The GLASMANNagerie

What I Am Doing These Days

2011-11-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

I have been very lax about my blogging lately. I have tried to keep up with most of you, but I have been consumed by other things. Besides having kids and grandkids around whenever I can, I have been working hard on a calling (an assignment within out church)that I was given last spring. I am the director of our Corvallis Nativity Festival. This is a community event that has been hosted at our church for 17 years. Last year it was held for 3 days and about 3,000 people came through. This year we have expanded to 5 full days. We have up to 3 concerts in the evening where other church groups and community groups perform for about 1/2 hour. On Sunday evening, we broadcast the annual Christmas Devotional featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This year on Monday we are having our first ever community Messiah Sing In. Our theme this year is "Come Unto Bethlehem" where your are transported to the streets of Bethlehem with tents and shopkeepers and costumed people. We have live background music going on during the display and all the nativities are displayed within the design. We have between 600 and 800 nativities that are displayed.

Needless to say, this is a HUGE project and it has been consuming me. This year we are doing a big push with social media. You can check out our web site at www.corvallisnativityfestival.com or go on Facebook and type in Corvallis Nativity Festival and go to our page. We even have a couple of YouTube videos that are posted for people to see what we are doing.

I promise to get back to what is going on in my life after this month. But right now, I have TONS to do!!

Last Gasp of Summer 1/2 Marathon

2011-09-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone understands that I am not trying to brag, but this is a big deal to me. A couple of weeks ago I completed my second 1/2 marathon. I walk, I don't and can't run. It is a big deal for me because 3 1/2 years ago I had a total knee replacement on the right knee. In addition, one year after that I had major reconstructive surgery to rebuild my left foot and ankle. I had what is a called a deep tendon transfer to re-stabilize and realign my foot and ankle. I spent nearly a year (before and after surgery) in a walking boot and in physical therapy. So for me to walk 13.1 miles is quite an accomplishment. This year I competed for the second time. Not only did I finish, but according to race results, I shaved 27 minutes off of my time from last year. I completed the race this year in just over 3 hours. I consistently walk at a pace of about 15 minutes per mile and I knew I was really pushing during this race. My friend Lori walked with me, along with Reed and Jessica. My son-in-law ran the race. It is a beautiful race on the Oregon coast that takes you up along the town's water storage with trees and ponds on both sides of the road, along a nature trail to the beach and then about 1/2 of the race is right on the beach. Jessica and I were true walkers while Lori and Reed did a little jogging. This has become for me a huge way in which to compel myself to keep active and try and stay in shape after these surgeries. It has helped me to be more active and hopefully to prolong the life of the left knee which is having the same problem as my right. I know that eventually I will have to have that one replaced too, but for now, I will keep walking.

Please excuse my race attire. I get very warm while I walk!

How Sweet

2011-09-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

This sweet little girl will be 3 years old in another month. I just got a phone call from her. She wanted to call and sing me a song. So she did. She sang the whole song of "I Love to See the Temple". All by herself. Twice. Wow, I was so impressed. She knew all the words and she sang the tune! I was so excited and happy. It is so wonderful to watch your children grow, embrace what they have been taught and then teach it to the next generation! I am so proud of all of them!!

CATCH UP

2011-08-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

I have been horrible at blogging. I check everyone's blog on a regular basis, but for some reason, I can't motivate myself to do my own.

It has been a really hectic summer. There have been LOTS of ups and downs. Things are finally starting to settle back down and I think I might be able to do this. We shall see.

We started off our summer with Josh returning home. I cannot describe what it was like to finally have my baby back home and be able to talk to him whenever I wanted. He is so fun to have around. He was all smiles as we welcomed him home with EVERYONE of the family at the airport. We had silly signs and a new nephew and niece to welcome him home. His funniest statement on returning home was "Wow, everyone has all their own teeth"!!!!

We took family pictures while everyone was home and had such a fun time.

Poor Josh was only home 5 days before we loaded him up in the car and started driving back east to the beach house. We took 65 hours on the way there. We enjoyed the 4th and gathering with Reed's family to distribute his dad's ashes at sea. Coming home from Delaware we took a week. We headed south and visited Arkansas and the home of Popeye Spinach (in Alma), drove through Missouri and stayed in Oklahoma for a few days. The people that Josh served are such wonderful, humble people. They loved him and I am so grateful to have met many of them and seen the love that they have for my son.

Then we continued our journey into Rocky Mountain National Park, Utah and finally home. I cried when I saw the Cascades. They are such beautiful mountains. In the words of Josh, they are REAL mountains. Jackie and her boys spent a lot of time with us at the farm this summer as Zach concentrated on collecting data and working on research for his doctorate. Reed and I headed out again for Utah to meet up with his family for the final distribution of ashes. We are now home and don't plan on going anywhere - until the latter half of September. But I will enjoy my time here.

I have been so busy helping my dad move a couple of times and now we are full on into canning. This week I have canned fresh tuna and green beans. There are more beans to go and then it will be peaches and tomatoes. I love filling up the pantry and storing up food. You never know what the future will hold.

This next weekend will find us down at the cabin, painting and hopefully relaxing. After such a busy summer, I need it.

The family at the beach!!

The grandkids at the beach!!

EVERYONE together at home.

Beach time

2011-07-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

This summer we took the whole gang back to Bethany Beach, Delaware, for some much enjoyed time in the sand and surf. Jayme's girls went completely Hawaiian and decided they wanted to come back every summer! Aloha!

Aunts and uncles and cousins - all ready for a fun day at Sussex Shores!

Some eat corn, some eat sand. The beach has it all. It all comes out eventually.

Nothing beats Delmarvelous sweet corn at the beach!

Sunglasses, sunscreen, muscle shirt - this man is ready for the beach!

What is the best thing about a vacation to the beach? If you ask this crowd, you'd get 5 different answers. The worst thing is having to leave when vacation is over....

The Countdown

2011-05-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I have decided that I will officially start counting down the days. In exactly one month my baby will be returning from his mission to the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission! I am excited. We will have a wonderful Father's Day celebration! His homecoming is on Sunday, June 19th at 9am in Corvallis 2nd Ward. We will celebrate with family and friends at 1pm that day! These last few months have just DRAGGED for me. But I am happy now to realize how close it is. I have the official travel plans, but Josh's current companion is trying to talk the mission president into a 1 transfer extension. I don't think they do those anymore, but I am so happy that they are doing so well together and are finding success in their teaching. I am a HAPPY MOMMA!!

A Trip To The Zoo

2011-04-28T14:59:00.001-07:00

Last week, Jayme checked the weather forecast and it called for sunshine, so he suggested we head up to the zoo. Jackie had an appointment, so I took the 2 smaller K's and headed for the zoo. Typical Oregon weather started out sunny but with a COLD breeze blowing, then it rained, hailed and finally some sunshine, but not very warm. But we had so much fun. Katarina has been patiently waiting for me to get some of my pictures up, so here we go!

I wish you could hear Kyler in this picture. I merely told him that I wanted to take his picture. He said "Deeeezzz"! That is 1 year old speak for "cheese"!!!
Kayden climbed on the big lion statue!

Katarina and daddy riding the wood horses in the barn! She LOVES her daddy!

The tigers were up, out of doors AND moving around! They were very big!

The giraffe was inside today. Maybe because it was so cold!

The zebra is bright with

all it's stripes!!

That is one BIG hippo!

Elyssa crashed part way through, but mom kept her warm zipped up inside her jacket.

While we waited to ride the train since it was raining - again, we went inside the place where they have the Lorakeets. You could purchase a cup of nectar and the birds would come and perch on your arm or hand and drink from the cup. The kids were FASCINATED with the brightly colored birds. They were not allowed to touch them, but they were very close to them.

The train ride was so much fun. We rode right by the elephants and saw the new baby. We could see the wolves and eagles. We heard the whistle blow and went over and under bridges. We had such a fun day at the zoo!!!

2011-04-11T01:07:00.000-07:00

This is the definition of Aloha.

This is the definition of the Big Kahuna. I've never seen such a BIG SURFER.

The surf at Makaha was beautiful, but the area north of the beach was a homeless camp. The west shore of Oahu is pretty rough territory, but the ocean is fantastic.

Cruisin' Hawaii

2011-04-11T00:15:00.000-07:00

Reed and I spent the last week on a cruise around the Hawaiian islands. It was so much fun. Here a few pictures of the trip!

As we sailed away from Honolulu we were blessed by a beautiful rainbow to send us on our way.

The lights of Honolulu as we sailed away!
The first day found us on Maui. We spent part of the day at the beach, kayaking and snorkeling, before we headed up the volcano to watch the sun set from the top of the world at 10,500 feet. It was the only time I was cold!
The next day we were on the big island of Hawaii. On the Hilo side we visited the volcano and hiked across Kileae iki (the little crater). Reed was right at home being the geologist. A couple from Texas attached themselves to Reed and asked tons of questions. Reed was in 7th heaven explaining things.
From there we visited the falls.
On the Kona side we kayaked and snorkeled. We also saw some of the damage from the tsunami. On Kauai, we kayaked up a river and saw where they filmed the opening credits to MASH, Neverland from Hook, and Indiana Jones. We also hiked through the jungle to some remote waterfalls.

As we left Kauai, we sailed along the Na Pali coastline, where we were entertained by whales spouting and slapping their tails as well as the dramatic coastline.
It was a wonderful week. I will post later about the pictures from our visit to Pearl Harbor and time on Oahu!

Pearl

2011-04-01T23:44:00.000-07:00

After leaving Kailua we headed over to Pearl Harbor to spend time rendering thanks to all those who sacrificed so much to preserve our freedoms during WWII. We toured the USS Missouri, then went out to the memorial over the USS Arizona. Quite a day, to remember the events of December 7, 1941 and the days that followed. Then we found out hotel on the beach at Waikiki and strolled the beach road with 10,000 other people, watching the crowds surfing. Enjoyed a great dinner watching the sun set over Waikiki. Pretty neat.

2011-04-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

What is a trip to the beach without a few early morning sunrise pictures? All those years of getting up early to check the surf conditions as a kid make it hard for me to sleep in at the beach. Our final morning in Kailua, rain showers on the horizon, trade winds blowing, not much surf, but a beautiful sunrise for those up early - mainly joggers and people walking their dogs - just like Sussex Shores! Only with palm trees and volcanic mountains, 78 degree water, ....

Driving North on Oahu

2011-03-31T21:39:00.001-07:00

Today we took off up Highway 83 around the eastern edge of the island of Oahu, driving as far as the North Shore, then back around through the Dole pineapple fields to Pearl City before heading east over the pali back to Kialua. It was a fun drive, great weather in the early afternoon, but we got soaked at Wiamea Bay by a sudden tropical downpour. I love dark chocolate-coated macadamia nuts!! They are sooooooo good.

This was a small beach park popular with body surfers just south of Laie. Don't know why the kids like it - it's like an angry version of Bethany, 6-ft waves that smash right on the beach in 6-inches of water,or into the rocks - take you pick. Must be the challenge of it all.

The Hawai'i Temple is probably the most beautiful building on the North Shore. We walked all through the gardens and went to the Visitor Center to watch a brief film about the history of the Church's growth in and around Laie. Sure makes you believe in modern prophets.

We drove around Oahu this afternoon and stopped in at Sunset Beach Park, where the surf was breaking over 10-feet, with some waves up to 15-feet. It was really something to watch the guys out riding these big swells.

Hawaiian Vacation

2011-03-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

So for the first time in a long time, Reed and I are actually taking a REAL vacation!! We are not visiting family, taking family, or work. It is just the 2 of us and we are in Hawaii!! Yesterday, after we landed we drove around Oahu to the windward side to stay in the town of Kailua. We are staying at an bed and breakfast in a residential area.

Hey, I'm on vacation!!

We spent the day in the water and walking on the beach. I am learning that Hawaii is much closer to the equator than Bethany Beach and so I need to use LOTS of sunscreen. The water is soooo warm and gentle and CLEAR! Today, after our walk on the beach we are going to do some sightseeing. We have never spent much time on Oahu, so I have been asking lots of questions and Reed is perusing his geology book. Should be fun!!

This is the view from our little bed and breakfast room!!

I have also discovered that Reed likes Large, bold Hawaiian prints!!

Evergreen Air Museum

2011-03-12T21:19:00.000-08:00

A shot of the Spruce Goose.

Today we went to the Evergreen Air Museum. Jessica had originally wanted to take Keegan on a hike. That became a hike for all of us, but the weather intervened. So we decided to try the air museum instead. We all met up at the air museum and spent the day looking at different aircraft. One of the highlights for me was the tour of the B-17. We were able to go inside where volunteers explained to us how it operated and how different crew members performed their tasks. Our volunteer had actually flown in a B-24 during the war. He was able to show us some photos of his crew and shared some of his experiences. He was the one who sat in the gun turret UNDER the plane! He showed us how the turret worked and talked about what it was like to be in there. He shared one experience of when he had appendicitis that caused him to be pulled from a mission. That particular mission, the crew was shot down and the guy in the turret who had taken his place was killed that day. Over and over he reminded us that he was only 18 and that most of the crew was between 18 and 21. The oldest one on his crew was 25 and he was called "Pops". Sometimes we forget that these young men who fought so valiantly were so young. How grateful I am for their willingness and even their eagerness to serve their country. We owe such a debt of gratitude to these men and women.

The kids thoroughly enjoyed the day. Jackie's boys were all in their bomber jackets that Grandpa got for them. We even added another jacket for Katarina, this one in pink. Somehow I did not get a picture of this on my camera. Kayden LOVES the Blue Angels and was thrilled to see a Blue Angels jet out in front of the museum. We even got to see the Spruce Goose. That plane is amazingly big.

I am so thankful that we have all the kids close at this time. We have many opportunities to get together and do fun things. What a fun day!!

It's About Time

2011-03-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

Wow, I have been horrible at keeping my blog updated. Rather than bore everyone with all that has happened, let's just say that I spent 8 months as the 1st Counselor in a Relief Society Presidency. Relief Society is a women's organization in our church. It was a HUGE responsibility that was multiplied by a president who Home Schools her 4 kids and is a foster mom to a severely handicapped girl. The demands on her time at home were very difficult and I became the main person on the forefront. It was difficult and VERY time consuming. But I was suddenly released when the Stake called me as the new director of the Nativity Festival. Every year our church does a HUGE display of Nativities. This is a community event complete with themes and decorations, concerts and small live musical performances going on during the display. There is a children's craft area and puppet show. They have a luncheon for "people of influence" and people who host and security. It takes a full week of full time work just to set it up. The event currently runs for 3 days but they are considering expanding it. I am overwhelmed but I am surrounding myself with very competent people.

Meanwhile at home our newest granddaughter was blessed. She is Elyssa Marie and was born a the beginning of January. She is big and healthy and is growing every day. She now smiles and coos and we are really enjoying her. Her older sister, Katarina is a great big sister. Recently they went to the sheep barns where a good friend snapped a picture of her in her frog hat. I love the picture because it captures Katarina's personality!!

There will be more pictures soon as spring break is fast approaching. Reed and I will head to Utah for a quick visit with Tom and Niki. Then the grandkids will be here. After that Reed and I will be heading for Hawaii! We will be taking our very first cruise (thanks to Lura!!). I am soooo excited.

Updates Part 1

2011-01-13T10:45:00.000-08:00

I had such good intentions! I was going to blog all through Christmas with all the fun things we were doing. That didn't happen and so I thought I would blog about our new grand baby but she didn't come. So at last here is the beginning of updates. There will be plenty of pictures to follow. Right now, Reed and I are back east at the beach house. Reed has meetings all day Saturday. We planned to come back for a full week, but have changed plans and will be returning early. But we are here for a few days to get some things done and attend meetings. Hopefully we will be able to plan a get away later to relax and do something together! This morning was a very COLD walk on the beach. It is always so different to see how deserted it is in the winter. In the summer it is literally wall to wall people. Winter is empty and everything is closed up. Today is adjusting to time difference and getting repairs done at the beach house. Tomorrow, who knows!! But right now there is a fire in the fire place and the sun is shining even if it is only 29 outside! The wind makes it feel like 18 but inside feels nice!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-12-03T19:11:00.000-08:00

What started out as a small Thanksgiving with just Jessica

turned out to be good sized group. First my dad and Maxine said that they would join us. Next it was Jessica's former roommate, Megan. Then Jackie's family changed plans at the last minute due to weather and they joined us as well. We did a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, with everyone joining in to make it happen. With the economy the way it is we debated roasting our own wild turkey, but as he was about to turn 1, we decided that we liked this little turkey too much. He is so much fun! At the end of the weekend we celebrated his first birthday! I love having my family around. Now we have hit the last 6 months of Josh's mission and are looking forward to talking to him in a few short weeks.

Playing "Doubles Tennis" Wii style!!
Peeling the potatoes!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-23T16:01:00.001-08:00

Here it is a couple of days before Thanksgiving and it is SNOWING!!!! This is NOT normal for Oregon. Rain? Yes, definitely, but snow? This morning I got up early to help my dad get up to the clinic for surgery to have a cataract removed. Since it was soooo icy, we told them that Reed and I would take them in. Reed had a meeting later, so we got the grocery shopping done and headed home. Then it was back in to pick up my dad and get them home, safe and sound.

Reed and I met up for lunch and then it was home to start the prep for Thanksgiving. I am making rolls today and will probably get 1 pie done. I am so excited for the kids and their kids and friends to arrive. It is such a great time to reflect on all I have to be thankful for. As I have started serving in Relief Society now, I have had many opportunities to visit with those who have not been as fortunate as I have. I am so grateful for my blessings. It has been humbling to be in some of the circumstances and to try and counsel and help those who have had to suffer so much. Poor Reed, just shakes his head as he watches me go off on another Relief Society assignment, but I am so thankful for him and his support. I have such a wonderful family.

May all of you feel the blessings that are yours. May your eyes be opened to how truly fortunate you are. May you find some way, however small, to reach out to those around you and give them a lift. Smile, reach out and give someone a hug or a handshake. Express your love to your family and friends. Find someone to be a secret Santa to. Watch the wonders of this beautiful world in which we live. That is my wish this Thanksgiving season!!

A Weekend With The Grandkids!

2010-10-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was one of those wonderful Oregon weekends where the mornings are crisp and cool but with lots of sunshine. Zach and the boys came down for a long weekend while Jackie was back in New York for her college roommate's wedding! We took advantage of all the good weather and did lots of fun stuff.

We roasted hot dogs for lunch on Friday! The boys were really good at roasting.

Then we went to dinner to celebrate Jackie's birthday. Too bad she wasn't with us!! But we sent her pictures to let her know we were thinking of her!!

Saturday took us to the local corn maze. This year it was tough and we didn't make it all the way through. But there were lots of fun activities for the kids. The boys rode the "Moo Train" played on the hay slide and crawled through tubes.

We topped the day off by going to the pizza parlor to celebrate Katarina's 2nd birthday.

There was a play area there too and we had lots of fun!!

It was a GREAT weekend!!

This Is What I Have Been Up To

2010-09-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I left you hanging about my trip back east. We had LOTS of fun. We had opted to not take the Wii this year and I am so glad we did that. The TV was hardly turned on and we spent lots of time out of doors, riding bikes, walking, using the strollers, and playing mini golf. I will get around to posting pictures some time. But in the mean time, this is why I have neglected the blog so much. This project started before we headed back east and still continues today. At one time while the house was torn apart, I had 17 people sleeping at my house!!

We decided that we needed to reside our house. We have battled leaking windows for a couple of years and tried a number of fixes and solutions. We had even had to do a repair in our bedroom due to a rotting floor. It all pointed to problems with our siding. Our house used to have vinyl siding. NOT GOOD!! Over time, water had gotten behind the vinyl and was trapped next to the house. As they tore off siding we found the rot had gone through the 1 inch cedar that was still on the house, the plywood and into the studs. There were even snakes living in the wall. Gross, I know!! In some places we replaced windows with sliding glass doors. We tore apart a wall that had no insulation, just concrete retaining wall and wallboard. We put hardiplank siding on (a cement composite siding) that is a combination of planks, cedar looking shingles and scallops. I LOVE THE LOOK.

We are still working on the inside. Right at this moment we are tiling the laundry, hall and bathroom area downstairs. New carpet has been ordered and will be installed within a month. I still have painting to do. I wrote Josh and asked him what color he would like his room to be. He replied that I should leave it blue because he knew I would never go with red which was what he wanted. Won't he be surprised when he comes home and finds that I am actually painting one wall in his room red. This is a HUGE break for me, but my girls have banned the colors of pink or blue downstairs. They are my favorite colors and I do tend to over do it!!

Enjoy the pictures.

Corn, corn, and more corn

2010-07-23T15:09:00.001-07:00

Day 3 was spent driving across Nebraska and part of Iowa. We have seen so much corn. I find it hard to believe that people think there is not enough food. Of course much of this corn will be used for ethanol. So silly, when you think about how people could be fed. And these states at least offer gas w/o ethanol:). We stopped at Winter Quarters. That place has such a sweet spirit. I am struck once again how much these pioneers sacrificed. It makes me ponder again how Pres. Hinckley always admonished us to remember. While at the visitors center, who should we run into? Reed's uncle Rodney from Denver. What a small world!!
As we drove to our motel for the night, we saw many fireflies. Morgan had never seen them. It is so fun to have her. She is seeing and experiencing so much for the first time.
Tomorrow we spend the day at Nauvoi!!

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Day 2

2010-07-21T22:25:00.001-07:00

Today we had our granddaughter Morgan join us. She is Norma's oldest and she gets to be with grandma and grandpa for the next 3+ weeks. Today we visited the Mormon Pioneer handcart center known as Martin's Cove. As we arrived we saw black clouds from a thunder storm approaching. This has happened every time we have visited. We left in time, but got hammered on the highway by a torrential downpour and massive hailstorm. It came down so hard we could not see the road. As we crawled into a rest area, we had no idea that we were at Independence Rock. We couldn't even see it!! It was another exciting day!!

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The Journey Begins

2010-07-20T19:13:00.001-07:00

I have decided that I should journal our trip across America. I am very grateful for this beautiful world and the country in which I live. Today we drove to Utah. We stopped for lunch in Ontario, OR and watched the Wendy's there burn to the ground.
Then Reed did a good deed while at a rest stop in Utah. A family pulling a boat were stopped trying to change a broken wheel on the trailer. The dad was on crutches. Reed went over and helped the family. What a good man.

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Quick Update without Pictures

2010-07-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

Guess I will give a quick update while I scramble to get everything done. Alas there are no pictures because I don't have time. So on to the update. Since last I posted, I have pulled off a family reunion for my side of the family. We had 60 people camping at our cabin by the river. I planned and pre-prepared all the meals except for breakfast which was assigned out to different families. We had a GREAT time. I hope to get pictures up. We made 2x the money for the next reunion AND raised money to reside the cabin and replace windows.

Jessica has started her new job and so we don't see her or hear from her like we used to:( I miss having quick access to her, but she is very happy working and we will get to see her for 1/2 of our vacation. We got to take Jessica and her roommate up to camp and sight see at Mt. St. Helens after graduation and had a wonderful time! I will post some pictures from that too - someday!!

Let's see, then Keegan (my 6 year old grandson) broke his arm. Reed and I had gone up to the temple and to talk about becoming ordinance workers. That has to be put on hold. We are way too busy and I have a new calling and responsibility at church that will probably postpone it for a while. Anyway we came out of the temple to a text message from Jackie asking us to meet her at the hospital because Keegan has broken his arm. Brave boy never cried, just calmly told his parents that he had broken his arm. They didn't believe him at first until he removed the hand that covered the broken arm. Glad we were up in the area and could meet up with them, take the baby and stay with the younger kids while mom and dad were at the hospital with Keegan. Kind of changed plans we had for how the summer was going to go.

Jackie then came down to our house for 2 weeks of swimming lessons and the reunion. It was fun to have all those boys here and the house sure filled up with people!!

My sister and her husband arrived from Indiana as well as her daughter and son from Georgia for the reunion. Meanwhile my house is under construction AGAIN!! What started as a residing project became a major remodel as we found major rot problems. So fiascoes continue daily with that. But I am getting used to all that now. Just a major mess in my home with the downstairs basically out of commission until everything is done! Norma and her family made it to the reunion and it was sooooo good to have them here. After the reunion we had 17 people staying the night at my house and that was with the downstairs and bedrooms out of commission!!

Life is never dull around here. This week I have been sewing like mad for a family in our stake that is going on TREK. Trek is where they enact the pioneers crossing the plains in handcarts. They will be hiking about 25 miles in 3+ days. Everyone wears pioneer costumes and they are organized into "families" and have a handcart that they must push/pull along the old Santiam wagon trail. Thank goodness my knees are not up to that kind of torture (well sort of). So instead I said I would help. So in one week I have made 4 bonnets, 2 dresses, 1 apron, 2 pioneer shirts, pantaloons, and altered 4 shirts for the family. All this while I have 2 different construction crews pounding, hammering, taking out windows so I can't run my AC and showing up at 6am to start work. Not to mention there is still the lab, workers in the trees and and a high school student doing yard work for me. Oh did I mention that I had a 16 year old young lady that stayed with us for a week while her family was away. She is in summer school and could not go with them.

So today I actually cleaned my house, ran errands and did the laundry. I am trying to get my brain to function so I can start packing cuz we are leaving to drive across the country. I think I am totally insane!!!

I will try to post pictures as we vacation with the kids back at the beach house. Is this really a vacation? Stay tuned and next time I promise pictures.

The Master

2010-06-12T15:23:00.001-07:00

Here is our first Master. A Master in Social Work

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Work, work, work!!

2010-05-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love those pig tails?

Reed is piled high with work. Jayme is currently employed full time just in the lab. I help out when I can and where I can in the lab. I do all the books and have named myself CFO. It sounds so professional don't you think? What it means is that I pay the bills, balance the checkbook and deposit the checks. I do all the book work and have finally started learning to do the taxes. I am helping with the point counts of slides of thin sections of rock from wells that have been drilled - yes by oil companies. Hey I don't complain, it pays the bills and we are currently swamped with work. I am also trying to pick up the slack at home. I am on a HUGE organizational kick and have helped Jackie set up her financial records and recently helped Virginia set up a plan for organizing and planning menus. I am also planning menus now as I try to eat more healthy and lose weight. Today I had a big helper as I worked around the house. Katarina (Jayme and Virginia's 20 month old) got to spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa. Mommy and Daddy went to the temple to celebrate their 5th anniversary. I picked Katarina up after my morning walk and she happily waved goodbye to mom and dad. We then got to spend the morning wiping down the bathroom, putting on makeup, sweeping the floors, and vacuuming. We even did a couple of loads of laundry. Then we got to help Grandpa who is ripping off the siding from the house by picking up nails. We ate a good lunch and took a nap and when she got up, the sun was shining and we could swing on the swings and go down the slide. In fact we had so much fun that when Mommy and Daddy came home we didn't want to stop to give them hugs and kisses cuz we were having so much fun! What a great day!!

Results of Yard Work

2010-05-18T12:11:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos of what we got accomplished!!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

This year for Mother's Day, the kids gave me a day of yard work. It was so much fun. Most of them showed up in time for a big Glasmann Family style breakfast with cheese eggs, bacon and Aunt Jemima Coffee Cake. Then we went outside and planted flowers, rototilled some areas, dug up and replanted 3 different bushes. We burned some brush, roasted hotdogs over our outdoor fire place, and played on the swing set. We rewarded them by taking them all out to dinner at our favorite Japanese Steak House with a Tepanyaki table. It was a great weekend topped off with a call from Josh. What more could a mother ask for???

His Hands

2010-04-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

So the last month has been really tough. On March 19, 2010 we lost Reed's dad due to complications from a massive stroke. He had suffered a smaller stroke on March 1st. Reed went out and I followed a few days later and stayed for about a week. It was a great time to be of service to him, Reed's brother's family and be the sounding board for everyone. You become the eyes and ears of those that cannot be there to keep them updated and coping with what is happening. I recognized that the first stroke took him a big step down from where he was. It affected mostly the cognitive function and so it was like his Alzheimer's had just become worse. Just a few days after I left, Jay suffered another stroke, this one massive. Reed and I immediately packed up and headed back to Utah that very day, arriving in the middle of the night to spell his brother. We are so thankful that everyone got there before his passing was a part of helping to implement Jay's wishes for how he wanted to die. Please, if you have not done so, do an Advanced Directive/Living Will and be specific. The doctors and nurses at the hospital praised his clarity and his defining what quality of life meant to him. We were all in agreement to move him to a beautiful hospice center in Salt Lake City that provided in residence care. Thirty-six hours after having him transferred there he passed away. He was 85 years old and he went the way he wanted. All of his children and his wife were with him. This is the second time in less than 6 months that I have lost a loved one and been able to be there with them as they return to their Heavenly Father. Jay has the most characteristic hands. Those hands were misshapened by arthritis but those hands came to mean so much. Those hands were famous with the grandkids for the "dreaded knee clamp"! It was nothing more than those hands grabbing the child's knees. Of course it was accompanied by a terrific roar and by screaming and sqeals of giggling as the kids ran away only to return and see if they could escape before those hands got them again. Those hands were boxer hands. He never lost a fight during his boxing career in the Navy. They were gentle hands that cradled kids, grandkids and great-grandkids as he sang sweetly to them. Those hands were wise hands that became a prominent tax lawyer in Washington DC. As we held 2 different memorial services in Utah and Maryland we learned so much about the man that belonged to those hands. Those hands loved tennis and would help you to learn only long enough to beat you with his wicked slices. Those hands played football with kids, adults, even the Kennedy brothers once upon a time. Yet those hands chose not to go into political life because his family was too important to him. Those hands expected you to be honest and true to yourself. He lived his life by that motto. He wasn't perfect, but he was gentle and full of love. He counseled with you, asked questions that became ever more probing as he wanted to be sure that you were truly being true to yourself. Those hands in later life carried a cane. That cane became his extension as moving became more difficult and was often used to snag a grandchild or great grandchild by the hook and upend them as he played with them. Those hands would weild a mighty plastic sword while he was dressed in his armour and he fought off knights, dragons and any bad guys that were thought up by the kids. Keegan, his oldest great-grandchild quickly learned that it was better to be grandpa's guard than to battle him, because somehow he always won!!

Those hands reached out and helped so many. When he gave a sizeable contribution to a university, they wanted to use it build a building and name it after him. He refused and said that he wasn't interested in bricks and mortar, but in helping people. Instead he began a literacy program that was aimed at underprivelaged parents and their kids and taught them to read to their children. Those hands reached out to families that he befriended and lifted them to a differnt station in life and changed the course of events for their children. Those hands would carry his friend who had been crippled by polio and refused to let him wallow in his pain and grief. He encouraged is friend to go out and live life to it's fullest and those 2 families became inseparable over the years. Those hands counseled and loved and made bets that always benefitted someone else if they would live up to their side of the wager.

Those hands loved dogs. And they always loved him back!!

Those hands have come to mean so much to me. They have changed me. They have changed my family.
Jay leaves behind a legacy of family first. He chose not to let his children become involved in extra curricular sports because he figured there was enough of them (6 kids) to form their own teams and that way they could all participate together. He chose to give most of his Saturday's to his children and to grand adventures hiking, and playing at things they all did together. He chose to analyze everything on his yellow legal pad and write it all out.

Those hands will be greatly missed, but he will always be remembered. It was put best by someone at the Memorial Service when he said: "Jay was not much for religon. He was a self proclaimed agnostic. But he was the most Christian man I ever knew." We love you Jay. We will miss you. We can't wait to see you again and be reunited with you! Your hands will live on through us as we try to emulate what those hands have done!

Life's Little Twists and Turns

2010-03-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

Life never provides a dull moment. Just when you think things are on an even keel, you are thrown for all life's little twists and turns. I am currently writing this from Utah. I came out on short notice to help with Reed's dad who suffered a moderate stroke last week. I am also here to help Tommy's (Reed's brother) family as they have a young family and this is where Jay is staying. I have the day duty, Tommy, bless his heart has night duty. While Jay was in the hospital they found that he had pretty severe sleep apnea. Monday night he went in for the test and he most definitely has that problem. However, he could not handle the big pressure mask. Jay suffers from Alzhimers and is blind, so all this presents different problems. We have managed to get him to wear oxygen most of the time at night, but not always. Meanwhile, Jay's wife is trying to take care of her mother, who is in her 90's and is not doing so good. Unfortunately, Jay's wife ended up in the hospital with chest pains. She is feeling much better now and we are waiting to hear if she was sent home. We are also waiting to hear if her mother is all right.
So, I am in Utah trying to help however I can. I have been soundly beat by a 5 year old at Wii Mario Bros. I have helped the 8 year old make some crafts and practice her reading. I helped the 13 year old with her Spanish homework and stayed up with the 15 year old whole she finished her biology project. I've been to the track to watch the 2 older kids throw javeline and discus. I have tried to hold down the fort while mom and dad shuttle kids to practices, lessons and schools. Don't you just love that time when you have 4 kids in 4 different schools? I've tried to be the peacemaker and to help others see the other side of the picture and played fireman in hot debates, trying to put out fires and keep things calm.
Jay is doing pretty good. He has listened to lots of Lous L'Amore books and had LOTS of phone calls. It has been pretty to see a little bit of winter since it seems to have skipped us in Oregon. But, alas, while I am gone it has turned cold with snow/hail/sleet and rain!! I will be home soon, ready to walk again (I hope!) and spend some time with my hubby before I return to Utah again for Sara's baptism!
Life keeps me hopping!!

El Nino Spring

2010-02-24T16:53:00.000-08:00

Now that I am finally getting around to posting this, of course it has turned rainy and cold!! While most of the country is still in the throes of winter, we have been having incredible spring like weather. My daffodils are up and blooming. I have some tulips that have begun to come up and I have already mowed the grass for the first time since last fall!

The other day, Jessica called and said that she only had to be at her internship for a few hours and that she was in need of some outdoor, sunshine time. She wanted to go to the coast and wanted me to go with her! I changed my plans and we bundled up and took the mustang with the top down and headed to the coast. After a late lunch we took about a 5 mile walk on the beach. We watched a guy who had a big sail that was strapped to him and he had a skateboard type board and was sailing on the beach. It was so fun to watch him. Another guy had 3 kites up in the air at once. The weather was incredible and we just talked and talked. Thank you Jessica for inviting your mom to spend the afternoon with you!!

The next day, Jayme and Virginia called and asked us to join them up at the sheep barns with Katarina. Our timing was perfect and we witnessed the birth of a baby lamb. Reed and I hung around to watch as within just a few minutes the little lamb struggled to it's feet much to the delight of all the people and young families that were there.

I have been on a huge self improvement kick! This time I feel like I am actually making some progress! I started first with deciding to be regular with walking and exercise. I am aiming for walking in a 1/2 marathon in September. I go walking 5 days a week with a couple of friends. Our short walks are between 3 and 4 miles. We did a long one that was about 7 this week. I have come a long way since a knee replacement 2 years ago and ankle/foot being rebuilt last year! I am also getting up and reading every morning. I have just finished reading the entire conference issue of the Ensign from last November. It has been so uplifting to me. I have really been on a cleaning and organizing kick. Poor Reed. He doesn't always like these kicks, but so far I have done pretty good. I am loving the flowers that are starting to pop up. I love all the wonders of this world. I love life right now! Here is hoping it continues. Maybe it is El Nino, which we will pay for later with not enough water. Maybe it is just that for the first time in 4 years I am not having a surgery!!! Whatever, I will enjoy it while it lasts!

Missing In Action!?!

2010-01-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

I have been missing in action for the last little while. Let me give you a run down of what I have been doing!

The day after Thanksgiving, Reed and I headed up to Jackie and Zach's to help them move AGAIN!! This is the 3rd time since they arrived here 3 years ago. And this all happened 3 days before the arrival of:

KYLER JAY! Kyler weighed in at 8lb. 4oz. This is HUGE for Jackie. Her other 2 boys were only 6lb. He has a head of hair and is putting on the chub! He has been lovingly nicknamed "Bubba Jay", being born on Grandpa Jay's 85th birthday!!

Then Reed and I traveled back east for the wedding of his neice!

I returned to Jackie's and when school was out for Keegan we packed up for my house!

Somehow we managed to get ready for Christmas. We made a Gingerbread House with Aunt Jessica!

We decorated the tree and wrapped presents. We had a traditional Christmas Eve party with loved friends whose children have grown and had children of their own and we now total over 25. We were missing 2 married couples and 2 missionaries, but we have grown and this was the biggest get together yet! Santa arrived and Reed and I thoroughly enjoyed watching Christmas through the eyes of our grandchildren!!

There were Wii tournaments!

Feeding the dog!

And spending time with the new baby!!

Missing? Maybe from the blogging world! In Action? Most definitely, but having lots of fun! Now it is off to more adventures and whole new year to do them in!!

At the Oregon Coast

2009-12-30T16:27:00.000-08:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A Much Needed Update

2009-11-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in quite some time. There are many reasons. Mostly just excuses and a lot of guilt. You know, when you don't get something done and then time passes and then you feel really guilty because it has been so long that you just keep putting it off. That is a lot of it. But the other day, I realized it was more. I haven't wanted to blog because I know what I must blog about to finally get through this. But it is hard.

I lost my dear sister Suzie. We have known it was coming for a while. But the effects of diabetes and battling this disease that has afflicted her for so long became more than what her will to live could overcome. A while ago, I remember her asking me if she had a right to ask for a miracle again. She has had plenty of those. I didn't have an answer for her. Do any of us have a right to plead for miracles, especially when we have already had many? She knew there were others who were probably in greater need. Over the last year, as her quality of life went down hill, I admit that I got to the point where I felt ready for her release. She wasn't totally my sister anymore. Then I felt like maybe there was more for us to learn as we watched her go through infections, amputation, strokes, blood clots, dialysis, and congestive heart failure. I was with her and other family members as she passed from this life to the next. There is such peace in the Plan of Salvation. If you don't know what that means, please find someone who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints and ask them to explain it. Because of this Plan of Happiness, we were able to laugh and cry together as a family. I have had distinct impressions that she is busy talking and counseling with others who struggle and helping them to understand this great plan themselves. She is busy. She is free from pain. The limitations of her physical body are now gone. We miss her. I miss her. I still cry for her. That is why I could not blog for so long. As I watched different family members say goodbye, I put myself in their place. My heart aches for her children, her husband, her sisters, her father. But I know my mom was there and helps her. They are together. I will see them again. We will all be together again. Family get togethers will be difficult for a while. But I remember being told when my mother passed, you just keep going. It took a long time before I accepted that, but I now know it is truth. You just keep going and growing.

I know this is rambling, but is more for me than for anyone else. I don't know how to close, so I will just say: I love you Suzie.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

2009-10-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

Fall time is harvest time. Reed loves growing big pumpkins. This year he had to harvest them with the tractor. We couldn't lift and carry them up to the house. They are currently still sitting in my driveway. The boys were willing to pose with the smaller ones!!

It is only about 6 more weeks until Jackie "harvests" her little pumpkin! And, no, she did not put a pumpkin under her shirt. She is really bigger this time!

For Keegan and Kayden

2009-09-15T04:25:00.001-07:00

While I am away, I am keeping up with Keegan and Kayden and Katarina, but I miss seeing them all. The neighbor across the street passed away earlier this year and his house sold. It is sad to see the passing of an old family friend. They are currently tearing down the old house so the new owners can build a new one. Soon there will be a HUGE house across the stree from us. That is the way it is in America. Tear it down and build something bigger. I personally like the small, quaint beach houses. Anyway, it is exciting to watch them tear down the house. I have been talking to Kayden and telling him about the big track hoe that is here. So I am posting some pictures for the boys to see. Katarina is probably too small to really appreciate it. Next year honey!!

For Reed

2009-09-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

Poor Reed left just as a strong northeaster hit the coast back here in Delaware. Today the waves were perfect. The beach was back to like Reed remembers from his surfing days. So the vidoes are for Reed to see what he missed. I sure miss you honey!
This first one is Jill.

This is Owen surfing.

Take 2

2009-09-10T07:16:00.000-07:00

The first time it would not upload the video. Got it now!!

Killer Kayak Waves

2009-09-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

We have had a strong Northeast wind blowing for about a week. The waves are 8-10 feet with a few that are larger. Reed was able to get some video of some of the rides and wipeouts. The one above is Buzz. The pictures does not do justice to the size of the wave. On one of the wipeouts, Buzz was headed out and a HUGE wave came. He tried desparately to climb up it, bu the wind caught the end of his kayak and he did a complete flip. On another one, they were out and a big wave came. As Buzz and Jill paddled to get over it, Buzz crested the wave and he and boat were airborn as they came down the other side. Today the winds are even stronger. A tide pool has formed (which only happens on very high tides) and high tide is not for another 2 hours. BIG SURF!!

Uncle Buzzy's Wild Ride

2009-08-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

This is the video of Buzz as he is riding. When you see his feet up in the air he is actually airborn. He happened to land back on the kayak and was able to ride it in. Amazing!! Be sure to see the previous post for a full explanation!

Kayaking At the Beach

2009-08-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

Each year as we go the beach, one of the main attractions for Reed, his sister and brother-in-law, is the kayak surf. This started a number of years ago. Over the last couple of years, they have been discouraged due to the changes in the beach. Bethany has done a "beach renourishment". This was done to try to add sand and extend the beach off the town of Bethany. It was not well planned and there have been problems. Not the least of which is that it has destroyed the wave action at the beach. There have been many prayers offered for a hurricane to come up the east coast to try and flatten out the beach. Unfortunately Bill and Danny have not done much. Danny did leave a few lingering waves that they decided to try and ride. The video above is of Reed. He had the wind knocked out of him on this ride. Realize that I am standing on a ledge that has been eroded by the wave action and I am actually about 4 feet above the ocean surface. Those waves were pretty big. Also, the force of the back wash sucking out was almost as strong as the waves themselves. Both Reed and his sister had really rough rides. I will try to upload the video of Buzzy next.

Rocky Mountain National Park

2009-08-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

The next big stop on our trip driving across the country was to travel the Rocky Mountain National Park Highway. This highway goes up over 2 miles above sea level . We were well over 12,000 feet high. The scenery was breath taking. Thankfully Reed obliged Jessica and I and made plenty of stops for pictures and sightseeing. It had been a long time since I had traveled this way and at first I was disappointed in the devestation from the bark beetle. The west side is the worst with most of the entire national forest destroyed by the bark beetle. This little critter has done major devastation from Canada down. The place is now ripe for a major forest fire. We need a couple of hard winters to kill off the beetle and hopefully reestablish the forest again. But still the scenery was spectacular and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It was well worth the drive. You feel like you are on top of the world!

Baptism In Utah

2009-08-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

Our first stop on our trip out to the east coast was Utah. We spent just 2 short days there. We got to see Norma, Ward and their girls. But the main reason for the stop was to be there to help baptize Megan and Chrissy. They are Tommy's oldest girls. It was a wonderfully unique blessing. The girls were baptized in the South Fork of the Ogden River. There is a deep swimming hole on the old Glasmann property. Reed, Jessica and I got in the river and helped stack rocks to build up a little dam to make the water deeper and clean up the area. It was so neat to be on the bank and see them all dressed in white. It was a peaceful, beautiful setting. We kept thinking that this was how it was for the pioneers. After the baptism we went up river a couple of miles to the Brewer Camp for the confirmation. Reed also did this. It was touching as he blessed each girl and reminded them of their heritage and of their Great Grandma whose presence was felt and how happy she was.

We also got to meet Josh's first missionary companion who has returned home. He made the trip up to meet us and witness the baptism and be a part of the confirmations. It was so fun to meet him and talk to him and see some of his pictures. All in all is was a really neat start to our journey.

Stay tuned for more pictures!!

What to Do In A Heatwave!

2009-07-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

What do you do when there is a heatwave and the temperature soars to 108? (BTW this is an all time record for Corvallis Oregon!) Well, you head for Grandma's because she has air conditioning!! EVERYONE came (except Josh, who must endure the heat in Alma, AR right now!). Here are some of the fun things we did to pass the time:

We picked, snapped and canned some beans from our garden. Of course Kayden and Katarina liked to eat them first!!

We played LOTS of Wii!!! How convenient that Wii Resort came out at the beginning of the heatwave!! Jackie and Jayme show off their style for archery.

Jessica and Jackie demonstrate Team Canoe racing. We laughed sooo hard!!

Even Grandma and Grandpa got in on the action! Lots and Lots of Laughs!!

We played in the pool and Mommies got wet.

We danced to old Sesame Street videos and did the "Batty, Batty, Batty, Bat!" dance.

We played with all the toys at Grandma's, like the rocking horse that can hold two people at once, if you are cute cousins. Grandma's chair is lots of fun.

We visited the Fire Station with Grandpa and got to see the BIG Fire Engines!

At the end of the week, the heatwave ended and it was time to go. According to Kayden it was time to "Lolly, golly, go Bapa's caa." (Translation: Let's go, let's go, let's go, Grandma's car!)

Guess Who Had A Birthday!

2009-06-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

Keegan turned 5 years old today!! Wow, how that little man has grown! Keegan arrived 5 years ago in Rexburg, ID. I was blessed to be there. I found out that watching your daughter go through labor was NOT a fun thing. Jackie ended up having a C-section, which was not her first choice, but we have all adjusted to birth this way for her. I loved the hospital in Rexburg. As Jackie and Zach were whisked off to the operating room, I was escorted into the newborn nursery. I was prepped and gowned and got to watch from a window in the nursery. After Keegan was born, he was handed through the window to Grandma's arms. I got to hold him while Dad stayed with Mom. When Mom was okay, Zach joined me in the nursery to help clean Keegan up and have him weighed and measured. I loved that the hospital let Grandma play a role and allowed me to be right there. That has not been the case here in Oregon.

We celebrated Keegan's birthday here at our house on Saturday. We had a big family dinner in our favorite Mexican restaurant (Thank goodness Keegan changed his mind from McDonald's at the last minute!!). Keegan did not want to wear the big sombrero!

Keegan with his Dad and his Uncle Jace. What a bunch of cheese faces!

The cake was a community effort. Kayden got into the act. We had so much fun!! Happy Birthday Keegan. You have brought so much joy, wonder and just plain fun into our lives. We love you very much!!

BLESSINGS

2009-06-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

What a week it has been. I find that my heart is very full. We had a wonderful opportunity to be surrounded by family as Josh spoke in church. A non-member friend of one of our relatives was there and was very touched by Josh and his sincerity. She told me afterwards that she felt that she was supposed to be there. We had a BBQ following our church, where even my sister Suzie was able to come and visit. She gets very tired, but it was so good to see her here and have her be a part of our celebration.

Early the next morning we headed for Salt Lake City. We stayed in Park City and had breakfast with Reed's brother and his family before heading down to SLC to go to the temple. What a GREAT experience we had there. Josh was very touched by the spirit and loved the beautiful building. We all felt such a wonderful closeness to our pioneers and their great sacrifice to bring about such a beautiful place. We were moved to tears as we thought of loved ones who have gone on and the closeness we feel as a forever family. Later we visited with Norma (our foster daughter from CA) and her cute girls. I had made each of them an afghan for their birthdays and it was fun to watch them choose which one they wanted!!

The next morning Reed gave Josh a beautiful, tender Father's Blessing. We knew that our goodbyes needed to be done that morning, since we would literally be dropping Josh off. The MTC has had a flu outbreak and they are trying to minimize it and keep it from spreading. Goodbyes were done at the curb and then missionaries were ushered inside. For Josh it was better. He hates goodbyes. We took Reed's dad along since he was visiting in Utah. I flew home that night, while Reed went on to Montana for professional meetings.

Here at home, I have Jackie and her boys. Jayme and Virginia are out here a lot too and so the house is filled with the chaos of little children. Keegan (Jackie's 5 year old) reads to me like an adult and he hasn't even started kindergarten yet. Kayden (her second) has begun to cuddle with me and will run to me with arms outstretched. It is such a tender thing for my heart. I love it. Katarina (Jayme's little girl) lights up with the biggest smile when she sees me. Oh how I love being a grandma!!!

We have had our first letter from Josh in the MTC and he is doing so good. He was made a District Leader and so he is working hard to fulfill his responsibilities. Wow, how quickly they grow! Poor Jackie has contracted poison oak and is climbing the wall. This poor kid is so susceptible to it. We need to contact the Dr. since she is pregnant to find out if anything can be done.

I am so grateful for my wonderful family. I feel such love for them. We will be celebrating Keegan's birthday this weekend. He will be 5. How fast time flies!

Sweet Memories, Bittersweet Moment

2009-05-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

We had many plans for possible activities for Memorial Day. We didn't really do any of them. We just hung around the house with everyone here (minus Jayme who was sick again) and enjoyed each others company, planted the garden and did yard work. Reed did another bike ride Saturday morning with the Teachers and Priests (boys ages 14-17) in preparation for their Oregon Coast bike trip. Zach joined them while the women folk stayed home and got things done around the house. Then the girls (plus Kayden) headed out for some quick shopping in Albany.

Monday evening, we picked flowers from around the farm and headed to the cemetary to visit my mom's grave. Keegan was very interested and helped with gathering the flowers. I chose to take some blossoms from the Snowball bush that had been at my mother's childhood home and transplanted here. A couple of years ago the main tree blew down after a huge storm and I was so disappointed, but it resprouted and had HUGE blossoms this year. We also took some blossoms from my Mom's favorite BRIGHT orange azalea and then some rhododendren flowers. Keegan asked lots of questions and as we talked at the cemetary, I told him that his Great-grandma would have loved him. Then Josh looked at me and said that he doesn't remember my mom. My mother died when he was barely 2. We moved to Oregon shortly there after. Reed's mom also died before Josh was born. Even now, I cry that Josh, who is so sensitive has had no opportunity yet to know his grandmothers. I think they would have loved him and been very proud of him. How grateful I am for the Plan of Salvation that helps me to know that families are forever. I know that Josh and Keegan will have the opportunity to one day know my mom.

(The following picture was taken a couple of years ago. I forgot my camera this year!)

Refresher Course

2009-05-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

I have had the wonderful opportunity lately to reconnect to dear friends, former Young Women, and people that have had an impact in my life. Some of these people I found by blog stalking, others I reconnected with when I joined facebook. I am not an addict. It has been wonderful to reconnect with these dear friends. Since many of them I have not seen or heard from in almost 20 years, they have requested an update on my life, so here is my refresher course. For those of you who are current with me, I apologize, but catching up with old friends and taking an inventory of my life has been a neat experience for me!!

We moved to Oregon 18 years ago at the death of my mother. It is hard to believe that we have been here that long. During that time, my kids grew up. Some have married and had kids, some are in school, some have fulfilled (or are about to fulfill) missions and currently they are all close by and I am very thankful for that! Reed and I own our own business. Some years are good, some are hard, but we always manage to continue on and we are doing great! We love living here on our farm. I love the peace and beauty of being away from town! We have had many church responsibilities. Reed has continued to serve in High Councils, Bishoprics and the Young Men's organization. We had the unique blessing of him serving as a Bishop of a student ward here in our area. We loved it and have a whole family of kids that are very near and dear to our hearts. Reed is currently the YM president in our ward. I have served as Ward and Stake Camp director, YW 's counselor and seminary. I taught seminary for 7 years and was the Stake Supervisor for 4 more years. I am currently the 1st counselor in YW. I love the youth and I hope I stay here forever!! The only difference is now I tell the girls and the other leaders that I am the "OLD LADY"!!

Our oldest, Jayme, is married and has an adorable little girl who is 7 months old. They currently live here in town by us. We love having them so close. They are trying to figure out the next steps in their lives. Whether is be work, school, a move, we don't know, but we are enjoying them while they are here!!

Jessica is currently finishing her 1st year of a 2 year Masters of Social Work. She graduated form BYU with a degree in psychology, then worked in her field in Provo for a few years. We love having her close by where we can see her. She is currently looking forward to her summer break before she starts up on her last year in the fall. From there, who knows!

Jackie, married with 2 children, lives in the Portland area. Her husband is a PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering. They have a few years left on his program, so they will be close by at least until then. She has 2 boys, one who is about to turn 5, the other about to turn 2. She is expecting her 3rd and we are so excited for them, if she could just get over this sickness thing!

Josh, our youngest, is about to head out on a mission. He will be serving in the Oklahoma, Tulsa mission. We are all so excited for him. He had 1 year at BYU and plans to return there after his mission.

As the name implies, we are a Managerie! But we are very happy and feel so blessed especially by all those who have come to mean so much and had such a huge impact in our lives. We love you all!!

A Very Special Mother's Day

2009-05-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

The best gift of all for Mother's Day came on Saturday for me this year. I had all my children (except for Norma - we missed you honey!) in the temple to share with Josh receiving his endowment prior to his mission. It was such a wonderful day to all be together. We celebrated by going out for lunch afterwards and we were joined by my grand kids. What a special day, one that will probably not be repeated too often. How grateful I am for children who are obedient and love the Lord and are willing to live by His precepts. I couldn't ask for a better gift for Mother's Day!!

Spring Cleaning (with Crutches)

2009-05-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

Just like everyone else, the Spring Cleaning bug has bitten me. However, I am at a disadvantage, since I am still on crutches. So, while Reed and Josh were off on the field seminar adventure, Megan came to stay with me and help out the crip! We decided to go through all my drawers and my closet, get rid of things that I no longer wear, fit or Megan deemed "too old ladyish". (Hey, that is either a compliment, or else she is trying to tell me to dress younger than I am!!)

I think Megan had an ulterior motive - she calls it shopping in my closet. There were a few things that she was desparately trying to get me to get rid of just so she could take them. Very clever girl!

The best was her "arrangment" of my shoes. Since I will not be wearing the left shoe for another couple of months, she lined up the shoes I wear the most - right shoes only. The left ones are thrown in the back of the closet for the day when I will be able to get back there to retrieve them AND wear them!!

This the "get rid of" pile!!!

This is the finished closet!

Right shoes only please!!

Thanks Megan!!

Thru the Eyes of a Child

2009-05-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in order to "think outside of the box" you have to know what it is like INSIDE the box!!Do you remember doing this as a kid?

"Grandma can I use your crutches?"

"Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy!"

"Make new friends. . . "

It's a Jungle Out There

2009-04-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

Note: The following post must be read with a strong Australian accent!!

It was sunny and warm. Just right for an adventure - a real hunting expedition!
We started out on our trek. We made sure we were armed. After all, you never know what you might encounter out there!

We looked high!

We even kept ourselves camouflaged!

Shhhhh! An actual sighting!

Whoa! That's scary! Those are real live tree lizards! And they move!

Wait, what's that? It's another sighting! Who are these dangerous creatures?

Wow! What a fun adventure! You never know what you will find out here on the farm! We'll be back with another fun adventure cuz "It's A Jungle Out There"!!

Ankle and Foot Surgery

2009-04-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Note: The following pictures may be too graphic for some!!

I recently underwent surgery to transfer a tendon in my left ankle. I somehow had managed to injure the posterior tibialis tendon. A year ago, I had a total knee replacement and the ensuing months to recover proved too much for the injured tendon. It continued to fail causing my ankle to roll inward towards the floor. Not fun and very painful! So I had surgery to transfer a tendon from my foot to overlap the existing tendon. They then had to make an incision on the outside of my ankle to realign my heel which had slid towards the outside and was no longer lined up under my toes. After doing that, the ankle was so stiff that it would not move, so they cut into the muscle to get some movement!! I have at least 4 incisions on my foot and they are not pretty!

This last photo shows where I got a blister on the incision. They had to remove it and we have been changing a dressing daily for the last week. I go back to the Dr. tomorrow and will hopefully (or not) be put in a regular cast for anywhere from a few weeks to 2 months. I still cannot put any weight on it. I will then be put into a walking boot for a couple of month to learn to put weight on it and walk again. There will be lots of physical therapy somewhere in there. It will be late July before I recover. Long road, but I am doing okay except for the occasional times when I have a pity party. Thank goodness I have a wonderful husband and family that have taken excellent care of me!!

Riley and Me

2009-04-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

Having recently read and watched the movie "Marley and Me", I loved the pictures we got of Katie interacting with our dog. We are big dog lovers around here. Reed and I have had a dog most of our married life. Those dogs have always been Lab/Golden Retriever mixes with one purebred Golden in there. We really related to the story of Marley and Me since we had seen many of the traits in our own dogs.

The other day, Katie and Virginia were out at the house and Virginia had Riley come over to be around Katie. I am so grateful for kids that love dogs and want their children to have the same love. Keegan often tells others that he has a dog but it stays at Grandma's house. Riley is so gentle and loves the kids. He is forever kissing their faces. Kayden loved it when he realized that he could get Riley to lick his hand simply by holding his hand out. Now he LOVES feeding Riley and wants to do it numerous times a day. He knows where the bowl is, where the food is and how many scoops go in. He comes into the house carrying the food bowl and calls for the dog. Riley has become so accustomed to Kayden sitting or standing to watch him eat that now Riley will not eat unless I am in the kitchen sitting next to where he eats. It drives Reed up a wall that he will feed Riley, but he won't eat unless I come in to the kitchen. Funny dog.

This is kind of like putting your hand inside of the lion's mouth. Only Riley doesn't bite down!

Another Temporary Cast

2009-04-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

Well, we went to the Dr. today. It was probably a good thing I did not take my camera, but I got to see the incisions for the first time today. They are kind of gross and much bigger and more than I thought. It definitely explains why things hurt where they do! I did not get my stitches out. Things had not healed enough yet, so better to leave them in another week. I will definitely have some hefty scars on my leg and both sides of my ankle. Jackie says that I have been sliced and diced and that is sure what it looks like. YUCK! But beware, now that I know, I will take my camera next week!! So be prepared for pictures next week!!

Anyway, I am back in a new temporary cast. This one, instead of going 3/4 of the way around my foot and ankle is only splinted in the back. So they wrapped my leg in padded guaze, then applied the plaster casting to the back of my leg and under my foot. More padded guaze, then an ace bandage. This at least allows for not so painful swelling and it is easier to ice it because it doesn't have to go through layers of plaster and guaze before it hits the ankle!! It is also much lighter and smaller. Thank goodness!

So back to the Dr. next week to hopefully have the stitches out and a regular cast put on. Of course it will still mean 4-6 weeks of being in a cast and not putting my foot down, but I knew that going in. Then it will be another 4 to 6 weeks in either a walking cast or boot, then another 4-6 weeks to transition out of the boot and hopefully walking. At least the heel is now in the proper place (not off to the side) and he could flex my foot beyond 0 degrees!!

So the big question is - What color or colors should my cast be? I can have 2 or 3 colors. I can't decide if I should be bold and colorful and clash with everything or try to be inconspicuous and subdued. I will have to go to the temple with Josh while I have a cast on, but I figure I will cover it with something white regardless. Leave a comment and tell me what you think!!

Happy Birthday Josh!!

2009-04-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

Today is Josh's birthday. So to honor him, I am dedicating this post to him. Josh is my youngest. He also was the only one who was "planned". I had gone through a number of health problems and was not allowed to get pregnant. When I had finally been weened off of all my meds, we decided to try one last time. Alas - Josh. Unfortunately this made me question every little thing about my pregnancy and after he was born. Every time he was particularly fussy, or was sick, or bad, I would say to myself: "I asked for this"!

Great for me was that Josh really has been a great kid. He is extremely sensitive and very loyal. He is the only one who doesn't remember California. We moved to Oregon when he was just 2. He has always known his dad being around. Since Reed worked at home, Josh always came home to having his Dad around. He also benefited from his Dad being able to go on field trips with him.

Josh, being the youngest, has never been a big brother, but he has been a GREAT uncle. Norma's girls have always loved him and Jackie's boys love him too. He really looked up to his older brother and I was always grateful that Jayme was so patient with him. They have many of the same interests and love to chat!! The girls were the first to nickname him Elmer Fudd since he was bald until he was over a year old. From this it changed to "Spud"! That name has stuck and we all still call him Spud to this day!!

As Josh prepares to leave on his mission in a little over a month, the family will grow and change while he is gone. But by being the youngest he will benefit from being able to be in the temple with ALL of his siblings. What a great thing. I am looking forward to that!! Josh - we love you so much and we are very proud of all that you have become!!

Young Entrepreneurs

2009-03-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

We believe in starting the kids young when it comes to working in the lab. Jackie's boys were thrilled to have the chance to wash test tubes and bottles for Grandpa. Keegan has become quite the entrepreneur. When he comes here, he asks Grandpa what he can do to earn money. It starts in the morning when he comes up and joins us in bed and gives Grandpa a back rub for 25 cents. Jayme was here. When he goes out to play on the swing set he finds a plastic shovel or rake and rakes leaves. Out in the lab he asks what can be done and this week he got wash test tubes and bottles. Kayden joined him on the stool and the 2 of them went to work with such intensity. They did a darn good job.

Surgery is over and now we are in the difficult recovery stage. I am not allowed to put weight on my foot for at least 6 weeks. It is a royal pain. I use either crutches or a walker (hopping). I can't get anything for myself since I need both hands to operate crutches. The swelling makes me want to keep the foot up most of the time. I am hoping that this will wear off soon. Pain is not too bad, just uncomfortable.

Somewhere in this post, Jayme left his mark. I get no mercy!

Riley Does A Blog

2009-03-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would try my hand at this blogging thing, since I see my mom and dad doing it all the time. Sometimes I even have to wait for my dinner just cuz mom is on the computer reading someone's blog. Anyway, I figured you would all want to know what I do with all my time.

They say they are empty nesters, but what about me - don't I count? Come on, my life is pretty sweet. While Grandpa Jay was here, I got him trained really well. He started leaving a little bit on his plate just so I could have a taste. We got to go on walks by the riverfront and we made a couple of trips to the coast. That was sweet.

Lately, with all this spring like weather (read rain) it has made for fun mud play. Just the other day I decided that I would see what I looked like as a chocolate lab! I had sooooo much fun. Mom and dad weren't real happy with me, but it was fun. I don't understand what they were so upset about, after all Mom dyes her hair. I like going down to the creek and playing around in the stinky water. Again, my reception at home isn't too good. But oh well. It is always fun to go down and play with the nieghbors. It is a couple of cute girls. They are basset hounds and so I am much bigger than they are and I kinda like to show what a macho guy I am and bowl them over. Hey, turn about is fair play. When I was little, they used to do the same thing to me.

But here is the most exciting news of all. Mom and dad let me go for a sleep over. Megan had been down here working and when it was time for her to go home I put on my big brown eye look. You know, the one where everyone melts over you and tells you what a good dog you are? Hey they even forgot that last night I went digging and came home all muddy. They made me sleep outside in the kennel for that one. But after a bath this morning (with the cold hose no less) I turned on the charm and Megan fell for it. Mom and dad agreed and now I am spending the weekend with Jessica and Megan. My very first sleep over!! Well not really, I got to spend time with Jackie and the boys while mom and dad were gone, but this time they are home and they let me go! Woohoo!!

Thirty-two Years and Counting

2009-03-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

Reed and I have been married for 32 years!!! I can't believe it has been that long. Of course if you could see some the wedding pictures maybe you could believe it. I have been married way longer than I was single. I have spent more time with Reed than anyone else. It is so wonderful to be married to your best friend. I remember being worried when we first got married that I would be the one to hold him back. I didn't feel worthy of him. Now, I realize how much he has lifted me! I don't have words to express what I feel for him. I am so grateful for him and for our life together. We have WONDERFUL children and the GREATEST grandkids. Life just keeps getting better and better!!

I love you, Reed!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

Family Fun

2009-03-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

Well, Grandpa Jay has headed for home. We sure enjoyed our time with him. We had him for a whole month. All the kids made time to come down/over when he was there, so we had lots of fun times. Grandpa has Alzheimers, so the future is uncertain, but it was a great experience to have him here with us. We certainly hope that we get that opportunity again. He has already offered the beach house if I have surgery again (very probable). Can't you see me recouping at the beach house with Grandpa as my caretaker. He is blind and has Alzheimers. Perfect combination!!! I love the offer!

Our final weekend, Jackie and her family came down. We even got Zach. I hope it was a break for him, we haven't seen much of him as he is so busy with school and scouts!

We got a 4 generation shot with Grandpa before he left. I now have one with my dad and Reed's dad!

Aunt Jaymie came for a few days before Grandpa left and of course we had to take a trip to the coast. What else do Glasmann's do? Lunch at Mo's and a walk in Depoe Bay where we watch the waves crash into the sea wall. Lots of fun!!

And then Grandpa had to have a haircut so he would look nice when we sent him home! What a good sport!

What a great visit with LOTS of memories!! We love you Grandpa Jay!!

Grandpa's Girl

2009-02-22T22:46:00.000-08:00

This last week was beautiful. Of course we are close to 10 inches behind for rainfall, but I love our February springs! With the good weather, we enjoyed a couple of walks down by the riverfront with Grandpa Jay and Virginia and Katarina. Of course that would turn into dinner invites which Virginia was only too glad to accept. Jayme has been sick for over 1 month and so outings and other adults has been a big plus. Besides that meant that Katarina had time to get to know her Great Grandpa Jay. She is even used to his growling. But she loves his singing!!

Katarina is Grandpa's girl. She loves to work at the computer, or rock and take cat naps in his arms. She knows Grandma is full of kisses. Hey, who can resist those pudgy, kissable cheeks.

Sunny Valentine's Day

2009-02-16T11:23:00.001-08:00

Saturday we went to the coast. It was a beautiful day. Jess had come down for the weekend. Jayme and Virginia came out for a Valentine's breakfast of Belgian waffles. YUMMMM! They were topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Not fattening at all! Then we headed to the coast. We took Grandpa to Nye Beach where he could walk on the beach. The dog loved and b-lined to the ocean the minute we were on the beach. Who cares how cold the water is, he's a dog!! Then it was lunch at Quimby's. It is on the beach right across from the Newport Performing Arts Center. If you have never been there, the clam chowder is to die for. We went up along Yaquina Bay and got oysters for Oysters Rockafeller for dinner. We even convinced Jace to try an oyster shooter. The lead up was the funniest. But he did it. I never would. Raw, slimmy, GROSSS! Sunday we had leg of lamb for dinner and had Jayme and Virginia out. Jayme is still sick, so they welcomed the dinner that someone else was making!! Katarina had a nice little nap on Grandpa's chest. Isn't that what Grandpa's are for? All in all a great weekend!

Photo Tag

2009-02-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Norma who blogged this one and asked us all to do it. You go to where ever you keep your pictures and go to the fourth file and pick picture #4. Post it and explain what it is. It was fun to check and see what I had.

How sweet! This is a picture of Reed taking Keegan kyaking in the ocean back east. What a fun Grandpa! Speaking of Reed - check out his blog, the Dirt Dr. For those who know Reed, it is hilarious. Use the link on the side of my blog. Very funny!

A Tribute to Suzie

2009-02-12T18:04:00.001-08:00

My dear sister Suzie is really struggling right now. She is currently trying to recover from an amputation of her left leg about 3+ weeks ago. She was home and seemed to be doing okay, when she suddenly became quite ill. There had been some previous signs of trouble, but nothing you could put your finger on. To make a long story short, she has a miraculous dog who alerted the family that something was wrong. She had become quite ill and was incoherent. She was running a fever and was admitted to the hospital. It was determined she had a systemic infection. The next day a number of tests were run. By day three they had also diagnosed that she had suffered a stroke. She has been given some pretty potent antibiotics to treat the infection and the fever has gone down. Now we will begin to deal with the effects of the stroke. The most major problem is her ability to speak. She is not able to communicate much to us. It is so frustrating to her because you can tell that she is trying to say something, but we don't understand.

Suzie has dealt with so much in her life. She has battled diabetes for more than 25 years, with the last 10 being pretty difficult. We love her so much and want her to know that she has taught all of us so much in our lives. She has taught us about commitment and hanging in there even when the odds are against you. She has been one of the best quilters in spite of being legally blind. She is so dedicated to family. I think Sisters Weekend may have fallen by the wayside with difficulties in getting together without her urging and need for us to gather as sisters.

To Suzie and her entire Family - We Love You and are praying for you!!!

This picture is my mom holding Suzie as a baby with my 2 older sisters, Lee Ann and Rosie!!

Grandpa Jay's Visit

2009-02-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

Well, we have had Grandpa now for just over a week. Life is interesting when you are taking care of an older individual. Reed's dad is blind, due to Alzheimer's. The Alzheimer's has now progressed that he has a lot of trouble remembering and gets confused easily. It requires that either Reed or I (or someone) is with him at all times. The first few nights Reed slept upstairs on the living room floor in case he got confused and started wandering. (This has happened before!) Now he seems to have adjusted, somewhat. We keep a monitor in his room so we can hear him downstairs where we are staying. We have also started putting a chair in the hallway outside the room and bathroom so that he doesn't wander the wrong direction. He did that a couple of nights and so we have instituted some safeguards. We worry about him falling. Last night we tried to prepare him for the different schedule of Sunday. Reed has meetings first thing in the morning and so we wanted to get him up and showered (he needs assistance) and ready and then he would come in with me to church. We told him what time we would get him up. Well he woke up last night and thought he was late and that Reed had left without taking care of him. So on his own he got up and took a shower. Small problem, Jackie had bathed the kids last and so the shower curtain was outside the shower. Reed woke up hearing water running and found his dad in the shower at 3AM!! Reed had to mop up the floor (it took 4 towels) and get his dad dressed and back to bed.

Oh well, he keeps up on our toes!! We love him and really are enjoying his time here! He has a great sense of humor and is so humble over the whole thing. It has been a real joy to watch Reed as he is so patient and loving with his Dad. Even when we have cleaned the bathroom for the 5th time in one day. At least Grandpa has enjoyed the books we have put onto an MP3 player we got for him. After going through a ton of Lous L'Amour books, he wanted to change his name to Jay William Sackett!!

Heading For Home

2009-01-27T06:53:00.000-08:00

We have had 3 really fun weeks back here on the east coast. We have spent the last few days with Reed's sister in Bethesda. Today as we get ready to leave it is snowing and so pretty outside. Reed has struggled at times feeling like he should be doing more. Of course, there was work he could have done that he never really got around to. We are headed back home and taking Reed's dad with us. He will spend February with us in Oregon and then meet up with his wife in Utah for a week. We are excited to have him with us for a while.

Here are some fun photos of our last little while here!

This is the boardwalk in OC. It was about 26 degrees and blowing about 15-20 miles an hour. They have an amusement park on the pier (closed for the winter)!
This is the boardwalk at Bethany from the beach side. This is the path from the beach to the board walk. Fun, huh?

One of the questions we always discuss is that when you look at these beaches, during the summer there are hundreds to thousands of people who are on the beach. But there is only 1 bathroom. It makes you very thankful we have a private beach. I thought this sign was funny. There was more to the story, but I think it speaks volumes!

Baby It's Cold Outside

2009-01-19T06:26:00.000-08:00

We only had a couple of days of the really bitter cold where it got down to about 8-10 at night and warmed up only to about 20. It was really interesting to see the waves freeze on the sand. the wind chill was taking it down to 5 degrees and lower. We have been taking long walks on the beach and walking to town and looking at the damage to the new dune in Bethany. The boardwalk has all these new walkways over the new dune and down to the beach but the erosion has just left a drop off and they have had to close most of them. AHHH taxpayers money at work!!

What does Reed do when he is bored in the winter at the beach? Why get together with Buz and use his new book - Backyard Balistics - and make a potato gun. One problem, with all the cold weather it would not shoot very well. The hairspray would immediatley condense and liquify. So the obvious solution was to stay in the house and open the window and shoot over the dune. Jill and I were the ones sent up on the dune to measure the distance. We were all laughing so hard. We were able to shoot from the house, over the dune and almost to the high water line of the tide! I had the longest shot yet. Of course I have only been allowed to shoot once and the wind was not blowing when I shot!

Sunday night it started snowing. You don't get much snow at the beach, but it was fun to wake up this morning to a dusting and snow ON the beach! Enjoy the pictures!

Winter At The Beach

2009-01-15T09:42:00.001-08:00

Reed and I are back at the beach house. He has a professional meeting to attend and we thought we would help out with his Dad. Well the meeting is on here - literally here as in the beach house. When they set the schedule for the long range planning meeting of officers (Reed is one) they did not realize that they planned on the weekend before innauguration. No hotel rooms, outlandish rates and what not. Reed offered the beach house as a place to hold the meeting with hotel rates down here much more resonable - off season!

So here we are - Reed's dad is NOT with us. He is recovering from a very minor surgery and had Dr. appt. so we will take him back home with us when we go and have him stay with us for about a month.

This is what the beach is like in January!! No one around. Imagine wall to wall people during the summer. Kind of fun, but much COLDER! I am bundled up, but the really cold weather has not even hit yet. Tonight and tomorrow we will be in the low teens to low 20's. Add in the wind and it will be something.

I have been walking almost everyday. Sometimes without the boot!! Won't my physical therapist be excited. (I am not supposed to be doing it, but hey they don't think it will get better anyway, so why not!)

Shepherds's Watching Their Flocks

2008-12-26T23:22:00.000-08:00

I have so many cute Christmas pictures, that I need to just start posting so that you can see some of them. This picture was taken at our ward Christmas party, where we dressed up and had dinner at a market place in Bethlehem. It is so fun, because everyone dresses up and we sit on the floor and eat. Jackie's boys were so cute as shepherds!

The Children Were Snug in Their Beds!?!

2008-12-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe it wasn't THEIR beds. The critters and the kids have had a hard time deciding whose bed they wanted to be snugged in. Mushu somhow prefers a hard basket to her soft bed. What can I say, she is a cat. Kayden, however, loves the dog bed and has since he was little. I just finally caught him in it. I would love it if Riley would get in there with him, but since the dog is not fond of sharing his bed, it probably won't happen. Hey, at least the boys love their dog-dog.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

We had our first ever Glasmann Thanksgiving in our new kitchen this year. In the past we have joined with my extended family for Thanksgiving. This is a carry over from all the years of Christmas Tree harvest that was always in full swing during the Thanksgiving holiday. This year, with all my children but Josh close at hand, we decided to have our own Thanksgiving. We were joined by Zach's brother, Jace who is an honorary member of our family, and Megan join us. The house was full and we had a GREAT time. My dad and Maxine also joined us, with Maxine furnishing the great pumpkin pie. It was fun to cook the WHOLE dinner, unlike previous years where you just do a part. We spent the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, making rolls and pies and had a lot of fun working all together. The roll recipe needed tweeking and by batch 5 we had it down perfect.

Kayden even snuggled with Grandma in her chair, not something he does very often. Then daddy showed the boys how to do a headstand. First Keegan tried it, then Kayden joined the fun. I laughed so hard watching the boys try it

Then we had our own brand of excitement as Jayme and Virginia had a scare. Virginia almost bled to death, after hemmoraghing on the way home from Astoria. The Dr.'s had a hard time stopping the bleeding and we spent the night not knowing if she would have to have a hysterectomy. Grandma and Grandpa took Katie for the night and next day and then had Jayme and Virginia come to our house for the next couple of days before heading home to manage on their own. Grandpa got some much loved snuggle time with Katie. We are so thankful that everything is fine now and that Mom is recovering and finally beginning to get her energy back.

We have much to be thankful for!! Can't wait for everyone to arrive for Christmas!

Mindless Ramblings

2008-11-19T14:58:00.000-08:00

It's kind of a lonely week with Reed out of town. I have had plenty to keep me busy and I find that I feel guilty if I just sit for a few minutes, unless of course I am watching TV, but then I am trying to crochet. Is there something wrong with me? Meals are the loneliest. Either I don't want to cook for just one, or I am not particularly hungry. I can't think of anything good to eat, but I don't want to drive into town to get something to eat either. Reed has been making me jealous by describing all of the good food that he is eating on his business trip. Of course I wouldn't like it since it has either been Thai food or Jamacain. Both of which are spicey and/or involve curry. Not my cup of tea. But I am eating pot pies and left over spaghetti. Thrillsville!!

I am looking forward to next week when everyone starts arriving. Jackie and the boys will come down on Monday. Jessica and Megan will come sometime on Wednesday along with Zach and Jace. My dad and his wife will come Thanksgiving Day. Jayme and Virginia will be with her family but will join us on Friday and/or Saturday. Saturday will find us all around the TV rooting for our Beavers. I have decided that we are quite the Beaver family. During the game, Josh calls either for an update or to celebrate. Jackie and Zach text or send pictures of their kids in Beaver apparel, cheering!! Jessica checks in along with Jayme. It is getting exciting as we watch the Beavers see if they can make it to the Rose Bowl!!!

Here is a Wordless Wednesday picture that has popped up when my computer goes to screen saver!!

The Perfect Weekend

2008-10-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

We just had the most incredibly perfect weekend. We ended up with all the kids minus Josh down and together. Poor Jess came down to visit the Dr. to get cold meds and ended up with a sinus infection. Jayme and Virginia only spent one evening with us due to baby Katie getting sick, but the rest of us enjoyed incredible weather.

First we worked!

Then we played. We carved pumpkins and played on the swing set and took a beautiful walk around the farm. Keegan got to dress up in his cowboy outfit for Halloween to "try it out"! Kayden had fun trying to do whatever his big brother was doing. He tried the swings, the cowboy hat and did a LOT of walking. Mom even tried on the hat to see what kind of cowgirl she was.

We had a great Stake conference, even with the kids climbing all over us. Then Zach got sick. Monday we topped it all off with celebrating 6 months since knee surgery and hiked up Mary's Peak. We even took the dog and I let him ride in the back of the Mustang. Can you believe it? I even have pictures to prove it. We had the top down and it was a great day! In fact it was a great weekend!!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

This pictures is especially for Melinda. It was taken in the labor and delivery room. I will leave it to you to figure out why he did this. (Other than the fact that he is so weird!!)

The Newest Baby on the Block

2008-10-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

Our newest little granddaughter has arrived. Little Katarina was born on Oct. 10. She weighed in at 6lb. 13 3/4 oz. She was about 3 weeks early, but Virginia was induced due to pre-eclampsia. Things were pretty bad for Virginia, but she was a real sport about it and there were many miracles associated with the labor and delivery. We don't know why all of it happened, but Mom and baby are doing really good. Katie is showing all the signs of being early, but she has responded well this last week or so. I am waiting now for an update. Reed and I were so blessed to be included and to witness her arrival into the world. It is something to behold to witness the birth of a child. I have never been on the witnessing end unless I was the mother delivering, so this was a special moment and I am grateful that Jayme and Virginia let us be a part of it.

Jayme has been a wonderful dad and father. It is kind of fun to watch a son come into this role. Virginia is a natural and seems so comfortable as a mom. Even in the middle of the night when she got frustrated, it was so calm. I was impressed. I loved being there and being able to help what little I could after they came home. Holding this tiny little one is such a sweet feeling. I love being a grandma. I just love all my sweet little ones - even though some of them are getting quite old.

Thanks to Norma for having Josh up for a visit. I am so glad that there is someone close for him to connect with that is family. It sure helps - me especially.

I am still trying to get into a routine. With the birth of the baby and subbing at the school this last week was pretty tiring and now the computer is on the fritz. I am so grateful for family and grateful for all those little young uns!!

Escapades of the Empty Nesters

2008-10-08T21:16:00.001-07:00

I know it has been forever since I posted, so most of you probably don't even check me anymore, but I will try to be better. As you can see from the title, we are officially empty nesters. August through September has been a jumble of activity and moving. Mostly moving. Not me, just ALL my kids. Jayme and Virginia started the trend by moving home in June and out in July just before we left on vacation. Thank you Jayme and Virginia for doing it before. Because after ( like 5 days) returning home from vacation we packed up Josh and dropped him off at BYU. Returning home from that we packed Jackie up again and moved them into a house they are renting. Then came Jessica who moved to start her masters program. Wow!! In the midst of all this we jointly canned about 180 lbs. of peaches, betweeen 65-70 quarts of tomatoes and today I just picked up the tuna to can. It feels good to have all this done and to see the pantry filling up with full jars. The kids are thrilled and we all loved the new kitchen when it came time for canning.

But the real reason for the post is that when that was all done, Reed and I decided to play!!!!! Reed's sister and her husband visited us from the east coast, so we showed them the sites. We picked them up at the airport with the camper and tents and sleeping bags and headed for our coast. We started around Seaside and went the whole length of Oregon. We started in fog and ended in beautiful sunshine. We saw PODS of whales. Up close. You could even see the barnacles on their backs. I have never seen so many spouts and so many whales! We ended up in Northern CA at the redwoods, then headed inland to Crater Lake. We nearly froze out toushes off when the temp dropped to 26 the night we camped at Crater Lake, but the next morning was clear and fantastic. After returning home we sent Jill and Buz on their way up north to see Mt. St. Helen's and to end up in Vancouver BC with another sister. We had so much fun together we are planning future trips. We miss them, but we had such a good time.

We were only home about a week, when we decided to take off again. We made a trip to St. George Utah via Reno and Provo. We visited some old friends in Reno, then saw Josh in Provo before heading down to St. George. There we watched Zach and his siblings compete in the marathon. I am always really moved to watch marathon runners. That is such a grueling, hard thing. I know that I only see the very tip top of the iceberg as they have trained for months to be able to run for 26 miles. All did very well despite the pouring rain. From there we headed back up to Idaho Falls to spend a couple of days with Zach's family. I know, it is really weird, but we get along so well with Zach's parents, that we are also planning a trip with them. This is just way too much fun!!

For right now we are staying close to home. Jayme and Virginia could be having the baby a little sooner than planned - but that is another post. We also plan to work - someday. We are waiting for samples to show up. But for now we have had a ton of fun and the kids think we are crazy!!!

Sad News

2008-07-28T07:56:00.002-07:00

Today I kind of have a heavy heart. Two people that I dearly love have passed on. It's kind of weird, but one of these ladies I have never met, but I know her daughter and she has talked of her mom often and so I feel like I know her. Sherri lost her mom this last week. I know that age wise it was time and she has been in poor health, but still it is a loss. I know what it is like to have your mom pass away and that is a hole that is never filled in your heart. I know that it the plan and I know where they are and that all will be reunited again, but the loss here is hard. So Sherri, I am so sorry. This year has been tough with the loss of both of your parents. Know that we love you and our thoughts and prayers are with you.

The other lady was one of the funnest and most vivacious woman you could ever know. Beverly brought a smile to anyone she talked to. I loved her way of expressing herself. No one could make you laugh like Bev could. Beverly was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago. She fought valiantly and was an example to all who had contact with her. Her passing will leave an empty spot for all of us. My heart goes out to her entire family, all of whom I have had an opportunity to know, especially the 3 younger ones. May the Lord comfort you in your time of need and may you all be blessed as you travel the rest of your time here on earth. To kind of complete this circle of thought, Bev was my mom's visiting teacher for a while. I smile when I think of my mom interacting with Bev before she passed away. I think she probably made my mom smile a lot.

To both of these families who have suffered this loss I would like to share a saying that was recently given to my sister and neice after the death of their baby. I think the saying was like this: You have a part of heaven in your home when you have a part of home in heaven.

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

2008-06-06T03:03:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things is to get telephone calls from my grandkids. What a thrill to hear their little voices on the phone. Keegan can get so excited and talks so fast that often I need an interpreter to get the whole conversation.

The other day I got a call that just made my day. Norma's oldest daughter, Morgan recently turned 11. Wow! I can remember that first week of walking the floor with her as she adjusted to life in the big world. I came home from my initiation into grandmotherhood just exhausted. Well, for the girls birthdays this year I sent them cute swimsuits with matching swim shorts. In the middle of the afternoon, I got a call from Morgan! She was so excited because she had come home to a package from Grandma Peggy!! She told me all about the end of the school year and the parties she had been invited to. One happened to be a pool party and now she had a new swimsuit to wear! It was so fun to talk to her and hear her enthusiasm as she told me all about her plans. She was so happy to have shorts to wear over the swimsuit because she hates just wearing a swim suit by itself. How I know how that feels! Morgan is growing up!

The best part of the call for me was that it was just her. As far as I know, Mom was at work. What a thrill to have your grandchild call you all on her own and to visit with me one on one. We are trying to arrange a visit with just Morgan this summer. The other girls have been promised their own one on one with Grandma when they are old enough. What fun! Anyway, Happy Birthday Morgan. We love you!

Look What the Cat Dragged In

2008-06-06T02:50:00.000-07:00

Oh how I wish I had a picture to go with this, but Reed was so efficient that I didn't get a picture in time. It happened a couple of weeks ago. Jackie and family were down for the weekend. Realize that when she comes, the whole house changes. I mean we are talking 2 boys that are about to turn 4 and 1. So obviously noise level, chaos and general bedlam increases. I am not complaining mind you, just trying to get you to picture this in your mind. Well, we have a cat. She is a small, mostly black, flat faced persian. By small, I mean she weighs in at a whopping 8 pounds. Now, add 2 boys and a dog and you begin to see what the cat feels like. Mushu (the cat) tolerates the boys, but she in not fond of children. I don't know if she was trying to bring a peace offering or was letting everyone know just how tough she was, but we walked outside and here she sits with a small rabbit. Now before you get all Bambi on me, you must know that for the sake of tender hearts I will not call them bunnies. But around here, these rabbits are destructive and not loved. They eat the tender new shoots on our trees and do major damage. Being rabbits, they constantly are repopulating around here. At this point in time we need a few evenings of spotlight hunting. I am hoping that the men will take the opportunity as everyone descends on us this weekend, to enjoy some time out in the back of the truck with their shotguns!! Anyway, here sits the cat with a little rabbit. Mushu, only weighing 8 pounds had brought home a rabbit that had to have weighed about 4 or 5 pounds. I don't know where she caught it, but I was impressed. Nice gift to find on your doorstep in the morning! In contrast, as Reed and I mowed down at the cabin, Riley, the 75 pound dog was trying to impress us with his mousing skills. He would chase and catch field mice as Reed was mowing down the grass and weeds. Gross, but funny to watch a 75 pound dog pounce and catch a mouse.

Coulda Woulda Shoulda

2008-06-06T02:47:00.000-07:00

I have been really bad about updating this blog. Do you ever have times that you create blogs posts in your mind? Somehow mine are not getting from my mind onto the computer. So here it is 2:30am and my mind won't shut off, so I will start a series of blogs that I intended to post, but somehow never got around to doing it. Maybe then I can go to sleep! Realize that by the time you read this, you will have been through some of my posts since everything gets posted that way!

I've Been Tagged X2

2008-05-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay. I have been tagged twice so I guess I better respond! Here goes the one for Megan: Ato Z
A: Attached or Single: Happily attached for 31 years!!
B: Best Friend: Reed
C: Cake or Pie: Oh, that is a toss up. Cake if it is chocolate and pie if it is chocolate chip!
D: Day of Week. All depends on the week, but mostly Saturday
E: Essential item: Make up. Gotta have it!
F: Favorite color: Pink, blue and lavender
G: Greatest Accomplishment: Being a mom - and all that that entails!
H: Hometown: Corvallis
I: Indulgences: Chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Shopping for me!
J: January or July: It's a toss up because I love snow, but probably July, I love the beach.
K: Kids: 4 of my own, plus a foster daughter
L: Life is incomplete without: what else - my family
M: Marriage date: March 19th ( yes Reed, not the 22nd or 25th)
N: Number of siblings: 5 all sisters
O: Oranges or Apples: definitely apples
P: Phobias: My head under the water
Q: Quotes: There are so many: "That is a movie too much" (for A Bridge to Far), Are you taking me out? (usually directed to my husband at various times throughout the month!), and "That is so gross" (again usually directed towards my husband!)
R: Reason to smile: Reed, grandkids, sunshine, I can lift my leg!
S: Season: Christmas and summer
T: Tag five friends: Do I have five friends? Jayme (Ha, see if you do it), Jodie, Jessica, Katie, and Ollie (no recipes!)
U: Unknown fact about me: I am really very shy! I have a healthy fear of the water
V: Very Favorite Store: Which ever one has the clothes I like!
W: Worst Habit: Ummm, I don't know!
X: Xray or Ultra sound: Probably ultra sound, but it's a toss up
Y: Your favorite food: Ice cream, specifically Tillamook chocolate peanut butter
Z: Zodiac: Capricorn

There you have it, more than you ever wanted to know about me.

The New Metal Me!!

2008-04-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

I know that it has been a while since I have posted. I have had my surgery and am now recovering. It is a slow process, but I am coming along nicely. A HUGE thank you to my family for being such a big help and keeping me going.

I had surgery on the 14th of April to replace my right knee. It is now a titanium knee with a special plastic insert instead of cartlidge. The surgery lasted about 2 hours and I was not put completely under. I was heavily sedated and given the amnesia drug so I don't remember much of anything. I was awake into the operating room and awake when I left. That way they were able to administer pain medication that kept me going until I was awake enough to swallow new pain medication. I have a about 6 inch incision on my knee and then a drain tube was on the side of my knee. An interesting thing they did was to take the blood that was draining from my knee and filter it and infuse it back to me. That meant I was getting my own blood and did not need a transfusion. Very interesting. After 24 hours that was removed. I don't have stitches or staples. I was glued back together. This will hopefully minimize the scar. By Tuesday they had me standing up and was able to use the bathroom on my own.
By Wednesday afternoon the Dr. told me I could go home if I wanted, but I didn't feel ready. So we stayed until Thursday morning. Since the nurses weren't ready to release me Wednesday afternoon, I am glad I stayed. It would have been late by the time they got everything ready for me and Thursday was exhausting enough. I have graduated from using a walker, to crutches to a cane. I walk around the house pretty much by myself. I am VERY slow.
I have twice weekly visits to the physical therapist. I will be in therapy until July, but as much as it hurts, I know it helps. I have had weekly visits to the family doctor to have my blood levels checked. I am on coumadin for about 1 month. My levels are currently doing really good, so I get to stretch that appointment out to 2 weeks. I got to go to Costco the other day with Reed and Jessica. I rode around on one of those carts, but I was so exhausted by the time that I got home that I immediately went to sleep!!
I worked really hard for 2 weeks just the raise my leg off the bed. Now they make me do leg raises everyday. I also was able to accomplish getting me leg to do a full revolution on the stationary bike. All this was accomplished with great pain. But as Jessica says to me (all the time)"no pain, no gain"!! I have threatened to get a little doll and make it a voodoo doll of Jess and start sticking it with pins. But since she has command of my legs, I don't think I would get far. But actually Jess has been wonderful. She takes care of the meals, the cleaning, the washing as well as supervising my exercises. She is quite accomplished at this after taking care of her grandfather 2 different times for knee replacement surgeries over the last 6 months. Her pay off finally came as she recieved her acceptance to grad school at PSU. We are so excited for her!!
I will try to get some pictures up later, but for now, this gives you an update on me!

Lovin' It

2008-04-05T23:09:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest pictures. We have mostly moved in. I am still getting used to using a kitchen again. I find that I keep thinking that I need to conserve my dishes and use paper plates, cups and plastic silverware. I keep thinking of things to eat that are made in a crock pot or microwave, so I am slow to really USE the kitchen. Besides, last week I worked at the High School scheduling 260 parents for parent/teacher conferences. That might not seem like much, but when you think about each student having up to 7 different classes, that is quite a feat. But between sessions of conference, I have cleaned and tried to organize and get things put away. I absolutely love it so far. I love the openess that carries into the living room. I love the blending and coordinating of colors. I am just excited to be done.

I wish I could say the same for the upcoming surgery. I find that I am waking in the middle of the night. I don't know if it is pain or anxiety, but I am awake for a couple of hours. It is getting old. I also ran out of some medication that I have been on for years to help with PMS. Now granted I don't suffer from periods anymore, but I still have ovaries, so I still have problems. Well, insurance wouldn't refill my meds without me seeing the regular Dr. So after 2 weeks of no mood helpers, I find that I am an absolute bawl baby. I have cried over everything and anything. Thank goodness I have just started taking them again, but it may take a while to get back on track. It doesn't help that Jessica keeps laughing at me!!

Next week is Dr. appointments every day, plus they finish the remodel (hopefully) and we have the walk through. Just in time for surgery. Fun, fun, fun!!!D

Lessons to Learn

2008-03-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

This whole remodel business has been a learning experience for me. One of the main things I learned is that things will go wrong. I realized that up front and we had our share of problems. Next, I learned that just when you think it will turn out okay, something else will come up. Nothing is perfect. Then I learned a huge lesson for me. Even though you know there are problems, stay away and let them solve them. I learned that I don't need to stress the things that are going on. They have to be fixed, let them do their job and don't worry about the fact that it went wrong. Just get it fixed. I think this applies to life as well. I need to quit worrying about what goes wrong and just move forward and get it fixed! Last was an interesting one for me. I guess that I am a pleaser. Or I don't want to rock the boat. Whatever! When I didn't like what they had done with the plugs above the cabinets (they showed)I was willing to live with it. I would try to decorate around it. Finally, Reed pointed out to me that we were paying good money for this and they should do it the way I wanted. I do not need to make do, just because I don't want to be a pain or because I don't want to get people mad at me. Hence, the kitchen is NOT done yet. We still are missing 2 cabinet doors, and a shelf. All the plugs are being moved. Those that are at the counter top level were too low. The backsplash hit all the covers, so they have to be moved. The ones above the cabinets have to be lowered, so they are not visible. Consequently, there are holes in my walls. All this need to be patched and repaired and painted. The hard part is that all the cabinets are in! At least I don't have to do it. It is their error, so they have to fix it.
I LOVE my counter tops! I find that I am always rubbing my hands across them. I love the color and an so excited to have it all done.
This weekend we were able to begin moving in. The refridgerator is in along with the stove and dishwasher. The stove and dishwasher are not completely in, but we are able to use them. We are celebrating with brownies tonight!!! I do have to clear everything off the counters tonight and cover them with paper again. Oh the joy of having workers in your home all the time!
Here are a couple of pictures to get you excited!

Remodel Madness

2008-03-14T14:55:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I love how people can just type the way they talk. I am thinking that maybe this is a blond thing. Take Jackie, for instance, part of what is fun about her blogs is that she rambles on paper ( albeit electronic paper)just like she talks. It is random and goes 20 different places at once. It makes me laugh, because she talks JUST like that. Ollie is another one. Tracy is also quite good at it, and then it dawned on me. They are all blond. Do you think that is it? Laugh girls, I am old and senile and allowed to be this way!!

Well we got hit with MAJOR remodel madness over the last couple of weeks. First it was the floor. My lovely tile, that we put in about 5 or 6 years ago is just what I love. The plan was to cut out as little as possible and just replace what was needed. NOT! Tile doesn't stay in fashion that long. First problem was too much tile ended up being destroyed (Okay, they warned us about that one). Problem 2: after finishing our great paint job, they called to say they could not find any matching tile. I had just finished painting colors that expressly matched my tile. Worse news! Our tile happened to be "Italian" tile. Don't get too excited, it was the rage a few years ago until we americans got caught up in tile making, now we make "American" tile. Low and behold, we have different measuring systems (ie, metric versus inches). So while American tile is constructed on 12 or 13 inch tiles, Italian or European tile is done differently. Hence mine is about 12 1/2 inch squares. No matchy!. We were depressed and had actually resigned ourselves to having to rip out the entire floor and start all over again costing us thousands of dollars. But Reed would not be daunted. He went to work on the internet and entered the series name and color of our tile. He found some, but before you get real excited, it was from a catalog and web site that had not been updated since 2001. But we were blessed and they had only one color from the series still at their warehouse and low and behold, it was our color. The floor was saved!

Major problem #2: The appliances arrived and they started to unpack them. The refrigerator was not like I remembered it. Realize that it was months ago that I picked all this stuff out. Then it hit me. There was no water and ice accessable from the door. This may sound trivial, but you must realize that I am going through 3 bags of ice per week during the remodel. Besides, I am old and I want what I want! Okay, so maybe it wasn't MAJOR, but still.

Biggest Major #3: The cabinets are starting to be installed when we notice that there is a BIG space between cabinets and island. Too Big! Somebody measured wrong and the electrical cords and lights in the ceiling are 2 FEET to far into the dining room. That means that the table and bar stools would back into each other, not good. Add on top of this that I have already finished painting and they hinged one of the cabinet doors on the wrong side after I had expressly said which side I wanted it on.

So today they tore up the floor again. Thank goodness they have not done the tile yet. They moved electrical wires in the floor for the island. The ceiling is still to be conquered. The only good news is that I have been told, that I don't have to fix the painting errors and that all costs will be covered by the construction company - not me!!
Here are some updated pictures!

Wordless? Wednesday

2008-03-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of painting. I am off to a substitute job, so these will have to suffice!

Funny Friday

2008-03-01T16:56:00.000-08:00

I know it is Saturday, but the thought was there!

Any way, I thought I would share some funny stories with the remodel. They are just quick little stories that will create cute pictures in your mind.

It is interesting at times when you go to your bathroom to use it for what it was intended to be used for (you know, going to the bathroom)! You have second thoughts when you find a pile of clean dishes on the floor by the toilet. Hmmmmm.

Then there are the times that you find unusual things in your bathroom. Poor Lily, who is only 4 years old, was sent to the bathroom by her mom who assured her she could go by herself. Can you imagine what must have gone through her mind when she finds a big butcher knife on the little stool by the bathtub? "But Mom the bathroom is scary!!"

My favorite is when you are sitting on the stool or edge of the bathtub doing the dishes when the dog comes in and promptly jumps into the bathtub. He is usually a little dirty and tries to drink the dish water. You have to quickly finish and then wash the dog and clean the tub. Oh life is fun!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-02-27T14:23:00.001-08:00

Great-Grandpa and Baby Kayden

Here's the pictures!

2008-02-21T14:17:00.001-08:00

Kitchen Remodel

2008-02-20T20:44:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have been waiting, here is a slide show of the kitchen remodel. Work is going fairly smoothly. We have had only a few minor bumps, most of which were resolved fairly easily. We had one scare where we thought that in order to pass inspection we would have to tear up the downstairs wall to put in a big weight bearing beam, but the inspector was convinced otherwise. The new windows are in and insulation is next. Next Monday they will start the wall board and we will be painting by Sisters Weekend (this is an annual event where my sisters all get together and spend the weekend together). I am this year's service project.

We also had a wonderful long weekend over President's Day. Jayme and Virginia came for a visit since they could not come at Christmas time. We battled cooking for 8 adults and 2 kids with no kitchen. So we ate out a lot. We also went out alot. We spent the day at the coast on Saturday. We then headed for the Harward family cabin Sunday evening. Monday we had a big breakfast and then put up our old kitchen light and cabinet from our house at the cabin. After that we headed for the Oregon Coast Aquarium. It was so much fun!! We came home and ordered GIANT calzones before everyone packed up and headed for their own homes! All in all it was great weekend. Oh yeah, at the start of the weekend, Reed picked up Keegan when he picked up Jayme and Virginia at the airport. Keegan got to come down a day early and have his first real sleepover at Grandma's. He was such a big boy and we had lots of fun together before Mom and Dad showed up. Being a grandma is great!!

2008-02-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

I have been struck lately by the numerous little miracles that go on all around us. I know that there is plenty of negative out there if I choose to focus on it, but right now I guess my mind and heart are somewhere else. I marvel that God truly does have a plan for all of us and that most often I do not understand why things happen the way they do and what the purpose is. Maybe I am looking for much too small of a purpose, when the big purpose is "And all these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good"!!
Recently a dear friend has been able to get pregnant after years of fasting, prayer, blessings and many, many tears. As she has begun to show, people now realize that she is expecting. She is so cute. As I listened to her and another dear sister who had also endured a similar story, I was struck when she said how much joy she finds in each little thing. She has endured the long, sleepless nights and fussy periods, because well it took so long to get there. I think of Jackie having such joy in a negative test result. There are still no answers, but for now it is not bad news. I think of others who were complaining about time lost to diagnosis or fretting about one thing or another and I thought about Leman and Lemuel. Am I like them sometimes? Do I want all my answers now? Do I wish that I had never gone to the Dr. about my knee? Maybe it is because I was helping another sister in YW as she prepared for an activity. I shared that she might want the girls to learn the "as if" principle. It is found most clearly in Jarom 1:11. Basically the scripture talks about how the Nephites were taught to live their lives "AS IF" Christ had already come. It is a marvelous principle when we apply it to our lives. If there is something that we know we want or ought to do, you live "as if" you are already there. So, young men can learn to become and be prepared to be better missionaries, by living "as if" they are already a missionary. Well, this dear sister was thrilled by this principle and how she could apply it. Then as we talked, she turned it back on me. She told me that maybe I needed to quit debating whether I should have surgery on my knee and just live "as if" I had already decided. I have had such peace since then. I guess it is my own little miracle. Who knows why I have to go through this NOW. Who knows why I have endured what I have, but it is okay. It is pretty doubtful that they will open up my knee and say, "No, this isn't that bad. She doesn't need to have this done." And wake me up. Isn't that silly that that is my fear? Silly me!!

(Not so) Wordless Wednesday

2008-01-30T07:49:00.000-08:00

Watch both of these little clips. Keegan wanted to learn to play Grandpa's bugle. Then Dad had to see if he could do it. Which one do you think did it better?

The Demolition Begins

2008-01-24T19:32:00.000-08:00

Even though construction doesn't begin for another week and half, Reed can't stand the wait. As Jessica was preparing to BEGIN packing up, Reed starts tearing cupboards out. Poor Jackie and her family had not even left after spending the weekend here. I was away at a presidency meeting and came home to find out that Reed has unloaded the cupboard above the fridge and ripped it out of the wall. To this day, it is still sitting on the floor of his lab!!

I had a plan as to how I was going to pack and move the kitchen over this week, but Reed had a different plan. You know how they say that doing a remodel is hard on a marriage - I am beginning to understand. Communication is THE most important thing. Then comes the realization that what may seem the logical way to proceed for you, is not necessarily the way your spouse sees it. I am trying to learn to stay flexible and be willing to change my plans. It is a work in progress. If I can just contain Reed and his desire to start ripping things out!! It must be a male thing.

Tonight I am resting as it is snowing outside. School will be on a 2 hour delay due to the weather. It is nice to know the night before. How ever Reed is restless and wants to continue to move stuff out. I just need a break! We continue to try to figure out how to set up temporary DSL access and what our temporary kitchen will look like. Enjoy the before and during pictures.

Reflections on the Week

2008-01-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

Well, this week I have been a working woman. I have subbed full time in the office at the high school. Thanks to Jessica, who has held down the fort at home and taken care of the shopping, the cleaning and getting things ready for dinner. We planned out menues over the weekend and then I did the shopping list and she has kept it together for me.

It has been nice to be in the work force on a temporary basis to realize that I have the skills to work out there if I need to. I have enjoyed working through some things on my own and figuring them out. I guess that at my age, it is nice to know I could do if I wanted to!! They even gave me a school shirt to wear this Friday!

Next week we will begin the big clean out and pack up of the kitchen. Should keep us all busy! Plus I need to finish end of the year reports, quarterly reports and setting up files for the new year. Never a dull moment around here!

Winter Damage

2008-01-14T19:17:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the winter damage down at our cabin. At least it will be more firewood.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-01-09T20:20:00.001-08:00

Happy 2008

2008-01-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone!
I know it has been forever since we last updated the blog. Life has been busy, yet non eventful. Ever have times like that? We had a fun Christmas, it was quiet and slow. We had Jessica and Josh home and everyone else was away. We had the sister missionaries over for dinner and had turkey stuffed with citrus and cranberries. It was yummy!! After Christmas, Jackie and Zach and kids came down and it was Christmas take 2. The kids weren't feeling too good, so the next few days were spent in front of the fire watching football. We rang in the New Year at 9pm with Keegan, then played games and watched Lord of the Rings 3. Someone around here had some really good fireworks and so we went outside in the freezing cold and watched for a while!

The new year will bring lots of changes. The new kitchen should start the beginning of February. We managed to get the temporary room painted. Over the next weeks we will start getting a kitchen organized out there. Should be interesting. Just after getting the new kitchen done and getting moved back into it, I will get a new knee. At least it is scheduled, we will see if I go through with it. I am very nervous and scared about it. More on that later.

Enjoy the pictures. I especially love the one of Reed as a Romas soldier. Doesn't he have cute legs?

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Christmas is Coming!!

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After our wonderful surprise from Jayme and Virginia for Thanksgiving, we spent the next week with Jackie and the boys staying with us while they had bad colds. Jayme and Virginia surprised us by showing up Thanksgiving morning. We loved having them. We finally got the decorations up. I love the new entertainment center. It has lots of room for displaying my creches (nativity scenes). I love putting up my decorations. Now I need to get the downstairs decorated. Jess and I will head out tomorrow to look for a tree, in between appointments.

Josh heads for the orthopedic Dr. tomorrow. He has horrible grinding in his knee and will probably need surgery. Better to get it done now, before he heads off for college and then a mission. I am beginning to think that something with knees runs in the family! I will head for my specialist in Salem next week. There may be a new knee for me in the next year!

We took everyone to see a Trans Siberian Ochestra concert this last weekend. What a great time. Reed absolutely loves their music. I took him last year for his birthday. This year we took Jackie and Zach and Jessica and Josh. Jessica and Josh had never been before. It was fun to watch Josh during the concert. He was facinated watching them play. I am sure our basement will be rocking as Josh tries to gain inspiration from this band.

We are so happy that the Beavers won. Especially that Josh won his friendly bet with Justin. Josh has been growing his hair out since summer. If the Beavers lost against the Ducks, he was going to have to dye his hair black. Since the Beavers won, Justin had to color his hair orange!!! And Josh got to get his hair cut. Note the before and after photos!!