Libby's Reward Day

At first, I didn't think I would be busy on Friday, since I didn't have anything on my calendar. Not true. Brian called Friday morning and asked if I could help with their boys that afternoon while Kamille took their car in for a repair. I agreed, of course. Who could resist those two little characters? So Brian and the kids arrived here around noon and Kamille came shortly thereafter. We were getting ready to make some mac-n-cheese for their lunch (I won't touch the stuff!), when Mark called and asked if we wanted to come to Great Skate for a pizza lunch. So Kamille and I packed up the little charmers and we went to Great Skate. We had a less that delicious pizza lunch, but the boys did okay with it. We didn't stay too long....that place reeks of gym socks! Kamille went off to get the car repaired and the boys and I headed back home to play. We weren't here too terribly long when Kamille was back and they headed off to their house. By the way, Brian Mabee and Abby and Brian Trimble, Eliza and Ellie went to Brian Mabee's ward father/daughter campout near Strawberry.
Friday afternoon, shortly before the boys left, I received a pdf file of the new 7gypsies Summer 2009 catalog. Can I say....WOW! I never cease to be amazed at the talent of the designers. I can hardly wait until I can get my hands on some of the yummies and play! I was sent the file so I could edit it. They have new graphic designers/catalog preparers this time, so they thought there would be more that the normal amount of errors. And they were right. I spent at least 6 hours Friday night editing, editing and re-editing. But I think we got it!
Saturday morning we were awakened by a phone call from Erin. Libby was raring to go! A while back, Erin asked if she could make me/us a reward for Libby on her bedtime chart. She oftentimes has trouble getting to sleep at night and so they started a chart system with various rewards along the way to help encourage her. Libby wanted to spend the day with us....she wanted to have both lunch and dinner with us, too! So we hurried and got ready and went to pick Libby up. She was so excited! We started off at Target. I was looking for some shirts for the grandkids for Christmas pictures. I know, it's early, but I have a project to do for summer CHA the end of July and it's supposed to be a holiday project. So I needed some coordinating shirts for the kids. After Target we stopped by Scrap Happy Sisters to drop off a kit. Libby had a Borders gift card from being student of the month at school, so we stopped at Borders so she could spend her card. There were too many choices! She spent over an hour looking, looking and looking. She finally decided on an Amelia Bedelia book, a My Little Pony sticker book and one other book. Then it was time for lunch. Libby wanted McDonalds....a plain hamburger, a 6-piece chicken nugget pack and French fries. We got a slushie at Sonic. Mark and I opted for a Heidi's sandwich. Finally, we were on the road east. Our first stop was Deb's to get a couple of items for upcoming projects. They are having the creative team (sort of like a design team) do a monthly challenge. And we got the July and August challenges at the same time....on top of the other CHA projects. And they all have to be finished and returned before July 23rd. I guess I know what I'll be doing in July. So we stopped at Deb's and Libby was happy to be offered a granola bar. Erin's girls have learned that Aunt Deb always has treats in her pantry and is thrilled to share with the kids. Deb and I talked for a while and Libby and Grandpa watched a little TV. Really, the TV was on, but Mark snoozed and Libby came into Deb's studio with the girls. And she got the giggles! So funny. After Deb's (by the way, Libby got a chocolate ice cream bar for the road!), we went to Sonic for a refreshment break. Libby insisted on an apple slushie. We made a stop at DI. Libby had been there once before and she asked if she could buy something. Of course, we always support the local DI!

She found a few treasures...some books and a kaleidoscope. We didn't let her hold it up to her eye, though, until it was thoroughly disinfected! I found two BIG boxes of vintage flash cards....really nice ones! And for just $1.00!! What a find! After DI, we went to Seagull Book to get the rest of the shirts for the Christmas pictures. They have Downeast Outfitters clothing, and that's what I got for the girls. After DI, we headed toward the west side of town. I wanted to stop at Hobby Lobby because they were supposed to have adhesive on sale, but they said the sale didn't start until next week. Bummer. So we took Libby to Chik-fil-A for dinner. It was her choice. She especially wanted the waffle fries. While she was eating her dinner, I ran in to Joann's for a minute, then we took her home. It was nearly 7:30 pm before we got her home! I think she was worn out...I know we were! But it was a fun day. And she's already asked if we can be a reward another time....but this time she wants to make jewelry. What a girl!

Wow...Twice in a week!

Can you believe it? It's not the weekend, and I'm doing a blog entry. Monday started off with me finishing up my visiting teaching. I visited Jenny Cooper. She has four kids and the all (except the baby) wanted to visit with us! So funny! They have another new addition to their household....a baby goat! Charlie, the goat, greeted me as I walked up to their house on Monday. He was wading in the irrigation in their front yard. I guess they tried putting him in a fenced area in the back yard, but their big dogs thought he was their next meal, so that had to quickly change. In the meantime, Charlie is living in the front yard until they get his new pen built. He's pretty cute, though! On Tuesday, Mark's work schedule was a little different. He didn't go in until aroung 2:30 in the afternoon since the summer program was going to a Diamondbacks Game. So he got to chauffeur me to my hair appointment and find something to do while I got my hair cut. We came home and Brian brought his kids over for a couple of hours so he could get his homework done for his summer school class. He's Mr. Mom this summer and trying to work in his Masters' classes. The kids aren't always cooperative while he does his homework, so he dropped them off here and he headed to Borders to read his lesson material. .

Then we left for the baseball game. Erin and her family and Dan and his family met us there. It was fun to have them with us. We just wish Brian didn't have school on Tuesday nights, which happens to be the nights for the baseball games. Wednesday was a very busy day. It started off with a phone meeting with all of the 7gypsies design team members. We got new directions and instructions for the upcoming months. We're going to be busier than ever! After the meeting, I headed to Jan's where we taught a class to about 15 women in her home. That seems to be much more profitable than teaching in the stores...but you didn't hear that from me! I hurried home and got ready to head to the church where I taught a class to the Young Women. It was a scrappy day for me that day. And today was so fun. The summer program went to Broadway Palms in Mesa to see The Jungle Book. It was very well done and everyone loved it. Erin took all four of her girls and we were a bit nervous about Hattie sitting through it, but she did great. She laughed and had a grand time. Kathy Crouse brought her boys and joined in the fun. The only downside was when the monkeys raced past our table...one of them got a little wild and knocked over a full glass of water. It landed in my lap. That wouldn't have been so bad, but the glass shattered and not only did I have cold water in my lap, but I also had lots of glass embedded in my clothes. That wasn't fun. I was eager to get home and change into something less sharp, so to speak! Tomorrow is Friday, and I'm hoping for a calm, quiet day. We'll see

A Week in Review

One of my non-blogging children brought it to my attention that I haven't updated my blog for a week. So here we go...

Tuesday night was our RS book group. We read this book....A Quiet Heart by Patricia Holland. It's a very good book.

I worked all week on getting some baby blankets sewn for Humanitarian Service. Our ward committed to make 600. That's quite a lofty goal for just a month, I think. So I took two bundles, which made 20. I'm almost to think that if everyone made 20, we still won't be done by the end of the month. Oh well. I did what I could do. And I'm glad that they're done.

On Tuesday, the summer program kids went to see the animated movie, "Up". So Brian, his kids and I tagged along. We all enjoyed the movie. Even Luke (2 year old) sat through the whole thing so we could all stay in the theater. It was a good movie that I would recommend.





On Wednesday, Pat Brady and his wife, Dotty, brought their various desert animals to the summer program to teach the kids about desert wildlife. Brian took his kids, mostly because Dallin was determined to hold a snake. He got his wish. He held a king snake, a Sonoran gopher snake, a desert tortoise and a tarantula. Ewww!! But he did great and was very pleased with his courage and bravery.

I went visiting teaching to two of my ladies on Thursday morning. The message this month is about improving our prayers. We need to be more open to what the Lord has in store for us and what he has planned for us rather than us telling him what we want to have happen. It was a good lesson for me. I took the ladies each a prayer rug to go along with the message.



If you couldn't tell by now, this week was spent a lot with the summer program and the fun things they get to do. Friday was no exception. We went to Sunsplash in Mesa. In years past, we went to WaterWorld in Glendale, but it's closed down and the new Wet and Wild isn't open yet. So this session went to Sunsplash. It was fun to try out a new and different water park. Luke thoroughly enjoyed himself until he got too wet and the wind blew. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering. He'd want to snuggle in his towel until he got warm and dried off a bit, then he was back at it.

Saturday was a killer day for me. Jan and I taught two classes at Scrap Happy Sisters. We should have planned better because we didn't even have time to breathe between classes. The first class went longer than planned and we weren't finished with it before we had to get set up for the next one. We were there and on our feet from 10 am until after 5:30 pm. We were both beat by the time we got home. Mark spent the day shuttling me to and from the store, picking up Dad and Aunt Dovetta from the airport, grocery shopping and doing a couple of errands. The classes went well and I'm glad they're over!
Today is Father's Day. I think Mark got to have a relaxing day...at least I did! Kamille told us earlier this week that she and the kids were getting Brian a nice waffle maker and invited us for dinner tonight. It was delicious. Brian's already a pro at making the waffles. They were so light and fluffy! We had lots of yummy toppings....butter, peanut butter, pecans, chocolate chips, peaches, strawberries, maple syrup and whipped cream. It was a total sugar overload! At this point, I would challenge that non-blogging son who pointed out that my blog hadn't been updated in a week to start his own blog and set me an example, but I won't. He's the one who invited us to dinner tonight. And they took us to dinner after Sunsplash on Friday, so all is forgiven.
So here's to a new week. And it already is looking to be BUSY!!!

Why Can't I Keep Up?

I don't know why, but I'm having trouble keeping current with my blog. Sorry about that.



It's been another full, but fun week. On Tuesday we went with the summer program group to a Diamondbacks game. Dan and his family met us there. We had a great time. We sat in the picnic pavilion and they were GREAT seats. The kids liked the fact that they could eat all they wanted (hot dogs, soda, popcorn, peanuts) until the 7th inning. And they took full advantage of that!

On Wednesday, Jan, Sharon, Gwen and I went to Mesa for a girls' day out. We stopped at Scrapbooks, Etc., Mystic Paper and M&Co. Papery. We stopped for a late lunch at Toby Keith's new restaurant in Mesa. It was delicious!!
My dedicated visiting teachers came on Thursday. Eliza was here that day while Erin went to a Dr. appt., so it was a fun visit.

On Friday, Jan and I met at Scrap Happy Sisters to finish kitting the two classes next Saturday...the technique class and the Summertime album. Just when we thought we had things under control, more people signed up, so we had to start again with new kits. And even more signed up today. I guess we'll be doing some last-minute scrambling Saturday morning before class begins. Oh, well.









Yesterday, Eliza had her first swim meet at Cactus. She entered the breast stroke, butterfly and the freestyle relay. She got a fifth, a fourth and a second place. She wanted to do better, but we all think she did great for her first time out. She's especially good at the freestyle, and so she may be motivated to enter that as an individual event, too. After that, Mark and I did a little junkin'. Last night we watched the movie, One Man's Treasure. It's a pretty good little movie.
Today was my lesson. As usual, I ran out of time before I ran out of material. I suppose that's good. It's just frustrating to know what to say and what to leave out. There was a lot of good discussion, too. The lesson was on forgiving others and I am hoping it struck a chord with someone besides me!
Tomorrow is another full week of summer program, grandkids, sewing baby blankets for humanitarian service, book group, a day trip up north and two classes to teach on Saturday. Sheesh!!

Ketchup, Catsup or Catch Up??

I'm playing catch-up again. After we took Emma home on Wednesday night, we brought Matthew home with us to spend the night. He went to work with Mark on Thurday and passed off some Cub Scout requirements he needed to do at a police station. He thoroughly enjoyed himself. He learned how to take fingerprints, dust objects for prints and lots of fun things about police work. He got to ride in the DARE Mustang, which was especially fun for him. He and Grandpa had lunch together at Burger King and we took him back to Dan's office that afternoon/evening.

On Friday, we went to the Cold Stone Creamery headquarters in Scottsdale for a fundraiser. A friend of ours, Makenzie Moore, was found to have an inoperable brain tumor three years ago, when she was 7. She's spent most of the past three years undergoing chemotherapy in an effort to keep the tumor from growing or maybe even to shrink it. That was successful, so they took her off chemo the first of this year. Then she developed what they thought was a cyst and they were watching it. However, in May, just before school got out, she had to have brain surgery to remove what turned out to be a nasty looking tumor. It's uncertain how it will all pan out, but there was a fundraiser on Friday to help her family with quickly mounting medical bills. We weren't sure what to expect, except that we knew you got some ice cream in exchange for a donation (your choice as to amount) to the cause. When we arrived, we were surprised. That store is their training center for managers and new employees. On Fridays, they practice what they've been learning all week and the public gets to benefit from it. From 1-3 pm, they scooped and mixed ice cream for a large crowd of people. You could order ANYTHING you wanted from the menu in any size, shape, container, etc. The kids were all over the waffle cones....plain, chocolate dipped and covered with sprinkles. There was a constant stream of people donating and eating ice cream. I hope they did well that day.

On Saturday, we picked up our bountiful basket (along with Brian and Kamille's). It's almost like Christmas when you get a basket because you never know what will be in it. This week was a good one, as usual. Dallin and Abby were fascinated with the cucumber that came. They wanted it in the picture with them! Funny kids.
Saturday afternoon was a baby shower for Angela Coltharp. They've been in the ward for about the past two years, but have now moved to be closer to her husband's work. She's having her third boy!
Sunday was Fast Sunday. It was a good Sacrament meeting. And the lesson in RS was good. It was on Provident Living. There was a lot of good information given about food storage and related topics. Since then, Ashley has asked me to help her teach some Enrichment classes on home canning, etc. Should be fun and informative.

Today Brian needed help with his kids. He needed to do some homework for school and needed a place for his kids to hang out for the morning. He brought them by early this morning and Erin came by with her girls after swim team so they could all have a play date. They played well together. We didn't get much done, but the kids had fun. We practiced "eating in the school cafeteria" around our kitchen table in an effort to help Dallin know what to expect when he starts kindergarten in August. They did well. They had most all of the same rules that apply in a school cafeteria. After that, they lined up (complete with a line leader!) and we headed off to Mark's summer program locale. They had fun playing in the gym for a few minutes and then gobbling down their choice of yummy ice cream treats. I then took Brian's kids back home and Erin took her girls home. Now it's Monday night....and I'm ready for bed....early!!!

On the Road

This has been a week on the road. On Tuesday, we met Dan and family at his office to pick up Emma. She spent the night so should could come to the Girl Power class Jan and I taught at Scrap Happy Sisters. She was joined on Wednesday morning with Abby, Eliza and Libby. We had a great time together making this cute purse book. The girls are quite creative and crafty and seemed to enjoy the opportunity to be creative. Afterwards, we went to lunch. We picked up Micky D's for Libby and Emma and took it to Subway where the rest of us got our lunches. Then it was on the road again to take everyone home. At one point, Emma said, we've been driving for a LONG time. I replied, "We've only just begun," because we went to CG for Matthew's baseball game on Wed. night. Then we went to dinner with the CG Mabees. They missed our Mother's Day dinner, so this was their turn. And then we brought Matthew home with us to spend the night. He needed some assistance from Mark on one of his Bear requirements for Cub Scouts. So this morning he went to work with Grandpa. They had a great time together fingerprinting, dusting for prints and learning about law enforcement. They went to lunch at Burger King (yuck!) but had fun together. He especially liked riding in the DARE Mustang. Then this evening we returned to Dan's office where we left Matt to ride home with Dan. Whew! We've put a lot of miles on the car, but we sure had fun with grandkids. And this morning after swim team, Erin and her girls stopped by for a short visit. Now for the weekend.....