My man

My man

I was thinking today about all the things that my husband can do. He is one of those really cool guys who can fix stuff and I like to brag about it. When we first got married, my mom had this washer that had flooded a couple of times and she was sick of it. SO, she gave it to us. The future of laundromats was no longer in our future. Because guess what? Not only did she give us the washer, but the perfectly good dryer as well. Because I mean, please, you can't buy a new washer and not have the perfect match???? Right?????

So, mom gets her new washer and dryer and we get the 3 year old ones. Ron tells me "I can fix that". He goes and buys a Whirlpool repair manual (long before days of the internet) for $10 and buys the part for $15. For $25 and a little bit of elbow grease from him, while I brought him cool, refreshing lemonade in tall, chilled glasses, we had a washer and dryer that served us for 4 moves, 3 kids, and approximately 9,742 loads of laundry.

That was a proud wife moment. My husband could FIX things. And not have to take the whole day off work to do it. He grew up on a farm. He can fix all kind of practical stuff like baylers, tractors, well pumps, fences, and radiators. He also can do a mean trick on toaster, a sewing machine, a cable, a guitar, lawnmowers, any computer, etc. etc. Sometimes he even fixes things when you don't want them fixed because you'd like a new one.

He can also do all sorts of other random things really well. Examples? Juggle, remember useless formulas from math classes taken 20+ years ago, make incredible "Ron-burgers", and talk in any number of puppet voices, i.e., Kermit the Frog, Grover (especially Near and Far), Donald Duck and Scooby Doo. He regularly speculates and pontificates about all things space, time and matter. He is a humble gospel scholar. He makes yummy mashed potatoes and he is a very good marksman (but hates hunting). He can inseminate a cow if needs be, or even deliver a calf if pressed. He's tall and can get stuff off the high shelves. He is awesome to have at a campfire because he can play anything you want him to (and somethings you don't want him to.) But, don't even get started on the whole music thing...that's a whole 'nuther thread.

Oh, he's not perfect though. He has road rage bad and he doesn't play board/card games well, though, because he cheats and he hates to lose. He forgets to put the juice away in the morning and he doesn't pick up his stuff. Something has to keep him on earth, though, doesn't it?



One last really smart thing he did...............Marry me. 'nuff said.

Popped collar?

Funny picture of the day................

Especially for you children of the early 80's/preppy phase. Who popped their collars? I did, and did it proudly. In fact, I gasped in glee when I was at the ever trendy Hollister at the mall one day buying an over-priced, poorly made shirt for my daughter, when I saw that the salesman had a DOUBLE POPPED-COLLAR POLO

It was then that I realized that not only had 60's hair, 70's bell bottoms and 80's music made a comeback, but that the

DOUBLE POPPED-COLLAR POLO

had now returned with gusto to the glorified annuls of a popular, hip, cool, over-priced poorly made store. The end.

Proof my Mother Hated My Sister


I was just reading my cute niece, Lauren's blog, who obviously gets all of her humor from moi, her slightly poorer, but much younger sister of previously noted Aunt Cathy, who happens to live at swanky 1 Central Park West. But I digress.

Anyway, I was thinking today about how much I love my sisters. My sisters are the most awesome women I know. I am SO lucky that I have them as friends and mentors. In fact, here is a really awesome picture of us from 1967:



Aren't we adorable. I mean, look at the expressions on our faces!!! Standing peacefully in front of the Christmas tree, gazing off to the East, wondering what it would have been like if we had seen the star, or dreaming of all the wonderful Barbie crap we were going to get the next morning! I wonder where we were going that day....or night. I wonder how many times Mom yelled at us to look up at the hallway lig....er, star in the East, and how many times Carolyn poked me in the ribs.

This was in 1967 and I would have been 4, Carolyn was 9, and Cathy about 13. Look at Cathy in her groovy little houndstooth print dress! She looks awesome. Look at me all cute and four. With the long straight hair that I could sit on, and my cute, mischevious grin. You know, the youngest who was spoiled and got everything and her sisters who were at her mercy?? (Somethings never change.) But, please, someone tell me.....what did Carolyn do to tick off my mom so much??? Did she have a horrible labor? Did she not do her chores that day? Did she play "Bridge Over Trouble Water" from the Big-Note Guitar Book one time too many on the slightly out-of-tune guitar she got for Christmas??? I mean, seriously, WHO makes their MIDDLE CHILD wear their hair like this?? What I really want to know is....what did she do to deserve the cat-eye glasses that were in her future?? (stay-tuned for pictures).

So, yes, Lauren, in response to your blog post, homely people DO get married. And they make beautiful children. And with lots of therapy they grow out of all the mean things their mothers did to them. Amen.

I'm Not Dead!!

I know, many thought I was dead....I thought that I would just to blog bi-annually and that would be good. Actually, that would be much better than how often I get to my personal journal.

I was reading on my friend's blog about how she blogs all year, and then she has a place who prints out her blog for the year in book form. Love it! Maybe this will change my blogging.

As I look back on things that have already happened this year, I am astounded and amazed at how quickly the year has gone. How fast it moves everyday, and ultimately, how much time I waste. There are so many things that I would love to do, and if I just budgeted my time better, I may get to them. So, to catch my faithful blog readers up, I know all two of you are reading, I thought I would just do a short recap of what has been going on the last few months.






What's this? It's a sheep. That's right. A sheep. Why am I pointing out a sheep?
Well, when we were discussing all things Easter, Krista said she wanted a lamb, and we got into the whole lambs turn into sheep thing, and well, it escalated into her having a desire for me to find or create a recipe for "Sheep Chops". If any of you feel the need to understand more fully, you may email her directly. If you don't have that address, please make a comment, and I will direct it her way.

BOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Just had to post these cute pictures of my girls this morning. Krista is an obnoxious pop star and Rachel is Hannah Montana's best friend, Lola. After I took these pictures this morning, I went over to the school to watch the Halloween Parade and see all the adorable kids and teachers dressed up. Then I realized Rachel will be in 6th grade next year and so I only have one more Halloween parade to go. Sad. Oh well, I'll enjoy today while I'm in it! I'll put up pumpkin pictures later.

Beautiful Fall Day!

What a wonderful day today....low 60's, a little breeze, sun out all day. Simply gorgeous.

Rachel has been taking riding lessons with a girl in our ward named Becca Tolman. She is totally enthralled with anything and everything that Becca says or does. It's really cute. Today she had a lesson and she wanted me to take some pictures of her at her lesson and riding. She has been learning on an English saddle. She said, "I love it at my lesson because I don't think of all the things that are bothering me, and I only think of riding Shianne (Becca's horse). I love being with her." I thought that was the sweetest thing to say, that riding brings her such pleasure. Here are a few pictures from her lesson. Oh, and because I was there, she got to canter for the first time! What a pro!



Grooming is the first thing she does when she gets to the barn.




She has to pick the mud out of her feet before she rides. Shianne just had her nails trimmed today.



Grooming her tail and mane so she looks beautiful for her riding lesson!

I thought that by waiting a year to add to my blog might be a good thing, but I decided against it. I'm only 2 months short of a full year. Sorry to disappoint. My original intent was to let Ron have a way to keep up, through pictures, what was going on here at home while he was on tour with Marie Osmond last winter. Then, I slacked off.

A friend told me the reason she blogs is to not only let others read what is going on in her life, but to also keep a journal for herself. She regularly prints off her pages, and makes a journal out of them. SO....I am striving to be better, since I don't write in my journal regularly.

As you can imagine, so many things have happened since last year at this time. Where to even begin? First of all, it is my favorite season of all: FALL!!! Of course, mother nature decided to throw 6 inches of snow at us this past weekend. It's been cold here so there is still some snow on the north side of our house.

Kids are big and growing. The girls and I are going to see Hannah Montana in concert on Saturday night at the Delta....oops, Energy Solutions Arena. ;) We are excited. The tickets were quick to go. They sold out in about 10 minutes.

We just had our Primary Program on Sunday. I'm SO glad it is over. I was in charge of writing it and the practices were less than wonderful. Luckily, the kids came through and it was great.

I'll be uploading some pictures soon of some of the things that we've been up to this summer. Baseball, Nauvoo, lots of concerts, cute nieces and nephews, etc.

So, check back soon!

More pictures from Wendee:
The hall in Paducah from the theatre

Dan with Chris Acton,
Marie's tour manager and
friend of Ron's who asked him to do the tour


Dan, McKenzie, and Wendee

Trumans and Ron eating dinner....I'm sure it was nice to be with friends who are just like family.



The stage in Paducah....a beautiful hall. There's Ron back behind the piano. The set looks gorgeous...



Dan, Ron, Karl Engemann (Marie's manager of The Letterman fame, aka Larry King's father-in-law!), Jerry Williams (piano player extraordinare and band conductor). All look pretty good if you ask me!

My sweet, adorable friend, Wendee Truman went to see Ron in Paducah along with hubby Dan and McKenzie. Dan is one of Ron's best friends (plays piano is Diamond Rio) and for ONCE we were able to get them tickets to something...considering that they have gotten us millions of tickets for ourselves, friends and family over the years for DR concerts. Wendee takes as many pictures as I do...maybe more. Here is her adorable daughter McKenzie with Santa and Wendee and below is McKenzie with Marie. I'm curious as to when McKenzie got SO TALL???? Thanks, Wendee for taking sweet treats to my sweetie and taking him out to dinner. We owe you back, but don't we usually. Everyone would be lucky to have a friend like Wendee Truman. ;)

Just a little picture to make you smile.
With two dogs and one very obnoxious cat,
this truly could be an event that happens at my house.

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Have an awesome day

Wanna go for a R-I-D-E?????
You know that's the question we asked her to get her head to tilt to the side so inquisitively.
Little Zoe...the high point of her day when she gets to "go-fer" as Scott says. Sometimes he says it just to bug her, and launch her into a spastic attempt to race everyone to the door. Scott was just giving her a ride aoround the house, while at the same time using her as a neck warmer.

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!

Maggie was having a ball in the snow....eating it up and playing in it. In fact, you can tell her tail is wagging like crazy in the photo. She was wanting to come in, but I needed a picture of those awesome big fat snowflakes!





This is the night that it snowed last week. We still have some of that snow...that's how incredibly cold it has been. The storms were rolling through like crazy and I went outside to get a picture of the house with the lights on and it started thundering and lightning at the same time it was snowing! Crazy! It's beautiful though, isn't it?


This is the front door. I think you knew that. I love Christmas lights. :)

Ward Christmas Party

Ward Christmas Party

Today was the ward Christmas party, with Tammie Belliston in charge. It was a huge success. She does such a great job with everything she does. It is traditionally a breakfast, and the Bishopric cooks. It was very fun, and the food was yummy.

Tammie had asked me if I would bring some things from our family history because she was asking people in the ward with unusual last names to share their traditions, offer a small sampling of traditional food and explain the origin of our name. Well, I guess at one time I had told her the pirate story, and she wanted it displayed.

I talked Momma Sue who gave me the family crest for the day, as well as pictures and maps of the town of Saltmarsh in England. It's really cool to have such an unusual last name and to have such a rich history...even if we ARE English! ha! Just a few photos from the day.



Me and my sweet friend, Patrice Hansen. I'm still trying to figure out why she loves me so much, but she does. Mom to Krista's friend, Kailin, and wife to Dwight.









Yes, it's true, it DID start with a pirate. The story has been tossed around for years and some thought that it just might be a made up fairytale, but Momma Sue confirmed it. I typed this up really fast for the party today, but I'm going to do a bit more research to get all the facts/details down.

Just a few of the kitchen crew hard at work. Take note of Glenn Taylor mising pancake batter on the floor. There was a WHOLE lot of cooking going on.Jeremy and Jordan trying to act cool. Are they? Of course they are. ;) Here is Bishop Lewis trying to get the outside grill going. Janet told me to take a picture of him. He couldn't get the grill to work. He is trying not to swear. I don't think anyone ate THOSE pancakes.
Now, HERE is a pancake maker.

Last but not least, I would have loved to have gotten a wonderful picture of Tammie, but this was what she was like most of the morning. I'm sure she's in a coma now. As usual, she was brilliant!

Just thought that you might like to see the pictures of Jordan with his new board. He's pretty happy, as you can see. He went ahead and took his new board because he loaned his old board to Devyn and this board IS waxed. Off to Snowbird in beautiful sunny, cold weather!
 

This is the one photo I could get of all the kids at the same time. You can tell that Scott wasn't thrilled about putting his arm around ANYONE, and Jordan was torturing Rachel. Turned out well, though! We all miss you VERY much! 

Mom looking beautiful, as usual, with the kids at the lodge before we went in for dinner. All those boys are sneaking up on her!