My Window on Life

"Gainfully" Unemployed....

2012-01-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

Yea, I know.....it's warped.....but although currently unemployed....I'm "gainfully" enjoying this time. Although it's taken a few weeks to get to this moment.

I left my job with the VNA last month. Dec 15th was my last day. It was uneventful, with the holidays upon us. I squeezed everything I could into those last 10 days before Christmas. The final few ornaments were hung on the tree just hours before Stayton arrived home for the Christmas weekend. All in all....it was a wonderful Christmas.
I made primerib dinner and we had dinner at my sister's house.

Was glad to see the last piece of Christmas candy leave the house, all the cookies are gone and me and the scales are not on speaking terms yet.....I had a few cruel words to say to it as I stepped on it. Can't get this scale to lie either.....to the minutest ounce too!

Bowflex is calling my name. The mind considers it and the body shuns it.
Dang!!! I refuse to buy another size of pants.

Told myself I was going to clean like crazy today and that could still happen....will have to pry myself away from this computer. Got all crafty this morning and printed up a scripture verse to place in one of my many stored frames...sometimes I just need something new to look at. Really would like to have the monster TV from the livingroom hauled to the dumpster.....that takes a 6-pack of men to move.

Badger certainly has the right idea.

Looking Good Dez'

2011-12-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

Dez' ride for his prom nite - along with his chauffeur

Cute Couple

So fun

Classic Vintage Wheels

Handsome young man!

My Sister and Me

2011-12-18T07:06:00.000-08:00

This was taken in 1998. I made a surprise visit to see my sister for her 50th Birthday.

My trip took me thru Reno Nevada, where she and her friend would be spending a few days at Circus, Circus. It was the surprise of her life and the best "practical joke" I've ever pulled off.

With the cooperation of the front desk staff I was able to have both Beverly and Susan summoned to the office. Fortunately Beverly came first and I was able to introduce myself, calm her down and proceed with my plans.

The staff then proceeded to call Susan, ask her to come down to the office for a minor concern on their billing and tryed to assure her it could be easily worked out if she could just come down for a few minutes. She was a little "miffed" and annoyed to be bothered but she was on her way down.

When she arrived she was ushered in the office behind the front desk, the manager trying to reassure her it would only take a few minutes, could she just come into his office.

So here is the scene as she steps inside: Sofa to her left, unknown woman sitting there. (That would be my friend Connie, who had made the trip with me) Looking thru the doorway past the sofa she could see into the front desk area. There's a lady there shuffling thru a file cabinet and looking up frequently to see the concern on my sister's face. In the corner, diagonally across for the door she just entered.....Beverly setting in chair, face bowed, seeming genuinely concerned and then...who is this???? With my back to Susan, facing Beverly, I had a suit jacket on, my hair is cut in a loose, layered, shoulder length cut. Couldn't tell if I was a man or woman and it appeared to Susan that I was confronting Beverly at this point.

Susan to motel manager "Could someone tell me what's going on here? We have other credit cards if there's a problem with this one. We can pay cash. I'm sure we can resolve this."

Motel manager "If you could just have a seat, I'm sure we can take care of this"

Susan "I can't imagine what the problem could be, I know we have good credit"
silence.......no one speaks.......she's surveying the room, wondering "Who the hell is the person in the suit jacket, why is Bev pushed in the corner, what!!! is going on here?"
with a crack in her voice "Would somebody talk to me?"
The tension was high, high, high in that small office space.

I had not seen my sister for at least 5 years. She couldn't even imagine that I would be there in Reno at Circus Circus.

The manager persuaded her to have a seat and we could get this taken care of. He carefully had her sit on sofa directly behind me......I was so pumped at what was about to take place....I sat looking at the wall, revelling in my accomplishment thus far.

Connie told me later at this point, the room was dead silence and no one was moving, she was wondering if I was going to move.........oh it was priceless.

I had the grey suit jacket and levis on, my foreboding shades and a cigar.....slowly, very slowly I swivled the chair to come face to face with my sister. I leaned towards her and with a tap on my cigar I say "I hear it's your birthday"
Total confusion across her face as she's staring hard to believe what I just said. We are staring into each other's faces, she's got the look of "total blank" going on. So I lean in a little closer, slowly pull off my shades, look closer into her face and calmly say, with another tap on my cigar, "Happy Birthday Sister Sue"........still she's blank...blank....blank. Not another sound could be heard in the room. Everyone is totally motionless.

All of a sudden she jumps to her feet, throws her arms out and shouts "Holy Shit!!! It's my sister!!!" The room erupted in squeals and laughter. What a "hoot".

My only mistake....I didn't have it recorded. It would have made the best "World's Funniest Video"

Look what Stayton did!!!

2011-10-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

Opening Day

One Shot!

The fun part was over,

The work to get it out of the brush

and into the freezer,

that was the "real" work.

Good job Stayton!!!

"Little Bit of Fudge"

2011-08-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

OK!!!

I'm the worst.........

when I think I just can't take it any longer,

just have to have something CHOCOLATE!!!

Ah ha!!!

"A little bit of fudge"

I made this up years ago,

even shared it with a few people.

I just love a little bit of fudge,

especially if there's some walnuts in it.

Yum.......

So now, about that "diet" thing..........

Grandkids at Grandma's and Grandpa's

2011-08-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

It was our first visit with Thad and Kort in a long time.

I made them Chocolate Chip Pancakes.

They dug up a scorpion and salamander

and caught a fish from my pond.

Their cousins Grayson and Jeriah were here

for a visit this summer too.

How fun if they could have explored the

property together.

"What's up Doc?"

2011-07-20T18:34:00.000-07:00

That's what the text message read and then I knew, I'd been "bugged".

This little rabbit has showed up in some hilarious places and always cracks me up.

Stayton and I have passed this back and forth for a few years now. We may go months without the little "bugger" surfacing and then it starts all over again.
Recently I found him attached to my bath sponge in the shower. I then took him to Denver and left him wrapped around Stayton's toothbrush... just left Stayton a text message "What's up Doc?" Took him til the next morning to find it, I think maybe I need to tell him to brush his teeth more often....

So "bugs" came back to Craig with Stayton this weekend. I was sure he was here somewhere when Stayton left on Sunday.....I immediately started searching, searching, searching, but no "bugs". I forgot it and went on about my business as usual.....til today when I get a text message "What's up Doc?" AWWWWW!!!! I knew it was somewhere in this house, couldn't wait to finish with my last client and get home to find the little sucker...

There in plain site, across from where we sit every morning for breakfast and several times besides and within 12 inches of where I ground coffee last night, have put stuff in the crockpot right there....etc...there sit's "Bugs".....laughing and waving his carrot at me......

Games like this sure make for some good laughs and hopefully great memories.

Just wait "kiddo"........granny's got her game on.

Quality time at Sand Wash 2011

2011-05-19T06:15:00.000-07:00

Stayton has literally spent his whole life making the trip to Sandwash, may have even gone there before he was born. It is truly a family tradition, we have tried to keep Mother's Day at Sand Wash in memory of Dalpha, Tracey and Kelley. We spend the whole day driving the dusty roads, eyes peeled for wild horses and other critters that dwell there.

This is an old fence line, possibly the remains of a horse trap constructed by Stayton's great grandfather and uncles. They would chase and catch the wild horses before the Wild Horse Act was declared to protect the horses ( and probably, truth be known, even after that) Fence lines would be constructed of the available materials. This would detour the horses to run straight into a holding corral where they could be roped and moved into trailer for hauling.

This was our first time together at this site. We really enjoyed finding the pinyon fence and fantasized about the past. We spend the day reminiscing about those who have been there before us, it does our hearts good, at least for this one day they live on and are such a part of us.

Old shelter, cabin, maybe summer residence. It is almost gone with the weather of time. We try to imagine how it would have been to have lived this way.

There is still the remains of an old heating/cook stove, only because it was too heavy for someone to care to remove it.

Pat and Stayton in front of old shelter. Stayton drove down a steep, narrow trail to make it to this shelter. Last time we were here together was on a trail ride with our horses. That was a good day too, I wish I had pictures.

All in all it was a great day. We seen a lot of country and some beautiful horses.

Happy Birthday Stayton

2011-05-01T16:25:00.000-07:00

I know exactly where I was 20 years ago. I know what the weather was like, blowing like crazy and I stayed up all night waiting for the arrival of Stayton Stephen Mosbey.

After a long night of labor and no baby the Dr. chose to do caesarean and bring you into this world. It was well worth the wait!

Happy Birthday to You!!!! We love you beyond measure!!!

Our Anniversary - 43 Years

2011-04-26T05:47:00.000-07:00

April 26, 1968
West Glenwood Chapel
Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Who's Chair is it?

2011-04-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

Cookie Jar Capers

2011-04-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

Stayton gave me a good idea. This is the cookie jar that sets in my kitchen.
It's mostly empty these days.

We have a little game we play once in a while. Who can open the jar without making any noise.......seems they managed to do this a lot when the kids were at home. So, we set the cookie jar and try to open it then replace the lid without being heard. This particular jar does not have a soft ring on the lid, it's ceramic......it's almost impossible and with an audience it just doesn't work.

Sneaking food..........it is in our genes.......some of us became masters at it.
There were times we just thought we were getting away with it only to find we had been outwitted and someone had been there before us.

It got so bad I couldn't buy chocolate chips and leave them in the hopes of making cookies. I had to get those cookies baked up right away or they would be short a chip or two (half a bag?).

Lisha reminded me of my own little "caper", sneaking the chips.....
There they were, hidden (so I thought) in the crisper in the bottom of the fridge. I quietly slipped in the kitchen, softly opened the fridge, slid the crisper drawer open and carefully removed the bag of chips. Holding in tightly against me so not to make any noise I tore just a corner of the bag open to remove it's precious contents, stolen, no one would know if I just had a few.......success lay in my hand as I quietly bent to return the bag to it's hidden spot in the crisper. What? What is this? Spilling out on the floor from the other end of the bag came the chips. Obviously someone else had been there ahead of me. I had to laugh. I just thought I was the only who knew they were there.

What's in Your Cup?

2011-03-29T07:08:00.000-07:00

We all have a "heart-shaped" cup that we long to fill with something.

What does your cup long for today?

Whatever it is, we have to empty ourselves of the lie

that other people or things can ever fill our hearts to the full.

Then we have to deliberately and intentionally

fill up on God's truths

and stand secure

in His Love.

That's a Biscuit

2011-03-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

Kody and Shanna were here for a few days. I cooked up a pot of Chunky Chicken Soup and Shanna made the biscuits. Doesn't this look yummy? I have to confess I
had part of one, after all, it's her favorite thing to make and yes....it was very good.

We had a good visit and hope they get to come back soon.

Sammie was really happy to see Kody and decided Shanna was welcome anytime she could come back as she doted on him every chance she got. It will take days to get him to understand that there are still "off limits" here.

What really happened to the Dinosaurs

2011-03-23T05:40:00.000-07:00

Bucket Lists and "To Do"...

2011-03-20T19:01:00.000-07:00

I'd like to have a Bucket List...... things I'd like to get done before my time is up. But for now I've got a "To Do" list. At the top of that list today is completing the ever worrisome "Taxes"...ugh. We have to pay in this year so I'm not so anxious to "get 'er done" and for sure know I won't be mailing that in til April 15th.

Today I got caught up in sorting pictures....you know, all those photos you have that you just wish you could get into albums. Well, I have a sorting system that helps but I have been sloppy about keeping it done up, so today I jumped in and did some updating of my system. That just means the actual photos on hand, then there in all these photos now stored in my computer.

Somehow when I download photos they end up in about three different places. When I start looking for them I never know for sure which file they are in.

Well then.....I start in my antique trunk looking for something I was sure was in there.
That's my "keepsake" trunk where I've tucked away every card that my husband, children, grandchildren, etc has given me for over 20 years. There's a lot of love in that trunk. My wedding stuff is in there along with all the letters that Pat & I wrote when he was in the Marines and stationed in California. There's the favored first baby outfits from each of our children, and special keepsakes loaded with memories.

So, back to the "To Do" list. Getting back to this blog has been on that list.
Hey!!! I can check that off my list now.

And for now I have place to put some of those things I just don't want to mess with

Happy 20th Birthday to Kyle!

2011-03-18T06:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday

Hope you have a great day!

We love you,

Grandma and Grandpa

He called My Name

2011-03-02T05:53:00.000-08:00

This was part of our Bible Study today. Although I have heard the concept and know the scripture, today it registered with me in a different way. When God called my name, did He call me by my given name or does He have a different name for me.
You see, thru out scripture there is so much emphasis on names and the meaning of names. The children of Israel had many names for God, those names described His many characteristics. One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 9:10

Those who know Your Name will put their trust in You.
For You Lord have not forsaken those who seek You.

So today I'm thinking, when He called MY name, what did that mean.

I took out a framed print given to us by Mischel with the meaning of our names on it.
Today it had a new meaning for me as I read thru the list:

Patricia: from the Latin root Patrick; a feminine form of patrick
(that is an interesting thought, considering I married a patrick)
Patrick (nobleman) Patricia (of the nobility)
so far I'm liking this train of thought, lets continue

Expression: beautiful eyes, soft like the moonlight of spring
Personality: a person who attracts the best in life
Natural: has a special glamour and power all her own
Emotional: one whose love is concentrated on her family
Character: one who is dependable, practical and reliable
Physical: she feels justice should be fair
Mental: is imaginative and idealistic in nature
Motivation: she has many leadership qualities

Well, I can agree with some of this and am flattered by most of it.

So you, my family can see if any of these traits are descriptions you would use for me.

Maybe we should do a "name" study for each of you?

When God calls your name.......will you be listening?

Can you hear me now?

2011-02-08T20:54:00.000-08:00

In my mind I'm constantly posting something here, but as you see, it's not really here.
I keep lists of ideas to blog about, have every intention to "get it done today" and then, just kind of lose the momentum.....

Praying for Stayton that you would find your way with the next move in your career search.

Praying for Kody and Shanna. You two can make a life together, but you will have to do that on your own and in your own place.

Kyle, you have talent and desire.....ever thought to ask God what He wants for your life?

Emily, I pray you make wise choices and realize that God has a purpose for you too.

For Annalise and Kendall, that you will know peace under the shadow of His wings.

Kort and Thad, I miss you and know in time we will be together. I pray you are happy and safe.

Jeriah and Graysen, may the Lord keep His hand mightily upon your lives and use you to shine for Him.

Desmond, may God heal your heart and fill your life with purpose and direction.

Mischel, I have committed to pray for you that this year would be "your year".
God has not forgotten you and He has been knocking at your door.

Lisha and Ron, may God speak to you and give you direction and would you
be open and willing to do that which He asks of you.

I thank God for each of you. I love you. Me

Shakin' My Bootie

2011-01-25T06:06:00.000-08:00

"Boots Off" to Lisha!

It was so funny, just wish you could have been there.

I found it in a hamper,

what's this?

Oh my.....it's the boot!!!

Cracked up and the poor old man

didn't have any idea of what it was

or why I was laughing....

Didn't take me long to figure out who you

roped into helping you,

but don't know yet how you

made contact with her.

Now.....the game is "ON"

and mother marlow is on the move.

Thanks for so much fun!!!

A few years gone by

2011-01-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

This would be my earliest baby picture.

I was born in New Mexico where I'm sure

there were no large trees like this.

I believe my family had moved to

California or gone there for a visit.

Yep, this is my birthday week!

My last year in the 50's (ugh)

I try to realize how this could be,

but as time marches on,

so do we.

Shoebox pictures

2011-01-16T18:56:00.000-08:00

This has been a week of "pictures" for me.

My sister handed me a bag of pictures, left over from my uncles collection, which would also include some of my grandmother's collection as well. It is like a walk down memory lane.

There are many pictures there of my children, from birth through high school.
A newspaper clipping of Mischel's 1988 Miss American Coed Pageant.
Lisha's graduation, Mischel's graduation, Michael and Dad fishing on the Yampa
River with Stayton. That's a memory in itself.

Michael had taken his granddad to fish for pike on the Yampa. They had a successful day. My dad was quite insulted that Michael would even suggest they would release a fish that had been caught. "Well, I never in my life threw back a fish I caught.!" And Dad didn't throw back the pike they snagged that day. Michael filleted them, Dad packaged and froze them and packed them in ice to go back to New Mexico with him.

Daddy & Michael

Taken at the Truck Stop Cafe

April 1999

It was a good find, looking thru that collection. I found dates for other photos that I had failed to write on. School pictures, events and family history....documented there in a bag of old pictures.

Many of the old black and white photos had the year stamped on the white border of the photo, thus giving my more data to record and remember.

This is an old black and white with no dates. That's my Dad there with a deer he shot.
Maybe I could find someone who could date that vehicle? I don't know who the girl in the photo is.

This is me at 14 months.

My baby brother Jimmy. Age not recorded.

My dad and his last sweetheart, Norma. They loved to go dancing. Stayton and I went with them on my last visit to see my dad. We tried the two-step and almost got stepped on in the process.
Stayton was such a good sport and danced with the old ladies and had a blast.
It made for a good memory.

Shoebox pictures. Someday my kids will go thru mine. I'm on a mission to get them labeled and dated and maybe a few in an album or two.

Faith, Hope & Love

2011-01-06T20:38:00.000-08:00

I've heard it said that right after Christmas is a time many will choose to make some changes in their decor. Maybe it's the removing of all the Christmas clutter or just the reality it's time for a change, but I find myself in that mode this year.
I had added a few things just before our company arrived. Hung the plaques that had set for months in the bathroom. Pat put down some molding to cover the cracks where the flooring from one room to the next didn't match. Cleaned off the dining room table so I could put the pretty tablecloths on.

I picked these plaques up at Walmart. Took down some fishing pictures in my office and added Faith, Hope & Love. Everytime I walk down the hall I see them there. A reminder of God's faithfulness thru the years.

A few days ago I went to the Dollar Store to browse, sometimes find some little inspiring picture there. I happened upon the long picture frames and my inspiration was off and running. Two frames, 10 pictures and I had need to frame the grandkids and put them in one general location. Desmond is a "grandkid" by absorbtion and a "son" by adoption and this past year became my little "brother in Christ". This wall grouping allowed exact space for all 11 of them and just where I can see them and pray for each of them on a regular basis.

Which brings me a very special memory. My grandma Ledford, my mother's mother.
She was a short little woman, about 4'9" I think. She seemed much older than my dad's mother and totally different temperment. Can't say I ever remember her scolding or harsh, just "grandma".

                                                    Grandma Ledford
It would be years after her death that I would come to know that she was a praying grandma. I'm sure in watching the lives us children would be drug thru she spent a lot of hours praying for us. By the grace of God and grandma's prayer we made it thru childhood and I believe I am where I am today because of her prayers.

I heard a story recently of a young man who had heard that everyone had someone who at sometime had prayed for them.   Well, he thought, I don't have anyone in my family who would pray so I don't know if that is true. Shortly afterwards he met a young Christian woman, fell in love and thru her found a relationship with the Lord. He shared with her the idea that surely no one had ever prayed for him as he was growing up.
Well she said, "I have prayed for years for the man that God would lead me to to marry"   Interesting.....she had prayed for him even before she knew him.

So today.....I share my wall of "Faith, Hope and Love" and my grandchildren.
Know that this "Grandma" intends to continue to pray for each of you as your "Great Grandma" did for me.

And for some of you......I can "reach out and touch you" wherever you are.

Winter in the Rockies

2011-01-02T12:41:00.000-08:00

Sometimes even the locals have to get down and "get er done".

Last week's snow storm left us enough white stuff to last till late spring.

Before Pat could even start plowing open our driveway he had to chain up.

I cancelled my first client as my little car was buried in the snow.

How's this for a bird feeder "snowcone'?

We try to keep all the feeder full.

This one will hold about a gallon of feed.

The pinion jays and blackbirds can empty it in short time.

A "Boot Scootin" Time"

2010-12-28T14:24:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, a long, so long time ago.

There was an innocent boot.

Unknown to "the boot"

it would become quite the traveler.

Now it has ventured from Colorado

and back to California on many an occasion.

This Christmas is shared in the festivities at Colorado.

It was a very, merry Christmas.....it was the best time of the year....

Oh, by golly

I had a jolly, jolly time!

And according to my calculations,

"The Boot" is back in California today!

Yes, I'm shakin "my bootie" here in Colorado

and tonight you can shake yours....

doing the "Boot Scootin' Boogie"

Ya'll come back now!!!

A Very Merry Christmas in Colorado

2010-12-28T07:18:00.000-08:00

Annalise and Kendall couldn't wait to make their first

Colorado Snowman

The girls loved playing in the snow.

They got to go sledding and ride the snowmachine.

Even had a pretty good snowball fight with grandma.

Kendall has a pretty good arm!

After a very good Christmas Dinner

Annalise and Kendall opened their first gift.

A lump of Colorado Coal from "GrandpaClause"

Then we told them the good news.

Although it was Christmas Eve we were now

going to open all the gifts

as soon as the table was cleared and the food put away.

(That didn't take long)

Think everybody was in the kitchen but me.

Everyone was pleased as they opened their gifts

to find just the thing they had hoped for.

Lisha and I had quite the laugh though,

we got each other the same thing!

We both are anxious to read this series of books.

I knew she had book one so I got her books 2 &3,

asked her to bring me her book 1 so I could read it.

Knew she would loan me back books 2 & 3 when

she was done.

Now we both have all three and waiting for #4

to be released in 2011.

We were truly blessed this Christmas.

Buster Brown

2010-12-14T07:04:00.000-08:00

Buster came to us, as many of our dogs have came,

"unexpected".

Michael had returned from Arizona and a friend of his

came over with the cutest little dog.

When she commented she was going to have to

get rid of him due to her new apartment rules I

couldn't imagine her just leaving him at a shelter.....

so began our long journey with "Buster"

often refered to as "Buster Brown".

It didn't take us long to figure out this little dog was

pretty smart and could "out smart" us in a few things.

He knew how to push under the chain link fence and

soon taught our Lab - Kady to do the same.

They would spend endless hours roaming

the neighborhood and on more than one

occasion Buster was picked up by the animal officer.

On the first occasion to "bail" him out,

while I stood at the counter to write the check

he actually peed on my ankle........

He had been boarded in a cement kennel overnight

and was not about to pee in there,

but by now he couldn't hold it anymore

and I was the best thing around to hike his leg on.

Buster had quite a knack for carrying his food dish around.

He would snag up the food bowl, full of food,

and scoot under the fence with it, spilling none.

That would keep it safe from Kady

til he was ready to eat it himself.

Buster went to live with Mischel and her kids

for several years.

He had quite a reputation around her neighborhood too.

It was not uncommon for Mischel to receive calls

from her neighbors "Hey Mischel, I'm missing my cat dish.

Would you see if your dog has carried it home?"

And there tucked in the back of his dog house

would be an assortment of dog and cat dishes

collected thru out the neighborhood.

Eventually Buster came back to be with us.

Once again him and Kady would be kennel buds.

He still would take the food dish,

lay under Pat's truck and just wait with it.

He wasn't ready to eat, but knew if left on the deck,

Kady would devour all of it.

I watched him cross the snowy draw behind our house

one morning, carrying something, yes, sure enough

he was packing home a cat food can from the

neighbor's who were out of town.

As I watched him come around the house,

there in the snow was a nice ceramic dish,

from a previous visit across the way.

The neighbors were out of town and someone

else was feeding for them.

I'm sure she wondered where that dish had gone

and then how it got back there?

Yes, "Buster Brown" you were a "good ole' dog"

Your beagle bark will be missed.

Thank you for some good memories

Accomplishments!

2010-12-08T18:05:00.000-08:00

Shanna & Kody

Graduation

Collbran Job Corps Center

Grand Mesa High School

December 2, 2010

Mischel & Kody

A proud mom!

And in a few moments,

you would wow us with your student speech,

bring us to tears with words spoken

honestly and bravely.

And then.......

take a standing ovation for this:

Shanna, will you marry me?

Classy, real classy.

Oh,,,,my gosh.

(Notice, everyone is standing)

She said yes!

I did good!

Yes, Kody, you did really good!

What a proud day for you, your mom and us!

We knew you had the potential,

now, you know it too!

Graduating with Honors,

Hall of Fame

and

engagement.

We love you,

Grandma and Grandpa

The Box

2010-11-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

I'm sure my children could never remember a time that "The Box"

wasn't there, on the coffee table or an end table.

And today, still, "The Box" has it's place.

I'm not sure where "The Box" came from.

It might have been a gift or just one of those things
that kind of struck my fancy at the time.

It came to us in the "70's.

I remember there was a choice of this pattern
or the ever popular " cannibus" design.

The simple floral pattern was more "family" friendly.

"The Box" has served us well.

The contents of "The Box" are used often

and must promptly be returned when finished with them.

Now, looking at what has made it's way into "The Box"

it's obvious that a few things get put there,

just cause it's convenient to toss them in and forget them,

until one must clean out "The Box".

The only necessary objects are those needed to trim, file and cut away

at one's nails and of course, the floss!,

we can't forget the floss.

There's a small spool of thread there now
and of course the replacement hinges

(they've been in there a while)

Had full intentions of replacing those.

Look closely here, inside the lid,
it's a little difficult to get a good photo.

Written there you will find our names.

I think Michael wrote that or was it Mischel.....in ink....
Pat & Patty Mosbey......

"oh man, you're gonna be in trouble when mom and dad sees that!"

I think they too felt "The Box" must be a little sacred

and they had tread on sacred ground.

But now, these many years later the inscription is a treasure.

What treasures do you keep,
always having a "rightful" place no matter where you live?

Old Folks and IPods

2010-11-16T17:14:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are......sitting around with "ear buds" stuffed in our ears.........

Pat and I are totally "into" our IPods.....who would have "thunk" it.

I took possession of Michaels' IPod shuffle
( after Stayton removed all the "stuff" that was on there.)

I'm quite sure it was nothing I would have been interested in.
I've learned to download and update the thing quite easily.....
and my listening choice...bible studies and teachings.
I know, I know, not exactly what you would want on your IPod
but I thoroughly enjoy it and feel I'm totally "redeeming" my time.

Stayton gave Pat his old IPod after updating to a newer IPad.
It was quite a hoot trying to teach Pat how to run the thing,
but he has gotten the hang of it and is totally addicted now himself.

Since we no longer subscribe to Dish TV and only get a few select channels,
which by the way was such a blessing during the recent elections....

NO campaign ADS!!!!
We have very limited selection and have

decided to spend a lot of time in learning and biblical research this winter.

So you can find us here at home,
tucked away on the hill amongst the cedars,
the wood stove pouring its heat into the house,
Sammy the cat sprawled out soaking up the heat.
At least two dogs curled up on the recliner with Pat and us

"Old Folks and our IPods" stuck in our ears.

Then there's Mr Jones' dilema:

Dr says "Mr Jones, no wonder you can't hear, you've got a suppository stuck in your ear"

Mr Jones: " So.....that's what happened to my hearing aid."

Badger's Bed

2010-11-04T06:07:00.000-07:00

This is where Badger likes to hang out when I'm in the office.

Unfortunately there's been some "hijacking"

going on when he's not watching.

We're sleeping here!

Do you offer "room service?"

Update on the bloggin' thing here.

2010-10-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

I baked a "near perfect" German Pancake again this morning, This isn't it, but it was almost as perfect.

Started my day at about 5:30 this morning. Since Buster is now sleeping outside we seem to be getting
more sleep, although Pat told me that he was up at 2:00am with Buster barking outside. (I slept right
thru that. (smilin here).

Kudos to Stayton! He starts his IV Class tomorrow. He had a good lesson with Mischel and they posted it on Facebook, his first IV! This is a big deal for him....he has really made an effort to overcome his fear of needles. Mischel, you were very brave!

Annalise celebrated her 11th birthday this past week and a big birthday party this weekend.

My big project for the week was replacing my torn bumper. I've had to drive my car with a big rip out of my front bumper for two years now.....decided I was gonna keep the car and fix it up. Bought a good used bumper from ebay. A friend who does a lot of auto work told me how to paint it and by golly it turned out pretty good. Pat put it on for me this morning, I washed the car and what a difference. I should have taken a picture for you all.

Guess the Giants and Texans are playing in World Series.......sorry Ron, I just would like to see Texas win this one. (smilin again)

Kody will be graduating from Job Corps next month. We are very proud of you Kody!!! And we pray that the right doors will open for you.

Sorry I've been so lame about keeping this blog updated.

Hope you all have a great week!

Old Dogs - We have had our share

2010-10-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

This is our Buster. He has been in our family for well over 15 years.

We estimate that he is about 17-18 years old.

He is so devoted to Pat. He has been a "good old dog".

We are perplexed to say the least.

With his old age has come some problems.

Once the best housebroke dog ever,

now he's incontinent and needs forever let out.

He's near deaf, so we have to keep him in the yard.

He likes to sleep under the lilac shrub and once there

you would have to go and shake him to get him up.

Sometimes even in his dog crate, during the middle

of the day when I come home to let them out,

I have to touch him to wake him.

The dilemma here.

We haven't had a good night's sleep for quite awhile.

Buster seems to sleep sound from about

10 pm til early am, then it's up and down.

He barks to go out, we let him out.

He wanders around outside for about an hour.

I go back to bed and figure when he barks to

come back in, either I'll wake up again or Pat will.

This goes on til we finally both are up and start our regular day.

So, today we are working on an insulated heated dog house.

We have an enclosure in the yard to contain him away from

the back door, lest he continues to bark to get in.

It will be a temporary measure, until outside temperatures

get really down.

But maybe we can get a few good nights sleep.

Neither of us feel it's time to say goodbye to the old dog.

Any in all honesty, I pray this one will die a natural death.

Good ole' Buster Brown!

You've given us some funny stories.

Town Deer

2010-10-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

Wish I could have gotten a picture from the front.

But this is a pretty good view.

I've seen him a few times and just happened to have

my camera this time.

Although pretty to look at, the town deer do

pose a danger this time of year and in

the spring when the does have little ones.

They have attacked pets in their own yards.

Fall Colors in Craig

2010-10-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

Some of the colors around town as I travel about from job to job.

We had some really high winds a few days ago.

I was glad to find some leaves still on the trees.

Ash trees can really light up a street.

After the wind storm we discovered a large branch from

our elm tree laying gently against the side of the house.

Amazing, didn't damage anything, small dent in one

fence panel.

Thank you Stayton for cleaning it up.

Happy Birthday's to Pat and Kody

2010-10-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

This is Kody and Shanna at Job Corps.

We spent the day with them on Saturday.

It was Pat's birthday and Kody's will be Tues.,

he turns 21....can't even believe it myself.

Where have the years gone?

I will always remember the first time he smiled at me.

Lisha and I were setting on the edge of the bed,

I was holding him and he smiled, my very first grandma smile.

Took my breath away as tears streamed down my face.

Happy Birthday!!!

We love you.

My Blog is "Bogged" Down

2010-09-28T06:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, Yes, I know......I need to update this blog....
It's not that my life is at a total standstill.........I just haven't felt witty or enlightened enough to write about it.

Well, not really.... I have things to say, but maybe you don't really want to hear.

Summer is fading away here. The days are gorgeous, temps in the 80's....I love, love, love the Fall.
We have been "putting away" the yard for the winter. Emptying flowerpots, pulling up the sunflowers
that have mostly been eaten now by the birds. The fish in the pond will go away this week for winter
storage in an aquarium. I'm even considering it's time to put away the fountain in the den and haul in
some firewood, so when those temperatures do take a dip we will be ready with a nice warm fire. (ugh)

Pat and I tried to go to the mountains to catch the colors, but dang road was so rough, we just decided
we weren't that anxious to venture there...do you have any idea what it's like to drive on "washboards" in
four wheel truck with bad suspension...just ain't up to it anymore.

Thought we might try another outing on the horses this week...we'll see.

Out for a "short" ride.

2010-09-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

We were out for a casual ride.

Here's Pat with Amore(head down)

and Ginger.

Unfortunately, just a few minutes after I took this,

Pat took a fall off Amore.

We aren't sure what's up with her,

but will be a few days before we can go out again.

He's ok, bumped and bruised.

I love the view from here.

Look at the black tips on her ears.

Ginger is my Kiger Mustang from Oregon.

Good thought for the day

2010-09-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

Whatever you are holding on to in this life,

hold it loosely-

it won't hurt so much

when the Lord has to pry your fingers open

to take it away.

Get Well Soon to Mischel

2010-09-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

Just "hang in" there!!!

Better days are comin'

We love you!!!!

Mom and Dad

Memories of Idaho with Desmond

2010-08-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

We had such a great visit with Desmond. He had a peace about him like I've never seen.

I know he is on the path that God has chosen for him.

We never know how God will move in our lives to direct our paths.

Should have had Pat take off his cap, but the glare may have been too much.

Desmond and Mariah

Time and Chance

2010-08-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

The race is not to the swift

Nor the battle to the strong,

Nor bread to the wise,

Nor riches to men of understanding,

Nor favor to men of skill:

But time and chance happen to them all.

Ecclesiates 9:11

This showed up on one of my favorite blogs. Her devotion on it has been stuck in my mind.

How many times in our lives has "Time and Chance" been a factor and we did not even acknowledge that perhaps God had placed us there and then for such a time.

We never know when the God of Time and Chance will say,

"This is YOUR day! This is YOUR time! This is YOUR race!

God will put you in a position to succeed if you just keep preparing yourself.

Give all your best to God and let Him take care of the outcome.

He will put you in the right place at the right time.

He will give you the opportunities you've been waiting for.

Except that we believe in the God of Time and Chance,

who holds victory in His Hands.

Desmond

2010-08-25T05:47:00.000-07:00

Wish I had a little more time this morning,

But here's a few pictures of the baptism.

No, this isn't a "cult" thing.

He just decided to try the shaved head.

They do look like a matched set.

I'm still marveling at what the Lord has been doing,

in our lives, in Desmond.

I'm walking in a miracle.

August Birthday Boy!!!

2010-08-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

Graysen Michael

Happy Birthday Big Guy!!!

I know, I know...

Grandma is late.....

Bad Grandma (go to your room)

My Office - My Sanctuary

2010-08-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

This is my office, my sanctuary. What was once Michael's bedroom serves as my special place.
I got this "almost perfect" chair as a freebie from a garage sale, they actually already had it loaded on the truck to take to the dump. Except for a tiny little hole in one arm, after a thorough shampooing, it was just the chair I would have wanted and the color, mauve, one of my favorite.

The side table was Michael's. See there on it, my pens and markers. A coaster for my coffee mug and a few magazines. The bright pink item is my "spiral" book. I keep scriptures and quotes that really speak to me. Sometimes I just like to set down and go thru them again to remember that God speaks to me daily, thru scripture, reading, etc. On the front is a plastic sleeve that I usually put my most current one in or one that I really want to remember. For now I have Proverbs 8:17 on Wisdom.

I love those who love me

And those who seek me diligently will find me.

You could really consider this to be about Wisdom and The Lord. They are one and the same.

There just behind my chair is my bookshelf, loaded with some of my favorite books, some read, some yet to be read. I also have several on the floor, tucked in where I can easliy reach them.

One of my favorite things, the little wicker stool there beside my chair. It's a great place to set my bible and comes in handly when I want to kick back and put my feet up.

Then there is the cabinet with my little lamp, another freebie. Just the right light for my early morning devotions. Just behind it is a fragrance vase. It was a birthday gift from a sweet friend at church. I love the fragrance that graces my quiet place when I here. She gave birth to her 11th child this spring and recently I knew she was struggling with post partum. I'm reminded to pray for her as I sat here each day.

The cabinet there once was a tall entertainment unit. I cut it down to make a side cabinet for my study area. It fits perfectly under the window and provides mores storage and desktop.

Although very cluttered, I chose to include this as well. This is where I'm sitting as you are reading.

Gosh, the camera really does "expose" you. There are some "memories" here. I think about cleaning them off, and I have, but somehow somethings just can't be "put away".

I have had some very special moments here. And here is where many prayers go out to God for my children, grandchildren and friends.

We are always either drawing

near to God

or fallling away-

There is no holding pattern

(Fresh Wind Fresh Fire)

May God bless each of you who stopped by today!!!

Legacy

2010-08-06T09:50:00.000-07:00

It has been an interesting week for me. I have just completed an awesome bible study on the old testament book of "Ruth". Most people think of this book as a wonderful love story that just happened to make it's way into the Bible. It is a wonderful love story, but it didn't "just happen" to be added to the scriptures. God never "just happened" to do anything. I believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God and He purposed each and every word printed. Maybe you could take a few minutes and read "Ruth". It is only 4 chapters and good reading.

On Wednesday we attended a funeral for a young man, Shannon, from our church. The pastor delivered a very thought provoking message. His text was taken from Ecclesiates. Many of you would recognize a much used portion from chapter 3: To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.
A time to be born, and a time to die, etc.
Then he moved to chapter 11 verse 3: If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls to the south or the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.
"Today", he says, "Shannon lies here fallen. His tree has landed where it will stay. And where will your "tree" fall, where will your life lay? What will be your testimony?"

I put these two thoughts together, Ruth and Ecclesiates, because Ruth left a legacy as well as Shannon. I consider my "legacy". The pastor challenged the young people with where their hearts are with the Lord and challenged the parents about our responsibility. I considered my life. What will be my legacy?
Will my children rise up and call me blessed?
Will they see the power of God in my life?
Will my accomplishments overshadow my faith?
Lord, I need to make wise use of my life - to establish a lasting testimony to all I leave behind.
When my "tree" falls where will it lay?

K - Ann

2010-07-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

Nine years ago I purchased a beautiful palomino mare for a 4H project for Stayton. He never got a chance to ride her. We bred her for a replacement colt for him. This beautiful horse is K-Ann. She is named in memory of "Kelley Ann", Stayton's mother. K-Ann does have some attitude and carries herself a lot like Kelley, she's special and knows it. The mare died when this baby was just two months old. We doted over her every available moment and that shows in her temperment now.

This is a trainer who put a week of riding on K-Ann.

It has been a couple of years since we've ridden her

so I sent her to a professional.

K-Ann loved every minute of it.

Beautiful - just beautiful.

I hope to be riding her more now.

She's seven this year and stands a solid 16 hands.

I like to use a stepstool to get up on her.

Sorry, I didn't get a picture of me on her today.

Just a little "frazzed"

2010-07-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words.

Well, this is how I's feelin' tonight.

Was thinking I'd be poetic,

but so much for that feelin'.

My brother showed up last week, unannounced,

he left the same way. Dog gone it.

It's been hot! Hot for me anyway.

Just seem to fall apart about 3 p.m.

and when it does cool off,

I'm just too tired to give a rip.

Stayton is on his way to the Grand Canyon.

Bet it's well over 100 there.

The Orioles (birds) are leaving already.

We've only had a few in today,

still seen a beautiful male.

By next week the mature males will be gone

and shortly after that the females and young will depart.

We have topped out at over 10 gallons of grape jelly.

I'm missing a couple goldfish from the pond.

Mystery to me.....

Don't really think the cats are in on it,

but maybe I'll catch someone in the act.

Maybe tomorrow.....

I love to Worship by Jonathan Butler.wmv

2010-07-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Just when.....

2010-07-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Just when you think things are "getting normal"...

My youngest brother showed up this week.
Haven't seen him in five years or more.

So here we are.
He's looking for work and staying with us for a few days.

Hoping and praying that a door will open for him.

They were in New Orleans and that's a depressed area,
more so than most.

Say a prayer for us all here.

I have enjoyed a couple rides on my horse Ginger.

Hope to get some photos of her and me on here this week.

Other than that, just doing my daily things.

I've been doing bible study in the book of Ruth.

Amazing what "gems" can be found when you study

with a group and really "dig" into the word.

My group is an on-line study group with women from

all over the world. We know we have one from Denmark

and Australia, how cool is that?? Technology can be so fun.

Lovingkindness

2010-07-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

"Lovingkindness"

I've read this word mutltiple times in scripture.

Recently while reading Jonah I came across it

again and this time, for the first time

I discovered something about

"Lovingkindness"

I had never known.

God's "lovingkindness" is

God's faithful love,

for His unfaithful people.

Even when I've not been faithful,

He has shown His "Lovingkindness"

Psalm 51:1

Have mercy on me O' God,

according to thy "lovingkindness"

according unto the multitude of

thy tender mercies-

blot out my trangressions.

Psalm 63:3

Because thy "lovingkindness"

is better than life,

my lips shall praise thee.

A Great Sunday

2010-07-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

First thing this morning, I had this baby robin on the deck.

The parent birds have brought them into the yard.

They love it when I water and the worms come up.

This little fawn showed up by itself.

He made his way around the fence to the water bucket.

We keep it out all summer with fresh water.

This evening a doe came in with her twins.

They stop by for a long drink and

it makes for a great photo shoot for me.

This is one of my better shots of the male Oriole.

We so enjoy them.

They have taught their young to come in for jelly.

Since May 6th, we have gone thru

37 quarts of grape jelly.

The Orioles, Tanagers, Grosbeaks and House Finches

just love it.

The males will be leaving in just a few weeks,

the females and young are usually here til

end of August.

It's been a good day.

It was a busy week for us with company from

out of state.

God is Good!!!

Wildflowers and God's Blessings

2010-07-15T05:48:00.000-07:00

Indian Paint Brush

I think I actually slept thru the night, til almost 6:00 a.m.!!!

I can't remember if I got up during the night,

really, this is a miracle in itself.

This morning as I'm here in my office, my quiet place,

where I pray, meditate, read and study,

and take time to thank God for His Blessings.

I think of my children.

My oldest daughter Lisha,

her strength in the Lord.

I can almost read daily how He has held her up

when she had no strength to stand.

Her testimony and writing of God's word in her life.

That's a blessing.

My daughter Mischel,

she has a heart bigger than any I've met.

This past year I learned how she has helped many

who were destitute and in need.

She's a single mom of five, but manages to

bless those in need.

Our son Michael is no longer with us in this world.

His memory has blessings in itself and

I'm still writing his testimony.

God had a plan and a purpose for Michael,

and though death took him,

it will only prove to make his story and testimony

more powerful as God allows it to be written.

Our grandson and "adopted son" Stayton.

How can I even put into words the blessing

he has been and continues to be in our lives.

His soft heart and his forgiving nature is far beyond

any I've ever known.

And today, I want to thank God for such a blessing and miracle.

Three years ago, under dire stress and turmoil we made the

decision to place our adopted son Desmond in a facility

out of state. Away from home, family, friends.

I won't go into all of that now.

It was a time of turmoil and strife for all of us.

Tomorrow will mark his third year there.

God has worked miracles in all our lives these past three years.

Monday evening Desmond called to visit.

We talked of how things have gone for him this three years.

He sees how it has been a good decision.

I hope to write the story of Joseph for him,

to see how God took Joseph and used all

that seemed so bad to be for so much good.

As our conversation continued, Desmond told me he was

thinking about becoming a Christian.

WOW!!!

Thru the rest of our phone visit,

God allowed me to pray the prayer of

salvation with Desmond to receive Christ as his saviour.

That is God at work!!!!

Today!!! Today!! I rejoice.

As I started my morning with my conversation with Him,

"Thank you Lord, thank you for this day. "

"This is your day, the day you have made.

I will rejoice and be glad in it"

New Flower Bed

2010-07-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

We recently moved this fence line and it left us with this vacant space.

Of course, it's a flower bed just waiting to happen.

So, after much digging, removing lots of flat rocks,

old ground cloth and dead grass.

We added more than a ton of new topsoil.

Put in some perennial plants and reused

some of the rocks for a natural look.

This fall I'll add some bulbs for spring flowers.

Have some wood vine to plant near the dead tree stump.

That will be pretty next year.

This is the view from the other end.

Notice the "flower tower" to the left of the gate.

I bought this round shelf unit at a garage sale.

It has 3 glass shelves, 16" in diameter.

After walking it all over my house,

trying to find just the right spot for it,

I moved it back outside, thinking it

was not such a good buy and would give it away,

until I seen something similiar in a magazine, and

look at it now.

I found the exact same size pots at the

hardware store.

I plan to remove the bottom pot

and plant in day lilies directly in the soil.

I would like to put the "wave" petunias in here next year.

Can't you just imagine how beautiful?

I picked this large base up at a recycle center.

It was either the base for a large bird bath

or possibly a table.

I added a large round stepping stone on top

to support the peat pot planter.

This wave petunia has not done as well,

but still makes a pretty statement

for recycled "yard art"

Pressure time

2010-07-12T04:50:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy weekend. On Friday we started a new project....thought this would be a "slam dunk"...
The ceiling in our den was the last "big ugly" in the main part of the house. Ugly, ugly, ugly blue paint, cracked and actually large exposed raw wood from previous water damage. It was the one glaring ugly that I really was ready to say goodbye to. When I suggested to Pat that it could be our next "project", he jumped right into it.

Friday he brought home the materials, put up some pressed foam insulation (It's a "man" thing. "We need to increase the R value there", I think it's increased by 4%??? ) Even the pink foam board with the Corning Label was an improvement. Saturday we began installing "tongue and groove" pine. Not an easy task considering we have a 12' span and a slightly bowed ceiling. It was pretty intense in a few places. By early afternoon I realized this was no longer a "slam dunk" project and we were truly "in over our heads", but as Pat often says "You can't say whoa in a horse race".

Due to sheer exhaustion we called it an evening and decided to wait til Sunday to finish the thing. Really hate to have this kind of work for Sunday. We had company coming on Monday so we really needed to "get 'er done".

We decided to put up the few remaining boards before church then we would have time to clean up and get the house in order for our arriving guests, on Monday (did I say, Monday). I had decided to paint a few pieces of exposed blue wall while I was at it, really hate that blue. So there I was up on the ladder, paint brush in hand, when the phone rang. Our guests were just over 2 hours away and headed to our house.
You know that "dream" you have, you're trying to run and just can't move??? Yea, that's the feeling.
I didn't panic, I don't think I panicked, maybe I panicked a little.....But I did start really moving.

Fortunately those last few boards went in really easy. I got two coats of paint on those small areas.
I began to clean up and move stuff back in place as Pat was putting the last few small pieces on the large skylight in there. I was really moving fast at this time.

We got the den back together, got the house swept, vacuumed, dusted. Even got a shower and the dishes done in the sink......our guests took a little longer to make that 2 hour trip and we managed to "redeem the time". I've been told that I function well under pressure.......so guess I still have that trait.

We're having a great visit with friends we met over 25 years ago in Washington. We haven't seen them for about 15 years. ( And you know....they didn't come to see our house, they came to see us!)

Who He Is

2010-07-07T06:18:00.000-07:00

He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

He’s the keeper of creation and the creator of all.

He’s the architect of the universe and the manager of all time.

He always was, always is, always will be.

Unmoved, unchanged, undefeated and never undone.

He was bruised but brought healing.

He was pierced but eased pain.

He was persecuted but brought freedom.

He was dead and brings life.

He was risen to bring power. And He reigns to bring peace.

The world can’t understand Him. Armies can’t defeat Him.

Schools can’t explain Him and leaders can’t ignore Him.

Herod couldn’t kill Him. Nero couldn’t crush Him.

The new age cannot replace Him and

Oprah cannot explain Him away.

He is life. He is Love. He is longevity and He is the Lord.

He is goodness, and kindness and faithfulness and He is God.

He is holy and righteous and powerful and pure.

His ways are right, His word eternal,

His will unchanging and His mind is on us.

He’s our Savior, our guide, our peace, our joy,

our comfort, our Lord, and He rules our lives.

I serve Him because His bond is love, His yoke is easy,

His burden is light and His goal for us is abundant life.

I follow Him because He is the wisdom of the wise,

the power of the powerful, the ancient of days, the ruler of rulers,

the leader of all leaders and His goal is a relationship with me.

He’ll never leave you, never forsake you,

never mislead you, never forget you, never overlook you

and never cancel your appointment in His appointment book.

When you fall, He’ll lift you up.

When you fail, He’ll forgive you.

When you're weak, He is strong.

When you’re lost, He is your way

When you’re afraid, He’s your courage.

When you stumble, He will steady you.

When you’re hurt, He’s going to heal you.

When you’re broken, He will mend you.

When you’re blind, He will lead you.

When you’re hungry, He will feed you.

When you face trials, He’s with you.

When I face persecution, He shields me.

When I face problems, He will comfort me.

When I face loss, He will provide for me.

When we face death,

He will carry us all home to meet Him.

He is everything for everybody,

everywhere, every time and in every way.

He is your God, and that, Sisters, is who you belong to!

- Priscilla Shirer (Deeper Still Conference)

A Good Day Fishing

2010-07-01T04:42:00.000-07:00

Fishing trip to Greystone - Father's Day Weekend.

They had a blast!!! Caught so many fish they both were exhausted.

What a day!!!

June 30, 2010 - A Special Day - A Special Place

2010-06-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6yDFn3OAFo

Summer is Here!!

2010-06-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to get all the baskets, pots and planters done,,,,but realizing I'll be a while yet before I've said enough is enough!!! I cleared out the small garden area and put in grass there. Pat built new fence line which made some wonderful posts for hanging baskets, birdfeeders and more "yard art"....I think I've become a collector of such items and have had a blast arranging them in my yard.

Disguised here is the "tongue" of the trailer....
yes we live in an old mobile home,

or better said in "redneck" a trailer house: a mobile home designed

for those years in which families truly were "mobile".

We considered having it removed, but in the event

we someday are financially able to build on this site,

we would need this apparatus to remove said

trailer house from current location.

So, being the ever clever artist I am,

I converted the "tongue" or hitch for a plant stand.

Now, there's an original idea.

This is my old "seeder" that now holds a couple of trays of

petunias and pansies.

The old milk can serves as a bird feeder as well.

We fill the lid with sunflower seeds.

To the left is the "wine rack" bird feeder.

It holds a "sock" of seeds for the little birds.

The larger birds can not get to it.

Just behind the seeder is the Oriole jelly feeder.

So far this summer we have gone thru

24 qts ( 6 gallons) of grape jelly.

We have 3 jelly feeders around the yard and usually

fill them 2 to 3 times a day.

This is a "flower bed" Really!!!

Found this cute little twin size headboard in our dumpster.

Just couldn't resist it!

Will be a few weeks before it all takes shape,

but I just loved the detail of it.

See the cute hummingbird feeder that Stayton

gave me for Christmas.

And the hanging basket.

This was once the ugliest corner of the yard.

I'm loving it with my painted milk can,

rescued geraniums that stayed inside all winter.

The fish pond is just under this.

The sweet little birdhouse

which was a gift from a dear friend.

I've got more, but have been on this computer for hours!!!

Hope you enjoy the tour.

Happy 15th Wedding Anniversary to Lisha & Ron

2010-06-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

2010-06-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

Got a peek into one of our bird boxes and found these little guys. I counted five of them.

Just got back from a great weekend in Denver. Deeper Life Conference with Beth Moore, Priscilla Shier and Kay Arthur. Almost 5000 women at the Magness Arena University of Denver....powerful!!!

Starting Thursday I spent the next three days staying up late and getting up early. Needless to say, by Sunday I was one whipped granny.....but it was so fun. Got to bed at midnight Saturday and still woke up by 5:00 am on Sunday. Finally crashed on the sofa early afternoon and took a two hour nap, that's a record for me. Woke up feeling like I'd been train wrecked.

Peace that passes all understanding.

2010-06-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

"Hey Mom, How's it going?"

"Hey Son, it's going good. How it's going for you?"

This was so often how our conversations would began.

"Aaaaaa......Life is good. The birds are singing.

The sun is shining. The flowers are blooming.

It's a great day."

The lilacs bloom here about the first of June.

Michael was leaning out his bedroom window.

This was his view.

It was a beautiful day.

I heard the peace and hope in his voice

and could sense the smile on his face.

Two weeks later he was gone from this life.

Today is the day to consider. How's it going for you?

Where will you be in two weeks?

I thank God for the unbelievable strength and peace

that only He can give.

Sunday Morning Outing - Walk on Cedar Mountain

2010-06-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

This public land area is just a couple miles down the road from us. We started hiking here early this spring, even before all the snow was gone. It's a great hike and beautiful scenery. As the season progresses we see something new each day.

Badger and Turbo posed pretty good for this.

They love to go for a walk.

Today's trip: We found an abandoned eagle's nest.

A friendly snake.

A caterpillars nest.

And of course, the wild flowers.
I could take hundreds of pictures of these.

I've posted them on the sidebars.

More Birdwatching,

2010-06-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

Indigo Bunting. This was such a surprise. They are not common to this area.

He and his mate were here for a few weeks.

Western Tanager. They are so colorful.

They also enjoy the grape jelly dishes and oriole nectar feeders.

Lazuli Bunting and Blackheaded Grosbeak. They often shared this feeder.

I've taken each of these photos from my windows.

Locks of Love

2010-05-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

Our granddaughter Annalise, her principal and teacher at Annalise's school.

Each donated their hair this past week in honor of a friend or relative who has battled with cancer.

Annalise, we are very proud of you.

Grandma & Grandpa

Wild Horses at Sandwash

2010-05-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic trip to Sandwash Basin in Northwest Colorado. It is home to one of the Wild Horse Management areas in Colorado. It holds tremendous memories for us. Stayton has been going there since before he was born....literally. His mother's family has spent decades going to Sandwash. Before the days of the BLM management, his greatgrandfather and uncles spent many a day chasing down and capturing wild horses.

Now that the BLM is in charge, you can go every four years and watch the roundup and adopt yourself a horse or two. We were introduced to this event shortly after the death of Stayton's mother and grandmother, who herself was very passionate about the wild horses. I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of the memorial plaque attached to the BLM corrals there at Sandwash in memory of Tracy.
These trips bring back the fondest of memories. We have attempted to do at least one each year since 2000. It was a beautiful day and very successful as we seen over 80 horses today.

Palomino mares - notice grey horse just to right, he's the stallion

and telling them to "move on".

This group of mares belong to the palomino stallion.

This handsome little colt here in front is this year's baby.

Birdwatching

2010-05-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

We have been so blessed with such color of birds in our yard this past week.

These are Lazuli Buntings. We've got a glimpse of them in past years, but this year they are hanging around.

This is a newcomer to the yard this year. An Evening Grosbeak. They look like small parrots.

I got several pictures of them. Four at a time in the bird bath.

These are all taken from the kitchen window.

8th Grade Graduate - Congratulations Goes to Emily!!!!

2010-05-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

You're just too cute!!!

And too "grown up" here.

Congratulations!!!

We love you,

Grandma & Grandpa

Special Thoughts & Belated Birthdays

2010-05-19T19:00:00.000-07:00

Stayton & Megan

Megan's birthday was April 23rd and Stayton's May 1 - Love you both!!!!

Mischel (Missy) Happy Birthday- May 6th - The last of the "30's"

Lisha - May 9th - Love this photo !!!

With Age Comes Wisdom

2010-05-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

A guy is 72 years old and loves to fish
He was sitting in his boat the other day
when he heard a voice say,
'Pick me up.'
He looked around and couldn't see any one.
He thought he was dreaming when he heard the voice say a gain,
'Pick me up..'
He looked in the water and there, floating on the top, was a frog..
The man said, 'Are you talking to me?'
The frog said, 'Yes, I'm talking to you.
Pick me up then, kiss me and I'll turn into the most beautiful woman you have ever seen.
I'll make sure that all your friends are envious and jealous because I will be your bride!'
The man looked at the frog for a short time,
reached over, picked it up carefully, and placed it in his front pocket.
The frog said, 'What, are you nuts? Didn't you hear what I said?
I said kiss me and I will be your beautiful bride.'
He opened his pocket, looked at the frog and said,
'Nah, at my age I'd rather have a talking frog.'
With age comes wisdom

Family Day - May 8th, 2010

2010-05-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

This is a bunch of us in Grand Junction last weekend. We were celebrating: Kody's Job Corps success, Stayton's 19th Birthday, Mischel's 39th Birthday and Mother's Day for Mischel and I. It was so much fun to be together with all of you!!!

For those not familiar with us: Top row, left to right: Stayton, Kyle, Kody and Pat.

Seated: Mischel, Emily and Me. Great picture!!!

I AM a Morning Person

2010-05-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

Opening my blog today, I realized it's been 4 weeks since my last post.....not that I haven't had lots to comment about..........three birthdays, make that four.......an anniversary (#42) and countless other family mentions, that I haven't mentioned.

Here's the deal.........I am a morning person. I "love, love, love!" the mornings.......great cup of coffee, quiet mornings and "look out day".....here I come. I function best in the mornings, brain is fresh and rested and I'm ready. I love to get things done early.   But you see, my routine has changed and I'm having some difficulty in adjusting my day.

I have become more aware of "needful" quiet time with the Lord before I blast off into the business of the day. I have been reading through the Bible. Finished the New Testament first and now way into the Old Testament. Found out recently that the books of our Bible are not in chronological order, some overlap - written same time period but different authors and thus do have repetition, but still have some great "nuggets" of inspiration for today woven in.   So, to make a long story short or longer.....whichever. I have made a commitment to stay off the computer til I get home in the afternoons, or until later in the morning if I have a late start or day off.   But by the time I get home I'm usually out of inspiration, so I'm adjusting.

The last few weeks, since I came back from  California I have been over my head in completing a scrapbook photo album for Stayton's birthday and I couldn't even blog about that (it was a secret) Lisha & I started it last May for Stayton's graduation party. I took the whole works with me to California and we spent a whole day working thru it. It was so much fun to spend the day "scrapping" together and pulling ideas....I still had his Senior year and graduation to complete in time for our family get together on May 8th.
I was up til 11:00 p.m. putting the finishing touches on it. It turned out really good and he loved it.

I will post some birthday updates.......May is exhausting keeping up with all of them, add mother's day in there and our anniversary on the 26th of April....and I need to mention a special someone else in April and we have a list!!!

I'm sorry for being so late and "off" the net.........I am working on a project now that will be time consuming but something I must accomplish this year. I thank God for my family and am so blessed to have been with so many of you in this last month. We are in a season of "calm" and for that I say Thank You Lord.

California

2010-04-15T06:08:00.000-07:00

Had a great time in California. These are some Sunday pictures with Lisha, Kendall and Annalise.

The First Easter

2010-04-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

THE UNHEARD CONVERSATION

After Jesus was crucified Joseph of Arimathaea went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus and subsequently had him buried in his own tomb. In order for someone to take possession of the body they would have had to have been a relative, and for Joseph to be allowed a personal audience with Pilate, he would have been a citizen of some wealth and social standing. This is the exchange between the two men as it might have occurred at the time. “So, Joe,” inquired Pilate, “you want to take the body of the Jesus and put him in your own tomb? You are a very rich man, you purchased that tomb for you and your family and you are willing to put this “thief” in your family burial place?”

Joseph answered, “Why not, it’s only for the weekend.”

Have a Blessed Easter.

Good Friday! Good Day!!!

2010-04-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

The Fire Department just left our place about an hour ago. All is well.
We had a fire in our stovepipe. I had it under control when they got here, but wasn't sure if fire might be spreading in roof area undetected. A little unnerving, but all is well.
Hope to get to the "rest of my story" today.

I hope "Good Friday" is good for each of you!

It's the Little Things - Lessons in Life part 2

2010-03-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

Weeks ago my bloggin' friend, Patty, post this on her site. It's worth a trip over there to find it and read it.
It's about a few of the people who didn't make it to work on time on 9/11 and were saved from what happened there.
Anyway,,,with that in mind, now to part 2 of my story.
I have been planning a "spring break" trip to California for almost a year now. Lisha is a school teacher and spring break would be a good time to visit, nice weather and just fun get away. She sent me her dates so I could make my flight arrangements,,,,March 29 - April 5th. I even had given those dates to Pat to research plane fares for me....seems easy enough. He had some saved overtime hours that he turned in so we would have the funds to pay for my ticket.
Late Feb. I went on line with Expedia, found just the flight I was looking for. Carefully chose my times of departure, seats I would want, etc. Plugged in my Debit Card info and stared at the reservations, noting the warning to recheck everything as this ticket is non-refundable, not-exchangeable, etc. Yes, I had a little "reservation" within myself. I just have so much trouble with something that is so LIMITED.... and maybe this hesitation on my part was that "still small voice" trying to talk to me. Finally just thought, I just need to do this and punched the "purchase the ticket". That being done, I went on to other things.
Last week while browsing the calendar (in the kitchen) I was looking at dates for Easter, etc. And noticed Easter is on the 4th of April and then realizing Lisha had commented it will be so nice mom, you'll be here for Easter.......but my travel arrangements were to leave on April 5th. Suddenly, flashing before me were dates, dates and dates.......I rushed to my office and there on my calendar I had noted: Lisha's Spring Break - March 26-April 5th....I grabbed my printed out airline confirmation and sure enough I had booked April 5th - returning April 12th....somehow April 5th was stuck in my mind when I made the reservation.......but should have been my departure from Calif.
There I sat in my office with this numbing feeling washing over me...How could I have done this thing?
Then I quietly prayed and knew I would not have a "melt-down" over this. I wasn't pleased with what I had done, but none-the-less, it was not to be "un-done". I did make a call to Expedia and United, made a calm request for a change but they would not budge. In order to change my tickets at this point would cost more than my original fare.
I remembered "It's the Little Things" and wondered if this was just one of those things God had arranged for me. I don't know. Should I have listened, been more attentive when I had a question before I pushed the "purchase ticket"? I don't know...But was God watching my reaction......I do know!!!
So, we made calls, Lisha and the girls adjusted their schedules and plans and I off to California on Monday.
And somehow.......I think it will be a good visit
This in not the end of "My Lesson in Life" and part three will be forthcoming soon.

Lessons in Life

2010-03-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

I've had the adventure in "learning the lesson" lately.
A few weeks ago one of the lessons in our Bible Study spoke on how we act or react to a situation.
She went on the give an example of how sometimes we whine at "that always happens to me". Told of how you get your toast buttered or spread the mayonaise on and then drop the bread and it lands face down. Good visual and we have all "been there, done that". A few days later I got out a cracker, spread on some cream cheese (low fat cream cheese) and sure enough I dropped it "face down" and with all the critters in this house, it was definitely "lost". As I bent over to pick it up, the visual lesson came clearly in sight and yes, I just laughed. I wasn't going to let that overcome my "joy in the Lord".
A few days later, however, while checking out thru the express lane at the grocery store and quite pleased at my $24 savings on sale items, my "joy" was stolen.......or should I say, my $20 was stolen. I had requested $20 back on my debit card. I loaded my bags, picked up my receipt and hurried out the door. Just minutes later, while driving home I remembered my $20. I had forgot to retrieve it in my haste. I promptly called the store ( I know their # by memory) and asked to check the stand I had just gone thru.......well, it was gone, no one had turned it in. I was instantly "blown a gasket" out of control, not with the person on the line, but when I hung up, I was "blown up"....my little "joy of the Lord" was no where to be found. I tried ever which was to persuade God that I had always returned any money that I had found there, etc, etc.... you know the routine. I continued home, put away my now only "$4.00 savings on groceries, did some more mumbling and foot stomping.........and then........the lesson or "reacting" to such situations.
I had some confessing to do and some repenting. I was still wounded but knew I needed to "get over it" and get back into my day. As I headed back to town I was determined to "let go and let God", so although not so melodious, I chose to sing praises as I drove to my next clients'....yes I did find that "joy" of the Lord once again and relinquished the $20 as the cost of my lesson that day.

This is only the beginning of the "Lessons in Life". Part 2 Tomorrow.

Winerack Birdfeeder

2010-03-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

This was a little project I tackled last fall. I converted a winerack by adding some small mess wire inside and a little roof on the outside. My goal was to allow small birds to feed inside and keeping the larger, Pinyon Jays out. It works pretty good, most of the time. We have had it outside my fence thru the winter so when we bring it in and restock it I'll include a new photo.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day?

2010-03-17T06:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not too knowledgable about this day..........my "Patrick" isn't a saint :-),,,,but he is a pretty good guy. I gave him a card one year...the front read "Patrick" you are a Saint.......inside was a hugh "NOT" sign and lots of laughs.

I don't do anything traditional for this day....ugh....but I think I will wear green today. If I find someone who wants to share some corned beef and cabbage, maybe I'll have a bite of that too.

So anyway, ya'll "laddies and lassies" Happy Day to ya'll!!!!

Happy Birthday - Jeriah

2010-03-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

Kendall Jean Hunnicutt

2010-03-09T06:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to You

Such a Doll Baby - Sweet Little Girl

Sweet Granddaughter

We Love You

Grandma & Grandpa

March 6, 2000 Remembering Today

2010-03-06T16:48:00.000-08:00

Kelley and Tracy

We Miss You Here.

Home Alone

2010-03-04T17:55:00.000-08:00

This has been my week of solitude. HAH! Well, I have been "home alone", that meaning Pat has been out of town. But with him gone the dogs seem to "freak out". Turbo wants to be plastered up against me or disappears to his dog crate leaving me wondering where he is and go check on him. Badger is my constant shadow. Buster will lay in the mudroom staring at the back door, just sure it will open any minute and his favorite person will come through it. And then there's Bubby. He spends a lot more time "shakin' and tremblin". If Ben was here he would pace incessitantly wondering where's Pat.

I usually spend this week each year watching "chick flicks", you know the ones that men just don't get. Kevin Costner, Richard Gere and maybe Mel Gibson. Well, just couldn't get into that this year. Thought I'd have lots more time to "Blog and Facebook", but gosh, I hardly even had the TV on and still I could use a few more hours in my day. I'm not even on the phone much.

As I sit here at my desk and computer, Buster is staring me down, wanting to go outside so he can come back inside and get his "cookie" Turbo and Badger are stretched out listening intently to traffic down the hill, any diesel trucks going by will have them bounding for the back door. Sammy is laying at my feet hoping it's soon for his evening snack. So much for being "home alone". I am a prisoner in my own house, subject to each critter. Squeaky is the only one who does her own thing and seldom demands much of me.

So tomorrow my man returns and all will be settled in our domain.

Livin' in a Small Town

2010-02-27T18:30:00.000-08:00

A small town is where when you get a wrong number you can talk for fifteen minutes anyway and probably know who called or who they were attempting to call. I use to get a call from a little lady here in town looking for “Louise”. I assured her she again had called the wrong number but asked her how she was doing and chit chatted about the weather. I think Louise recently passed away and realized I haven’t heard from that caller lately.

A small town is where everyone becomes a neighbor when there is a need to reach out due to death, fire or accident and a family is in need.

A small town is where, when I go shopping many times a week the clerks know I’m usually there for a client and when one of the clients call to add something to the list the service desk clerks tells them, yes she is still in the store, finds me and gives me the add on and when arriving at the check out I come up almost $6.00 short, the teller takes it out of her pocket and says, “catch me later”.

A small town is where someone stops to offer their condolences in the grocery store. You may not know them by name, but faces become so familiar.

A small town is where the lady, who use to frequent the Truck Stop Café while I was waitressing there, stops me at the store this week to inquire if I had received a phone call from someone? I was a little confused so I asked what about. A friend of our son’s who has been out of town for several years had mistakenly called her number (our names are similar) He had just learned of Michael’s death. He was very upset and could barely talk. She quickly looked up our number for him. He called, we cried together.

There are so many times I’m so thankful to live in a small town. Each time something like this comes up I just smile and think “Try that in the City!”

One of my favorites was the caller who identified herself, went into a long spill about why she had called. I couldn’t interrupt her so I just listened. When she was done I kind of chuckled and said, “I’m sorry, but this isn’t who you thought it was, but I know who you are…….we both laughed and I wished her “Have a nice Day!”

I’m not much of a shopper and mall crawlin’ just doesn’t do much for me either.

I get a kick out of flippin’ a “U” on main, with my horse trailer in tow.

Remembering Ben today.

2010-02-26T06:37:00.000-08:00

Old Ben.
He came to us as a "rescue dog". One of my clients who was dieing with lung cancer asked if I would please find a good home for Ben as the client knew he didn't have much time left. I assured him I would do just that, not really thinking we would be his new home. Ben has been with us over three years now.
Last fall while having him groomed there was discovered a lump under his throat. We had just previously had a growth removed from his lower lip. I thought the lump may be an abcess, but the vet was sure it was cancer. With the second hand smoke that I'm sure Ben endured for many years in his previous home he probably does have cancer. He is a very old dog, has had some bad living environments and endured some abuse at the hands of former owners. He has had three great years here with us. He grew very devoted to Pat, as all of them have. His greatest sport was chasing birds from the feeders. His tail would be circling like a helicopter as he trotted back to the porch, waiting for them to return so he could once again show them who ruled the yard. He never quarrelled with the other dogs, but sometimes just couldn't resist a bark at the cats. All in all, Ben has been pretty compatible with life here.
His health as deteriorated and today we will say goodbye. Sometimes we have to make hard decisions.

Rest in Peace "Old Ben"

Men and Women - We do not think alike!

2010-02-25T06:30:00.000-08:00

Celibacy can be a choice in life, or a condition imposed by circumstances.

While attending a Marriage Weekend,

My wife and I listened to the instructor declare,

..."It is essential that husbands

and wives know the

things that are important to each other.."

He then addressed the men,

"Can you name and describe your wife's favorite flower?'

I leaned over, touched my wife’s shoulder gently,

and whispered,

'Gold Medal-All-Purpose, isn't it?'

And thus began my life of celibacy.........

Odd Buck Deer

2010-02-21T07:25:00.000-08:00

This was one of the Bucks that visited our place this fall. We haven't seen him for a while now. I was able to get some great pictures of him. He probably had an injury to the right antler while in velvet. If he shows up again this year looking like this we will know it's a permanent thing.
Bucky, our little favorite buck did leave us a "gift" in the driveway. He shed both antlers there where we could recover them. Although small, I've got them in the house on display now.

Painting Project is Finished!

2010-02-16T17:52:00.000-08:00

This is the painting project I've been working on since just before Christmas. Not that it really took that long to complete, just took me a while to make up my mind. It was a favor for my neighbor and I enjoyed doing it for her.
She wanted the "King James" version. Thought that was interesting, didn't give it much thought, until I had completed them and then in church I happened to see this in my "New King James" version and thought for a moment I had made a mistake on "Faith" and "Faithfulness", knew it would be a job to sand off and repaint it correctly. But sure enough, "Faith" was correct according to King James. Spent some time thinking about that and you know, there is a difference here and this time I gotta give it to "King Jimmy" think his version is more correct. He also tells us that "Faith" cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
I Cor. 13 speaks of the "love gifts". And now abide faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love.
It's all good!!!

Oops!

2010-02-14T15:50:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you don't pay attention and push a button!
And these are not MY feet.

"Bloggin"

2010-02-13T18:25:00.001-08:00

Is there a school for "Bloggin?" I have read the tutorial on Blogger and according to that all my settings are correct. So I'm stumped about the comments section.

Meanwhile, I got my 2009 Taxes done today!!! Yea!!! That's always a load off my mind.

And the painting project that I have had since before Christmas is almost done. I hope to spray the sealer on tomorrow and put the finishing touches on it for delivery before Monday.

We picked up some slightly used carpet, in excellent condition and will be installing that in the bedroom on Monday......I'm anxious and apprehensive about the whole thing. We have had a leak in the corner in that room with spring thaw, so hopefully we have that problem fixed before we get a run-off. Long story there.

So for you who have tried to leave a comment, I am working on the pesky little thing.

Wash Day

2010-02-09T05:53:00.000-08:00

Wash Day..........

Monday Wash Day
Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead.
Tuesday Ironing Day
Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected through the years so that I may see the beauty in others.
Wednesday Mending Day
O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.
Thursday Cleaning Day
Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.
Friday Shopping Day
O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal happiness for myself and all others in need of love.
Saturday Cooking Day
Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.
Sunday the Lord's Day
O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.

Chicken with Cranberries and Oranges

2010-02-08T06:14:00.000-08:00

Sauce Ingredients:

1 11 oz. can mandarin oranges (drained)
8 oz whole berry cranberry sauce
4 oz. fat-free French style dressing (western)
1 1.15 pkg dried onion soup mix

Mix the sauce ingredients and refrigerate couple hours or overnight

8 boneless, skinless, split chicken breasts (I used 3# bag of chicken tenders)
Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Place chicken in baking dish with lid, or pan and cover with tin foil.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350. Remove from oven
Drain off excess liquid. Sprinkle chicken on one side with the Lawry's .
Smother chicken with sauce. Return to oven and bake uncovered for approximately another 30 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and sauce is hot.

Good Morning

2010-02-08T05:55:00.001-08:00

I start my day tired, but encouraged. Our church has a tradition and now having attended there for several months, kind of "caught on" to the whole thing. So, 1st and 3rd Sundays they do not have evening services, instead they use that time to fellowship in homes. We have been invited several times for dinner. Usually there will be 2 or more families, a light meal and just lots of time to visit and get to know each other more....great time.
Our living quarters are smaller than what we have had over the past several years, but I decided we could invite one family and I chose a family that we had not had the chance to fellowship with other places. For some reason I thought they only had 3 children still at home. When I confirmed that they would come for dinner and confirmed they had 3 children, he corrected me to say we have 5, so that would be a total of 7 for the evening plus us. Wow! now I've got my job cut out for me. We were able to put both "leafs" in the table and rounded up some extra chairs and the table was set beautifully.
God truly blessed the food I prepared and what a wonderful time we had. They arrived at 5:00 p.m. and the next four hours flew by. We ladies and girls cozzied up in my office, pouring over painting books, photo albums and some scrapbooking ideas. The men and boys were clustered in the livingroom enjoying discussing scriptures and experiences.
Tried a new recipe and WOW was it ever good. Chicken with cranberries and oranges. Was like so "gourmet" and really easy.
God's blessing on our day was sweet. Hope each of you have a great week!

Hello!

2010-02-04T06:32:00.001-08:00

Well, I "axed" the last template. Hopefully this one will work for me.

Big plans in the "making"..........I'm going to California!!!! Yes, the first week of April I hope to be in California with Lisha and her family. It will be the first real vacation I've had in years. Pat's staying home to manage the "herd" here.

Meanwhile, I've been busy renewing my skills in tole painting. I did a lot of this over 10 years ago, even taught classes. Amazingly some of my paints are still good. My brushes are very used and I'm finding a need a few new ones to make the pretty strokes. I saved a few books and have been scanning those for ideas and patterns.

Hoping this new template will give me some encouragement to "get on with it" and enjoy blogging again.

"Bummed"

2010-02-01T15:58:00.000-08:00

I'm totally discouraged with this new template. I've spent hours researching new ones and nothing is like I wanted it. This one drives me crazy trying arranging elements and no one can post to it.....so bear with me.
Thought about trying to design my own, but the hours and hours to study the tutorials, etc.

Hope all is well with each of you.

New Template

2010-01-27T14:52:00.000-08:00

Well, here's hoping I can work with this template.

2010-01-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

I have spent hours researching new templates, finally found one I liked, but can't get it to "upload".......got a movie waiting for me, so thinks I'll go do that now......maybe tomorrow it will all come to me.......
Meanwhile....... All is well here in the "tundra"

What Women Really Want

2010-01-15T08:01:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know, Mel Gibson did this, but there's so much more to "What Women Really Want"
Several years ago we attended a seminar, the speaker had never been married, and yet he so nailed this topic....."Men, if you really want to make your wife happy, build her a shelf"
I guess a lot of women had told him this thru the years and you know there is so much truth in it.
We women have a need to "nest" and make a place for our "stuff".....we love shelves, closets, storage pieces, etc.
So with that said, I got it all!!! Well, maybe not ALL.......but BIG.......really B I G!!!

For my Christmas Pat and Stayton ( and Kody was here for some of it too!), built the much needed closet in our bedroom. That room had never had a closet in it and we've been using a makeshift, temporary unit (for 2 years now). So, while I was away at work they cut, sawed, hammered and screwed the thing together.......

Maybe you don't get the whole impact, but here's the deal. The closet is 19.6 wide, floor to ceiling is at least 9'. There is 12' of just closet rod ( 6' for each of us) and I measured over 60 feet of shelf space.........60 feet!!!!. There's large storage area in the top part, which will accommodate 8 large totes ( bedding, pillows, etc) And our 42" TV set is right in the middle, like a large movie screen.........oh yea........that's so much what this woman really wanted!!! Storage, space and organization!!!!

I would have posted this earlier, but I've been busy "organizing" all my "stuff"

January - Changes & New Beginnings

2010-01-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

While visiting with a friend recently I remembered something about January. It is my birth month, that was a big change and new beginning for me. I don't remember it but I was there for the event.

Looking back, I have kept a few notes on where we have lived and jobs I have had.
Jan 1968- I boarded a Greyhound bus the day before my 16th birthday, destined for a new start in life with a family I had never met to make a "safe" place for me and my baby due in a few months.
Jan 1969- I boarded a flight to southern California to join my new husband, now in the Marine Corps, for our new life and family together.
Jan 1975 - Moved to Hayden
Jan 1983- Moved to Moses Lake, WA
Jan 1989 - Returned to work at Steamboat Resorts - job I really enjoyed
Jan 1993 - Opened retail gift shop - Country Junction Giftshop
Jan 1999 - Went to work at TK's Truckstop (with Kelley and Tracy)
Jan 2001 - American Family Insurance
Jan 2004 - Craig Chamber of Commerce
Jan 2010 - still unknown, but expecting "something" to happen this month.

So, maybe this is another year for something significant to happen in January?

Hope it's something really good.

Made it!!

2009-12-28T05:48:00.001-08:00

Had a lot going on the last few weeks, but couldn't "spill the beans"....

I have not decorated for Christmas for the last three years. We had just moved in here two weeks before Christmas of 2007. It was our first Christmas without Michael, didn't really want to do much that year. All (and I mean all) our Christmas decorations were in the back of a 5X10 storage unit that was stacked so full, you hoped nothing would hit you in the head when you rolled up the door.

Last year it was overwhelming to even consider trying to get to the Christmas stuff. We did have a small tree that someone was replacing. I picked up a strand of garland at the thrift store, borrowed a string of lights and we had a nice little tree.

I decided that this year I would get the stuff out of storage and decorate once again. Fortunately for me, the storage facility had an empty unit next to ours and they allowed me to borrow that unit to sort thru ours.......so I dug out everything, moved it over to the borrowed unit and out came the Christmas....I knew there was a lot there. I had been decorating to the "max" for years in our 2 previous homes.......if you can imagine this.....we lived on hillside area on the south side of town...the high school sets on a hillside area in the north side of town, it's about a 4 mile drive. Well, our house was so well "lighted" that you could pick it out from across town at night.
So anyway, Pat had to help me load up the boxes to take them to another temporary holding site until closer to Christmas ( this has been a long process). As we began to load up the truck, I found it amusing, he began the "drone"......."all this Christmas!!! I had no idea you had this much stuff". We filled the truck bed and stuffed the rest into the back seat. There was a lot of stuff!

As we begin to put back all the other "stuff" into our storage unit I began my "drone".....all this camping "stuff"??? How many tents do you have anyway? What are you GOING to do with all this "stuff" All these "books"??? What are you going to do with all this "stuff"????

So......back to Christmas......... I did decorate the house, even managed to get a tree lighted outside. Made my traditional Christmas candies to send out, had to do all of it "undercover" so as not spoil the suprise for my family.

Stayton's expression was priceless when he walked in and seen the house, found the peanut butter balls in the fridge. Mischel had just spoken with me on the phone, "Gee mom, that would have been nice to have some of that Christmas candy you use to make"....I said "Oh, yea, I could make some of that".......little did she know it was on it's way to her house that day. She called less than an hour later....."Mom!!! It's so good!! We both had a good laugh. Lisha's box arrived the day after Christmas, but the wait was worth it.

All in all, we had a nice Christmas. I'm reminded that God has never let us down. He has blessed us each year in unique and special ways, our memories are priceless and His love has no measure.