And Sew on...and Sew on...and Sew on...

This afternoon I made a Halloween costume for our little Hayden. His love of sharks prompted him to want to be a Great White Shark this Halloween. Being the good mom that Andie is, she sat at her computer and diligently looked at anything she could find that would make a shark costume for her little guy. She found a Blog where a lady had created her own pattern and made quite a nice looking shark. Hayden seemed happy with it except for not having 5 gills on each side and a white tummy. Andie tried looking at patterns that could be adapted to make a shark. After tons of research, she took brown paper and cut out a shark shaped pattern and taped it together. Hayden was pleased. Then Andie trundled off to the fabric store and picked up fabric for me to make this costume. Armed with Andie's brown paper cut out and a picture of the Blog costume and a picture of a shark Hayden found acceptable in one of his shark books, Gramma started to sew this afternoon. As I sewed on this costume I looked at my hands getting older and started to think of my sewing history. My mom was an excellent seamstress. She even sewed for the public when I was a child so that she could work out of our home. I remember her sitting at her sewing machine making beautiful dresses and things for different people. She always had a glass of RC Cola to sip on.

Papa gave her a full length mirror which they attached to their bedroom door to assist in this process. He actually gave her a wallet with a tiny mirror in it and a note that let her know the real gift was the full length mirror.

My mom sewed on a Pfaff (I don't think I spelled that right) sewing machine. She knew every part of the machine. She cleaned, repaired and maintained it herself. It sat in a really nice wood cabinet in her bedroom in front of the window. Neffie, my little sister, now has this machine. On that machine my mother made wedding dresses for each of her daughters, blessing clothes for grandbabies, and I even watched her make a little white suit for a pre-mature baby who had died to be buried in. She made formal piano recital dresses for me and my sisters. She made suits for my father, slip covers for furniture and the list goes on.

When her daughters got old enough, she taught each of us to sew. If a seam wasn't right, Mimi had no qualms about telling us to rip it out and do it over. The catch phrase was always, "If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right!"

One of my favorite memories was trying to pin a hem in any skirt or dress made for me. We had a dress code in the Lawrence home. Dresses went below the knee. Now my body is really long from my shoulders to my waist. Then my legs are long from my hips to my knees. However, from my knees to the ground it is not so long. So we would try to come to some compromise about the correct place to pin those hems and invariably it ended in a laughing match looking at where the hem was pinned. I enjoy sewing. I'm not the world's best seamstress but I can stitch things together and do a few repairs.

I made a lot of clothes for my girls and a few things for Jake. There just always seemed to be a lot more patterns for little girls and not as many for boys.

Some of my more notable efforts are very silly to me now. At the time they were great deals but in today's fashion world, not so much. I made Claude a bright yellow sports coat out of yellow double-knit fabric. I tried to make my little girls bikini's. I made Jake a red plaid sports coat and red slacks. Claude said he looked like a little 'used car salesman'. Such silliness.

Jake, Nissa & Andie

Whenever we took the kids somewhere big that we might loose them (like Disneyland), I would make them all the same color shirt so that I could count heads and not lose any of them. One time I used some bright yellow bandana print fabric and to mkde them all matching shirts. Very easy to find my kids that time. My favorite fabric purchase story happened right after moving to southern California when Claude was in the Air Force. We rented an apartment and then were asked to be the managers of this little 13 or 15 unit complex. We moved to apartment #1. It needed curtains in the windows. Claude had re-enlisted in the Air Force and they gave him what was called a 'variable re-enlistment bonus'. There was more money than either of us had ever seen. We used it wisely and one of the things we purchased was a little White sewing machine for me in a very inexpensive wooden cabinet. My first project was to make curtains for the kitchen windows in this apartment. I measured my windows, determined to just made simple curtains, and we headed off to the fabric store. I figured I need something like 10 feet of fabric. Claude and I picked out the fabric we liked best. He took Nissa (a baby at the time) and I went to the cutting table. For some reason, I translated my 10 feet into 10 yards. Oh My Heck!! As the lady is unrolling the bolt I'm thinking, that looks like a lot of fabric, but Claude and I had both checked my measurements. As I'm standing in the checkout line, I realized my error. When I got out to the car I told Claude I bought 10 yards instead of 10 feet. Bless his heart, he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, I guess you can make a refrigerator cover too!" We both had a chuckle. I didn't make a refrigerator cover but I did make placemats and gave them to all our family for Christmas presents that year.

My next favorite fabric purchase story was when Jake was little. The girls were in school so he must have been about 3 or 4 years old. While the girls were in school I took Jake with me to buy some fabric. I picked out a piece I thought would be great for whatever it was I was going to make. I put the bolt on the cutting table and as the lady was getting ready to ask me how much I needed, my adorable little blond wonder looked up at me with those big eyes and said, "Mom, be sure you get enough for your hippos!" Ya gotta love kids.

Today I thought back to when Nissa was a little girl. She was about 2 years old and we wanted to take her Trick-or-Treating. I used old pillow case fabric and made her into a rag doll outfit. Jake wanted to be Dracula one year. I made him a black cape with a red lining. Then I headed to the dentist to get disclosing tablets. You chew them after you brush your teeth and they turn the inside of your mouth red to show where you didn't get your teeth quite clean. I also slicked Jake's hair back with Vasoline that year. BIG mistake. After 4 shampooings when we got home he still had oily hair.

When Katelyn was little she really wanted to be Robin of Batman and Robin fame. I made her an outfit just like Robin. She loved wearing it. I remember Katelyn and I going for a walk and looking for fall leaves. Andie had moved to Texas and they just don't get the fall leaf color we did in Maryland. So Katelyn and I picked out the best leaves in the brightest colors we could find and mailed them to Andie. I dropped my camera in the bag while collecting the leaves and for a long while after that I had a hazy spot on my lens. Valuable lesson learned about cameras and damp leaves. One of the years before I made Katelyn a pumpkin outfit for Halloween. This is Paul in that pumpkin outfit.

Katelyn & Paul

When Aubrey was little she wanted a princess dress for Christmas. Aubrey loved everything pink. So I found this beautiful material with pink sequins on pink fabric. I got the cutest princess pattern I could find and set to work making the dress from "H E double toothpicks"! Do not, I repeat the warning, DO NOT buy fabric with sequins on it. They are glued on. The glue sticks to your sewing machine needles and causes great frustration. Also the loss of many sewing machine needles. The dress was a cutie though and Aubrey Anne was a happy little girl. Bailey turned 2 and needed dress up clothes. I found a pattern sale at Hancock's and bought 5 patterns for $1 each. I made a ton of little dress up clothes for the mini-Marx's. When Andie got married I made 4 brides maid dresses and a dress just like theirs for Katelyn who was the flower girl.

Over Hayden and Bailey's little life I've made a lion, a frog, a Native American dress, a brave knight, a princess and now a shark. I can't wait to see our Hayden in his shark outfit. I still have to put a hem in the bottom but I need to be sure where to make that hem and will pin it after it is on Hayden.

Hayden as a lion and a frog

Bailey (Native American) & Hayden (Horse) then Charlotte (Betty Crocker) & Hayden (Brave Knight)

When we were getting ready to retire, I replaced my old White sewing machine with a new one from Sears. It's in a studier cabinet. It took a bit to learn to use it but now I totally enjoy it. I do like to sew. I'm grateful my mom patiently taught me this skill. It has saved us a bunch of money when we were starting out as a young married couple. It has allowed me to make some nice gifts for family and friends over the years. And now it brings back a lifetime of memories that I can cherish even when these Gramma hands get too full of arthritis to sew in the future.

Big Brother is Watching Me...

Okay, I just published my last post about reading. My last sentence was about wishing I could read faster. When I hit publish then I was given a prompt that I could view my blog. I always do that, then copy and paste it into a Word document I've set up, then print it and punch holes in it and put it in my journal notebook. I noted the Google Ad that came up as I was waiting to view my last blog entry...here's the Big Brother part...the ad was for 'Eye (something) Speed Reading' !!! How Orwellian can it get!?!?

Reading...

Drum roll please... I finished reading "The Lost Symbol" last night. It is an excellent novel. Totally enjoyed it. Dan Brown does a good job of weaving his story. I'm going to read my October Ensign first and then I'm going to finish the 8th in the Work and the Glory series. I also only have about 100 pages left in the Koran. I hope to finish that one in the next 3 or 4 days. Then I'm going to the library for a copy of Hawaii by James Michener. I want to read it before we head to Hawaii in December. I wish I read faster but I've never been able to read very fast. I do love reading though.

Some Weeks Are Harder...

Last week was one of those tougher weeks to plow my way through. Some are just like that. But it had a positive side to it as well. A couple of weeks ago I was asked to teach the Relief Society (Women's Organization at Church) in my home ward (congregation). I love to teach lessons as Church. So this request to substitute teach for a sister who would be out-of-town was a welcome invitation. My topic was a talk given by Pres. Thomas S. Monson (Prophet & President of our Church). The title was "Be of Good Cheer". A couple of weeks ago when I was given the topic, I immediately went to lds.org and printed out a copy from the General Conference issue of the Ensign (Church magazine for the adult age group). I read it and was immediately impressed with how timely it was for me, personally. Over the next 2 weeks I read, underlined, made notes and tried to generally prepare for presenting this lesson. One of the things that fascinates me about these opportunities, well anytime you have a chance to serve at anything really, is the focus your mind and heart takes on the topic for which you are preparing. Suddenly things begin to pop out that you might have otherwise just glossed over in life. At this time I was reading my Old Testament (I'm in Psalms), the Koran (while I walk my treadmill each day) and Jeffrey R. Holland's book 'Broken Things to Mend' at the same time. I finished Elder Holland's book and began reading Dan Brown's new novel 'The Lost Symbol' during this time. These are all very interesting things to be reading at one time. David's Psalms are often a plea for forgiveness, his feelings about the love and mercy of the Lord if we just trust in him and live righteously, David also speaks Messianically a lot. Beautiful poetry even when I get lost in what he might be trying to say. This reading I'm focusing on the word 'trust' which is found in almost every Psalm. The Koran I'm reading because I want to personally know what it says. Will I remember everything I read? I can assure anyone I will not. But I'm learning things that are positive and things I truly do not agree with. I'm finding the wording interesting while reading the Old Testament at the same time. It is a fascinating book. Elder Holland's book is just a pure joy to read. He is my favorite General Authority in Church to listen to speak. I love how he turns a phrase and that he seems to say just what I need to hear. After reading the talk "Be of Good Cheer", I read more in 'Broken Things to Mend' and the very next chapter I read was a talk given by Bro. Holland that was just like the talk by Pres. Monson that I was to teach. It was thrilling to read these two things back-to-back. As my week progressed last week and it just got tougher and tougher to plow through, an interesting thing happened. I would find myself driving from Sadieville to Georgetown or the reverse of that. My CD player in my car almost always has a CD in it for me to sing along with. I love to sing in my car. I've made a holder full of CD's with my favorite songs to sing off of from CD's I own at home. It is much safer to put one of the homemade CD's in and sing through an entire CD than to be changing from one to another while I drive and only sing 3 or 4 songs of any given CD. But this week I spent my drive time talking to myself and my Heavenly Father a lot. And I found myself saying to Him, "I know there is something for me to learn from this experience. I feel strongly like we will make it through this one, that the journey will be hard, but that the end result will be for the better and lessons will be learned." I felt comfort. The difficulty did not go away but I felt a comfort and peace that allowed my head to clear and me to accomplish the next step in resolving the issues at hand. Saturday night I went to the General Relief Society Broadcast. This is sent via satellite so that all the sisters in the Church can have access to the words of our General Relief Society presidency and one of the members of the 1st Presidency of our Church. I was invited by our Pioneer Ward (congregation) to visit with them before the broadcast. They were have a pie social before the broadcast. It was great to visit with the ladies and meet and make friends with a few of them. Then we all went into the chapel and listened to the broadcast. The words were direct, encouraging, and faith-building. Pres. Henry B. Eyring, 1st Counselor in the 1st Presidency spoke to us at the end. He spoke of the Legacy of the Relief Society organization. This is the oldest female organization that I know of. It is rich in history. As Pres. Eyring spoke of this history he said, "The Society is composed of women of covenant who did not take themselves around the storms of life but directly into them." If you know anything about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you know about the Mormon Pioneers and their struggles. These people were kicked out of Kirtland, Ohio, then Missouri, then Nauvoo, Illinois. Then they crossed the plains in wagons and handcarts. Some took their journey by boat around the tip of South America and landed in California and came across from there. Others marched with the Mormon Battalion as requested by the US Government and then came up from Southern California. Everywhere they went they built anew their communities. They were beautiful communities with hard-working, honest, caring people. They always left their homes and cities in better shape than what the land had been when they arrived. They always started from nothing and built beautiful cities and communities. I love these stories. Claude has direct relatives that fit into these stories. I do not but I feel a part of this legacy created and left for those in the Church today. As I heard Pres. Eyring's words I felt that I was 'walking through the storm of my current life and not around it'. The intermediate hymn at the Saturday evening broadcast was "How Firm a Foundation". I love the 3rd verse of this hymn. Many years ago when I was just barely pregnant with Andie and we lived in Southern California, I was on the Relief Society stake board. I was privileged to go to one of the last General Relief Society Conferences in Salt Lake City with the ladies on our stake Relief Society board. As I sat in the tabernacle one of the General Authorities who spoke counseled us to memorize the words of hymns so they could be recalled in times of needs and be a source of strength to us. The hymn sung in the meeting after that address was 'How Firm a Foundation'. As the tabernacle full of ladies sang the words to the 3rd verse, it immediately became my favorite. Those words are..."Fear not, I am with thee, Oh be not dismayed. For I am thy God and will still give thee aid. I'll strengthen thee, help thee and cause thee to stand, upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand." These words are taken from Isaiah 41:10. Saturday night I also noted the words at the end of the 2nd verse. They are..."As thy days may demand so thy succor shall be." Now, that word succor was one I was fascinated with for years. You just don't hear it a lot. When I was teaching New Testament in Seminary years ago, and my memory is that we were learning about the Prodigal Son, I came across a definition for the word 'succor'. We were told it means 'to run to'. In the story of the Prodigal Son the father is watching for this son who is lost. He sees him a way off and 'runs to him'. He doesn't wait for the son to come to him, he runs to the son. The word 'succor' comes from the Latin word 'succurrere' according to my Webster's dictionary. The Latin word is made up of 2 parts. The 1st part is 'sub' meaning 'under. The 2nd is 'currere' meaning 'to run'. The intent is to assist, aid, help, relieve someone who has gone under or below or is in need of being lifted up. You would do that by running to them or reaching out to them. I felt this week that that is what Heavenly Father was trying to convey to me, a sense of comfort even though I must continue through the difficulty. He didn't take the difficulty away, I still need to endure and learn, but He does comfort and sustain or succor me and I progress through the difficulty. The final verse to the hymn is verse #7. It is written well out of the staff of music with verses 4-6. But for the broadcast they had us sing verses 1-3 and verse 7. These are the words..."The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes; That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, no never forsake!" I knew as I sang those words that I was being sustained and the tender mercies of a loving Heavenly Father were washing over me. I felt peace. What a blessing. Pres. Monson's talk "Be of Good Cheer" was spot on for me. I was able to teach with a firmness of conviction regarding his message. He was counseling us that we live in a time when it is very easy to be filled, almost consumed, with fear and dread over what is happening in our country and world. But he counseled us to focus on the blessings we have from living in this day and time and from our membership in the Lord's Church. I felt the power of his teaching as I lived through last week and I'll continue to feel these this week and through my life. I know that this mortal probation is but a spot in eternity. But it is such an important spot. To come to earth, take on a mortal body, and then live so that this physical, natural part of me comes into alignment with the spirit part of me and that I am doing and living a righteous life and can be worthy of returning to a loving Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. What strength and purpose these beliefs bring to my life. Life can be hard. It can sometimes seem like it doesn't make sense and why go on the way I am. But I do believe that there is purpose and growth that come from enduring through adversity and being still enough at times to feel the love and care coming from above in each tender mercy.

Crabby 2...Interesting Papa Anecdote...

Crabapple Jelly Today I made the crabapple jelly. It took all day. I only expected a couple of hours. Big Guy Clauda helped me and between the 2 of us we managed to get this much jelly made. I now know why we purchase jelly at the store!!! However, buying it at the store is not nearly as satisfying as looking at those jars and knowing your hands and time filled them with jelly.

Papa Anecdote

While making the jelly, Papa called. We learned that he can get his prescription drugs through a mail order system and, if he orders the generic version, he can get them for free. We went through the process of me filling out paperwork and Papa going to his doctor with the paperwork and getting 2 of the prescriptions we needed. Then I mailed the paperwork and today he got his prescriptions. We'll add the third in 90 days when his current supply runs out. I also had him take a paper to his doctor to declare him fit for the walking track at The Pavilion in Georgetown. This is an indoor track and, while he won't use it much while the weather is good, he'll really enjoy it in the winter. He walks 2 miles each day in his neighborhood, 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening. Papa took all his paperwork I filled out and gave it to The Pavilion today, then he walked a mile around the track. As he walked he actually counted the steps around the track. The sign posted by the track reads "It takes 11 1/2 times around the track to walk one mile". The track has 3 lanes. Papa walked 12 times around the track and he tried each lane. As he walked the lanes he counted how many steps it took to go around each lane. When he was finished he had calculated an additional 5 steps between each lane (the middle was 5 steps longer than the inside and the outside was 5 steps more than the middle). When he finished his walk he went by the front desk on his way out and asked the poor kid at the desk which lane they used to come up with the 11 1/2 times around the track to figure 1 mile since there was a difference of 5 steps in each lane. The kid did not know. Imagine that!!! I told Papa they had probably never, in all their years of being in Georgetown, had any person ask them that question. Now go ahead...chuckle...it is amusing!!

Claude's Hypothesis...

You know you've watched too many kids shows when... Yesterday evening Claude and I both experienced problems with our computers. We could get our eMail's just fine through Outlook. But every time we tried to logon to our Internet, we got a warning notice from Norton Antivirus saying it had blocked something and then the Internet (that was trying to open and you could see the outline of the page coming on the screen) would close. I tried turning off my computer and turning it on again (the old Windows standby.) I tried checking all my Internet settings in Windows and reading through what seemed like tons of stuff on Windows menus and in Norton settings and menus. I finally determined to do a full system scan and set the computer to that task. Then I headed upstairs to tell Claude I had a computer problem. When I shared my computer adventures with Claude, he told me his was doing the same thing. He had also set his to do a full system scan. We settled into our evening of dinner, my crocheting and watch a bit of TV. It takes FOREVER to do a full system scan. My computer did one last Friday and all was well on that day. Claude's finished before we went to bed. Mine was still going strong when we went to bed. After Claude's computer finished his scan, it showed no virus problems at all. He tried the Internet and it came up fine. This gave me hope that maybe, in the morning, mine would act just like his did. We headed to bed and lay there talking a bit before falling asleep. In the dark Claude said, "Like Buddy, I had a hypothesis." I just burst out laughing. Here we were, two fairly intelligent people and Claude is expressing himself based on a cartoon character on Dinosaur Train. Buddy is a little T-Rex that is hatched in a nest of Truandon's. They just care of him like their other 3 babies. It is a fairly new show and since Hayden loves ALL things trains and is really fascinated with dinosaurs, and his mom and dad have DVR we watched 2 of the Dinosaur Train shows several times over the weekend. It is a good quiet down show before quiet time. At the end of the show Buddy says, "I have a hypothesis" about things. Hence, Claude said, "Like Buddy, I had a hypothesis." I just burst out laughing at my big guy. I could feel his side of the bed shake as he was laughing at the silliness of the situation. Such is your life when you share it with little ones!!

Crabby...

What is this we see? It is my BlamMa car in front of my Tuesday afternoon project. Behind my Buick is a crabapple tree. This tree sits on city property in Sadieville and had a lot of crabapples on it. I noticed it a few weeks ago while walking the street (Get that? Singular.) of Sadieville with Cindy Foster to take pictures of her in front of the Mt. Pleasant Church. Cindy told me it was city property and the crabapples should be free for the pickin'.

I went home and told Claude I had a great idea--again!! I wanted to pick those crabapples and make crabapple jelly. The jelly could them be sold to raise money for the Friends of Sadieville Renaissance to help restore this old church and the school behind it. Yesterday after Claude's city meeting and my swearing in, I had him drive me to the crabapple tree to get another confirmation this was city property and I wouldn't be stealing someone's crabapples (even if it is a worthy cause). Claude assured me it was city property and to have fun. We were anticipating rain yesterday afternoon and the rest of the week. (We haven't had it yet but we can always hope.) Claude spent the afternoon with Papa at the Family History Center in Lexington being trained to work there. He came home and started to mow the lawn before any rain came. The cloud cover was beginning to form. I determined that was the moment for picking. So I headed out to take part of my afternoon and pick me some crabapples.

I carried my gardening gloves, my sunglasses, a bucket and an old metal dishpan. I back the mighty red BlamMa steed into place beside the tree and set up my pickin' area. There was enough cloud cover till it was not too hot. I was reaching and pulling down branches to get the crabapples picked. It just felt good to be out pickin' and movin'. Then I realized I have spent most of this year not doing these kinds of things because of my surgery in March. I still can't and should never lift 25 lbs items. But I've been so careful that I haven't been out pulling weeds or anything. This just felt good. Work is a good thing and it makes us feel good. I totally enjoyed this picking experience. Then I noticed little berries on some of the 'limbs'. I realized this tree was FULL of vines and had different leaves than the crabapple leaves. I realized that there was lots, and lots, and lots of poison ivy growing all through this tree. I tried to be careful and not scratch any part of me. But I'm having fits with allergies and figured I would probably spread it all over me somehow dealing with sneezing and itchy eyes and blowing and coughing. I determined I had already been exposed so I would gather all the crabapples I could and hurry home and clean up. Since I'm highly allergic to poison ivy I rushed home and hit the hot water and soap to clean all that stuff off me. So far, no sign of a reaction. I poured all my crabapples in the metal dishpan. This was a pan from my mom's home. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't belong to Gramma Fisch (my maternal grandmother). Here is a shot of my haul.

I had a great time pickin' crabapples. Now I plan to make the jelly on Thursday. Hopefully it will turn out. I made some years ago when we lived in Denver and it is just a really good light jelly. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Oaths....

One small entry today say that...today, Tuesday, September 15th, I was sworn in as member of Sadieville's Board of Ethics.

Sometimes Tuesday Feels Like Monday!!!

Claude and I returned home last night (Monday night) from spending the weekend with the mini-Marx's. What a treat. But we are both feeling like today is Monday and we are just starting our week when really we are a day into it. Hopefully we'll get our equalibrium back by tomorrow.

Plotting their next move!!!

We arrived Friday afternoon, had some play time, picked up dinner, met Daddy (Michael) at a park and ate dinner as a family. Then Andie and Michael headed off to Indianapolis and Claude and I began the grandparent journey. We stayed and enjoyed the park a little longer. Then we headed back to LaGrange, did the bedtime routine and all settled down for a good nights rest. I've written about this day and night in a previous blog. Just let me say that these 2 little bundles of energy slept very well at night. They never got us out of bed until at least 7:30am. Thank you Hayden and Bailey from 2 grateful old people!!! Saturday we started our day with cinnamon rolls and fruit. Claude went to a Farmer's Market in Georgetown Friday morning and purchased some fun breads for the weekend. Claude had a basement project to finish. He was cleaning, etching and painting the concrete walls in the Marx basement while we visited this weekend. We played around the house until about 11am with Claude working in the basement cleaning and etching the concrete walls with Hayden's help. Bailey played upstairs with me. This gave me plenty of time to try and french braid our little Miss Animation's hair. When Hayden came up we had some apples Bailey and Andie picked at a local orchard that they wanted to dry. I pulled out the dehydrator I brought and set up a bowl of Fruit Fresh water to bath the sliced apples in. Hayden and Bailey provided the bathing and placing on dehydrator trays. We needed a place to plug this dehydrator and Hayden suggested the outlet on the front porch. Since that is a covered area, we carried our full dehydrator out and plugged it in. It was fun to check during the days to see how the apples looked. Occasionally Hayden would do a tasting to tell me if they were still too chewy. This was a fun and very easy project with the Mini's. Claude finished the first step in the basement project and we determined we would make a run to a local park. Bless Andie's heart she had done the research for several things but we enjoyed playing together so much till we didn't make it out in the morning. We piled in the Marx Mobile and headed out to find a park. Claude and I knew where one was in LaGrange and Hayden confirmed that was the park to go to. They climbed and jumped and slid and swang (this just seems like the wrong word) and had lots of fun at the playground.

Bailey picked our dinner location. You guessed it...McDonald's!!! As we drove Hayden told us what a great sense of smell he had and that he could smell McDonald's all the way to his house. We used the teaching moment to tell him he had a great olfactry (I'm sure I didn't spell that one right) system. By the end of the weekend he was able to tell Andie about his olfactry system. Hayden and Bailey ate very well, loved the cars that came in the Happy Meals, and played on the playland and with the Ronald McDonald statue. Then it was time to head home for quiet time!!! Bailey slept well, Hayden played quietly, I checked eMail's and Claude slept well. After quiet time we spent the afternoon playing in the yard. We ended up in the backyard playing the wading pool and watering the plants. Claude used this time to put the 1st coat of paint on the basement walls. This put him ahead of his timeline for finishing his project over the weekend. The kids ate chicken tenders and watched the Cars movie before bedtime. Sunday Claude took the kids downstairs for breakfast and let me get a nice long shower. Then I took over kid patrol and Claude put a 2nd coat of paint on the basement walls. This meant he was finished once the walls dried. It looks so nice. He will do the floor another trip. The kids and I made puzzles and train tracks out of Lego blocks. Then it was time to load up in the Marx Mobile and head to Westport to see the Ohio River. As we drove to the river we found a herd of buffalo in a pasture by the road. Claude stopped and backed the car up so the kids could see these beautiful animals.

Thre is a beautiful view of the river here. My heart skipped a few beats as we walked out on one of the boat docks to see the river up close. At first Hayden was eager to get on down there and see the river. Bailey suddenly decided this was not the best idea anyone ever thought of. So I sat on a park bench and told Bailey she could sit with me and watch Hayden and Claude walk out on the dock. As soon as Hayden and Claude headed on down the dock, our gutsy little wonder sprinted to the dock and I had to quickly gather up camera to catch her hand before she headed out down that dock. I could see one of us having to dive in after her. She grabbed her Pa's hand and they walked all the way out to the end and down each walkout of the dock. Then we all went back up the hill and across the parking lot to a little playground. Hayden and Bailey climbed the frame made for climbing. The slides were wet almost like they had a rain the night before. We did some running around their horseshoe pits. Bailey sat in one and put sand and gravel in the pipe that you throw the horseshoes around. Hayden assured me this park was too small. Then it was time for lunch. I think our little guy was really hungry.

This time it was Hayden's turn to choose. He chose Dairy Queen. He was sure he really needed an ice cream cone and that Dairy Queen was the right place to get one. He was sure his parents would want him to have an ice cream cone IF he ate all his green light food before getting the ice cream cone. Hayden ordered chicken tenders. Bailey ordered a hot dog. We sat at a booth where we watched the Corn Hole Tournament in progress in the parking lot. (If you don't know about Corn Hole, it is something like a bean bag toss. My guess is that the bean bags are filled with corn instead of beans. It is VERY popular in Kentucky. I know that Chiara new about it when she visited in June. I honestly don't think I ever heard of it until we moved to Kentucky. You can purchase Corn Hole frames painted with whatever you want on them. Hayden and Bailey made little ones at Home Depot. Andie got Michael a set for his birthday this year in Redskin colors.) Hayden ate all of his green light foods and totally enjoyed his ice cream. When Claude got up to clear the table, he had a hand FULL of used napkins. Hayden had a grin as big as Claude's ball of used napkins. When we went out to get in the car the ambulances and fire trucks were arriving to cover an accident that happened across the street. It was great excitement and we stood on the sidwalk in front of Dairy Queen and watched the action across the street. Then it was time to head back home for quiet time. We spent the evening watering the front flower beds and playing in the wading pool. Hayden and I were watering in the front. Bailey darted around to the back yard. I assured Claude he needed to watch our robust little chick maiden as there was a wading pool full of water back there. Sure enough, he hurried out back and she was wading around clothes and all. As soon as her clothes got wet Claude looked up and she had stripped to nada. I brought September Morn her bathing suit. Hayden finished his front watering and joined Bailey in the pool. We ended Sunday evening with dinner and a viewing of Lady and the Tramp. Then off to slumber for our little bundles of energy and two very tired old people. Monday's schedule would be a little different. Hayden goes to St. John's Pre-school Monday through Wednesday mornings. So Claude and I were back to a school routine. Let me tell you folks, it has been a LOT of years since we tried to keep up with a school schedule. But Hayden was up and playing in his room quietly until I had time to get myself up and dressed and ready for the day. Bailey woke up about the time I went to get Hayden. We all headed downstairs for a breakfast of Koshi cereal and some fruit. By 8:30am we were all fed, dressed and ready to take Master Hayden to pre-school. Hayden and I marched into the school while Claude and Bailey waited for us in the van. Hayden went straight to the bathroom and washed those cute little hands. Then we went down the hallway to Ms. Amanda's room. I gave her the note from Andie. Then Hayden showed me where he keeps his school bag. Then we looked at the pictures of all his classmates. I got a big hug and promised to be there when school ended to pick him up. We took Ms. Bailey back to the house for some playtime. We made puzzles and played with the blocks game. I personally love this game. There is a container full of blocks of about 4 or 5 different shapes. Then there are all these cards with simple pictures and you fill in a portion of the picture with the different block shapes. The time passed quickly and we headed back to pick Hayden up from school. The Claude took us to another McDonald's for lunch. We added two more cars to the Marx toy box. Quiet time...ahhhh...quiet time!!! Well, it was supposed to be a nice quiet time so the kids would be rested when Michael and Andie returned home. Alas...the best laid plans often go awry!!! Claude got Bailey to bed. I got Hayden to his room and set the alarm so he would know when he had been quiet long enough. I headed to the computer to check eMails. Claude laid down on the sofa for a nap. I had the monitor on and could hear what I thought was Hayden playing quietly. Finally I heard someone say, "I need Wah-Wah!!" Oh my goodness, Bailey was in bed with no Wah-Wah. I quickly went downstairs and located missing monkey, ran upstairs, quietly opened Bailey's door and showed her Wah-Wah. She gave me that wonderful Bailey grin as I gave her this treasured stuffed animal. Then she curled up and I was SURE she was headed to sleep. I trundled back to my eMail reading and listening to what I thought was Hayden quietly playing in his room. Then I heard a very loud, "Pa, come get me!!" I tiptoed to Hayden's room to assure him he had a little more time for quiet time only to find him quietly sitting on his bedroom floor playing. It wasn't Hayden I heard it was Bailey!!! Oh my goodness. We are over an hour into quiet time and Bailey is most assuredly NOT asleep. I determined to ignore her as long as she stayed happy. We managed to keep her in her room playing and occasionally calling, "Pa, come get me!" Neither child napped and both were wide awake when their parents arrived. Before Michael and Andie got home we did unplug the apples. They were dehydrated enough for Hayden's pallete and he enjoyed sharing his work with all of us. We visited with Michael and Andie for a bit, then bid farewell for a while and headed the bright yellow Jeep toward Sadieville. Lesson learned...a cell phone that takes pictures to send to parents who have left the two treasured munchkins for the longest time ever is a wonderful invention. Lesson learned...an outing in the middle of each day is a wonderful thing for the mini-Marx's. Lesson learned...new appreciation for the energy it takes a young mom with little kids. I must have had that at one time in my life for a raised 3 kids but the energy is not as great as it once was. Lesson confirmed...I love being a BlamMa!!!

Rocking Chair Musings...

There's an old man in our town, And I guess he's been around For years and years At least that's what they say. Wrinkled hand and rocking chair, Growin' old just sittin' there Every year he has the same old thing to say. Youth only happens to you one time Or so I've been told If you should miss it in your young time, Have it when you old. These are the words to an obscure Kenny Rogers song. I happened to purchase the book with the words and music to an album of Kenny Rogers years ago. This song was in the book. I never heard it on a radio but it is probably one of the most beautiful of his songs. Tonight I'm in LaGrange with Claude. We are watching Hayden and Bailey this weekend while Andie and Michael take a well deserved weekend away just the two of them. When you are a young parent, it is not an easy thing to up and leave the little ones behind for several day. We took Five Guys hamburgers to a park by the river in Lousivlle. Michael met us there and we all had dinner together. Then Andie and Michael headed across the river and Claude and I stayed at the park to let Hayden and Bailey play themselves out before returning to their home in LaGrange for bedtime. We got all ready for bed just fine but Miss Bailey began the stalling so she wouldn't have to go to bed. We wove around several of the stall and then it was time to just make bedtime happen. Claude to Hayden into his rooms for stories and I bundled Miss Bailey in strong Gramma arms and sat in the rocker with Bailey crying and wailing and Wah-Wah in hand to help sooth the little one. I rocked and sang and rocked and sang and Bailey said, "No crib, no sing, sob, cry, etc., etc., etc." Now I've raised 3 kids of my own and I have 5 grandmonsters and I know the drill. I also knew this was the 1st night of getting her to bed with Mommy and Daddy gone and I didn't want her to come away with any feelings of insecurity. So I determined I would send all the love I could through my arms and feelings until she relented and relaxed. After 15 minutes, I watched the clock in my little dear's bedroom, she finally settled down to no noise and I could feel her little body relax. I heard a gentle knocking on the door. I didn't respond so quietly little Hayden opened Bailey's door and brought in 2 more stuffed animals that Bailey loves the must have been in his room. (Now that was just tender and sweet!). I continued to sing and rock for another 5 minutes until she was really relaxed. Then I said, "Time to get in your crib Bailey." She gathered up Wah-Wah and we placed her in her crib. She layed right down and let me cover her up. I peeked into the crib and said, "You call me in the morning and Gramma will be right there to pick you up." She was fine and laid that precious little head down with those big brown eyes closing and was probably asleep as I shut the door. As I sat in that rocker I had memories of rocking chairs in my life flood my mind. When Junie, Neffie and I were little bitty girls a man named Mr. Willie (if I remember correctly) lived down the street from us. He loved to do woodwork. He made us a rocking horse and 2 little rocking chairs. I loved those toys as a child. I remember sitting in rocking chairs on Gramma Fisch's front porch as a child shelling peas, or snapping beans, or watching a gentle summer rain, or just enjoying the day. One of those old rockers is now painted white and sits on my back porch. Another old rocker that was Gramma Fisch's that had a rawhide bottom in my guest bedroom. Claude has patched the broken braces and refinished it and it is a treasure sitting in that bedroom. I remember Gramma Chris (Claude's father's mother) and some old rocking chairs in her home. Bonnie has an old rocker in her kitchen that I think is one of these. It has broad flat arm rests and sits lower to the ground. It is quite roomy for a mom and child to sit in and I love sitting in that old rocker. When I gave birth to Nissa, I came home from the hospital and sitting there was a rocking chair purchased by Claude for his wife and new child. We had precious little money so financially this was a real treasure. But it was soooooo much more than just the money to me. It was a father, loving a wife and a new daughter, and understanding the importance of that rocking chair time that would be spent with hurt fingers or sick tummy or just having a hard time going to sleep. We logged many hours in that chair with Nissa, Jacob and Andie. When Nissa gave birth to Katelyn, Claude quietly ordered her a rocking chair. She and Scott were living with Bonnie and Evan. They helped make sure the chair made it to their home while Nissa was in the hospital with Katelyn. When Katelyn was 2 1/2 years old, Nissa and Scott divorced and Nissa and Katelyn came home to Maryland to live with us. My parents took a trip to Utah that summer and they packed the rocking chair in their van and brought it to Maryland for Nissa and Katelyn. That is a long drive between Utah and Maryland. They had to take that chair in and out of the van several times but again, the importance of hours spent between mom and child in that rocking chair and the love of a father giving it to his daughter were more precious that bumped shins moving a rocker in and out of a van across the United States. I spent many an evening with this little 2 1/2 year old in that rocker rocking and singing and holding 10+ stuffed animals to get our very active little Katelyn to settle into quiet and sleep. When Andie had Hayden, Claude again purchased a rocking chair for Andie. She was so happy to get that chair and know that as soon as Hayden was born she could come home to a rocker to feed and cuddle this precious little boy in. She set it in her bedroom. That is the rocker I was sitting in tonight with little 2 1/2 year old Bailey. No wonder as I sat there making sure our little girl was feeling secure and loved and felt this wave of rememberance of sitting with Katelyn at the same age and wanting her to feel secure and loved even though life was in a bit of an upheaval for her and her sweet mom. So tonight I ask you all to reflect with me on the importance of a good rocking chair to help us through all the stages of our life. Now I'm the old lady with wrinkled hands in a rocking chair and feeling good about many of the phases of my life and the rocking chairs that touched them.

Wabbits in History...

This morning I checked my eMail's and found one from Ticketmaster. I get these almost daily and I just scroll down looking for familiar names I might be interested in. Then I hit the delete key and move on. As I scrolled this morning, I was surprised to see a show called "Wabbits". Now, that has been my family nickname since I was a little girl. My memory is of Mimi, Papa, Junie, Neffice and me driving across the west and out on the plains seeing fields full of jack rabbits, we're talking oodles and gobs of jack rabbits, a veritable plethora of jack rabbits. Someone after that started calling Papa, Pa Wabbit and Mimi, Ma Wabbit, and us girls, the little Wabbits. When I wrote to Mimi and Papa (we didn't have eMail you understand) I always addressed the letters to the Wabbits. One time the mailman rang Mimi's doorbell and told her to tell me to put their names on the letter and not to put Wabbits. That never happened and they always got their letters. Papa just called and I asked him about his remembrance of how the family name of Wabbits came to be. His memory of this is different from mine. When Papa was a young man he worked for the telephone company. He was a lineman. Their crew had 7 linemen and 1 grunt to do the ground work. Papa and Baron LaBorde were very good at climbing the telephone poles so they did most of the climbing. Papa did very little of the grunt work (work on the ground) because he loved climbing and was good being on those tall telephone poles. He tells me that he and Baron LaBorde got to where they could come down those poles in 3 steps. This was frowned on by the telephone compnay (obviously!!). Papa said Old Man Beckan, their supervisor, caught Baron coming down a pole in 3 steps and asked him how he learned to do that. Baron, in his confession, included Papa as one with this ability also. I remember clearly hanging in our garage the spikes that Papa wore when he climbed telephone poles. They strapped onto the legs and outside of your shoes and you would plant the spike in the pole with a strap about your waist that you used to pull yourself up with. This would have taken a lot of strength and no fear of heights. Anyway, on with the story, Baron LaBorde was a cocky person (Papa's words). After Papa married Mimi, Baron would come to their apartment to visit. If Mimi needed to do something, Baron would say, "Let Daddy Rabbit handle it." From this beginning Mimi and Papa started calling themselves Daddy Rabbit and Momma Rabbit. As Papa and I talked it seems as kids we may have picked up on this and used the prnunciation "wabbit". and it went from there. Sooooo...this mornign I'm checking ticketmaster and find a rock and pop group performing called "Wabbits". Somehow I thought our family had this totally unique name. I decided to Google the word 'wabbits' and see if I could find the group. There were tons of uses of this word. I didn't find the band but I found lots of references to Elmer Fudd huntin' that waskely wabbit. Also some rabbit sales and breed stores. There were even rabbit jokes. There you have it...the origin of the Vernon Lawrence family name, Wabbits.

Facebook | Sandi Christensen

Today my sweet hubby sent me an eMail that 'invited' me to join him on Facebook. Now...my hubby doesn't read my blog so I'm a little confused as to why he would start on Facebook. I run up the stairs to inquire as to this new found interest of his. It turns out that his high school friends are all doing a Facebook thing so he joined in. Okay, you process as I did... So I came back downstairs and created my Facebook account and rapidly began clicking on all the people I knew. Little did I know I was going to get an eMail for each of these people. Ah but we 'live and learn'. And my compulsive nature means I need to check each one's profile and see pictures of friends I haven't seen in years. So I'm off on a new bit of my journey to learn the world of Facebook. Any pointers or suggestions...any...??? At the time I was actually unsubscribing to lots of regular eMail things I get so that my mailbox wouldn't fill so much when we go to Hawaii. I'm sure the eMails will settle down once I've received all the acceptances. What an interesting thing this computer of mine. It sure opens up worlds of stuff. Facebook Sandi Christensen

'Nanner Puddin'...

My mother was a great cook. She cooked simple southern foods, but she did a bang up good job of it. As a child my memory of my father's eating habits were that he ate simply to stay alive. He always enjoyed sweets and Mimi was happy to keep a pink depression glass cookie jar full of fudge, divinity, peanut brittle or some delectable sweet for a quick munchie. But my memory of my father and dinner was a cellophane bag of vanilla wafers and a jug of milk. He would take a big bowl, fill it with vanilla wafers, add milk, let the vanilla wafers soften, mash them with a spoon and eat. As he ate he would add more vanilla wafers if there was too much milk or more milk if there was too much vanilla wafer. Papa would do this until the milk and the vanilla wafers equaled out. To Papa this was a king's meal. Now that Mimi can't cook I sometimes try to remember things that she made that Papa liked. Today was one of those days. We had Papa and Tiny out for dinner on the deck. Claude grilled a pork tenderloin and some moonshine corn-on-the-cob. He made a salad and I heated up the rolls. We had a wonderful meal until it started to sprinkle and we hurried inside and finished our meal at the breakfast room table. After dinner I cleaned up the dishes while the men enjoyed a bit of TV. Then I brought out dessert. I made banana pudding from Mimi's recipe. Mimi made this frequently for Papa because it was one of his favorites. Today it turned out just like Mimi made and Papa was one happy camper. Now, I believe all families have words they say in a silly way. Sometimes it is a result of a child's developing speech. Sometimes a word comes out funny and the family says it that way forever after. I'm not sure how it started in the Lawrence family but we always called banana pudding 'nanner puddin'. Today, I share Mimi's 'nanner puddin' recipe with each of you. May you enjoy it in good health!! BANANA PUDDING: Mimi’s Recipe Mix together: 1 cup sugar, 1 heaping tablespoon flour, a dash of salt, 3 egg yolks, and 2 cups milk Cook till thick. (It should be boiling with thick bubbles.) Add and mix: 3 stiffly beaten egg whites and 1 teaspoon vanilla Layer: Vanilla wafers, bananas, and pudding three times in that order (end with pudding). Top with crushed vanilla wafers Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Farewell Flavius...

Josephus, or more accurately Joseph ben Matthias, was born the year Gaius (better known as Caligula) acceded to the throne of the Roman Empire, A.D. 37, and died sometime after A.D. 100. He was the son of a priestly family and through his Hasmonean mother could boast of royal blood. We can divide his life into two parts, each about thirty-three years in length: the first half could be described as the life of Joseph ben Matthias and Jewish priest, general, and rpisoner; the second half, with some reservations, as the life of Flavius Josephus the Roman citizen and author. In all fairness we must add that even the Roman Josephus was a Jew and was doubless writing to honor his ellow countrymen and to defen Judaism. He never regained the confidence of his own people, however, and even down to modern times has been looked upon as a renegade. This is a portion of the first paragraph of the Foreward in the book 'Josephus Complete Works'. I've heard people state 'according to Josephus' in many classes. I've been curious about him and the history he wrote. My parents own this book and I borrowed it to read before our trip to Israel. Silly me. The book is 770 pages of teeny, tiny print in 2 columns. I read some before going to Israel in September 2005. I took the book with me to read on the plane. Again, silly me, it is not a light book to tote around. Then when I came home I left my marker in place and for a few years just looked at it and thought 'someday I'll finish that'. Claude bought us a treadmill a couple of years ago and I needed something to read while I walked. I brought Josephus downstairs and kept it by the treadmill. I found I could read about 2 pages front and back (sometimes a little more) in my 30 minute walk on the treadmill. I knew I would eventually finish reading Josephus. Well, ladies and gentlemen, this afternoon was the day. I finished my reading of this very interesting book. It was well worth the time invested in reading it. I can't remember all of it or even a lot of it. But I totally enjoyed the history and was fascinated with the writing style. Josephus was there with Titus as the Roman army defeated and destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. It is believed by some that for his Antiquities of the Jews he may have actually used the records in a library collected by Nehemiah. If this is true, these would have been the most accurate records of the history of the Jewish people. When Claude and I toured Israel, we went to the top of Mt. Tabor where it is believed the Transfiguration of Christ took place. We went out on one of the terraces and you could see a wall below. Our Israeli tour guide told us this wall was built by Josephus when he was a general in the Jewish army defending his assigned area from the Romans. I enjoyed this book. I'm happy I waded through it. I wouldn't even mind reading it again sometime. Maybe when I'm in my 70's!!!

Tender Mercy...

On the Sunday mornings that I am in my home ward (congregation), I go into the meetinghouse early when Claude goes for his meetings before sacrament meeting begins. I love this quiet time. I sit in the chapel, no one else is there, and I quietly read my scriptures or the current Ensign. I'm reading my Old Testament and just finished Esther and began reading Job this week. As I was reading in Job this morning I got to the 5th Chapter and the 17th & 18th verses. In these verses Job's friend, Eliphaz is counseling Job. He say, "Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole." I had already underlined this in a previous time reading the Old Testament. Again this time the words stood out brightly in my reading. I pondered, "Am I humble enough to take correction and then have the wounded parts of me be healed? Am I humble enough to learn from those things I have done wrong, then to change and become a better person?" Then I reflected on the book I am currently reading by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. It seems that in each chapter he says something like, "...when the trials (troubles, difficulties, etc.) come, AND THEY WILL,..." Elder Holland always says we can expect there will be difficulties and trials in this life. It seems his 'and they will' phrase is always there set in between commas to be sure we understand that this is a part of life on earth. We are hear to be tested and to prove ourselves worthy of all the blessing the Father already has for each of us. The real 'living' part of life is how we deal with the trials and the tests, not how we live when life is easy. As I sat there, quiet and still, I felt the most peaceful warm feeling. It was as if someone came up behind me and gave me a big, warm, loving hug. I'm always grateful when I get that peaceful feeling. I felt my eyes and heart begin to fill with gratitude. My life is far from perfect but I felt that what I'm doing at this point and time is acceptable. It was a 'tender mercy' from my Heavenly Father. I thank Him for caring enough to touch my heart at that moment in time. I am thankful that when things are difficult, and they will be from time to time, I can recall sitting in a chapel and feeling his love and tender mercy.

Let's Catch Up...

My goodness it feels like forever since I blogged. I read them every day but I haven't written for a bit. So I'll try and catch up with what has happened last Friday's entry. Friday, August 28th - We invited the missionaries over for dinner in the evening. Claude cranked up the smoker and smoked a wonderful beef brisket. He made his soon-to-be-world-famous Moonshine Corn. We had rolls and peas & cheese salad. I made a pie out of vanilla ice cream and lemonade in a graham cracker crust. Papa brought the Elders out and we all sat on the deck and enjoyed one of those great Kentucky summer evenings. It was delightful. Saturday, August 29th - Our stake (Church organization) had 2 big events. One was the end of the summer picnic at Cave Run State Park in Morehead, Kentucky. The other was the Adult Singles Dinner & Dance in Lexington in the evening. Claude and I were invited to attend the Adult Singles Dinner & Dance so our bishop could attend the picnic and help grill food for the masses. This was one excellent dinner. There was roast beef & chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, homemade rolls, green beans, a chinese slaw salad. We were amused by the caterer bringing iced tea for one of the drinks. They had a nice dance after the dinner and Claude and I even did one of the slow dances. Sunday, August 30th - I did not travel to any of the other wards or branches this Sunday. I actually attended my home ward. They were have their visiting teaching conference so I was extra happy to be there. Jessie Carter, our stake Relief Society photographer, was visiting our ward with her father. She and I got to sit together. She is just a dear friend and I very much enjoyed her company. The visiting teaching conference was superb. As we arrived at the Relief Society room there were refreshments to take with us as we entered the room. They provided grapes, a breakfast bread, cream puffs and water to drink. Jess and I shared a plate. She isn't eating sweets so I took that portion and she enjoyed the grapes. As we entered the room there was a tableau at the front of the room with 3 characters dressed in biblical clothing. After all were in the room our Relief Society President, Cheri Risher, read the story from the New Testament about the Savior and Mary and Martha. As she read the story the characters in the front of the room moved in sequence with the story. When she finished, she asked us what that story had to do with visiting teaching. Bridgett Allen said we should all choose the better part, like Mary did, by doing our visiting teaching. Sis. Risher gave an excellent talk, we had a beautiful music selection, then Mindy Bodmer gave a talk about her feelings about visiting teaching. It was all really touching and uplifting. At one point Jess leaned over to me and said, "My mom is really missing out!" The theme for the program was 'Feed My Sheep'. After all was done they gave us each a folder with uplifting talks about the importance of visiting teaching, some gift ideas for the sisters we visit, a magnet to hang on the fridge to remind us of doing our visiting teaching, and some suggestions to help with visiting teaching. It is all very good stuff. As we left the room we were given our visiting teaching routes and a cupcake decorated with marshmallows to look like a little sheep. Sunday evening Claude had a General Priesthood Meeting at the stake center. I represented both of us at an open house to say good-bye to two of our neighbors who are moving back to Florida. We'll miss Mac & Rick. They have been wonderful neighbors. One night we had a tornado warning siren go off. Mac was on the phone calling all the neighbors to be sure they heard it and that they headed for their basements. She also decorates some of the most beautiful Christmas trees you have ever seen. Rick made us a little map of Eagle Bend when we moved in and labeled each home with the name and phone number of the people living there. I've kept it in my phone book and edit it as people move in. Monday, August 31 - Claude took me into Georgetown to visit Mimi while Papa fed her lunch. Claude headed off to do his errands. After feeding Mimi, Papa took me to his apartment and we practiced music for Wednesday's performance at the nursing home. Claude and I had dinner at Burger King. He had a 2 for 1 coupon. One simply must use those you know. We visited the Brunty family that afternoon. While visiting the Brunty's we realized that this day was my 5th year anniversary for being in Kentucky. I drove to Sadieville on August 31, 2004 and set up an air mattress to take up residence in our new, very empty home. To celebrate this important realization we went to McDonald's and had a McFlurry before heading home for the remainder of the evening. Tuesday, September 1 - This was my day at home. A girl needs this every now and then to try and catch up. I didn't get caught up but I did have a full day of doing things in my home that must be done to keep a home functional. Wednesday, September 2 - My morning was spent at the Homemaker's Club in my neighborhood. I joined this last year and have decided to continue my membership this year. It is a good opportunity for me to visit and get to know some of the other ladies in my community. They meet the 1st Wednesday of each month between September and May. They have a little devotional to start, then a lesson prepared by the county extension office and given by a member in our club, then we cover business, then we have a little lunch together. This time we had salads and desserts. Every one brings something to share and we had a lovely lunch. I hurried home to pack a little overnight bag. In the afternoon I headed to the nursing home to sing with Papa. Mimi was chatty and it is always good to visit with her when she is chatty. I gave her the spearment candy she loves and some pictures from the Parent's magazines that Andie gives me. They have kids pictures and Mimi loves those. After singing with Papa, I helped him get his musical stuff to his car and then headed down the road to La Grange. I got there before time for Hayden and Bailey to go to bed. It was great to get lots of hugs and kisses and play for a bit. Thursday, September 3 - Andie took Hayden for his occupational therapy appointment in the morning. This was his first one and she wasn't sure how long it would last. So Miss Bailey and I had Bailey and Ma playtime while Hayden and Andie were gone. Bailey took a long bubble bath, played with playdough, watched a Little Einstein show while having her morning snack and we played cars. Andie and Hayden brought us sandwiches from Schlotzky's for lunch. Andie headed on to her 2 doctor appointments in the afternoon while Hayden, Bailey and I ate our sandwiches. Then I let them watch a Dora show because they ate sooooo well. I washed dishes and swept the kitchen while they watched their show. Then it was quiet time. Bailey slept. Hayden and I quietly tiptoed downstairs to have quiet time together. Hayden had been concerned he wouldn't get any Ma time with him and Hayden. So I had him come downstairs with the understanding we had to be quiet and still for a while but we could read or watch a show. He picked out a Diego show and we plopped pillows up on the love seat. He snuggled in my arm and I really thought he was going to fall asleep while we watched TV but the little trooper stayed awake. When Diego was over I told him we still had to be quiet a little while longer so we picked out a Sid the Science Kid show and watched it. After it was over we had Hayden's afternoon snack. Then he wanted to go out front and play. We took the monitor and plugged it in on the front porch. Then Hayden taught me how to play tag. Alas, I have to report that I can't out run a 4 year old anymore. But we ran for about a hour. I almost drew the line at jumping like a frog across the front yard but those big old eye and a grin from one ear to the other convinced me I didn't want to miss this moment in time. Andie came home to find us running on the front lawn. I headed home after Bailey woke up. I made two stops for items I needed and can get at stores in Frankfort on my home. I got home to my hubby at about 8pm, tired in a very happy way. Friday, September 4 - Today Claude and discussed how to spend this day. We have been trying to make sure we do some things together. Our lives are very full but they often go in two different directions and we are trying to make a concerted effort to have some time that is just us together. We talked about all we might want to accomplish today. We decided we would both walk our treadmill. Then we got ready and headed out for the day. First we went bowling. I bowled my best game EVER!!! It was even the 3rd game that we bowled. I bowled 166. I had 3 strikes and 4 spares. Claude was amazed. When he paid for our games after we finished the guy kept wanting me to bowl in leagues. He didn't know that it was a fluke (albeit a happy one!) that I scored that high. After bowling Claude dropped me off at the nursing home while he ran errand. Mimi was in bed for her afternoon nap. She was awake and talking to herself so I sat on her bed and talked and giggled a bit. Then she started to fall asleep. I spent some time straightening out her closet and drawers. When she would awake we would visit and then she would drift off to sleep. When Claude got back, we headed to Lexington to pick up plastic bags and stuff for clean-up week in Sadieville. Bluegrass Pride donates these to assist in keeping the Bluegrass area clean. Then we were off to Red Lobster for a late lunch/early dinner. We saw an advertisement on TV for all you can eat shrimp and that is what prompted the Red Lobster adventure. The food was delicious and we managed to coordinate our calendars through the end of the year while we ate. Then we stopped at Lowe's in Georgetown on the way home for some yard care items Claude needed. Whew!! That was my week in review. I spent this evening trying to determine how to handle Claude's birthday outing this year. The Big Guy turns 60 years old in October. Jake was gracious enough to remind me of this. We are planning a family get together over his birthday weekend.