Kalifornia Kossubs

IDAHO - FEBRUARY 2011

2011-02-21T13:23:00.001-08:00

Shoot! I did it again! These two top pictures go a lot further down. I deleted them when I became over confident in my editing and don't know how to get them where they belong. (Yes Tracy, I tried that.) When you get to that part, and you'll know it, just scroll up for a second.

Thank you!

I was really looking forward to this trip - it had been about 7 months since I had seen everyone - way way way too long!

I knew it would be a great trip when I was greeted with this sign in the room I stayed in.

First day out was a trip to the Boise Zoo. I was pretty surprised at how many animals were actually out. I thought I was going to freeze when Kelley told me that we might not see many animals because if might be too cold for them. Too cold for the animals??? What about the PEOPLE looking for those animals? As you can see though, it was warm enough that goat spit did not freeze on your hands. I don't see anyone being surprised at Eleni having the courage to let the goats eat out of her hand.

The best part of the zoo was watching Eleni watch the animals.
You will notice her color coordinated pink mittens, pink boots and pink lined jacket?

One would never know it because her parents aren't into pink and she doesn't wear it all that often, but she does pink really well!

Ilai can still get his butt kicked by dad!

(Yes, that is a pink cast that he is wearing.)

Upstairs with the X Box Knect dance program everyone starts to rock out.

Long long ponytails and basketball mix very well!

All of the action shots were quite blurred or waaaay too dark. Actually, the only action there was of Eden dribbling, guarding or shooting.

We won handily.

After the game we went to a candy shop that made your tooth ache by simply walking through the doorway. They had it all. Brought some bacon flavored bubble gum home to Dave.

Yes, it is gross.

It is a lot colder there in my head than it actually is outside. You can kind of tell that by the big, warm jacket that Anela is wearing...... She is wearing boots however!

When it comes to being sweet, kind, loving and helpful, there is no one that fits the bill better than Miss Hannah Beth does! No way that Eleni (or any other little person) will get hurt or in trouble if Hannah is around.

Hearing these ladies sing together just gives you the chills.

They harmonize beautifully.

It was truly delightful just listening.

And then the whole family gets into the act!

The clarinet, the clarinet goes doodley doodley doodley doodley det!

Everyone has their part and it's great!

Watch out Osmonds!

One of the things I like doing best is helping with homework

Hannah and Jack both had homework that needed to be done so we did it!!

(As you've probably guessed, Jack doing his homework picture goes here)

Ilai caught in the act of eating something purple - I'm sure it's good for you!

(Ilai eating purple stuff picture goes here.)

Did I tell you how beautifully these ladies sound together!?!

Saying goodbye is always so hard.

Don't cry 'cause it's over. Smile 'cause it happened.

~Dr. Seuss

Dust Collectors

2011-01-23T17:11:00.001-08:00

Another fun and successful Dust Collectors!

Wendi Tesimale - wherever you are in the world - we love you for introducing Dust Collectors. Too bad you weren't able to patent it, you'd be a rich woman today.

It was at my house this time, and as you can see, there are lots and lots of leftovers. If you see anything you want, speak now or forever hold your peace.

So glad the D.I. bin was delivered to our parking lot just this week.

I did find something for most of you though, and I bet you can hardly wait to see what these treasures are and so, in no particular order here they are.

(And no fighting over what someone else got!!)

Mitsi - this is the cutest little shirt for William, but you have to iron it, so I won't take it personally if you say, "No thank you Auntie Faye."

Tracy - had you in mind on this one. It is one of those pillow things (complete with suction cups on the back) that you put in the bathtub so you can lean back and relax after a long, rough day with Ella. (Is she still as busy as ever?)

At first, this might look like a cross between a game of Jacks and Pick-Up-Sticks. Bit it isn't. Guess what they are before you read any further.

Wrong!

When I asked what in the world they were, I found out they were chopstick holders! Now, does one put both chopsticks on the same holder or does one need two holders for two chopsticks? Didn't ask that. Janet and Mitsi - you guys can arm wrestle for this one because I know that you both use chopsticks to cook with.

This is a tray of one gazillion beads (carefully Saran-wrapped so that no more beads would get on the former owners mom's floor) that I though maybe Kendall and Morgan would have fun with.

Don't worry Jody, I came to my senses the next morning.

Beth! Even the best teacher in the world must have those days when all doesn't go as planned.

So, if you ever have one of those days, here are two signs that will get the class back on task in no time! You could even let Tracy borrow them on weekends just in case her singing time in Primary ever gets out of hand.

I know you're all saying, "Now why didn't I think of that? Another million dollar idea taken!"

Janet has this beautiful new georgeous kitchen. She also has this box full of clever magnets that she can no longer put on her refrigerator because it is stainless steel and magnets won't stick.

Problem solved, but whatever you put on your fridge it better be good because there was only one of these.

On the back of this little thingy, it says, and I quote:

Happeez Clipper
Finally, a product that sticks to stainless steel refrigerators, mirrors, glass and more!

If you guys ever need a killer salad made that everyone will want the recipe for then Jody's the man!

So I figured her killer salads would need some killer tongs!

There was also a killer bowl that went with them that really was a killer.

Kelley - This is so you can teach Eleni how to play "Not Yet"! Unlike Legos, these don't hurt so much when you step on them (they're cardboard) and after you step on them enough times they won't be square anymore and you don't have to feel guilty about tossing them.

As usual, we can all hardly wait for the next dust collectors.

Question: What do you do when one lady takes a solid hour to show her stuff. (*Yawn*) We want to prevent this in future meetings!

Also, if you haven't collected your things by next FSAG, they too will be taken to the bin!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T18:10:00.001-08:00

Christmas morning begins with the traditional "picture in front of the tree" - except that you can't really see much of the tree in this shot. Austen is annoyed and not much on tradition, but then he is always annoyed and has never been much on tradition.

I think I am standing in a hole. Either that or Austen has grown. As you can see, he is still annoyed.

We really do need to read the directions on how to take a picture using the timer. We did get everyone in though, so for now, it will have to do.

Using a timer?

You might remember us using a timer in pictures we have taken in the past. That was before we LOST our camera about six or so weeks ago. Held out buying a new one, knowing that we would find it. Held out some more (and some more) and then finally gave up and bought a new one. About one week later, we found the old one. Didn't get any pictures of the BBD Family Christmas Celebration on the 19th of December. These are all pictures of actual Christmas on December 25th.

Life in the fast lane.

Moving right along though!

Santa was practical this year.

Mr. & Mrs. Clause went to Costco.

Santa saw these and put them in the cart and Mrs. Clause saw a set of drinking glasses that she wanted and put them in the cart.

No fuss, no muss, no regrets and no returns. Not much excitement, but like I said, practical.

Now this is excitement!

After her other top got broken and no one was able to make it spin and hum like a proper top does, Gramma and Grampa came to the rescue. Lilly now has a spinning, humming top and she seems pretty pleased!

(Shoot! This is where that cute little picture of Lilly goes but I can seem to move it!

So, scroll up to the top, take a look at that sweet smile, and then come on back down to continue on.)

You needent even guess what is making Ethan smile. A dinosaur, of course. He has quite a few and knows the 8 syllable names of each one of them and couldn't have been more pleased to add another few "saureses" to his herd.

Both of them concentrating deeply on leveling up.
It worked.

They both leveled up.

Morgan is figuring our her little present-topper peg game. Has anyone ever won that thing?

Kendall is pleased to have a camping set for her Liv dolls. I am pleased that it is all at her house. The coffee pot for heating water is no bigger than a small thimble and the knives and forks are as big around as a stick of spaghetti and about 3/4 of an inch long. It was a suggested gift though and I've come to realize that grandparents don't worry half so much about pieces as we did when we were parents.

Then there is the ever fun part of being a parent on Christmas and reading the directions so you can figure out how something is put together. Kendall is being ever so patient and Jody is being the perfect mom, as usual!

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

-Santa Clause

BABIES & SOCCER

2010-10-15T18:13:00.000-07:00

It sure is fun to have a baby in this neck of the woods again. This is William, my little great nephew. As you can see, he won't be little for long. He almost doesn't even look like this anymore, he is growing and changing so fast!

It's especially fun to have William because we don't get to see this baby half enough! Eleni is taking a break here at her 1 year old birthday party, getting in a quick nap with her snake (no teddy bears for this girl!) as her nap-mate.

Not to steal Jody's thunder or anything, but she won't get this posted until the girls are in high school anyway and you will have forgotten all about my post by then.

Is this not the neatest, most creative banner you have ever seen in your entire life!!?!? (Mom's can still brag about and be proud of what their adult kids do!)

Kendall and Morgan, coached by their dad, are on the Sparklers. Kendall is #4 and Morgan is #8. Can you see them writing their names with sparklers on a 4th of July evening? Have you ever seen anything so neat? Ever!?!

And then Grandma's can brag about their grandkids, too.

Have you ever seen a better looking crew at a soccer game?

This year is a breeze for Jody and Scott - both girls are on the same team. Next year they will have 3 games a Saturday and 3 sets of practice during the week. Then the fun will really begin! Beck is a little more enthused to play now. We went around looking at banners and when he realized that there are teams with names like The Ferocious Tigers and The Storm Troopers
with cool banners to match he felt a little better. All he had ever seen were things like The Strawberry Shortcakes and the Pretty Purple Princesses.

Go Lightening McQueens!

SUMMER'S END 2010

2010-08-29T15:59:00.000-07:00

Summer is quickly wrapping up for the Kossub Klan.

We know that we won't make any headlines for the most exciting family on the block as we are pretty happy with what most people think of as small potatoes, that is if they were even going to give it any thought at all.

Consider.

Every summer we like to go to the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach. This year was no exception, except that we did buy season passes this time(which will get us into the winter festival too!). First trip we made, we looked a lots and lots of neat things and kind of made a list of what would be fun to have. $2000.00 later, we knew that wasn't going to happen, so we went home and decided which of our heart's desires we could afford.

Not much, actually.

Did I mention that the Sawdust Festival takes place at what is known as an artist's colony in Laguna Beach?

Bit I digress.

After careful thought and discussion, and since we had passes and could get in for free, we went back a few weeks later and bought.........

A doorbell plate!

Like I said, we're pretty easy to please.

We are still working on landscaping the house, so this time we went to Batavia Gardens (in nearby Orange) and bought a Carribean Copper Plant. It has beautiful red leaves that will be even brighter because we planted it in a location that gets full sun.

And that is about all the excitement we had while Austen was on his

Scouting High Adventure Trip.

High Adventure Scouting Trip you ask??

Austen paddled down the Colorado River in two man canoes for 51 miles. It took them four days. Each evening they would unload the canoes of the equipment they carried with them and camp overnight. They carried tents, sleeping bags, clothes, all their food, stoves - you know what it takes to camp!

Then each morning, they would break down camp, load the canoes and head off again.

Austen's first description of the trip upon returning was that it was row, row, canyon. Row, row, canyon. He felt it was a bit boring but I'm sure that he will remember it in years to come as a pretty neat adventure!

Here he is, beginning the delightful chore of unpacking and sorting. Sorting, meaning this is Isaiah's plate and a lot of the stuff that should have been in his backpack isn't - it's in Isaiah's.
Other than the fact that he has a pretty good cut on the bottom of his foot (didn't think his water shoes would be necessary that time), they arrived home at 4:30 a.m. and his sunglasses got stepped on it was quite a successful trip.

And with tomorrow being the first day of school, yup!

Summer is pretty much over.

Great Auntie Faye

2010-08-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

Since my sister (a.k.a. Gramma/Janet) doesn't have a blog, and neither does my neice (a.k.a. Mommy/Mitsi) I feel that I can post this and not be accused of stealing any thunder.

I am officially Great Auntie Faye.

Blessing day for William (Japanese name) (Hawaiian name) Kekouhah. (Geez, I hope I at least got the last name spelled correctly...!) He was so handsome in his argyle sweater vest and gray slacks. He was really cute in his dress black shoes until he pooped big time and his socks were in no condition to put back on so he had to go the rest of the day Polynesian style - barefoot. (We were all jealous.)

Proud parents and handsome baby boy.

Mitchell doesn't let go of him very much.

Proud grandparents, too!

It was a great day and he received a beautiful blessing from his dad. Scott and Dave were asked to join the circle for the blessing. We then had a yummy luncheon at Mitchell's parent's home and had a warm and friendly time visiting with them.

Lots and lots of people sure do love you William!!!

Formal BBD 2010 Pix

2010-07-23T21:26:00.001-07:00

Somehow we accidentally got Austen to smile. Shadow was looking away, but Austen smiling was such a rarity that I had to post this one.

Eric and Leanna and kids. Ethan is a little camera shy (he is 3). This is one of the only pictures we have of him sort of looking at a camera. I could say I used it on purpose so everyone could see what the backs of our beautiful BBD tee shirts look like? Lilly is 18 months. She truly became one with the dirt this trip.

Tracy and Chip. Taylor is 15 (yes, 15 YEARS old), Aubrey is 13, Hannah 10 and Jackson 8. Gunner - well Gunner is loveable and like the rest of the family, has learned to pose for pictures perfectly!!

Beth and Fo'ou. Ilai turned 10 about a week after this picture was taken. Eden is 8 (and coming to California in August for her cousin's baptism!) and sweet little Anela is 4.

Jody and Scott. Morgan is 7, turning 8 and being baptized in August! Kendall is 6 and Beck is 3.

Ellen and Danny. Waiting for an announcement. Any day you guys, any day.

Kelley and Tyler. Eleni is 10 months old and already a pro at dirt campin'! Duke was everybody's friend. (Broke two water bowls while there - or was it three?)

Gramma Janet (William couldn't make it being only 7 days old and all) and Papa Mario.

The Lord really had a good idea when He organized families the way He did. Makes for lots and lots of happiness!!

BBD 2010

2010-07-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

As the saying goes, "You've gotta break some eggs to get an omlette!"

You've also got to get a little dirty if you're going to have fun campin'!

Eleni says, "Hi folks! We're campin'!"

Lilly is diggin' whatever it is that she is chewing on.

Beck couldn't scoot over one foot and do whatever he's doing on the mat.....

Purely an accident. This was the second before we took pictures. Ethan made short work of the shirt and his face in just moments.

The beginnings of an irrigation ditch.

Riding scooters can be pretty tough on knuckles and knees. Good thing for princess bandaids.
Injuries heal so much faster if you have them on hand.

Cousins having some fun. Shirts are getting more of a "worn" look to them.

Cousins finding out how much they have in common.

Four different families represented. (Five if you count the dogs.)

Eat your heart out Martha Stewart. You'll never find a better 3-stove kitchen anywhere! (Four if you count the BBQ in the back!)

Can't even begin to tell my family how much I love and thank them all for coming. I was in heaven for 7 days. If Brandi and Jesper ever make it back here from Sweden with their two daughters it will be too too perfect.

We missed my neice Mitsi and her husband Mitchell. Their son, William, who was supposed to have been born on 22 June took his sweet time getting here and wasn't born until the 30th. In their wisdom, they didn't make the trip with a 7 day old infant. Raymond (my nephew) - we need you!! You are missed.

Next post will be of all the individual families. Can't figure out how to get the big group picture off of my sisters Costco CD (or is it a DVD?). Besides, this way we can show the dogs, too!!!

BBD 2012. Will it ever get here??? CAN'T WAIT!

Spring: It's a Wrap!

2010-06-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

Kossub's are wrapping up spring with some fun accomplishments.

Mom got her name in lights!

Austen shined at the swim banquet.

It was held "on deck" at the pool. A bit of a change for a banquet venue but it was kind of neat, too! For one, it didn't have a $20.00 per ticket price tag that having it at a restaurant sometimes brings.

Don't know if any of you remember O.J. Vazquez, but he was Austen's J.V. swim coach this year. He and Austen would banter back and forth and even if Austen won't admit it, I think they both enjoyed the season.

As you can see, the J.V. team wasn't very big in numbers. As you can also see, Austen didn't even come close to being one of the tallest on the team, but that really didn't matter at all. What he lost in height, he made up for with something else that he has inside of him because he was able to take home a very nice piece of hardware.

Austen received this because his times were simply better than everyone else's!

Dave is working working working on the house. Practically every day after work and all day on Saturdays and half a day on Sundays. In this picture, he's taking all the old wood down and turning it around so that it has nice sharp edges to paint among the many other things he is doing. All the eaves have been sanded and double primed and double painted up to this point. Yes. Double. So by the time it's all said and done, every square inch of the house will have been "painted" four times. And all of it by Dave with a roller or a brush.

This is what the side of the house now looks like. All we need to do is get the black shutters put up on the windows (not these windows - the ones that are further down) and I think the side of the house is then finished except for the landscaping.

Then there's the front of the house. All that's left to do is replace the mailbox (with a black one) and paint the wood on the left there (it will be green). There will be black shutters on that one window just to the right of the front door. We will be removing the artfully displayed hose and hose box.......and hopefully replacing it with a little black ice cream table and chairs set. Just where is that item at a garage sale when you need it! And then of course there is the landscaping. (Just where is the Publisher's Clearinghouse winnings when you need them!)

We are looking forward to having the Boberg Golden Anniversary Wedding celebration at our house on July 5th. (50 years!!)

Nothing like a party to get you going on some long needed projects!

Of course the best part will be BBD 2010!!!

Swimming & Spring

2010-05-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

Pretty happy campers these days around the Kossub household with it being spring and swimming season and all.

It has been a lot of fun.

Austen has particularly appreciated Jody, in that she is letting him use her swim parka. Not only is it good for swimming, it's just as good for early morning seminary. He wears it every morning and is cozy and warm, just like he is when he on the pool deck.

Austen doing the backstroke. His specialty though is the 100 yd and 200 yd freestyle. He placed first in both of his races in league finals. Was so exciting!!

Of course I cried.

As all you swimmers know though, most of the time is spent waiting for your next race. And usually after you're done waiting, you wait some more.

Swimmers are patient people.

Picture perfect dive!!

Austen is in the lane in the middle of the picture. Notice how far ahead he is of the guy in 2nd place?!

Swim season was a lot of fun and we look forward to the fall when water polo starts up again. Looks like he is going to participate next year as well. We'll see what happens when he is a junior and his P.E. requirements are filled. Will he still want to participate???

I know I have mentioned Joan to most of you. She is my A.P. "boss" at work - the one who headed up the Knight's Fighting Cancer faculty photograph. And no, she is not wearing heels. She is just tall!! And I am just short, so the two of us together look ridiculous!

This is a picture of us at the dinner for "Classified Employee of the Year". I was the representative from Katella this year.

Our back yard is a source of never ending pleasure. I have always loved flowers, but Dave really does a masterful job back there taking care of things and it is just nice to walk around and look at things!

This is a special treat! It is our lemon tree. There is a teeny little nest in it and if you look closely, you can see Mama Hummingbird sitting on it and being a good mom.

This is my favorite thing that has been in that little border along the garage. So far so good, but once summer comes and the chlorine water runs out of the pool and gets under the bricks they don't do so well anymore.

These are just growing under a little palm tree that is over where the loquat tree used to be. Shadow will often lie in the shade of that tree when it is warm. Such a bright red color!

Whether they be in the ground or in a pot, Dave can do all sorts of magic with flowers. He says it helps a lot of you water them regularly.....

Anybody making lemonade? I know where you can get some lemons!

Is your mouth watering?

We have picked and picked and shared and shared tangelos this year. I was literally afraid that some of the branches were going to break off, they were so heavy with fruit.

And the thing that will truly make me the happiest this year is BBD.

Really really looking forward to it!!!

ESCAPE TO IDAHO

2010-03-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

Got away to Idaho again and got to see some "firsts".

My first time seeing Eleni roll over.

Go Baby Girl!!

Not really my first time seeing Ilai play basketball, but certainly not any less enjoyable! This was the last game of their season - they went undefeated.

Notice the score in the background? We were the visitors.

Go Orange!!

Look closely and you will recognize the same two kids - eight years apart.

Not only were Eden and Jack blessed on the same day, they were also baptized on the same day.

The proud moms.

The proud dads.

The proud Gramma.

My heartfelt thanks to my daughters, sons-in-law and sweet grandchildren for delaying the baptisms and waiting for me to get well enough to be able to come and be there.

The musical number for the baptism was sung by the cousins. Not wanting to take a picture in the chapel, we re-created the musical number in one of the classrooms for the camera and had an awful lot of fun doing so.

I'm also grateful to another daughter and son-in-law for having the confidence to send Morgan with me to Idaho so that she could be there for this special occasion. It was a wonderful time for me to get some rare one on one time with her.

I think just about the most fun time I had on this visit was in the kitchen on Friday night. It was our task to make dozens and dozens of cookies for the baptism "reception" the next day. So between Me and Tracy and Beth and Taylor and Kelley and Aubrey and Hannah and Eden and Morgan and Anela, we pulled it off!! We made the best sugar, lemon, chocolate chip, spice and chocolate fudge cookies in town and of course there weren't any leftovers to be found anywhere! (Note to self: Beth could use another set of measuring spoons....)

Morgan became acquainted with Eleni.

(Morgan! Let's not tell Mom that you are barefoot in this picture!)

Had an awful lot of fun playing outside.
As you can see by Kelley's squint, it was sunny and warm.

As usual, the trip was wonderful. When it was time to go home, quoting Dr. Seuss helped tremendously. "Don't cry 'cause it's over. Smile 'cause it happened."

TAHOE OR BUST 2010!!

Frogs in the Pool

2010-03-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

Ribbitt. Ribbitt

My sister and her husband are ceritified SCUBA divers. They are going to Maui in April for a much deserved vacation and plan to do a lot of SCUBA diving. It's been a while, so they have to re-certify. They decided to try it out in the priviacy of our backyard before embarrassing themselves terribly in their re-ceritfication class. It worked, because they passed with flying colors!

Congratulations Mario and Janet!!

Mario reminding Janet of some important things.

Even with a wetsuit on the water is cold!!

Who dat?

Interloper.

(Actually am quite proud of Dave for taking advantage of an opportunity that he might never get again!)

Of course I am cursing my sister and her husband at this point as Dave has been on Craig's list browsing - you guessed it - Diving Equipment.......

Saturday Mornings

2010-02-27T08:40:00.000-08:00

Shadow and I have to figure out a better way to spend our Saturdays. This is a him in action on any one of the last 3 Saturday mornings in February.

This is what is becoming of my dresser. I am down to one little pile left to sort through. For a while I had forgotten the color of the wood. The entire surface was covered with very very important piles of paper. I'll get to the dust, too.

Our laundry is so caught up it's ridiculous. A pile of towels will take no time!

And you're probably wondering why there is so much flexible time for me and Shadow on Saturday mornings.

It's because we have a new Scoutmaster and Dave and Austen are either on campouts or at merit badge clinics.

You must admit that his sash is looking pretty good though! (Note to future mothers of Scouts: The Merit Badges that are edged in gray are required Eagle Scout merit badges. Gotta have 'em. The ones edged in green are the ones you can pick and choose according to your interests or the interests of your Scoutmaster...)

He'll be getting the Art merit badge today. So relieved! Then I can fill up that pesky blank spot. Next time I will leave the blank spot in the middle so that it is at least symetrical.

Two weekends ago sure was fun though!!

We saw Janet and Mario's newly remodeled, absolutley gorgeous new bathroom and kitchen. We all got to mess it up pretty good too because everyone was there for a 1-week-delayed FSAK
where everyone go to meet Eleni as a bonus!

Eleni and Lilly with matching hats. (Really admire those photographers who can get an entire family to smile nice for the camera. I could only get 75% of my subjects to cooperate. Dirty faces don't count.)

Austen found out that he was allergic to cats. He itched and his eyes watered all night long. Beck and Grampa had fun though!

After about 150 laps of Beck and Ethan running back and forth through the kitchen and living room Ethan took a break for a drink. No one was assigned to bring hair gel.

Grampa always manages to have a good time when the grandkids are around. They seem to like him, too!

Look alikes?

2010-02-09T18:01:00.000-08:00

First I had to wait until Eleni turned 3 months old, and then that shot right past and I forgot all about doing this until now.

Here is mom and daughter both in their 3 month pictures. Does anyone think they look alike? Kelley has a California tan and is dressed a bit more modestly but then Eleni had her hair done a bit more stylishly.

Both are definitely sweethearts though!

Birthday Buddies

2010-01-26T18:04:00.000-08:00

January is a very full month when it comes to family birthdays. We celebrate Lilly, Janet, Granny, Eden, Kelley, Austen, Scott, Laila and Mitchell. Nine birthdays. Wow! (We only need to remember 7 dates though, because Kelley and Austen share the same day and Scott and Laila share the same day. Nothing personal Mitchell, but I bet Brandi is glad that Laila didn't pick your birthday to double up on!)

But I digress.

I'm briefly going to talk about Austen's and Lilly's birthday celebrations in this post and the difference 14 years (and an attitude) makes.

It even rains at the Happiest Place on Earth. Doesn't stop people from coming though. These soaked folks are entering Downtown Disney. It was a rainy, windy, blustry, cold stormy day - got about 4 inches of rain that day - but we, along with lots and lots of other people, didn't let it stop us from having a birthday lunch with Austen.

Went to the Rainforest Cafe, where inside and outside you heard thunder and the pitter patter of raindrops - constantly. This is the biggest smile I could get from the newest 15 year old on the block. He did seem pretty happy to be there though.......

On the other hand, this is what the newest 1 year old on the block looks like when she turns one and has a new sun hat to wear on walks! Gramma's going to have to put a strap on it however. For a few moments, she forgot that she had it on, so it stayed, at least for the picture. Good Girl, Lilly!!!

Note: Do not have a birthday party for a 1 year old from 2:00 - 5:00. Prime nap time. (Lilly missed about 85% of her party!)

Brothers love birthday parties, no matter who they are for. He knows that he will be able to get Lilly to share EVERYTHING!

Toto, We're not in California anymore.....

2010-01-10T17:06:00.000-08:00

No Toto, we're not in California anymore. We're in Buh Buh Boise!!
Have you ever seen a better greeting party in your life????

Good thing Fo'ou took us to Savers looking for snow gear the first morning we were there because this is what it looked like the second morning we were there! Austen's were the first footprints in the snow and now I truly know why they call it a "blanket of snow".

On New Year's Day, some of the kids went to the show to see Avatar and some of the kids went to the mall where Eden got her ears pierced a few weeks early for her eighth birthday!

Finally got to meet this sweet little one after waiting three long months. Eleni Jean belongs to Tyler and Kelley..(Longest three months of my life.) As is with all of her previous 13 cousins, this one is perfect too!

All is well with the Schultz clan. Glad to report that Gunner (the dog) is still alive probably because Tracy is confined to upstairs for a while. She is under doctor's orders to take it extremely easy for 6 weeks, as she had a hysterectomy. Gunner is downstairs, Tracy is upstairs. Lucky lucky Gunner. Tracy is recovering nicely.

The girls of the Maka'afi clan. Anela is excited to turn eight so she can get her ears pierced too!

Felt lucky to get this cute grin from the oldest Maka'afi.

Back in California, will never get a grin from this one. Proud of him though and all the hard work he put into the H20 Polo season.

A wonderful way to end 2009 - seeing everyone in Boise and begin 2010, recognizing Austen's accomplishments!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-23T19:33:00.000-08:00

It has been 3 months since I have been on this blog site. I have another blog that tells what I have been doing over the last three months. A three months that I am glad is over. A three months that I have learned, grown, and received much however. A three months that, in the end, I have so much to be thankful for. It is in this three months that I was diagnosed with a squamous cell cancer, received treatment for and am now in recovery mode.

I have so many more wonderful things happening in my life though. I want to talk about them.

Many many years ago I began to realize how hard it was going to be to get everyone together on Christmas for a family celebration. I wanted all my kids and grandkids and sister and her kids to be able to get together and not have to "share" them with anyone else.

So, it has worked out that usually the Sunday before Christmas we have our Family Christmas Party. Then, on Christmas Day, when everyone needs to visit in-laws, etc., it is working out that Gramma and Grampa drop by and give presents to Grandkids, visit for about an hour, and then everyone is off to the other places they need to go. So far, so good!

Below are a few pictures from our Family Christmas Celebration gathering held on

20 December.

Don't know what it was that Dave was being congratulated for, but it looks like it was pretty good. And Mitsi, it looks like Baby "K" is beginning to make his/her presence obvious. (We are all so excited!)

Daddy Eric explaining to Ethan to be patient until he shows him how his toy works. (Get used to it Ethan!)

Danny, Ellen and Mitsi giggling about something....

If you ever find yourself in a bad mood, take a look at this pic of little Miss Lilly. Bad mood GONE!

Don't know what Dave and Lilly are talking about, but both seem very excited about it!

Beck's turn to open his present while most everyone watches.

Love it when the family gets together. Give thanks for mine every single night.

Need some help please!

2009-09-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

One thing that will happen to you when your children grow up is that you will go places you have never gone before and learn things you never had any interest in. (Sounds like a Dr. Seuss story, doesn't it?)

I know I will leave something out, but my children have helped me become experts in soccer, baseball, football, chauffering, room mothering, dance team, PTA, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, tennis, track, ASB government, mock trial, swimming, marching band, uniform fitting, being a board member, snack stand managing and now this.

I am told this is called Water Polo - sometimes H20 Polo for short! Similar to soccer, there is a goal at each end and you get a point for each goal scored. Not similar to soccer, where a blowout is 6-2, or something like that - I witnessed a 16-2 game. Not pretty. Lots of new rules to learn but we are having fun doing so. Have also been reminded vividly how miserable working a snackstand can be.....

Have seen some very long arms make some pretty tricky, graceful shots. Hard shots, too. And right on top of the goalee. Not a fun position. I bet goalees have a lot of missing teeth.

Am amazed that no one ever complains about the silly caps they must wear, but since they must wear them I guess that's why no one complains. Maybe once I get a little more used to them they won't appear so silly looking.

Water Polo players NEVER rest. Even if you're not swimming from one end of the pool to the other, you are still treading - excuse me....egg beatering water. Even during a time out, the players don't hang on the side of the pool while the coach talks to them - they tread water while they listen.

And I have learned that it is a Speedo, not Speedos, as in "Mom, do you know where my Speedo is?" Makes no sense, because my reply would by "In your room by your pants" instead of "In your room by your pant."

Lots more to learn. Be sure and stay humble. If you don't, your kids will get you that way very quickly.

Thanks everybody. It has been quite a ride and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Would ever so gladly do it all over again!!

Pretty Pretty Plumerias!

2009-09-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

I know all you Idahites will snicker when I talk about how I can tell that the seasons are changing, but snicker away. There are some subltle changes here in California.

How I love our Plumerias! You know it's summer when they are in full bloom and the smell is heavenly! These blossoms will eventually fall off as cooler weather approaches and then we wait the long winter for spring and more plumerias to pop out! Even the big green leaves fall off and all we are left with is sticks.

These solid white ones with just a touch of yellow are in a pot on our front porch.

These white ones - quite similar to the ones above except with a lot more yellow - smell the best! This tree is the best one for kids to take the blooms off of to wear in their hair. Lots and lots of flowers on this one. This one sits in the back yard in a very large pot.

Look at these! I think they are called Rainbow ones, or something like that. Also in the back yard, but out close to the tangerine tree. This is the best year we've had with this tree.

Now these are really something!!

When we went to Hawaii last year we brought home two plumeria's from the swap meet. One of them withered up and died and one of them didn't. I don't even remember what color the other tree was. Trouble is, we really really wanted the dark colored burgundy one the most but had no idea which one made it so it has been a long year, wondering if it was going to bloom this year or wait another year (it didn't last year).

We were so pleased when these blossoms peeked through!

The blossoms look a little reddish here compared to their true color. They are a deep deep burgundy and sit in a pot that is on the fire pit in the back yard.

And last but not least.

We are making a few changes. The paint color and floor moulding go into the living room itself. I guess we need to re-name the room, as the "green room" doesn't fit anymore.

SUM SUM SUM SUM SUMMATIME!

2009-09-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to post for a long long time all the while realizing I have nothing terribly exciting happening to post about! So, I decided to do a Summertime post and just realized that I have it backwards! Oh well. Enjoy anyway or start at the bottom and scroll up!

Summetime always ends with the "first day of school" picture. This is what a freshman looks like. Notice the fancy, first day of school outfit he wore. He has about 6 or 7 other outfits just like it, the shirts in varying shades of browns, blacks and blues and the jeans in blues. Didn't want a fancy bag for his H20 Polo gear either. The plastic grocery bag at his feet was what he asked for. He's a purist at heart.

It was mentioned at one time that Austen was taking Japanese as his foreign language. Somehow, that turned into a wonderful FSAG where the folks on the other side of the Orange Curtain brought wonderful Japanese cuisine. Not only did they bring it all, they cooked it all too. All the rest of us had to do was enjoy, which we thouroughly did!

There were times when the menfolk were out of the pool. Can you ever guess what they found to spend their time on?

You will never see a picture of Ethan without a car in his hand. This one is unusual, because there is only ONE car. Usually there is a minimun of four that he carries.

Uncle Scott is the master of flipping anyone who wants to be flipped in the pool.

Two pretty ladies. Notice the sweet, older woman in the background. That is Mario's mom. She came to be here for Michael's wedding and stayed for a few weeks. We were lucky enough that she was in town for an FSAG.

Anela got very very comfortable in the water. When one can swim every day for as long as one wants, one learns a lot very very fast!

Dave's rock garden is doing so well! I so appreciate just walking outside and getting a treat! I never get tired of it.

Beck and Grampa always manage to have fun together. Beck has also learned that Grampa never says "no" to another ice pop - no matter HOW MANY he has already had! Loves those purple ones!

Morgan has been a pro at this for a couple of years now!

Kendall has no qualms about the slide!

What else says SUMMERTIME than a pair of flip flops, even if they are as wide as they are long! (And Beck can even run in them!)

Of course to make this a PERFECT summer there would have to be pictures posted of lots of other families too. You know who you are. Love and miss you lots!

BBD 2009

2009-07-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

BBD 2009 was great! We had all the essentials for a successful camping trip. Bags of trail mix, huge tub 'o' gum, personally decorated sun visors, and a wildflower centerpiece. We were in for a great five days at Barton Flats in the Angelus National Forest. (Big Bear was 26 miles further down the road.)

The end of and era.....

The camping box has served its purpose and will now go into the history books and be next years campfire fuel. Dave has come up with an idea that won't be so heavy, awkward and big. I know you're all on pins and needles, but you'll just have to wait until next year. Sorry!

Our first night in camp was very very cold. Morgan had been given this Strawberry Shortcake sleepingbag (rated to 78 degrees!) by her neighbor and was bound and determined to use it. After the first full night of shivering, she gladly traded (permanently) for the red sleeping bag that we had brought for Shadow to lay on. Shadow didn't seem to mind.

It was a very relaxing trip. We hung around camp a lot and just did whatever came up. This particular morning grampa happened to find some mini marshmallows and some marshmallow guns just lying in the back of his car. Imagine that!

We sat around and told jokes.

We found a new game and it proved to be a hit! Everyone can play and did. Mario vs. Morgan, Janet vs. Faye, Ellen vs. Danny, Scott vs. Jody, Scott vs. Austen, Scott vs. Dave, Scott vs. Morgan (Scott likes to be active!)

Mitsi started reading Twilight.
Hope she has nothing else planned for the summer.....

Austen boned up on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince as he, Jody, Faye, Ellen, Danny, Mitsi and Mitchell would all be going to the midnight showing on opening night!

We did get some action in and went on some hikes. Mitchell was given some bad information by the camp host so we never did find the beginnings of the Santa Ana River. After consulting Mitchell's map though, we know where we went wrong and will find that river next time!

Beck found the hike to be very relaxing and not a strenuous activity at all!
I am still in awe that Jody hiked with this sleeping baby on her back for a good hour!

It was a good hike, although you probably can't tell by Austen's facial expression.

And just to prove that we really were out in the wild..............

Fundraising (fun?) anybody?

2009-07-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

As you all know, we had a fundraising project to get our girls to camp. We took orders and made Giant 10" Chocolate Chip Cookies for Father's Day. It was a success, and as with any project, you always learn something. Here are some of the things we learned:

It takes a lotta stuff to make cookies! And you find that once you get all your stuff over to the building that you have STILL forgotten stuff at your house that you wish you would have brought. But, being from pioneer stock, you make do.

You need three mixers going so that you can fill huge bowls with lots and lots of cookie dough (usually need to sample often for quality control!) so that lots and lots of hands can make lots and lots of cookies. (70 to be exact)

When you call your building coordinator and find out that the Spanish Ward has already reserved the kitchen for the evening that you need because they are making tamales for their camp fundraiser DO NOT BE UPSET! Believe it or not, this is a wonderful blessing in disguise. They had no problem in letting us use the ovens since they didn't need them, so we forged ahead. (Pioneer stock, remember?)

What we thought was going to be sheer disaster turned into the biggest blessing of the evening. It forced us to set up in the cultural hall and as it turned out, we had so much more room than if we would have used the kitchen. Need more counter space? No problem. Simply set up another table.

Our finished product, waiting for pick up on the Saturday morning before Father's Day. Did I mention that we had plenty of room to spread out?

And as you can see camp was great! Only two girls had to pay a little bit of something out of their pockets and that was because they didn't do the Valentine's Day fundraiser. I guess fundraisers are kind of like labor - you forget the bad parts until you go through it again and only remember the good stuff because I'm thinking about the great time the girls had at camp and what to do for next year.

Certainly doesn't slow down though, 'cause now I'm off to WalMart/Michael's/JoAnn's to get the supplies we need for tonight's Mother/Daughter Jewelry making evening. (Thank goodness for Pioneer Stock!)

Being a YW leader isn't for sissies.....

2009-06-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

Gotta get those YW to YW camp. That means fundraisers! We made over 600 of these for Valentines Day - very successful by the way - but that's another story for another day. And since this isn't Idaho where YW camp cost all of $40.00, we needed another fundraiser because in California it costs $175.00!

One thing we did learn though is that tying a fundraiser with a holiday seemed to work very well.

So, with Father's Day approaching, we were inspired! You know those giant chocolate chip cookies you see at Mrs. Field's in the mall???

We decided to give two options of how the card would read. Happy Father's Day kind of limits it to buying one for your father only, but if we had another card that read "Thinking of You", you could buy one for your uncle, grampa, neighbor - the possibilities are endless!!

And it was a good idea, because of the 60 cards (and cookies!) we are making, 13 of them are for "Thinking of You" cards. And at $10.00 a cookie, $130.00 is nothing to sneeze at!

As anyone who has been in a leadership position will tell you, you experiment first and know of the pitfalls before taking on any project more complicated than opening exercises. So today I baked. And measured. And guessed. How many cups of chocolate chips are in an 8lb. 4 oz. bag of chocolate chips? How many cups of flour are in 5 pounds of flour? 5 pounds of sugar? (It's not the same.) How about 2 pounds of brown sugar? (If you're interested, call me.) How many cookies can you get out of doubling a batch of dough that makes a 14 inch cookie when all you want are 8-10 inch cookies?

Right size, but wrong look. After experimenting around (cookie anybody? There are 5 giant chocolate chip cookies and one dozen normal cookies in my kitchen at this very moment) I came up with this one. Hopefully we will be able to duplicate it 60 more times, making it about an inch smaller, in the church ovens this Friday night with 10 eager (or maybe not so eager) YW assisting and earning their way to camp! This is what the cookie will look like inside the card. The purchaser of the card will be able to write their own sentiment.

Of course it helps a lot if you know someone that can get cardstock that is being tossed out because the information is outdated on one side.....

Only one more slight problem. We have to share the kitchen with another ward in our building. They are making tamales on Saturday morning, which is when we were going to finish up what didn't get done on Friday night. We have a lot to do Friday night, don't we!

The Roadtrip Part I

2009-04-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

Took a roadtrip over spring break. Mighty brave of us, even if I do say so myself. There was me and Jody, Austen, Morgan, Kendall and Beck. We drove to Boise. Lots of careful researching and map-questing as to which route to take as we didn't want icy roads or snow. Also didn't want to go the Utah/Salt Lake route as that added about 4 more hours to the trip. We finally chose the route that goes through Ely (pronounced Ee-lee or so I'm told), Nevada.

Did you know that past Las Vegas, there is one stinkn' bush and one stinkin' mountain through the entire stinkin' state of Nevada?

Austen was happy with his I-Pod. Kendall and Morgan were amazing! Thanks to some wonderful planning on the part of their mom, they were entertained the entire way with their kits that had been made up for them. Did I say the entire way? The entire way. They were wonderful! And for being 20 months old, Beck was pretty darn wonderful too. The last couple of hours of the trip he reminded us fairly often that he wanted to "GHEE OW" (get out!!) of his car seat but who can blame him?

At this point, we all realized that we "Weren't in Kansas anymore Dorothy" - nor were we at a Southern California McDonalds!

While in Idaho we saw and did lots of things!

Saw some pretty amazing baseball!!

Jackman hits a sharp line drive triple straight down third!

Steeerriiiike!!!

Taylor has always towered over Austen. Taylor is still growing, since she is now taller than Gramma (So What! That isn't very tall...!) but we are all very happy to see that Austen is finally beginning to grow. Although still taller than Austen, at least she isn't towering!

A most handsome "before" picture of Easter morning. When asked if she wanted Beck's shirt tucked in, the answer was no. "It won't stay tucked in anyway, and at least this way it won't be wrinkled."

The Easter Bunny was able to successfully find where we all were. He left some pretty neat treats! (You'll notice the heart braids in Eden and Kendall's hair? Morgan and Anela also had heart braids. That's what can happen when church starts at 1:00 and your nimble fingered Aunt Jody is staying at your house!)

As wonderful as the kids were, I would not hestiate to take another roadtrip similar to this one. You start driving in the middle of the night and the 16 or so hours that it takes just fly by!! (Wanna buy some land in Florida?)

You will notice this is Road Trip Part I. Part II is coming soon to a blogspot near you!!

TOYS

2009-03-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

Dave has a new toy. We all love this toy though, because it benefits all of us.

Dave has earned a bit of extra money through some repairs that he made. He carefully put it aside until he got enough, never once tempted to spend it because he knew exactly what he wanted! After researching Consumer Reports several times over he had to come to an agonizing decision of which one was better for our needs, which he did. He knew exactly which model he wanted.

Yesterday we went to Home Depot where they had to block off two aisles and get out the fork lift (the guy driving the fork lift got a little annoyed when he knocked over a good sized display of cans of WD40. Cans rolling all over the place...) so they could get his purchase down from the tippy most top of the shelving. Another employee had to follow the fork lift driver around waving two orange caution flags. Beep. Beep. Beep. Well, you know what it's like in Home Depot.

So he paid for it, we took it home, and here it is in all its shining glory!

Talk about priorities. Dave had slept very poorly the night before - Scout Campout - and as I was leaving for the YW Broadcast, he said, "It's a good thing I have this to put together or I would probably fall asleep if I sat down on the couch." Like there's something wrong with that! So we are anxiously awaiting for him to get home from a Scout Committee Meeting so we can break in our new BBQ. If there is enough time before the Youth Fireside tonight that is....You know how it goes.

GROWING OLDER, HUMBLY AND GRACEFULLY

2009-03-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Last summer, we had the opportunity to use our extra "guest room" a few times and have Makaafi's, Ellen and Pietsch's stay with us. I usually use that closet to put my out of season clothes in but decided to box up all my winter clothes instead so that our "guests" could comfortably spread out.

So I found a sturdy cardboard box, boxed them up, summer came and went and then come November I needed the long sleeves again. I couldn't find that box of clothes anywhere! I looked everywhere. Lost. I went through all the boxes in the garage. Disappeared. I asked Dave, I called Ellen - no one had a clue. Gone forever. Sob!

Finally I just gave up, figuring they had gone to Goodwill accidently with the things the Pietsch's left for Goodwill when they moved to Sweden. I mourned most for my hot pink faux suede shirt, my black and red striped silk type shirt and my hardly worn, personalized black hooded KHS/Student Accounts/Mrs. Kossub sweatshirt.

A few weeks ago when in a fit of cleaning and organizing, I pulled this big plastic tub of food storage out from under the bed to see what needed to be eaten, thrown out, etc.

So now I want to know what did I do with all the food storage that was in here and when did I make the swap??? I was totally speechless when I opened this container. I do not remember doing this one teensy bit. Sheesh!

And while we're on the subject of that bedroom.

The question was posed a while back, asking where does anyone get things these days other than on Craig's list. While Dave does browse Craig's list from time to time, and we have made a purchase from it, we are still old school and go garage sale shopping. A few weeks ago, he came running into the house on a Saturday morning and said to hop in the car and come see what I thought. So I did, and I thought like he did, and remember that bed you guys have all slept on in the "guest room"? It's looking pretty good now with its new headboard and footboard!

$20.00!!!

And no comments about the afghan. I know the colors are loud and garish, but it is hand crocheted by some dear dear Tongan women and was given to us with love. I simply can't bear to part with it. May all who sleep in this bed feel the "specialness" of this afghan. You will never be cold, that's for sure!! It weighs a ton!

Everybody Play?!?

2009-03-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Be a Winner!!!!
Has anyone seen this before? I saw this on my friend Andrea's blog. I thought it was a cute idea and would play along.

So, the first five of you to respond (and follow all the other rules) to this will be hooked up.Here's the rules:The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make for you!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it's going to be.

But you all know my "talents" so that might be a clue for you right there. Or maybe I'll branch out and surprise you!

So come on, sign up!

5.The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to post this same blog on their blog and leave a comment telling me they did will win something homemade by me! Let's keep the chain of love going around!!So what do you think? Sounds interesting and fun doesn't it?

It Really Works

2009-03-04T21:27:00.001-08:00

We have the same kinds of handles on our refrigerator and ovens. They are bisque in color, as described by the manufacturer, which means they are as bad as white when it comes to keeping them clean.

The are textured, not smooth, which means that they do not wipe clean. They do not scrub clean either. They just do not come clean. Period. What were they thinking???

One wonderful blessed Saturday though, Dave called me over and said, "Watch this." With no effort at all, he performed a miracle. He cleaned those handles with:

All he did was pour a little on a rag, lightly wipe it over the handles and they are clean, brand new, out of the box looking clean!!

You won't believe this though.

You know that stuff on your stove burners that you scrape off with a razor blade because that's the only way it will come off? This stuff takes that off too! Granted, you have to let it sit on the burned on spill-over from 2 months ago for a little bit, but it WORKS!

The directions say to dilute it, but Dave, not being big on directions when he knows better, uses it straight out of the container. HE USES GLOVES THOUGH! And he's a smart man. Unless you want to remove your fingernails, I would recommend using gloves too.

Missing Life

2009-03-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

In looking for a quote by one of my favorite people, Norman Rockwell, I found the one you see on the right. I didn't add it right away, or think about it much until, for the last three times I have walked out into our back yard, I have been bowled over by the wonderful, heavy smell of the orange blossoms, just beginning to cover our tree. If I take a picture up close and personal like this, I bet you can smell it too!

'Camon now, big huge lungs full. Isn't it great???

Then I remembered the quote I had found about a week ago an got to looking at what I am missing in my own back yard.

Like this!

We (who am I kidding - Dave) have planted these gorgeous lillies under our bedroom window. The bright bright orange against our new green walls bordered by the red brick is so pretty. I notice and re-notice them every time I go outside. Hopefully these lillies will thrive in the shade. So far all the other plants we've chosen haven't liked it there.

And, out in the sunshine....

Aren't pansies one of the best flowers around??? And this little palm tree works so well in this spot. We'll see what the chlorine does to it this summer, but for now, we are loving it!

And when I look at this, my mouth just waters. The tangerines are superb this year and it is so luxurious to walk out back, pick one and enjoy!

We love going to the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach every summer. That is where we have found all of these pieces. They are fun and whimsical and I didn't realize until just last summer that we are getting a pretty good collection. Can't wait for this summer's selection - after all - things in an odd number are more pleasing to the eye!

And last but certainly not least.... a reminder for us all!

2009-02-10T22:54:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged by my daughter Tracy. I'm supposed to take the fourth picture from my fourth folder, but to tell you the truth, I haven't figured out how I want to organize my pictures yet so most of them are still old school (prints). I have an occasional disc here and there, but like I said, not organized so I can find anything. So, I am taking the fourth picture from that skinny little blue thing (note the technical term) that is in my camera.

We had a shower at our home for my daughter-in-law Leanna. Her sister Darlene is next, then comes Amy Franklin (don't know her married name) who went to school with Tracy and Leanna. Amy is holding sweet little Lilly Faye who is the recipient of all those girlie girl pink things in the bags by Leanna. Next to Amy is Gramma Sandy - Leanna's mom. The shower was held on January 30th, dead of winter. You'll notice the short sleeves, flip flops, shorts and sleeveless outfits.......

You'll also notice the new color that we're painting the house! There are six walls to paint and Dave has two of them done. I told him that we'd better do the back first because if we did the front it would look good to the neighbors and all and we might never get to the back!! As it is, the front is still blue and white and peeling paint so the motivation is still there.

Gramma's Wall

2009-02-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

I have finally finished my Gramma's Wall with the new, updated pictures, matting and frame painting. I've mixed the kids together, not necessarily keeping them together as families. I like it that way. I like the way my grandchildren are friends in addition to being relatives - just like their parents - friends in addition to being siblings. As a mom, I couldn't ask for anything more. Another wonderful plus is that my dear sweet husband hasn't rolled his eyes even once over my fretting, questioning, experimenting, spending, changing, changing back again, asking his opinion and then ignoring it and everything else that went into my project. He custom made the shelves for me, and they are quite beautiful! I love it, and it makes me smile every single time I walk past. Got a spot all picked out for Baby Messina!