Jane's friend, Shelley's Peanut Butter Bars but you can call them "Nancy's Peanut Butter Bars"

A couple of you have asked for this recipe, so here it is:

Cream the 1st three ingredients together:

1 1/2 cubes butter

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

Add rest of the ingredients to the creamed mixture:

1 egg

1-1/2 t. vanilla

1/4 c. peanut butter

1-1/2 c. flour

3/4 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

2 c. oatmeal

Spread dough on large cookie dripper. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let cool for maybe 5 minutes, then spread 3-4 spoonsful of peanut butter over the cookie. (I used enough to have the whole thing covered with a thin layer of peanut butter.) Wait until the peanut butter sets up. Then melt 11 oz. of chocolate chips and spread over the peanut butter. Let cool, then cut into small squares, as it is very rich. They are not quite so messy if you have time to let the chocolate set up.

Mother's Day Poem

Once the kids were old enough and had money of their own to buy me gifts for Mother's Day, I told Paul not to buy me anything because "I am not your mother." So, Sunday morning he presented me with a little package, and I was thinking to myself "I am not your mother." I opened the card first and read the poem that he had written all by himself...with nobody helping him:

I know you're not my Mother.

(I'm glad of that, My Dear).

I've watched you be the best Mom yet

year-after-year-after-year.

Now all our kids have departed,

And left us alone in this house.

Even though you're not My Mother

I'm so thankful that you are...

My Spouse.

How sweet is that?!

Mother's Day

(First of all, I'm sorry that Jim and Joe were not around when these pictures were taken.)

It's been Mother's Day all day long, and there is just something different about it when all the kids are gone from the nest. Paul did offer to make breakfast, of course, but I was in the thick of making cinnamon rolls, so didn't take him up on it. That was probably wrong of me, now that I think about it. I remember when the kids were little and would each do part of the meal preparation with breakfast in bed and dinners. They have a great dad who taught them the importance of service on Mother's Day and to respect me always. And now I get to watch them in their motherhood roles. It's been said that I don't know which is more fun...to watch the grand kids or to watch their mothers interact with them.

I'm missing my own mom today and wishing I could call her and have a nice, long visit. I would love to get some advice from her. I would love to brag about my children and grandchildren to her. I would love to reminisce with her. I would love to thank her for all she did for me and what she means to me today.

I hope she already knows what I would say to her.

You know, on Mother's Day you just can't help but think about all the things you have done with your kids over the years, the things they have done and the funny things they have said. You miss those early years. Sometimes you would like to have those days back. And then the precious grandchildren come along. What a blessing to be a mother and a grandmother! Wouldn't trade it for anything!

This is Ricky Barrett

Katy told me that I should blog this story, so here goes:

In 1982 I taught the Valiant A2 class in Primary. The nine-year-olds. The only reason I know the year is because the presidency made a little memory book and put all the class pictures inside with each teacher doing a little write-up about his or her class. I still have that little booklet. I will copy, in part, what I wrote because it is the background for this post:

"It has been a special privilege for me to teach this class for the full year of 1982. Our class is small...only three boys and three girls: Ricky Barrett, Henry Dennison, Jeff Holmes, Kristi Borchert, Joan Wilsey, and my daughter, Jane. Because of our small class it's always been very nice when it's been our turn to do opening exercises or the sharing time presentation because we've all been able to participate. I have sincerely thrilled at the way the children have taken the responsibility to memorize their parts and really do their best. I remember the day Ricky had a speaking part during the presentation. I whispered a few words at a time to him, and he repeated them. This may not seem like much to a visitor, but it was the first time Ricky had ever been before a group with a speaking part. And that first time always means so much." (I'm remembering back now and wondering why it seemed like everyone just assumed he couldn't participate...because he was autistic.) "But because he was, it meant even more. That's why I was not the only one with tears in my eyes. Two of my children, Joan and Henry, have been extra good to help with Ricky. They sit by him and rub his back and talk to him to help him be quiet. This they have done on their own and shows me how compassionate even a child can be. It has been a good experience for all of us to have Ricky in our class."

The story continues...several years ago, prior to 1998 by a bit, I received a letter from Ricky saying he had found me on the Internet. He said he remembered me from Primary and that I had told him, "Toys do not belong in church." He had remembered that little piece of information from the time he was nine until he was around 25 years old. Wow, that is some kind of memory. And the funny part is that I can just hear myself saying that; I'm sure I did.

Over the years he sent more letters. When he was on vacation he would send postcards. Then he would email me. Now he mostly just calls. He's calling every month or so now. Because of his autism he will say things that are pretty funny, for example, if he leaves a message on the answering machine he will always begin by saying, "This is Ricky Barrett calling around 7:28 p.m., make that 7:29, Southern Texas time. I was calling to see if you're home, Nancy, at whatever time it is out there." About two months ago he let me know that he was coming to Tucson with his mom in May and wanted to see me while he was here. He was only going to be here Saturday and Sunday...last weekend, so I told him it would be nice if he could meet me at church and maybe there would be some others who remembered him when he was a little boy or who he would remember. The stake had been divided since then and there were only three of us from that original Primary board when he was in my Valiant A2 class. So he was able to visit with them. I think it pleased him. His family is not active in the church, so his mother did not come in, but Ricky stayed for the whole time, even though it is not something he would have done at home. He's visited a couple of times before so I guess there are more visits in our future. Sweet. It's interesting how the heart and mind work.

No Smoking Allowed

No Smoking Allowed

I have a story to tell.

It happened at Austin's last night, after square dancing.

We always go there for ice cream with our friends Bernie and Dottie.

As we pulled into the parking lot I noticed one of our regular waiters

smoking outside the building.

He came over to take our order, and I said,

"Was that you smoking outside the building?!" "Yes."

Then I said something like, "Cigarettes will kill you, you know.

And I like you and I would be very sad if that happened. I think you should stop smoking."

He said, "OK." Just like that.

Later in the evening when he came back around to our table I said,

"If you're going to quit smoking you might as well give me your cigarettes."

And he handed over the pack.

Because it was mostly full

Bernie thought I should leave it on the table. No Way!

Then I had a brilliant idea...I had taken cookies to the Square Dance

and had about four dozen left over, so I sent Paul to the car to get them.

I asked one of the employees for a take-out container and put all the cookies in it.

On our way out I gave the cookies to that young man.

He acted pretty tickled about it, actually, and

shared with fellow employees, giving me the "thumbs up."

I was glad I had so many cookies left over because

it made for a better "trade." Also it was quite the coincidence

that I even had cookies at all, let alone think about giving them away.

I hope this story has a happy, successful ending.

Family Favorites: Snickerdoodles and Whirligigs.

Extended General Conference Weekend

On our way to a square dance festival in Laughlin, NV we stopped to spend the night with Nick and Elizabeth in Phoenix. This is their guest bedroom. Don't you love the lime green and hot pink with a splash of orange? And check out the cute, funky drapes. I wouldn't have dared, but Elizabeth can pull it off. The rest of the house is equally as fun and eclectic. Thank you garage sales and IKEA.

The next stop was Riverside, CA. to see Charlie, Katy, & Jim. Don't you just want to squeeze

her? The new Lazy-boy rocker had arrived that day so I was glad to be able to see it "in person", rather than in a photo. It's the hot pink one in the background. A brave color for a nursery, but it looks fabulous! We also got to see the finished kitchen. They painted the oak cabinets black, which made me nervous, but it was smashing...and SO Katy.

I brought a darling book for Charlie entitled "You are My I Love You." It starts out, "I am your

parent; you are my child. I am your quiet place; you are my wild." Of course I read it as "I am your grandma; you are my grandchild." As you can see, Charlie is taking in every word. She loves books and she's only seven weeks old. I read a Dr. Seuss book to her before, and it was a l...o...n...g one, but she never lost interest. While we were there Katy spent all her free time helping me learn how to put photos on my blog. She has more patience than anyone I know. So, thanks to her, my blogs should have a little more pizzazz from now on.

We spent one night there before going to the boat. Then the Willards (Parry & Linda) came from Simi Valley to join us in San Diego, but stopped to see Charlie and her parents and the new house on their way.

Love it, love it when the Willards can come to the boat! Parry is the Bishop of his ward so General Conference weekends are about the only times he can get away. We never have to have anything major planned to do...we just love to visit and go to our favorite places to eat. It's a bonus that we have satelite TV and can watch Conference in our pajamas if we want to.

They claimed they were just resting their eyes while watching Conference. What do you think?

Early Sunday evening the Willards headed for home and we headed to Laughlin, NV for a Square Dance Festival. We arrived just in time to be coaxed into dancing the last "tip".

Four couples from our Tucson clubs.

(L-R) Carl & Cheryl, Mona & Ron, Nancy & Paul, Bernie & Dottie

The festival continued for two more days. We never go to the workshops because we think two nights of dancing is enough, plus I am not too crazy about dancing the "boys" position, and they do that a lot at the workshops. Too confusing for me. Anyway, I love square dancing! You might say it's my passion. And we have some wonderful friends because of the twice-a-week dancing.

It's all about the petticoats. This is my favorite one! Any wonder?

"Weave the Ring!" Let the petticoats fly!

Square dancers come in all sizes. This was my "corner". Don't we make a cute pair?

Instead of dancing in the morning, we chose to go on a jet boat to see The London Bridge. It was a fun trip, a bit bumpy, but a better choice than gambling or sitting in the room watching TV. Plus we found a really good place for lunch. It's always about the food, isn't it?

So...how is that for a fun extended weekend?

THANK YOU, KATY! THANK YOU, KATY! THANK YOU, KATY! THANK YOU, KATY!

March 2009 Family Letter

Dear Family,

I was still in Burbank/Riverside the first two weeks in March helping Katy with the new baby and with their move into their first home. I arrived in Burbank on February 25th, the day Charlie Bell came home from the hospital. Then on the 28th they loaded up the moving van and headed to Riverside. Since Katy had had a C-section, she couldn't do much with the actual move itself. But then she had a sweet little nursing baby to take care of. I helped during the nights some and helped unpack and put things away. My goal was to have the whole house unpacked and put away before I came home. Most of it got done, but not all. And in the midst of all of that she had friends and family help with painting. They didn’t get their oven in until after I left, so I still did no cooking. They got new carpet the day they moved in. New windows came after I left also. And new counter tops. What a state of frenzy to be in with a brand new baby! But Katy is amazing! She has always been able to roll with the punches. If it were me I would have been in tears all the time, but not our Katy. I think they are just so thrilled to be in a real house after 11 years of marriage that they don’t even care about all the little trials. The house needed a lot of work, and it has really come together nicely thus far. We are going back for one day prior to Conference because Paul has a new client to meet in LA. I will be anxious to see the cupboards she painted black. She also painted the baby’s furniture black, and it wasn’t finished when I was there. Charlie has been sleeping in the fancy stroller; it’s just like a little bassinet. It will be nice to see the nursery all put together.

Cupboard doors are off...let the painting begin.

One little newborn baby girl cannot have too many pairs of shoes.

Look at Jim's proud face after installing his new kitchen fan.

Paul came on the 13th. It was our anniversary. 41 years! Katy and Jim gave us a gift certificate for The Cheese Cake Factory. We really enjoyed ourselves. I was going to stay an extra week because Jim was going to have to work double shifts for that week because a guy at his work was going to have a baby. But then the baby came early, and Jim’s mom and his sister were going to come, so I didn’t really need to stay after all. I flew over on a one-way ticket, but because Paul came I was able to drive back with him rather than get another one-way ticket. It all worked out nicely. I sure miss them though, especially that adorable little baby. If you are not on Face Book, you should be. Then you could see pictures of her. I blog but haven’t worked with it enough to know how to put the photos on there myself, but the kids have some posted. I need to work on that now that the Christmas trees are finally down and packed away. I know; and it’s only March.

I guess you don't have to be on facebook after all, however; Katy has been guiding me every step of the way getting this adorable picture on my blog.

I couldn’t have the trees still up in April, so I knew I had to take care of them as soon as I got home from Katy’s. But I was kind of pooped when I got home and didn’t get to them for a couple of days. And then I didn’t move very quickly because I had to dust them and reorganize the packaging . I finally finished two days ago. Yeah! That great room sure looks empty now. Very nice…but empty. It makes me just want to go down there and sit. Paul made a joke that if you stood in one spot in the kitchen you could see Christmas trees (3 table-top ones), Valentine’s Day Annalee’s and ornaments, St. Patrick’s Day Annalee’s and Easter Annalee’s…all in the same glance. Pitiful! I’m sure they will talk about that for the rest of my life, and after. Before I go to bed tonight or at the latest tomorrow I should go in and take town the Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day decorations. Then things would be normal…just the Easter decorations up…bonus to be up this early before the actual holiday.

Look closely...past the Christmas trees, to the right of the Easter bunny with the yellow boa, there appears to be a St. Patrick's Day Leprechaun on the table, and above it on the mantel are Valentine's Day decorations.

Yep, now you see them...decorations for the four holidays all in the same room at the same time. But aren't you proud of me for fessing up?

Now that the trees are down I can get back to reading and to some crocheting projects and cleaning/dunging projects. I’m excited about that.

I’m still clogging on Monday nights…still really loving it. I will do it at home instead of walking on the treadmill a lot of the times. It’s so much more fun. And we are still square dancing twice a week. Love it, love it. We’ve got another festival coming up the first week in April in Laughlin.

That’s it for this month.

Bigger than a Guppy

Last week was spring break for Ben's kids and so we wanted to do something with them during that time. We checked the weather conditions and it looked like Friday would be a perfect day for fishing...84 degrees. By Thursday it had turned windy and chilly, and we were afraid we were going to have to postpone. But come Friday it looked like a good fishing day. We are able to go to a little private pond that is owned by one of Paul's clients. One of the good parts about it is that it is only about five minutes from home. We picked the kids up around 12:30, bought worms, etc. and were fishing by 2:00. We only had Hannah and Harrison because Autumn had gone to Mexico with her other grandma. We threw out the first casts so their memories could be refreshed on how to do it; but after that they were totally on their own. When I kept saying, "Great cast!" I wasn't even trying to be nice...they really were great casts. Hannah caught the first fish...a great big bass. Then when she caught her second one she reeled and reeled, but when it got too heavy for her she just walked away from the pond, with the pole resting on her shoulder, dragging the fish out of the water. Oh, to have had a video going. Then sometime later Paul was able to hook one. After Harrison had been sitting on the dock for awhile he made the casual comment, "If you want to catch a fish, you have to be patient." Not too long after that his pole bent, and he reeled in his fish. What a great day...they both caught fish. I was the only one who didn't catch any, but it was still a great day. (I remember when Katy was little she said, "I really like to go fishing. I don't care if I catch anything or not; I just like to hold the pole.") We had told the kids that we would leave whenever they wanted to. After three hours they were saying things like "one more cast", "We have to stay until you catch one, Grandma." Finally Hannah said, "Uno mas." (One more.) And it was still about an hour before we headed to the car. They both made the comment that had they gone to Mexico they wouldn't have been able to go fishing. Now that's a successful grandparent/ grandchild day!

I Finally Finished Charlie's Afghan

When our children were born I crocheted each of them an afghan to be brought home from the hospital in, and also to be blessed in. (Never end a sentence with a preposition.) Anyway...so, of course I wanted to do the same thing for our grandchildren. I wanted the afghans to be different colors or patterns so they could tell them apart within their families. I chose white for Katy's first-born and got started months and months ago because I knew that with boutique and Christmas and other projects I had going, it would be tight, time-wise, in getting it finished by the time the baby was born. Before I added the border I measured it because it seemed awfully small. It was. I added more to the length, but that threw off the count for the border. I decided to set it aside and start all over with new yarn and a new pattern because that one had gotten too frustrating. I loved the new pattern and it was moving along nicely, but Charlie came early...instead of March 5th, she was born on February 10th. We had planned on going to a Square Dance Festival in Yuma the 13th-15th, which we did because there was no need for me to go and help Katy and the baby while they were still in the hospital. Since Katy had a C-section, and Charlie was in NICU, I still had some time to finish the afghan. I crocheted instead of taking down the Christmas tree ornaments, on the way to and from the Festival, on the way here to Burbank, while watching TV, etc. and finally finished it yesterday...one day before her original due date. Yeah!!!

February 2009 Family Letter

February 2009 Family Letter
Hi, Everyone!
Right now I am sitting on the floor in Katy’s apartment in Burbank, finally getting to the family letter. I probably should combine February and March this time.
I have been here a week now, helping with her new baby girl…Charlie Belle Clark. She weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz., and was 18 ¼ inches long. She was born on February 10th, but was in NICU for two weeks and a day. She had her share of problems because she was 26 days early, but she wasn’t a sick baby. She couldn’t figure out the nursing thing, but thanks to a breast shield, she now “gets it.” I’ll tell you what…the Turner kids sure know how to have beautiful babies…WOW!!! Charlie is adorable!!! And you should see her hair! dark, and tons of it, hangs over her onesie in the back. Spoken like a Grandma, right? But seriously, she is way cute!!! Usually I get foods cooked for future meals and get them in the freezer for my new-mother daughters, but Katy and Jim are moving and so all the pans, mixers, ingredients, etc. are packed away. So, I can’t clean; I can’t cook. All I can do is help with the baby. It’s a little slice of heaven. At first I slept at nights because Jim was helping with the baby, but now I help so that he can get some extra sleep since he has to go to work and I don’t. The reason it is good for me to help with the baby now is that Katy had to have a C-section and isn’t supposed to be doing any lifting. With the move they have to run a lot of errands, so I just stay home with the baby. It’s not a very good idea to take a new baby out in public at this age, so I am helping that way. One day they had to go into another town to sign on their house and were gone seven hours. Yesterday they were buying new locks, installing them, etc. and were gone about the same amount of time, and it would have been difficult to take the baby along. So I am glad I am here, able to help in this way. Katy and Jim keep apologizing, but it’s more of a bonus for me. I will stay at least one more week, hopefully through the move. If I need to stay longer, I will. This little grandchild makes number nine for us…every bit as special as the first. Funny how that works.
I’m doing a poor job of doing the “blogging” and “facebook” thing; I’ve got to get Katy to help me know how to put pictures up for all to see. Modern technology…gotta learn how to use it.
Over Valentine’s Day weekend we went to Yuma for a square dance festival. We are used to dancing with maybe six squares, on a good night, in our regular club, but Yuma’s festival had probably 60-80 squares. That’s a lot of petticoats. We had so much fun. There were several couples from our clubs, so it made it even more fun. It was nice to be able to go to a festival without having to travel very far. Yuma is only 3 ½ hours from us.
I am still trying to finish a crocheted afghan for Charlie. I have to take out rows and rows, but I finally got past the part where I couldn’t help making mistakes. Yeah! I am on the final row of the border now, so it won’t be long.
Well, that pretty much sums up my month.
Love and prayers to all, Nancy

November and December 2008 Family Letter

I apologize about not writing in November. Crazy month. We went to a Square Dance Festival in San Diego and had a really good time. Another couple from our club was there so we went for meals together, etc. We didn’t go to the day-time workshops, just the evening dances, so we had some free time and went garage sailing on Saturday morning. Each of us was able to find something, so that always makes it more fun. Katy and Jim came and stayed on the boat with us, went to the festival to take some photos of us, went garage sailing with us, etc. I love it when they can come. That was such a fun weekend. It was a bonus to have the festival in San Diego because we didn’t have to figure in a hotel stay. We will be going to another festival in February, in Yuma , so we will need accommodations for that one. It’s only a four-hour drive from here though, so we won’t need airline tickets. We have totally turned into square-dancing nerds. This will maybe be the third festival in six months. It’s way more fun to be there with friends from our club; and Bernie and Dottie are our best friends. We go out for frozen yogurt after every dance, and have gone out to dinner several times, and to there place for dinner a couple of times.
After the festival we drove on to Long Beach and took a cruise to the Mexican Riviera. That was something we likely would not have done, but how can you pass up a cruise at 70% off? We really enjoyed it. The entertainment was very good. The room was nice…balcony and all. The food was not all that fabulous, however. Usually people rave and rave about cruise food. In the long run we decided that it was probably good that the food wasn’t good because we would have gained a lot more weight. We have only been on one cruise before…maybe 30 years ago. Paul got sick on that one so we have never been very anxious to return to the sea. But no problems this time.
Then there was Thanksgiving. Since Katy and Jim were coming into town but unable to eat the big meal on Thanksgiving Day, we decided to have the Thanksgiving a week early. Plans were changed. Since they were going back home on Thanksgiving Day, Paul planned on leaving town that same day to pick up an extra day for business in Florida . All the kids had plans to go to in-laws for the official day, and I was home alone. It was weird, but I was OK with it. After-all, I was already a week or two behind in putting up the Christmas trees. Actually, the trees were standing. Paul managed to get that done, but I had the ornaments to do. I worked on the ornaments for a week, and then worked on the boutique for a week. Because the economy is the way it is and because the location of the boutique had to change this year, I didn’t do as well as I usually do, but better than I thought I would. And it was OK to have a certain amount of left-overs. After the boutique I went back to finishing the trees. I was down to my last three largest 9’ trees when Jane advised me that I didn’t have to decorate them…the other fifteen trees were enough. Of course you know me and know what happened…I worked like crazy and got those trees up. And I’m glad. They look so beautiful with all the lights and sparkly and glittery ornaments. I have at least one more week, maybe two or three before I take them down. We’ll see what happens.
Christmas morning we had to ourselves because Jane, Brian and girls had moved out the Friday before. And then they went to his folks for breakfast. Ben’s kids were with their mom. Ben had slept at Annie’s, so did Elizabeth and Nick. And Katy and Jim did not come since they were here at Thanksgiving time. Late morning we went to Jane’s while they were with Brian’s folks, and set up a trampoline that we had gotten for the girls. We were there when they got home so got to see their reaction. They were thrilled, and Jane says they are out there jumping all the time. Thank goodness for wonderful Arizona weather. Then eventually we all got to our place and everyone else showed up for opening of more presents. I would love to someday be able to have each person take turns with everyone else in opening all presents one at a time so that you can really see what everyone gets and who gave it to them. But I’m dreaming, I know. As it is now, I don’t know who gave what to whom. I do know that my kids gave me great gifts…Ben gave me a box of candy that said, “Do not open unless you were a child of the 50’s.” And, of course, inside were all those wonderful candies that you remember from your childhood but you don’t see anymore…like those little dots on a strip of paper. Too fun. You remember how much I love autumn leaves. (Paul took me to Salt Lake in November to see the leaves.) Well, Jane gave me a serving bowl with four smaller bowls, in the shape of leaves. Perfect. Katy took photos of us, Paul and I, and put six of them in a vertical frame. Great photos! Annie gave us two photos in frames…one of their little family and one of Devon …cute pictures that they used on their Christmas cards. Another perfect gift. Elizabeth made two Christmas pillows…one with a Santa, the other one of a snowman. Lots of sequins and beads, embroidery and ball fringe and piping. Fabulous! Paul had made a Barbie doll house when Jane and Katy were little, and Elizabeth took it and remodeled it for me. Because of her job as a designer she had access to lots of expensive materials, so from carpet to tile to something wonderful that she used like a fence around the deck…it turned out to be totally awesome. Heidi asked me if she could borrow it forever. My kids are so thoughtful and clever and talented and creative! It was a great Christmas. And even though Paul and I decided not to do gifts this year, he bought me a laptop. My very own. He spoils me.
Ben has been here for a week and will be here until Saturday. The kids have been here all the time except Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Since we don’t have missionaries staying in the missionary apartment, we had them stay down there…like a guest house. It doesn’t have a refrigerator because we took it to a rental property, but we don’t really want to encourage them to stay down there anyway. They just sleep down there, yet all their stuff, mostly, is corralled. Katy and Jim stayed down there on their last visit and told us that we should always just use it as a guest house because it was perfect. Well, if we had company that often we might. But we usually don’t need extra space because we already have a guest room with bath. But Jane and family were still using it when Katy came last time, and they weren’t totally moved out when Ben came, so we were glad it wasn’t occupied by missionaries this time. We really do need to get it ready now though. It’s not been used for over a year.
Hope all of you had a great Christmas as well. It’s almost time to write the January letter. Yikes! Aunt LouEtta, since most of the letters go out via e-mail, do you need money for the family letters anymore? And what about the cabin dues? Did that whole thing get settled? Did we all just pay one lump sum, and we’re finished forever? My memory is like a sieve.
I love all of you so much and wish the happiest of times for you in the New Year.

October 2008 Family Letter

Though Annie's baby was due October 9th, he decided he couldn't wait and came on September 30th. This is her first baby, and our eighth grand child. He weighed 7 lbs. 2.4 oz. and is just adorable!, of course. They tossed around a lot of names, but since their last name is Smith they didn't want anything popular. They didn't want a name that could be shortened so that shortened the list as well. They finally came up with Devon Joseph Smith and call him Devon, as his daddy's name and grandpa's name is also Joseph. So far I only hear Annie call him Baby. I think he was "Baby" for so long that she can't get used to his real name. The funniest thing ever was that one day when I was there I heard her call him Baby D...so much for not shortening his name. It cracked me up. All three are doing well. I'm so proud of the new parents; they are as attentive and as cute as can be. Joe jumps right in there with his fatherly duties...very cute to watch. He picks up the slack around the house, too, doing dishes, etc. I'm glad they are in town. It's been a great year having all of my grand children in town for the very first time; and the oldest one is almost 12.



Early this month Katy had her sonogram telling her the sex of her baby...a girl! But the doctor told her to sit down and listen carefully. Then he proceeded to tell her that her baby had a cyst on her brain, a flap on her kidney, and something about crystallization on her heart. Well, the poor parents fall apart of course. They called us that day, a Wednesday, so we decided to drive to San Diego for the weekend and have them meet us, and feel them out to see how they were handling this very scary situation. It was the same weekend as the Boutique, but I had already decided not to do it because I didn't want it to get in the way of Annie's baby, not knowing when he would arrive. I was going to just sit at the boutique and see if people would order anything from me. I didn't think they would...knowing that my things are probably pure impulse, but I thought it would be a good experiment. Then when we decided to go see Katy and Jim I figured it would definitely be even a better experiment. As expected I only got three orders...I think 14 dozen cookies. At least now I know that it doesn't work to leave order forms. I still don't know if it would work to just sit there and talk to people and fill out order forms. I don't know if I will try that or not.



Back to the boat...Jim gave Katy a really nice blessing; and I was glad that Paul was there to help and that we were there to hear the blessing. We had a great weekend, as usual, when they are with us. They were in good spirits, so we were glad to be with them and know that first-hand. They decided to get a second opinion on the condition of their unborn baby. The appointment was Monday and the doctor said something like, "Yes, there is a little freckle on the heart, and these other issues...well...they always, always, always, go away. You have a perfectly healthy baby." Can you even imagine the great relief that all of us felt? Prayer and Priesthood blessings work.



You remember how much I love autumn leaves? Well, Paul said last week, "Let's go to Salt Lake to see the leaves." So we left Friday, spent the night in Vegas, and then came on to Salt Lake. Paul's grand folks and mom are from Woodruff, so we decided to drive up there for church today and see the leaves on the way to and from. We took Paul's mom with us and she was able to visit a few minutes with a cousin, so that was nice. Most of the leaves were gone from the trees, but there were a few stretches of really lovely scenery...totally worth the trip. We also met Kay and Dave for dinner last night. We haven't been here for quite some time, and it is always nice to get back to Salt Lake, even if I don't know my way around any more. We started at Modern Display, buying some really fun Christmas ornaments. Can't resist. I'm an addict. Tomorrow I am going to go with my high school girlfriend, LeNea, to her cabin in Oakley. We will be alone until Tuesday night when the men join us. Then the next day Paul and I will head home, hoping to see more leaves. Our dear neighbors in Tucson, who moved several years ago, are now living in Provo, so we will stop to visit them. (Mary Bradford, 95, who I used to visit teach, and her daughter and son-in-law, Mary Lou and Bill Bingham). Then we will stay in Vegas again, getting home in plenty of time to rest up a bit before square dancing.



Speaking of square dancing, the night before we left for Salt Lake we hosted our square dance club at our house because the church where we usually go was holding some function, so we got bumped. Rather than skipping the class and the dance, we just volunteered to have it at our house. Our grand daughters came down and watched while their parents were in class. They had a ball...trying to learn the steps themselves. Afterwards Heidi said, "If you and grandpa and mom and dad and me and Emily come, and you get two more people, we can learn to square dance." I overheard Jane telling Annie on the phone, "I hate to admit it but square dancing is really fun?"



So there is the newest news for the month.

September 2008 Family Letter

I am posting this family letter almost a month later than when I wrote it. Sorry about that.

I hardly ever write things on a calendar, so now I am faced with the dilemma of trying to remember if I did anything noteworthy this month.
The only thing I can think of is that I started intermediate clogging classes. I finished the beginner class in May, I think. I invited my summer walking friend to take the class this year. We go together since it takes about half an hour to get to the dance center. I clog with her in her beginning class, which is a good refresher and warm-up for me. Then, since she is a school teacher, she corrects papers, pays bills, reads, etc. while I take my class. It’s so much more fun to be there with someone I know and to have someone to talk to on the way to and from the class. I’m glad I bought the beginner instruction and dance CDs, so that I could practice all summer. It’s so much fun, though I’m not crazy about the music…mostly country, played by banjo music. It’s great exercise, so that is a bonus. One funny thing about my practicing clogging at home is that as soon as I put my clogging shoes on, my little grand baby Sadie, almost 15 months old, starts bouncing up and down. Then I put on the music and she really gets into it. It is so cute to watch. Babies sure do love music. At the encouragement of some square dance friends, we started taking round dance lessons as well. We never thought we would do it…way too nerdy for us. After three weeks we have pretty much mastered one of the dances; and I have to admit that it is kind of fun. Our friends didn’t catch on very well, however, and are ready to quit. If they quit maybe we will quit, too. If you round dance and square dance, you never get a break all night from dancing, so that may be a good enough excuse to quit. Paul does need to rest his knee some. He wears a brace to the dances, and that helps him a lot.
Annie’s baby is due on October 9th, so that means any day now. The crib is set up, the little clothes are washed and hanging in the closet, and her hospital bag is packed. She is way ready. It will be really different for me not to have to get on a plane to go help with a new grand baby. She just lives about 20 minutes away, and I don’t know what she will even want of me, help wise, since this is her first.
Kay called me on September 23rd and said, “Do you know what today is? It’s the 30th Anniversary of dad’s death.” She always remembers and always calls. I can’t believe it’s been 30 years though! What’s sad is that Annie and Elizabeth never knew him; he died before they were even born. And Katy was only two, Jane five, and Ben seven; so their memories can’t be too strong. That’s one reason it is nice to have the gospel and know we will see each other again.
Boutique season is upon us, and I am so not in the mood. It’s always like this in October. The rent on the school skyrocketed though from last year’s of $2400 for the weekend to $7500 this year. Insane! They had to find a new location, and it’s never as good a show when that happens. They had been at the same middle school for 15 years, and hundreds of people count on the same location. I wish they hadn’t been able to find a new spot and just let the boutique die a nice, peaceful, natural death. My kids tell me, “Mom, you don’t have to do it, you know.” I do know, but I just can’t say no. I would disappoint too many people who are so loyal to me. We’re down to the last two weeks though, so I better get cracking, starting tomorrow…though I’ve been saying that for more than a week. I will still go to my dance classes. I do have my priorities.

August 2008 Family Letter

We began the month with a business trip to Florida, staying with the Carlton’s again. They live in a beautiful neighborhood, and I always look forward to being there and walking the streets first thing each morning. It’s so much nicer than a treadmill. There is certainly something to be said for all the greenery, ferns for ground-cover, included. And to think that Paul’s grandmother had to really baby along one lone fern as a house-plant. I could live in Florida, at least during the non-hurricane season.
Ben was on a school break this month so came and stayed with us from the 20th-30th. Usually he goes to his in-laws, which are now x-in-laws, help get the kids up and off to school, then goes back and picks them up, gets them dinner at our house or “out” and then takes them back to Elizabeth Elena’s house at bedtime. This time she wanted him to pick the kids up as soon as he got into town, and keep them the whole time, including over-night. I thought it was a selfish thing on her part, but he was OK with it. He loved it, as a matter of fact, and said it was the best break he had had in a long time. It was because not once did he have to interact with his x-in-laws, and he got to have the kids longer. It was a little more stressful for me, having all seven of my grandchildren under roof at the same time, because Ben’s are even pickier eaters than Jane’s, and they are allowed to stay up way too late. But if it was better for Ben, then so be it. Elizabeth Elena really got to miss the kids though, so it may not happen this way again. They’ll have to work something out. We had quite a bit of time with Ben, so that was a bonus for us. I think he got to see his sisters quite a bit also. If he passes his classes, he will only have two more semesters until he is finished. Then we’ll see. He just finished and passed Pharmacology…thought it would kill him…but he survived. I can’t remember the class he has right now, but the last one will be pathology. That should be interesting.
We spent Sunday afternoon with some friends from square dancing. Along with family they invited several couples for a bar-b-q. It was very nice, and we were glad to be included. It was a pot-luck. They furnished the hamburgers, hotdogs, and bratwurst, and soda. I let them know ahead of time that I could bring some homemade whole wheat buns for the meat. The bread recipe is so good, and the dough is really easy to work with. I will never buy another hamburger bun again. Plus…a batch doesn’t take all that long to make; I did it between getting home from morning church and when we had to leave. No big deal. And because most people don’t bake, they were a real hit. I want to keep these letters to one page, so time’s up.

Devon Joseph Smith

I can't believe that Joe and Annie's baby is already one week old today. But then he wasn't even due until October 9th or 10th. Even though he was nine days early, it's about time I am getting around to my blog. I'm still not in the groove, as you must have noticed by now. They knew a boy was coming, but they couldn't decide on a name. All of us were giving her suggestions, but they finally came up with Devon Joseph Smith. They wanted a name that was a little bit out of the ordinary because of the very common last name of Smith; so they didn't want Michael, David, etc. And they wanted a name that couldn't be shortened, like from Charles to Charlie or Steven to Steve. And no similar sounds slurring from first name to last, so it couldn't be Max or Alex. He was born on September 30, Tuesday's child, but didn't have a name until Wednesday. Devon Joseph Smith, going by Devon, of course, since there are four previous Joseph Smiths on his dad's side, and besides, Joseph is usually shortened to Joe. He was born at 7:33 a.m. and weighed 7 lbs. 2.4 oz. I'm not the slightest bit prejudiced when I say he is one gorgeous baby boy! Remember that I volunteer once a week at Tucson Medical Center in the newborn nursery and have been there for fourteen years now, and have seen a lot of babies. Annie and Joe are darling parents. It's been fun to watch them. I knew Annie would take right to it because she has always been so very cute with babies, but with Joe I wasn't exactly sure because I don't remember ever seeing him even hold any of our other babies. And when he was handed his son, right after birth, he said, "Now what do I do with it?" ("It"?)The way I understand it is that he wasn't even cradling him...just kind of holding him out like a football. Too funny. Likely we will never let him forget it either. But he has gotten into the groove of fatherhood real quickly...changed diapers at the hospital and everything. I think it was cute of him to tell me that he wants to be an involved parent, even though he was nervous to change diapers because of the circumcision. This is such a bonus time for me as a parent to watch my own kids take on parenthood. Annie and Joe are already doing a wonderful job; I'm very proud of them. I've been taking meals in to them since they have gotten home from the hospital, so for five days now I've gotten to observe them. One funny thing Annie said a couple of days ago..."It was a sad day today. I realized my cats are not my babies." Annie and Joe have both been such cat lovers for such a long time that I wondered how they would transition. Move over Samson and Jasmin...Devon has just knocked you off your pedestals. I can laugh, but it happened to me, too, with our dog, Chuy. I'm embarrassed to say, but it's true...when I was expecting Ben, I actually said, "I wonder if I will love this baby as much as I love this dog." The minute he was born, however, I instantly fell in love with him, and Chuy took the back burner.

Hobbies (The Book Worm)

First of all...when I write a month and year after the title of the book, it represents when I read it...not that it matters...just for my record. A friend told me that Steve Martin had written a good book, "Shopgirl". ( April 2008). So I read it. I don't know whether I was not in the mood for his book or what, but I didn't think it was more than average. Then, while in a Sarasota used-book store, I found another book by Steve Martin, "The Pleasure of My Company". (September 2008) Because I valued the friend's opinion of Steve Martin, I tried this book as well. It took me into the book quite a ways before I finally found myself wondering how it was going to end. It was about a modern-day neurotic yearning to break free.

Hobbies ("Sailing")

It wasn't until we built an apartment, connected to the office, for missionaries, that I knew anything at all about yard sales aka "sailing". Or is that sailing aka "yard sales"? Anyway, I asked people at church to donate anything they needed to get rid of to the cause of furnishing the apartment. Sister Mauri Bell suggested that I go to yard sales, and I told her that I wouldn't have a clue about prices, how to wheel and deal, etc., so she invited me to come along on her excursion the following Saturday. She said that I would have to arrive at 5:55 A.M. because they would leave promptly at 6:00 A.M., whether I was there or not. This was serious business. My first lesson was that you did have to go that early because all the good stuff was gone by 9:00. And, no matter what the price was, you offered half. That was hard for me to do because I don't like to barter. But because we were furnishing an apartment we had to buy virtually everything from beds to potato peelers, so it became easier to dicker on the prices. It was amazing! Brand new twin beds for $25 each, peelers 25 cents, free-standing bookcase $2.00, rice cooker $3.00, pop-corn popper $1.00. The list goes on. I had Paul go with me because I didn't think I could do it by myself and I didn't know how much we could spend. I only wish I had kept track of how much we spent all together to furnish the apartment. After our first Saturday we were hooked. We went almost every Saturday after that for about twenty years. There were "treasures" to be found every week. It became a family tradition, but to bribe the kids to go with us we would get donuts at the local mom and pop donut shop. The double chocolate cake donuts were to die for, even took the place of my favorite donuts from when we lived in Salt Lake. I would say that all of us now have a huge percentage of our things bought from garage sales. It wasn't too long before we were buying presents from yard sales to give to the kids at Christmastime. It replaced our tradition of letting them open one gift on Christmas Eve. It became Garage Sale Christmas Eve. We were buying all year long and saving them until the magical night. But the parents were doing all of the buying, so we eventually brought the kids into the choosing of gifts...they would all buy something for everyone else in the family. It became the highlight of Christmas. Friends heard about it and wanted to come over and watch the unvailing. Though we would buy from the stores and give those gifts on Christmas Day, the Garage Sale Christmas Eve presents would always be the most fun. And our time spent together was the most memorable. One year Annie even said, "Let's not buy regular presents...let's just do the garage sale ones."

It's been a family joke that when I shop yard sales I will shop until I have at least six of everything...one for me and one for each of the kids. A famous and very funny quote from Ben is, "My mom even buys for people who aren't born yet." Well, that may be exaggerating a bit, but I have to admit, not by much. The problem is that right now Annie is the only one with a house, and the rest of the kids don't have storage space enough for me to inflict all these possessions. I have filled up all my storage space and then some, so it really doesn't make sense for me to shop every week anymore. But when I do go I usually say, "We've got to start going every weekend again." We do almost always go when we are out-of-town, however. We even found one when we were in New York with Annie. They blocked off the whole block. I can always find something to buy, even if it's just a book, but I was especially happy that Annie found several treasures. Katy is still in the regular groove so when she comes to San Diego to stay with us on the boat we always go...plug in addresses on the GPS, and away we "sail". We have more fun than should be allowed. She even wanted to write a book about "sailing", but has since put things on a blog instead, with photos and all. Maybe someday I will have her teach me how to do that.

Thoughts on Love

In my reading, I keep finding thoughts that I really like and decided that adding them to my blog would be a good place to store them...a place for me to find them easily and be able to re-read them. I may have several categories when all is said and done, but for now, my first heading will be "Thoughts on Love". Today's quote came from The Ensign, August 2007, by Elder Bruce C. Hafen (Of the Seventy) and Marie K. Hafen, p. 28. "In the little kingdom of a family, each spouse freely gives something the other does not have and without which neither can be complete and return to God's presence. Spouses are not a soloist with an accompanist, nor are they two solos. They are the interdependent parts of a duet, singing together in harmony at a level where no solo can go." And later in the article, same page, a journal entry, which became the last of John Haslem Clark of Manti, Utah, in 1921: "We are alone, We two. We two whom destiny has made one. Long ago, it has been sixty years since we met under the June trees. I kissed you first. How shy and afraid was your girlhood. Not any woman on earth or in heaven could be to me what you are. I would rather you were here, woman, with your gray hair, than any fresh blossom of youth. Where you are is home. Where you are not is homesickness. As I look at you I realize that there is something greater than love, although love is the greatest thing in earth. It is loyalty. For were I driven away in shame you would follow. If I were burning in fever your cool hand would soothe me."

Good Reads

Some time back my dear friend from middle school and high school, LeNea Kimball Liddle, asked me to join "Good Reads". It's an InterNet thing where you and your friends can list books you have read and rate them. Also you can list books you would like to read and make comments on books others have read. I thought it was a good idea, but I haven't totally figured out how to go through the process easily. It made me think that this would be a good Blog Topic, so that this reading list would be in one place. Since I finished a book today, I decided that I would just start now, with this current book, and add to the list as I have time. The thing with me and reading is that I read for the pleasure, right this minute. By the next day I may have forgotten the title, the author, and I couldn't tell you about it if you paid me. Sometimes I can't even remember if I liked the book or not. The good thing in talking to some of my friends about this terrible problem is that the same thing happens to them. Whew! I feel much better. I guess it's not really important to remember a book or not. You either just enjoy it while you are reading it or you don't. Lately I have tried to remember to put a "sticky" on the inside cover of a book, with my name and the month and year I finished the book. Then I write one sentence, either saying if I liked the book or not, or wrote something that would trigger a little detail from the story line.

The book I finished this morning, ( August 27, 2008) was: My first Nora Roberts, "Waiting for Nick." On a scale of 1-5 I probably would rate it a 3. Gotta love a romance novel though.

"Sundays at Tiffany's" by James Patterson (July 2008). I loved this book about a little girl who had an imaginary friend. It would make a great movie. Rated 5.

I've enjoyed several of Diane Mott Davidson's books with their clever culinary/who done it titles.
"Chopping Spree" (August 2008). Maybe I'm not enjoying her books as much as I did in the beginning though because of the similarities. A 3.

James Patterson's "The Lake House". (June 2008)