Wildlife World Zoo....Finally!

We finally made it to the zoo today. After two weeks of someone being sick, today was the day for Abby and Dallin's birthday activities. We started fairly early this morning and headed for the zoo. We saw lots of animals....ducks, geese, lots of primates, a lion, a few tigers (one white), giraffes, lots of small mammals and birds, a white alligator (and other alligators), a rhinocerous, and new aquarium exhibit. I guess I expected something different that what it was. I expected a huge tank with lots of various sea life. But what it was was lots of smaller tanks with isolated species in each tank. It was still a fun thing to see. Sorry for the bad photos....it's very dark inside the exhibit and the flash tends to bounce off the glass unless I step to the side and get out of the glass's way with the flash. And that wasn't always possible with all of the other people and the angle of the various animals in the tanks. But it is what it is.
Abby and Dallin (and Mark and I) had a great time, but we were all exhausted by the time we left. We picked up a penguin card for Abby's teacher at school who loves penguins and we got a baby elephant (toy) for Luke, who was home ill. On the way home we stopped for lunch and the kids ate like they were really hungry...which they probably were. We had some snacks to tide them over until our late lunch since the food was so darned expensive at the zoo.

Birthday Catch Up...Oops!

For some reason, I didn't post pictures from Abby's and Dallin's birthdays this past week. Oops!


Abby chose a make-up case filled with various kinds of girly make-up...blush, eye shadow, lip gloss, combs, a brush, various make-up brushed, nail polish with remover, a mirror, pony tail holders, lotion, etc. She had a great time picking out just the right things for her case. We went to the movies and saw Bolt. I can't find the picture I took of Abby and her case. Hmmm...Wonder where it went?/!!




Dallin chose a Batmobile. He had so much fun playing with it the night of his sleepover and most of the day the next day. He and Grandpa went to the "urban zoo" aka PetSmart on Saturday before Grandpa took him home. They dropped me off so I could attend Jodi's bridal shower.
Tomorrow is the big birthday activity day for both Abby and Dallin. I'll be sure and take pictures and post them soon.

Happy Birthday, Hattie!

Today is Hattie's birthday. She is two. Last night we took her shopping for her birthday present. Erin guided us in our purchases. She chose some summery dresses for church and for play. Last count, she'd had three different dresses on today! We had gotten her a kitty (Dottie) from Build a Bear, so we took her last night so she could choose an outfit for her kitty friend. At first, she wasn't so sure what to do, but it didn't take long and she was totally "into" choosing an outfit, brushing/fluffing the kitty's fur and shopping for various accessories! When she'd picked out the first item, she sat on the floor and started to take off her clothes, thinking she would try the outfit on! So funny. We also took her (and her family) to dinner. We picked up Subway for Eliza, Chipotle for Mark and Brian and we all ate at Paradise Bakery, where the rest of us got our food. It was a fun, crazy night!
Today I was expecting Abby to spend the day, but she woke up feeling good and was fever-free, so off to school she went. I went out to Brian's school and helped him with some grading he needed done. They were book reports made from cereal boxes and were way too bulky to transport home, so we did it there. I brought home the rest of the papers to grade over the weekend. Tonight that's what I've been doing, along with watching a couple of movies...Swing Vote (not very good) and The Duchess...not my kind of movie, so I didn't finish it.
Tomorrow is finally the zoo day. We thought we might not make it because Luke has a fever now, but his mom and dad will keep him at home with them while we take the other two. Should be a fun, fun day!

Abby 1, Abby 2 and T-Ball

In my last post, I mentioned that Abby had the viral fever. She still had it on Monday, so she spent the day with me resting and recovering. I thought we were out of the woods, but around 3 in the afternoon, she once again had a fever. That day we watched Space Buddies and several cartoon shows. I went into my workroom to work on a book project, and she wanted to be by me. So I set up a small table for her and gave her the makings for some beaded bracelets. She made one, and wanted to then be at my elbow "helping" me with my book. She did great. She's a wonderful rub-on applier. She helped me choose the photos and words to use on each page. We dropped her off at Kamille's workplace and we headed to Casa Grande to watch Emma's t-ball game. It's so much fun to watch games for kids at that age---no stress, but lots of funny things. They try so hard to do what their parents/teammates/coaches tell them to do. Too bad, it's probably three different things all at once. What's a kid to do??!! Emma's team is called the Muckdogs. Don't know where that came from, but she's a cute player!

Brian thought last night that Abby would be well enough for school today, but she woke up with a slight fever, so she spent today with me, too. Today we watched Space Buddies, 102 Dalmations and Inspector Gadget. I was prepared today! Erin came by later in the morning with Ellie and Hattie. Since Abby hasn't had a fever since early this morning, and since Erin's girls have both already had this virus, Abby was able to mix and mingle with the other girls. They had lunch together, which was fun. Ellie and Abby chose a mix of Chicken & Stars and Chicken Noodle soup. Hattie wanted mac and cheese. Erin toasted a bagel and I had the leftover soup. The favorite treat of the "sickies" has been Scribbler popsicles. They're small and cute and the kids love them. They're also helpful in keeping down a fever.

Abby is still fever-free, so it's a very good probability that she'll be sitting in her class with her fellow students tomorrow. We're crossing our fingers that Luke will be able to dodge the viral germs. After all, we have a trip to the zoo planned for Saturday, and if he's sick, we can't go....again! Say a prayer that he'll skip the sharing this time.

Curses, Foiled Again!

On Monday when we tried to go to the zoo for birthday celebrations, Dallin had a fever, so we postponed until today. But today, Abby woke up with a fever, so we've now postponed until next Saturday. The third time's the charm. We'll see. I pray that everyone gets over these little bouts with a viral fever and gets well.
Today was Jodi's bridal shower. She got lots of nice gifts. And it was so fun to visit with lots of friends and family. It's amazing how many common friends we have living in various parts of the valley. I felt a little bad for Jodi, though. She really dislikes being the center of attention and today she certainly was. Made her a bit uncomfortable. Just wait until the wedding/reception!! She liked it best when people would go in the other room and get something to eat and/or visit with each other so "nobody was looking" as she opened her gifts. Funny girl.
Since we didn't go to the zoo today, Mark and I ventured to Mesa to Mystic Paper and then to Deb's. I got a few sheets of paper at Mystic and an apron to alter. More on that later....when I get it finished! At Deb's, she LOADED me up with lots of new 7gypsies products. Yum!! I told Mark I wanted to hurry home and create something! I can't wait to have a few mintues (read hours/days) to just play with the new stuff. Makes me all tingly all over!!! I know, I'm weird. But I can hibernate in my workroom and spend hours on end just working away, completely oblivious to the outside world or the passage of time. I guess that's my escape!!

Catch Up

I guess I need to catch up for this week. Tuesday was our RS book group. We had read the book, A Heart Like His by Virginia Pearce. It was an excellent book about opening our hearts to others in ways that don't take any more time than what we would normally be doing. Helene Baysa came this month and she had a different perspective on the whole book. Since she teaches the Gospel Essentials class, she brought to our attention that this book would overwhelm a new/struggling member. And she's right. If you haven't read the book, I would recommend it.
On Wednesday, I had another one of those good, but unproductive days. Dallin had a fever for the fourth day in a row and since Kamille took off work on Tuesday, it was "my turn". He was great, but I didn't get anything accomplished other than having a great day with him. He's such a good boy. He's no trouble at all and he's quite pleasant and easy-going. I have to admit, though, that he loves to watch cartoons on TV and since he was "sick", I let him!! He didn't have a fever the whole time he was here. Must be a miracle at Grandma's house.
I can't think of anything worthwhile that I did on Thursday, but I know I managed to stay busy!
Today I finished up Jodi's album for her bridal shower tomorrow. It turned out nice. I did it in all black and creme so it would go with whatever colors she wants to use. Tonight is Dallin's birthday sleepover. After we picked him up, we went to Toys 'R Us to choose his toy. He wanted a stealth launcher Batmobile. Of course, the store at Arrowhead was out, but we found one at the Metrocenter store. Whew! He also chose a Joker character. He's had a great time all evening playing with his new toy. He wanted Sonic for dinner, so he chose a cheeseburger, string cheese (he claims he doesn't like fries or tater tots) and an apple juice. He also got to choose a movie at Blockbuster. He chose Space Buddies. It was a cute movie. Tomorrow he wants Pop Tarts for breakfast. Then he and Grandpa will drop me off at the shower while they go pick up Abby. Then they will pick up lunch before they pick me up and we'll all be off to the Wildlife World Zoo. Should be a fun, tiring day!

Happy Anniversary! Happy Birthday!

Today is our 36th wedding anniversary and we spent most of the day with Abby celebrating her 7th birthday. These are the beautiful roses that Mark ordered for me. Love them (and him!).
Abby started off the morning with French toast sticks at Burger King. Then we headed off to shop for her birthday present. She wanted make-up, so that's what we got. Then we saw the movie, Bolt. She'd seen it once before and liked it so much, she wanted to see it again. Then she helped us with a Build-a-Bear kitty for Hattie, who was ill and couldn't go. And since Dallin was sick, too, we're postponing the zoo until he feels better. After we dropped Abby off at home and dropped the kitty off at Hattie's, Mark and I ordered Carraba's for dinner. We did take out so we could go home and watch the Amazing Race from last night and Medium. It was a great day! Thanks, Abby, for sharing your day with us.

A Great Day!

Today was a great day. We had church and the talks in Sacrament meeting were especially good. I felt bad though, because BOTH adult speakers also had to teach in Relief Society/Priesthood. Talk about doing double duty. But they did great jobs. And the lesson today in RS was really good. It was the Joseph Smith lesson about the bitter fruits of apostasy. Susan handled what could have been a sensitive topic with ease. There were LOTS of good comments....to the point that she didn't have time to finish all she wanted to say in her comments! But that's okay because we learn so much from each other.
After church, we came home and got things ready for our early dinner. The weeks that Dan and Chris come up from Casa Grande, we try to eat earlier so they can have time to get back home before it gets too late. Today we had taquitos (Abby's request), nachos (Erin's request), hard and soft-shelled tacos (Dan's request) and cheese crisps (Brian's request). Abby got a request because tomorrow is her 7th birthday! It's hard to believe she's already 7. Time flies. She's spending the night tonight and if Dallin is feeling better, we'll be heading to the Wildlife World Zoo tomorrow for their birthday activity. Dallin's sleepover is on Friday night this next week because his birthday is next week. We'll be coming up with Plan B if he's not feeling up to the zoo. We'll do the zoo another time when he's feeling better.
And tomorrow, Feb. 16th, is our 36th wedding anniversary. Yes, we share the day with Abby. She was born on our 29th anniversary. We don't mind sharing with her. It makes it a doubly fun day!

My Friend Came Home!

After being gone for 10 days, my microwave has come back home, repaired and ready to go! My dishwasher will be happy since there will be fewer dishes to be washed (those used to warm up leftovers). It's amazing that 30 years ago, we didn't know what a microwave oven was and now we wonder how we can live without it! And how utterly dependent we become on modern conveniences. We're (I'm) pitiful!!! We're glad to have her back home where she belongs!

Another Friend

Today I went to Erin's for a couple of hours to stay with Libby, who was home ill, so Erin could attend a luncheon for a friend who was moving. Libby seemed excited to have me there. She had mac and cheese for lunch, then we drew some pictures and she read the Friend. My goodnes, but can that girl read! She's 5 and in kindergarten, but has been reading since before school started this year. She could read anything in the Friend magazine and didn't let any of the words trip her up. I'm amazed at how smart kids are these days and how well they do in school. It's like once the idea of putting letters together to make words clicks in their heads, there is no holding them back! I think we read the magazine from cover to cover....at least once! Erin said that Libby and Eliza really enjoy the online Friend activities at lds.org. What a blessing to have that available to kids instead of the more undesirable internet activities.
Tomorrow is bread-making day, so tonight I ground the wheat. We've gotten pretty good and quick at the bread making. And yum! is it good!!!

First Lesson Down

Yesterday was my first RS lesson and I thought it went well. The timing was just right, there were great comments during the lesson and I didn't let things get out of hand....just kidding!! It was good. Not on to the next one....on Missionary Work.
I'm finally getting around to posting a couple of pictures from our trip to the Chocolate Affaire.



Of course, I forgot to take pictures until we were almost finished making the pizzas. Oops!
Today I'm working on another baby album for a baby shower this weekend. It never ends!

I Have a New Friend

Yesterday when I was scrubbing the tub/shower in the bathroom, I noticed a stain that wouldn't come up with an SOS pad. That's when I noticed a bit of mildew on the inside of the shower curtain (the side that touches the tub). Try as I could, I was unsuccessful getting the stain up. A few months ago, Mark noticed the same sort of stain when we moved a couple of shower gel/shampoo bottles. Dark stain that wouldn't go away. We tried an SOS pad, bleach solution, Magic Eraser...with no success. I mentioned it today to Erin and she suggested Bar Keepers Friend. It's a powdered cleanser you find at the grocery store. Cheap, too! Anyway, I put a little of it in my hand tonight with a little water to make a paste and I gently rubbed the stain. GONE! No scrubbing, no effort....but gone! I tried it on the old stains, too and they're gone! YEA! I have a new cleaning friend! Thanks, Erin. So I replaced the shower curtain liner. We got one that's guaranteed no mold/no mildew. We'll see if that works! But for now, I'm happy.
This afternoon Erin and family and Brian and family came by and had lunch (pizza). Then we all headed off to the Glendale Chocolate Affaire. Our goal was to let the kids make their own chocolate pizzas at the Cerreta's booth. After we finally found a place to park, we took a short walk to Library Park. The kids each made their individual pizzas and we walked back to the cars. Nobody was really interested in walking around this year because it was so darned crowded. So we met our goal and the kids all headed home. Matthew and Emma weren't able to come up to join us, so we made one for each of them and decided to deliver it to them. They were pleased and surprised! We visited with them for a while and headed back to the valley. On our way, we decided to try out the Wal-Mart in Queen Creek. We'd heard that they sold food storage buckets with Gamma Seal lids for not a lot of money. We found the store at Ellsworth and Rittenhouse and found the buckets. The buckets were $5 each (5 gallon) and the lids were $5.50 each. We got three. They also carry canning jars, water barrels, pumps for the water barrels, small lids for the barrels and a wrench to remove the lids for filling and usage. It's a good resource...and cheaper than what you typically find in a specialty store. Score!!
Tomorrow is my lesson. I've spoken to several people who agree with me that the Joseph Smith lessons are challenging, to say the least. At least I feel like I'm in good company and that it's not just me!! I pray it goes well. I've already started looking at next month's lesson. It should be a fun one, too!

Friday Funday

Today was a bit of a fun day. Erin and I packed up three of her girls and headed to Mesa to the Modbe sale at the Mesa Hilton. I didn't think they had a lot of choices, so I was a little disappointed that we went that far for not much. Erin managed to get a couple of shirts for a birthday party the girls were going to this afternoon, so all was not lost. I'm sure she could have found a few items for herself, but she restrained. The girls were great the entire time we were gone....no whining, no fussing...total cooperation. We had a picnic lunch in the car before we headed back to the west side of town. Eliza even posed under a tree for me so I could get a picture for my Project 365. We had parked under a BIG old tree that was VERY shady. I was particularly impressed with the trunk of the tree. It would be a great climbing tree. There was a funny sign on the block wall between the cars and the tree that said something like....Park at your own risk. There are birds in the trees. We thought that was worth a chuckle. After stopping for refreshment at Sonic we trekked back to Glendale/Peoria. Erin went home from here and I worked on my lesson for Sunday. It wasn't coming together like I'd like, so I set it aside for a bit. After Mark came home, we went junkin' for a while. We found a couple of fun things....I got a gallon ziploc bag full of ink pads (not sure if they're even any good), and a bunch of OLD stamps from some business. They're great and I can't wait to use them on an upcoming project. Another find was a totally retro footstool. It's about a foot tall, about a foot wide and about 18" long. It has wooden legs with metal ends and "feet". The top is a cushion covered with orange vinyl. Can you picture that? I'll have to take a photo when it's lighter in here. It's in perfect condition! I have been wanting a table/stool to put next to the recliner and to use when the grandkids come over. It will make a great stool for them to sit on. And it's a beautiful orange color. Can you tell I was excited. And it was only $5!! Another item I saw and wanted was an old, green depression glass citrus juicer. It wassss gorgeous, but I wasn't willing to pay the $25 they wanted for it. I'll wait. But I'll probablly be sorry, too.
Tonight I finished grading papers and went back to work on my lesson. I finally finished. But I hadn't realized how challenging this lesson would be. It didn't seem to flow as easily as lessons I've taught in the past. It seemed like there was a LOT of repetition in the lesson and I felt like I would be saying the same things over and over and over again. I hope it goes well. I've been working on the lesson for almost two weeks now...since I was first called. So it's not like I've been putting it off. I like to wait until near the lesson time to pull it all together so I've had a chance to study/pray/research before I tie it all up. Anyway, I may need to rethink that strategy.
Tomorrow is the Chocolate Affaire in Glendale. At least some of our kids/grandkids are coming. It should be fun.

We're in trouble!

Sunday morning, I was cold, so I was heating a corn bag in the microwave. After I put it in, I walked down the hallway (behind the kitchen) and heard a LOUD pop! I went in the kitchen and the microwave was off and dark....nothing working at all! No lights, no fan, nothing. So Mark went out to check the circuit breaker and it was fine. So no microwave. So sad. Today the repairman finally came out and gave us the verdict. The magnatron is shot! It's the big part (read most expensive part) of the microwave. He said it would take five working days to get the part in and another five working days to get it fixed. He removed the microwave from above the stove and took it away to the microwave hospital. I thought living four days without a microwave was bad. Now we have to live without our devoted friend for two weeks! Yikes! Like I said, we're in trouble! I told the man....I don't know how to cook without it. Truth be known, I can cook, but I can't reheat anything without it. Ok, I take that back, too. I can reheat things, but you have to dirty another pan of some sort in order to reheat anything. Talk about reverting back in time!! So my photo of the day for my project 365 was my broken microwave. We'll miss her, and will be waiting with open arms for her to return home once again. Luckily, we have a home warranty that will pay for the repair. Whew!

Go Cobras

Tonight we attended the first round of the state finals soccer tournament at Cactus High School. A couple of boys from the ward are on the team, and it's our kids' high school alma mater. Cactus played Copper Canyon and beat them handily, 5-0. Now they're headed to round two to be held in Tucson on Friday night. Go Cobras.

My VT partner and I didn't do so well last month in our visiting teaching, so we got out early this month. Today we got all of our ladies and we can check that task off our list for this month. We really love the ladies we visit. They're all so much fun, but we catch ourselves staying too long because we enjoy their company and conversation so much.

Today was Abby's and Brian's day to stop by for dinner before Brian heads off to school and Kamille picks Abby up. We enjoy the time they spend with us here. It's a treat for us.

Yesterday Hattie slipped off the chair at lunchtime and got quite a bump on her lip. She bit the outside of her lip with her upper teeth and the inside of her lip with her bottom teeth. It's a wonder she didn't bite totally through her lip! Today she's swollen and bruised, but I think the popsicles we took over last night seem to help ease her pain. And Ellie has had a fever off and on all day today. No other symptons, but a fever. Weird.

Dad in still in the hospital. He spent Saturday night at the ER and went again on Sunday night. He had very high blood pressure, a little trouble breathing and a little pain in his chest. They've run a full battery of tests, but so far, everything is coming out okay. Tomorrow he'll have his stress test and they'll send him home if that's okay, too. I'm thinking he has too much stress in his life and we need to work some things out that should help ease those troubles for him. At least I hope so.

We're looking forward to the annual Glendale Chocolate Festival on Saturday. Every year for the past several years, we meet our kids and grandkids there and the grandkids get to make their own personal chocolate pizza at the Cerretas booth. They LOVE it! Mark is good friends with the Cerretas and they're always so good to let the kids make pizzas on their tab. They are also good to donate candies to the guys to use in their classes at the various schools. What's not to like about chocolate??!!!

Bummer!

Today was the much anticipated Super Bowl XLIII. It's the one where the Arizona Cardinals finally made it!! Sadly, the Cardinals lost...but it was a good game right to the bitter end. Bummer! Mark said it was a good think that we aren't die-hard fans, or we would have taken it a lot harder, I'm sure. We had our annual gathering at Erin's house so the kids would have room to play together while the adults watched the game. Kamille was the good one, and worked on her Relief Society business while the rest of us cheered. Erin cheered loudest of all, and she took a lot of ribbing from the guys. She doesn't cheer all year, but today she made up for it, for sure!!!
Dinner was great. We had Cafe Rio pork, cilantro lime rice, creamy tomatillo dressing and chips and salsa. Erin made fresh tortillas and of course, we had dessert. Erin is so good at trying out new recipes and today was no different. She made marshmallow treats, but used strawberry marshmallows. Not only were they delicious with a hint of strawberry, but they were pink! And she made a devil's food cake with two layers of chocolate and cool whip in between....and Cool Whip icing on top. Yum!
I was sustained today in my new calling....Relief Society instructor. I teach the second Sunday each month and next week is my week. Wish me luck!
Thankfully, this week looks (at this point) to be a "quiet" week...visiting teaching, a class at Scrap Happy Sisters and a baby shower. Not too bad. We'll see if that's what actually happens!