Crazy World of Vastbinder's

A Weekend with the Grandkids

2010-02-07T13:31:00.001-08:00

All five grandkids from Enumclaw came up to stay with us Thursday night through Sunday evening because their Mom and Dad were flying to Ohio for a funeral. One of the first things we did Friday Morning was go shopping. At Wal-mart we picked up some sun catchers with paint and a paint by number picture for something to do. Sometimes Grandma’s house can be pretty boring. They had brought along their X-box and Wii games to play.

As soon as Grandpa got home on Friday we were off to find a place for Taylor to throw a fish hook in the water and catch us supper.

This is right near the Whidbey Island ferry launch. The water was much to shallow here to catch anything.

They did however have playground equipment. This next photo shows how 3 of them got sick to their stomachs.

Round and round they twirled. On our way to the next beach area, at least one was barfing in a used grocery bag!!!

This photo was taken right down by the Navy base here in Everett. It had a nice pier but no fish!! Supper was looking pretty bleak.

So with no fish in hand we were off and running to the nearest Costco for Hot dogs, soda and a berry sundae.

On Saturday , Grandpa took Taylor, Caleb and Aidan to Silver lake Park not too far from us. This is a picture of the kids on the dock. This park too had a great play area.

However, Grandma ended up with the wet clothes to launder. Sometimes the water is just too much of a temptation not to get into, no matter how cold it is.

They all came home with wet feet. Wet jeans and the sleeves were wet on the sweatshirts. But everyone was laughing and having a good time. Except for maybe Taylor who did not catch anything.

Christmas Holidays

2009-12-21T10:57:00.001-08:00

A few days after Christmas, the Seattle Grandkids wanted to make Gingerbread Houses. I think Ethan had remembered making them in New York and knew that the Holidays would not be complete without making them. (Actually, I think he just really likes all the candy we buy to put on them!) So here are a few photos from that event. Notice the concentration that is going on!

And I have been busy making Christmas pillowcases for all my kids and their offspring. It’s a fun project and I enjoy all the different types of fabric to choose from. I made 25 in all and they have been shipped to the family.

And Friday night Jim and I went down to Bellevue Square to see and listen to their Christmas Music Parade. They do it every night at 7pm. They even make snow for the event. By the time we found a parking spot it was almost over but what we did see was festive and fun.

Then we went to the Botanical Gardens in Bellevue to see the Christmas Light Display. That was amazing. And most of the pictures didn’t come out to badly.

Halloween Pillowcases

2009-09-30T18:53:00.001-07:00

These are so fun to make and only take about 20 minutes to do. There are so many cute fabrics out there. For directions see my post in January of 09. It will take you through step by step.

Mt. Rainier

2009-09-14T11:44:00.001-07:00

Went for a Sunday drive up into the mountains. Along the way we stopped along White River to see if we could find any more Salmon, however the water is so murky you could not see them unless they came right along the shore or were in shallow enough water to see their fins. You can see how the river is very low. It has been a warm dry summer.

Farther up the route there are pull offs for scenic views and photo ops. I think I’ve shared a couple photos before of the mountain but now you get to see a few more.

The volcano has not erupted in over a hundred years, but they say the rim is still warm enough that snow does not stay on the rim. And that there are pockets of steam caves that dot the mountain.

Below is a photo I took over near the Middle school here in Enumclaw at a distance. Up near the top and on the right end, you can see the form in the snow of an Elk Head. No matter how much snow the mt. gets, you can see this. And residents of the area say that even when we have huge snow melts in the summer it is still there. However, for about a week this summer I could not see it because of all the snow melt.

Salmon are Running

2009-09-12T10:17:00.001-07:00

They say it happens every two years. This is something I’ve watched on the nature channels before but never saw in person. Just a mile or so down the road is the White River. It has many tributaries flowing into it. Standing on a bridge over one of these little tributaries, where the water is only 8 to 12 inches deep, you can watch the salmon making their way upstream.

My photos in no way do it justice. However, if you look close you can see at least 4 salmon. It was almost mesmerizing watching these fish fight against the current and struggle to get to their destination. You could see some in the water that were exhausted and were pushed back. Others that had suffered cuts and scraps from the rocks.

There are probably about 8 or 10 salmon in this photo, again I apologize for the poor quality and you may not even be able to see them if you don’t know what you are looking at.

On another note, I have this houseplant that was given to me by one of the clients I had when I worked for Home Instead. About two weeks ago, it blossomed. I have never known this type of house plant to produce a blossom but obviously they do.

Isn’t it beautiful? Just one more way our Heavenly Father has blessed us with beauty all around.

Countryside

2009-08-22T10:55:00.001-07:00

We have been taking some drives around the area to see the scenery. There is some breath-taking scenery to be seen.

Yesterday we just went to bridge that is over Green River Gorge. The river is quite low this time of year.

From the bridge you could see the unique little waterfall flowing into the river. Down stream a little further, during the summertime, a lot of river rafters jump in with all kinds of floating devices.

A couple of weeks earlier we went up rt.165 towards Mt. Rainier. It was when we were having a heat wave here and temperatures were 20 degrees cooler up there. We got as far as the foothills of Rainier and there were traces of some snow left. We stopped along side the road when we saw this tree stump carved into a throne.

Here you can see the snow.

And this is the valley so low!

I just hate having pictures with no one in them! (And Jim says to add, no guardrail by the side of the road.)

This is the only picture I got with a human being in it.

And now completely off the subject, I have a couple pictures to add that were sent to my phone of some of my grandchildren.

Pretty darn cute, huh?

Summer Picnic at Deep Lake

2009-06-30T21:28:00.001-07:00

We had a nice summer day and three of the grandkids wanted to come over to spend the night. We picked them up about 3 pm so decided to go home and pack a picnic supper and go to one of the local state parks for some fun.

The kids went swimming in the lake. I couldn’t have done it, Too cold for me. The kid’s skin was like ice when they would get out. Even Aidan’s lips were purple.

The menu was not all the extravagant. We had hots and hamburgs, pasta salad, chips, soda and brownies. But it sure hit the spot. The kids even helped grandpa do the grilling.

We came home about 8 pm and got into some dry clothes, got the air mattress blown up for the night and are now watching America’s Funniest Home Videos with Grandpa.

We will soon have a bowl of ice cream and then it will be night, night time. Picnics have always been my favorite!

Growing Up, Growing Older

2009-06-13T13:27:00.001-07:00

Sydney did a project at school on Growing up. Growing Older. Grandpa was her subject matter. She had to ask him all kinds of questions, like:

Where were you born? Who was President then? What was your favorite TV show growing up? What kind of toys did you have? ETC. ETC.

It makes you reflect on how life has changed over the last 60 years. Lucy and Ricky couldn’t even share the same bed in the sitcom and today if they don’t hop in the sack on the first day they are considered sexually inhibited!!!

Anyways…………… There was a program at school the other night to complete the project. The class had prepared posters and a little program with songs. And of course there were refreshments. Then the kids got to show off their classroom and other work that they had been doing.

Sydney is in the Middle row, last one on the end closest to the camera. She was so proud showing off to Grandpa. Good Job Sydney. We sure do Love you.

Caleb’s Baptism

2009-06-08T12:08:00.001-07:00

Saturday, June 6th was Caleb’s Baptism in the Enumclaw Chapel. His Dad did the honor of baptizing him.

And he was confirmed a member immediately following. Caleb is such a sweet, sensitive boy and I noticed he was all smiles. Even at eight years old, it is hard to comprehend all the responsibilities we take upon ourselves with baptism. However, I know that in Caleb’s heart he wants to do right and will grow with the gospel as he grows in age. He is definitely one of the Lord’s Saturday Warriors.

Congratulations Caleb. You will forever remember this day.

Saturdays and Lacrosse

2009-05-11T14:57:00.001-07:00

Well we finally got to go to the boys Saturday lacrosse games and they were not just around the corner. Ethan’s was in Seabeck, Wa. which is about an hour and a half’s drive from here. His game started at 9 am so we were up at 6 am showering and getting kids around. (All five grandchildren has spent the night before with us while their parents had a date night. We had taken them bumper bowling.)

Ethan is #18. He had two great assists this game and his team won with a total score of 5.

Then it was off to Vashon Island where Taylor’s team was playing. A ferry ride was in order to get to this game which the three younger kids were excited about.

Taylor’s team also won. Taylor had made the first and last goal of the game. They were playing an undefeated team and this means they go on to the playoffs.

The home team treated all the kids to ice cream cones at the end.

This is a photo of the younger kids standing on a rock in the parking lot. Lots of energy here!!!! It was a fun day but Grandma and Grandpa were pooped by the time they got home around 5 in the afternoon.

Misc. Pictures of Grandchildren

2009-05-07T16:57:00.001-07:00

So on our trip to Phoenix, we played with the granddaughters. Little Ella has arm strength that I think is amazing for a child so young. She loves the jungle gym and convinced Grandpa to let go of her.

Now can you do this?

Semanee showing she can do this as well.

This was Easter morning just before church. Two little angels.

This is another granddaughter that lives a couple thousand miles away. Meet Brenna! Doesn’t she look thrilled to be on the Easter Bunny’s lap???!!!

And this is the youngest of 13 Grandchildren. Little Sada Shade.

Tulip Festival

2009-04-25T11:59:00.001-07:00

You would have thought that we had gone to Holland! However, we drove up to Mt. Vernon, in Washington State to view the fields of beautiful tulips. Please enjoy our pictures of the event.

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Easter Sunday

2009-04-17T16:27:00.001-07:00

Allan and Ella coloring Easter Eggs. We colored 5 dozen!

And these weren’t just colored eggs. We had an egg spinner, we tye dyed some and others had pictures drawn on them.

Everyone got in on the fun!

Then Sunday morning after finding the eggs and Easter Baskets there were Baths to be done. While Mommy bathed Sada, Daddy took care of Semanee and Ella.

Daddy gets a little creative and put soap suds halo’s or crowns on the girls so of course they had to show them off.

Pretty girls in pretty Easter Dresses.

Sada all dressed up in her blessing gown. Lots of fun with pretty little girls.

An Artist Amongst Us

2009-04-16T12:29:00.001-07:00

While in Arizona, Christine and Allan put us to work painting parts of the interior of their home. Lots of FUN!!!

Semanee wanted to help paint, of course. I was working on the stairwell going upstairs. She would paint a brush full of paint and then it was Grandma’s turn. At one point I couldn’t help but notice her work. Take a look.

Pretty good, huh? I immediately thought of the Charlie Brown Characters. When I took a photo of it, she wanted to also be in the picture.

She is quite the little Princess. Loves Pink!! And one of the last days there, recited the Pledge of Allegiance for us. I only wish I had had my cell phone video on her. It was pretty impressive. She is a sweetheart!!

Tugging on your Heart Strings

2009-04-02T08:16:00.001-07:00

This is a photo of a letter that we just received from one of our Granddaughters. It is just so sweet that I had to share it. This is the outside of the letter.

Unfortunately you can not read very well what she had to say so I will have to decipher it for you.

“I realing miss you. Me and Brenna cried all day cus we miss you. wawawawawawawawawa. plese come back.”

Then she drew a picture of herself and her sister. Notice she is in color and her sister is black and white. Have no idea if that is of any consequence.

Alexis lives 3000 miles from us and misses us. She is a little sweetheart. Well we miss you too Alexis and wish we could see you more often. But in the meantime I hope you keep the letters coming.

A Visiting Cousin

2009-03-13T12:17:00.001-07:00

We welcomed a family member from the other side of the US this last week. To say we overwhelmed her would be an understatement. The kids loved the short visit and had fun showing her their pets, and home. Then it was off to have dinner at a local restaurant.

Jennie lives near Boston and was in Seattle for a conference for her job. Jim and I picked her up about 4:30 on Wednesday and drove to the Vastbinder compound. The kids were anxious to meet this family member since we don’t get visiting family often. All normal activities were halted for a few hours while we entertained her. I am not sure which one of the kids it was that asked if maybe they should be calling her Aunt Jennie since she was old! They had been told she was a cousin but it just didn’t seem to fit because other cousins they know are their age.

It was slow at the hospital so even Kari got to enjoy dinner with us before she had to go back to work.

Right after eating, it was time to go quickly to our apartment where we printed off her seating pass for the airline and then off to the airport. Thanks Jennie for spending a few hours with us. We All loved it!!!!

A Good Friend has Passed On

2009-02-22T19:02:00.001-08:00

A real good friend of my husband and myself has passed on to the other side. He will truly be missed by all the Vastbinders. We have known him since 1975. And had so many good times and laughs.

Curt served in World War II and like to talk about some of his experiences. He was a great mechanic and had a powerful influence on the students he taught through the BOCES system. Curt was a counselor in the first Branch Presidency in the Lyons Branch when it was organized back in 1976. We traveled often to Wash. DC together to frequent the LDS temple their. Once while visiting we went to this restaurant that had very dim lighting. We were all struggling to read the menu when Curt pipes up and says, “I’m glad I went to night school so I can read this menu.”

He loved to “spank” the speakers and often was frustrated when he would mix up his words. When I was pregnant the fifth time, he loved to compare his shrinking belly to my growing one. He was walking miles each day to exercise and Gladys was watching his diet. And yes he slimmed right down. But he always knew I could never hold in my laughter when he messed up.

I can’t remember how many times he repaired our cars when we didn’t have the money to go to a garage. His service to us will never be forgotten.

On one of those trips to Wash. Curt was always the first one up and dressed so I got him to knock on the adjoining room and tell them our ride was there to go to the temple. It was at least an hour before we had to leave. You should have heard all the commotion in there with 4 people rushing to get dressed. When they discovered the real time, Curt took all the blame and I think he quite enjoyed it.

Then there was the one winter day that freezing rain had coated the snow. Curt had stopped to pick up our garbage on the way to the dump. Only problem was, neither of us could stand up and ended up swimming on our bellies across the back yard to get the trash. It must have been quite the site!

I can’t remember a time that Curt did not come to our aid if we called and sometimes even when we didn’t.

There is no doubt about it, Curt you will be missed. You have left us with lots of fun memories until we see you again. We love you!!

Rag Quilt for Taylor

2009-02-11T15:59:00.001-08:00

Well I finally finished my first rag quilt. It went quickly. Some challenges sewing 6 layers of flannel at one time. Thankfully my sewing machine handled it. I had purchased some fun fabrics with lizards, moose, fish and toads. Mostly in greens with small accents of red. I used red flannel in the middle. This blanket is heavy and is going to keep Taylor warm!

This is the top side. Wish the photo were a little clearer so you could see the pattern on the fabrics.

This is the underside, were you clip all the seams so the flannel will fray and fluff up. I had purchased a little pair of scissors for the job and was very disappointed because they were Fiskars. They wouldn’t even cut one layer of flannel let alone 6 layers. You guessed it, I’m taking them back to the store. I still have the original packaging, no receipt, but I’m sure they will give me store credit at least. Any way, got a blister on my thumb from all the snipping.

This was a fun project but turned out to be more expensive than I had originally thought. I invested about $48.00 for the fabric. And that was the sale price. It should last a long time however and wash really well.

Baby Quilt Finished

2009-01-30T12:30:00.001-08:00

Finally, the Baby quilt for the new Beazer baby is done. I was beginning to think the baby would make it’s arrival before it was finished.

So it is off to the post office to mail it off to the expecting parents. Now if they could just come up with a name for this little bundle of joy other than yada yada yada!

Rain Rain Go Away!

2009-01-07T14:46:00.001-08:00

Rain, Rain, Go Away, come again some other day! The Old Man is snoring……..

It started raining on Monday Morning and has really stopped yet and should continue for at least another twenty four hours. There is a warm front picking up moisture over the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii dropping all this moisture upon us. It is in the 50’s outside.

There are roads closed all over the place and the avalanche crews are busy trying to stay ahead of the game. Mudslides as well and home owners being evacuated from there homes. The news channels say there is a potential of us receiving 24 inches of rain before this is all done. Of course, snow in the ski areas is melting and rivers are at the maximum.

We have a little frog outside our apartment that has been voicing his dismay as well. I’ve seen him, he is only about the size of a quarter but he has a croak of a full adult frog. He too is not happy about all this moisture.

I should stop complaining because I would far more have all this rain than that white stuff you have to shovel. The don’t sell snow shovels here!!!

Making Pillowcases

2009-01-02T12:22:00.001-08:00

I made these pillowcases for Christmas gifts for my grandchildren. I had lots of fun doing it and wanted to share the steps in case any of my daughters or granddaughters wanted to try them. They are fun and easy!

First Step:

Chose your fabric. 3/4 yard for main theme. 4 inches of white or plain colored trim. 1/4 yard of coordinating fabric for hem.

Second:

Fold in half length wise and press.

Pin to main fabric with edges meeting. The Roll up to trim area.

Now with the 1/4 yard for hem, turn wrong side out and pin one end on top if trim and the other edge on the back side of main fabric, making a nice neat little bundle.

Next, go to the sewing machine and stitch a seam.

Once you have stitched the length. Pull the roll out of the center and this will turn the fabric right side out.

When that is done, press the hem and trim area flat.

Now I stitch a decorative stitch along the trim fabric to the body of the case. If your machine doesn’t have a lot of choices, just a zig zag stitch will do. I even have changed the color of thread to make this stand out a little.

Hard to see here, but I think you can get the idea.

Stitch the case side and bottom with the top of the fabric facing out. Don’t worry if edges don’t all meet exactly as you will trim them after stitching the edges.

Trim close to the stitching without cutting into it. Do this all the way to the top of the hem. Now turn fabric wrong side out and press. Then you will stitch along the side and bottom again close to the edge of the fabric. This makes a French seam and will finish off your pillowcase nicely.

Turn right side out and you can then do final pressing and you will have a beautiful custom pillowcase for someone you love.

It takes only about a half hour to make. Enjoy!!!

Christmas Tree

2008-12-10T12:58:00.001-08:00

Our humble little Christmas Tree. Yup. It’s an artificial. The picture really doesn’t do it justice. We had to put it right in front of our fireplace because the apartment is so small. By the time Christmas comes and goes I’ll be anxious to get it out of my way, but for now we are really enjoying it. It can light up our whole living room and dining room.

I too love Christmas but am very far behind in being organized for the day. I had even started this last summer with making some gifts for the occasion but still don’t have some of those complete. I guess I just need to cherish the season and not stress!!!

SpaceShip Cloud Formation

2008-12-05T12:57:00.001-08:00

Isn’t that a cool cloud? I saw it on the way home today and couldn’t resist getting the camera and trying for a picture. Unfortunately my camera has a screen to look at and the sun was so bright on my right side that I could not see how clearly I was betting the picture. Obviously the picture does not do this cloud justice. You can see Mt. Rainier off to the right. Quite often lenticular clouds form on top if the mt. This looked like it was several lenticular clouds on top of each other forming a spaceship.

A Few Additional Pics

2008-11-24T15:00:00.001-08:00

Just have a few more pictures we took on our trip that I wanted to share. This first one is of Brenna and Me.

I believe that either Brittany or Haley took this with Grandpa’s IPHONE. This next one is of the these girls fooling around in the backseat of the car.

Suzanne and Mark at their home.

And their dog, Cadance watching out the window on their stairway at the neighbors.

And April’s new hair cut.

And Karen with Brenna. As well as Alexis showing that she is missing a tooth. Since we were there she has lost her other tooth and is now singing “All I want for Christmas…”

Old Photo

2008-11-13T12:44:00.001-08:00

Isn’t this just the cutest picture? Taken at the Lake house when the girls were little. It looks like it was taken about 2000 or 2001. I just love this photo and these girls are the same girls in my last post. See how they have grown up?

Love you girls!!!!

Some Pretty Cute Granddaughters

2008-11-13T08:57:00.001-08:00

One of the best things about getting older is that you become a grandmother. I have the best grandchildren that any one could ask for. After having visited five of my currently twelve grandchildren, I will post some pictures of the New York crew.

This is Brenna. She just turned four. She is Karen’s youngest and a little sweetheart. The first day we were in NY we went to the Head Start Program to pick her up. I was nervous that she would not remember us since it had been a year since we had been there. NOPE! The minute she spied us she came running and jumped right into my arms. She is always so polite and always remembers her Please and Thank yous.

This is Alexis. She is Brenna’s big sister. She is six years old and in first grade. She recently lost her upper front tooth. She is the artist that painted everyone’s nose for Halloween.

This is Haley. She is Bob’s daughter and now 12 years old. Can you see Bob’s crystal blue eyes? This one had grown about 6 inches or more since last year. She loves softball and just finished doing cross country which she didn’t like so much. She is a sensitive soul and a great friend. Her social calendar is always booked full!

This is Carissa. You have to work at getting a picture of her at times. This one was snapped at just the right moment. She had had her hands covering her face and withdrew them just as I took the pic. Carissa is one of my sweethearts. She is 10 and very mature for her age. She is the first grandchild that I got to be in the delivery room for.

This is Brittany. She is our oldest grandchild and April’s daughter and older sister to Carissa. She is fourteen and a freshman in High School. She an A student, and has been a Cheerleader for years now. She recently got her braces off and has a wonderful smile and straight teeth.

So there is our New York Contingency! We love them and miss them so much. They are always in our prayers.

Halloween

2008-11-11T09:57:00.001-08:00

We are back home! It was a really fun trip. And the time went by all too quickly.

First up was Halloween when we arrived. From pumpkin carving to trick or treating.

Pretty darn cute, huh? Oh yeah the pumpkins looked great too.

The School parade of costumes had great weather. I think it was about 68 outside that afternoon.

Alexis is Karen’s daughter and is the one in the middle. She was a Cheerleader this year.

Carissa has the colorful hair and is very hard to get a picture of.

At one point, Alexis got to help carry their class sign.

Even though Carissa wore colored clown hair at the school parade, that evening she was a monster. Thanks for the help from Uncle Allen. Carissa just couldn’t decide what to dress up as for Halloween, so Grandpa took her to Walmart to check out the goods. Still no decisions, so they call Uncle Allen who is 2000 plus miles away and within 5 minutes she had made a decision. She would have fit right in with his haunt! Below is a picture of all 5 granddaughters as we were leaving to go get some treats.

John was dressed to hand out treats at home. He’s the goofy looking one in the middle. And Alexis had to paint Grandma and Grandpa’s nose like a kitty so we did not feel left out. For a 6 year old, I thought she did a pretty good job.

This is Brittany with Grandpa. She’s the oldest. She was going to a friends house to hand out treats and then they were going to be watching scary movies!!!

Oh and Alexis wouldn’t let her Mom leave without some face paint and so Brittany popped in on this picture too. See those nice straight teeth! She just got her braces off about a month ago.

I’ll post more pictures later. We really did have a nice time but it is good to be home and getting back into a routine. Pretty handsome crew, don’t you think?

Trip to New York

2008-10-27T14:11:00.001-07:00

Yep! You read it right. We are headed to NY for the next twelve days to visit family and friends. It has been a year since we were there and are very anxious to see everyone.

I’m sure when we get home I’ll have lots of stories and pictures to post. Our agenda while there is crazy because we want to visit with so many.

So until we get back home, …………Take care.

Random Thoughts

2008-10-21T09:19:00.001-07:00

When I was in sixth grade there was a significant emotional event that has affected my life ever since. For those of you that have heard this story before, I apologize, however I feel I need to explain how this helped to shape who I am whether for good or bad. I would like to think for the better.

My sixth grade teacher was a young single male, named Mr. Riley.

One day in class, my best friend who sat in front of me passed me a note. Now passing notes was against the rules but she had a question for me to answer and I felt compelled to answer then and not wait until the bell rang. However, the paper she had written that note on was small and there was no room for my answer. So I tore a small piece of my notebook paper and wrote my answer. Folded it and just when I thought the teacher wasn’t looking I reached forward to hand her the note. Yep! you guessed it, the teacher turned around just then and caught me in the act. I was mortified. Believe it or not I was not someone at age 12 to disobey adults. Mr. Riley walked over and took the note. Opened it and proceeded to read it to the class. At that moment I was hoping a hole in the floor would open up and just swallow me up. I was sooooo embarrassed. All it said was”Sorry, I can’t stay after school with you today and take the late bus because I have to go home and babysit my dumb brother!”

As I listened to the class laugh and Mr. Riley berate my actions, I felt like I was in a huge tunnel and all the laughter and his booming voice was echoing all around me. Then he said, “I will post this note on the board for a week as a reminder for Bonnie that we do not pass notes in class!” I was mortified. Not only had I disregarded class room rules, I had also called my brother dumb. Not just did my class know of my misdeeds, but other classes used that room and would see the note. And my uncle was one of the schools custodians and he was sure to see it.

In fact, a couple days later as we were changing classes my brother’s 2nd grade class was walking single file in the hall and one of my class mates yelled out, “Hey Bonnie is that your dumb brother?”

So what have I take from this experience? Since that time I have always been very careful what words I put on paper. I have never wanted to write anything again that would embarrass me or someone else. I had a Great Aunt, that used to tell me, count to ten before you speak and you probably won’t want to say it. I often reflect on her sage advice. Many times I have even counted to 10 multiple times.

Psalms 52:2 “Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.”

Proverbs 21:23 “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.”

Wise advise that I felt needed to be said. Our words can be so hurtful and the result can last a lifetime. In a single moment I had publicly called my brother dumb and by no means meant to hurt him. My sister says that often we put others down to put ourselves up. There too is truth in this. How much better it would have been to wait until class was over and to just have said, I need to go home to watch my brother. Hindsight is 20/20.

There is a hymn that I love to sing to myself “Have I done any good in the world today? Have I cheered up the sad, and made someone feel glad? If not I have failed indeed.”

I guess I can Thank Mr. Riley but I still feel the sting of what he did and said. I have not forgotten. It is the same way with what we say and do. We say we forgive some one for what they may have said to us, but seldom do we ever forget. It has been 46 years and it was like it was yesterday. I have chosen to learn from this. We all have choices. I hope that your choices will be good ones.

Enough! Go do something Good.

Good News

2008-10-20T15:04:00.001-07:00

I’ve been so busy that I have not taken the time to share our good news. Airfares have gone down and we were able to purchase tickets to NY to visit family and friends for 12 days. We leave the 28th of October and return on November 8th. Words cannot describe how happy we are to take this trip. It’s been a year since we were there and are looking forward to visiting as many family and friends as possible.

I’m waiting for my nursing certification to come through from the State of Washington and then I will be able to start work at the Enumclaw Hospital. It took about 6 weeks for Kari to get her license and she starts today. I’m hoping mine comes a touch faster since I mailed my application before my exam. But in the meantime, we figured this would be a great time to go with the fares at an affordable price and we had the vacation time that Jim could use.

So I’m sure I’ll have lots of photos to share and things to talk about when we return. Some of the grandkids in NY already have plans for us to go Trick or Treating with them!

Remember Me?

2008-10-10T08:58:00.001-07:00

I realize it has been a couple weeks since I have posted anything. I guess nothing but the usual was happening and not really worth writing too much about.

A couple days ago I saw some of my grandchildren and it had been about two weeks since I had seen them. The youngest one comes over to me and while rubbing my arm says “I remember you!”. I smiled and said “Well that is a good thing. What’s my name?” And with a coy smile he said “Grandma”.

I suppose in his world two weeks was a long time and he was just proud of the fact he knew who I was, either that or he is quite a little comedian and thought here was his opportunity to yank my chain a little bit.

Another granddaughter who I haven’t seen since last November, was on the phone with us a couple weeks ago. After she said Hello, she said who is this? I replied that it was Grandma and her response was “You’re kidding me!” Which she then proceeded to repeat for the next two or three minutes. I’m sure for a little 4 year old, I am just a myth and surely would be kidding her since I don’t seem like a reality to her.

Another granddaughter about the same age calls me “Brown Grandma” since I have dark hair and her other grandmother is a blonde. I’m quite sure she too is disillusioned with Grandma since she is always inviting me over to help her make cookies, or play dress up, or to go to her world and I never am able to come. For her I’m also just a voice on the other end of the phone that keeps say “I Love you!”

I sure do miss these grandchildren where ever they are. I want them to know that I love them deeply and care about their well being. I am so proud of all of them and know that they have a struggle ahead of them in this ever changing world. But hope that with that knowledge that they are loved, that no matter what happens along the way they keep that knowledge of being loved deep within their hearts.

Ok. Enough sappy thoughts for one day. Love you guys!

Puyallup Fair

2008-09-17T10:03:00.001-07:00

Well another exciting weekend. We took off for the fair that is held in a nearby city. It runs for three weeks but Saturday was the first and only chance we had to go. We took EJ and AJ with us.

The animal barns were by far the favorite. The commercial exhibits were not on the boys list of things to see. Aj even got to milk a cow!

Grandpa was supervising! I think with a little help AJ could become a real farmer! He just needs to learn it is a one hand grip.

We took the opportunity to go sit down in the arena for a show with draft horses. Unfortunately it was too dark in there for good pictures with my little camera. Even though the Clydesdales were impressive their favorite was the team of eight miniature horses. They were a spunky team and seem to soak up the attention the audience was giving them. The announcer said they were actually Shetland ponies.

Can you tell we were getting tired by the time we sat down to watch the horses?

We stayed away from the rides until the end. AJ had seen this tiger roller coaster ride that he wanted to go on. EJ offered to go with him. And then there were helicopters.

We had a great six hours there but limped back to the car. We still had a stake conference meeting to attend at 7pm. Trust me, we took some advill before leaving for the meeting.

Next we need to find something to do with TJ and SR because they have not been able to do anything because of Football.

The Circus

2008-09-08T09:09:00.001-07:00

This was our Saturday activity. It was Fun, Fun, Fun. Everyone else had some where to be (like a BYU/Huskies game) so we had the two youngest of Jim’s Kids AJ and CJ. I knew the circus was in Everett so we checked online to see if there were tickets left. We were in the nose bleed section but all in all not really bad seats. WE could see it all.

Before the show they allowed you in to see some of the animals up close and personal.

We didn’t get too far from the Elephants however. They also had their horses, goats and dogs to see but the elephants stole the show so to speak. Walking up to the door to the arena we passed by the tigers in an outside area but the keepers got real nervous when we wanted to get a closer look.

And I will say the cost of Circus souvenirs has kept up with the rise in the economy! We did get cotton candy with a clown’s hat and a cup with a snow cone in it for each boy and that was $47.00. It you wanted a fancy twirling flashlight that would have been another $27.00 a piece. I think the boys were disappointed that Grandma didn’t cave in for the flashlights because they were really cool!

We thought of uncle Mark in one point in the show because one cool act was this hugh metal ball. First they put 4 boys in there on motorbikes. They went round and round in this ball. Sideways, upside down and all. It was cool! Then they added a 5th rider! Then it just didn’t seem possible that any more would fit, they added 2 more riders making 7 in all. Wow. It was so exciting.

And then the elephants were a second best. They had pooper scoopers right there all the time to clean up after the elephants. And boy do they have big poop!

And this one clown made the show. He was bald like Uncle Allan but he wore a rug that he had a hard time keeping on. He took a ladies cell phone from her and put it down his pants! Then he asked looking down his pants if we could hear him now!

Anyway, we had a great time. It was about a 2 1/2 hour show and it kept our attention the whole time. Thank you Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey!

Labor Day Weekend Trip to Ocean

2008-09-02T14:17:00.001-07:00

Well, we made a motel reservation and took off for a long weekend to Newport, Oregon on the coast. It really was a lot of fun and something we had not done in a while. Jim & Kari were also there but in a different Hotel. We were about a 1/4 mile apart but spent most of our days together.

There were tide pools with crabs and starfish. Sand castles and cold ocean water. And a deep sea fishing trip that had a good share of our crew tossing their cookies. We caught 39 fish in all. They were sea bass. We had caught some cod however the fishing season for Cod had just ended so they had to go back in the water. In fact my first catch was a Cabezon which believe it not in some places use it’s skin for purses etc. But the season for them had just finished. Sydney and the captain are in the pictures with it before it was tossed back. The weather was sunny but on the chilly side with temps only about 60. The ocean breeze put a bite into it. The day we were on the boat there were Hugh ocean swells. There were times I thought I was watching Perfect Storm with the height of some of them. I’m sure this is why we had so many with sea sickness. We had three hooks on our fishing lines. Once Ethan had a fish on all three hooks at the same time I had two on my line. He thought he had out done his grandmother until I dropped my line in again and got two more. I told him I was better because he only caught three where as I had caught 4.

On shore they have women waiting to filet your catch. Also the fish and game people were there to check your catch and also scan the fish to see if any of them had electronic devices they had implanted when they were small. Sea Lions were swimming in the channel. And up under the docks we saw two raccoons and a cat waiting for any leftovers. We saw two dolphins out at sea. And one morning Grandpa and I saw off in the distance the blow from a couple whales.

And we walked all 113 steps to the top of this lighthouse.

This is a message Grandpa left in the sand on the beach just below the Hotel the grand kids were staying in.

And one last picture of the waves.

Oh and I almost forgot. On the boat when you had a fish you were to yell, Fish On the Line and the captain or his crew member would come take if off for you. Well not long after we put our line in a few of us were calling out Fish, Fish on the Line. Next thing we know, Grandpa is calling Fish, Fish, on the line, no, Bird, Bird on the Line. He had caught one of those birds that dive under water to catch fish for their food. It had gotten tangled in his line. So they had to bring it on board and untangle it and set if free. We all had a good laugh over this one because everyone is calling out Fish Fish and grandpa is calling out Bird, Bird!!!

I will post all of the pictures on Flicker with Jim and Kari’s if anyone is interested in seeing all of them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vastbinders/

Quilting is Progressing

2008-08-25T14:32:00.001-07:00

These are pictures of the quilt that I’m currently working on. I just finished all the 9 block squares. Now, I’m alternating them with the yellow as I put them together. I think it will look sharp when I am done.

This is the picture of the quilt I am making for Ethan. As you can see I’m ready to put it together but really need a quilt frame to do it. Our home teacher’s wife said she had one I could borrow and she would send it next time he visits.

It may not look like it, but a lot of time goes into making these. It takes quite a while to cut the fabric with a rotary cutter and then assembling the squares is time consuming if you want them to somewhat line up correctly. But I’ve enjoyed every minute.

Football Saturdays

2008-08-24T18:54:00.001-07:00

We spent Saturday at Caleb’s and Taylor’s Football games. Sydney cheers for Caleb’s Team. It was a beautiful day, clear, warm and sunny. There is fresh snow up on Mt Rainier however.

Caleb’s team did win but it is quite an experience watching these 7 year olds trying to figure out what they are suppose to be doing. God bless those coaches that spend time trying to teach these kids the game.

Taylor is much more camera shy and I did not get a shot of him this time. He did however play most of the game after the 1st quarter. He was beat when it was over. They were able to score twice but the other team had scored about 5 or 6 times.

While Taylor’s game was going on, I took a break from it and took Aidan, Caleb, and Sydney over to the playground to explore the equipment.

Quilting

2008-08-19T11:24:00.001-07:00

This is a baby quilt I made a couple months ago for a sister in the ward. I was really quite proud of it. I did a nine block square and then put a 4 inch strip of pink in between the blocks.

I’ve gotten bitten by the quilting bug and have big plans of several quilts I want to make. I’m currently working on two quilts. One is for my oldest grandson and it done except for putting it together. Because it is larger than a baby quilt I’m having problems putting it together on my living room floor. (The material keeps shifting.) It is very bright. Red, Yellow, and Blues. That quilt is primarily all 4 inch squares. The second quilt I’m working on is blue and yellow. It will be similar to the baby quilt in that it is made up of 9 block squares with a 12 inch block in between. My problems is I can’t seem to find the right pattern fabric for my 12 in squares. I want yellow with little blue flowers in it. I’ve been to two Joanne Fabric stores and a Ben Franklin and Wal-mart in search of this.

I’ve looked on line for a quilting frame and have found what I think I want that fit in our small apartment and still have room to walk around. Just need to save up for it! And by the way these will be tied quilts. Saving for a quilting machine will take a bit longer!!!

I’ll have to take some photos of both. I’m really loving the blue and yellow one. I’m sure one of my daughters will end up with it for Christmas. That is if it is done by then.

Cleaning out a Drawer

2008-08-18T09:41:00.001-07:00

I was cleaning out a dresser drawer on Saturday morning and came across an old Ann Landers column that I must have clipped years ago. The essence of the article was “Ten Rules Kids won’t Learn in School”.

Rule no 1is Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teenager uses the phrase “It’s not fair” 86 times a day. Hey I know some pre teens that use the phrase all ready and I’m fairly sure that they use it atleast that much!

Rule no 2 is The Real world won’t care as much about your self-esteem as you school does. Today I’m not sure even schools care about a child’s self esteem. As far as I can see SELF ESTEEM must be handled with great care as it is very FRAGILE!

Rule no 3 is Sorry you won’t make $40,000 a year right out of high school. And you won’t be a vice president or have a car phone. Well times have changed haven’t they? Kids all ready have cell phones and they aren’t even out of high school. And with inflation, 40 thousand is not an unreasonable expectation.

Rule no 4. If you think your teacher is tough wait until you have a boss. I think this one would hold true no matter how many years pass by.

Rule no 5 is Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents called this opportunity. I have to agree, even now I see teenagers struggling to get that part time job. I currently know of several who would like that opportunity. Even some of these jobs are hard to come by,

Rule no 6 It’s not your parents’ fault if you mess up. You’re responsible. This is the flip side of “it’s my life and you’re not my boss.” Unfortunately, pick up a book that has to do with social, and emotional problems and it puts the blame on the Mom. I guess we have to accept some of the blame but then I feel we are all responsible for our own actions so lay off of MOM.

Rule no 7 Now this one I love! Before you were born your parents weren’t boring. They got that way paying your bills and listening to you! A little harsh, but I do think that having kids does cause a small amount of brain damage in the the parent!

Rule no 8 Life is not divided into semesters and you don’t get summers off. You are expected to show up for work everyday for the time expected and you don’t get a new life every 10 weeks. My Dad had a great work ethic and once even dragged himself off to work when he was passing some kidney stones.

Rule no 9 Smoking does not make you look cool. This is great because I think we have so much information on the dangers of smoking that the tide has turned and if you are the smoker you are either pitied for being hooked or shunned because it smells nasty.

Rule no 10 School my be ‘out-come-based’ but life isn’t. In school you are given many times to get the answer right. Standards are set so low that everyone can meet them. It is time that the US toughen up on this. I recently saw a documentary where they asked over 1000 seniors across the US that were graduating who the first president was. Well you guess it, only a small fraction could answer that question. Sad Sad Sad.

Well for what it is worth, why I saved this I don’t know. It must have just caught my eye probably 15 or more years ago.

As a parent of grown children and grandparents of a dozen grandchildren, you do give thought to what you can instill in them that will help them live life and come out on top. I’m still working on that and guess I need to come up with my own list.

Doctor’s Visit

2008-08-06T17:17:00.001-07:00

Well yesterday I had my four month apt. with my doctor to go over my blood work and check my weight. Well no surprises here, I didn’t lose any weight.

Since my visit four months ago when I got the lecture on exercise I have tried walking a couple miles multiple times of the week. For a while I was doing it rain or shine and for atleast 5 days a week. The doctor said that I wouldn’t need to be concerned about any diets if I did this, he was sure the weight would come off. Well wasn’t he surprised.

Then after reviewing what drugs he has me on, he admitted that the one I take for diabetes is the toughest on not allowing the patient to lose weight no matter what they do. So I was being sabotaged!!!

So I have a change in my med's but this meant giving me a drug that I have to inject twice a day. The good part, he says that most patients will lose about 30 pounds in the first two months of using this drug. I was given a DVD to watch and the card to get the first month free. It is called Byetta. I do these injections twice a day about an hour before breakfast and an hour before supper. One of the side affects is nausea hence you don’t eat as much and lose weight. So this morning it took me about 5 minutes to get brave enough to stab myself in the stomach. After I did it I wondered why I took so long to get up the courage. I didn’t even feel it!! And yes, I felt queasy and could barely eat all of my oatmeal. I’m keeping a journal of what I eat to take back to him in two months when he will check my blood to see if this new drug is doing it’s thing.

Wish me luck. I’m so excited at the prospect of being able to take some weight off. Of course the other thing is, he wants me to get my pulse rate up to 100 during exercise. My resting pulse is 54. Well I tried this afternoon and when I thought I was ready to keel over I took my pulse and it was only 82. I’m going to need some help on this one!

Life Can Be Tough

2008-08-05T09:09:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I had a Pity Party and I was the only one to show up!

I have made many mistakes in Life and sometimes all those mistakes come tumbling in on you in one day.

Probably the biggest mistake I’ve made in life is handling out finances. If my Dad could see the mess I’ve made he would roll over in his grave and disown me. I’ve been trying for about 5 years now to straighten this out and it looks like it will take another 5 years to do. Credit is definitely like being in bondage as much as we think if will set us free.

When my children were growing up, I never liked to have them go without. I often used credit to purchase school clothes and Christmas gifts. We didn't go out to eat a lot because that was one area I could deny them. When they were teenagers we did out best to see that they had a car to drive. Then grandbabies came along and I couldn't help myself in spoiling them. To make a long story short, credit card debt has gotten out of hand, not on one or two single purchases or indulgences but on many small ones.

With credit card debt so costly, we made the decision to join a debt management program to help get the interest rates lowered and this debt paid off. This has it advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is lower rates, from 29.9% to as low as 9.9%. The balance can and will go down faster.. The disadvantage, the debt management company now controls your life! Again, Bondage!

My Dad use to say, if you can't pay cash, you don't need it. More and more I like that outlook.

Without going into a lot of detail, the DMP will not give approval for a small line of credit for my husband to use to pay for travel that his job is now requiring him to do. The bank has approved it but only with a letter from the DMP that we have told them we have done this. DMP says that they will not give us this. I know now that my spouse is being restricted because of mistakes I have made. Suicide is not an answer since my life insurance wouldn't be enough to help him out, it would only give him more $$ problems. At a time like this, we should turn to our Faith for help, except that money has been so tight I have not been able to pay a full Tithe so I'm not sure the Lord would be listening to me. So where does that leave me? In the August issue of Redbook my Horoscope says I should write a sideways 8 with gold ink on red paper and put it in the financial floor space of my home and before August is over I will have all the money I need. So I'm off to buy gold ink (I already have some red paper) and maybe a lottery ticket or two. This way I'm doing something!

I Passed, I Passed, I Passed

2008-07-30T22:55:00.001-07:00

Did you get the message? Yes I passed my Nursing assistants class. Hurrah! I am so excited. I see students there that have been six or seven months trying to pass off their skills section of the course.

But…… there is always a but, isn’t there? I still have to go to class tomorrow and Friday to help pass off other students.

Now I just hope I can get a job doing this and be able to do a good job. I learned from my clinical's that this is darn hard work! My back and feet were aching by the time I got home after 7 hours. What am I to do when I work 8 or even a 12 hour shift? I guess time will only tell, maybe this is the activity I need besides walking to help me loose some of this weight. I love the clients but I really do believe that in most facilities that CNA’s are overworked. In my clinical's, my CNA and I had 10 patients to care for and 9 of them were incontinent. That left very little time for interacting with patients and helping them with quality of life.

Oh well, onward and upward. Now I have to pass my state boards. Stay tuned!!!

One Week to Go

2008-07-25T08:10:00.001-07:00

I now have just one more week of my CNA training. YEAH!!! I’m so tired, I’ve just put it on auto pilot and I’m going through the motions.

Grandpa was out of town three days this last week and I think we have had only about 10 minutes to talk since he has been home. The apartment has multiple piles of living life that I need enough time to take care of them. Dishes have not been washed since Monday. I need bread and milk. I think I’ve forgotten how to cook. And I’m running out of clean underwear. THANK Heavens for Saturdays.

Birds!

2008-07-17T08:46:00.001-07:00

I think I must be watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie! What is it with birds and Me? When we lived in Newark atleast once a summer a bird would get down in the vent over the kitchen stove and not be able to get out, so we would have top dismantle things, don gloves, open the back door and pray that when Jim reached up there that he would be able to get the bird out safely. Always a traumatic event! Well yesterday between work and school I was sitting her studying and I heard a funny noise. At first, I thought it sounded like some one was trying to start a very dead lawnmower without success. I went outside to investigate and saw no one. Shrugged if off and went on my way. Now this morning, I’m sitting here on the computer paying bills and I hear it again only this time I know exactly what it is. A birds fluttering wings and feet scratching on the inside of my chimney. Acccchhhhhhh!!!! I can’t get away from them. I should probably call the landlord but I need to leave in a few minutes and no one will be home until late tonight because this is the day Dad starts motorcycle training. Why us? There are three other chimneys on this building not to mention the four others on each of the other eight buildings. Now you know if if were the lottery I would not be so lucky!!!

Off to School-not even September

2008-07-13T21:43:00.001-07:00

Well Kari has convinced me to go back to school. Sooooo… I’m taking the same CNA class that Kari just finished. This class goes for three weeks and is from 4pm to 10pm Monday thru Friday. Then I can take the state boards. Basically, I’m doing the work of a CNA but this should give me a pay raise of a couple dollars an hour and hopefully help me get employment at a local hospital where I would have more stable hours.

And also this week, Grandpa is taking a motorcycle training class so he can get his license. He is currently in a carpool but if things don’t work out there, he will have this license so that we can do less expensive travel for him to and from work. His class goes for two and an half days. Thursday night and all day Saturday and Sunday.

So two oldies going back to school. What can happen next?

On Getting Older

2008-07-09T21:13:00.001-07:00

I am currently doing home care for senior citizens. It has been a real eye opener as far as growing old gracefully and keeping a positive attitude. I have learned a few things.

1. Keep up your social life. If your friends die before you find new ones.

2. Don’t sleep your life away. Find hobbies and interests that you can look forward to each day.

3. Stay as active as possible. Those joints will freeze up if not used.

I have two clients that I love but are as different as night and day. One is 91. She is such as joy. She still does embroidery and sews. She has a pinochle card party at her home twice a month. She belongs to the red hat society and has a lunch group that get together at least once a month. I so enjoy going to see her twice a week. My other client will be 78 in August. Is severely depressed and has dementia. She loves to sleep. She use to be an avid reader and like to do genealogy. Her daughter moved her and her husband to a retirement assisted living facility. Since then she has not done any genealogy. Sleeps probably 16 to 18 hours a day and says she gets bored trying to read. She is a sweetheart but such a struggle to get excited about life. We’ve done a few crafts and some puzzles but only with a great deal of pushing and prodding. Obviously, I want to be like the 91 year old when I get old. Especially if I’m going to live to be 100.

Jumping on the Band Wagon of Blogging!

2008-07-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

I enjoy reading so many people's blogs that I have finally decided to try this myself!

This last weekend my husband had his 60th birthday. A monumental occasion. We enjoyed the day by riding over to Tacoma to see the Tall Ships. And a leisurely lunch at Denny's. We have been married for almost 39 years and yet it seems as though we are still newly weds. We like being together and enjoying one anothers company. They say that when you live with someone long enough you start looking like each other. And........I do think this is happening. We are both overwieght, wear glasses, and have similar hair coloring.

I got a chuckle on Sunday when we were talking to our oldest grandson. We were discussing ages (He is 12) and he was trying to figure out how old he would be when I was a 100 years old. I asked him if he was going to make a point of coming to my birthday party when I turn 100 and he said " Not only will I be at your party but I will probably be the one taking care of you then and changing your diapers!!!" I certainly had to laugh at that and told him that I knew of atleast six people that would be relieved to hear that he is willing to assume that responsibility! (The six people I'm referring to would be my children). By the way, Ethan will be 54 when and if I reach 100.