Nana Maier's Place

Time To Get Started Again.....

2012-02-29T08:29:00.010-08:00

Enough is enough! It is time to get back to blogging. I published my blog into a book and that is why the last post I put in was all recipes.....I wanted them in my book....but now it is time to get back to blogging for the love of blogging.

In over two years many things have happened...and I can't begin to go back and get everything caught up to date....so I am starting from now and going forward...If I haven't forgotten how to do it!

The two most significant events were the birth of our granddaughter, Kali Faith Hope Goodall and the death of my dearest friend Myrna E. Skousen. Both events were ground shaking for me....in very different ways.

I have missed out on posting many events from my three little rascals' lives, Bodie, Brock and Wyatt…plus my new little granddaughter’s life…and she will be turning 2...So, it is time to get going again…I have gone back through some pictures that will give a little update of the last few years. Overall I must say we have continued to be blessed with happiness, health, love and trials. We have learned that the most important thing in life is our faith and family. We have been blessed accordingly.

I am truly grateful for all that has come my way......I still weep and wail when trials come...but I have learned to go faster to prayer and wail a little less. I have had the continual support of my Heavenly Father and have learned so much. For this I am truly grateful.

Over the last 6 weeks......

2009-09-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy 6 weeks or more....2 trips to California, sewing, Farmer's Market, and my birthday....59 and still smiling :)

Myrna and I made it to Anthony's in San Diego....it's been a few years.....but we loved it just as much.

On to Pismo Beach....where Myrna and I stayed at the Beach Cottage Inn.....Katie and Ryan came over and spent time visiting us. It was good to meet him and the view was spectacular!

Nana's birthday party at the park......bring your bikes and let's have a picnic! So, we did!

Sara brought cupcakes and Papa and I brought sandwiches, chips and soda......Yipeee!

Who needs a wash cloth?

Then later Steve took me to dinner for my birthday in Sedona......can't beat this view either!

Steve and I decided to do some gourd art for the ending month of the farmer's market in

Camp Verde....so that is a day of washing and cleaning.....plus cutting and staining.....this is in addition to his birdhouses....

Here come the jack-o-lanterns......why do we do this? It's just fun!

Right when you think you can trust him....

2009-07-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

This is just a little farmer's market in Cornville....about 12 little set ups...but it's fun.

Mischief!

Who knew it would be this fun?

Excuse the pants.....the others got dirty that day....and Nana thought she could improvise....it didn't work!

Steve and I do two farmer's markets a week...mostly just to get rid of excess plants that we have around here and when we have a fruit year ...the fruit. This last Monday we took the boys with us. There is a playground set and horses around the perimeter, so it is a fun little place....We took a picnic...Yeah! for Taco Bell and sat in the shade to eat. Steve took the kids over to play on the toys and I sold from our booth......Ok...very normal...then I look up..part of the park was being irrigated and what should I see....all 4 of the boys (Steve included) running and playing in the irrigation....this water is straight from Oak Creek....they had a great time and it cooled them down...mud and grass were just additional fun......thanks to our every present Levi quilt and an extra towel in the car.....no damage was done to my leather seats!

Paid labor....

2009-07-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

Wyatt loves worms, toads, spiders, and bugs.....you can't see it here, but his shirt has a diagram of a grasshopper on it....soooo fun!

The boys did a good job.....and they liked the $!

The boys were just here for a couple of nights.....mom and dad had things to do in the Valley of the Sun....so the little guys came to Nana and Papa's house. The mornings are cool, but the afternoons are very hot...so we decided to go out right after breakfast to get some good morning work and play in.....my garden needed weeding...so we made a deal....25cents for each 5 weeds. It made for a fun game. Bodie and Brock each earned 9 quarters....Wyatt earned one quarter...he was more into eating the cherry tomatoes... looking for toadies... and playing with worms.

Two outstanding entries from the 4th of July parade...

2009-07-07T20:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, we even had President Obama and the First Lady, Michelle in our parade...note the sign on the side of the Barbie Mustang :)....got to love it!!
This daddy turned a wagon into a floatella of patriotic fun....the girls rode inside while dad pulled.....The floats finished and wrapped around and came behind the crowd. In the background you can see Steve and the kids watching the rest of the parade.

4th of July 2009

2009-07-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

Packing up the kids to go to the parade and park for the 4th of July ......
All set up in the shade....a major consideration on a hot day....and feeling good we have such a nice cool spot to watch the parade....oh, and this parade is made up of kids on bikes, in wagons, pushed in strollers....and carried by mom's and dads.....all decorated for the 4th.....They throw out candy and that is a major draw for our boys.

Now we move to the park where, once again...we seek the shade and we listen to the community band play patriotic music....they are wonderful....and the drummer let Bodie and Wyatt hit the big drum....that was a highlight for them.

By 10 a.m. the boys had eaten snow cones, candy, & ice cream...Could this day get any better?

Not to them.....this is for sure going to be a GREAT day!

Just playing around in the park....

Waving the flag to the music.....

and of course hanging out on the firetruck......the boys love firetrucks!

Just a happy day!

Rides in an antique firetruck...

Even mom gets to go......then we head back home.....

Brock harvests the garden... Dad, mom, Bodie and Wyatt went riding on the dirt bikes....Brock wanted to stay and help Papa....plus have the pool on the back deck all to himself.

Sometimes he likes just to do his own thing and that works for us.

Dinner on the deck........

Jess joined us....he rode his dirt bike down on the back forest service roads....

Pops went early and set up the observation area for the fireworks....

Yes!......it's time to start the fireworks!!!

What a great show! The evening was cool enough and the show was outstanding!

The grand finale! Whew......364 days until the next 4th of July......ahhhhhhhh!

A little more fun in Camp Verde...

2009-06-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

Sara mowed some tracks for Bodie to ride on....plus it helped Steve out with the mowing...it was due....and Sara and I both agreed.....WE LOVE TO MOW....ON THE RIDING MOWER!!!

Bodie...that is after he had his fill of riding the motorcycle in the orchard.

Brock was just happy messing around and picking berries.

Wyatt was in love with the horse.....I tried to make up to the horse, but it didn't want much to do with me.....but was very calm and interested in Wyatt...and it was a mutual admiration.

I don't know who was more curious...the horse or Wyatt?

Berry Juice!
We went over to pick blackberries...of course we took the motorcycle.....but the main purpose was to get the berries. Saturday I had looked at them and we had about 3 pints that needed to be picked.....they weren't quite ready....and then when the boys came down, we decided to go over on Tuesday to get the berries......SURPRISE!!! There were only about a half of cup of berries....someone came and picked all of our berries.....I think I will post a sign that says: "Please, get permission before picking berries!" Brock was still able to eat all that he picked and I wanted there to be enough that he couldn't even eat them all......maybe next year....there are a few more vines that haven't rippened yet....we have had a "Peach Pirate" in the past and now maybe there are some "Berry Pirates"! Grrrrrrrrrrrr!

Motorcycles?

2009-06-24T15:29:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that at the age of 5 it would be time to get your first off road motorized vehicle?...but that's the way it is....I didn't get mine until I was in my 40's and it was a riding mower!
This arrangement did not work.....Wyatt did not understand the concept of holding on....fortunately he did not fall off....but he wanted off before the ride was 10 feet long.....that works for me....one has to know one's limits.

Bodie was in his glory.....he really doesn't go very fast and it is all his when he is driving....

Jess came the back forest roads down from Flagstaff (45 miles or so) on his dirt bike.....no wonder the boys are have motorcycle envy!

and here is the "real deal".......honestly this movie looks like he is going faster than he really does....he really goes about the same speed as one of the senior citizens out on errands...with their motorized "Amigos".

Something from the past....

2009-06-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

Years ago as one traveled down Baseline in the Mesa/Gilbert/Chandler area one would sometimes be stopped by sheep going down the road. This was a very rural area 50 years ago. You would see fields full of sheep...in the summer it was too hot in the Valley of the Sun, so the sheep would be moved from the valley areas, some as far away as Buckeye, up to higher elevations, not by trucks but by traveling on foot and herding, Some would travel up along the desert trails, across the Verde River at Sheep's Crossing then journey to the Mogollon Rim....there they would either head over to the Heber area or they might go up to Flagstaff and graze in the the broad meadows of the San Francisco Peaks. Later I went to college at Northern Arizona University and in the early days of September we would often go exploring and come across the sheep in those same meadows. Even after the sheep had moved back to lower elevations you could picnic at their summer corals. The men who herded the sheep had little gypsy type wagons that would be pulled along by donkeys, mules or horses. The little caravan wagons were brightly painted....On my way back from Flagstaff a couple of days ago along 89A, I was admiring the way the forests had been thinned to protect the area from massive forest fires....I looked and thought, "I don't remember white boulders being in this area"....and then I realized that I wasn't seeing white boulders. I was seeing sheep walking slowly and grazing as they journeyed through the forest........I loved it....I had to pull over and watch them for a while.....it was a real treat for me.....all I had was my cell phone to take the picture, but I was glad I at least had that.

Swim Trip.....

2009-06-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

New goggles...We are off to the Pointe to go for a swim day and night.......

Checking in .....

Checking out.....

We had a great time...SPF 70 - waterproof sunscreen..and no burns...worked great!

Tired kids...came in for a rest....had a nap and then ate pizza for dinner...

a good time all the way around.

The Zen of It All....

2009-05-31T17:32:00.000-07:00

We were walking around the yard this morning and walked by the old river willow and this is what we saw and heard......listen for the little squeaks toward the end:

We had never noticed a "bird house" in the tree...and it is such a great design... a double awning made of bracken.......We tried to see inside, but it was dark. I put my camera up and tried to get a couple of shots.....I didn't think I captured anything...but when we went in to view the pics on the computer ...this is what we saw:

Needless to say the mother wasn't very happy with us. When we would step away the woodpecker would stick its head out to see if we were gone.....what a rude surprise to have someone flash light in your eyes! We could hear the babies inside...what fun! This is what "retired" people do....they have to make their own fun! (BORING?.....not to us!)

Fun With Papa

2009-05-22T22:15:00.000-07:00

Wyatt...and the Toads

2009-05-22T14:31:00.000-07:00

Wyatt got to come down by himself to Nana and Papa's house. His older brothers went fishing at Black River. He didn't seem to mind that he got to come here. He is having a great time....this is "Toad Season" ....all of the toads are coming out, in fact it is a little into the season , because when the toads first come out they are as small as a nickle...these toads are about the size of an apricot. He started off being a little afraid, but now they are his new best friends. He couldn't understand why he had to wash his hands for lunch.....a little too much toad for Nana.

Day one.....

Day two......

I am all for exploration...but I do feel the little animals need some protection too! Nana needs to take a chill pill....little boys are higher up on the food chain than toads!

Got my garden planted....

2009-05-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

Just a little garden....only 18 plants right now....I may add some more when I go to Flagstaff and go plant shopping with Sara on Friday.....but my iris have just about taken over the edges of the garden....I need to thin them out.....and will get that done soon....they were beautiful this year. The fencing around the garden is almost all covered with roses and other plants....most are perennials....love that, because I don't have to plant new plants this year. Sara gave me "butterfly garden" seeds, so I will sprinkle them around too.....I love to watch the butterflies in the summer......hey, Bodie, Brock and Wyatt...the raspberries and blackberries have blossoms...so we will have some for you to pick soon!

The job continues.....

2009-05-13T12:22:00.001-07:00

Steve is just about done with the grouting of the satillo tile....what a job it has been. He keeps saying, "There must be an easier way..." , but we don't know what it is....so he continues to grout and have to wipe off the face of each tile before it sets.....he does about a 5 x 9 ft. section at a time...and if he does more....it is rough getting the tiles clean....He is just about done and I know he will be glad to be DONE!

Chef de Jour

2009-05-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

Steve checking the pizzas....we did use the old firman's glove...thanks Jess!

Who ever thought we would see Steve Maier cooking!!! Not only can the man build the oven ...He can cook in it!!! Believe me we needed him doing that last night when we had a group of people here. I made enough dough for 16 individual pizzas....and had a little more in the refrigerator....so we made 18 pizzas. We used the woodfired oven, the BBQ grill and Glen Langford cooked some in a dutch oven he made a baking system for......really interesting. The girls had fun...and so did the leaders. It was a nice evening.....warm, but cool....frogs singing in the background and lanterns glowing under the fairy lights.

Glen Langford helping the girls.

Two of the younest girls...having fun....Gloria and Fran.

Kristina and Tarin

Girls from age 12 to 17,

Everyone enjoying sampling their pizzas.....they made some good ones!

Resolution Challenge 2009

2009-05-04T22:17:00.001-07:00

I am doing a healthy living challenge with Sara and quite a few other people. Sara started it. It involves doing 10 things a day that are good for you:
1. 7 hours of sleep
2. 48 oz. water
3. 45 minutes of exercise (not necessarily consecutive)
4. 2 servings of veggies, 2 servings of fruit
5. No soda, beer, wine, unhealthy snacks, or bad fast food [anything FRIED]
6. No sweets [desserts, pastries and sugary snacks & cereals] * sugar-free alternatives are OK
7. No eating after dinner/8pm
8. 15 minutes of scripture reading (or other spiritual text if you don't do scripture)
9. One journal entry (any length)
10. Express sincere appreciation or praise to your spouse (if single, to another person)

Can you guess my weak areas? (exercise, and scripture reading...what a confession). I have more than one.....this is our 3rd week....and I haven't got a 140 points......but this is a new week, so maybe I will do better.

If you want to see what healthy eating looks like....click here. Sara keeps a pictorial record and journal of what she eats. I am going to just copy her meals and make them .....I will see how that goes. It will help I know! My problem is that I don't like to "have to do" anything anymore...I am just to lenient with myself...but I am doing better than when I was doing NOTHING AT ALL, so for now that is good with me.

Boy can this boy eat!

2009-05-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

Wyatt saw the bottles of canned peaches and wanted some. They are quart bottles ( 4 cups). I opened one and Brock, Wyatt and I each had a custard cup of peaches....Wyatt ate the rest and wanted to drink the juice too....I drew the line there for fear the little guy would explode. This is just a sample of his enjoying the peaches....he finished them off a few minutes later.

First pizzas from the woodfired oven.....

2009-05-03T09:18:00.001-07:00

The pictures say it all......It was great pizza. Pops and I still need to learn more about getting the oven fired to the right temperatures...but it was fun and delicious and makes the meal an experience.....the boys ate two pizzas!

New adventures with the boys...

2009-05-03T09:11:00.001-07:00

Nothings better than throwing rocks in the water to make a big splash....and then finding rolly-pollies under the rocks to play with....the simple pleasures of being a little boy!

Katie returns home .....with company!

2009-05-03T08:02:00.001-07:00

No one said it would be easy!

Have dog will travel.......notice the weed whacker on top of the car.....hmmmm...who's going to work that.....that's right...Katie!

Having fun yet, Lily?

Who knew it was the biker rally in Laughlin? They were thick as flies!

Lunch at San Luis Pier

Jana and Katie at Morrow Bay

Our new discovery...the little town of Los Olivos...loved it!

Slovang...settled by Danish families.....All of us have Danish ancestors.

Katie finds shoes that fit.

Santa Barbara....outdoor mall and above that the Farmer's Market

Lunch at Paciccuci's....Italian food...very good!

The early morning gardeners....why change into work clothes, when you can work in your jammies?

Future producer of tomatoes and herbs for the farmer's market!

The 7:05 a.m. train to Burbank.

Comfort and good company...who could ask for anything more!

We are not one's to let a good trip pass us by.....so we asked Jana and Myrna to join us for the return trip. Myrna is always ready to go with suitcase in hand....Jana did not realize we were serious...but Glen, her sweet husband did and he wanted her to get away and have some fun, so he surprised her with a ticket. We drove over to Arroyo Grande....with 4 crazy, yakkity-yak ladies...it made the trip go by fast (11 hours) and had a great time. Then we took time and saw the sights: Laughlin, San Luis Pier, Morrow Bay, Los Olivos, Santa Barbara....On the return trip we took the 7:05 a.m. train to Burbank and caught the plane home....it was a fun adventure...and we did it so well....even though we almost missed our plane....almost doesn't count...we made it!

New Project...

2009-04-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

We have talked about doing this for about 15 years. Now we have the time and energy to do it..Steve is tiling the patio that is below the deck. I really like it....but of course no project is without its drama. Last night when Katie and I got back from Prescott, Steve was in an uproar. We had bought two pallets of satillo tile, about 2 months ago...he had laid one and when he started laying the other....it was a different dye lot....Yikes! So last night he was tearing up tile in the dark.....he had only put down a row and a half...so we just took out a few and will intersperse the others with it to blend into the color scheme. Then he loaded 16 boxes of tiles up and returned them this morning at 6 a.m.....what a guy! That man is a worker! And I love all that he does.

Bodie's Wrestling Practice

2009-04-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

Bodie is loving his wrestling practice...and so are his brothers, most of the time. When we got to practice...Brock was done...he is only 3 and would rather play with his dad. Bodie has all the energy in the world and most of the time the boys are wrestling anyway....so why not learn how to?

Something that has touched me....

2009-04-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

"Charity is, perhaps, in many ways a misunderstood word. We often equate charity with visiting the sick, taking in casseroles to those in need, or sharing our excess with those who are less fortunate. But really, true charity is much, much more.

Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again...

Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other." by Elder Marvin J Ashton, Ensign, May 1992.

I am going to print this out and put it on my refrigerator....for me these are words to live by and for families to use with one another. Living in a group is never easy...it means we must put down the "I" and incorporate the "We"...it means that peace needs to rule and forgiveness needs to be a commonly used commodity. Sacrifice of self is never easy, but when it is done with love and received with appreciation...Love, harmony and peace will reign. Families and family relationships are the only things in the world that matter.

Jess & Sara singing "Anyone Else But You"

2009-04-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

This made me smile and I wanted to share it with you....these two have been married for 9 years now.....the time goes by so fast....everything is so quiet in the background....boys must have been asleep or watching a movie...keep up the singing Jess and Sara....I really thought it was fun!

On January 29th I made my wish for this......

2009-04-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

Well, the oven is done...the only thing left to do is a couple of embellishments....we are letting it cure. We have had several small fires in it and will cook in it while Katie is here with us. We brought it in under budget, spending about a 3rd of the projected price estimated in the book we got our plans from. How? We used recycled materials when possible. This included fire bricks from the cement plant, some fire bricks were purchased at a garage sale, and some we bought when the elementary school was being torn down in the 1970's in Williams, Arizona. Steve also checked Home Depot for torn bags of cement that he could pick up for $1, if he got there early in the mornings (6 a.m.) . We had some supplies given to us like the rebar from a friend who still has enough to reconstruct the Statue of Liberty in his backyard. We also had some materials left over from other projects....Steve deconstructed some homemade tomato cages ( I don't know what we are going to do for tomato cages now during garden season...but we will figure it out).....all in all we will only have to bake 40 pizzas to break even...with Bodie, Brock and Wyatt...that will be in about a year or less....those boys can eat some pepperoni pizza....better known as, "Make it cheese with pepperonies Nana!"....so see it will be cost effective in the long run...and a lot of fun! Thank you Steve!!!! What a lot of work!

(For anyone who is interested, we used a book to learn about woodfired ovens and to build our oven...."The Bread Builders" by Daniel Wing and Alan Scott. It is worth the money.)

Easter Weekend....

2009-04-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

Mr. Happy Go Lucky introduces his new little self to Lily......it's a good thing she is very relaxed and easy going....because he liked riding her like a horse.....and did it every time she was resting on the floor...which is most of each day.

On Friday Jess and Sara came down with the boys.....the rope swing had been up for a few years and Jess felt it was time to change out the rope...which I thought was a good idea. Last time he threw the rope over the branch with a weight attached to it....and affixed a release rope that could be pulled to untie the main knot....or that's what I thought...But this time he went up the rope with his rescue gear on and redid the whole thing....it was pretty nerve racking to see him do this, but he has been trained to do rescues of this type and sometimes you just have to have faith in that training and let it happen....easier said than done....Steve had a hard time with it and had to leave the property. I felt I needed to be there in case something went wrong....I had the cell phone in my pocket and ready to dial 911....but Jess executed it with confidence and skill. I wish his dad would have stayed to see how well he did the operation.

Later we were all fixing dinner and Jess asked if we had seen the two little guys.....it seemed they had just been under our feet, but when we looked around we couldn't find them. Jess went outside to look and then came in and said they weren't anywhere around....that panicked us all...we went scouring the yard, shop, studio, sideyard, riverbank, screened in porch....totally in a flurry......and then I came up to turn off the BBQ....and saw something in the laundry room move....two little boys were sitting on the floor....with empty pudding containers all around them....sitting on the dog's pillow with their fingers digging down into the sticky pudding...needless to say they were covered with pudding and knew they were in trouble....I didn't care about the pudding...but I sure wanted them to answer when we called them....Brock is pretty good about taking care of what he needs...and I guess he needed pudding. Wyatt is pretty good about following Brock....So we let Wyatt follow Brock into the bath tub to get cleaned up and ready for bed......

On Saturday friends came up for a picnic...We have had Easter Saturday picnics for about 15 years with the same great friends, Myrna, Jana, Kyle,....and now their families...Glen, Tyson, Makeely, and Daisy. We usually have beautiful sunny weather. I think this is the first time we have ever had rain...but we decided not to let it stop our fun...it was cold and wet outside, but that didn't slow the little ones down.

Wyatt's first time to really get into the action independently.

Bodie was so excited...he helped plan the party and was looking forward to every detail.

Brock going to the next area for the hunt.

Wyatt discovered what was in the eggs was more fun than looking for more eggs.

These two little people found they could just reach over the couch and help themselves to the chips as everyone else was filling their own plates. They do not miss a beat!

For more Easter pictures go to Jana's Blog....it was a fun day!

Katie's Surgery

2009-04-03T15:01:00.001-07:00

Yesterday......6 hours after surgery.
Today.....the day after....not as bad as everyone told her it would be.

Everything went well yesterday morning with Katie's hernia surgery. She was at the surgical clinic at 7 a.m. Surgery was at 8 a.m. and they called me at 8:30 to tell me that she would be ready to come home in a half hour. I had to hurry to get ready to go and get her. I really thought she wouldn't be out until 11 a.m. or so. She rested and napped a tiny bit...and by 3 p.m. was getting restless...so we went for a pedicure! Yep, she is doing great! Today she is feeling her incision more, but just taking it slow....we went to Old Navy, had her car serviced, ate lunch and are now at the Cyber Cafe using our computers....It's hard to keep that gal down!

Day by day.....

2009-03-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

The folly continues.....

Monday Steve did the dome and went to work at the ranch.Tuesday he unvailed the dome...and went to work at the ranch.

Wednesday and Friday...he worked on the oven.....Thursday he went to work at the ranch.

Saturday..... from sun up to almost sundown he worked on the oven.

Saturday evening....

Ahhhh, the flue works just great!

Just a couple more days ....I think he is ready to be DONE! (and I don't blame him!)

Wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow.....

2009-03-23T16:29:00.001-07:00

First you shovel a half of truck load of sand and gravel from a dry riverbed.
Then you mix cement, sand, water with the gravel you just shoveled from the riverbed.
Then you wheelbarrow the mixture to the oven....then you throw it up on top with your shovel...all wet and sloppy ....and HEAVY.
Then you repeat all of the above 8 more times........yep...that's what you do.

Ooops, I forgot about the wire and the tin foil.....heavy duty to reflect the heat back in the oven...Do you think the ancient Romans had tin foil?

And then you smooth it out and let it cure for 2 weeks...."When the moon hits the sky like a big pizza pie....that's amore."....Poor Steve...what he does for love!

Inch by Inch...the woodfired oven continues....

2009-03-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

One more layer done....then the foil...then the 3 inches of perlite cladding.....then another layer of cement, and then stucco....yep, we're almost done (sure!).

Nobody cares about your Shelby hat except for you Steve!

Self Portrait

2009-03-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

This picture just made me smile....Bodie loves to take photos....he was using my camera and took his own portrait......he looks like a muscle beach teenager...except he is wearing a "Thomas The Train" muscle shirt.....and he is only 5 years old.

Update on the outdoor oven.....

2009-03-18T10:48:00.001-07:00

The saga of the outdoor oven continues....we should title it "More Fire-brick Please"....so far we have found some firebricks left over from a project, got some that use to be used in a factory, bought some....they are $3 each.....so when you need more than 100...you start looking and scrounging to find some...and we have.....but we are going to need about 20 more. We can get them in Flagstaff for a dollar less, so we may drive up and get some ....then we get to see the family...so it is more for our money, even if we have to drive an hour. So, the process continues...it is fun to see it come together...but in a way it has taken on a life of its own. I certainly hope the next people on this property love it, because it has a ton of cement in it and steel rebar....so if they want to take it down...it will be a GIANT project!

It has been busy...

2009-03-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

March is now half way gone.....and I feel like I just barely turned around and it was March 1st.

Relief Society at church has been busy...we have had a Women's Conference, R.S. Birthday...which was a busy time cooking and serving, both Katie and Jess had birthdays, then spring break company and whish...here we are it is the 18th of March.

This is the cake that I baked for the R.S. Birthday Party. It is 12 inches across and it is the recipe made 3 times.....it served about 48 people and we only had crumbs left. After I baked it and frosted it...I went to lift it up and was shocked at how heavy it was......then I weighed it on the bathroom scale and it weighed 18 lbs!!!! I shouldn't have been surprised, because it had 60 oz. of pineapple in it.....that's almost 4 lbs. of crushed pineapple! It was good! It is called Swedish Nut Cake and is a recipe I brought home from Ohio...it is a keeper! The recipe for this cake is on the sidebar of my blog....enjoy!

Spring in the "high country"

2009-03-04T17:23:00.000-08:00

Chicken on a can....Sunday dinner!

2009-03-02T08:17:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite way to bake a chicken....of course on the grill...and on a can filled half way with water. I have tried all kinds of liquids...and it doesn't make any difference or add any particular flavor either, which surprises me. This time I put Liquid Smoke into the water, thinking it would really add flavor...but it didn't...so don't waste any other ingredients. I rub the chicken down with seasonings once I have it on the can....do it when it is on the grill and you won't have as much clean up in the kitchen. I also put a "little shawl" of foil over the top of the chicken to protect the wings from burning. It is essential to make a little foil pan for the chicken, so the drippings do not go down into your BBQ and start a fire. (On a four burner BBQ...the two middle burners are turned to low with the outside burners being set on high....a 4 lb. chicken bakes for an hour and a half )

A friend of mine told me a story about her husband placing 3 chickens on cans, directly on the grill (without little foil pans)......The neighbor came over and said their BBQ was on fire...the husband thought it was just some fat on the flame and not a big deal, until he looked out the window and the BBQ was big time on fire....they rushed and got the hose and put it out. When they looked at it the fire had started to melt the hoses to the gas tank and they could have had a terrible explosion.....good thing the neighbor saw what was happening....they had t get a new BBQ.

Ta - daaah! Looks pretty good and it tasted even better!

It's spring....2009

2009-03-02T08:10:00.000-08:00

Saturday we had an outdoor baby shower for a friend. Since spring is here we had it outside. It was a lovely, just right kind of temperature and we enjoyed chatting and laughing the afternoon away.

Plum blossoms from the upstairs' deck....they come out early and sometimes get frosted, but they are pretty all the same!

Just Another Day at Nana and Papa's. . . .

2009-02-22T19:01:00.000-08:00

Just in case someone might not believe my list....here is a video of some of the day's events...

And then the same busy little boy (Bodie) settles down to build a train track (on his own with some help from Brock) and watch a movie.

Busy day with the boys...

2009-02-20T21:07:00.000-08:00

Breakfast

Dressing

Swinging

Helping Pour Cement

Bike Riding in the Yard

Building a Train

Watching Cartoons

Making Pizza for Lunch

Running Errands with Dad

Bike Riding with Papa

Building Bike Jumps in the Yard

Racing Down the Grass Hill

More Swinging

BMX Riding in a Dirt Lot

Nap (for Wyatt only)

Wrestling With Dad

Go Cart Riding and Driving

Go Cart Pushing and Steering

Supper...and evening snacks

Watching The Cat and The Hat

Wrestling and Running

Shower and Tooth Brushing

Story Time

Bed Time.....and without complaint!!! IMAGINE THAT!

One activity leads to another.

BMX Brock and Wyatt just having fun/

New help on the project...

2009-02-20T21:01:00.000-08:00

Day 10 of Oven Project

2009-02-17T08:50:00.000-08:00

Cement and more cement...steel rebar, sand, gravel, and cinder block....lots of each...and it is getting bigger and bigger...I think in my mind I was thinking of a little 3ft. by 4ft. project, but this thing has a foundation that goes down 6 cement blocks in the back.......I will need quite a bit of ivy to blend it into the surroundings!

Valentine's Day...

2009-02-14T12:59:00.000-08:00

1 p.m
I think we have been spending too much time together.....I asked Steve if he would like to go out for lunch today....thinking it wouldn't be as crowded at lunch as at dinner time on Valentine's Day. He responded, "I thought we could just take the $20 and go and get 20 bags of manure for the garden." It hit me in the face when he said it (I didn't say anything at the time), but now I think it is pretty funny! I will post a picture of our manure when we get it....I think our stars are crossed today....and communication is weird...Oh, well...sometimes that's just the way it is. The day's not over yet!

At any rate...

Happy Valentine's Day

to you all!!

The nice thing about manure as compared to chocolates is.....

I bet no one will want me to

share it!

6 p.m.

I should explain that we had already decided we weren't going to do much for Valentine's. We have just celebrated our anniversary...and also we are very generous with ourselves when it comes to buying what we want or think we need...so we were going to keep it simple...

You can't get more simple than manure!

This is what we ended up doing:

New York Cut Steaks....my favorite...on the BBQ.

And before you ask...."Yes, I use my BBQ almost everyday!"

...less mess in the kitchen and it taste so much better!

Update: January 16, 2009....the manure arrived ....and Steve got it on the garden.

It might be the best gift of all....because it is the gift that keeps on giving....first the aroma and then the nutrients to the veggies, which become nutrients to your system....ahhhh...

The Circle of Life.......can't you just hear the music?!

Days 3 & 4...of the Pizza Oven

2009-02-11T14:14:00.000-08:00

Ok...this is the progress of the pizza oven....it is being built in the terraced flower beds...so it has to have a bi-level foundation...but Steve has figured it out....he is making great progress!! I just hope it doesn't end up looking like a giant outhouse! It won't. We will make it cute.

The foundation for the foundation....bi level, remember.

Two courses of brick on top of the lower foundation...brings it up to the real foundation. Now 4 more courses of brick will be added....did I say it is going to be big?

It has been cold, sunny, rainy and even snowy...but Steve is a MACHINE!!

He is AMAZING!!!

It Snowed Last Night....

2009-02-10T07:01:00.000-08:00

It didn't snow much and you will have to look out the window before 8:30 a.m....or you will miss it...but it snowed at 3,000 feet elevation and that is Cottonwood! We also got about an inch of rain before it snowed, so that is great. Steve did not waste the opportunity to get some fertilizer on the grass....it will be a very green spring!

Steve said that he heard on the news that Flagstaff broke a weather record last night. They had a record amount of snow to fall in a 24 hour period.....24inches!! Man, I am glad we live here now...because after the beautiful snow...comes the old snow..and it's just not that pretty!

Snow in Jerome...

2009-02-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

We had rain today and it has been cold (44 degrees....forgive me for whining Ohio family)...it is winter after all even here in Cottonwood, Arizona...Steve and I wanted to go out to dinner, so we decided to go up to Jerome, where it might be snowing.....and it was....and it was fun!

Day One.....Now you see it....now you don't....

2009-02-07T14:25:00.000-08:00

We are having fun learning about woodfired ovens. UTube is actually a great resource....we found numerous movies there and we have got a lot of helpful ideas. We think this is kind of what we are going to build: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qnMOf9zlrs . Before the oven can go up....some of our landscaping features have to be removed.....the little seat built on top of the poured sidewalk....has to go..because it was too heavy and has cracked the cement...a major geological fault.....it was scheduled to be redone any way...so doing the oven just adds some excitement to the project. Remember, Steve doesn't consider this work...he thinks of it as fun. This is the man who really only knows how to work.....so this is his recreation.

This is what we have to look forward to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTWGeyew5oI&feature=related

I know....you can order from Pizza Hut online....but what fun is that??!?

My BBQ Grill....and pizza

2009-02-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

Have I ever told you... I love my BBQ grill. Yep, I cook on it ...probably....4 to 5 nights a week. I cook almost all of my meats there...except pot roast. I love the flavor, the smell, and the easy clean up...A WIRE BRUSH! I decided that I wanted to learn some new cooking techniques...I watch enough cooking shows that I should have one of my own...but I also research the Internet for specific ideas....I have found a new site that has great videos....maybe I blogged about making Italian sausage from scratch (or not) ...that was a great video from this same site...this morning I was fixated on my pizza oven construction idea...and thought I might be able to find a video on the topic...I didn't find one but I did find a neat video on how to do a brick oven pizza on your BBQ ....sounded good to me (http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-make-a-brick-oven-pizza-on-the-barbecue-242482/ ). I thought I would like to try it...well, as the day went on...Steve and I are still doing spring clean up in the yard....more pruning and one of my favorite jobs....mowing up the leaves with the riding mower...then power washing the back cement deck (I am not sure it did that much good, but it is better). During the process I ask Steve if we had any bricks with holes in them...he said there were some under the bench by the garage...I needed 6 and he brought them over to me....OK, now if you are a germ phobe....you may not want to read the rest of this....because I power washed the bricks, put them on the BBQ...took it up to 600 degrees and let them bake for 45 min......clean enough for me. Tonight I made the pizza dough and made a simple vegetarian pizza of sauce, cheese, basil garlic ricotta, onions and black olives on homemade pizza dough. The grill was up to about 500+ degrees. I baked the pizza for 10 min......and it was FABulous!! The crust got dark....but it didn't taste burnt...and it was ever so crunchy and good!!! Yum! Steve liked it too!

Look at those "clean" bricks on the grill....
Ready to go on the hot bricks....

Ready to come off the hot bricks....all burners on high...

Steve enjoying the pizza ....and I did too!!

If you are interested in the Italian sausage video...here it is.... http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-make-italian-sausage-131320/

I was interested in it to see what kind of spices were used...I wanted to make some Italian sausage type...turkey meatballs....I watched the video...used the spices and made the meatballs for my minestrone soup....it worked out just great.

Pruning Roses

2009-02-03T11:06:00.000-08:00

Today is a beautiful day...lots of sunshine, but very cool in the morning...ice on the water in the bucket and the hose had frozen ice in it. That is just right for me to work outside. I don't like to sweat much....so if I am going to get work done outside, it has to be on a cool morning. I hadn't pruned the rose hedge for a couple of years....and it was in dire need of some attention....so today I had the energy, the desire and the perfect weather.....2 hours later I had the job done. Steve does it all day long out at the ranch....but I am only good for short periods of time...he's a MACHINE...when it comes to work....me I just work until I get sweaty...then I stop!

There's more to be done...but not today!

Before....

After.....

The pile for the clean-up man....that's Steve!

Smoked/BBQ Ribs...for the Super Bowl

2009-02-01T09:21:00.000-08:00

I am trying something new today, something I saw demonstrated on a cooking show.....smoking ribs on your BBQ grill and then finishing them off in a low temperature oven.....So I am going to take you on this journey...right or wrong....I will learn my lessons as I go. Currently the ribs are in the oven and will cook slowly at 190 degrees for the next 6.5 hours......or until church is out and the Super Bowl starts.....Right now I am wondering if that is too hot....Crock pots cook anywhere from 170 to 205 degrees...so I am going to turn the oven down to 185.

I followed what I saw on T.V....so here it goes: I Placed wood chips in a disposable pan....

Placed a wire rack over the top.....out on my grill....turned the grill on high (yikes, that was a leap of faith....I did turn it down to low the last 15 minutes of smoking)

Some other show I saw once said to soak your wood first....so I soaked some of the wood. I used cedar....Steve had some out in the wood pile ( I don't ask too many questions....I just took the cedar)
I took the thin membrane off the back of the ribs (Martha showed me how to do that once), then I rubbed it down with a rub I made up ( and I am still trying to perfect). The ribs were placed out on the smoking rack on the grill.
I loosely covered the pan with heavy foil.I smoked the ribs for about 45 minutes....at 30 minutes in to the process the wood was really SMOKING!!!! I added a little water to the pan....about 1 cup, to slow the process down. When I took the foil off the above picture is what I saw....mmmm and the smell was divine!!
Now according to the guru I saw on T.V. , One is suppose to then take the ribs off the grill...pour sauce over them, and wrap them in plastic wrap.....that's right plastic wrap and put them in the oven.....Ok...that took way too much faith.....but I did wrap them in plastic wrap and then in foil....and placed them in my oven...
Because I am a giant CHICKEN...and I am still worried the plastic will melt and ruin my ribs, but we will see!??!
I have my oven at 190...I just checked it and it doesn't seem to be cooking too fast, so I am going to leave it there, get ready for church and go on FAITH! (It is Sunday after all!)

I will add to this post and let you know the results.....after the Super Bowl!
Steve is excited...he said more about the eating than the game....after 35 years I think I am turning him into a "Foody".
This is what came out of the oven....right before I left for church I checked them and it seemed they weren't sizzling...so I turned them up to 225 degrees...and they cooked for the last 4 hours at that temperature.....they smelled wonderful...and they tasted great too.
Pops takes over the camera...so of course now I am in the picture.
Let the good times roll....and as it turned out, it was a really exciting game. The Cardinals didn't win....but we are sure proud of them...and they had a great game!

Things I would do differently the next time I cook ribs:

NO PLASTIC WRAP.....maybe it would work at 190,but at 225..it didn't! I'm glad I also put them in to a double layer of foil!
I would smoke them a little longer.
I would not put the lemon on.....a little too much flavor there.
I would cook them at 225 for 4-6 hours.
I would have the Cardinals WIN!!!

Maybe it is destiny...

2009-01-31T17:14:00.000-08:00

Mason's Jewelry, Camp Verde, Ariz.- Thanks Ginger for fixing my ring!

Today Steve and I went over to my favorite jeweler's shop, Mason's Jewelry, in Camp Verde. The shop was quite busy....I needed a repair, some Hopi ladies were there to sell Kachinas, several other customers were there too. I struck up a conversation with one of the Hopi ladies, who was from Old Oribe on Third Mesa...anyway I asked if she had an outdoor bread oven. She said her mother did (that is the lady coming out of the door in the picture) She said they used it a lot in the summer because when they baked in the house it heated the house too much. She also said that they could bake 35 apple pies at one time.....OK!! I really want one of these! She told me that they built the fire on the inside of the oven and when the walls were white hot they scraped the fire out and then placed their bread or pies in for baking. I am fascinated with this....how to tell (exactly) when the oven is hot enough....how long to bake....lots of questions. I have ordered a book about outdoor ovens...so we will see.

Oh, by the way, I am a big fan of the movie "Moonstuck".....and I love the bread scene!!

I want one of these....

2009-01-29T20:08:00.000-08:00

I first became interested in an outdoor oven when a friend of mine who is Hopi was telling me about a wedding her family was preparing for in Polacca, Arizona(1st Mesa.) She said that they would be baking bread for the guests.....OK...I bake bread...nothing registered with me...Then after the event we were chatting.....and she said they had baked 35 loaves of bread on Saturday!!! My mind whirled...because that would take me many days to accomplish...when I asked her about it she told me how they mixed the dough up in a big #2 tub and then baked all of the loaves in her mom's oven! OK....I am more than curious now...then she explained that her family had a traditional domed outdoor wood fired oven that would bake all of this bread at one time! At the time I was amazed, envious and the desire to have an oven like that began to take root. Since that time I have seen several outdoor wood fired pizza ovens....and eaten the pizza from said ovens.....so the desire has grown.

Lynda had heard about a weekend workshop offered through NAU that taught how to make a wood fired outdoor oven....that is one of the MANY things we had yet to do.....but I won't go there....Anyway, now I am working on getting Steve excited about building one for me....since he really can do anything....but so far I have only got the project onto his someday list....That is not my favorite list....because there is a lot of competition there....like the brick work on the shop, hooking my old Home Comfort cook stove into a chimney(which would have to be constructed first), redoing the cement work by the outdoor shower.....you get the picture.....however he does so much that I am not complaining....I just have another dream now...and as soon as it becomes his idea....it will happen.....Because he REALLY CAN DO ANYTHING!!!

35th Wedding Anniversary

2009-01-26T14:00:00.001-08:00

Carla and I....I just wanted 1 bride's maid...I was also into keeping it simple...and I kind of scoffed at giant weddings....what did I know? Most of my friends had also gone their own ways by then and were married and living in all parts of the world.

Mom and I getting ready.....Mom was 63 yrs. old in this picture...I was 23 years old.

Steve and I...our cake was not a white cake...that was very edgy at the time....chocolate layers and carrot cake layers...now it is common.

Eric Williams, Curt Williams and Grandma Foote

My friend Arleen (Wolf) Wilson's little girl. Arleen was living in Cottonwood at the time.
Today has been a day....I went to Flagstaff for a funeral (my good friend Ida Smithson's). On the way home I was, once again, remembering it was our anniversary, even though Steve and I had talked about it this morning....but during the funeral I forgot. Actually the weather today is a lot like the day we got married....snow flurries, sunshine, fast moving clouds and breezy. So of course it has been a "memory lane" kind of day.
We had a great wedding day. Many family and friends came up from Mesa. We still had quite a few friends in Flagstaff from our days at NAU. Steve's dad and mom were there. His sister and her friends from Ohio were able to be there too. Mom had procured a floor of rooms at Little America. We all stayed there the night before...including most of the guests who came up from Mesa. We had our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner the night before...and then the day of the wedding we had our reception also at Little America.

I remember really enjoying the day. It had been a hassle finding someone who would marry us. I wasn't active in the church at the time....and I didn't want to be married on a basketball court (the cultural hall)...but I did want to be married in a church. When we visited different pastors we had quite a few different experiences. The Catholic Church said they wouldn't marry us, unless I took lessons and agreed to raise my children in their church. The Baptists (they had such a cute little church on S. Beaver) said they couldn't do it with a clear conscience....so we found an interdenominational pastor that said he would be glad to do it.

I just remember having the best time visiting with family and friends. Everything went just as we had planned it. We were married at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning. We had a light lunch buffet and I remember the food was really good...however, we did not get to eat any of it until we were off on our honeymoon. The staff prepared a "to go" box of all the items from the buffet for us to take as we left...that is a tradition that I have tried to continue when I help with a wedding...the bride and groom are just too busy to eat.

After it was all done....I just remember thinking, "This has been such a fun day!" We honeymooned in Sedona .....for one night and both of us were back to work on Monday morning!
That was in the day of complete dedication to our jobs.....now I always encourage kids to have a "real" honeymoon....their work can wait...but we thought we had to be at work...too dedicated. Believe me...they could have gotten along without us! (but we were too young to understand that).

Anyway it was a wonderful day....and now it is 35 years later......At Ida's funeral they mentioned that she and John had been married for 65 years.....so onward and upward to the next 30 years!!

Happy Anniversary Steve.....
I love you!!!!

The Week of Jan. 12th, 2009

2009-01-17T15:37:00.000-08:00

Life keeps moving along and I like it that way. Jess went on a surfing trip to Nicaragua....one of those "chance of a lifetime" deals....funny how some people have more than one "chance of a lifetime".....Sara held the fort down and did a great job. Wyatt came down to spend a couple of days with me, while his brothers attended their preschools. He is still footloose and fancy free while the other boys have higher education obligations. It was great to have him one on one and to get to know his little personality a little more. Here are some of the pictures from our time together ...and of course he is a very big help to Papa.
This little guy has a fixation with glasses right now.

Here's our "Squints"....from Sandlot.

Wyatt likes playing with the DVD covers better than watching the movies.

Pruning time...on the ol' orchard....We have a lot of trees and even more in Camp Verde...like 150....have fun Steve...maybe Wyatt should be trained to use the pruning sheers.

Jess surfing in Nicuaragua - water temp. 85 degrees. For more pics of Jess' adventure click on his blog link on my sidebar.....he got some good ones.

Sara is ...."The Woman". Not only does she hold down the fort while Jess is gone. She has started a new eating program of healthy foods....managed the boys and squeezed in some skiing at the Snowbowl and continues to meet the demands of a client who is remodeling a property....not to mention keeping up with the house, her church calling and maintaining her exercise program....need I say more?

More pics from the holiday time....

2009-01-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

Papa took care of the boys for an afternoon while Sara had an appointment with a client in Jerome.....They had a great time going for a walk.

Wyatt thinks he is as big as the next boy....riding his bike.

More fun on the tractors....Papa kept them busy!

Cake from Papa's birthday was served... Steve did a great job and enjoyed the boys....he rounded the afternoon off by making popcorn and sending them on their way to Prescott to see their other set of grandparents.

Sara made this for Katie....look carefully at the little hands (they're Bodie's). They spell out the word "LOVE". He and Katie have a tight bond.

These two could live on a deserted island together and be perfectly happy!

Papa found this little guitar at a garage sale....Bodie took right to it! Maybe we will have another guitarist in the family.

A Different Christmas - 2008

2009-01-11T10:57:00.000-08:00

This is our spider man riding the poor dog...she puts up with it.

Sara and Jess' tree....

The entry way in Sara's house....so pretty!

Each year we give ornaments about things that have been of interest during the year, so this year for Brock and Bodie, it has been Javelina....for Wyatt it has been Spiderman....nothing is sacred. I will put an eye screw into anything! This year I made the Javelina out of clay and baked them in the oven..but they look more like elephant-bears...but the boys took one look at them and said, "Javelina!!!"

Below....Aunt Mary sends Steve Ballrich Potato Chips.....He thinks they are the best in the whole world and he shared them with the boys....they thought they were fabulous too!

Thanks Mary!!!!!

I just got back from Christmas...yes, I was abducted on Christmas Day by aliens and landed in Laughlin, Nevada.....I think they were crazy pirates.....and I met a lot of their friends in Laughlin too.

The Christmas storm that was predicted made it to Flagstaff. We went up on Christmas Eve and had a nice afternoon with the family. Katie was driving over on Christmas Day from California and suppose to drive on in to Flagstaff. Steve did not want her to be on the bad roads by herself, so we drove over to Laughlin on Christmas Day and met her there. It was a good thing we did. The poor kid had driven all day in either snow, or blowing rain.....even in the Mohave Desert.

We spent the night there and then came on over the day after. Man what a dreary, noisy setting to be in for Christmas, but there were a lot of people there by choice. We left about 11:30 a.m. the next day and as we passed through Kingman on our way to Seligman, there were 10 cars and 1 semi off the road because of black ice and that was in the high desert...no telling how bad the roads were around Flagstaff. Someone later told me that the night before 40 cars were reported to be off the road on I-40. We were glad we had taken the time for a nice breakfast before getting on the road. Katie and I had a great time talking and watching Dad drive behind us....what a weaver he is!

Katie came on back to Cottonwood. Then the kids came down and had a couple of days here followed by Katie going up and skiing with Jess and Sara....and then all too soon it was time to get on the road and go back to California. I went with her, since I had the time and it is always fun to be with her. I stayed for 6 days (4 of those days she had to work)...but I had fun with the quiet of her house and taking the buses around the 5 cities area. I love to watch people. I went out to lunch each day...even if it was with myself...had great food and saw a lot of interesting interactions.

On the 7th of January I got on the train at 7:05 a.m. and took it to Burbank, where I caught a plane and flew into Phoenix. Myrna picked me up at 3:30 p.m. (There is no fast way to get to and from Katie's). I got to have dinner with Jana's family and then the next day Jana, and Myrna drove me up to Cottonwood. They had some business up here, so it all worked out just fine......but you can see what a whirl wind it was....

So now I am home reflecting on the busy times we had....wondering, "Was that Christmas?"....and "Yes, it was!!!" at least the Christmas of 2008.....now you know why I was wondering if I had been abducted by pirates and taken away! Can life really be this crazy?

2008-12-25T10:54:00.000-08:00

Sometimes play is so much work....you can see how much snow has fallen in Flagstaff...this was Dec. 24, 2008....4 more inches fell during the night of Christmas Eve....and it is snowing now.

Actually I should have given this movie the title - "Cowboy Boots & Snow Don't Mix"

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Christmas Thoughts...24 years ago

2008-12-23T19:10:00.000-08:00

It's funny how the elements can change how you think things should be.....right now winter storms are lined up to hit Flagstaff...one right after the other...on top of 10 - 15 inches of snow that is already on the ground...yesterday 10 inches fell. We had our plans made and then they began to change as we heard of additional accumulations coming down in the next couple of days...but we have another factor: Katie is coming over and will be driving into the storms after 8 hours of being on the road....so Steve is insisting on meeting her in Laughlin and then coming on to the Verde Valley...then going up to Flagstaff after the storms have hit...or having the family up there come here....but all of that will be after Christmas. Since the storm systems will be coming in Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and then the next day too.

I was reflecting on Christmas's past...and I remembered my mother coming to Flagstaff one Christmas and getting snowed in...I mentioned it to Sara this morning and added the comment, "I wonder why she didn't just stay a few more days...Why she was in a hurry to get home?"....Sara said, "She was just like you guys....always in a hurry to get back home." I told that to Steve and he said, " Don't you remember...." and then went on to tell me the story...of course then the memory began to come forward.

We had gone down to Mesa for Myrna's birthday, Dec. 22, 1984. We took the bus. Mother was planning on coming up to spend Christmas with us. (She only did this once after we had children...of course she was 73 in 1984...so that explains part of it.) The children and I drove back up to Flagstaff with her in her 1971 Oldsmobile 88.....it was gold, long and of course had a big V8 engine in it and no snow tires or front wheel drive. It is what you would call a "land yacht". However, it was big and comfortable. We drove up on the 23rd...cooked continually for the next couple of days (that's just what we always do at Christmas)...did the take arounds to friends and then settled in for a nice Christmas.

That was the year of the Cabbage Patch dolls. Cabbage Patch dolls had just come out. There was a scarcity of them and so due to supply and demand they were very expensive....$85 if you were lucky and some were being auctioned off for $200 to $300. It was crazy. Not only were they totally out of our budget, you couldn't find one, even if you had the money to buy it. Some friends of mine had found "look alike" heads...and then we made the bodies and dressed them up. That year I made about a dozen of them. Katie got blond twins. Jess got brown haired Joe...(who now is being cuddled and loved by his 2 year old son Wyatt and was loved before that by Brock) and Gramy got a little dark haired girl that she name Merry...for Merry Christmas.

It was a great time. We all had fun being together, cooking, eating, stoking the fires and staying warm. Mom had planned on staying a few days and then returning to Mesa. About the time she was ready to leave a big storm came in, followed by another and then another.....it was similar to this year. We became snowbound and when Flagstaff shuts down with snow, it is best to stay put...so we did. My poor mom got "cabin fever" big time. She never liked being cold. She fussed over her little dog, Butchie. She combed the snowballs out of his feet every time he went outside and wrapped him up in a blanket by the fire.....he didn't seem to mind. She stoked the fires until the family room was sometimes 95 degrees. She became more restless and ready to leave...finally there was a break in the weather and she decided she would drive home. The roads were snowbound, but she was determined. Steve said he would take her down and then come back on the bus. So, they got things packed up and hurried to get off the mountain before the next storm hit. She had been in Flagstaff for about 10 days. I think she only wanted to stay about 5 days...so she was anxious to get back to the sunshine of Mesa.

Steve and she left. There was only one lane plowed going south on I-17. It took them about two and half hours to get down to the Verde Valley, which is only 60 miles south of Flagstaff. As soon as they got off the Mogollon Rim the roads were better, but I think that was one of those storms where they had received snow clear down to New River near Black Canyon City.

Steve said that when they got to Mesa, it was sunny and warm. He went out into Grammy's front yard and her Arizona Ash trees were already starting to bud out.....It was such a difference in climates between Mesa and Flagstaff. He just couldn't believe it....I think that is one reason he started to want to get some land down in the Verde Valley....he just wanted to have a little more sunshine and warmth in the winter.

Now this Christmas we are having another series of storms....I wouldn't mind being snowbound for a couple of days...but not 10. I guess Mom and I do have that in common. This will be a different Christmas, but it will be one we will remember....We will go see the kids tomorrow, if the weather permits....then Steve is determined that we will meet Katie in Laughlin and get her safely home.....That's fine...Christmas is family and all we need to know is that we are loved and that we will be together safely...It may not be same as usual, but it will still be fun and we will all get together.... Christmas will just last longer than one day.

1984 - Myself, Mom, Katie and Jess. Katie, 3 and Jess, 6.

This picture was taken at Stan and Cleo Turley's house.

Dolls and bears....Lynda made the brown bear on the right.....Katie named her "Cindy"

You can see one of Kaite's twins...the little blond girl....the boy she never liked and I had to trade it out for another little girl....she just had failure to bond....never did figure that one out.

Jess and Katie....you can see Joe in the middle of the dolls (Jess' buddy). Now Joe is a companion to Wyatt who is Jess' son. Wyatt couldn't stop putting Joe into the bath tub....until he realized Joe couldn't come in the house when he was sopping wet. Sara has a blog entry, Nov. 13, 2008, about this. I think the little guy finally got the message and has been keeping Joe out of the bath tub. It was a pretty sad day when Joe had to hang outside all day and then go into the clothes dryer.Only the stong survive...and Joe is strong, because he has survived 3 Maier boys and one Maier dad, Jess.

2008-12-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

About 7 a.m.

World's largest bowl...won't fit in a cupboard..I have to hang it on the wall of the laundry room.

Apricot pie

Rolls and pie done

7 p.m. carrot cake is done, rolls are frosted and it is dark outside...ready to roll (no pun intended) on Friday!

What do you get when you take 10 lbs. of flour....about 3 lbs. of sugar and lots of other ingredients....add 12 hours of work and a lot of mess.....That's right Christmas treats!!
I baked from sunup to sundown and got 2 doz. dinner rolls, 10 dozen cinnamon rolls, one carrot cake and one apricot pie made. The next day I was off to Mesa to say, "Merry Christmas" to my family down there. It was well worth it!

Happy Birthday Bodie!!!

2008-12-07T16:42:00.001-08:00

Yeah, for Bodie!!

Blowing out the candles

Bodie with the long awaited Ben 10 watch..and the others licking the candles! mmmmm!

Nana joy!

Five years have gone by really fast. Now Bodie can tell you all about "Ben Ten" the cartoon character and all of his adventures. He and his mom made the very special and very delicious cake which featured some of Ben Ten's special gizmos (....don't ask me what their names are, but they transform into battle ready fighting tools....I think. (oops, I just found out that Ben 10 and the Bakugon are not related. They are actually in two different series....sorry Bodie. There is just so much to know...but I can tell you this - They are both very cool...especially to Bodie!) We had a great time and next week we get to do it again for Wyatt. Love it!!! (It will be his second birthday.)

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving featured several levels of activity. Steve and I drove over to California. We started on Tues. afternoon and stayed the first night in Laughlin...so we had one on one time..enjoyed eating by the Colorado River and then taking off early in the morning to finish our trip. Then all of the family arrived later that evening and we had lots of fun with the excitement, wrestling, eating and playing of games. Our Thanksgiving was on Friday, due to work schedules.....I won't mention the "Black Friday" experience at Wal Mart....starting with Steve waking up at 4 a.m.....(go back to sleep..it's not time to get up)....What a fun time we had! Thanksgiving has moved from the dining room table with polished silver and crystal, to a wonderful warm picnic dinner after a day of surfing. I think it suits our family better. The little boys played at the beach and even tried to get in the water. Brock got so cold that he had to get undressed and put on Papa's dry, warm sweat shirt. Katie and Jess had wet suits, so they were in the water and on their boards. Bodie and Brock also got up on the boards...in the low surf with their dad by their side....Bodie told me, "Nana, I was soooo nervous." However, he was so excited that he had done it.

Sleeping 8 people in an 800 sq. ft. one bedroom home was fun....we just had wall to wall blow up mattresses ......and we all slept just fine....Everything was picked up during the day...and then at night out it would all come again....IT WORKED!

Saturday brought another beautiful sunny day...so we drove up to see the elephant seals....they are big and slow, but they were fun anyway. That night we went to the beach and had a fire. We took turns telling stories.....and were quite surprised at how imaginative the boys could be. Brock's story involved an alligator eating a watch....so it was great to see how the plots thickened.

The food was good. The company was great and the adventure was excellent! Then home again, home again....Jess and Sara left with their family on Sunday. Steve and I followed on Monday...but we did it the easy way and once again stayed the night in Laughlin.. . . .hussled home on Tues...and then off to R.S. to do a tamale dinner for about 50 people....whew that was a fun Thanksgiving!

Brock made a new discovery...

2008-11-22T15:31:00.001-08:00

Brock has found the fun of being the only grandson who has been in the attic! With his mind, I am sure it won't be the last time...however the tradition of carving your name on the beams will have to wait....I am afraid if he got to, then all of the furniture in their home would end up customized with initials....we will wait until he is much older and understands what should be carved and what shouldn't!

It takes so little...

2008-11-22T15:20:00.000-08:00

The boys rode around for about 15 minutes....leaves were falling down from the trees and it was just the perfect temperature...it was truly one of those "golden days" of autum.

How much does it take to make you happy? It's a good question to think about. I love to be with the little boys, because it takes so little to make them have a good time. They were here for a few hours a week ago. Sara was meeting with a client for a consultation about a new project. Since it was in Jerome, it made a perfect time for the boys to come to Nana's house and just mess around...and that is what we did. Who needs Disneyland when you can ride around the orchard in a little trailer pulled by the lawn tractor? Disneyland can wait...we have more things to explore in our own world first....that's the beauty of being small....the whole world is yours to discover and every discovery is solid gold.

From little chick to a "real chick"

2008-11-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to show that little girls do grow up....these are the years after the "little bird stage"....Time goes by so fast...and yet it seems like it will never end. I had fun going through the pictures and could have gone on forever.....but I didn't and I bet Katie is glad....I did leave all of the sports pictures out...but that was another entire period of time.

I need to stop... (Katie might kill me!) .....even though I omitted all the sports pictures...!!!!!!

Katie 18 months old.....she had a hard time growing hair....but it finally came in.

Katie at her surpise 3rd birthday party...with Kelly.

Katie with baby kitty...someone was always having a cat with kittens...and she would always have one...sometimes in a baby buggy going down the street.

8 years old...at yet another one of her birthdays....

Jana, Katie and Heidi......Middle School

Prom - junior year of high school

Senior picture 1999

Utah State University 200?

Graduating from Nursing School with RN - 2007

Avila Beach - 2007

about 10 days after graduation......and that wraps it up

And that's it....and I bet Katie's glad I stopped!!

A sure cure....

2008-11-08T16:03:00.000-08:00

The view out Katie's front window.

Queen Lily guarding the house.

Future flower and herb garden.

Side yard ...with little sidewalk leading to the backyard.

Patio...with two tiers of grass above it behind the rosemary.

Katie's room

Clock grouping...

Wall grouping by the front door...

Living room...

Dining room....

Since Ray passed away, I have really had some difficult times. It seems that each time I lose someone I love, I have to relive all of the losses of each loved one who has passed and believe it or not they are starting to add up.I know one needs time to mourn, but I just wasn't pulling out of it. I was doing better, but couldn't get back on top....I also came down with an infection that lasted 3 weeks...that didn't help at all...but I just needed an extra boost....so Steve said, "Go see Katie.".....and I did.

I drove over to California by myself and the time alone was good to think and just regroup....plus at the end of the trip I would have a few days with Katie. She had called and said she could use my help with the last stages of her move....when I got there she had all but the final couple of boxes moved, the sweeping and mopping...but we were able to do that in a relative short time...and then the fun stuff....hanging pictures in her new home, finding curtains, being creative with the sewing machine...cooking, laughing, getting Lily use to her new home....securing Lily in the backyard.....and making lists of all the little things we needed to do each day. Katie had 5 days off and we took advantage of them.

One of the neighbors complained about Lily barking....which I found strange, since Lily never barked hardly at all the whole time I was there....but it is a new location and she will have to get use to it...Katie didn't want to take any chances of ruining the new relationship with this neighbor, so she assured her she would take care of it and put Lily in a bark collar. That meant that she would have to find the bark collar and make sure it still worked. A new battery was put in it and then Katie gave it the big test....she put the collar on her own neck...and made a little noise...nothing happened....so she checked it and then barked a little louder....this time it beeped....and then whammo...it shocked her. The funny thing was that she acted so surprised that it got her....and she felt a little silly since of course it was going to shock, especially after the beep...remember Pavlov's Theory? If she had been thinking she could have removed it after the beep knowing that the shock was going to follow....it made me laugh so hard that I had tears .... and you know how much I love to laugh that way....We had a great time.

As all good things must come to an end....I had to return to Arizona and Katie had to return to work, but we had such fun! I drove to Laughlin spent the night and then drove the rest of the way the next day and arrived home yesterday. Today I started a 45 hour class the Arizona Department of Education requires to get recertified....sooooo onward and upward...here we go again!

This is how we roll....

2008-10-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

The boys get loaded into the back of their little Subaru....3 car seats in the backseat....bumper to bumper, so to speak. They then ride a half hour down the freeway to meet Nana....and then it is out of the car and up the mountain.....for mountain climbing.....then back in the car seats and off to Nana's. These pictures were also on my phone...so this is from the last visit. They are always fun and always busy....but then they are BOYS...and that's just how they roll!!!

Cooking with the boys....

2008-10-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is the way we do it....roll the dough around the hot dog.....

Place it on the cookie sheet......

Oh, heck...just pick the dog up and eat it....who cares about the blanket!!!

When the boys came down I took some pictures of us making "pigs in a blanket" , but I had forgotten about them, because they were on my phone. Brock and Wyatt really got into it. Bodie was a little less interested. We made them with whole wheat roll dough, so they would be a little more healthy.....the next day when I offered to warm them up for lunch, Brock and Wyatt were all for it, but Bodie said, "Hot dogs are not so good for me." Even at age 4 he is starting to understand nutrition.....hmmmm, I wonder why he hasn't equated that to candy and fruit roll ups?

The Waybackjacks....

2008-10-26T16:12:00.001-07:00

At half time some of the guys just returned to the tailgate party!

Most of these guys played football at NAU between 1967 & 1973.
Steve is front row far right...last man.

John Nichols, Bruce Branstrum, Sonny Campbell,
Steve Maier, Bobby Stewart.....all great guys!

Dixie (Jones) Aufderheide & Marilyn (Davidson) Maier
.......40 years later!!! (and still smiling!)

Old football players don't die...they just get a new "play book". This weekend's play book included a tailgate party and an NAU football game. I was up for the tailgate, but Dixie and I left and went to lunch when it was time to go to the game. The next football game I go to will have to have one of my boys playing! I don't have 3 hours to waste just to watch strangers play. I would rather visit with a wonderful friend and have a great lunch at Oregano's. There is nothing wrong with that logic...since I have attended many football games...and they all look the same, unless you know the kids...that's what makes it interesting!

Birthday

2008-10-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANA!!!!!

Javelina...for Bodie and Brock

2008-10-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hungry Javelina...right under our bedroom window and screened in porch.

The javelina have found another hole in the fence and they are loving the can of birdseed .... I think they have eaten all 25 lbs. Even though they are not really pigs...they behave that way!
Papa heard them out by the garden...he came and got me...and had me listen at the window...honestly, you can hear them snorting and gobbling as they eat the seeds. Some of them need some decongestant!

There were at least 3 more in the yard under the peach tree eating and when we first went out 3 ran away....so there are a lot of them!!!

Pancakes...

2008-10-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

I have more helpers in my kitchen than I have counter space....who knew that the little "retirement kitchen" should have been the biggest room in the house instead of a "galley kitchen"?.......Oh well, we still can make it work....especially when we are making Brock's favorite.....PANCAKES!

A new game...motorcycle racing!

2008-10-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

Sara and Jess were able to take a few days and visit family in South Dakota. Sara has a lot of good memories from visits there with her family when she was a child. She and Jess had a great time. They hunted with the family for pheasants and had lots of time to visit and renew family ties. While they were gone we were making memories of our own....the three little boys had motorcycle races down a little hill to the greenbelt....even Wyatt...although he is not in this little movie....He got right into the fun and rode by himself down the hill. Right now we have the sprinklers going...the grass almost got worn off....a little water and it will be as good as new.

Then and now....

2008-10-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

THEN: Left to right: Jana, Katie, Jess, Kyle - circa 1982

NOW: Jess' 3 boys...... 2008

Crowded Tub

There are too many kids in this tub.

There are too many elbows to scrub.

I just washed a behind that I'm sure wasn't mine.

There are too many kids in this tub.

by Sheldon Allan Silverstein

Kids grow up, but tubs remain a great place to be with friends and family!

Trip down memory lane....

2008-10-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

Carla, Bo and I...after a football game...we had such a
good time at N.A.U. and even managed
to get an education!

Co-Captains: Jim Beckenhauer, Steve Maier
and Rick Sadhoff (these names aren't spelled right)

Steve Maier - Tight End Receiver for NAU

Me..... boy nana was tan! (I had spent the summer in Hawaii)

Dixie....what fun we had!

I just got a call from a dear friend. We have been friends since we were 18 years old. We went to college together, became teachers, had children at the same time, married NAU football players and can still laugh and love like we haven't gotten older......So, Dixie said she and Norm (her husband) were coming to Flagstaff next weekend for Homecoming... and would we please join them? Who can resist that? Here are the pictures from our former days.....got to love it!

I will have to post how the gathering goes after Oct. 17th....but food for thought right now..is even though we feel like these pictures look....nearly 40 years have passed!

The little guys are coming....

2008-10-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

The boys will arrive this afternoon. I will drive up half way and Sara will drive down half way....and we will exchange cargo. I get the carseats, the 3 boys and Kona....Sara and Jess get a few nights together and a new adventure....off to South Dakota for a pheasant hunt with Sara's family. It will be a good time for everyone. The little boys, papa and nana will have a great time....and I know Jess and Sara will have fun!

Katie makes a move....

2008-10-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

Katie is ready for a change. She was driving in her little town and found this cute little house....In California one has to fill out an application to see if you qualify to rent the property.

There were several people applying, but Katie got it.....Yeah for you Katie!!! I wish I could be with you to help you move....but you are so excited, just go for it!

The house has a yard for Lily and the landlord is fine with Katie's dog or mini horse as we like to refer to her.

This is so hard for me.....

2008-10-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ray Elmer Williams passed away on Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at the Barrow's Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. He was born on March 29, 1924 in Mesa, Arizona to William Walter Williams and Larsena Christiana Williams. He prided himself in being a "native Arizonan." He graduated from Mesa High School in 1942. Ray served with the US Navy in the Pacific during WWII. Ray Williams was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints his entire life. He served an LDS mission, primarily in Manitoba, Canada and Minnesota. He worked for the United States Postal Service for 39 years. He married Viola Foote Williams in 1953. She proceeded him in death. He married Betty Jane McClellan Peterson in 1985. He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Betty Williams; daughter Raylani Merklely of Gilbert, Arizona; sons Eric Williams of Gilbert, Arizona and Kurt Williams of Mesa, Arizona; son Doran Williams of Salem Utah; step children Nikki Peterson of Salt Lake City, Utah; Lorin Peterson of Flagstaff, Arizona; and Gayle Peterson of Mesa, Arizona. Ray was the proud grandfather of 18 grandchildren, who were the "light and joy of his life." He is also survived by numerous nephews, nieces, and neighborhood children who delighted in his humor and all called him "Uncle Ray." There will be a viewing held from 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, October 7 at Meldrum's Mortuary, 52 N. MacDonald in Mesa, Arizona. Friends may also pay their respects from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m., prior to funeral services at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 8, 2008, at the Solomon (previously 9th) Ward, 997 E. Broadway, in Mesa, Arizona. Interment will follow at Green Acres Cemetery, 401 N. Hayden Rd, Scottsdale, Arizona immediately after the funeral service. Published in the East Valley Tribune on 10/5/2008

An obituray says a lot...but it doesn't tell what the heart of a man was like.
Ray:

was forever 25
had the sense of humor of a teenager even at 84
loved people
never met a stranger, because after 5 min.'s he knew all about them
had a positive attitude and faced life's problems with a "can do attitude"
was blessed with two wonderful wives
had friends and kept friends...some for 70+ years
had the respect of his kids and grandkids
was a servant of God and loved to serve Him
appreciated the little things of life
was awed by God's creations
wasn't afraid to preach the Gospel..to anyone, anywhere
loved to eat and was a pleasure to feed
counted his blessings by the number of extended family members he had
could find the "good" in people
focused on "the cup being half full" not "half empty"
held down 3 jobs once to support his little family
played softball well into the beginning of middle age
was a big tease....even more so when he was younger
appreciated the blessings in his life
made friends of every doctor or nurse who ever treated him
stood up for what he believed
wanted the best for his children and grandchildren..especially spiritual things
loved sports - when he couldn't play them he'd watch them
supported his grandchildren's and children's activities
was honest and true
could be trusted
was a man of integrity

Most of all he was my Uncle Ray, father from the time I was 7 and a great friend. I will miss him greatly and feel blessed to have had him in my life.

Of Cookies and Light Sabers

2008-10-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

I told Bodie that I would bring him a surprise from Ohio and he whispered in my ear, "A light saber."......So who can resist that?....I think Jess and Sara can, because of course the sabers are made to fight with....and of course within the first hour of play someone's light saber was in "time out."
Oooops! They will learn, although when I saw Bodie yesterday he told me Brock's "light saver" was in time out....FOREVER!....I didn't ask questions...I could get the image without any more details.

Light Saber instruction

Guided practice....independent practice a little

more dangerous. Maybe cookies would be a

better project than light saber lessons.

Let's do something safer..but more messy...Sara's

kitchen was so shiny and clean....yikes these guys

get carried away with spreading the flour.

Frosting went a little better.

Eating went best!!

Story Teller Nana

2008-10-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

I have always admired the Native American pueblo story teller figurines that are made from pottery. Now I have become one.....and you know I love it. The little boys love me to tell them stories. Most of their stories are about things that have really happened to us. Right now their favorite topics for the stories are our experiences with Javelinas....and we tell them over and over again...sometimes the boys tell them to me...and they are getting quite good at it too!

Do you see any resemblances between the two

figurines above and the picture below?

Once again the story of the javelina's in Nana's

garden is told....and once again they hear it as

if it is the first time.

Ohio

2008-10-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

Steve admiring his brother-in-law's hobby.

Mac-o-chee Castle...actually a manor home near Bellefontaine.

A view from our room in Walnut Creek, Ohio.

The most spectacular fall display of all!

Mary and Steve watching a flag football game.
Notice the corn field in the back ground
...it is harvest time!

Men don't grow old...they just rediscover their youth!
Lots of "big boy toys."

Always time for antiques....notice I have a purchase
in my hands....always just a little more space at home...
somewhere!

This is Blane's 1931 Ford Roadster...and it purrrs
when he drives it! Steve is sitting in the rumble
seat.

An Amish man unloading produce at the farmer's auction.

It's mum time! They were sold in large lots.

These cabbage heads were so perfect and looked
like they should be in a still life rather than made
into sauerkraut!

Steve and his older brother Bob....2 years older.

Apples, apples and more apples...we found a new
variety that we fell in love with...Honey Crisp.
We are going to order some and plant them at the
orchard in Camp Verde.

Gone and back home again....Steve wanted me to go with him to Ohio....so I did....we had planned on him going by himself, but with me being gone so much, he missed me and wanted me to go with him. Who can resist that kind of invitation? At the last minute...which is anytime less than two weeks, since that is when the good fares are, we purchased another ticket and off we went. We had a great time and it was good to see his family and some old friends.

What do you do?

2008-09-06T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I know Sara is going to be all right because now she has blogged about the couch....she had one of those experiences that make you want to rip out your hair out and dissolve your kids into melted jello.....but she handled it so well....Bodie was opening a package of crackers with a steak knife...and he did it without cutting himself...but then in the twilight of being 4 and not understanding what the term permanent damage means to furniture...he experimented with stabbing the leather couch and slicing the cushions. Yikes!!!! When Sara called me and began the scenario of what she was facing...I was afraid she was going to tell me that one of the boys had been seriously hurt....My mother always use to say, "People are more important than things"....and she was right, but in the heat of the moment it is hard to keep everything in perspective....but Sara did...and turned a bad incident into a real learning moment for her kids. (Ray, if you want to know all the details click on the word Sara and it will take you to her blog.)
Sara I salute you!!!! I am glad you called...my advice was more reactive...but Pop's advice was right on....it usually is...he is a very patient and wise man....I don't think he ever spanked Jess...but Katie did get a swat once! Way to go Katie! Anyway I digress....I don't think we ever regret any of the talks we had with our kids....only the talks we didn't have when we should have. Families are eternal....couches are not.

Thelma and Louise Times 3 - Myrna, Marilyn, Katie, Jana, Sara & Makeely

2008-09-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

The Shakespeare Festival...2008

Good eats....

The Concert...

The Fishing Trip....we had to get up at 4:45 a.m. Morrow Bay is about 35 min. drive from Arroyo Grande.

Real fish mess....

Getting the fresh fish into the freezer...

There is nothing like starting a road trip with red lights flashing in your rear view mirror only minutes after you leave the city limits....but that is how we started our Flagstaff to Cedar City, Utah trip! It was hysterical...to 4 of us....and only mildly funny to the driver......it makes me laugh just to think of it now...poor Sara was driving and the law officer was very courteous....and very informative.......I guess we looked like we needed a lot of advice...so he gave it.....Katie was in the waaaay back seat with the camera clicking away.....We arrived in Cedar City just fine and had a great stay....however the El Rey Hotel needs to do something about the ventilation in the family units.....the back room where two of the beds are is very stuffy and hot...the AC doesn't go there.....!

The plays were wonderful....I love live theater!!!! It is magical and if only for a moment it fills you with a sense of amazement .....talent, music, costumes, staging....all come together to transport you to where your imagination rules and you are in another time and place seeing others as they might have been at that point of time......LOVED IT!!!!! And the memories of live theater last a life time!

The fun we had together as friends was just as great.....laughing, trying new things, comparing experiences and chatting all the time.....LOVED IT!!!!! We had great food and did some great shopping....it is one of the only times I shop...the girls all found things.....and I had fun watching them.....I am not much for clothes shopping....but I did look ...at least for a minute.

When we got back to Flagstaff, Katie went to a concert with some friends....I had a nice evening with the boys and Sara and Jess got to go out for a quiet bite.....LOVED IT!!!!!

The next day Katie and I got off early in the morning with her 110 lb dog....Lily.....to drive back to Calif. It was an 11 hour drive. Brock climbed in the car at the last minute and asked if he could go.....for a split second I almost did an impulsive "OK...let's do it!"move and would have grabbed his backpack and took him with us...but as the 10th hour of driving came around and we were still going....I realized what a cruel thing it would have been to have taken him without being more prepared....but I will take him again to California...and Bodie too....Wyatt needs to get a little older.....and of course the one big requirement....no diapers! We had a good drive and were ready to pry ourselves out of the car...and we did stumble into her house...but it didn't take us long to regroup....Katie had to, since she had two 12 hour shifts to complete in the next two days.....but she did it just fine.

Monday was Labor Day....and for my birthday...which I feel like was more than filled with fun, because I counted the whole Utah trip as a celebration of it....but Katie and I decided to go deep sea fishing......something I had done one other time many years ago with Carla and her family....Katie made the arrangements and on Labor Day we were to be in Morrow Bay at 6:15 a.m......ready to fish....Which of course to us meant just show up.....so we did.....however as we began to take notice of the other fishermen....they all had poles, bait boxes, towels....etc, etc....hmmm, we knew we could rent the poles and get the licenses....so we did...and we found out the bait would be furnished.....Katie had a towel in her car....so we were ready. There were about 20 of us going out.....we brought jackets because we were told to....and off we went. It was cold as the boat went out to sea....but it didn't take long for us to warm up.....with modern fishing techniques...sonar, GPS...etc....the fish were biting. I thought we might catch a fish.....the guys told us to buy a gunny sack...because we would fill it up with fish.....I looked at Katie and gave her the "What??!!!" look...but you know what...we did fill them...it was amazing. We each caught our limit...and in my case over the limit...so some were given to other fishermen.....some of the men got sick and didn't fish....like 50% of all that went out....went down!!! Now I can't say much...because when we first went out....the sea was rolling...I felt a little squeazy...but what the heck....and was doing just fine....until I bent over the bait bucket that was filled with squishy squid...I had them in my hand...the boat took a roll...my head was down...and all of a sudden I knew I was done for......OOhhh...and ooops I was at the rail....barfing.....however I hadn't had anything to eat...so there was only bile and dry heaves...but it happened anyway....about half way through my session at the rail....Katie looks over at me and says, "Happy Birthday!"...the guy next to her said...."I have barfed my guts up on many a birthday!".....so I thought, "Well this is one more first for me!" Afterwards I just had to keep my eyes on the horizon and I did just fine...Katie and I fished the whole trip....and Katie gave me the compliment...."Good job Mom...you puked and rallied!".....I think that is a good thing in some circles...I'll take it....because I did have a great rest of the day...while some of the fishermen went down and never came back up....at least 10 of them.....We did have to field questions...like...."What made you ladies want to come out sports fishing?"....We didn't really have any great answer to that...we just wanted to.....The final comment made to us by the only drunk on the boat was..."You ladies did some kick ass fishing"....hey, I'll take that as a compliment too. At the end of the day after the fish was filleted (by the boatmen)....Katie had a dozen bags in her freezer with 4 fillets each.....lots of good eating there....and by the way nothing goes to waste....the carcass' of the fish were thrown overboard and the pelicans along with the seagulls had a very noisy feast and I LOVED IT!!!!!!

August 15th....Brock's Birthday

2008-08-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

This little boy came into our world making us laugh.....Katie and I were in California on a girl's weekend...I get the urge to be by the sea every August...Sara was not due for a couple of weeks..so we thought we were safe. Dad got a call about 3 in the morning to come up to Flag...the baby was on its way...he was dog sitting Katie's big lab, Lily...so he loaded her up and got on the road...Bodie was asleep in his bed...Kona the other dog greeted him and Mom and Dad rushed off to the hospital....This is particularly choice, since up to this time Steve had not really taken care of the grand baby by himself..but being a trooper he jumped into the duty....and discovered once again...he can do it all! He began calling us in Calif., but we had our phones turned down...so when we woke up there were about 9 calls from him....some voice messages....lots of panic in his voice ...and as he tried to get Bodie, who was 20 months old dressed, the two dog out for a break and try to get to the hospital, the confusion in the messages increased. It went something like this, "Bodie get your shoes. No Kona stay down...Lily..come back". He did not have a car seat, but he did have a stroller, so he left the dogs in the house, put a diaper in one back pocket and a bottle in the other back pocket and set up Forest Ave's steep hill to walk to the hospital. I had several people tell me they saw Steve trudging up the hill with a little guy in a stroller....he made it to the hospital and got to see our new little Brock.

Brock was sweet from the beginning and easy going. He has developed quite the personality and we all love to be around him....so Happy Birthday Brock.....We love you!

Sara had a birthday party set for the park...but rain came in so we had it at Sara's and Jess' house...it was a lot of fun....he seemed to go along with it all and was very pleased....about two thirds through the party it seemed that some of the kids were outside, some were in the family room and I thought some were in the kids bedroom. I thought I would check to see if everything was going OK in the bedroom since the door was shut. I opened it and didn't seem to be anyone there...it was dark and quiet...then a little form raised up from the bed and said, "No...". Poor Brock had given up on the fun of the party. He had gone in to bed. I covered him back up and he went right back to sleep.....the presents would have to wait...he didn't have anymore energy.

Sara said the next day he asked where his cake was, wanted pizza for breakfast and then he and Bodie went about opening all the presents....the birthday fun just continued for him...why waste it on only one day!

Home again, home again...jiggity jog...

2008-08-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Looking down along the coast of Big Sur

Eating with a view....Rocky Point Restaurant...just south of Monterey.

Our companion ....the fog...came and went along the trip.

Getting ready to board the whale watching boat...Nana Myrna is still a BYU athlete...she can do the splits....getting on and off the boat....and 911 did not have to be called! Good recovery Nan!

This was a picnic spot that is right above the sea ...the rocky shore is to the far right...that's correct....the part that did not get in the picture....I needed an extra wide frame.

I am just wearing myself out with fun this month! I am going to go with it too, because there will be months when life is slow. I just got back from going with my best buddy Myrna to visit Katie. Myrna is now approaching 81 and she is still one of the girls. She has been wanting to see where our Katie landed in California....so we went and I am so glad we did. We had the best time just being together. She is a great traveler and is up for any adventure. We gave ourselves plenty of time and did not have to rush one moment. Thanks to our gal Jana, we got to the airport with no trouble and got right through security...well almost.....Nana Myrna has 3 metal bionic joints so of course the metal detector went off...but that is just part of the fun. We then arrived in Burbank where we had a couple of hours to kill before we caught the train to Grover Beach. We had a nice lunch at the airport and watched the Olympics on the big flat screen TV's.....great sand volleyball games...then we were off to the train stop, which is only about 130 yards from the restaurant we were at. Myrna made it like a trooper and we were more than on time. The train in fact was late. We had a great time visiting and watching people...never a dull moment for us. We then traveled for 4 hours on the train and Katie met us at the other end. The next day we just went around the local area and had lunch at Avila Beach....Katie's favorite beach. Then on Tuesday we were off to Monterey. We went via Big Sur and Carmel on Highway 1....it was fabulous! The only pictures I got were on my phone...so no good pictures. We stayed in Monterey for two nights. We went to the Aquarium, whale watching and drove along the 17 mile Pebble Beach Drive......it was all so beautiful and we did see a lot of whales when we went out.

As luck would have it we were driving along the 17 mile drive when a man on a racing bike passed us and then just as he got in front of us a man making a left hand turn hit him. We were first on the scene, so we pulled over. Katie took over with her medical training and I called 911. We don't know how the biker is really, but we think he might have been lucky enough to just sustain a broken arm or damage to his shoulder. He was moving his legs and talking, but was in a great deal of pain. The firemen and the ambulance came and took over. We did the best we could for Arnie (the guy who got hit)....and for the poor guy who hit him. I felt so sorry for the man who hit him. He of course felt horrible. It was just an accident. He was concentrating on the cars and just didn't see Arnie. They both lived in Pebble Beach and I hope it will all work out. Arnie's bike helmet was split in the back....so it is a real life situation that supports wearing helmets. It could have been a fatal accident, if it hadn't have been for the helmet.

Anyway...beyond the drama of the bike accident.....we had such fun just seeing the sights, eating good food and having great conversation....who could ask for anything more?

Update on Mr. Tomato Head

2008-08-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

Mr. Tomato Head arrived in Flagstaff Friday morning....just at breakfast time....much to his dismay he was immediately attacked by one Wyatt Stanley Maier. His eyes were pulled off and his smile was removed. Then without warning his nose was bit off. Poor Mr. Tomato Head. Who would have ever thought that he would have been eaten alive along with whole wheat pancakes and maple syrup. Wyatt didn't seem to realize that tomatoes are really more of a lunch item. No services will be held, but he will always be remembered as a very special tomato.

Time....

2008-07-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

I have tried to maintain some of the momentum I had while the little boys were here. Yesterday I shampooed my 18 year old carpet....it is still hanging in there, but needs to be replaced and is on the list of things to come soon..however, it shampooed up pretty good...and once again I am good to go for a couple of months.

Today was just a regular day....paid bills, washed bedding and hung it out in the sunshine...nothing smells better than lined dried sheets....and then I have just been messing around.

At the farmer's markets we have had people asking for tomatoes. The tomatoes are just coming off...and they are WONDERFUL!!! I am not going to sell any of them....just call it self indulgent...but that is OK. I will take some up to Flagstaff for the family up there...but most of them we will just eat......if we have an over abundance, I will make fresh spaghetti sauce and freeze it. Nothing taste better in the winter than tangy, zippy, fresh sauce. One of our tomatoes turned out to have quite the personality...so I am introducing to you, "Mr. Tomato Head"...he stands out among the others. I will take him up for the boys. Only Wyatt loves tomatoes....but they will all get a kick out it.

Now I guess you can say...."She has too much time on her hands if she is taking pictures of tomatoes!"

If you are a detail person...

2008-07-27T15:52:00.001-07:00

If you are a detail person and want to see the pictures of Jess' leg when the accident first happened, where the accident happened and see how he got home....visit Sara's blog site:
http://www.smaier.blogspot.com/ my picture below is the the "after" picture...and believe me it looks much better now than it did then. Whew....I am glad we are on this side of the situation..and we have been extremely blessed. When I had the little boys, I couldn't believe how much energy I had and how each day I felt rested and ready to face the day. Then today at church a good friend of mine told me that she had been to the temple the week before Jess' accident. She said she didn't know why, but she felt impressed to put my name on the prayer roll. For those of you who don't know about the prayer roll...it places your name with others that will be prayed over every hour on the hour from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. 5 days a week for 3 weeks. I knew that I was receiving the blessings from people's prayers, but now I understand even more that it was not only from the prayers of family members and friends, but from all those people who attend the temple on a regular basis....and I thank those unknown people too for their faith and goodness. Prayer does work...and we have truly received the benefits of it in our family.

Update #2 on Jess

2008-07-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

We took the little boys back to Flagstaff yesterday...which was Friday, July 25, 2008. While we were there Jess and Sara changed the bandage on his leg. Actually, it looked very good. To me it looked a lot like a bad scalding burn...but there is less red, raw skin and more normal looking skin...so he is healing well. Both he and Sara were in good spirits and feeling very encouraged after their appointment at the Maricopa County Burn Center in Phoenix. I think both of them can see that there will be an end to all of this pain...and have noted a reduction in pain. Jess is no longer taking pain meds during the day and is walking on the leg. We feel very blessed, because it could have been so much worse. We want to thank all of you who have had us in your prayers. We have felt the effects of those prayers and are grateful for them.

A little side note added on Sunday, July 27th.....we heard from Jess exactly what happened and how he stepped into the burning stump hole....They were working at the front of the fire line just behind the bulldozers. The heavy equipment had graded the area so it was more smoothed out ...he was just walking along with the other men and stepped forward. He said it was just like walking on snow when a snowbank gives in and one foot goes down...except it was like going down in to a kiln that had been burning underground...his leg was burnt immediately and he was also pulled out immediately. His pant leg did not burn, but of course his leg did get a very bad radiant heat burn. He is really doing well. He went to Bodie's soccer game on Saturday and is trying to get back to a more normal routine.

Adventures of the 3 Maierteers

2008-07-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

This seating arrangement works well....seperate..but within eyesight.
Fruit smoothie moustache and goatee...#1.

With all of the fruit around here...we try to have fruit smoothies often...these were apricot.
Fruit smoothie moustache #2.
Fruit smoothie moustache #3....yum!
Bodie helping clean the kitchen

Bodie helping at the grocery store.

Eating treats at the Farmer's Market.

Bodie in outdoor shower.

The boys picking blackberries.

Bodie and Brock vacuming up popcorn.

Bodie taking a break.

Nana and the 3 boys went to Wendy's.

Wyatt helping Papa pick fruit.

This is what Italian ice does to a boy.

Brock taking care of the garden.

Boys in training for irrigating.

We were really BUSY when we had the boys...because they are so BUSY...but we had a good time with them. I didn't think we had taken any pictures, because I never had my camera with me.....but then I did have my phone...so the pictures aren't as clear as they would have been, but they will give you an idea of life with little boys. I wish I could get a transfusion of their energy, love of life and genuine good humor. They were great and really adjusted well to being here. I know they are loving being home with their mom and dad now. They could tell you what had happened to their dad and I am glad they could see that he was going to be OK. Most of all I am glad to report that after 10 days with the boys we are all alive and have a lot of good memories of our time together.

Update on Jess...

2008-07-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

This is the first day I have sat down at my computer since the boys arrived....about a week ago. They don't seem to take naps at the same time. Wyatt needs his earlier and the boys later, so there isn't time. We just got back from visiting Jess. I took all three boys up and we stayed for about 4 hours. Sara and Jess kept Wyatt...I am not sure that was the best decision...he is the one that does not understand that every human being reclining is not a trampoline, but that is what they wanted. He went down for a nap...and the older boys came back home with me. They will watch a movie here upstairs, so I can get back to normal a little bit. Wyatt is a moving, going machine and has to be watched every minute, so I kept to the downstairs. We have all gotten along just fine and I have been blessed with energy to care for them...I am sure it is the prayers that have been offered in our behalf...and I appreciate it very much.

Jess is doing as well as he can. He is in constant pain...that goes above and beyond the reach of pain killers...but the burns are reported to be looking much better. The real story is on his right leg from slightly above the knee to the ankle ...he has 100% of his leg burned front and back ...on the left leg there are only a few burns on the shin. He showed me some pictures that he took in the hospital and to be blunt it looks like some one carved a leg out of a raw beef roast....the pants he wore did not burn...they are made to take high temperatures...but his leg skin was not built for the same heat endurance. It was the radiant heat that got him...thank goodness his lungs were not involved...they would have been cooked. He did see a local specialist yesterday and the Dr. said everything was looking good.

Right now our prayers need to be for Sara. She has her hands full trying to make him comfortable, changing his bandages and making every attempt at making him happy....he thinks he is being a good patient...I said I had heard that he had been being a "pill"...and he told me he wasn't aware of it......of course he always thinks he is being "good".....hmmmm!? Maybe he will try harder.... Maybe Sara might need a break and she and I could change places and I could take care of him while she came down with the boys and Papa...it's an idea...who knows?

With only two boys, maybe I can get my house back in order...we have tracked in mud from the rains, tracked in ripe plums from shoes smashing them as they walked on the drive way or in the yard and just various other stains...so I will get to that soon and shampoo it. It doesn't matter...it will all get done eventually....dirt never really killed anyone....and if it does now...oh, well! We are beyond caring at this point. I was afraid that once the boys visited at home they might not want to come back...but they climbed in the car and said goodbye to Mom, Dad and Wyatt. We will go back for a visit in a few days. In the mean time we have our little routine. We get good rest at night and seek to have fun everyday....and it is fun to be with these boys, even though the circumstances have been unfortunate.

Here we go....

2008-07-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

Sara called Monday night to tell us that Jess had been burned on the "Butte" fire in northern California. He stepped into a burning stump hole that was covered with debris. The fire chief from Doney Park called and told us that Jess and the other men had been over the same field several times...and on the way back while he was carrying equipment he stepped into the hole.

His men were right at his back and had him out immediatly, but it was like stepping into a hot charchoal BBQ pit. His boots protected his feet...but above his ankles he was burned. He tried to walk out, but the pain was too great. He was helicoptered out and taken to Sacarmento which was about 100 miles south of the fire.

Katie couldn't stand not see for herself and wanting to make sure he was OK, so she left the next morning and drove 6 hours to find him. She has reported that he is doing very well, giving the nurses a hard time (which she sympathises with them) and is in good spirits. His pain level is being controlled. Jess told me that the pain was so bad the first 45 min. that any pain after that he considers minimal. She reported back to me at midnight last night that she had helped change his dressings with the other nurse and doctor. She said his legs look pretty good. The right leg is burnt worse than the left with approx. 30% involved...mostly in the front. The Dr. said he would not need skin grafs. So, that is a great relief.

The little boys are with us. They are very comfortable here and we will have a good time. Sara is flying there today. The fire department is taking good care of her and wants she and Jess to be together....and she is happy to comply. She has felt torn as to what to do...with Jess continuing to tell her, "It's OK...you don't need to be here". She will do much better being with him and seeing for herself.

Nana and Papa will hold the fort down .....that is what I can do best at this time. The little boys are excited that momma has gone to bring daddy home....so all is well.

We have new helpers....

2008-07-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

The boys really got into selling fruit with us at the Farmer's Market.....who knows they might take over the fruit someday and make some pocket change for themselves.....they really were good helpers...except for Wyatt...who still gets balls and apricots confused!

Firetruck ride......

2008-07-05T16:04:00.001-07:00

Steve came home from Viet Nam and waiting in line was done with....he hates waiting in line for anything....a restaurant, a movie, etc......but they were having rides for the kids for the 4th of July....so Papa waited in line.

Hugs....

2008-07-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

Patience

2008-07-05T15:33:00.001-07:00

Steve has really come into his own as a grandpa...or as papa. He has helpers....at times too much help, but the little boys love to work with Papa. Brock sat outside with Steve on the deck and pitted apricots to be frozen until the job was done. Wyatt on the other hand...he loves to help too, but he often takes a bite out of the fruit and then uses what's left for a ball....he has really come into his own and now is a twirling dervish of activity and busy-ness. We finally got his number and just took him off for walks...until his little legs got tired...then he wasn't so apt to want to run off....into the street, the crowds or the parade. He can keep a person busy just trying to keep him safe. Most of the time it was Papa who was chasing the little guy....although Sara did a fair share of it too....oh what an age 18 mo.'s is......!

Twenty-twos Son....

2008-07-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

There is a guy on a reality program called "Big and Rob"....that often flexes his muscle in his arm and says, "Twenty-two's son".....because his bicep measures 22 inches around.....Well a couple of weeks ago Steve had a complete physical at the Veteran's Hospital in Prescott. It was a very thorough examination including complete measurements of Steve's thighs....which were 21.5 inches...so now 22's son have become a family joke....but his arms are wonderful...not 22's...but plenty manly enough....and so are the grandson's!

4th of July

2008-07-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

Small town America....Clarkdale, Arizona....The town does it up right for the 4th of July. They start out with a pancake breakfast, followed by a parade for children.....decorated bikes, wagons, scooters, battery operated cars....everyone is welcome....and prizes are given out for the kids efforts. Candy is tossed to the onlookers. There are homemade games to be played at booths. Ice cream that melts as fast as it is served and is delicious on a hot morning. A wonderful, energetic rendition of patriotic music played by an all volunteer band....and lots of red, white and blue. I asked our oldest grandson what he liked best about the parade....and he responded without hesitation, "The candy"....I should have known! I really thought it might have been the ride in the old firetruck...but I think they have done the high tech one's with their dad often enough that it was just fun...but didn't measure up to the CANDY!

We left the fun in Clarkdale and went home for lunch and a rest...with every intention of returning and spending the afternoon swimming in the community pool that over looks the Verde Valley with views almost to Sedona...but after 10 minutes in the pool we were sent home due to lightening and thunder!

We went to the fireworks display in Cottonwood in the evening and it was a great one! So the 4th was just the way we like it...busy and fun with little boys who always leave you wanting more and a daughter-in-law that proved once again...she is the daughter of my heart and I am so glad she is part of our family!

Now it is quiet once more at Nana's and Papa's....but we are still smiling about all the fun we had.

Camp Verde Farmer's Market 2008

2008-06-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

This is our first Saturday to do the farmer's market in Camp Verde. It is a small, but a very delightful little market. So far we only have apricots. We also took some of Steve's plants that he has propagated...some bird feeders and little garden wheel borrows....it was fun to visit with the people and to share the fruit...our prices are not Santa Barbara's ...that is for sure, but the people love our apricots and we saw a lot of returning customers. Later in the season we will have plums, peaches, pears, and apples. When we are at Katie's we love going to the local farmer's markets...I am not sure all of the fruit is organically grown, though. Last summer we were at the farmer's market in Santa Barbara....beautiful produce...I am not kidding when I say there were peaches the size of slow pitch softballs....and they looked perfect....a man bought one and took a bite out of it and the juice ran down his arm and onto the pavement......I do not know what one does to get peaches that big...but they were amazing!

Aunt Mary...your bench misses you!

2008-06-28T17:42:00.001-07:00

Summer morning....

2008-06-28T17:37:00.000-07:00

Steve likes to get up around 5 a.m. Sometimes it is a little earlier. He likes to walk the property and take in the scents and breezes of the morning. He often takes pictures of the roses, the garden, the river....one morning he got this picture and I love the the way the light is in it and the feeling it gives.

Surprise!!

2008-06-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Katie came up with the idea of flying to Arizona to surprise her dad for Father's Day. It took a little planning, but we schemed together and got it all organized. I needed to go to Mesa to see my dear uncle anyway....and so Steve was not even suspicious. I almost blew it a couple of times and said something to let the cat out of the bag....telling him I was saving some spices for when Katie came so she could take them home with her.....calling him to tell him Katie was in the air...since we always worry about that...and mentioning some of our plans for when she was going to be here....so what I have learned about myself is that my life is such an open book any more....that I am not a very good secret keeper.....basically I have learned over the years that secrets are not very good in a family....so I just usually share most everything, unless I am told not too....but in this incidence it was very difficult...because who else do Steve and I have to talk to around here but each other....It was great fun! Katie asked me to let her out of the car a house ahead of ours....and with the big honeysuckle hedge he can't see the road from the porch. Then she waited a minute or two after I went in the house and then came up and knocked on the door. Steve was in such shock that he just walked away. I had our old camera in the house and it is not as clear....but I grabbed it anyway and tried to catch it on video. The whole weekend he couldn't stop smiling and gave Katie lots of hugs. We had a great time. Jess, Sara and the kids came down on Sunday and then we went up to Flagstaff on Tuesday to see the family. On Monday we went to Jerome. We shopped and had lunch....it was all such a fun time. Today we drove Katie back to the airport and she flew home.....I missed her even as I was kissing her good-bye. I am sure grateful she only lives one state away....at least we can manage that. She should be driving up on Highway 101 right now.......

Some other highlights of the weekend:

Jess took the "governors" off the go carts and made them go so fast that they scared Bodie and Papa....especially Papa.
Jess and Sara took the little boys out for races on the go carts.
Julie, Kyle and Daisy came by for a visit.....and came out to our new pool...where we were all lounging....they were thinking we had added a beautiful pool....and we had, except it was blue and one blows it up....it was so hot we were out there playing with the little boys and putting our feet in the pool....they pulled up chairs and joined us....we had a great visit....and a lot of laughs about our cooling off.
We had ribs....I need to work on my recipe...I am inventing my own and so my family has to be my guinea pigs....these were good, but not as good as I wanted them to be....so I will continue to experiment.
We had a lot of fun with the little boys....they are always entertaining and give us things to talk about for weeks...there is a lot of wisdom that comes out of those little mouths.....and a lot of advice. Brock told us that we were only to write on paper and not the walls and that when Wyatt got bigger he would tell him, "No Wyatt...we only write on paper!"....this is particularly interesting since he, himself, just wrote on the wall last week with a dry erase marker....However, I guess he has learned his lesson, because he can sure tell us what Wyatt needs to do now! (or rather not do!)
Unfortunately.....Dad's camera ran out of batteries and I didn't have enough time to go find mine and get him set up with it.....it takes a village to keep him up and going and when everyone else is here, he has to take a backseat....even if it is Father's Day. I just can't seem to take care of him and everyone else at the same time....and so we don't have as many pictures....he really does a good job of clicking away.....and now I wish I would have found the time!
And as usual it is always hard to say good-bye!