a lot of why they do, what they do, on quilting shows.  Since I have not been able to manage much in the way of quilting classes, I am truly flying by the seat of my pants in making this quilt and by learning things the hard way, I am learning to do it the easy way.

I'll be doing a post on my blog and adding to it as I go along on this second side to share and perhaps make it easier for others.

I must admit though, I think the first thing is to take some good quilting classes!!  Some day, soon, it will happen.

As I go along, I will just add to this post to keep everything in the correct order the easy way.

First let me share the first side of the quilt.  It is made with a Thomas Kincaid panel which was a lot smaller than normal.  So I put the smaller ones in the corners.  The ones at the top will get covered with pillows, so I wish I had thought of that before I did the design.  Live and learn.

I was constantly adjusting.  Should have squared up all of them before I started sewing.  Would have eliminated many headaches and save many hours.  I expect this second side to lay together better since the first thing I did was to square up the one panel that will center the quilt.

I was not as far sided as I had hoped.  The two small panels at the top will be covered by pillows eventually.  Now I wish I had thought to have the smaller panels off the corners of the main one in the middle.  It would have made it easier to tie through all the layers at this stage as well when it came time, without having them ending up in strange places.

As I sew each border, I will square it up before measuring or cutting the next border.  It should lay better and have no pulling that has to compensated for.  Pictures coming in a couple of hours.  I also iron, iron and iron.  this is such an important step to any kind of sewing that gets skipped so often.  As each strip is added, I press the seam over, using steam, to make sure it is set.

1:39 p.m.

I can not believe how much easier this first border is going in.  It is the same as the pink shiny border in the first side.  You can tell what problems I had with it.  Some of the shading is from not laying flat, some is from having trouble keeping the two pieces together.  I have had to square  the strips a couple of times, but it is paying off!

10:25 p.m.

I am just amazed at how much better this sides is going together.  I have realized that either, I still can not measure straight or  I can't count right or something.  It is turning out too big and I still have one more border to put in to get the Bippity Boppity Boo fabric incorporated into the Cinderella side.  So once again, I need to re-figure and be flexible to get it done.  Sigh.

I love watching the quilt/sewing shows on PBS.  I have even been recording them so that I can refer back to them.  Last Saturday the show that has the mother/daughter team on it, was discussing how techniques and methods have changed since rotary cutters have come along.  They have made it so much easier to make accurate cuts which can result in much more complicated designs.  So true!!  The correct equipment has been a life saver, no doubt about it!  

Gifts, What Are They?

As I sit here and see the same commercials that have been playing for weeks now, I am kind of taken back over the years.  I have always liked to spend time on gifts.  I think of the recipient and reminisce.  It can be such a pleasant experience.  All the glitz and glamor on the commercials can't hold a candle to spending time with someone you love.

Time is such a rare commodity;  so hard to find.  It taxes your mind, thoughts, energy and strength.  But that is OK.  I pays off in the end.  At least we hope it does!  Sometimes it can be a bust, but the giver has already received his/her gift.  That can't be taken away.

So here are the last of the pictures of the infamous quilt.  I have fretted, redone, picked out, restitched and yes even cursed a bit on occasion.  But it is a done deal.  I learned a lot of what to not do and then what to do.  Made a new resolution to get myself into the quilting classes I have wanted to take for years; and will finish them this time.  Reinventing the wheel is such a waste.  It is a foolish person who doesn't learn all that they can where ever they can. Who thinks that they can learn all they need from one person.  Everyone has something to teach.  How sad to miss opportunities to gain new knowledge by being foolish.  I don't want to be a foolish person.

This side lent itself to the tying.  I was pretty comfortable
with it.  Though it would have looked great with some
quilting around the central parts of it.

I really detested the tying on this side.  I was stuck, so
have to live with it.  There were more embellishments
I could have been added & made it more Victorian, but not suitable for two little girls!

There are lots of little details on the Snow White side that I love.  After I did the little fern stitching to set the little roses on, I realized it would have been even prettier if I had used a double needle with a multi- shaded green thread in one of them.  Lesson learned. Those crazy little roses are still showing up here and there.  They must have sprouted feet and crawled into corners to come out and surprise me at random times.

I will never try making one like this double sided again.  The ties take away from it, especially on the Snow White's side.  I am also concerned about when it needs to be washed.  A pretty delicate piece of work.

The Doll House Curtains are finished.  I do believe they have driven me over the edge!  Took all day, even after starting them last night.  But they are done and now it's time to get back to work on purging and creating a place of organization, peace and at least a little sense.  A gift to Jon and me, just because we deserve it.  Hope it can be done peacefully . . . ah hem!

Do You Want A Donut?

Brother Christianson taught Seminary. He had an open-door policy and would take in any student that had been thrown out of another class as long as they would abide by his rules. Steve had been kicked out of his sixth period and no other teacher wanted him, so he went into Brother Christianson's Seminary class.

Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just seconds before the bell rang and he would sit in the very back of the room. He would also be the first to leave after the class was over.

One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. After class, Bro. Christianson pulled Steve aside and said, "You think you're pretty tough, don't you?"

Steve's answer was, "Yeah, I do."

Then Brother Christianson asked, "How many push-ups can you do?"

Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Brother Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"

Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time."

"Do you think you could?" Again asked Brother Christianson.

"Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," Brother Christianson said. Steve said, "Well... I think I can... yeah, I can do it."

Brother Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room.

When class started, Brother Christianson pulled out a big box of donuts. Now these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited-it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend.

Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want a donut?"

Cynthia said, "Yes."

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"

Steve said, "Sure," and jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Bro. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk..

Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe do you want a donut?"

Joe said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut.

And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, till Bro. Christianson came to Scott.

Scott was captain of the football team and center of the basketball team. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When Bro. Christianson asked, "Scott, do you want a donut?"

Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"

Bro. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?"

Steve started to do ten pushups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"

Bro. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Bro. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.

Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"

Jenny said, "No."

Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?" Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut.

By now, the students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also having to really put forth a lot of effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he did ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve closely. Bro. Christianson started down the fourth row.

During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat along the heaters along the sides of the room. When Bro. Christianson realized this; he did a quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Bro. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"

Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You can do them any way that you want." And Bro. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!"

Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."

Bro. Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him."

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in."

Bro. Christianson said, "Okay, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"

"Yes."

"Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?" Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those seated on the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very popular. Bro. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda. Then Bro. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?"

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked, "Bro. Christianson, can I help him?"

Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, he has to do it alone, Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?"

As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Brother Christianson turned to the room and said, "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, pleaded to the Father, "Into thy hands I commend my spirit." With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he collapsed on the cross and died. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."

Now that I am beating myself up just a bit; at how often I leave that donut just sitting there, not taking a bite, not even a nibble, I hope that this will stay in the front of my mind and deep in my heart as I finish my preparations for celebrating the Savior's birth.  The New Year is also coming so soon.  I hope that this story will encourage reflections that will help preparations for the new year and stepping out and forward and upward.

Piecing a Quilt, the Easy Hard Way!?!?!

First a disclaimer:  I am not an expert on quilting.  I have learned a lot of why they do, what they do, on quilting shows.  Since I have not been able to manage much in the way of quilting classes, I am truly flying by the seat of my pants in making this quilt and by learning things the hard way, I am learning to do it the easy way.

I'll be doing a post on my blog and adding to it as I go along on this second side to share and perhaps make it easier for others.

I must admit though, I think the first thing is to take some good quilting classes!!  Some day, soon, it will happen.

As I go along, I will just add to this post to keep everything in the correct order the easy way.

First let me share the first side of the quilt.  It is made with a Thomas Kincaid panel which was a lot smaller than normal.  So I put the smaller ones in the corners.  The ones at the top will get covered with pillows, so I wish I had thought of that before I did the design.  Live and learn.

I was constantly adjusting.  Should have squared up all of them before I started sewing.  Would have eliminated many headaches and save many hours.  I expect this second side to lay together better since the first thing I did was to square up the one panel that will center the quilt.

As I sew each border, I will square it up before measuring or cutting the next border.  It should lay better and have no pulling that has to compensated for.  Pictures coming in a couple of hours.  I also iron, iron and iron.  this is such an important step to any kind of sewing that gets skipped so often.  As each strip is added, I press the seam over, using steam, to make sure it is set.

1:39 p.m.
I can not believe how much easier this first border is going in.  It is the same as the pink shiny border in the first side.  You can tell what problems I had with it.  Some of the shading is from not laying flat, some is from having trouble keeping the two pieces together.  I have had to square  the strips a couple of times, but it is paying off!

10:25 p.m.
I am just amazed at how much better this sides is going together.  I have realized that either, I still can not measure straight or  I can't count right or something.  It is turning out too big and I still have one more border to put in to get the Bippity Boppity Boo fabric incorporated into the Cinderella side.  So once again, I need to re-figure and be flexible to get it done.  Sigh.

Life is So Fair

"CLOME" (Cutest Little Old Man Ever) was "rambling" this morning.  So glad these naughty ears were paying attention.  He was talking about people being relevant and how fair Heavenly Father made life because of it.  Then He sent His Son to show us how to be truly relevant.

Not sure what made CLOME (cutest little old man ever, Jon) think of my dad, but he started to talk about how badly he wanted to be relevant.  He wanted to be "El Patron",  important, to be admired.  He often tried to buy it in various way.  It just never stuck. There was momentary appreciation, but nothing lasting.  Of course when he demanded it, that never worked either, in fact, it would back fire on him.

 A person can be relevant without being important or being admired.  Relevance is obtained through service.  In this way, a loving Heavenly Father has leveled the playing field we all live in when we come to mortality.  Then He sent His Son down to Earth to show us the way.  Anyone can serve.  Wealth has nothing to do with it. Yes, someone with wealth can share it and many do a great deal of good by doing so, but how do they serve?  How can we all serve?

Even the poorest in the most humble circumstances can obtain relevance through service.
It is all up to us; what decisions we make.

There are 9 days until Christmas Day.  The day that we celebrate the Savior's birth.  What a wonderful time to reflect how he served us all.  To enjoy the gift He gave us for the opportunity to be "relevant".  To smile to the other harried shoppers as we take care of those last minute things that we forgot . . . that is so fun to see what reactions you get.  To get that cookie dough made so we can destroy the kitchen  with grand kids and to share with others.  It is the little things in life that can make such a difference in the lives of so many others.

I like having my wise CLOME around . . . he can pretty nice to learn from.  

Another Night in the Salt Mines . . .

Sip, sip, slurp, burp  . . oops . . excuse me.  Dinner was as good as I hoped and hot diggity dog, it was ready just as poor Jon walked in the door after working in the rain all day.  Poor guy.  I think it hit the spot, and then he ate 6 whole cherries for dessert.  Funny guy, he never goes all out . . .  except chicken enchiladas, we take turns "straightening the edges" of those.

Back to the sewing machine.  Brianna told me it was a good thing that I started on the hard side.  It was a conscious choice.  I sure hope I was right that the other one would be easier.  Somehow, I get the feeling that I will find some way to make it hard . . . gulp!

• Solved the squash problem,, 
• made some wiggle room in my freezer, 
• made some wiggle room in my veggie/fruit drawers and none of it went to waste, 
• got some spirit at Sacrament Mtg. at the institute, 
• had fun little dinner with Rob and his family and of the kids at the institute waiting for the chorale's performance, 
• great visit after with some of the kids and found me a new boyfriend (relax, he's a darling little 1 yr. old named Adam with the bluest eyes who shook his head no when I asked him if he wanted me to hook him up with my grand daughter --  too funny).  He was however only too willing to share my ice cream sandwich as long as I broke off the pieces and hand fed him . . .  almost lost my heart to the little pill!

Came home to more Andre . .  be still my heart, again.  Boy did I pull of a coup or what.  I get Andre twice and managed to deprive Jon of Celtic Women . . . or wait, I love them too. . .  drat!

Anyway, the music has left me flying high.  I am so grateful for the time these young people take out of their busy lives to develop their talents and share them with the rest of the world, that we are free to run around to enjoy these wonderful associations, to experience the spirit that is with the young who are stepping up to the plate to grow spiritually to take their places as leaders when the time comes, for those who fight to preserve these freedoms.  I am so grateful to know a loving Heavenly Father who blessed me with the family I haveand that I can be with them often. For the many opportunities I have enjoyed throughout my life.

Most of all, I am so thankful for this cute little old man I share my life with.  We are having to watch to keep from turning into a couple of crotchety old folks (OK, yeah, mainly me) these days, but who better to do it with?

Tired, but a good tired .  . good night friends.  Wishing you a happy new week!

SNUGGY Tutorial

I had a couple of requests on how I made the original Snuggy for Lynneah and I needed one for her naps here so here it is.

This is the original, with her string of genuine pink pearls.  Those were lots of fun making sure they wouldn't come off, barring some little scamp doesn't take some sharp scissors to them!











This is the pattern that I made up.   The head was drawn around a bowl, just the right size.  The face is patterned after a picture of Curious George from a story book I bought just for that purpose, for a quilt for Garrett, no it isn't done it . . what can I say.  Next on the list.
Here we got for the second one, that was meant to be so ugly, it's cute.  If I didn't hit the target, do me a favor ands don't tell me, OK?

The first thing I did was figure out how big  could make the head.  I didn't think ahead very well.  I could have added a neck and didn't, just cut out the circle.  Made it hard to attach it to the snuggy later!








Next, I lay the head pieces on some paper to sketch out the ears, hopefully in proportion to the head . . or something like that.  Remember this is all made out of scraps, of scraps and so I was a little limited in some of these choices.  Sound like a good excuse?  Good!

I cut the ears out in the" minky" and flannel.  Stitch, clip and then turn right side out.

When you turn them and realize that the fronts don't match at all, you start thinking ,"How cute these would look with the 'Grandma's button box' look".

Next I laid out all the face and head parts, marked with pins.  The three white buttons are old shirt buttons (it's OK you don't have to admit you have hundreds of them, we all know you do) are to put on the back of the other ones to help make them pull-off proof  for babies.

This is what it looks like on the wrong side.  don't judge me, my sewing really stinks these days.  Hopefully, when I get new glasses in a couple of weeks, it will improve.  The fuzzy fabric was really hard to mark the mouth, so I basted from the back, still didn't show up very well, so I had to kind of free hand while I embroidered it on.  We will leave it at that!






So I put the right sides together, inserted ears, stitched and turned it . . . oops!  Don't know how I misaligned those sad little ears so badly . .  so I broke down and picked on side out to get them lined up a little better.







For the snuggy itself, just cut two pieces of fabric the same size.  Stitch them with right sides together, leaving one corner unstitched.  Trim corners, turn and stitch about 1/2 " from edge.

Now, I will have to admit that I did this before I made the head, so once again, the opening is a little too wide, so do this after the "insert" is finished!

Fit the critter into the corner and stitch it in.  I had to baste this one in since there is no neck.










So, here is the pathetic little thing in all it's glory.  One side of me is a little embarrassed that I made such a dorky little thing.  The other side of me is proud that I can still be a "free" spirit and go where my little whims take me. The frosting on the cake was when I showed it to Lynneah and she giggle as she grabbed it, crunched it up under her chin and squeezed tight!  It's a keeper just for her.

P.S.  A neck would have been so helpful, make sure you have a body or at least a neck to insert into the corner   ;-}

23 Adult Truths.......OH, how true!

23 Adult Truths.......OH, how true!

1. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

2. Nothing stinks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font . . . though it is probably best not since it would hurt feelings and get us all into way too much trouble.

5. How on earth are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind-of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work (or home) when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day. . .  like 5 minutes after the grand kids arrive.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again .  . .  . blue ray? . . . what’s that?

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page

technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to  . . . or anything else for that matter.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call . . . oops, maybe that one shouldn’t be put out there?

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Light than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger . . . presuming there really is one.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

23. The first genital guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Ladies.....Quit Laughing.

I Think Married a Fisherman!!

Just a little Story to Think About . . . 

The businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The businessman complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied only a little while.

The businessman then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. The businessman then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time? The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos; I have a full and busy life, señor."

The businessman scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City where you would run your expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But señor, how long will this all take?" To which the businessman replied, "15-20 years." "But what then, señor?" The businessman laughed and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions." "Millions, señor? Then what?" The businessman said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "Isn't that what I'm doing right now?"

Matt L. gave the lesson at FHE tonight. 

As he was talking, I couldn't resist turning to Jon and ask,  "Did marry a fisherman?" 

 He just smiled at me and replied, "Well,  yes, lately you have!"

Thanks for the lesson tonight Matt . . . and thanks for teaching at least one ole' fogey to think a little more clearly!

Bill Cosby "I'm 76 and Tired"

According to this disclaimer on Bill Cosby's website, he sis not write this email.  You can find it here:  

http://billcosby.com/site/2011/09/if-you-got-the-bogus-email-its-time-to-hit-delete.html#more

I didn't write this but, I do agree with it.  Forgive me if it offends you, but I am tired of worrying about my country and the world that my children and grand children are living and will continue to live in.

"I'm 76 and I'm Tired" I'm 76. Except for brief period in the 50's when I was doing my National Service, I've worked hard since I was 17. Except for some serious health challenges, I put in 50-hour weeks, and didn't call in sick in nearly 40 years. I made a reasonable salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, it looks as though retirement was a bad idea, and I'm tired. Very tired.    I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary and give it to people too lazy to earn it.      I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari‘a law tells them to.   I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in Australia, New Zealand, UK, America and Canada, while no one from these countries are allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia or any other Arab country to teach love and tolerance...    I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them and stuff white powder up their noses or stick a needle in their arm while they tried to fight it off?  I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of all parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.   I'm really tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.  I'm also tired and fed up with seeing young men and women in their teens and early 20's be-deck themselves in tattoos and face studs, thereby making themselves un-employable and claiming money from the Government.  Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 76... Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my granddaughter and her children.   Thank God I'm on the way out and not on the way in.

For yesterday's lunch we served:

Grilled Eels
Oven Baked Maggot Clusters
Red Ants on a Log
Termites on a Log
Frog Eye Salad
Mystery Dip
Scare-Ade

Those kids can really pack down the groceries . . .amazes me sometimes.
Hope next week doesn't seem boring.

As usual, I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend time with these great young people and the whole staff down at the institute who are making such an effort to do what is right, follow God's plan for His children and make this world a better place.

To be able to serve down there and yet have my own family nearby where I can also be close to them and be able to serve them as well.  Yes, it is a bit of a stretch at times but so fulfilling.  I am so grateful to be so blessed.

This morning I have one thing and only one thing to say . . . . 






. . .  thank you.

Our New Weekly Schedule

We have been babysitting 4 days a week, but now thanks to students who don't take their education very seriously, we will just have the kids mainly on Tuesday and Thursday.  Monday mornings the two L's will still come over while Mom goes to help in the two G's classrooms for the morning.

Now I need to plan tomorrow out very carefully so that I can squeeze everything in that is hard to do with little ones under foot.  I have to be in Casa Grande by 8:30 a.m., back home as soon as I can and then start grinding up my chicken to freeze like crazy.  I may need to bottle some of it and I think I will thaw out the corned beef briskets in the freezer to make more room for chicken.

It is all a plot.  I really need to get the last 30# off!!! My toes are getting worse and that seems to be the best thing I can do to slow down the neuropathy and save them for my old age.   The numbness is slowly spreading and does that ever tick me off!!  I do NOT have time for these foot problems or to not be able to get around the way I want to.  Too much of life left to LIVE and enjoy.

If you are noticing a lack of pictures, it's because I couldn't find my little pocket sized camera.  So when I decided to use the larger one, I couldn't find it either.  YIKES!  What will I do if I have buried, lost or the gremlins have hidden them, again.  Not a good feeling.  I did take them down to the institute, so hopefully I find them down there.

MOB LUNCHES!!

I have had quite a few requests for some of the recipes for the Institute Lunches.  I must first make sure that you all realize that I have a great mentor down there.  Stacey Nymeyer has catered, in fact she catered Mariah's reception.  I have her guidance, recipes and voice of reason to help me and keep me from turning into a run-a-way train wreck, thank Heavens!!

TACO SALAD with all the toppings and corn casserole, yum!
BAKED POTATO BAR with everything but the kitchen sink
HAMBURGERS with potato salad and chips
LASAGNA with salad and garlic toast
BEEF STEW with cheesy biscuits
HOAGIE SANDWICHES with chips and broccoli salad
HAWAIIAN HAYSTACKS with everything but the kitchen sink
CHICKEN ENCHILADAS with spanish rice and salad
SLOPPY JOES ( was supposed to be pulled pork sandwiches but the meat was too expensive) with chips, cole slaw, carrots and celery sticks.


FUTURE IDEAS
SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS with Cesar type salad and garlic toast
HOT DOGS with all kinds of goodies for Halloween fun
BURRITO BAR ( or Soft Tacos)
POSSE STEW with corn bread
BEEF ENCHILADAS

Just Wondering Why . . .

I post so seldom now.  Is it because Jon is home and I don't need to keep him updated?

Or maybe it is because grand motherhood has become less "new" and novel.  I don't get to see my dollies very often and the differences between them and the monkeys did keep me so entertained.





Maybe my life has become kind of boring, even to me.   Perhaps I have lost my enthusiasm; or maybe I am just tired of too many things.  I seem to be accomplishing less and yet so tired so much of the time. . . just so little energy . . .  and since I don't knit, this won't be enough . . . .


As much as I love to read . . there is a limit to how much time you can spend doing it, especially when you have a hard time concentrating with all that you should be doing nagging at the back of your mind . . . and your neck gets stiff just before the headache sets in.

So tonight I did get some plants in the infamous tire garden.  Didn't give me much sun since it was already down past the top of the fence but the fresh air, that had already cooled, did feel pretty good.  Jon ran and brought out the drip system parts to add and repair the problems areas.  That was the the highlight of my day.  Even though we ran errands together, it meant spending money and that just drives me crazy.   Tonight we just sat and talked, realized that we have no idea what the other means most of the time.  But hey!  We've only been married 33 years, give us some time, we'll get it figured out!

So now, I am going to go and do some more sewing, cutting up, mending, and see if I can come up with something original.   Hope the creative juices get to flowing.  Finding the power cord and foot pedal to my fancy machine will give me some more options to play with.  Wish me luck, Friday Lunch is tomorrow so I can't stay up too late!