Talking to Santa

A Day at Disneyland

For a complete recap and lots of cute pictures of our day check out the oldest daughter's post.

11/11/11 11:11 AM

Today we had a Relief Society activity to work on some of our unfinished crafts. It wasn't too well attended - way too many things to do on a day off from work and school, but those of us that were there enjoyed ourselves immensely. One of the sisters set her alarm to go off just before 11:11 so we could all make a wish. Here are the wish makers. I love all the intense thought that is going on.

I still had time to make my own wish. 11:11 does last for a whole minute you know. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of my thoughtful face.

This is the project I was working on today.

I bought this sewing at a thrift store before last Thanksgiving. I just think the children and animals giving thanks are so sweet. Now it is almost Thanksgiving again and I have not made much progress toward my goal of turning it into a pillow. Well actually, my friend's cat thought it made a perfect pillow just the way it is.

It has been awhile since I did any crewel like this and my eyes and my glasses had a hard time working together to do it. I find it is easiest to take my glasses off and hold it close to see, but then I get a big kink in my neck and I can't sew and watch TV with my glasses off. Getting older is full of so many challenges. Maybe by next Thanksgiving I will actually have this pillow on display.

Today I am thankful for

brakes that actually work on my van even though it took 9 months, 3 attempts, over $1,000 and 2 establishments to finally get it right.

women who know me and still like me.

Fall weather.

all the men and women who have sacrificed so much so I can enjoy life as I know it.

Cat and Mouse

Worf had a difficult night so today she is sticking pretty close to me.

Today I am thankful for

phone conversations with both of my sons.

the opportunity to visit teach and build friendships with two Relief Society sisters that I might not get to enjoy otherwise.

hamburger on sale.

a checker at Walmart that price matched for me without me even asking. "Someone has nectarines and bananas 3 pounds for $1.00 and I price match so that's what I'll charge you."

Empty Nest

I can totally relate to the mother in this video right now.

Should I be sad or go celebrate?

Today I am grateful for

a daughter who created a blog to keep me connected to the grandson.

good choices.

a phone call from my sister.

new blogs from the youngest daughter.

Major Upgrade

Today one of the items on our to do list was a trip to the grocery store since there wasn't a whole lot to eat in the new house. While traveling through Albertsons, all of the sudden the grandson got really excited and started chanting something over and over again. I stopped to figure out what had gotten his attention and what he was saying. It was pretty obvious that he was intrigued by a balloon flying over one of the checkout counters. It was a Disney Castle complete with princesses.

and the words he was repeating over and over again were "Shad's house, Shad's house!"

Apparently he thinks this new house

is a big improvement over the old, 2 bedroom apartment. Or maybe he just thinks his mom and I resemble some very beautiful young ladies and since we were waving out the windows it must be his house.

Today I am grateful for


friends to go walking and talking with.
light, especially right when it begins to drive away the darkness.
a wonderful family home evening lesson on scripture study taught by the youngest son.

Historic Haboob

Last night we were hit by a massive dust storm. The meteorologists and my hubby like to refer to this type of storm as a haboob. It was pretty amazing even though I didn't venture outside until it was over. Even then the air was thick with dust.

Here are some photos of what the storm left behind at the oldest daughter's apartment.

She might want to get her car washed when she gets back in town and her backyard needs a little clean up as well.

Our Family Motto?

Perhaps you remember that some time,

a long time ago,

we started a "family tradition"

of going out to breakfast on patriotic holidays.

At least that's how the story goes.

Well, this morning

when I asked the hubby

what he was going to make me for breakfast

he replied, "IHOP".

I voted for Village Inn.

I knew from past experience

that the other members of the family

needed to be invited.

Luckily, for our bank account,

the majority of our family

were out of town today

so we were a small family of four.

I haven't been to Village Inn in a long time

and they had done some redecorating.

I actually thought it was fun.

We were seated right next to this wall.

I'm thinking this is the perfect decoration

for my dining room

since it very easily could be our family motto.

Happy Independence Day!

I hope you had a Happy Fourth

enjoying your own family traditions.

Today I am grateful that

I have friends and family to barbecue and celebrate the 4th with. Even though we are getting less and less festive as the years go by. No one took a single photo and we all wimped out on going somewhere to watch the fireworks. Fireworks lose their appeal for me when it is HOT.

I wasn't the grandma having a nervous breakdown every time a little boy stayed under the water a little too long in the pool.

my hubby cleaned the family room to make up for not making me breakfast.

Why Would Anyone Want to be a Dentist?

I really like my dentist.

He is a very nice man and takes good care of me and my teeth.

However, I do not like to spend time with him.

I don't know why anyone would choose to be a dentist.

I think the whole sticking your hand in everyone else's mouth is pretty gross, but in my opinion that isn't the worst part of the job.

The thing I couldn't handle is the feeling that nobody likes me.

I would get tired of going to work everyday just to hear people complain about having to visit me.

Now, I know there are some people in the world who have perfect dental hygiene and amazingly healthy teeth and all the dentist does when they visit is pat them on the back and say "Good job! See you in 6 months".

They probably enjoy their trips to the dentist.

I have those kinds of visits every now and then, but those usually involve a lot of time with the hygienist and a few seconds with my dentist.

The long visits with Dr. Thomas are the poke and drill and pull and grind procedures that I know are necessary, but definitely not enjoyable.

I am grateful that I live in a day and age where visiting the dentist is an option.

Where Novocaine makes my time in the chair fairly pain free.

Where I get to have my lousy teeth replaced with strong, gold crowns that allow me to continue biting and chewing and enjoying my food.

Don't get me wrong.

I am glad there are individuals out there who choose to be dentists and take care of my teeth, but I will admit that ever since my eldest son was in the musical "Little Shop of Horrors" in high school, the following refrain flows through my head at least once while my dentist works away in my mouth.

You'll be a dentist
(be a dentist)
You have a talent for causing things pain
(pain)
Son be a dentist
(son be a dentist)
People will pay you to be inhumane
(humane)

Your temperament's wrong for the priesthood
And teaching would suit you still less
Son be a dentist you'll be a success.

Now, my next question is - Why would anyone want to be a proctologist?

A Finished Project

I love to look at craft blogs and see all the fun things people make. Every once in a while I am so inspired that I even purchase the needed materials to complete one of the projects myself. Actually making the item, however, is a usually a different story.

Ruffle pillows are one of the crafts that have really intrigued me as I blog surf. When I found this one,

which even included a straight forward tutorial I was hooked.

During my next visit to DI I picked up a t-shirt for $1.00 in the perfect color to go with my new bedspread.

Surprise of all surprises, I even made me a ruffle pillow!

Now, the experience wasn't quite as simple as I had hoped. There are a few things I would do differently if I were to make another ruffle pillow (which I just might do , because I think they are so cute!).

First, I had this pillow form getting kicked around my house so I decided to use it instead of purchasing fiberfill. The curved corners were a little bit of a challenge for me and because I used the foam form I had to hand sew an entire side rather than just a small hole. I think next time I would buy the stuffing.

Second, the instructions said to cut the ruffles about 21 inches long. When I cut mine they ended up being about 26 inches so like the good doobie I am I trimmed each one to 22 inches and then kicked myself over and over again when I sewed the ruffles on and wished they had a little bit more gather. Next time I will make the ruffles as long as possible.

Third, I ended up making holes in my fabric in a few places either because my needle was too fat or my needle was damaged when I ran over the pins holding the ruffles in place. In the future I will use a needle made to sew on knit and I will move the pins rather than cruise through them.

Fourth, I had a really hard time spacing my ruffles and getting them actually sewn in a straight line where I wanted them to be. I'm thinking I might go as far as drawing some straight lines on the pillow top fabric to help with ruffle placement next time. The ruffle would cover the line up, so I don't think it would be a problem.

All in all, I am very happy with my finished project.

Now I just need to learn how to place my pillows so they look decorative and not dorky. I better go look for a blog about that.

Today I am grateful for

shade - that makes sitting outside in Mesa in June feel "not that bad".
ice cubes. We go through a lot of ice at our house in the summer.
obscure holidays that result in my husband having the day off of work. Today is SRPMIC day for those of you who didn't know, and for those of you who still feel clueless, today is the day that the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community became a recognized indian reservation.

Some Zerberts For Your Enjoyment

A few summers ago my children spent some of their free time watching all the seasons of "The Cosby Show". One of the things that came from this activity was a new family word - Zerbert. According to urbandictionary.com a zerbert is a sloppy kiss where you blow, making a farting sound (previously referred to in our family as a raspberrry).

This word was first introduced on "The Cosby Show", (Season 2, Episode 11). In the episode, Vanessa was practicing for a spelling test, and Rudy kept interrupting, asking what a series of nonsense letters spelled. The following, including spelling, is taken from the subtitles as transmitted.

Rudy: Vanessa, what does "Q-N-G-H" spell?

Vanessa: Nothing. Give me another word.

Rudy: What does "Z-R-B-T-T" spell?

Vanessa: Nothing!

Rudy: How come when you spell it's a word and when I spell it it's nothing?

Vanessa: Dad, I'm studying very hard for the spelling test, and she keeps asking dumb questions.

Cliff: I don't think anybody asks dumb questions. What's your problem?

Rudy: What does "Z-R-B-T-T" spell?

Cliff: "Z-R-B-T-T" spell? Uh... That's zurbitt. Zurbitt... uh.. You know what I think a zurbitt is? I just remembered. A zurbitt is this:(makes zrbtt on Rudy's cheek.)

As you can see, our family spelling and pronounciation may be a little bit off, but we all enjoy a good ZRBTT, zirbitt, or zerbert every now and then.

Today the youngest son shared some exceptional zerberts with his cousin's baby. Just looking at these pictures makes me want to giggle.




Who wouldn't want to zerbert those sweet little cheeks?

"Happy To You" Cake

The grandson has attended a few birthday celebrations in the last couple of weeks and he is especially excited by the birthday cakes. He likes the cake and the candles, but his favorite part is the singing. He loves to sing Happy Birthday.

On Friday night we went to his 2nd cousin Hezekiah's party.


and on Saturday we celebrated with his 2nd cousin, Anastasia.


Today, while he and I were visiting the Desert Botanical Garden, we decided to sit down and rest next to this planter full of some type of tiny aloe vera plants. He kept telling me "happy to you" as he pointed to the plant, but it took me a little while to figure out what he was saying. In his mind this looks like a birthday cake with very tall candles poking up. After he pointed it out, I could see the resemblance.



In honor of his ingenuity, we sang "Happy Birthday" several times, like maybe 12, while he practiced blowing the candles out.

Welcome Reprieve

Today dawned cool, windy and overcast. The grandson and I were anxious to be outside enjoying the beautiful weather. We bought us a Buzz kite, some french fries, some "juice", and a hamburger to share and headed to the park for a party.

When the grandson saw this picture on the computer he was really concerned about his wind blown hair. It made me laugh.


I'm pretty sure kite flying is a two person job and the second person should probably be over two.


We did manage to get the kite in the air for an extended period of time on several occasions, but I had a hard time taking pictures, flying the kite and keeping the kid in tow.


We had lots of fun and were even happy that it rained on our picnic. Every cool day from now until October has to be enjoyed to the fullest.

Today I am grateful that

Kmart had kites and they were even on sale.
I got to actually feel cold this evening.
it rained on my flowers so I didn't even have to water them.

The Cheap Seats

The grandson is a little bit addicted to Toy Story movies. He would watch "Duh", which is what he calls Buzz, all the time if we would let him. He especially likes Toy Story 2.


When we took our family vacation to Greer for Spring break his parents introduced him to the DVD player that we have in our van and since then every time we leave his house he wants to take his "moo-fees" "wif me" and every time we get in the van he asks for Buzz. A couple of weeks ago, I gave in and attempted to let him watch his DVD in transit. As luck would have it, all I managed to do was get the movie stuck in the player. The next day I purchased a new copy of Toy Story 2, because the kid was having major withdrawal symptoms.
The DVD player at their house used to be where the grandson could reach it, open it and put his movies in and out. For some reason, it quit working. Go figure. It didn't take too long for his mom to decide that a new DVD player was a necessary expenditure. However, the device that was purchased, and placed out of his reach, has issues with the Toy Story 2 DVD. It will play any other movie you put in it, but refuses to function when Buzz is inserted. This has once again caused some severe 19-month-old angst. The child has been feeling very Toy Story deprived, so imagine his excitement when on today's outing we visited the Phoenix Deseret Industries and happened upon a showing of "Toy Story 2" on not one, not two, but 13 screens. It was like a dream come true to him.


He allowed me to shop in the store as long as we went back to see what was happening with "the gang" every few minutes. Luckily for him, he knows the story line well and could jump right into the action. When I was ready to leave, we decided to make one more visit to the make shift theater. We were a little surprised to discover that we weren't the only ones taking advantage of the free movie viewing. A cute family had found a place to sit and were happily watching the show. The grandson was convinced that he needed to join them in their "cheap seats" and enjoy the remainder of the movie with them.


For almost half an hour we watched and cheered and danced and thoroughly embraced the suspenseful conclusion of Toy Story 2. Sometimes we even sat quietly.


We just never know what fun our days together will bring!

Today I am grateful for

a phone with a camera.
cheap thrift store fun.
Fridays!

Update (June 11, 2011)- since this post the original Toy Story 2 movie has been rescued from the van DVD player (the youngest son pushed the eject button and the movie came out). The oldest daughter's new DVD player likes that copy of the movie and so now we have Toy Story 2 at both "house" (grandma's house) and "home" (the grandson's house). Also, the grandson has perfected the pronounciation of "Buzz" with a b and a z. No Duh anymore.

A Visit With the Easter Bunny

Today the oldest daughter had the day off of work and so we decided to go on an adventure. I had read online that there was a shopping center up the road where we could get the grandson's picture taken with the Easter Bunny for free. We were pretty sure we knew how this visit was going to transpire, but it sounded like something fun to do anyway.

First we visited Kohl's and Target so the grandson could show his mom what he wanted for Easter. It turned out that all he wanted were clothes, or at least that's what he ended up with. Then we headed across the parking lot to find the Easter Bunny. We were pleasantly surprised that the line was only a few people long and quickly joined the que. The grandson immediately saw the bunny and was quite excited. His mom asked him if he was going to sit on his lap and tell him "hi" and he was very positive that he was. That was before he got up close. He quickly changed his mind, but the mean women in his life still made him visit long enough for the camera woman to snap his picture.


The tears only lasted until his mom picked him up and then he was all friendly, blowing kisses and waving bye-bye. Silly boy!

This picture is just to let you all know that he survived his ordeal and was still able to smile.


The grandson has a fascination with any kind of drain or cover with a hole in it. As we were walking back to the car he found one and stuck his finger in it. As he stood up to leave his mom warned him that the alligator might bite him. He quickly returned to the hole and refused to budge. He wanted to see the alligator.

This is about 4 covers later and he's still looking for the alligator.


After our field trip we met the oldest son and the daughter-in-law for lunch, since he also had the day off of work. They had just come from the knee doctor where the surgeon said the daughter-in-law's knee was healed enough that she doesn't have to wear her leg brace anymore. She was VERY excited!

Today I am grateful that

the daughter and the son had the day off of work so we could play together.
I am feeling better.
the daughter-in-law's knee is getting better.
Jesus Christ was willing to die on the cross for me.

Today I am thankful that

my oldest son is the kind of husband that remembers today is his 6 month wedding anniversary.
my son's mother-in-law takes good care of him and his wife.
my youngest son's knee wasn't hurt as bad as he tried to convince me it was.

Pretty impressive bruise when viewed across the room - totally fake.

my new doctor called me personally to give me my good blood work results.
it stays light later every day now.

Today I am thankful for

a new month of church magazines to read.
spontaneous laughter from my favorite toddler.
the obvious love my kids have for their nephew.
the heat pump that keeps my house warm.
e-mail.

Today I am thankful that

I have developed a habit of going to the street with the light to leave our neighborhood.
I had a Home Depot gift card to buy paint with. Too bad it wasn't near enough paint.
I don't have to paint houses to put food on my table although I'm sure professional painters know a lot of tricks to make the job easier.
my daughter helped me paint.
our Primary is small enough that we can easily give each child individual attention.
I get to serve in the church with people I really like.

Today I am grateful for

an early morning text that meant I didn't have to be ready for the grandson to arrive at 7:15 AM.
a daughter that bought me lunch.
libraries.

Welcome to scouting - June 2000


The end is in sight - January 2011


Actually, there is never really an end to scouting in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but don't tell the youngest son that right now.

Today I am thankful for

a son who put his scout uniform on when I asked him to.
a daughter who took pictures of her brother.
another daughter who provided the camera and technical support.
a son who made a special trip to my house to help me get all my scout pictures into one file.
a husband who burned the pictures to a cd and delivered it to where it needed to be.

Today I am grateful for

a daughter who planned Family Home Evening.
the church hymns and the spirit they bring into our home.
a family that enjoys singing together.

Today I am thankful for


family members who happily do things with me.
my sister who provides the resources to do fun things with my family.
a daughter who supports her brother in difficult tasks.
a jumbo hot dog grilled to perfection.
the enthusiasm of little children.

Today I am thankful for

cheap fruits and vegetables.
a resourceful daughter who came up with a way to make a meal for us using those fruits and veggies and then made it.
an unexpected sale on chicken tenders.
a grandson who isn't overwhelmed by large groups of people.
my nice, comfortable bed at the end of a long day.

Today I am thankful for

a 3 day weekend.
a son and daughter-in-law who took me to lunch.
sweet potatoes.

Today I am thankful for

help making dinner even though my kitchen is too small for that much help.
reminders of the blessings of the temple.
primary children who sing like angels while standing on one leg like a flamingo.
brownies with nuts on top.

Today I am grateful for

friends who say positive things about me.
leftovers and a husband who is willing to eat them.
my refrigerator that keeps those leftovers edible.
good, generous people who share their home with me and my family.

Today I am thankful for

some unexpected free time that I chose to use productively.
a spiritual prompting that I acted on without second guessing myself and a stroller in my car.
my everyday decision to make my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a priority.
Keri's blog play list. She may not be happy to know that she and a 50 year old share similar taste in music, but I am.

Today I am thankful for

a friend who motivated me to go to the temple, by going with me, and even let me have the aisle seat.
my glasses - I couldn't see anything without them. I am also glad that I have worn them since 4th grade so wearing them isn't a big deal and I don't have to get used to wearing them now.

my blooming bulbs.


This is the 4th year they have come up and the 1st year they have actually had flowers.
a son who bought us pizza for dinner.

Today I am thankful that

my daughter reads to my grandson - with enthusiasm.

January weather in my neck of the woods is great park weather.

the oldest daughter didn't have to stay for jury duty and got to come and play with us for a change.

my daughters made dinner.

Today I am thankful that

there are a plethora of grocery stores within 5 minutes of my house. (Doesn't that word just make you smile?)
I took 2 boxes of stuff to our "clean your closet and share" Relief Society tonight and came home with absolutely NOTHING!
I have Relief Society sisters that I can laugh with.

Today I am thankful for

beans - a simple and tasty dinner option.
my babysitting assistants who took the grandson grocery shopping with them.
my clothes dryer.

Today I am grateful that

my son made me pancakes and sausage for breakfast. YUM!
my 2 youngest children removed the piece of glass from my foot with no permanent damage and enough entertaining comments to distract me from the pain.
I have sisters-in-law who make sure my family is fed while I go to bed early.
my hubby and my son did their home teaching.

Today I am thankful that

all the decoration boxes are back in the storage shed. Hopefully all the decorations are in them.
I didn't have anything urgent that I had to do so I could just lay down when I didn't feel good.
the youngest son got to run up A mountain in full gear 3 times today and not me.

Today I am thankful for

the Church Magazines.
kids that do what they say they are going to do.
flannel sheets.

Today I am grateful for

the last Fernwood Mint Sandwich, the hubby that bought them for me in Utah and the sister who asked about them when she called so he was reminded to get them out of the daughter's car and give them to me.

Laughter - laughing feels so good and it's fun!

colorful carnations.

girl time with my daughters.

Today I am thankful for

the peaceful alarm music that was supposed to waken my sleeping beauties. I will take "As Sisters in Zion/We'll Bring the World His Truth" over their other choices everytime. It brought such a calm, peaceful spirit into our home that they slept for 2 more hours.
silly things that remind me of my mom like making fruit salad with frozen cool whip.
a long break from babysitting duty so I was really, really excited to see the grandson today.

My little cowboy and his trusty zebra steed.

10 cents a gallon off on gas (that still cost way too much) and a husband who filled my tank up for me. My van hasn't been that close to empty in a long time.

Today I am thankful

for the cd "4 things That Will Wreck Your Life and 4 Truths That Will Save It" by Sheri Dew and the friend that gave it to me.
for the legacy of righteous women that I am a part of.
that my son knew where the CD player I had been searching for was.
that I don't smack someone everytime I feel like it.

Today I am grateful for

a cleaner kitchen floor than I've had in a long time.
all the dishes washed and all the clothes clean at the same time.
the opportunity to laugh with my family (who would have guessed the hubby could snort with the best of them).
a healthy new member of our extended family.

Today I am grateful for

a whole row of family members sitting by me at church.
the variety of fruit available to me any time of the year.
little boys with folded arms and sweet smiles.

Today I am thankful for

the promise of a new year (perhaps it will even include more than 49 blog posts).
the realization that I don't need to buy everything I like or that is on sale really cheap.
one on one time with my oldest daughter.