Date Day

Hubby made a marriage declaration!!! It was way past time for a date day.

I couldn't disagree with him. I mean our last official date vacation was last August to Wisconsin so it was definitely time. I have been working on that work project since last August it feels like so we took a day off just to spend with each other.

Of course one of the cats gets sick and needs to go to the vet, so we do that first thing in the morning. Then we come home and get a few more chores done. Finally I say - we go now or I am starting a 2 hour baking project.

Out the door we go. First we had an early lunch and then it was off to the zoo. What was hubby thinking????? Every school kid in a 3 state area along with adult supervisors and other various parents with strollers and babies were there that day. So much for a quiet day at the zoo. We made the best of things.  We did go to the butterfly house as that is my favorite part of the zoo. It is only one room but full of humming birds and butterflies and other small ground birds.  As you can see in the photos below, the butterflies thought hubby's Green Bay Packer hat was something special. How fun!!!

There is a second part to the butterfly house that houses various bugs and creatures. I do NOT like bugs so we scurried though that part to get out the exit.

With all the people we decided to walk the zoo instead of visit buildings. We walked the perimeter where there were way fewer people. It is nice with most folks being so lazy these days, it was a fairly quiet walk. We saw the prairie dogs. There were signs saying keep away and do not feed. Some idiots can't read and were doing just that.  Can't fix stupid so I'm sure the prairie dogs will be fenced off soon - not to keep them in but to keep idiot people out!

Next was up by the rhinos, around the lake, through the plant garden, by some hoof stock and back to the entrance. It was a great day to have a date.

After the zoo we heading to look at campers. We have nothing to pull a camper with but it was fun deciding what we would pick if we did.

Next we stopped at our frequent haunt - Menard's. Picked up a few things and made it home in time to greet the children getting home from school.

We made a nice dinner and sat on the deck for a while.

I call it a VERY successful date day! I can't wait for the next one.  I have it planned. :-)

Mission Trip

You know how this summer has been very busy for the kids, well here is something daughter wrote after her trip to Texas to help others. It was more than I found out about her week by trying to pry it out of her.

First is the version I got out of her, then read the version she wrote so nicely for church.

Me - How was your trip?
A - Fine.
Me - What did you do?
A - WORKED! I got blisters from a shovel. It was horrible. I didn't have any fun.
Me - Did you get to swim?
A - Shrugs shoulders. Hey can I go over to M's house?

Now the nicer version I wasn't even told she wrote!!!

Mission Trip

 

July 18, 2013

 

"Do this and Remember Me." Luke 22:19         This was the main Bible verse for our mission trip week. To me, it means God wants us to do his work and help other people to remember him. On our mission trip we went to Ft. Worth Texas and other towns close by. We went to the Salvation Army and helped clean there and did any work they asked. That same day we went to the Food Bank and sorted food for them. Our group did so much work and it was a good thing and helped a lot of people. I will definitely remember it.         The last two days we were there we went to Camp Briarwood. Our group did yard work outside all day! We cut down trees and branches that were in the way of the trail and put dirt back into a trench. Let me say that, that is the most I have ever sweated before. Also at the camp I thought it was really nice of them to let us eat lunch with them. They really appreciated our work there and even though I got cuts, blisters, and bug bites I still am glad that I helped. This mission trip helped me have a stronger faith in God and myself.         One night at worship they made a cloth and they were going to give each one of us a piece of it to help us remember our experience. It was very touching for me. Hopefully another day I will go on another mission trip like this one.    Dear God,   I pray for all the people that we helped and for all the good things that happened this week. In Jesus name we pray, Amen   -A. Reed Teenagers...

A little bit of love

My husband and I ride to work together. Part of our ritual is before we get out of the car we give each other a kiss.

This morning we were both mad. He was mad at me and I was mad at him. It was a quiet ride to work with him sitting cross armed in the passenger seat and me grumbling as I am driving.

We get to work and I park. I just want to get out of the car and run screaming away. It is time for our morning ritual. I look over and there he is all puppy eyed looking at me. He is all puckered up and ready.

I say, "What do YOU want?"

He bats his eyes, leans closer and says "Trouble, that's why I married you."

Me - anger floating away as I kiss him.

Daughter Ann - BRAG BRAG BRAG

Sometimes I think my little Ann gets jealous. Her brother Vern has a blog and I write about him all the time and she gets NOTHING. I mean HOW unfair is that??? I like to treat my kids as individuals. Each one has unique strengths and should be treated differently. I don't care that they think this is SOOOO unfair. That is the way it is. They all get perks, just different ones depending on them.

I have to take a blog and brag about my daughter Ann. SHE IS AMAZING. She doesn't take praise well so this will be hard for her to read but I hope deep down she really does like her mama bragging her up. :-)

She is a great kid. She plays the flute and is learning guitar. She is very opinionated and beautiful and not afraid to speak her mind. Well last year when they were signing up for classes I talked her into a business class. She was hesitant but I thought she needed to try something different than her brother so she agreed.  In this class they had a project with a partner dealing with the stock market.  She and her partner (guy in purple shirt) bought stock (in this state wide program) with $100,000 play money. In the 12 weeks or so of the program they were competing with 100's of other teams in the state to see who could make the most money.

 

 

Well at the end of this time Ann and her partner ended up winning!!!!!!!!!! Not only did they win the spring 2013 competition, they won the entire year for the high school division.  They ended the program with $146,035!!!! That is almost a 50% return on their money. I should have given them real money to invest.

 

They had to give a small presentation for being the winning team in their division. The crowd loved it when they said they learned about price curves, rates of return, and dividends but what did they do? They threw all that out the window and picked stocks they liked! Something to be said for plain old common sense investing.

 

Here are a couple pictures during their presentation.

Just a cute picture of Ann leaving the podium.  She was so embarrassed her mom was there and taking pictures on top of it!!!

Here she is with her trophies...both the spring and overall.

The same week Ann was also confirmed. Here is a picture of her and me at her confirmation banquet which ended up being the same day as the other presentation.  She had a couple parties to celebrate her confirmation and choice to love God.

Finally to end on the most amazing note, I received her report card for the second semester today.  I have been told she gets her brains from her mother. :-)

Second Semester Report card:

English 9             A
PE 9                     A
Spanish I              A
Algebra                A
Phy Science         A
World History     A
Band 9                 A
Intro to Business A


GREAT JOB!!!!!! I am very proud to say you are my daughter. Keep up the good work and maybe I'll blog about you again. HEE HEEE

Sisters

I have had this blog for a while now so I thought it was about time to talk about one of my favorite people - My Sister!

She is great. No that is an understatement. She puts up with me. She tells me like it is. She loves me for me. She stands up for me and doesn't stab me in the back. We seem to go through a lot of the same things and it is nice to have someone relate and be there for me. She is corny and off the wall. She is not afraid to try new things. She is as opinionated as I am so it makes for lively debates!  We live W-A-Y to far apart but still manage to stay close via our cell phones (Thank God).

Soon we will be having our annual shopping trip. We each drive about 1/2 way and meet up for an entire day of shopping, laughing, eating, and "green fog". (Only SHE will get that last one.)

She is a beautiful person - inside and out. She is spunky and smart and fun to be around. Everyone should have a sister like her and I am glad she is mine!!!

 

I love you sista!

 

Obit - Snowball Henson

We have closure.
Snowball has come home.
Snowball went off on one of his "adventures" almost a month ago.  We actually thought coyotes or something got him as he had been gone so long.

I went to pick up my daughter Saturday and found him. Just up the hill. He was trying to cross the road to come home and some unloving person decided hitting him was the right thing to do. Even in death he seemed happy.

We all cried. I went home, got a towel and brought him home for good. He is now under a tree where he can watch birds for a long time. Going to miss that drooling love bug of a cat!

 

True Love

I do not know the circumstances behind this couples death but the romantic in me is choosing to believe they just couldn't live without each other. This appeared (some things deleted) in our local newspaper.

Ramona Stevenson, 81, died Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012, in Blair and Feris Stevenson, 88,  died Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, in Blair.
A combined memorial service will be 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21, at Sievers-Sprick Funeral Home. There is no visitation. A private interment is planned.

Ramona Wilson was born July 19 in Elliott.

Feris Stevenson was born Sept. 19 in Hamburg.

He served in World War II.

The couple married on August 28, 1978.

Mr. Stevenson lived on and loved the Missouri River for approximately 25 years. 

The couple shared a love of fishing and camping and loved to fish at Summit Lake.

The couple is survived by children and their spouses.

Memorials may be directed to the family.

I want this to be how myself and my husband go to the great beyond.

Proud Mom Moment

I have to share a proud mom moment. My daughter is growing into an amazing young woman and she wrote the following for her confirmation class. I had to share because it shows me she does listen to God. I am very proud of her!

The Right Paths

Proverbs 22:6 Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave.        Sometimes I feel lost. I feel like I don't know where the right path is. That's when my mom comes in. She tells me go to church and listen and hopefully God will lead you to where you need to go and how to be successful in life. Then God talks to me and tells me where to go and not to be afraid. Sometimes the right path is not always easy. Sometimes it is hard to understand. Once you find that path you will not want to leave. You will want to keep coming back.   Dear God, help me find the path I need. Help me understand your teachings, forgive me when I am wrong. I will love you as you always do to me. Protect me and keep me safe. In your name I pray. Amen.   Ali 9th Grade Confirmation Class

With age and experience...

It is one of those memories you never forget. Grandparents are great for that, giving you memories to cherish and last a life time. These  memories you can go back to years later with a new understanding and appreciation for the grandparent that gave you that precious memory in the first place.  Next I will be sharing once such memory.

Long ago I would go to visit my grandma and granddad on their farm. Now their farm was only about 30 miles from the farm I lived on but as a kid it seemed a LONG way away. We would spend a week there in the summer plus have other visits throughout the year. My grandmother always had me in awe.  This particular memory is of her baking. It is why I love to bake today. Baking shows LOVE. Our family was never big on saying I Love Yous and mushiness but boy could we eat and my grandmother was a fabulous cook. Every day she would cook a huge lunch for her husband, son, brother-in-law and anyone else helping on the farm. Her rule was be in the house and ready to eat at noon on the dot or else! Those men were always on time.

When I was there she would find some time during the day to let me "help" with her baking. Some days it would be cookies. Others her famous cinnamon rolls or hot butter rolls and on special occasions - PIE.  Grandma was a dumper/pourer. I always wondered how she could just pull ingredients out of the cubboard, mix this and that, once in a great while peek at a recipe and WA LA. Delicious food every single time! I was amazed. Of course she would let me stir this or flour that and taste all I wanted. (No wonder I'm fat...) On those days she made pie, she would always make extra crust and the left over pieces she would sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake on a cookie sheet. Now if you have never had this it is to die for...and it was made even better because Grandma's love went into this special treat for her granddaughters.  Still I would often just look at her in amazement on how she did it.  I even remember asking her a time or two, "How do you know how to make this stuff?" "She would just smile and say I've made this a thousand times. It gets easier."  Of course as a kid this made no sense to me and I just stuffed more into my mouth.

My grandmother has been gone almost 15 years now. I still miss her smiles, naughtiness, laughter, and home of love.

The other day I was making apple crisp. As I was getting the ingredients out and mixing the "crisp" part I thought..."Gee I'd better check the recipe to see if I happened to forget anything." BAM
It hit me. I was only peeking at the recipe myself! My grandmother and this memory I have came flooding back and almost made me cry. Her words now make perfect sense to me now as an adult who has cooked and baked for more years than I care to remember. I have even mastered pie baking in honor of my grandmother. My crusts are just as amazing as hers according to my parents. (insert big smile here)

Thanks grandma Betty for instilling in me the love of baking, dumping and pouring, being naughty while smiling with flour on my nose, cackling at funny things with no abandon, and showing my love through the food I make.

 

Tribute to Mia

I hate writing this. It brings up the hurt and pain but Mia deserves a tribute so I will do this.

She was our little pumpkin. We rescued her, gave her a good life for the time we had her. She learned to smile with us!

Last Thursday she had a seizure. She had not had one for over a month with her new medication.  We went to check on her later in the evening and poor Mia had gotten worse. She was ice cold and her bowels had let loose.  We immediately called the vet and he said it sounded like she was in hypoglycemic shock.  We gave her some honey, held her to warm her. She seemed to perk up a bit so we put her in a box wrapped in towels by our bed.  In the morning she seemed a lot perkier but still could not stand. She drank water but was unable to keep food down.  We nestled her in her kennel and went to check on her at lunch.

Lunchtime visit was NOT good. She was worse so we took her into the vet. While there she began vomiting blood. We didn't want to admit it but it was time to say good-bye.

Mia can now run and play and chase cars. We miss her terribly. I miss her toenail tapping on the floor, her running right behind me no matter where I went. I miss her playing with me in the morning and rubbing on my leg like a cat.

You were a good girl Mia. (*sniff*) I miss you pumpkin!

It's only 10 - why is it so hard???

I mean just look at them, individually they are not hard or difficult. They all make sense and make you a better person for doing them.  Our shortsightedness, our me - me - me attitude, our laziness, our excuse making, and many more all lead to messing these 10 simple things up each and every day.
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

Now you may think, I never do this. I believe in God and not a gold statue. I'm safe! Sorry, not so fast. Money, jobs, material things are all lumped into this other gods category. When something like that new pair of shoes comes up even when you have 50 pair at home...Shoe god has won and you have sinned.

2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.

I actually get upset when people use the GD or JC in cursing but sinful me rarely says anything to that person doing the swearing. Isn't that just as bad accepting someone else saying it?  Plus even though I rarely use those names in vain I do use other curse words. I think that is a sin also because swearing only brings negativity into your life.

3. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

I have a lot of troubles with this one. Yes I go to church but sometimes make feeble excuses not to go. I also work a LOT on Sundays. I catch up on home chores that do not get done during the week when I am working long hours.  I need to learn how to slow down and enjoy everything good I have in my life.  Take a breather people!

4. Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother.

No matter how mad you get at your parents, respect them. This needs to occur no matter what their age. Even if you are an adult, respect them. They really did do the best they could and helped to mold you into what you are today. Both the good and the bad. If they were bad parents you learned what not to do. If they were great parents, they modeled you into good things you can use when you become a parent. If they are gone, still honor them.

5. Thou shalt not kill.

 Boy this should be an easy one right?  I mean I have never physically killed another human being but there maybe more to this one.  I believe you can kill another person's spirit just from hurting them with words.  I know some of my hopes and dreams as a person were killed and stopped just by an others words. Be careful what you say in addition to what you do.

6. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Another one that by it self should be easy but in today's technological society I think the devil is winning this one. Porn and sex are all over every technology media device out there. Plus it is in so many other media such as billboards, books, and every where you turn.  It is not only men who do this. The women always try to act so innocent on this one but they are just as bad!  I don't think you should become an isolationist but you do need to try to limit your exposure to this sort of thing.

7. Thou shalt not steal.

This one is crazy.  When I think about it I was told in one breath not to do this but in the next breath if someone gave me extra change back I was to shut up and keep it???? Definitely not right but that is how I was brought up. In no way does it make it right, just pointing out that even in a Christian household things are sinful.

8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

This one is easy to break and not even think about. How many times did you see something that was not right going on and you either walked, bicycled, or drove right by thinking oh someone else can help them out. What if the shoe was on the other foot? What if it was you that was needing help and everyone just passed you by?  Be nice to others. Do the right thing. Pay it forward.

9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.

This is another one in today's society that is easy to make excuses for not following. Cell phones are a great example. EVERYONE has to have the iPhone. Even if they have no idea how to use it or why they need it so bad. Joe has it and says its the best so I need it to! Suri sounds like fun so I just HAVE to have it. Do you really? Stand back and think about it. Do you have a legitimate need or are you just coveting?

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

This ties into #9 only expands to include everything other than the house. God will give you what you need. Be happy with what you have and enjoy the good things in life. I know easier said than done. Wake up tomorrow and try harder.

Please remember these are just my rambling thoughts. I am sure God would look upon my words and find many things I should have said better, differently, or more clearly. I am trying to do my best to think about and explain them to possibly help someone else see the message.
One thing I have learned in my years on earth - the right thing is ALWAYS the harder thing to do. It is way easier to be bad, mad, accusatory, gossip. Heck some of them even temporarily feel better but in the end never the right thing in God's eye.

We have one thing that makes following these 10 items impossible - our sinful nature. It's in our blood to disobey. To be "naughty" and disobey our Father.  Talk about a catch - 22 to be in.  Zowie. I don't have any answers just ideas to try.

I guess I will sum it up with this:
THANK YOU LORD for sending Jesus to die for our sins. We need it badly!

Ice Cream!!!

Wow.

That is all I can say.

I went to Leatherbys in Salt Lake City.

They make their own ice cream in their restaurant.

Saying it is amazing is an understatement.

As Amy said, "It's a bit like heaven."

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

If you ever get out to that area, I would HIGHLY recommend stopping in for one of their specialties.  I had Jill's concoction.  I had to take a photo of the creation!!!

I brought a doggy cup home for my co-workers. They were yanking it out of each others hands to fight for it. It is THAT good.

Zookeeper!

Here is one reason why sometimes I do not get to blog... THE ZOO. I would like to introduce you to some of our pets, or as I like to call them family extensions. I love them all but they sure as heck can be as frustrating as family members.

Let's start off with the newest member of the family. This is Snowball. He arrived mewing plaintively on a very cold and snowy night - thus the name.  He was Snowflake until we discovered he was an intact male. That name just didn't seem masculine enough so my daughter changed it to Snowball. He is minus the balls now except for in his name! (hee hee)

When I went out to take my first pictures of him I couldn't find him until I looked up. Yep, he is on the roof of our home. He is quite the character and OHHH SOOO LOVEY! He is quickly earning a place in my heart.

Snowball loves Mia as you can see in this next photo. I think Snowball wishes Mia would be a little bit more aggressive but he loves her all the same. He will go running to lay down and roll in front of her like the picture below. She sniffs him and sometimes falls over on him. He doesn't mind.

Mia, the dog smaller than the cats, you have met in a prior post if you have read for very long. She is a toy fox terrier with severe medical conditions. We rescued her and are doing our best. She is not a good fit for our busy household and would do much better in a quiet home but we love her all the same.

Here we have Buddy. The poor thing is misnamed. She should have a nice feminine name but we had no say in naming her. She was also a rescue kitty and came to us severely traumatized.  After 9 months she is finally calming down and has been known to rub on my legs occasionally. I am SO happy she is recovering and beginning to trust me.  Her meow will never be normal but that is what makes her unique.  The flash hurt her eyes so I couldn't get a good shot with her eyes open.

I had to throw this next shot it. I was in a mood with the camera getting all these shots of the pets when my son came home. I think he thought the paparazzi was after him! Nope, just mom being silly telling him YES he is one of the pets. HA HA!

Next we have a long-timer. This is Suzi. She has had her own MySpace page and now she has her own Facebook page.  We sometimes refer to her as the Queen.  She and her brother came to me as adults so I had no say in naming these guys either!!! I see a trend. Their prior owner was an older gentleman who had to go into a nursing home and couldn't take them. I have probably had them for 6-7 years.  Suzi is very timid with everyone except her brother. She has been known to open a can of whoop ass on him when she thinks he is out of line.  Suzi's favorite thing to do is saddle up to the food dish and have her way with a big bowl of kibble. She also L-O-V-E-S the brush. She will actually start drooling when she sees it and prance around for at least 1/2 hour getting brushed. I can relate to Suzi. :-)

Next we have Suzi's brother Snoopy. He is outgoing, friendly, and has kidney and bladder issues. He is terminal but we don't know how long. So we love him every day and try to keep him out of trouble.  He loves to open doors and will pound on them if they are locked shut until someone comes to visit him.  His territory is now in the basement as his urinary issues were partially to blame for a spray fest upstairs.

I would love to say he was waving for me but to get his attention I was dangling something in front of him to get this shot. He loves playing with string. He weighs in at around 16 pounds so quite the lug when he decides to jump on your stomach!

This, my friends, is SHEENA, princess warrior. Doesn't she look like a warrior in this picture? I mean seriously she looks as if she is going to claw my eyes out at any moment for taking this picture of her. She is our garage/outside kitty. She does not like Snowball at all! I am sure she could just sit on him and be done with it but she would rather his and run. I hope they learn to tolerate each other soon.

These next photos are more peripheral pets but still count as we take care of them.  This first one is of my pond. The pond does not look so pretty in the winter but in this photo you can see in the bottom left corner if you look closely an orange color. That is one of our 7 fish.  Some of these fish have lived in our pond for years. We have one old one I call Blackie. He is a black gold fish and rules the roost. They are relaxing to watch in the summer.

These are more our winter time pets. We feed the wild birds.  They are fun to watch and we get quite a variety of birds to our feeders. The husband even gets to take pictures!

So there you have it. Why my blogs are sometimes slow in coming. I'm probably cleaning up cat barf or changing a litter box but I love them all!  Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Valentines Day!

Sending my love to my readers. I appreciate you reading my blog/blathering/random thoughts!!!


First the appreciative one:

And then the funny one for my weird sense of humor!!!

Love ya!

Cherished

This little audio clip is one of my MOST cherished treasures.

This is my now 13 year old daughter when she was 2 or 3. She had just learned to talk in sentances.  She is a smart little cookie and had memorized The Lord's Prayer.

http://www.box.net/shared/qq3cb9ozizius7r421f7


Most times for me, the important things can NOT be purchased.