20 YEARS TAG

Me & My Hubby...3 months ago

20 years ago...

1. Just finished fixing up our second house.

2. My first baby Jacob just turned five, and Kayla was 2 1/2

3. About to give birth to Chad, who is now on a mission in Chile
4. I quit my job at the bank after bruising my tailbone.

10 years ago...

1. I was taking care of 5 kids now (Rachel-1993, and Noelle-1997).
2. Mark and I were busy with our restoration business.
3. We moved to our current home in Athol, Idaho. (OK - when we moved to Idaho, we thought our first little house we bough there was in Hayden. Actually, it wasn't). But it's been a great place to live!

5 years ago...

1. Tanner was born - our seventh and final baby! (Isaac was born in 2000).
2. I was helping Mark get back into selling real estate.
3. Finally had a semi-successful garden in Idaho.
4. Served as Young Women's president.

3 years ago...

1. Visited Arizona for the first time to attend a friend's wedding. Great fun and wonderful occasion!
2. Remodeled our home to make a master bedroom/bath with 2 closets and a half bath, out of a main bath and 2 bedrooms.
3. Remodeled the kitchen. Yes, both in the same year. AAHH!!!

1 year ago...

1. Celebrated our 25th anniversary.
2. Already one year gone by as a Bishop's wife. Big responsibility for him, not so much for me.

3. Bought a 1910 Dutch Colonial home in historic Kellogg Idaho, which is an up & coming 4-

So far this year....

1. I started this blog
2. I read the Twilight Series and The Host.
3. I got a new calling - second counselor in the Primary, and I love it!

Yesterday I...

1. Ran a 9 minute mile (OK that might seem slow to you, but I am really old and short!)

2. Ate a Schlotzsky's Deli sandwich after an eight-month abstinence.

3. Got our carpets and furniture cleaned.
4. Hung out with Kayla here at the house and played with the babies.

Today I...

1. Need to can some tomatoes. Not looking like I'll get that done today.

2. Need to finish the laundry and ironing.
3. Will carpool the kids to preschool.

4. Will try not to make chocolate chip cookies so I can stay on my diet.

Tomorrow I will...

1. Probably can the tomatoes
2. Hopefully go with Mark to show some houses.
3. Go the the Pearson's to watch the UFC fights (well, the men will; the gals will just chat and giggle about their men...

Next week I will...
1. Go to Arizona for the second time to attend another good friend's wedding.
2. Lay out in the sun by the pool in Arizona.
3. Try not to feel sorry for Kayla while she watches the kids when I am laying by the pool in Arizona.

4. Sell the house in Kellogg

In the next year I will....

1. Attend the temple more often.
2. Close the sale of the house in Kellogg.
3. Get out of debt.
4. Lose that last 10 pounds.

I tag...
Melissa M.
Laura D.
Kayla H.
Jennifer M.
Kelli S.

Andrea P.

Kathy P.
Mariann A.
Michelle M.

I look forward to checking your blogs!

Preschool - It's the Beginning...

Today Tanner started Preschool. My youngest child. My Baby.

So of course I was all weepy, and teary-eyed, just trying to hold back the tears, even, right? But no, that didn't happen. I love that little boy more than life itself, but he is the last of 7 (and no, we are not going to have any more!), so maybe I am ready for a quiet house, four afternoons a week.

But that can't be it, because we have Rachel doing home school. And you all know, that anywhere Rachel is, quiet is not. And that's not always a bad thing...I think. (Just kidding, Rachel!).

Maybe it is because by the time that Tanner leaves on his mission, I will have put in 39 years of raising kids, with diaper changing, potty training, wrestling and fighting, dog-eaten homework, chores not getting done, pets not being fed, rooms not being cleaned, and raging teenage boy and teenage girl hormones, maybe I am just ready to sing the hallelujah chorus to have an (almost) empty house for a scheduled time each day.

But I don't think that's it, either.

I think it's just because I always loved school, grade school, anyway, and it's been years since I have dreamed that I couldn't unlock my locker or that I didn't study for a test or forgot to put my clothes on...(oh yes, I think we all have those dreams) but they are behind me now. I think that since I loved school, he will too, and so how can I be sad about him having a great time and learning all kinds of new stuff!

I also think that it's because I know he is in the best place for him right now, and his teacher is FANTASTIC, and I know he can learn things there from her that that I have tried but failed to get through to him. And we all need a little help, a backup plan, for when we produce a child who is not always obedient, kind, and willing to do as asked, for the most part. (Thankfully I have a few kids kinda like that, so I do know the difference).

Tanner, who is sweet, cute, and adorable, also likes to do his own thing on his own time table. So he will have this year to adjust to a regular schedule, since at home the schedule is usually haphazard at best. So it'll be good for him and good for his family as well.

Tanner and Sydnee

And how can I be sad about him making some really great friends! I think that he will have a wonderful year...and so will I. I think. Uhoh, now I'm crying...

Jake's Been Really Busy!

For those of you who are always asking how Jake is doing, and what has he been up to, I thought I would put together some pictures to show you. These are just a few of the projects that he has done since going to work for himself as an independent contractor about 6 months ago. It was slow and scary at first, but one by one the jobs came through. With his meticulous nature and eye for perfection, now most of his work is coming by word of mouth, and he is working practically 24/7. We are proud of you, Jake!

Here is a river-rock fireplace that Jake did

...and another one, stacked rock this time

...and a slate patio and walkway for this gazebo garden This is the backside of the kitchen counter that faces the great room, and if you click and zoom in on the picture, he also did the slate backsplash
...and here is the great room I think this chimney is the highest project he has done so far (I hope he was strapped to the roof somehow!)
And here is a wall that he built...
...and of course the best project yet...(took him a little longer, with some MAJOR help from his wife, Kara)

Dillon and Hannah!

Rachel's Adventures in Shoe Shopping

Something in this girl right now just compels her to take pictures of herself all the time. Basically the same shot. The other day she was whining that I didn't ever blog anything about her. (Actually I do have one blog devoted mostly to her). So in looking through my pictures to find something interesting, all I can find are these:

This is Rachel all excited to finally go shoe shopping:

Now, understand, we can't seem to communicate very well about what sort of shoes she needs. She is, after all, 15, and I am, well, a lot older. So, when I think new shoes for winter, I think cute boots that she can wear with both jeans and dresses. Not mukaluks, but cute ones with a heel, since I believe that fashion and warmth - at least un-exposed toes - outweighs safety (the heel on slick surfaces). When she thinks of shoe shopping, it's all Vans and Chucks. Not real great for church. Here are a couple of pics of Rachel "shopping" for shoes.
She took one look at all the boots and said she didn't like any of them. And I said "you need church shoes or boots, not more Vans and Chucks." What a mean mean mom. Here is a picture of Noelle and I shopping for boots. We found a super cute pair for her...
Here are a couple more pictures of Rachel 'shopping' for shoes...Here's Rachel on the way home with no new shoes at all...
Sorry, Rachel

Elder Carey's Silly Stuff....and more Serious Situations!

Chad always loves to try and freak me out, but does he think that I am this gullible...?

It is amazing that they can still have great big smiles on their faces, considering they just got robbed - at gunpoint. Chad said, (his words)

"Guess what! I got robbed! Cool huh? A couple of guys pulled a gun on my companion and me in the street, stole our bags, was kind of fun really. My companion has his bag back because one of them tried to sell "Mormon stuff" to Carlos' mom (one of their investigators) and she knew him personally and took one of the bags back and told him that he needed to return my bag or he is going to jail. He still hasn’t returned my bag so I have a problem, now I don’t have a few important things, like my hymn book & consecrated oil. I’m using some extra scriptures right now, but I’m going to need new ones in case it happens again". Wow...? I'm glad that he has lots of people praying for his safety as he serves his mission.One of the guys who robbed him...
(No, just kidding. I don't know what this picture is all about, and I don't think I really want to know...do I???)

OK - Here's an update of this post: Chad (Oops, Elder Carey) told me that the guy on the target is his companion, and they were just goofing off. (seems to do a lot of that! But they are getting baptisms, so this must have been done on a Monday). And the photo above where Chad is with the blond guy, that is one of the guys that he was with in the MTC, so it was sort of a reunion at the zone conference...

Bishop's BBQ 2008

It has been a tradition since our ward was formed in 1995 to have a end-of-the-summer BBQ, hosted by the current bishop. Bishop Morton began it with such great success, that we have had one every year since.

This year for the Bishop's BBQ, the theme was 'Harvest Party' with a Brownie Cook-off. We were the only ones who displayed some of our harvest, (but maybe next year there will be more displays, if we stay with the same theme) but many other members prepared delicious salads and casseroles from items picked out of their gardens. Mark chose this theme to encourage everyone to raise a garden, or animals, etc. One member even shared some fish that he caught in the lake next to his home.
The brownie table was a great success. Half the brownies were gone before I could get this picture! Yum!

Our yard was pretty full of friends, family, and members of the Lakeland 2nd ward.

Evalie's 3rd Birthday and Other Cute Grandbaby Pictures

Blowing out her candles...
Tearing through her gifts...
Tommy is not sure that he likes the cold cold water that we have here in north Idaho.
... Evalie (and Shawn) are not too sure about the horse, either.

LOOK WHO'S WALKIN'!!!

First Day of School Pictures.........................(?) actually, my life is much more random than that :)

Ok, so you'd think that things would slow down and wouldn't be so busy, now that school has started. Wrong! By the end of the second day I realized that I hadn't got my traditional first day of school, kids standing in front of the playground or the front door, pictures. So instead of taking one later in the week and passing it off as the first day (which I considered), I am substituting a cute little moment with Tanner that I managed to document, in progress.

So I was sitting at the computer and I heard a little tap-tap-tap sound. So I looked out the window, and this is what I saw (lucky for me I had my camera sitting ready to go on the desk right in front of me)
And then he popped up and knocked again...
So I started for the back door, but he got impatient (while I was snapping the pictures) and was coming in when I got around the corner. He said "did you hear that?" and I said "yes, but darn it, I wanted to see what was in the box at the back door," and he said "do you want me to do it again?' When I told him yes, he went back out the door, shut it, climbed back into the box, and knocked again. So, here is the package that was at my back door...
...and here's the cute little surprise that was in it!


-just a footnote to the Summer 2008 post...
here are some picture-perfect ripe strawberries and blackberries. Yummy!

...I'm going to go out & pick them now!

Walking on the Edge...

...of his mission boundaries. Santiago East Mission on one side, and his mission, Chile Rancagua, on the other. ...Hey down there! I am a missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. . . Would you like to know more?
... they set a date!