Can You Find...

While in Michigan I received a beautiful gift from my Aubrey Anne. She made this lovely creature in an art class at school. It is a pink dragonfly. We used to call them 'skeeterhawks' when I was a little girl in Louisiana. It was great fun to try and catch them just as you would a butterfly.

I have nestled this pink dragon fly in a vase of flowers in my sewing room. That vase has flowers made from the hand prints of Hayden and Bailey from several years ago. There is also an old iron from my Gramma Fisch, my mother's mom.

The picture on the wall is a poem Andie gave me some years ago title "When I am an Old Woman".  The poem starts out "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple with red hats..."  Now I am a lover of the color purple, always have been. I got this poem long before I ever heard of the 'Red Hat Ladies' whom I imagine use this lovely poem as their Credo. I just love it because it was given to me by my daughter and I love purple.

Hope you found that love pink dragonfly Miss Aubrey Anne made and gave to me. I love having this treasure nestled in the sewing/craft/office room of mine. I see my grandmonsters on each and every wall and surface in this room and I am so happy to add another treasure.

Thank you Aubrey for thinking of me!

Grandmonsters....

A few weeks ago I was teaching the Gospel Doctrine class at Church. I asked a question and someone raised their hand to answer. Katelyn was with us and it was her. I was so happy and told everyone, "That is my oldest Grandmonster."

After teaching that Sunday, Kathy Alexander in our ward came up to me and said, "I have to give you something. It is so great that today you actually said the word you call your grandchildren 'Grandmonsters'." Then Kathy pulled out a big bag.

Kathy had been shopping at Kirtland's and found something on a sale table and immediately thought of me. She said she had to get it and so the purchase was made and she brought it to me that Sunday. Here is my gift from Kathy...

Is that cool or what???  A picture frame that says 'Grandmonsters'.  I have never heard anyone else call their grandkids 'grandmonsters'. I have even been chided for using that term. I continue on because it is said with tons and tons of love and I know my grandmonsters know that.

I've got a picture of Nissa's kids in the top left corner and a picture of Andie's kids in the top right corner. The bottom right has a picture of all the grandmonsters at the last camp Christensen.

I struggled with what to put in the bottom left frame. After 24 hours I realized I wanted a picture that was about family somehow but not one of the kids. We just made a trip to Utah and I took lots of pictures of the ranch Claude grew up on. I decided that I would pick one of them to represent where our roots are and where all this grandmonstering really began years ago. So the bottom left picture is a scene from the ranch in Utah. Claude and I were married in Utah, Katelyn was born in Utah, that soil means a lot to all of my kids so it is just the right thing for the 4th picture.

There you have it. Thank you Kathy for such a neat gift. Now we'll hang it in our home and enjoy it through the years.

Cha, Cha, Cha, Chia...

My hubby spent yesterday morning in a dentist chair. He had a root canal done in May and it healed sufficiently to put the temporary crown on. He came home and got a Mayoral call just as he laid down to rest. He did rest a bit after the phone call and then he was up and cutting the neighbors grass and our hill under the trees.
Claude has also wanted to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. We hoped to go while Katelyn was here when it first came out but that did not work out.

Yesterday, after Claude got in from his mowing chores, I called the Georgetown Theater and found the times. Then I marched myself right into Claude's office and said, "I have a plan!" I presented said plan. I would go in and sing at the nursing home then Claude would come into Georgetown and take me to dinner and then to the movie. He was game for that plan. (He could have been gamey from cutting grass but I truly believe he was just game for 'the plan'.)

It was just a very pleasant evening beginning with dinner at Fazoli's (I've fallen in love with their chopped Italian salad).

We both enjoyed the movie in a very quiet theater. There were only about 6 other people watching with us. I wondered how this one would be with only 3 of the original cast returning but I felt it held up quite well. Penelope Cruz and Johnny Depp played very well against each other. We even stayed to the ends of the credits to see the little tickler for the next Pirates movie.

After the movie Claude suggested we have an ice cream for dessert. Off to Dairy Queen we sped.

This morning I came upstairs to give something to Claude. When I got to the top of the stairs there was a big box on the sofa with a note taped on top. Hmmm...I wandered over and read the note. It was in Claude's hand writing and said I could check the box I wanted this to be for. The options were Christmas, Anniversary, Mother's Day or Just Because.

I went on in to Claude's office and asked him what was with the box on the sofa. He said I would just have to open it and see. I proceeded to the kitchen for the scissors and back to the sofa to cut the tape on that box.

Inside was brown paper crumpled around something dark green. What in the world could this be. No shipping label on the box so I had absolutely no idea.

When I got to the item for me I could only laugh right out loud. Here was my present which I have placed on my front porch.

Yep, that's right, a green moss turtle. I do love turtles and this is a very unique one. I went to Claude's office after my laughter and told him it looked like a huge chia pet.  We both got a chuckle. He said it was much bigger than he thought it was when he ordered it.

It seems he ordered and received it last November. Then he tucked it in his closet to hide it (I only go in there for typing paper or an envelope) and promptly forgot it. Today he was looking in the closet for something and saw this big box. He says to himself, "Self, what is that big box." Then he began to remember that he forgot.

I love this getting older stuff. It creates gift giving events when you least expect them!!  (Honestly, he and I both do this forgetting more frequently now. The best thing is to enjoy the silliness of it all.)

The Matter of 'Maters

My hubby is...well...obsessed with growing tomatoes.  I am not complaining.  Love a fresh tomato off the vine in the summer.
If you look back at my posts close to the beginning you'll find that humorous post of our first 'crop' of 'tomato'. Claude pulled the tractor and trailer around and we took photos of the harvest of one lone tomato in his trailer. I'm still grinning at old people doing this.

Last year Claude grew a particularly large tomato 'tree' with cherry tomatoes on it in the Bourbon barrel on our lower deck. We were amazed at the size of that plant/tree.

This year I happened to run into a sale on the Topsy-Turvy tomato planters. I bought two for Claude and he has them hanging off the bottom of our upper deck. They are growing very well.

Then Claude purchased three of the same kind of tomato plant, one for each of the Bourbon barrels we have on the lower deck. Mind you they are all the same kind of tomato plant, all purchased and planted the same day. Please note the disparity in size already.

Our plant on the left of the picture is noticeably larger than the two in the center and the right of the picture. Once again that particular Bourbon barrel is growing an unusually large tomato plant. Hmmm...wonder why that is???

One night last week as I walked past the windows in the family room that look out on the back yard I noted something. If you look carefully above the trellis on the patio and along the bottom edge of the upper deck to the bay window, you will see three little lights. Claude installed these some time ago. They are solar powered and they stay on all night, or at least until their battery runs down. They shine on that bottom Bourbon barrel all night long. My theory is that particular plant is growing like it would in Alaska with their 22 hours of daylight in the summer.  All that light and the plants just keep on growing, and growing and growing. I'm a thinkin' that is what our solar lights are doing for the tomato plants in that barrel.

There you have it...my not-so-scientific reasoning. Just plain old common sense. So if you want huge vegetable plants, put them in a Bourbon barrel under a solar light that stays on all night...or move to Alaska!!

Back to LaGrange...The Home to Michigan

We returned home Monday evening at about 10pm. Tuesday was spent doing laundry, checking on my parents and packing for the last leg of this grand adventure.

We did pause in the middle of the day to have lunch at Fava's. They have the best Frickles and Katelyn loves them. We invited Cindy Foster to join us. She was Katelyn's boss last summer and it would be a good time for them to visit a bit. Lunch was delicious.

In the afternoon, Claude and Papa had their shift at the Family History Center. Katelyn and I went to Lexington with them and then headed to Fayette Mall. We were on a mission to purchase a birthday present for Bonnie. We found the perfect gift, we enjoyed Dippin' Dots ice cream, we shopped a bit and just had some time to talk.

Wednesday, June 1st, was Andie and Michael's 14th anniversary. Claude had a meeting in the morning, we finished wrapping gifts and mailing them, then headed to Frankfort. I had a Groupon for Buffalo Trace Distillery and we were going to purchase more root beer and a bucket hat for Katelyn. That task complete we were on our way to LaGrange to watch the Mini's while Andie and Michael had an anniversary date.

It was a beautiful day so Hayden and Bailey donned their bathing suits. Hayden set up the sprinkler and we enjoyed a little time playing in the water, filling Bailey's little watering can so she could water plants and having a little fun in the back yard.

Thursday was Hayden's last day of Kindergarten. Andie prepared a special breakfast of 'No Yeast Orange Rolls'. They were delicious. Hayden was off to school. Michael was off to work. Andie was off to the Extension Office for a canning class. That left Claude, Katelyn and me to watch Bailey. Those are pretty fair odds I would say.

Andie finished her class a bit early. She came home and she and Katelyn headed to the pottery painting place. When Katelyn visited the Marx family on her arrival in Kentucky, she and Andie went there and Katelyn made her mom a big mug. It was fired and ready to pick up. Perfect timing to get it and then take it to Michigan with us.

Hayden was to get home from school at 12:30. Bailey and I were outside playing. I noted the time and began to herd Bailey toward the front yard and then down the street to meet Hayden's bus. I thought Andie and Katelyn were not home. They arrived while I was herding Bailey around the side of the house and I missed them. Andie walked down the street and met Bailey and I so we could all meet Hayden's final bus as a Kindergartener.

Bailey was so happy to see her brother she just had to give him a HUGE bear hug.

Hayden was beaming with his knowledge that he was now going to be a 1st grader. Let's hope he keeps that join each year for the next 12+++ years.

We had a nice lunch together and then it was time to point the red Buick north and make our way to Muskegon.

We arrived in Muskegon about 8:30pm. Katelyn was happy to be home again. We unpacked her things and sat and visited with Nissa, Todd, Paul and Aubrey for a bit before going to our hotel for the evening.

Silliest news story that night on TV. Some children reported to their parents an alligator in the grass of their neighbors yard. The parents called the police. The police came and found the alligator. The police shot the alligator only to learn it was a concrete alligator placed their by the owner of the property on which it lay. The owner was interviewed and noted that the reason he bought the alligator and placed it there was to keep the neighbors kids out of his yard!! Now that is just funny.

Claude and I slept in Friday. We are aging and the weeks of travel were catching up to us. When we were about ready to leave our hotel room, I called Katelyn to tell her we would be to her home soon to pick her up for our lunch date at The Pita Place. There are great falafels to be had there people!!

Katelyn surprised me by saying, "Can I just meet you there?" I assured her that was okay but we would be happy to pick her up. Then she confessed, "I really want to drive my car. I've missed it!" 

We met at the Pita Place and enjoyed our lunch together tremendously.

Katelyn had errands to do so we parted ways. Claude and I decided to take a little drive. We headed in the direction of Lake Michigan. We ended up at Lake Muskegon. It was a nice place to park, roll down the windows and visit with each other for a bit. Nissa called while we were parked there and extended an invitation for dinner with her and Todd at one of their favorite places without the kids. Now, this doesn't happen often, I mean, having dinner without the kids. We cheerfully said 'yes' to this invitation. We told her we would have dinner for the kids so they didn't have to worry about that part.

Claude and I thought we would go back to our hotel room for a break before picking up Aubrey and Paul from school at 3:10pm. When we got to the hotel we had no idea what fun the next 45 minutes held for us.

Claude put his key card in the door. The lights came up like everything was okay but the door would not open. He tried several times with his key card, then he tried several times with my key card to no avail. I took one of the key cards and headed to the front desk. Our hotel room was at the back of the hotel. I explained our situation and the front desk clerk re-scanned the key card.

I hurried back to the back of the hotel and Claude tried the re-scanned key card. Still no luck. I took both key cards and scurried back to the front of the hotel to the front desk. I explained what we were doing and that neither key worked. They door would open less than an inch but that was all it would do.

One of the desk clerks accompanied me back to our door with both key cards. She tried and had the same unsuccessful experience. She told us the dead-bolt lock had slipped and she thought she could use one of the key cards to slip it to an unlocked position. After a bit of work she was able to do that. However, that little metal loop that fits over a knob at the top of the door on the inside was now over the knob and would not open. This was a real problem.

The question was asked about it being a connecting room. It was not.

The maintenance guy was called. He decided he would try the window to get into the room. This caused Claude and I a bit of concern. Was it that easy to get into our hotel room from the outside?!?!?! Yike.

While he did that Claude and the front desk clerk tried to think of something they could put in the door and attach to the loop, then close the door as far as they could to provide slack for the loop, then lift that loop over the knob so we could open the door. I suddenly had an idea. I always carry my craft bag. I asked the front desk clerk if a crochet hook might work. She was a mite surprised I was carrying a case with every size crochet hook you might ever want inside in size order. She picked the one she wanted and gave that loopy thing a try. While it was a great idea, the crochet hook was took stiff to bend when the door was pulled shut to give slack to the loop.

Claude pulled out his pocket comb. It would have been the right kind of tool but it was too short. It was beginning to look like a 2011 version of The Three Bears story...

The maintenance man came back and told us the window was locked and he couldn't get it open at all. That was a happy-you-can't-get-in-that-easy feeling and an aw-shucks-it-didn't-work feeling. The maintenance man then left to find clippers to cut the metal loop thing.

The man checking in across the hall went to his car and came back with a Christmas bell decoration on a rope long enough to be a necklace. He tried to hook it around the metal loop and close the door and pull. It was too slippery and couldn't catch and pull when the door closed. He was a nice guy and we truly appreciated his effort.

The maintenance man came back with a pitiful, I mean really pitiful, plier like clipper. It would maybe work on a coat hanger, definitely not on that metal loop. He tried while Claude assured him he needed a much larger clipper or a hack saw. Away the maintenance man went to locate another tool.

I scrounged around in my purse and found what we called a 'bread-and-butter' comb. We used them when I was a beautician and called them that because you literally earned you income with this most basic of combs. I gave it to Claude and assured him teeth broken did not matter at this point. Claude had enough experience at this point with the door that he put it in there and set it up just right, closed the door as much as he could, made his pulling movement and flipped the loop off the knob and opened our door. Hallelujah, yea wo verily, we were able to enter our room. And it all only took 45 minutes.

By now we were late to drive to Aubrey and Paul's school. I called Katelyn and asked her to pick them up and told her we would come directly to their home. She was off and we were off to their home.

Aubrey and Paul did their chores, put on their bathing suits and we were headed back to our hotel for them to enjoy an afternoon in the pool.

We picked up pizza for the kids dinner on our way back to their home. Nissa and Todd were a little late getting home so all our timing worked out just fine. We left the kids eating their pizza and headed out for an adult evening.

Dinner was at Mango's. The food was delicious. No wonder Nissa and Todd are so happy with that restaurant. After dinner Todd drove us to Lake Michigan. We hiked up to the top of a dune that has a walkway built into it. There we enjoyed the sunset on Lake Michigan. Thank you Nissa and Todd for the lovely evening.

We stayed a bit at their home to visit with the kids before heading back to the hotel.

Saturday we left the hotel and headed to Chelsea for lunch with Jake. This time we dined at the Chelsea Grill. This restaurant was where we ate when we took Jake up there years ago as he started his apprenticeship at the Purple Rose Theater. They had a fire in the restaurant and had to rebuild it. This was our first visit back after the rebuilding. The food was excellent. We ordered an appetizer that was a version of potato skins. They were loaded with pulled barbeque beef, crumbled bacon and cheese. Sooooo very good.

Jake was doing great and we had a nice visit. I'm so happy we can visit, even for just a bit, when we are in Michigan.

Claude drove us home to Sadieville and we spent the little bit of evening we had getting ready for Church on Sunday.

This was a very full three weeks but just a great time to be with our family and build some more of those wonderful memories.