A Pioneer Day Service Project . . . and a really fun SURPRISE! Birthday Party

Saturday was Pioneer Day, and boy, was it a busy one!  Our stake and the Coeur 'd Alene Stake did a joint service project at the park located in our ward boundaries, Farragut State Park.    

A reporter from the Coeur d'Alene press was on hand to record the work that was done.   They published this story on the front page of the Sunday edition . . .  felt good to be a part of making the park we play in so much a better place to play for everyone!       

There were about 10 different projects within the park that day, and me and my family and some friends were at the Brig, painting and excavating the cracks in the pavement.

Here I am sweeping up some dirt....and Conner was digging a big boulder out a hole in the pavement.  (Sorry about the photo, Conner - it seems that all the photos of you were of your backside.  Means you were working hard, right?)
If those big rocks are not removed before resurfacing, the cold weather heaves will push it through the new pavement.  (At least, that's what happens in my garden.  Every spring there are new rocks to remove. . . )

                                               Noelle and Madi doing a little excavating....                                            

A group of people digging, and more people painting the walls of the old Brig, which now houses the Museum of the park's history

Tanner going to town with the paintbrush.  Who knew he had such skills?

So since July 24 is my husband's birthday,

And it always gets overlooked because we are always busy with

Pioneer Day events of some sort or another. 

And because he Always makes my birthday special,

like this and like this...

(I wasn't kidding!)

I thought it was about time to throw him a Surprise Party.

Thank goodness for texting,

and great friends who like a good surprise party. 

I started letting people know about it about a week before. 

No one let it slip.  They all snuck over after our Sunday dinner.

We totally had him fooled.

SURPRISE!

Our granddaughters Hannah and Evalie enjoying some cake

Rachel and baby Brooke

Conner giving Shawn a man-hug

(Shawn hates man-hugs

- that's why it's so fun! hee hee)

Silly Evan Thomas

Mark opening his gag-gifts....he got some pretty good ones

What's this?

So what's in the Redneck Survival Kit?

The tag says:

"This is a Redneck Yardstick. 

I know this because I found it in my yard. 

You can do so many things with this Yardstick...

You can check to see how deep a mud puddle is...

You can see how much gas in in the lawn mower...

You and your dog can play catch with it...

You can even use it to start a fire...

You can use it for whatever you wish...

Just DON'T put it back in my yard!

Redneck Switchblade

...Before you pinch the clothespin...

and After...

The tag says...

The Weather Rock

This rock is the 100% perfect weather indicator.

It never fails and is even more accurate than your local weather person.

This is how it works:

A dry rock means fair weather

A wet rock means it's raining

A dusty rock means a dust storm

A swaying rock means it's windy

A shadow under the rock means it's sunny

A white rock means it's snowing

If the rock is jumping up and down, an earthquake is upon us

If the bottom of the rock is under water, there's a flood.

Too funny...

The only problem with this gag gift - Mark wants to hang it in the family room and leave it there for good! (Thanks a lot Missy! ha!)

Love you Honey! 

Hope you had a great birthday!

                                                                                                                                          

This & That . . .

A little bonding time here . . .
riding the tractor is his favorite thing to do!

 (Hey mom and dad-I don't do hair and makeup before I do my chores anymore!)

Noelle - opening her first bank account

She's growing up so fast

Conner. . . striking a pose at the park

(aren't they cute?)

     

The Incredible Mouthful of Missing Teeth . . .

This photo was taken before his first top front tooth fell out . . . hangin' there all ready to go.

And this is after . . . after a looooong day in the hot sun, he was tired and not cooperating . . .

That's better . . . what a cutie is this toothless wonder . . .

Our Independence Day

Bonfire . . . 

    
with family and friends . . .

Then fireworks with everyone, on our front lawn.

It's great to live so near a theme park, and neighbors that have great fireworks, and a pizza place in our little town who gave Silverwood a run for their money.

We had a fireworks show from almost every direction! 
Oh, and did I mention the lightning storm that was a distant backdrop for it all . . . pretty cool . . . (too distant to get a good photo, though)

I LOVE MY COUNTRY!
Yay, USA!

My Boys Love to Fish!

Last week, my two youngest boys went with their dad on an epic fishing trip.  It's always fun for my hubby to take our boys to the same campground that he loved to go to as a kid, in beautiful north Idaho.  No other place can possibly be more beautiful. . . and we are not biased in any way about it. . . .

A new friend of Mark's and his son came up to join them.  I think they will become great friends....

And they all caught some good sized fish.  (OK, so it's a small lake - how big can the fish get?)

They don't mind what the weather is like. . . as we speak, there is thunder and lightning going on here at home.  And 80 miles away, in the mountains, they are back at they favorite fishing spot. 

Hopefully, the storm will pass them right on by. . . but it not, they are tough guys.  They will stick it out, because tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day!

Have fun, guys!

LIving Off the Land . . .

This has to have been the coldest, wettest,
(with short, unexplained bursts of really warm days, just to tease and torture us)
longest spring that I have ever had the pleasure of living through (not!)
I guess our not-too terribly cold, hardly any snow winter had to have a downside, right?
Just when I was thinking the mild winter this year was a pleasant bonus earned by the two or three preceding winters of massive amounts of snow, starting in early November and not all gone til, say, April? 
Uh, no.

But anyway, now that I've gotten all my gripes about the weather out,

I am ready to celebrate the beauty that spring in north Idaho brings (finally)

I have a row of lilac and snowball bushes that separates my garden from my yard, and they are all in bloom!
(It's been a long time coming, because last year, we got a really cold snap just as the blossoms were about to burst, and it wiped out all of the blooms)

But who knew, 11 years ago when we planted them, that they'd be over 10 feet tall!

Yesterday, my hubby and I discovered that the lilac were completely full of:

Honey bees!

I mean, every lilac bloom/bunch had probably half a dozen on each. 

Here you can see only two for sure,

but they were thick on each and every bunch. 

And on each 10' bush - we have three of them - they were just as thick . . .

So, we got to thinking . . . we have 5 acres. 

We live in an area with lots of wide open fields where bees can collect pollen.

We have been trying to eat more natural and unprocessed foods,

and we think it's a good idea to actually use the land

for more than to just separate ourselves from our neighbors

(Not that we'd want to!)

As a child, my dad had several beehives and harvested the honey himself.

I can still recall the scent of the honey being cut off the comb

and the delicious flavor of it slathered on my mom's homemade whole wheat bread

Oh, what memories.

Thanks, Mom and Dad!

So this is what we are thinking of: 

Getting our own hives and harvesting the honey

for our food use/storage and maybe a lil' extra to sell.

This is really not a huge stretch for us. 

We garden, we have beef cattle,  calves, and chickens. 

We are "living off the land" already, at least for these few basic things,

so this is just another step in the progression. 

Never really thought I'd be a country girl.

But now that we're here

and it's all happening,

I wouldn't have it any other way.

So, thanks again, Mom and Dad,

 for raising me (with my brothers) the way you did.

It made me the person that I am,

and I know that living this way makes my hubby happy. 

It's all a win-win situation.

 all photos (other than the ones I obviously took) were found on Google Images....Thanks!

A Tribute to My Dad...

A dad is someone who wants to catch you before you fall
but instead picks you up,
brushes you off,
and lets you try again.
A dad is someone who
wants to keep you from making mistakes
but instead lets you find your own way,
even though his heart breaks in silence
when you get hurt.
A dad is someone who
holds you when you cry,
scolds you when you break the rules,
shines with pride when you succeed,
and has faith in you even when you fail...
- Unknown

 
The greatest thing a FATHER can do to his children, is to love their mother.
- Anjaneth Garcia Untalan

(My love for gardening came from my dad...)

I've loved one person unconditionally. He's the most caring, and generous, and charming and flat out the funniest guy I'll ever know...he's my father.
- NL

Goodbye, Kindergarten

Yesterday, my youngest son graduated from Kindergarten

My baby

His teacher is also retiring this year 

She has taught almost every one of our seven children 

Tanner has more energy in his little body

than all of my other energetic children,

all put together

I wonder if that had anything to do with her retiring so young?

She can't be much older than I am

No, wait 

I am kinda getting old

His best buddy, Tate

For some reason, this photo is almost like looking into the future about 12 years. 

I can totally see him rolling up his diploma

and using it for a horn, even then 

That is so his personality

I completely adore this boy

Our youngest.  Our baby.  Where has the time gone?

When your kids are first born,

you can never imagine how quickly this day will come

You'd think I'd be used to it by now 

After all, I've already had 3 children graduate from high school  

One is off to college this fall

The other two have kids of their own

To all the young mothers of children -

Treasure each day they are little 

Find something special about each day, for each child

One day soon, they will be leaving "the nest" 

Sometimes you are so ready for that to happen

Other times, not ready at all

On better days, you dread that day

On stressful days, you think you are ready to see them go!

But that's sad - it's a wasted day

Because, you never really will be ready

That day - it always comes too soon

Backtracking a Little Here . . .

. . . to Prom night - Rachel and Conner . . .

(Don't let the hair scare you.  He is an awesome kid - with a great sense of humor about his hair!)
Wrestling match between my son Tanner (6 1/2 ) & my grandson Dillon (5)
I think these were taken on Mother's Day . . .

Not, this was not Halloween.  The kids all got out my big tubs of costumes, and this dinosaur costume is one that his daddy (Jake) wore back when he was Dillon's age.  Oh, memories!

(Dillon LOVES that tail!)

This is Dillon's little sister, Hannah

. 

     A couple random cute photos of Tanner and Noelle . . . from a couple of months ago.  When we had that heat wave in February. . .

Silly girl!

Hangin' out at Tanner's bus stop . . .