FLU BUG

I am not well. Sick. I haven't been sick for a loooong time. Well over a year. But I am down. It is the flu/cold. I can hardly keep my eye-lids up. Funny thing is I'm not tired enough to sleep and NO fever so far. But I'm so cold I can't get warm even in sweats and blankets, and every square inch of my body aches. My head feels like it's going to explode. I don't think it's the swine flu. Resting, liquids, movie and book time.

It's the couch for me. Darla doesn't leave my side. She knows. She feels it. Thanks, pup.

Happy Birthday Shaun-ster

Happy Birthday to you, Shaun.

I remember the day like it was yesterday instead of 23 years ago. You were very anxious to get here. This was my fastest labor and delivery of any of my babies. 90 minutes! We had settled in at the hospital and were prepared for several hours. Dad was doing some office work and taking and making phone calls, and all of a sudden you were here.

All 6 lbs. 13 oz. and 19 inches of you.

It was 2:30 in the afternoon.

Such a cuddler.

Love you!

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME

ENOUGH SAID. A picture is worth more than a thousand words! (and yes, it's Josh on the cell phone with Shaun talking about game strategy...)

Welcome Home Shaun!

Duff and Shaun got home last night around 6pm. They had a good and uneventful trip. Stopped in St. George for lunch and to see our property there. They had a picnic on the lot. Says it looks good. Christine had a sign on the front door to welcome Shaun home for the summer. He was home all of a couple of hours and then off to see friends, go to a movie, and a date.

~WELCOME HOME, SHAUN!~

Lacrosse

Here is the new sport to our family. Lacrosse. It is very similar to hockey. We've been getting a crash course of learning about it. Girls is waaay different than boys. Good thing. Christine as the goalie. She loves this position. She says it's the most fun. It's not the most fun for the mom of the goalie. But I guess that isn't what's important, right? She has the biggest bruise on the inside of her thigh from getting pelted from a shot on goal in the game Saturday. It was a good save!
See. No pads. No shin guards. Yes, goggles! Go Panthers, get that ball. (it's that little thing in the air...) Watch out for the stick!

Floyd's Birthday

Today is my Grandpa Davis's birthday. He was born in 1901. Floyd William Davis. For some reason I always remember that today is his birthday. I used to think it was just a coincidence, or that maybe I'm good with dates. But as I'm getting older, I feel that he is close to me. That he knows what I'm doing, how I'm feeling, my ups and downs. My successes and failures. That he cheers me on with my other family members who are on the other side of the veil.

He was always bald and gray in my mind. He loved angel food cake. He loved meatloaf and my grandma's fried chicken with cream gravy and a piece of corn on the cobb. Maybe that's where I get that from! He always wore glasses. He had a very square, full face and when he smiled it took over. He was NO nonsense. Didn't have time or the patience for it. His kisses were always wet and slobbery. A Daddo Floyd kiss!

He drove a Renault when I was a little girl growing up. I thought he was the coolest person ever driving that standard transmission with such ease. I can still hear the shifting in my mind. He did not abide disobedience of any kind. But he loved so tenderly. He always had trouble with his legs. He was in the grocery business and had his own mom and pop store and a delivery semi truck ran over his legs and the damage was such that he walked with a limp and had trouble for the rest of his life.

He hated steak. If he had a piece of beef it had to be WELL cooked. When he was on horseback as a forest ranger very young in his life, he had an appendicitis attack. He had to have his appendix out on the trail with no anesthetic! The only thing the other rangers could do was give him a raw steak to bite on for the pain during surgery. I get chills just thinking about that. That experience with meat stayed with him for all the rest of his life.

He loved dogs with everything he had in him. When he was a teenager, a litter of pups was born to the family hunting dog. His dad was going to kill the runt. Daddo Floyd begged for it's life. His dad wasn't happy about this runt using what resources needed to go to the other animals, but relented. Floyd nursed that pup and and Vim turned out to be one of the best hunting dogs they had. He named him Vim after the phrase 'Vim and Vigor', since he was so weak and turned out so strong.

He was a great example of the gospel. I never knew him to struggle with his testimony, ever. He was a convert as a young adult and never wavered. I remember a story he told me once about priesthood blessings: He was the Elder's Quorum President before I was even born and there was a family in his ward where the wife/mother was very, very ill. He stopped by to see how they were doing and had a very strong prompting to counsel the husband to give his wife a blessing and she would be completely healed. The husband said he would think about doing it, maybe later. He was stubborn and angry with God for his wife's sickness. The next morning, the husband called him sobbing to say that his wife was dead and he should have followed the counsel of his priesthood leader. He knew that if he had she would be alive. He sobbed bitter tears of regret. My grandpa looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Cindy, always follow the counsel of your leaders. They will never steer you wrong. And the power of the priesthood is REAL!" Then he went back to reading his newspaper in the living room of the duplex on 21st street in Manhattan Beach.

I've never forgotten it. Thanks, Daddo. Love you!

A Few States Away on the Same Day

While Christine and I were having our warm and quiet Sunday afternoon, here's what was happening in Utah--- Yes, it was snowing! At the end of April. But... they need the moisture, so it's a good thing. Wish we were having some moisture. We sure need it. After church, the Duffy cousins came up for a visit and some cake and ice-cream.
Aaron had some home teaching appointments so he couldn't come, which is probably a good thing since Duff and Shaun had Nick model a BYU blue ball cap! All this little boy knows is the U, and rightly so since his mom and dad graduated from there and his daddy played for them. However, for the record, look at the happiness, pure JOY, on Nick's face in that cougar cap!

James and Shaun

What?! Golfing in the house??? Hope you got a hole in one little Josh, and that Elizabeth held that cup steady.

Elizabeth, when did you get your braces???

Shaun and Miss Abby-girl. I like those arm warmers!

I want to know what was going on with you two. Love the face, Mel!

Little Josh and Shaun. By now, you've probably figured out that all the little cousins love him. Well, they love all the big cousins. It's a touching thing to see the bond the big ones have with the little ones and vice-versa. I'm sure Grandma and Grandpa Duffy smile down from heaven.

3 of the gorgeous Duffy women! Melanie, Katie, and Bethany. Brooke--you were missed!

YEAAAAHHH!

front l-r: James, William, little Josh

back l-r: Jacob, Shaun, Abby, Elizabeth

Jack, Mike, Julie, Natalie, Robert, and Steven Prichard (dad's cousin) were all there too, but Shaun didn't get any pictures of them. Dang it. Christine and I missed out on a great get-together. Love and miss you ALL!!!!

Ann and Brandon's Big Day

The day was just this gorgeous. Crispy cool morning. Early. 7:45am. The breeze made it just a bit cooler than the temperature said it was, and OH! the flowers were magnificent. All the bulbs were up in every available space all around the temple. The ceremony was sweet and tender. Ann was a beautiful bride. After pictures, the wedding breakfast was held at the University of Utah. I think it was in the alumni center? I don't remember much about the meal, except that it was good and we were all hungry. But the dessert I do remember and I still make a copycat version of it in the spring and summer and whenever I do I think of their wedding. It was a white sheet cake cut into serving size squares. No frosting. A big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of it with sliced strawberries in a natural syrup over that spilling onto the dessert plate. Sweet divine goodness!

The reception was at the Lion House. I've always loved that place and all it's history. A beautiful start for a great couple.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ANN AND BRANDON!

It's Gonna Be A Great Day!

Tony, the tiger, knew what he was talking about, even though we didn't start it out with Frosted Flakes!

Christine and I both slept in. It sure felt great. She didn't get up until around 11am. She really needed it. I had some much needed quiet time to myself. Got the roast in the oven, did some reading. Church was just what we both needed. Got our weekly eggs from the Mauss's. They have chickens and Debbie brings fresh eggs. They are sooooo good! I bring her the empty carton and she hands me a filled one from a little cooler bag in her car.

As soon as we pulled in the driveway and opened the garage door, we could smell it. The aroma of that roast beef wafting into the garage. They say the sense of smell is the strongest to evoke memory and in this case it is really true. There is nothing quite like a Sunday roast beef dinner.

Talked, relaxed, watched a little tv together. Duff and Shaun should be home tomorrow.

Saturday's Stuff

It was hard to wake up today. By the time I got the girls, took Ashley home, and got home ourselves and to bed it was after 1am. And we had to be up and out of the house early for 2 lacrosse games. You can see the team gel and connect what they are learning in practice to executing in the game. Christine had a great interception and a break-away down the field only to trip on a clump of grass and go down. She managed to not lose the ball and passed it away. Her knees took a beating though. Pretty skinned up. She'll be sore tomorrow.

Since the mall is close to today's fields, we stopped there to pick up a couple items and then treated ourselves to a little Panda. One minute she was wide awake taking a break and watching a tv program (2 back to back games allows you some tv time), and the next she was sound asleep. I covered her with an aphgan, turned off the tv, put on a quiet CD, and took the phone off the hook so she could sleep. It's been a big week for her.

Darla and I went out to the back to water all the pots and the garden. I also got the garden weeding done. She kept me company for the 2 hours I was out there. I like to work in the yard. There is something therapeutic about having your hands in the dirt and a job well done. The tomato plants have blossoms. Yay. I can't wait not to have to buy them in the store.

Christine went to RCielo to play capture the flag with friends from church. I just got her home and am off to bed. Darla is pacing. This is her way of letting me know she is past her bedtime and she is ready!

LASTS

Happy Day! I went to the bank and made the LAST money transfer for Josh's law school! He is done in 3 weeks. Good Job, Josh! You made it. (see Meredith's blog for a little wife-bragging)

The bank is inside Pavilions and I decided to celebrate solo. I made my way to the ice cream aisle and saw a new flavor: Creme Brulee. OH! It did not disappoint. Thank you Ben and Jerry. Perfect celebration frozen treat.

Finished another blanket. Two in a week. I'm feelin' good!

Tonight is the LAST night of the play. After the cast and crew did a preliminary set strike, I took Christine and her friend, Ashley, to the cast party. I am waiting to go and pick them up at 11:49pm. It was extremely successful, but the late nights every night this week are catching up with me. It's one thing to be up late at night in your own home in your comfy jammies or sweats. It's an entirely different thing to be driving back and forth. They did an abbreviated version of Guys and Dolls.

Duff says Natalie and Robert are just about done with all their packing. That they have worked together really efficiently and had a good system to get it all done. They should take the LAST load tomorrow to store for the summer. I'm kind of sad about it. It was such a darling basement apartment and she had it fixed up so cute and homey. But, on they go! I feel so bad for the owners. I can't imagine what it must be like to lose your home. Times are hard.

Cold today and I just let the dog out and we have a heavy drizzle going on. Brrr...

Best Career In The World

Last night I dropped Christine off at the school for the Thursday performance. She wasn't talking to me. Not even much this morning. 14 is such an interesting year, isn't it? She wanted to stay at the school after hours and then go to the Taco Bell on the corner for dinner for a couple of hours with friends until call time for play set up. We told her we didn't think it was the greatest idea. Big, busy corner. Car wash and gas station all right in the same location. Perfect spot for a quick shove into a car and onto the freeway. I mean, what do you do for 2 hours at a Taco Bell? Maybe next year. As it was, one of the girls (who has cancer), collapsed on the corner and had to be taken to the hospital, leaving the lone other friend by herself.

Anyway--then I hopped on the freeway and went to the dry pack cannery. Our ward had a time slot there and we had signed up to go. Of course, with Duff helping the Utah kids moving, and Mike and Adrianne doing their cub scouts, I couldn't use the carpool lane and it took double the time to get there in the after work/going home traffic. It was fun. NEXT TIME I HAVE TO BRING A CAMERA! Why didn't I think of that before I left. (Oh yeah-- I was dealing with the silent treatment.) All of us in those lovely hair net covers, plastic aprons, blue gloves. They have a really nice setup. We each had our jobs to do and we cranked all that stuff out in a couple of hours. Since I arrived late, I was a gopher. I kept supplying each filling station with empty cans so one of the two partners didn't have to leave to get them. I labeled, added oxygen packets, and got cans to the canner and canning team. I fixed cans that were bent at the rim. What a cool tool they have for that, and since each can is 71 cents, that can add up to a lot.

There is a 36 can limit per person, so since we were down to just me, I divided up my allotment into hard white wheat and sugar. I took home an already packaged case of rice as well and 1 starter kit, which I won't do again. The rice yes, but not the starter kit. I was hoping it was what they had offered a few years ago--a 1 month food storage kit for 1 person. Everything in it has a 20+ year shelf life except for the oil, which would be easy to rotate. We got 5 of those before (that was the limit at the time) and I wanted to add to it. We've used those to send with college kids for emergency prep and now it's nice for the newlywed couples to have. I have hard red wheat already and I want to add the white wheat for a little lighter texture and taste. Sugar might not sound like a healthy food storage necessity, but it is surprising how many recipes call for a bit of sugar, and if I think it would be a nice touch to have a batch of cookies or brownies every once in a while to boost ones spirits in hard times! What if you have berries in your garden and want to make some jam for your whole wheat toast?????

We were hummin' along and then it just had to happen! Lisa and Victoria. That naturally explains it. 'It' being a little food fight! Too hilarious. With the powdered milk no less! This is really when I wished I had my camera. Lisa and Victoria. Like Lucy and Ethel--dear friends always there for each other. And may I add with a flair for humor! It was warm in there and we all had that dewey glow going on, so the milk stuck well. It was just a very few flicks of powder, but enough to provide some comedy. Thanks, gals.

Dave D. loaded up my car for me which I really appreciated. Just didn't want to take any chances with my back right now. Got home with enough time to clean up the kitchen from dinner and get Christine's call to come and get her. She was really tired and ended up falling asleep upstairs on the couch. I couldn't even rouse her to go to her bed, so I tucked the quilt all around her, gave her a kiss (which she won't remember), and went to bed. When all is said and done, I really do love being a mother. Probably the best career in the world.

News and Views...

Garden-- Everything is now up. Duff buried the cucumber seeds a little too 'south', but with the extremely hot weather we've had they finally peeked out their sweet little leaves! The heat didn't bode well with the peas, but now that it has turned cooler they are much happier. And--yuck to weeds!

Lacrosse-- Christine had her first game last Saturday. She is on a B team. They are all 1st time players. In the beginning they were all on the A team, but when you have 13 new players it didn't make sense. No playing time, so they formed a B team with the newbies. They got initiated really well with this first game as they got scheduled to play an A team. In fact, the 2nd place A team from the last season. Obviously they lost, but learned a lot. Christine wants to play the goalie. She had some really good blocks and saves. The team did really well considering they are still learning skills and the rules.

Youth Conference--I can't mention the lacrosse game w/o Youth Conference, since I had to drive all over the planet for the combination of the two. It started on Friday with a 5:30am seminary morningside. Oh yeah. Got a taste of that early morning program again. It is interesting. All of the same rules, etc. apply to early morning seminary. Assignments, absences, etc. Sometimes I think the kids should get a little break for getting up at 4:45 am every school day even after extracurricular sports and homework have kept them up later than they should be for such an early wake up call.

Then after school, back to the stake center for speakers, dinner, and a rockin' dance! Then to leaders homes for devotionals and lights out. Saturday morning they were at the Irvine regional park installing a brand new fence. Digging the post holes and all. Pretty grubby and dirty. They worked hard. I know this because in order for Christine to make her game, I had to drive out there and pick her up so I saw what 450 kids were doing. It was pretty cool to see them all come together for that. She got in the car, we sped off to Newport for her game. She is changing her clothes as I'm driving. We had no idea where this field was and the directions weren't very good. I even mapquested them. We had driven almost all the way to the ocean and realized we must have passed it. We made a u-ie and found it tucked away behind some buildings on a completely different street. She ran with her bag in her socks with 6 minutes to game time while I parked. When I got to the sidelines with my chair and umbrella the coaches were strapping her into all her goalie gear.

I'm coming to learn that lacrosse is like hockey. Similar field/rink set-up, rules, etc. It was really fun to watch and I got to meet the other girls parents. It seems to be a great group of people.

We ran to the car after where she got her clothes changed again, grabbed a subway turkey/avocado sandwich, and headed to Irvine for the afternoon efy workshops. It worked out really well for her: the only thing she missed of youth conference was traveling time from location to location and lunch. She lucked out on that. They had 2 general authorities for the Sunday morning sacrament and testimony meeting. How cool is that! She got home in the afternoon, got comfortable in her jammies and was resting on the couch when I headed over for our meetings. When I got home several hours later, she had started the potatoes for dinner. I had put the chicken in the oven before I left. What a sweet thing to do. I really appreciated her thoughtfullness, especially when she was tired from going to bed every night at 2:30 in the morning!

Violin-- Christine is going crazy with her music. Practice, practice, practice. But in a very competitive school orchestra, she is now 2nd chair for 1st violins! Congratulations, Miss!

Box Repair/Food Storage--The additional shelves we ordered for the cabinet units we have in the garages finally came and were right this time. This is the 3rd attempt. But they gave us 1/2 off on them since it took longer than anticipated. Can't beat that! AND they repaired the ball box (a huge melamine box on casters with two lids that we store all the balls, bats, soccer, tennis, beach equipment in our garage). They put two new lids and hinges on it and I got it all vacuumed, cleaned out and it is like new again. Now we are in the mode of reorganizing all the food storage and canning supplies with the added shelves. Everyone who's been here to measure/install shakes their heads and thinks we're crazy. But every single one adds that they know where they are coming in a disaster. Yeah... Of course, along with all of that, I got the rest of the big garage cleaned out. Ah. Feels good.

Exciting News-- Mike has gone back to school! Since the job market is so bad, it is a good time. He started this week, and one of his professors used him as an example of how he wants the assignments done. Good Job, Mike! Just goes to show us all that we are never to old to learn and grow. Adrianne is such a trooper. A wonderful support, and your turn is next!

Along with that, Meredith found out that she got accepted to the BYUI Online Degree program. It is a pilot program right now and she fought her way hard into it. She got her AA there and is excited for her turn to finish school now that Josh is graduating next month.

Finals-- Natalie, Robert, Shaun, and Josh have been up to their eyeballs in finals and final papers. My knees have been 'bending' a lot in their behalf. N,R, and S are finally done as of yesterday. Phew. Natalie's computer crashed 2 days before her 1st final. NOT a good time for that! Dell couldn't get a guy out there for 4 days! What is up with that????? The service contract says 24 hours.....So she had to go to the law school and get a loaner to do 2 days of finals with. Lots of emotion going on.....When it finally did get repaired, they had to replace the screen and the motherboard. Good night nurse! Glad it was under warranty.

Weather-- It has been extremely hot here. Triple digits. Unbelievable. We've broken records 100 years old. But yesterday it finally turned, and now it is cold. 30* difference in temperature. It's not even 60 degrees yet at my house. A few days ago I had all the doors and windows closed to keep the heat out and now everything is still closed to keep the warmth in!

Finishing Up FINALLY

This is just crazy! I can't believe it's been almost a week since I've blogged. Totally not like me at all! Christine has had the busiest schedule and I've been trying to tie up all kinds of loose ends before the kids come home for the summer (in one week now) and my life will completely change for 4 months! Things like ordering a larger trash can for the summer from the garbage pickup company, get the ceiling fan repaired in the guest bedroom, have a new bathroom fan installed in another bathroom, etc.

It hit me about 2 weeks ago. I had a brilliant 'idea' for something I wanted to do. It could even be for a Christmas gift! I started looking through my 'crafting' supplies which are in various places in the house and garages. It slapped me in the face like a brick wall: no more new things until I finish all my unfinished projects. And I have a ton of them. You know--those 'things' you get started and then something comes up and you think: oh, I'll just put this aside for a day or so, and months, even years later they are not done. So that is what I've been doing in my spare time in and around Christine's crazy busy life right now. For instance: I started a beautiful counted cross stitch piece for my brother-in-law for his police work. It's still sitting in the bag. I just need to frame it! Christmas gift, yeah!

I did this several years ago too. I am still using most of the things I finally finished. Halloween placemats (which turned out darling and are timeless), a ceramic tea set for one of the girls, a quilt for a bed..... Why, oh why, do I let these things pile up?

So I'm very excited to be getting these things D-O-N-E. I'm trying to decide what I can take pictures of and what I can mention on the blog because I'm definitely going to be using some for Christmas gifts. Double blessing in this venture! It is filling my weak creative side to see these projects finally being realized. I am methodical and more of a kitchen gal. I really have to think out crafts and sewing. I'm a copier and follow someone elses lead when it comes to that. Unlike my mom, Lisa, Sue, Kristin, Jennifer, Gwen who can visualize it already in their mind and create it on spot.

Good news is: I've finally finished dubbing vhs to dvd. There were 4-0! Now I just have to load the computer program (scary for me) and print out dvd labels to put on them. These kind of 'new things' give me a bit of anxiety, but I just keep telling myself that I'm learning new things and there's something to be said for that!

It's the BIG 5-0 For Craig!

Happy Birthday to my brother-in-law, Craig.

You're not really 50!
You're 32 with 18 years of experience, right?

Ha, ha, ha, ha!

Have a great day. We send all our love and best wishes for the best day ever. We love you!

I'm Trying To Catch Up

The days have been a blur.
I'll catch up tomorrow, but for now I'm going to bed!

*Garden
*Lacrosse
*Violin
*Youth Conference
*Dubbing
*Games
*Church
*Finals
*Exciting News
*Food Storage
*Box Repair
*Clean Garage
*Maps and driving
*Sewing

Need I say m.o.r.e.? I'm hopefully sleeping in!

Tuesday.

--Really tired today. Didn't sleep good at all. Had a hard time getting to sleep and went into the bonus room so I wouldn't wake Duff up.
--More movie dubbing. Almost done, finally.
--Fertilized the garden.
--Cold and cloudy and feels and looks like it's going to pour down rain. Did they predict this?
--Big pot of split pea and ham soup loaded with carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes. OH! so good.

--Got Christine's bed all washed. She woke up in the middle of the night (2:30am) and had a pretty significant bloody nose. I was soaking bedding in the wee hours of the morning. With the combination of the bad nose bleed, cold, general overtiredness from her trip, she started crying and wanted me to lay down with her. I jumped at that. It's been a while, since she's turned into a teenager. We cuddled and she fell asleep to soft music on her ihome. Can't describe it. It's worth feeling tired the rest of today. I went back to my bed around 4:30. Up at 7.
--Praying for the kids. 4 are in finals, jobs, health, LIFE! Once a mother always a mother. Not that things are bad, just a mother's heart and intuitions.
--Christine and I were watching DWTStars, and I fell asleep. She woke me up to let me know Steve-O went home. Good. It was time.
--Off to bed. I think I'm gonna sleep really good tonight!

Couldn't Stop The Tears!

The ward Visiting Teaching/Women's Conference is coming up in a few weeks, so I was invited to come to the RS presidency meeting to go over the details together this morning. By the time I got back around noon, Duff was gone. I knew he had some errands to do later on, so I just thought he decided to go earlier. He pulled into the driveway and came into the house with Christine who he picked up from school. She wanted to go to school so badly, but couldn't quite make it. I had wondered about that when she left. She is still pretty sick with this cold, but she was determined. She changed into pajamas and came down to the family room. We still hadn't seen Marley and Me and decided to watch it while she settled in and rested. Movies are never as good as the books and we had both read the book. Bawled our eyes out with the printed word. We didn't know quite what to expect with the movie. I think in this case, the book actually helped us enjoy the movie even more. AND, as you can see above, we bawled our eyes out again.

All of a sudden she sat up and reached for the tissue box on the end table. At first I thought she just needed to blow her nose. She does have a BAD cold. Not. Crying. Trying to be discreet. 14 years old, you know. I was not as discreet, but I'm the old mom. My kids expect that from me. I could barely ask her to get a tissue for me. While she handed it to me, we both started laughing at each other. We were quite the sight.

If you have ever had, loved an animal, you know what I'm talking about. I've had a dog my whole life, and a chicken, and a duck, and rabbits; mice. They get under your skin, into your heart. Big time. Thanks be to the Lord. How did He know we would benefit and learn SO MUCH from His creations???

Easter 09

What a great day we had! We missed so many. Josh and Meredith, finishing up his last 3 weeks of law school! Natalie and Robert, starting finals tomorrow. Shaun Patrick, finishing his last paper and starting finals next week. Griffin and Katrina, at a brunch with her work. Next holiday for sure. It will be summer and a little less hectic, right? In spite of those we love and missed, we were filled with the joy and knowledge of eternal families made possible by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. How grateful and blessed we are for the atonement and resurrection! Traditional crescent rolls. This started with my mom when I was a little girl!
The pretty table with Mike picking in the green beans before the blessing!
I got this end of the bolt piece of fabric as an overlay for the pink tablecloth at Joann's for $3. A little hem all around and it turned out pretty cute, huh.
Flower centerpiece with everything coming from our backyard. Yes, the flowers are all blooming. As long as we get everything cut back and fertilized in January it is a pretty good guarantee that we will have roses and lilies by Easter! Ferns, year round.

Duff put the salad together: lettuce, avacado, tomatoes, and strawberries. Good combination.

This is how Christine spent Easter. On the couch. When we ate dinner, she did come to the table, and after a while she ended up on the dining room floor!

It's just not a nice thing to be sick on a holiday!

Kind of dark, but Darla did her best to beg!

Strawberry shortcake anyone?

HAPPY EASTER!

WE LOVE YOU ALL....

A Modern Day M and M Story

Christine is so sick. I'm exhausted. I was gone all last week, she was gone all last week, we were gone most of the day yesterday, and today is Easter. The Easter Bunny didn't even come. I didn't have any time. I know--she is 14 1/2, but a little basket is still a nice touch. We barely got some eggs dyed last night. The little bit of candy we got at the grocery store is still in the bag.

I got up this morning, made the dough for some rolls, (I didn't even have any Rhodes in the freezer), got the pound cake in the oven, Duff helped me put the cheesy potatoes together, and made some "egg gravy" with the hard boiled eggs for breakfast. It was the sabbath, Easter sabbath for that matter, and I was running. The whole house was completely clean and picked up when we left last week, and in less than 24 hours of being home it looked like a bomb went off with suitcases all over with stuff hanging out and piled on the stairs.

It was so important to me to get the dining room table set. I don't know why, but I just had a bee in my bonnet about it. So much so, that the thought that I could/should stay home with Christine seemed like the best 'option'. It is totally in the realm of being a 'good' mother, right? OH! I vascillated with this for over an hour. I could calm down; everything would be 'ready' for our family company for dinner; etc. It really wasn't that big of a deal, was it?

I found that for me, on this day, in this situation, it was. I was in the shower, and it kept coming to me: you need to go to church, you need to go to church. But I am soooo tired and I have soooo much still to do, I argued with myself.

I even asked Christine if she wanted me to stay. All she had to do was say the word, and I was there. She said, no, she was fine, she was just going to watch the Sound of Music and sleep on the couch. She is old enough to stay home alone.

I HAD THE BEST EXPERIENCES! The meetings were amazing. The talks incredible. The lessons in SS and RS over the top with the spirit. However tired I thought I was before, I was totally invigorated and every trace of fatigue was gone by the end of the meetings.

I got home to find that Mike and Adrianne had come early, they put the ham in and it was already cooking, the potatoes went in the oven. All I had to do was put the vegetables on and make the salad.

I had been channeling Martha. I'm so glad Mary won out. "...Jesus answered and said unto her, [Cindy, Cindy], thou art careful and troubled about many things; but ONE thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

It was one of the best Easters for me, and the table even got set in a jiffy and turned out just as I had envisioned!

Alisa's Family Baby Shower

We woke up pretty tired, but still had a full day ahead of us. We let Christine sleep as long as she would. Her inner clock is off being on the east coast for a week! The big event today was the family baby shower for Adrianne's sister, Alisa down in Oceanside. Dave and Alisa. Baby #3 is due in June and after 2 boys they are having a little girl this time! Alisa has made it this far and just this week has had to go on bedrest. She always has premature labor and this is the longest she has gone before having to be down. She stayed 'put' on the couch the whole time. Good girl!
Adrianne and Alisa's mom, Diana (on the left), and a great surprise was seeing Dawn G. there! She lives 2 streets away from Alisa, and used to be up our way in the stake and she and worked in the youth program together for years! We had so much FUN catching up!

Adrianne and Christine, with Apryl's little Gretchen.

Grandpa Randy, Apryl, Alisa, and Jaden. This is the quilt Apryl made. She hand painted all the pictures. She is amazingly talented and artsy--the whole family is. Apryl illustrates for the Friend magazine.

Adrianne and Alisa with the precious dress and flip flop burp cloth Adrianne made. Yes, all Adrianne's siblings names start with an "A"! There is also Aaron and Autumn.

We had a fabulous brunch with so much food: quiche, muffins, fruit salads, deviled eggs, green salad (from Newport Rib Co.--a favorite!), broccoli salad, and more of the same. Mike ran the kitchen during the festivities and Dave made an award certificate for him. We were asked to bring our big glass lemonade cooler. We parked, Duff opened the back of the car and the whole box had shifted on the drive down, fell out of the car and shattered. I sure hope Costco carries them again this summer! Oh well. That thing has served a LOT of parties for us and others who have borrowed it.

I got the laundry started--a week's worth from all the suitcases, and shopping for Easter tomorrow. Dyed a dozen eggs and Chris and I colored them. She had a little over-tired meltdown and fell asleep on the couch. She came home pretty sick with a cold from this busy trip. She needs REST.

Don't Remember Much---

We got sheets changed, bathrooms cleaned, vacuumed, etc. and then headed to the airport that evening for a night-time flight home. The SL airport was deserted. I had thought that it would be really crowded because of spring break, but not so. Mike and Adrianne picked us up and when we got home we were greeted by such a good aroma! She had made banana bread with the bananas that had over-ripened in my fruit basket on the counter. She did a unique thing: she turned off the oven and left the unfinished bread in it while they came to get us. By the time we got home, it had completed the baking cycle and was nice and warm and ready to eat when we walked in the door! YUM-O and DELICIOUS.

I was totally out of it. I get motion sickness very easily and it seems to get worse as I get older. I always have to take a dramamine when I fly and I can get by with just one. I ended up sitting in the back seat of the truck on the way to the airport, and on top of that the weather was stormy. Not a good combination. So I took another dramamine. By the time the flight took off, I was pretty sleepy. I knew I wanted to try and stay awake so I could get some water to drink when the flight attendant came by. I was asleep, but not quite. I was aware of people talking and heard her ask Duff what he wanted. This was my cue. My eyes popped open, asked for my water and laid back to sleep some more. Not to be. My body kept telling me to slumber, but my adrenaline was now pumping and I was a restless mess. I finally relaxed by the end of the flight just to have to get up and out.

By the time we got home, I had had it. I laid down on the couch waiting for Christine to call so we could go and pick her up at the school from her trip. I don't remember much, but apparently I provided a lot of laughs for Duff and Mike and Adrianne! Mike made us a bite to eat, and I don't really remember it. I recall standing at the sink with a Hawaiian roll, but the next thing I remember is being back on the couch and my phone ringing, but not being able to do anything about it. I don't remember them leaving, I don't remember going upstairs to my bed. I don't remember Christine calling, and I don't remember Duff going to get her! I DO remember she was home and I got up and went downstairs for a while, barely realizing she must have been home for a while because it was 2:30am and she had wet hair so she had already been in the shower!

Oy vey! They all laughed at me the next day! I laughed too. What else are you going to do? Note to self: sit in the front seat and only take one dramamine!

The EASTER BUNNY Rap!

E A S T E R B U N N Y

rap !

If you want to be hippin' and hoppin' click on the link below and bust a move to the Easter Bunny rap. I promise you'll enjoy it! (Thanks, Lisa K. for sending it to me! Happy Easter!) [You need to scroll all the way down and turn off my music first, 'k?]

http://www.dougpatton.com/custom/flash/rapeasterbunny.swf

T-H-U-R-S-D-A-Y

This is what we woke up to this morning. Isn't it gorgeous?
When Darla needed to 'use the facilities', she had quite the surprise! We headed down to Provo early again so Shaun could get to his classes. In the meantime, we got the oil changed in the truck and went to Deseret Book to grab something I forgot on Tuesday.

The kids had an hour to spare all at the same time, so we took off to try a new restaurant that opened about 2 weeks ago in Orem. It is Five Guys and Fries. It's very similar to In 'N Out burger. It was pretty darn good, I have to say. In fact, we all agreed that the fries here are way better than In 'N Out. Duff had the cajun style and they were awesome.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Okay, here are the fries. The portion is so generous that none of us finished them.

And I just had to get a picture of this sign that was posted on the wall above all the sacks and sacks and sacks of potatoes that they make the fresh fries from! Thank you to our family, the Boices, who helped in the Rexburg Potato Harvest. (See Roberta's blog and sidebar for the links on the harvest, because I don't know how to do that link thingy. Can someone teach me?)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY HUBBY!

Happy Birthday, Duff!

You are the best and I love you very much. I'm so grateful for you in my life.

Have the bestest day ever!

Yup. It's Snowing!

Both Duff and I slept hard last night. There is something about that that feels so good when you wake up the next morning.

We got the upper garage all straightened out. We got Natalie and Robert's boxes ready to go down to the lower garage. All the winter/holiday trees, mantle, stairs, decorations are down, cleaned, packed, and put away. GOSH, it is so nice to have that done!

During the night, the wind came up and when the wind blows here it howls like the dickens. It woke us up around 3:30am. Once we realized it was just the wind we just went back to sleep. But it brought in the predicted storm and it has turned very cold, gray, and has drizzled off and on all day, but now it is snowing! Yesterday, beautiful sun and blue sky. Today, cold and wintry again. I can't lie: I love it! (But I'm sure it's because I don't live in it year round.)

We have a fire in the fireplace and I'm gonna make some Stephen's hot chocolate and settle in with my book.

Dad's Reading Log

Ever since the Twilight movie came out on dvd and he watched it with Christine and I, he has been interested in finding out just what this vampire love story is all about. So last week he started in on Twilight and read it straight through. Then on to New Moon. He just finished Eclipse this afternoon. Natalie is bringing Breaking Dawn to him tomorrow.

He says they're not too bad after all! What a great hubby/dad I've got! I'll see if I can get him to post a review when he's done!

Tuesday Review

Holy Cow! Such a warm day and it is hard to compute snow on the ground with warm air???? We were up and out by 8am headed to Provo. Shaun had classes from 9-1:30, which gave us time to do the things we needed to down the canyon.

Soon there will be a Wal-Mart super store here in Heber. I'm excited for that! But until it is finished, we still need to frequent the one in Orem. So we headed there but they didn't have the fabric/fleece I was looking for. I did however find the perfect gift for Duff's bday. It is a book/scrapbook all about BYU football 'from the vault'. He will LOVE it! I know that here in Utah stores like this carry a lot of LDS items, but every time I come across it I get a 'thrill' because it is so foreign to us living in soCal. So I did get a new MoTab CD as well.

Then we stopped at Mimi's Cafe for some breakfast. The restaurant was truly deserted. We had it all to ourselves, except for some men having a business breakfast. Christine called us to tell us all about being at Mount Vernon. She just couldn't get enough. She was fascinated by Washington's home and grounds. She said she was glad we had talked about 'feeling' things on this trip, because she could 'feel' the spirit of the history and the preparation of our country for the restoration of the gospel and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. That God's hand was in all that took place for this specific purpose. She was bummed because she had made sure to charge her camera last night and then forgot to put it in her backpack this morning, so she doesn't have any pictures of Mount Vernon.

After breakfast we went to the Distribution Center. Imagine my surprise when on the shelf were tons of YW Virtue sections for personal progress! I called a counselor in the YW program at home, and since they are 'no'charge', I got 50 to bring home for them. When they added the value, they only sent our ward 7 of the new sections. 7. And we have 40 girls in the program. And we were told we would have to wait for any additional that we might need. While I was in the center, there were many YW leaders, and moms, just casually getting their supplies and I couldn't help but think that there must be a better way to get these things out to other parts of the church in a more timely manner. I'm confident I don't have the first inkling about all that has to happen to do that kind of distribution, but oh! what a blessing to those for whom it is so convenient!

While Shaun had lunch and finished up his last class, Duff and I went to Macy's and got some case lots to add to our storage here. A little at a time and it slowly builds up. We felt really good about our purchases. They had one little section at the front end of the store with #10 cans of things. We got some of the Morning Moo regular and chocolate milk mix, and some cans of the shredded potatoes. After we checked out and were loading up the truck, I realized I would have liked to have gotten some of the canned pepperoni and bacon. Next time! I did get some SAF yeast to bring home.

With a little bit of time to spare, we stopped at the Creamery on 9th for an ice cream cone. As we rounded the last switch back, we pulled into the lower garage and unloaded our caselot treasures to their shelves. Shaun got ready to go to his classes at the SLCenter and while he was gone, Duff and I had a little bit of dinner and hunkered down with some books inbetween watching who was leaving DWTStars.

Meredith is home safely from Thailand, and Mike and Adrianne are holding down the fort for us at home. A big THANKS, guys!

Ahhh....!

It always feels like having a 'day off' when we come here.

We slept in. We didn't eat until 11am. We puttered around. I did some laundry. Even here there is laundry to do. You know laundry--it is a living, breathing, growing thing. But here, it doesn't feel like a 'chore', you know? It's April and the Christmas tree is still up. But we don't care too much. (Although we will finally take it down this trip.) The new bathroom down stairs is amazing and so nice to not have to run up to the next floor when needed. The new heat cables for the deck in the winter did their job well, and we had no leaks this year at all! Oh the things you learn! So it's time to de-winter and get things ready for spring and summer. The trees look good and healthy. We have some scrub oak that needs to be trimmed back. I don't know if we'll get to that this time. But it's on the list. I took a nice, long, hot bubble bath today with a good book and it was mah-vel-ous!

Shaun is here with us. His schedule allows him to be a little more flexible than Natalie and Robert's. They are all up to their eyeballs with study groups, papers, presentations, homework. This is the last full week of school for everyone and then finals start. We'll probably connect up with N & R on Thursday for Duff's birthday.

The weather and scenery are gorgeous. The mountains are still full of snow, but the valleys are clear. The sky a piercing blue. It is that transition time when everything is not quite green and still grayish-brown, but ready to burst at any moment and then in a few days it will all be different. Our quakies are swollen with buds. The maples have little buds that will come a little later. We still have 30" snow drifts on the upper deck, but those will most likely melt by the end of the week. They are expecting rain tomorrow through Friday, and we will love every drop of it!

Darla moves from sunny spot to sunny spot all over the great room. It is so remarkable to me how she 'knows' exactly where we are when we get here. The first thing she does is run to the kitchen to get a drink from her dish, and then into our room where all of her toys are and has to drag them out.

Christine is having a f.a.n.t.a.s.t.i.c. time in D.C. She called us about 3 times today with a text or two inbetween so excited about all the things she is seeing and learning.

Off to bed....

Just The Two of Us

It was a nice, quiet day. It was the first time Duff and I have ever been alone together for general conference since we were first married! It was kinda fun, just the two of us. We did have our quiche though and it was delish as usual. We enjoyed conference. Then we packed up and Mike and Adrianne took us to the airport. While Christine is gone we are going to do some 'spring cleaning/repair work' at the cabin. They are taking care of the house, garden, and pots at home.

There is still snow on the ground around, and lots in the mountains. It's late and we get to work in the morning!

Lotsa Saturday!

Today was a lotsa busy day. We watched the morning session of conference in our comfy jammies. Then into the showers for clean-up and Christine had to be at the school for the group pictures for the spring play coming up at the end of the month. She is on the 'house crew'. They take the tickets, usher, pass out programs, man the doors, etc. Mike and Adrianne came over when the afternoon session was starting and we watched that together. Then Adrianne and I got sewing. Her sister, Alisa, is having a baby in June and Adrianne wanted to make her some gifts for the family shower next weekend. She hasn't sewn much, but picked it up quickly and did a great job.

Chris got home and finished packing to leave for her Washington D.C. trip with the 8th grade. She had to be back at the school at 6:45pm. Duff and Mike got ready for Priesthood session, gave Christine a blessing, and left. Adrianne and I took the 'Miss' to the school to board the busses for the airport. There is Mr. Orgeron on board the first bus. Chris was on this bus. He is one of our favorite teachers. He's been at this school from the beginning, and he was Shaun's teacher too. He does a lot for the students and the school. A good man. This trip is a lot of planning and work!

They weren't kidding when they said they were leaving at 7pm sharp. We got there at 6:50 and literally 10 minutes later they were g.o.n.e.! I dropped her and Adrianne off with the luggage to go and check in with her chaperone. I parked the car, walked over all ready to take some pictures and was there only long enough for her to run over, hug and kiss me, and get on the bus. I said hi to a couple of other moms that I've known over the school years and we briefly commented on where have the years gone, when the motors started and 1,2,3 busses were out-a-there!

Bye, bye Miss Chris. You'll have a great time and never forget this trip. So many things will come alive for you and you'll have a better perspective because you get to see them in person! (Update: The 'drama' has already started. She texted me from the airport and girls were fighting over where they wanted to sit on the plane and with whom. Oye vey! 14 year old girls are sooo fun! Hahaha! Fortunately the tour runs them ragged all day so there shouldn't be much opportunity for a large amount of drama. They will fall into bed at night!)

Adrianne's sewing projects. You can't do much without some good ole pins, and whoever thought of and invented the magnetic pin 'cushion' was a genius! No more losing pins all over the place, and if for some crazy reason they drop, just run the magnet over them and they jump back on. No more accidentally stepping on them!

Two main supplies--the machine and a good pair of scissors!

Here are some of the fruits of her labors. Alisa is having a girl after two boys, and she loves everything hawaiian. So Adrianne made her a little onesie dress, (she still has to put the flower applique on the front of the pink tshirt and a satin bow), and some burp clothes. She took pre-folded cloth diapers, folded and ironed the sides in, and stitched really cute ribbon down the seam side. They are really NICE burp cloths!

And last, but not least, I continue to work on the vhs2dvd project. Here is a picture of just a part of what I have done so far. What a difference, huh? At least 1/2 the volume. I was surprised how the color and sharpness was deteriorating on the vhs. But some of them are 20 years old after all!

Duff and Mike were going to try and rush over to the school right after priesthood to wave good-bye to Christine, but like I said, they were very prompt in leaving, so instead of just the 2 of them going to grab a bite to eat, they ordered out from Wood Ranch and we all ate together at home. It was nice not to have to warm up the leftovers! (They weren't too thrilled about having leftovers....) And we had a nice time hanging out with them.