April Birthdays...

We celebrate two birthdays for our family in April. 

Saturday, April 7th, was Todd's birthday. Todd is our son-in-law and married to our oldest child, Nissa. They live in Michigan. I posted this picture on Facebook on his birthday. It was taken the first time we met Todd. Can you tell he makes our Nissa happy. For this I am very grateful. Her life has not been a piece of cake and to finally see her happy is such a blessing. 

Wednesday, April 18th, was Jacob's birthday. Jacob is our son and the youngest of our kids. He turned 43 this year. Where did those years go???? I posted these pictures of Jake from 1980. He was 5 and 6 years old in them. 

This is Jake's first day in Kindergarten. 

This was also taken in Kindergarten. It is his very first school picture. I found a box turtle and brought it home for the kids. The kids named the turtle Toby. They made a two room home for it out of boxes. One room had a sand floor with a small pie tin in one corner filled with water for Toby to drink or swim in. The other room had a grass floor and a flag in the wall so Toby could say the Pledge of Allegiance to each morning. Every morning Jake would take the turtle to the bathroom sink and run water over him for his morning bath. Then give Jake would give Toby a kiss before he left for school. The morning of Jake's kindergarten school pictures, Toby grabbed Jake's upper lip and wouldn't let go. I heard Jake yell "MA"!! I ran into the bathroom and found my son standing there with a turtle hanging off his lip. I couldn't do anything but pull the turtle off of Jake. Hence the turtle mouth print on his upper lip. That evening we took Toby back up the hill and let him loose to find a home for the winter. 

This is Jake and Jennifer. She was his first girl friend. They were playing dress up in old clothes. They are just too cute. Such good friends.  

This was taken at the Church Halloween party. Jake wanted to be Dracula. We made that happen. I got disclosing tablets from the dentist for his mouth to stay red. We put Vaseline on his hair to make it stay back. It took 4 shampooings (according to spell check I just invented a word there) to even get part of the Vaseline out of his hair. But Jake was a cute Dracula.

Love my family and remembering these fun moments in our lives. 

Bird Houses

Claude finally finished clear coating the birdhouses. This was a project I thought I posted about but, after an inordinate amount of time searching, I find that I did not post pictures of this event. So, here goes...

In February Claude dropped me off at the nursing home to visit Papa while he attended a meeting and took care of errands. When he comes to pick me up, he always pops me a text and I finish up my visit with Papa and go out to the Jeep. While Claude was waiting for me to come out this time, he happened to notice all the front windows of the nursing home had a chain hanging in front of them with nothing on the end of the chain. In his musings as he waited he had an impression. When I got in the car, he did one of those, "What would you think if...?" statements. His plan, he would purchase the little decorative birdhouses and give them to the Young Women at Church to paint. Then he would clear coat them to protect them and then hang them in front of each window. That would be nine birdhouses. I thought this was a capital idea.

I then went to Glen Redmon who is over all the things that enhance the residents of the nursing homes lives. He approved them and then said he would check to see if any of the windows on the back side of the nursing home had chains. When he did that count he found that there were only chains on the front nine windows.

Claude and I purchased the birdhouses while out and about on our anniversary in February. I supplied all the paint and paint brushes. Then we found a date when the Young Women wanted a service project to do. Wednesday evening, February 28th, I to the birdhouses and the paints and brushes to the Church. The Young Women leaders provided the plastic clothes to cover the work tables and the paper plates to put the paints on and paper towels and water in cups for clean up. The girls had a blast painting. Here are some pictures of the girls and their leaders having a good time doing a great service.

 

Then Claude took several weeks to put on several clear coats to preserve them a little bit longer. Here are some pictures of their work after Claude's clear coating.

The week of Papa's birthday, Claude again dropped me off to visit Papa. When he came back to pick me up, Papa and I were sitting on the bench in front of the nursing home enjoying a comfortable afternoon. Claude brought the birdhouses and Papa got to watch us hang them at the nursing home. They are so very cute. Makes the place look a little more like a home. 

When the kids came to sing Happy Birthday to Papa on May 2nd, the birdhouses were there. Here a are few pictures of very happy Young Women with the birdhouses they painted.

This was a fun service project for the girls. I am grateful that Claude had this impression and was excited about providing this opportunity for the girls and to help the nursing home. This project was great on many levels. I hope the Young Women feel more comfortable being in a nursing home and around people with lots of difficulties at the end of their lives. Good things. Just good things. 

90 Years and Counting...

It finally happened. Ever since May 3, 2017 when Papa turned 89 he has anxiously waited to hit the hallmark age of 90. From the day after he turned 89 he would say, "You know in a few months I will be 90 years old!" At times I felt like the mothers of little babies who say, "My child is 4 months and 3 days old." 

Then the end of March, Papa took a nasty tumble and it knocked him down a peg or two. It was a couple of weeks before real progress was showing in his recovery and ability to move without calling out in pain or sitting up without holding on to his head so it didn't hurt as bad. It could have been the moment that caused his real quick decline. But the nursing home started physical therapy and they ordered more X-rays just to be sure his right arm wasn't broken. A week before his birthday I took him on a long car ride and he didn't wince with every slight bump of the car. I felt like we might be able to do something fun for his birthday. 

The Young Men and Young Women at Church wanted to have a birthday celebration. On Wednesday evening, May 2nd, they all trooped over to the nursing home about 7pm and provided him with birthday cake and singing. He really enjoyed this. I didn't get to be there as I teach Institute at that same time. But they gave me these wonderful pictures. 

One Papa's birthday I picked him up at the nursing home at 3pm to come to our home. I put in a DVD he made of old 8mm home movies taken when I was just a little girl. We journeyed back through these memories as Claude finished up dinner. 

Claude made meat loaf which was something Papa loved when we had his teeth and he would come out to eat at the house. It really doesn't matter because Papa has no teeth and we blend up all his meal in a blender and he drinks it when he visits. He loved the nice meat loaf, roll, mashed potatoes, and green bean milk shake though! Ugh!

I had sent a message to each of Papa's children and grandchildren reminding them of Papa's impending 90th birthday and giving them two weeks to send a card and/or pictures for him to open. He really needs nothing but these are things that he would enjoy that day and for many days to come. So, after dinner we paused and let Papa open his cards, letters and pictures. He loved it. These are a few pictures of him opening cards from my kids and grandmonsters. 

We then sat in the living room and watched a bit more of the DVD while we ate banana pudding which I prepared. This was my mother's recipe and I have the bowl she used to put it in which I also used. Didn't have to blend the banana pudding and Papa relished every bite. I would even take a second helping to him at the nursing home the next day. 

We had a few visitors come to say happy birthday to Papa. The Carter family from Frankfort came and brought him a gift card for Dairy Queen. These are always very welcome for our car rides. We will pause midway and take a break and get Papa a chocolate shake. Thanks Carter's for this thoughtful gift. Jenny and James Jenkins also popped in to say happy birthday. James is our Stake President for Church. Good people and they brought a lot of sunshine in with them.

By 6:30pm Papa was ready to go back to the nursing home and stretch out his back on his bed. He just wears out more quickly. As we drove back to the nursing home, we talked about his birthday. He was very happy with it and enjoyed all the attention. Claude even told me he thought I did the perfect birthday for Papa.

Thanks to family who sent greetings to him and friends from Church who made this birthday special. Now, I am off to Walmart to purchase a bulletin board. I want to see if I can get one or two hung in his room at the nursing home and then tack the pictures on them for him to enjoy all the time.

Papa did say he just might make it to 100 years old!! Heaven help me!!

Lessons From Life...

It was time to weed my flower beds. on Monday, May 30th, I started with my front yard. I planned to only do that and then begin the back yard the next day. However, I managed to finish the front a little quicker than I thought I would, so I went to the back yard to just get the hosta bed weeded.

When I walked around to the bed, I saw this beauty standing among the weeds. It occurred to me there are a ton of life lessons in that little purple tulip standing tall amongst the weeds. The old phrase "Bloom Where You Are Planted" passed through my mind. So I paused and just looked at this little wonder and soaked in all I was to learn from my one purple tulip. Stand strong amidst adversity. Hold tight to your values no matter what. Etc., Etc., Etc. Next I pulled out my cell phone and took this picture so I would always remember this moment.

Then I weeded and got the hostas ready to get bigger and fill in their bed without the weeds.  

I just love when life gives me pause and teaches me valuable lessons. 

Cirque Just Fascinates...

Saturday, April 28th, Claude and I went to Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. We had tickets to watch Cirque du Soliel's show "Corteo". 

Corteo is a Italian word meaning meaning 'cortege' or 'procession'. This is a contemporary circus show about a clown who watches his own funeral taking place in a carnival-like atmosphere. This allows for the outlandish costuming that Cirque du Soliel is known for and for all the over-the-top circus-like performances by the cast. They continually challenge your perspective.  

We entered Rupp Arena and found our seats. The first thing I noticed was a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. This is not typical of Rupp Arena at all.

Next we noticed the stage. I appeared we were at one end of the arena and there would only be minimal seating. This didn't seem quite right for all the expense of putting on a full Cirque du Soliel show. Then we looked at the stage very carefully.

There was an elaborate curtain with artwork on it. It was sheer though. On either side of the stage were places for the musicians to create the music. As we looked at the sheer curtain while the cast was beginning to make their appearance on and around the stage and wander through the audience, I told Claude I thought there were people on the other side of the stage. It appeared (and we finally realized) the stage was across the center of Rupp Arena with entrances on either end for the performers to enter and exit. So, in reality, on the other side of the stage was an audience as large as ours and we would each watch the show from one side of the stage with the performers in the middle. How cool is that?

This picture shows how Corteo began with the man in the bed dead and things happening to prepare for his burial. We watched that first part through the sheer curtain as they set the story line up for us.

One things that struck my fancy was the beds that were really trampolines. Lots of fun performing done on these two beds. Again, how cool is that?

Another bit that really enthralled me was the little lady with the huge balloon over her. She was sitting in a harness and the man who had died was talking to her on stage at first. Then he gently pushed her and she floated out to the audience. He encouraged the audience to push on her feet and send her further into the audience. All the time she is laughing and having a great time floating through the air. She came way up into our side of the stage first, then was passed back to the actual stage when the man guided her to the other side of the stage so she could float around over there with the other half of the audience. He joked that one performance he sent her out and it took an hour to get the people to send her back. This part was just delightful.  

It always amazes me how they distract you by focusing your attention on something while they are changing the staging for the next big act. They did this to set up for the high flying trapeze artists. Netting was set up all across the stage and the platforms for the performers to work from were set up. When they opened the sheer curtains, voila! there they were. Grateful to see the netting. Earlier this year a seasoned Cirque performer fell to his death trying a new routine. Really didn't want to see that happen. Then they did another performance so you didn't notice them take down all this set up. 

There were all the usual types of performances, some tweeked a bit to pique your curiosity and keep your interest. This one really was amazing. This man started with a shorter ladder. He climbed to the top while it was free-standing and balanced it beneath him while he stood on his hands at the top. Then he progressed to a ladder that was taller. The ladder in this picture is the final one he used. It was at minimum 2-stories tall and maybe 3-stories tall. He is at the top and completely balancing that ladder and himself. The angel is suspended in the air from the ceiling and moved toward him with a trapeze. When he finished his routine, she swung the trapeze to him, he grabbed and let go of the ladder, then men at the bottom of the ladder caught it and removed the ladder from the stage. Amazing!  

I include this picture to show the complete use of all levels of the staging area. There were lots of trapeze, ropes, beds, bicycles, angels, etc. that performed hanging from what must have been wires under the top of the facade on the stage area. These items were able to move from one side of the stage to the other and there had to be multiple ones of them because the bed had four corners to be held up. Performers used the middle area between the ceiling and the floor for all kinds of performances and of course the floor of the stage was also used. In this picture you can see all three areas being used at once. There is no way to see everything happening at once.  

This was an excellent performance. Claude and I have seen several Cirque shows from Las Vegas to Kentucky as well as on the television at home. They are always a delight and we would highly recommend them to anyone of any age.