Sally's Backyard Birds

Alison Esther

2011-10-02T17:36:00.000-06:00

OK, now she's changed the name of her blog! After I suggest to everyone to check it out by the old name! Alison now uses her own name for her blog name. Go figure. Anyway, check it out because it's always great!

Alison in London

2011-09-30T20:12:00.000-06:00

In case you haven't heard, my youngest daughter,

Alison, is in London!

She is doing a semester abroad with BYU and seems to be loving it!

We, of course, miss having her home, but, she is having an opportunity of a life time!

Here is a picture she posted on her blog.

I wanted to share this and tell you to look

at my blog list on the right.

Alison is listed as Eleanor Louise.

It's a name she likes and plans to name her first daughter

(after her pet goldfish).

I love this girl!

She makes me smile even though she's kajillian miles away!

Alison

To all my friends,

2011-08-21T00:55:00.000-06:00

"You is kind. You is smart. You is important."

As Sisters in Zion...

2011-08-15T10:16:00.000-06:00

Within the our Church Family we have a wonderful group of sisters. We are definitely sisters. We do our very best to look out for each other and help each other when needed. Yesterday was a beautiful example of the love that we share for one another. During Sacrament Meeting, the sister who leads the music was having an emotional day. She is a single mother, widowed, from Korea. She is also a recent convert. Her oldest son just went into the MTC to prepare for his mission to California. She is the sweetest person and she was trying so hard to keep her tears in check. After the opening hymn, another sweet sister went up to sit with her and comfort her. When it was time to sing the Sacrament hymn, the second sister stood to lead the congregation. She isn't used to doing this and she was visibly nervous, but out of love she did it. When the meeting was about to end and it was time for the closing hymn, another sister, who knows everything about music, stood to lead the congregation. After the meeting, I was going to go give a hug to my sweet Korean sister, but she was wrapped in the arms of so many others showing their love and support to her, I didn't get a chance. I love knowing that we have such love and concern for others in my neighborhood and within the circle of friends and church family! I love you ladies!

Some days are like that...

2011-08-11T17:44:00.001-06:00

So, nothing very exciting to write about, but I feel like it's been so long since my last post I should write something!
Three things come to my mind, all old age related, which works since my birthday is in 2 days. When did I get so old?

Monday, I hosed out Molly's kitty litter box, filled it with clean litter, set it in the laundry room and expected total happiness from Molly. She will sit and stare at her box when it isn't clean enough for her, so I figured she'd really appreciate how clean it was!
Wednesday morning I walked into the laundry room and found a surprise from Molly. She'd pooped on some sheets that Alison had thrown on the floor to be washed. WHAT! I looked at the litter box and nearly died. I had cleaned and filled it, then without noticing, I had turned it so the door was to the wall. Seriously. I totally cracked up! Sorry Molly! What must she have been thinking all day Tuesday when she really needed to use her bathroom and found it unavailable? I think she had also used the floor drain to pee in. So resourceful.

Wednesday, my VT partner, Cindy, and I took two of our sisters to lunch. Trina and Gladys are both very sweet ladies. Trina is a couple of years younger than me and Gladys is 91 and one of my favorite people. We went to Chuck-o-Rama because that's where Gladys wanted to go. I paid for Gladys and I, then walking over to our table checked out my receipt. The nice man had given me the senior discount for Gladys and for me! Really. Hey, I still have 4 years before I qualify for that. But, I appreciated the small savings.

Today, Thursday, I washed my temple dress and as I pulled it out of the washer realized that I'd left a tissue in the pocket - again! This forgetful, old age thing sucks. But, on the up side, I have a really good excuse for doing stupid things!

On a positive note, it only took me 10 minutes to renew my driver's license today! The picture looks like a mug shot of an old woman tho'.

The sweetest thing that happened this week was a sweet lady that came to the temple last night (the temple is the best part of my week, every week). She was in her nineties. Her friend walked her over to me and this tiny old woman told me she was going to need some help. I told her that helping her was my favorite thing and she was so appreciative. She told me that it had been 15 years since she had been to the temple. Later, I saw her in the dressing room. I stopped to visit with her while she waited for her friend to come out of the bathroom. She told me that her husband had been a bishop and had been in a stake presidency. Then he got really sick and had to have 5 surgeries. He'd been dead 6 years and she just couldn't bring herself to come to the temple alone. But, her friend brought her tonight and she was so happy to be there. She said she couldn't wait to come back again. Yep, I cried. What a tender moment that was for me. The temple brings such peace to those who attend. I love being there!

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot. Alison, my friend Rosemary and I went to the temple on Tuesday morning. Rosemary and I did an endowment session and Alison did some family names in the baptistry. Alison knew she would have to wait for us to finish, but it turned out we all had to wait for the men's names to be completed because there were so many names and very few boys to help that day. While we were waiting, I noticed a man and his wife waiting for some youth to finish. Turns out it was Donny Osmond and his wife and two of their boys. It's always a treat to see someone famous in the world doing good works in the temple.

Personal Calling Card

2011-06-29T15:53:00.000-06:00

A few month's ago I posted about a man I met in Staples. He gave me his calling card. I thought the idea was pretty cool. Why not have a card with your info and some kind of message to share with people you meet? Easier than trying to find a pen and paper to write your info on and then stuffing it into a pocket or purse. So, I made one for me! Now when I meet someone and they ask for my phone number or email address, I can give them one of my cards.

Maybe you think it's weird or silly,

but I would love to get one from you! :)

This is the front.

I wanted to add some words of advice, all of which have to do with children (surprise!).
The first one is, of course, from Winnie the Pooh.
The second one is from the kindergarten class I worked in last year. The kids said this as they left the classroom, punching their fists in the air! I loved the way they said it with such conviction!
The last one sounds like He-Man, but it really isn't. If it works for you, tho', then yep, it's HE-Man! But, it's what we teach all of the reading kids from K-6. It stands for the Power of 4.
Something Teri Yamada came up with to help our kids become better readers. We say this every time we have our groups.
The Power of 4 is - "Look at the word, think of the sounds, blend the sounds and read it!" The kids yell it out and really use it when they need to sound out a word, I love it!

So yep, that's my calling card.

This is the back.

Cool huh?

I'm looking forward to seeing yours!

Empty Nest...

2011-06-12T16:42:00.003-06:00

So, this whole empty nest thing isn't as great as everyone makes it out to be. I've always heard how wonderful and fun it would be. So, how come I keep feeling so danged depressed? I love having my family around!

Sean is now married, which is really great because I love Tiffany and I love seeing how happy they are together. I still miss having him here all of the time and teasing and talking to me about whatever.
Alison is leaving for London on a BYU semester abroad at the end of August. She'll be gone for 4 months. Then, if everything goes acording to her's and John's plans, she'll get married in February and move away (kinda hoping they'll go for Georgia's basement after Jen and Ashton move out).
Sarah and Michelle have a condo together and are very independent. I see them once in a while during the week and for Sunday dinner.
Rachel and Patrick have been married over 11 years, so Rachel's been gone for a long time! They really don't live very far away, but I still only see them on Sundays too. They also have sweet Lola, but she's only here when they are.
I mean, don't get me wrong, I really want my kids to grow up and have independent, happy lives! But, I really miss the days when they were all here, laughing, crying, yelling, even fighting! Never in a million years did I think I'd feel this awful about having them all grown up!
So, my sweet friends with little ones still at home, cherish these days! It really does go by way too fast and you miss the sweet hugs and kisses and joy they bring to you!
So, now here I am weeping all over my keyboard. I'm reminded of a story that Gene tells when he was around 15 years old. He came home from school and found his mother crying at the kitchen table. When he asked her what was wrong she sobbed something like, "I only have six children left here at home!" (She had 11 altogether and some of them had already grown up and moved away.)
Well, Mom, I totally get it and it sucks. Maybe when I have a houseful of grandkids I'll feel better. But for now, I miss those days! So, kiddos, get busy and bring on the grandkids! Save your mother from depression!

Yeah, whatever.

Mr. and Mrs.

2011-06-08T23:18:00.000-06:00

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Sean Stosich

June 7, 2011 at

Wadley Farms

Lindon, Utah

Sean Stosich and Tiffany Waddell

became Mr. and Mrs.!

The day was gorgeous in every way!

We are so happy for them and so proud of Sean!

Tiffany is a beautiful addition to our family and we love her tons!

Thank you to all who made this day so wonderful!

Auntie Nea for the beautiful announcements and flowers!

Rachel for the beautiful cake!

All of our families and friends for their love and support!

Wonderful George for his loving words

before uniting these two as husband and wife!

The day couldn't have been any better!

It was perfect!

(more pictures to follow)

Spring Photos

2011-05-15T22:07:00.000-06:00

I got looking at the photos on my camera and decided

I'd better use them on the blog or forget them altogether.

We had another late snow a few weeks ago and of course it was very heavy and wet. It's always really pretty to see from my windows, but depressing at the same time. By Spring we are so sick of snow! It also does sad things to some beautiful trees. Branches were broken all over town. Our yards suffered several too. The Magnolia at our old house lost some large branches, which fortunately didn't land on any one's car!

Of course the flowers are blooming everywhere! My Dad's daffodils have come on in full force and gone. They were amazing! Our Magnolia was frosted by the snow/cold weather, but our tulips and daffodils survived and thrived! Right now the Lilac bushes are blooming and so fragrant! Walking to our front door smells heavenly! The back deck does too!

Earlier our tree that is filled with white blossoms was blooming and filled the upper deck and kitchen with sweet perfume! Our friend Ashton told us this tree was a Crab Apple. We had no idea what it was, but it smells amazing!

Then there are the birds! The Vultures are back on Center Street and the best viewing time is now because the Sycamore trees haven't leafed out yet. They start flying in around 7:00 pm and you can see them until dark.

The Hummingbirds are back, followed by the Orioles. We've seen the Grosbeaks too. Our deck is a constant frenzy of birds flying in and out to feed. So, of course, we have most of the feeders hanging and ready!

The Orioles feed at the Hummingbird feeders too.

Oriole feeder

Orioles love grape jelly!

The noisy little Golden Finches are back with there bright yellow too. They're really hard to catch in a photo, they spook easily and move constantly!

The other morning. while I was eating breakfast I realized there weren't any birds at the feeder. This usually means a Hawk is hanging out somewhere close by. Sure enough, the stinker landed on the railing of the deck! I had to be a little sneaky to get a picture of him. Funny how the bird feeders work well for the predator too.

So, Welcome Spring!

It is a beautiful time of year!

It's Riding Time Again!

2011-05-08T01:48:00.000-06:00

With temperatures in the 80's today we couldn't resist going on a lengthy (not really, like a couple of hours) drive in the Triumph! We headed to Springville on the back roads,

then over the new overpass to Spanish Fork,

then the great scenic drive to Lake Shore.

My dream house is in Lake Shore.

It's a sweet green house, set off the road, with a big porch. Nice.

Between the smell of ditch banks burning, as well as the fresh manure churned into the freshly tilled farm land, the sounds of the train and the birds, it was great!

Later, we had to mail a letter, so we took off again. This time we headed toward the lake, fantastic! We try to stay on as many back roads as possible to avoid traffic and we see so many pretty view of the mountains. Today was fun too because everyone was outside in their yards, riding bikes, jogging, playing ball-anything they could do to be out in this beautiful weather!

Gene has started a blog about our travels,

check it out: Triumph Travels

So, with the coming of great weather,

we'll be out and about town and country.

If you see us be sure to honk and wave!

I Love Kindergarten!

2011-04-29T21:52:00.019-06:00

I have had the best job ever this year,

working with kids in Kindergarten.

They are awesome!

They are so excited to learn and to have the whole school experience! I have three small groups that I work with on letter names and sounds and sight words. I also go into one of the classrooms twice a day and help with "Centers". Centers are different areas around the room where the kids come in groups and we work on different reading and writing skills. I usually work one on one or with two children at a time when I'm in Centers, except for Friday afternoon when I take over for one of the other tutors and teach her group. It helps that the class I go help in has the most amazing teacher ever! I sit in awe of her skills, love for the children and pure joy being their teacher.

Mrs. Payne is amazing!

Anyway, sometimes they say and do

some of the funniest, cutest things and I think,

"I better write that one down!"

But, I forget, and don't write anything.

So, in an attempt to remember some of their cuteness

I'm going to save a few here.

*When I asked a group of 5 boys to think of words that begin with the sound /n/ the responses were 'name', 'nest', 'nine', 'Ninja', and the one that made us all giggle out of control,

(said with a bit of a lisp) 'knuckle head'.

*The class was writing Good-bye/Thank you letters
to a TA that was leaving.

Some of the girls were drawing pictures of the TA on their papers.

The usual triangle style body (a girl in a dress) was drawn by one.

Another drew the same thing but added small

rectangular sleeves.

They were comparing dresses and the one that drew the sleeves said that she was making hers "modest".

A third cutie asked what "modest" meant.

The girl with the plain triangular dress said,

"That's when your clothes cover your body

and it makes Heavenly Father happy."

*Both classes had a Nursery Rhyme Program. All of the children were asked to recite a nursery rhyme of their choice. As a group, wearing construction paper mouse ears, they all recited
"Hickory, Dickory Dock."
While making their ears, I asked several of them what rhyme they were going to do. Most of them still hadn't decided.
One boy told me he didn't want to do it.
Then he added, it had to be a short one.
Later as we were cleaning up I heard him saying,
"Liar, liar pants on fire, hanging on a telephone wire."
I gave him a thumbs up for shortness and received a huge grin.

He ended up saying the "Hickory, Dickory Dock" as did
several others who couldn't come up with a different one.

But, what a cute program it was!

Lots of cute Marys with little lambs, Little Miss Muffets
and Humpty Dumptys!
One that said, "What the heck!" when his egg didn't break,
so he picked it up and chucked it at the ground and said,
"There, that's better!"

*Today, while finishing up an assignment, I was chatting with a table of boys and girls. One of the boys brought up the Royal Wedding. He was waiting to watch it at his Grandmother's house. He was sure he would be grossed out when the couple "kissed on the lips." "Kissing on the lips is sooo gross!" All of the children agreed. "Especially when my Mom and Dad kiss on the lips!"

I mentioned this to the boy's dad after school and he said he intentionally calls attention to the fact that he's about to kiss his wife just so that his son will squeal with disgust!

They just crack me up!

Spring Blahs

2011-04-09T12:15:00.001-06:00

Well, Utah spring is here. We've had one or two gorgeous days and the rest have been freezing snow and rain. Our two beautiful magnolia trees have suffered freezing blossoms and broken limbs. To make matters worse, it's Spring Break. The forecast isn't looking very good either.

Thanks goodness for cute young friends that find joy in everything! Mandy is a cute girl I met while working at the Temple. She's married and has the sweetest face and cute personality to match. I "friended" her on Facebook and just read her latest blog post. So funny! BYU has a comedy group called Divine Comedy. They tell jokes and do parody's of popular music. They made a Youtube video of Katy Perry's song "Firework" and changed it to "Firebolt" after Harry Potter's broom. It's great! So, it worked some magic on my gloomy mood and made me laugh! Check it out.

Divine Comedy "Firebolt"

(make sure to hit the 'cc' button so you can read the lyrics)

Thanks Mandy!!

Happy Joanne Day!

2011-03-28T19:00:00.000-06:00

My mom would have been 81 today....good grief. She died at 72 and I think she had the right idea. Go while you still feel good and are active, before you get really sick/old. Go in your sleep too. No pain or suffering. Unless, you're the family that is left behind, then it sucks. Some warning would have been nice. But hey, it's been almost 9 years and life has gone on.

Seriously though, it would have been better with Mom here.

Happy Birthday Mom!

You're So "Vein"

2011-03-16T15:36:00.000-06:00

I have had 5 pregnancies that delivered 5 totally wonderful children. They are all adults and they are talented, smart, kind, loving, etc. :) So, the downside of these 5 pregnancies is weight gain, that never really went away completely, and varicose (or as my Grandpa Creer called them, "very close") veins.

Well, after having one of them pop open and spray the bathroom with blood, I figured it was time to do something about them. I went to the Intermountain Vein Center in January for an ultrasound, then scheduled the surgery for my left leg (not the one with the spraying vein, but the one that ached the most) for
March 11.

That was Friday. I was a little nervous so I asked Gene for a blessing that morning. Then I had him give me a ride to school so he could take me to my appointment at 1:30 that afternoon. Everything went according to plan (for a change). When I got into the surgery room the nurse gave me some Advil and a Valium. She told me to chew the Valium so that it would get into my system faster. Nasty stuff! Anyway, after donning the little disposable shorts, getting the veins marked with a pen, I was ready for the snipping.

The doctor came in and got down to business. First he numbed the inside of my calf, then he shot the vein with some stuff that dissolves the vein. No big deal. Then he numbed the larger vein going across the front of my calf, under my knee and around to my thigh and started to make little cuts. He thought I seemed a little tense and asked if I had taken a Valium. Yep, I did, but I still felt normal. They gave me another one with a piece of gum to kill the taste. I asked if anyone ever wanted to watch and he said once in a while. Well, I wanted to see what was going on, so they propped me up and I watched and asked lots of questions. This is probably when the doctors wish they could knock the patient out. Anyway, without grossing the reader out, it was pretty awesome. I was reminded of taking the little tendon thing out of a piece of chicken before you cook it. Only the veins aren't that tough and they break easily. Sorry, that was probably gross for some of you. He had to shoot the numbing stuff in a few more times and I had to roll over onto my stomach for the back of my thigh, which ended my observing. Nineteen small incisions later it was all done and the nice young attendant used all of his muscles to put the compression stocking on. Whew!

Now, I knew the Valium had worked because my eyesight was a little blurry and there was no way I could walk a straight line. Gene had to hold on to me as we walked to the car. But, by the time we got a prescription at Smith's, stopped at home and got to Sam's (Friday is grocery day) I felt like myself and was able to finish the shopping while Gene checked out computers.

So, the worst part of the entire thing has been wearing the stocking for 48 hours straight. No showers. Tight stocking squeezing my leg. Some slight pain.

Monday morning couldn't get here soon enough! When it did, the shower was wonderful! But, then I had to use all of my muscles to get the blasted stocking on again! (I have two of them so I had a clean one) So hard! So painful when it was rolled up and on the sore vein! But, I'm surviving and planning to do the right leg as soon as this one is all healed up.

I had Gene take a picture on Monday morning, just to get sympathy from all of my family and friends. It looks worse than it feels, unless I bump it! But, so far, no swear words!

Carl Bloch

2011-03-10T20:30:00.006-07:00

My dad, Gene and I went to the Carl Bloch exhibit at the BYU Museum of Art today. It was beautiful. What a gifted and inspired man. The paintings of the Saviour were so beautiful and the expressions of the people around him were very touching. If you can see this exhibit, by all means do it! It's here through May 7 and it's free! (There is an optional $3.00 charge to use an iPad that is totally worth it.)

Carl Bloch: The Master's Hand

We picked up Alison from school and went to the Taco Shop. On the way home I asked if anyone else cried while in the museum. They all laughed.
My reputation still stands firm - Bawl Baby.

Midway Ice Castles

2011-03-07T20:30:00.001-07:00

Gene, my Dad and I finally got up to Midway

to see the Ice Castles last Saturday.

They were pretty "cool" (pun intended).

The workers there said they were going to keep it open

another week since the weather is still cold.

I was rather surprised by how much snow was up there!

I love Midway, but I'm not a huge fan of the snow,

so maybe I don't want to live there.

(Three Blind Mice)

The guy working there took this picture.

He took one with his camera too.

Then they try to sell you a photo package. :) No thanks.

They run sprinklers at night to get the desired affects.

Gene and I in the entrance of one castle.

My dad and I next to some huge icicles!

It was such a beautiful day and the ice castles were glistening.

They also have a blue tint to them.

Dad in front of a cool ice castle.

Gene doing the Tower of Pisa thing...

(Every picture was taken blindly.

My camera has a viewing screen

that is completely black in bright light.

So, I just did the aim and click, not bad huh?)

This one looked like a T-rex head or a dragon head

(at the top center).

So, check out their webpage and give them a call to find out how much longer they're planning to be open.

It changes every week! Worth the trip.

They do charge you to walk in and they require you to sign something so that you don't hold them responsible for any injuries ( I avoided walking under a rather thin arch).

Midway Ice Castles

Lola's Ruby Slippers

2011-03-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share the talent of my daughter, Rachel. :)

She made these adorable slippers/shoes for her Lola!

Cute Lola legs too!

There are some wonderful people out there

2011-02-05T00:19:00.000-07:00

Today I had lots of errands to get done after work. I'm glad it was an early out day at school with no after school meeting so that I could get home early too! I started at the School District office making apple cutouts to help my second graders follow the words better (ask me to show you these if you're really interested). Then I needed to go to the Distribution Center, where there were way to many shoppers and long lines. Then across the street to JoAnn's for some fabric to make ties for the back of my temple dress because it's a little to baggy. I also remembered to get some knitting needles to learn how to make me a sweater like the one the lady in front of me in line at JoAnn's had made last October and has worn all winter (totally wanted to take hers from her then and there). My friend, Diane, is going to teach Teri and I how to knit during our "down" time at school. From there I headed to Petsmart to get Kramer and Molly food, since I'm trying to feed them better food because they are both old and I feel guilty whenever Molly throws up and Kramer's breath stinks! I also got Kramer a new red sweater so he doesn't have to be humiliated by me putting a child's size sweatshirt on him again. (Stupid cold weather)
Then, back to Provo to get a few groceries at Smith's, pick up a rent check, deposit it at the bank, get gas, shop at Sam's and then finally at about 5:30 I stopped to get some new kindergarten sight word cards printed at Staples. There I met a really nice man, Glayd Mather. He gave me a couple of free BYU basketball tickets for the Feb. 23 game. Then he talked forever. About his life and places he'd lived and family history and his work and how he taught Primary before men were called to teach Primary. How he could get people to behave properly by teaching them and showing them respect. He was really interesting and fun to listen to and I thought he should be one of those motivational speakers or something like that. He had been a coach to a lot of young men during his younger years. I really like him! But, every time I thanked him for the tickets and started to leave he started telling me another story. We stood in Staples for more than an hour! I left there at 7:00!! Seriously!!! This guy was a total stranger, but I want to be his friend now and listen to his stories! He gave me one of his business cards, which isn't a business card at all, but it has his address and phone number on it and I think I may have to give him call or go visit him. He was pretty cool! Too bad I didn't get home early though because Gene was at home, pretty sick and needed his wife to take care of him. Oh well. (I'm teete toeave heis pihallofepelling erros! I hate hiskeyboar! I misse almost eveoe lter!)
*Translation: (I'm tempted to leave this post as is with all of the spelling errors! I hate this keyboard! It missed almost every other letter!)
This has taken way too long to type and fix! It must need new batteries! I started this at 12:19 am and it's 1:06 am now!

Grandpa Creer

2011-01-28T21:43:00.001-07:00

Today would have been my grandpa Creer's birthday. He would have been 103 years old, so I'm glad he isn't alive...he would have been miserable. I miss him. He had the craziest, funniest laugh, that Gene can impersonate better than anyone. He died 24 years ago. His only son is dying of cancer. He is 76. I hate watching the generation that raised/taught me vanish away and leave me at the top of the generation mountain. I don't want to be the wise old family member that is supposed to know and remember everything. I don't like it at all and I miss my elders, if that is even the correct thing to call them. My grandparents are gone, my mother, my in-laws, my older sister, several wonderful aunts and uncles. To add to the list, some wonderful friends that helped with my "raisin' " are gone too. I sure hope that when my time comes to finally graduate from this school of life there will be lots of familiar, and missed, faces to greet me.

Happy birthday Grandpa. Uncle Tom is on his way.

Serving at the Provo Temple

2011-01-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

So, I just wanted to post something new and the best thing I could think of, at the moment, is that I have started serving/working at the Provo Temple every Wednesday night from 5:30 to 10:30. I have been there 4 times, wearing a name badge...this makes me look official. I have enjoyed a tour and several training videos. The cafeteria is pretty good too. All of the people that have helped me deal with my nervousness and lack of memory have been wonderful.
The hardest thing is trying to feel confident about saying the things I have practiced over and over in my head day and night for the past two weeks. It's very scary!! But, I've done it and everyone is so, so helpful, patient and kind. So, I'm feeling rather good about my old memory and think I can actually do this! Maybe after I've worked/served two or three years I'll be an expert! Now, if I can figure out how to not feel so tired on Thursday!

Christmas

2010-12-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty lousy at keeping this blog thing current. But I thought I'd steal a couple of Christmas photos from my daughters blog and share a warm wish with anyone that happens to glance here. Merry Christmas and Happy, happy New Year!

Everyone at our family progressive dinner.

Little Lola Elf!

(Sean and Tiffany are engaged too!)

Liz Lemon Swindle: CONTEST

2010-11-03T15:05:00.000-06:00

Liz Lemon Swindle: CONTEST: "Enter Today to Win 18'x20' Liz Lemon Swindle Print Be It Unto Me worth $129.95! 5 WINNERS Total Giveaway drawing is open from October 19..."

Poppin' Lola

2010-10-13T11:09:00.000-06:00

Sometimes babies are so stinkin' funny! Gene caught this on camera and it cracked me up so I'm sharing!

Week Two

2010-10-07T19:44:00.000-06:00

The end of week two and I'm really tired! It's a good thing Lola is so stinkin' cute or I'd really be complaining. But, I'm not complaining, just tired. I've been keeping track of my bounces/steps using a pedometer and came up with an average. On average, 25,420 steps/bounces in a day. I know it isn't very accurate because the pedometer is in my pocket and sometimes it doesn't click (the sound it makes when I'm walking) during bouncing. But, I figure it's the best way I have to keep track, so there you go.

Today was an especially bouncy day. I'm not sure why, but Lola didn't want to take her regularly scheduled naps and fussed a lot. She also downed all of her bottles and went through all but one diaper - yikes! Could mean trouble for Grandma!

Thank goodness, Grandpa was a round to spell me a bit and Auntie Sarah came by to play! Lola actually sat with Sarah for quite awhile looking around and being happy.

She really is the sweetest thing ever and I love having this chance to spend time with her. Her mommy is going to work through October and one day in November to keep their insurance active, so I'll have a total of 5 weeks and a day to have Lola Time. No complaints here! :)

Lola Time

2010-09-29T12:29:00.000-06:00

Well, the day finally came, I started my "New" job. I'm babysitting Lola! Rachel had to go back to work for 30 days as part of her insurance agreement and I'm tending Lola! It's a very difficult thing for our new mommy, but hopefully, she can feel better about having to leave this sweet babe, with grandma tending.

For the most part I have to admit, babies are born to the young for a good reason! Oh my goodness, the aches and pains just after the first day! Monday, Lola wasn't too happy with the new schedule and she wore me out! I bounced, walked, patted, hummed pretty much the entire time we were together. We did get a nap in with Lola sleeping on my chest and me patting her back whenever she stirred, that saved us both. What a happy girl to see her mommy coming to her rescue!

Tuesday, was ten times better! Patrick brought their portable swing for her brief naps and he swaddled (like a baby straight jacket) her up for her morning nap - an hour! I was able to eat breakfast and comb my hair and start some laundry! We also discovered that Lola likes the old fashioned bottle, not the specially made to be more natural and help prevent gas/colic. She drank a lot more than she did on Monday! So much happier!

Today, Wednesday, didn't start off as well, but we managed to calm her down, bounce, feed, change, bounce some more and get her morning nap (again my turn to get myself ready). We've repeated the routine and now she's napping in the swing while Gene and his friend Craig eat lunch and watch the news, not too far away in the kitchen. So, I think we've figured out how to read this sweetie pie. She loves to coo at you while she gets her diaper changed and in between naps. I keep my phone handy for photo opps and send updates to her mommy and daddy (not great quality, but it works). She gets her dimples showing and melts my heart!

So, I won't being buying much or paying any bills with this new job, but it's the best job ever! I put my pedometer in my pocket and so far I've taken 3149 steps/bounces. Maybe Lola will be my personal trainer for the next month!

Kitty, kitty

2010-09-04T17:12:00.000-06:00

We have a Triumph Spitfire that we take out on nightly drives around the valley. One of our drives goes somewhere around Spanish Fork and Lakeshore and Palmyra. It's a beautiful drive through hay fields and farm houses. It's usually around sunset and there are flocks of geese and ducks flying overhead and the temperature is cool and perfect!

Last night as we were driving, Gene decided he wanted to go a different way and was making a u-turn near a cute little house. Suddenly I heard a crying kitten. It was crying with every bit of energy it had! I told Gene to wait! There was a small irrigation ditch and with a small orange and white cat looking over the edge, Gene backed around the corner and I crawled (the Triumph is really low to the ground and hard to get out of) out. I looked into the ditch and there was a tiny, maybe two weeks old, kitten! He was standing in mossy water, unable to get out and crying with everything he had! I had to lay on my stomach to get to him. He was shivering and dripping wet. I took Gene's handkerchief and wrapped him up and tried to dry him off as much as I could. I rubbed him on the mama kitty so she could see that he was OK. The mama kitty was small herself. I think we had a teenage pregnancy thing going on here. Anyway, mama was adorable! She rubbed all over my feet and legs and was so affectionate.

I went to the house to see if anyone was there. The front door was open, but no one answered. I started to walk around the house and suddenly I heard another crying kitty! This one was in a shrub next to the house. Yay! I found their home! I put the almost dry kitty into the bushes with the other kitty and walked back to the car. Mama kitty followed and I gave her a few more pets and told her to keep her babies away from the water! Of course, being a young kitty herself she probably was clueless. After we left I couldn't stop thinking about them. I hope they're OK and that little kitty will stay away from the water!

Creepy Big Bug

2010-08-27T22:12:00.000-06:00

Last month while staying up cleaning the house,

(something I find myself doing way to often)

I saw a huge bug on the outside of our small living room window.

It was crawling on the screen trying to find a way in!

I went outside, got a broom from the garage, and was thrilled to see my across the street neighbor, Cindy, come out of her house to turn a sprinkler off.

I quietly shouted (it was around midnight) for her to come over, which she did!

She coaxed and guided me through the catching of this big bug.

Remember the slug?

I'm wondering what it is about our yard that attracts

giant critters to hang out at my house.

I was lucky to have a pre-labeled Bug Jar in the garage.

Thanks Skippy Peanut Butter for the perfect bug jar.

After I brought the bug inside I watched it roll around on the table

like a hamster on a wheel.

It was rather entertaining.

I figured it would die in the jar after about a day, but it lived a week!

I had planned to take it to another neighbor who has a bug collection.

He was out of town for a week, so it's death worked out perfectly.

I found it legs up and took it to Jeff.

He was thrilled.

Now if the video works you can see it scratching it's way around the jar.

I hope you enjoy it.

I know Jeff will!

Slug Bug

2010-08-12T18:57:00.000-06:00

I hadn't done any yard work all summer and figured it was time to get busy.

I lifted a pot that had been on the north side of the house, upside down for at least a year and found this huge slug!

It was the Queen Slug or something! I scooped it onto a drainage dish and took pictures. :)

I later took it to show my brother Greg ( loves being creeped out).

Then I took it to my neighbors, the Andersons, as an offering to their chickens.

Pretty gross huh!

Tending Lola

2010-08-12T18:48:00.000-06:00

Rachel asked me to tend Lola while she got her hair done with Sarah.

Alison took her and that was the last we saw of Lola. She slept the entire time on Alison, while Alison Facebooked and watched a movie.

Grandpa got a chance to hold her before they went home.

The cute new Cox family!

Patrick gave Lola a name and a blessing Sunday, and I have to brag that he did an excellent job! We couldn't hear Daddy or baby crying, but those of us that were listening shed a few tears! What a special day!

Jane Austen's Fight Club

2010-07-25T20:23:00.000-06:00

My friend, Diane, posted this on her blog and I loved it! Thought I'd share. :)

Lola Janiel Cox is Here!!

2010-07-12T22:39:00.000-06:00

We didn't think this day would ever come, but it did!! Our first grandchild was born June 30, 2010! She came 2 weeks early and the entire Stosich/Cox clan was thrilled!

Of course, when we were finally allowed into the room to meet her, I snatched her up! Not to be greedy, but I wanted to meet this little angel so badly I could hardly stand it! Eventually, I gave her up and she made the rounds meeting all of her family (all that could fit into the room).

I loved the name tag they put on her to introduce her to us!

Lola weighed 6lbs. 11oz. and was 19" long.

She has her daddy's dimples too!

We watched Lola get cleaned up and ready to go back to be with her mommy. I'm sure Rachel and Patrick were happy to have all of us leave so they could have some quiet time with their new daughter.

(we were at the hospital from 4:00 pm to about 10:30 pm)

Proud Papa!

Cleaned up Lola meets her mommy.

Rachel told us that one night she woke up to the sound of a baby crying and knew it was Lola. The nurse walked in with Lola and said she was hungry. As she handed her to Rachel, Lola stopped crying and just stared at her mommy. She just needed her mama!

Bread Head

2010-06-21T13:13:00.000-06:00

For Alison's sculpture class she was required to make a sculpture out of something other than the usual sculpture materials (clay, metal, bronze etc.). She asked me what I thought she should use, and being in my birdwatching mode, I suggested bread. I said we could go to the day old bakery, buy the cheapest white bread, wad it up into dough balls and she could sculpt away! After she had fulfilled her class requirement, we could feed it to the ducks and it would be a good practical use for her assignment.

Of course the entire family got into the act and came up with lots of suggestions as to what to actually sculpt. The class is human figure sculpture, so it had to be human. Finally, she decided on a head.

The first attempt wasn't very successful. But, Kramer loved it and carried it around the yard a bit before eating it.

The second attempt turned out pretty good. She turned it into a "chef" with a hat and everything.

The teacher wasn't real impressed, but then they never are. He seemed to be confused about the hat. The class was impressed with the words coming out of his mouth. The actual writing to be precise. They couldn't believe Alison could write like that. (These are all 'Art' students right?)

Anyway, yesterday (Sunday), we all headed out to a pond where we know there are ducks and tried to get the ducks to come eat the head. They had been feasting on bread and popcorn from other Sunday visitors all day and weren't very hungry.

Finally, everyone settled on sending the head into the water and the fish enjoyed a Bread Head Feast!

Crazy Art Classes!

I love that she made the eyebrows and mustache from the crusts!

Getting Closer!

2010-06-18T22:12:00.001-06:00

We had a Baby Shower for Rachel and it was a great time! Lots of friends that we haven't seen forever and cousins from far away (Idaho Falls) came to celebrate with Rachel!

Sarah, Michelle, Alison and I made party favors, food, and spent lots of time and money getting this ready and it was totally worth it! Baby Girl got lots of adorable outfits and blankets and lots of other things that she (or her parents) will need. We're only a few weeks away from actually meeting her and we're so excited!! Here are a couple of photos from the shower...

I crocheted around a blanket for her while Gene and I traveled to the Smith Family Reunion a few weeks ago. I only had the blanket finished for the shower. Today, I finished one of the burp diapers and I have one more to go. But I thought I'd show a photo of the edge I crocheted because I sort of made it up while on the trip. There is probably one similar or maybe even exactly like it in every beginning crochet book, but I didn't have one to help me and I needed something different! I thought it turned out pretty cute and I loved the monkeys! I liked them so much I bought two sock monkeys to go with them! I've already given them to Rachel or I'd have a photo of them too. One is a gift card holder from Barnes and Noble. It's really small and is red and white striped. The other I bought at Heindselman's on Center Street in Provo. It is bright colors and really cute. Definitely worth buying and not making my own (if you're around Provo drive by and check out the window display)!

These little monkeys look like how I feel! EXCITED!

Vulture Watching

2010-05-10T16:58:00.000-06:00

If you haven't been to 400 East and Center in Provo yet, you are missing out!! Watching the Turkey Vultures fly into the trees just before dark is totally cool. Now is a great time to see them in the trees too. The leaves aren't out yet and you can get a really good look at them. I'm so tempted to start throwing dead animals, of some kind, out in the street by my house just to watch the vultures come eat it! Ok, maybe not because I don't have it in me to kill other animals, but if I did, I would! I wonder if they'd eat raw hamburger?

We saw about 6 of them flying in last night around 8:30, so check it out!

2010-05-09T00:17:00.000-06:00

What a great day! We got the sprinklers up and running, so it's true...spring is here and summer is on it's way! To make it even more official, the hummingbirds have been buzzing around and feeding at our feeder (time to put out the other 3 feeders)! We have had visits from the Grosbeaks for the past couple of days and today we had the Bullock Orioles feed at the hummers feeders!! How exciting is that!!

It's really Spring!

It's also my Mom and Dad's 60th wedding anniversary. It's hard to really celebrate without Mom, but Gene and I took Dad to Sizzler tonight anyway. We had a good time and I think it means a lot to Dad to actually do something and not stay at home by himself.

Happy 60th Anniversary!

They're Back!

2010-04-10T14:26:00.000-06:00

Gene and I had seen some Turkey Vultures soaring around the neighborhood recently and thought we should check out where they hung out last year. So, we went down to Center St. in Provo a couple of nights ago...what a sight! There were between 30 and 40 of them roosting in the trees! We saw the last few fly in and settle down for the night. This is a great time of year to see them because the leaves haven't come out on the trees yet, so they aren't hidden. They are so cool! I'm thinking we should bring a dead chicken or something and see if they'll come down to the sidewalk and eat. Not really. I'm sure we would regret doing that! But, hey, if you like to watch birds and some big ones that are so cool, go to Center and 400 East in Provo, around 6:30 to 8:00 pm, and look up! They are amazing!

Gene took this video with his phone, so it's not the best. We'll work on getting something better!

Book of Mormon Chart

2010-03-22T22:28:00.000-06:00

A while ago I made a chart to record progress made reading the Book of Mormon. This wasn't an original idea. About 25 years earlier a sister in our ward Relief Society had made one and I really thought it was a great idea. So, basically, I redid the one she made and came up with this one. I've shared it with lots of people over the years and it was suggested by my son, Sean, to post it on my blog. WOW! What a lot of work that was! But, I think I succeeded and now it's available to you online. (I hope!) Just go to the link below and print it out. Actually, you may even be able to download it, I'm not sure. But it's now on this site for your viewing, printing, downloading pleasure. :)

Book of Mormon Reading Chart

2010-03-22T22:07:00.001-06:00

I'VE Read the Book of Mormon, PDF

Baby Girl Cox

2010-03-01T21:22:00.000-07:00

Rachel is now 20 weeks into her pregnancy! We're all very excited about having a new baby in the family! It's been 20 years since we've had a new baby and that's just too danged long! She found out that she was having a girl and of course we won't know the name until she's born. (No surprise there, this is Rachel's way of torturing all of us!) They've bought the crib, so the money we're collecting now goes toward other $$ pricey things. Babies cost way more now than when I was having them! I thought it would be fun to post a photo of Rachel when she was a baby. If I had one of Patrick, I'd post one of him too. He was pretty cute, so we know this little girl is going to be adorable! I can hardly wait!

Yep, that's her with the black hair and chubby cheeks! She's only a month old at the most. Then of course we have her cute big sister, Sarah. She's almost two years old here. Mom and Dad look pretty young too! My dad called us hippies when describing us to his co-workers, "This is my hippy daughter that lives in a commune in Utah". Yep, Baby Girl Cox will be pretty cute!

I'm a rebel Sally

2010-02-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite pictures of Gene. He has always been a bit of a trouble maker and a goof off (really?). He rode his motorcycle into my apt. back in our dating days. Pretty much the look on his face says it all. Any question as to why I fell for him! I still get a little tingly when I look into those eyes! :)

2010

2010-01-01T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well, it's New Year's Day and I'm thinking I should get better at this blogging thing. I have lots of bird pictures that I could post, but after a while even I get tired of those!! We've seen lots of different birds at our feeders all winter and Gene grabs his camera whenever some of his favorites show up. So, if any of those photos are especially great, I'll post them. The best news for our family this Christmas is that our daughter, Rachel, and her husband, Patrick, are expecting a baby!! This is our first grandchild and we're beyond excited! Rachel and Patrick have been married 10 years and have had a couple of miscarriages, so this is an extra exciting thing for them. We'll be praying for all three (Rachel, Patrick and baby) to be healthy and safe!
Happy New Year!!

Birdhouse Gourds

2009-10-24T16:06:00.000-06:00

I finally have a few birdhouse gourds painted and thought I'd show them off!

I'm feeling pretty good about them, probably because of all the time I've spent thinking about them and moving them around the house and yard!

They take a long time and some serious elbow grease to get them cleaned up!

Lots of scrubbing. Drilling the holes is kinda fun and cleaning out the insides is, well, interesting. The insides are seeds and styrofoam stuff. I have to scrape it out with my fingers and shake it a lot.

Then I sprayed them with spray paint, which isn't the most artistic way to paint them, but it works! Maybe later I can get creative and do some wood burning and hand paint something on them.

I think they look pretty cute. I'm selling them for $15 finished. Because there are still so many unfinished, and some people have shown interest in buying them unfinished, I'm selling those for $5. We'll see if anyone wants them. If not, some of you may be getting them for Christmas!

2009-09-09T20:32:00.000-06:00

My daughter, Alison, is an art student at BYU. This summer she took a stained glass class. I asked her to make a window for the small window in our front room - and she did!

This first picture is a window I bought from the people that Alison bought her glass from. Their last name is Gomm and they're located in Provo. They had some beautiful windows in their workroom. Some of them were custom built for new homes and were gorgeous. They sold this window to me for a small window in our bedroom and I love it!

http://www.gommstudios.com/

This next window is one Alison designed from our Magnolia trees. We have a Magnolia tree at our old house and one here where we live now. I think this window turned out beautiful and is perfect for our living room! Our Magnolia tree is just outside our large living room window so it should be a gorgeous sight come spring!

2009-09-05T19:01:00.000-06:00

My Dad and I made our annual trek to Midway, Utah for the amazing Swiss Day's celebration on Friday. As always it was great people watching and good food and lots and lots of craft vendors. Dad and I get there about 8:00 am, set up our chairs and get a Swiss Day's Scone with either honey and butter or Mountain Berry jam and butter. They are amazing!! After our sugar high we're ready to face the day! My aunt, uncle and cousin met us there and we did our usual sit in the chairs and people watch. Then the girls leave the guys to guard any treasures that have been purchased and we stroll through the crowds and say, "Oh, this is so cute!" about a million times. My friend Mardelle met me there and we pushed our way through the crowds and amazingly didn't spend a ton of money! In fact we didn't buy much at all! But, now that I'm home and thinking about what I may have passed up, I wish I had bought a beautiful gourd from the Primitive Treasures booth. They were amazing! This is a picture from their web site, but it doesn't do justice to what they actually had in their booth! They are from SLC and gave me lots of ideas about how to get all of the gourds I have sitting on my deck cleaned up and turned into birdhouses. Now I may have to venture out of my comfort zone and head to the SLC Farmer's Market and buy one of their beauties!

www.primitive-gourds.com

Hummer video

2009-09-03T20:28:00.000-06:00

We have an enormous hummingbird feeder and for a few weeks we had to fill it about every 24 hours. They were coming in swarms! It was so fun to stand next to the feeder and have them buzz in our face and sometimes land on our fingers. They usually leave about the end of September. As much as we love fall, we'll miss the hummingbirds.

2009-08-30T12:06:00.000-06:00

I really love some things about our yard. We have pretty trees (so lots of shade), shrubs for privacy, a beautiful lawn that our son, Sean, maintains amazingly well, and lots of birds. We also have some cool things. Bird houses, hanging planters, bird feeders and baths, furniture, wind chimes etc. So, I took some pictures of some of these things that just make me happy because they are there.

This is a hummingbird feeder Gene made. It hangs in front of the kitchen window and is visited regularly by hummingbirds as well as finches! (If you click on this picture you can see a hummingbird sitting on the plant hanger.)

I bought this shelf at one of my favorite shops, Nettie Taylors. Unfortunately, it closed. But when a new shop opened I found this old watering can there!

Our Globe Willow tree is the perfect place to hang bird houses. We don't have any tenants, but the houses are fun to look at!

I like that Kramer followed me all over the yard while I was taking photos. I spent a day trimming this hedge. Thanks to my dad for the loan of his hedger! It totally saved me!

I got my neighbor to grow some gourds for me last year. He's an amazing gardener! So, of course they grew very well. I had them in the backyard drying all winter and now I need to clean them up and make them into birdhouses! I actually bought one at Swiss Days one year and paid about $25 for it. If I can sell these, I'll be rich! HA!
More gourds...
even more gourds. I need to get busy!
When my mom died in 2002, some of my sweet neighbors gave me a plant in this planter. I love it and it always reminds me of how wonderful all of my neighbors are!

Gene built a pergola above our deck a few years ago and I find way too many things to hang on it! Most recently, our daughters, Michelle and Rachel, gave me this wind chime for my birthday! Thanks girls!

When my Aunt Rayma died I was asked if I would like some of the things around their yard...duh! Of course I would! Aunt Rayma loved antiques and she was the sweetest person ever! I treasure everything I have that she gave to me or was handed down. This is one of the three benches (the other two are covered with gourds) that Aunt Rayma and Uncle Karl had in their yard. Pretty cute huh?
Yeah, I love Kramer. He always makes us laugh and is always so happy! I should come back in my next life as a dog. Not really, cats have life easier, I'll hope to be a cat.
Doesn't this tree look amazing! I used my dad's hedgers to trim the underneath. Then I slipped and fell down the hill (I don't think anyone saw me) and I got some amazing scrapes and bruises. Kramer got a little scared by this event, but I was really OK!
OK, so I spend way to much time looking out the bathroom window. We have so many birds at the feeders! The noise they make is awesome and I LOVE IT! Sometimes we have such a variety of birds down there. One day there were the usual finch, some sparrows, doves, quail, robins and mice! Yep, the mice love feeding under the feeder too. Unfortunately, I have had to use mouse traps to clear them out a bit. We also feed some snakes under there, they help control the mouse population. What a busy place! (Click on this photo and you can actually see some of the birds that visit here.) The street sign is actually from our old house. When the city replaced the sign they brought us the old one and it makes a perfect place to hang all kinds of things!

OK, last one, for today. I have been quite the slacker about posting things on this blog, so I had to make this a bit lengthy. When my Uncle Frank died, my dad, Gene, my sister and her husband and I went to California to clean out his house and settle his estate. He was the best collector of stuff ever!! One of the things we brought home was this whirly- gig. It has some painted gold finch on one side and the words I love you on the other. When you twist it they get mixed up and spin in the wind. It's pretty cute. The change in humidity shrunk up the wood though, but nothing my amazing husband couldn't fix!

2009-06-19T22:14:00.000-06:00

Gene has been fascinated by hummingbirds forever and spends hours watching and photographing them. We have hundreds of photos on our computers! He keeps saying that he needs to delete some, but he just keeps adding them.

Yes, he can even hold still long enough to have them land on his finger...

and even better, feed from a small feeder held in his mouth!

Yep, that's my macho man!

Recently, we've been watching some much larger birds a few blocks from our house...

These are Turkey Vultures! They hang out on Center Street and 400 East in Provo. There are around 20-30 of them and they sleep in the Sycamore trees. They are really fun to watch because they come soaring in one at a time from every direction.

They are awesome!

Upside down feeder

2009-06-15T23:08:00.000-06:00

This is what the feeder looks like when it's busy! This photo was taken a few years ago because the view has changed dramatically!

Goldfinch

2009-06-15T22:16:00.000-06:00

This is a Goldfinch. We love having these and their friends the Pine Siskin. They hang upside down on this feeder without even thinking about it. Other birds have tried to eat from this feeder and just can't figure it out. Most days there are so many they're fighting for a perch! (See previous photo)

Western Tanager

2009-06-15T21:52:00.000-06:00

We don't see these very often, but get pretty excited when we do! This is a female Tanager. The male has a very bright red head. I think this may be what my neighbor has seen at her feeder and wondered if it was a big Goldfinch. Pretty huh?

Bullock's Oriole

2009-06-15T11:57:00.000-06:00

Some of our favorite bird visitors have been the Bullock's Orioles. They show up in the spring and have taught us how to make the hummingbird feeders "Oriole Feeders" by pulling off the bee screens. They threw them onto the ground a few times and then we caught on! Now we keep two covered with bee screens and two open with for the Orioles. They visit the feeders all day long and squawk to announce their arrival. Gene caught this one while trying to photograph a hummer. It was a little dark and the flash took the Oriole by surprise!

I really don't know what I'm doing...

2009-06-04T20:12:00.000-06:00

So, almost everyone I know has a blog. I was feeling left out and thought maybe I should give this a try. I love watching and feeding the birds that come to our yard and figured this could be a fun way of keeping track of all of the different ones that we see. So, here goes!