Miscellany

This past month, I finally finished my second story - then voluntarily ended my own writing career (at least for now.) I didn't think I'd miss it at all, but I kind of do. At least I miss having that continuous project that kept my mind semi-active and interested.

I was wandering around at odds with myself the other day, wondering what to do next, when my daughter suggested going to the nearby Barnes & Noble.

I jumped at the suggestion, because it's such a great place to look for new inspirations.
We spent a pleasant few hours wandering and perusing before she had to get home to go to work.

I came home with a fun magazine, a book of fairy tales, and a little fairy painting kit.

I've been wanting to start painting again, but it's been so long that there's that fear that I won't be able to do it anymore. (I haven't touched a paintbrush since my last baby was born.....18 years ago!)

I used to love to paint faces, and would often use photos in the doll magazines to practice techniques, and to challenge myself.
The Haute Doll magazine I got will be just the place to start trying that again (I hope.)

When I look at dolls, for some reason I always shy away from the perfect-every-hair-in-place type, and am drawn to the one that is a little different - quirky, sad, awkward - the one that needs LOVE.
These are some that I found;

Dale Zentner


I love how her dolls have such unusual faces. Their emotions seem to change depending on how the head is tilted. I also love the frizzy hair, and the fun girly fashions. Very fairly-like, don't you think?
Val Zeitler is another brilliant doll designer - she's cornered the market on quirky!
This one is from her "Attic Treasures" collection:

She also has a line called "Bitten." (Beautiful victims of Vampire bites.)

Then there's Evangeline...

Ok, maybe she's a little odd - even slightly creepy... (her best friend is a bat)

...but come on - you gotta love the shoes!



Speaking of Priceless Faces, this one is precious too...
(And I want to capture it as soon as I'm practiced up.)

(My youngest gran - this is her "not having fun, I want to go home now" face.)

We're going to attempt to go camping this week - wish us luck!
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Grandma Day

My two older grand daughters are learning to enjoy making cards, and every once in a while, they will ask to come over and "play" with grandma.

We had such a day today. It's always fun to see how excited they get when I pull out the paper and stickers (not to mention, a great way for me to use up excess supplies!)
Today they learned how to die cut and emboss with a Cuttlebug and Quikutz tools.

As you can see, they had a great time, and made special cards for everyone in their family.

Love my Girls!

Party Hardy

July is party month around here - 5 birthdays in the first week, besides Independence Day, Pioneer Days, and our own local Scottish Festival.

By the 7th, I am beginning to be slightly weary of celebrating, but that's probably due to the HEAT.

4th Follies

With the 4th of July falling on Sunday, we kept the celebration pretty low key...

We did have a family pot-luck barbecue, then we had our own little fireworks show.
My boys had been planning this for a while, and the main thing they wanted was a tank war. (Fond memory from days gone by.)

They had a hard time deciding who the opposing teams would be, but it finally boiled down to Pepsi vs. Coke. (Coke is a bad word in this house!)

The tank fireworks have been modified over the years - they don't roll or shoot as far as they used to, so it wasn't as exciting as any of the kids had hoped, still they had a good time with it. And although from the photos, you can see that Pepsi took a beating, hubby cheated and proclaimed them the winner (no surprise.)
battle
Pyro maniacs - I mean, technics

Summit meeting...

Lined up for battle...

...The bombs bursting in air

Take no prisoners...

Witnesses (girilie burrito)

Great Scott
As I mentioned, my little town is host to the Scottish Festival in July. It gets bigger every year, and people come from everywhere to see Scottish dancing contests, live folk music, bagpipe competitions, as well as games such as the caber toss, etc.

Some come to stroll the booths and buy Scottish goods, some to visit the clan booths and search out their Scottish roots, and some - merely to admire the men in skirts.

(And yes, I do have a wee bit o' Scott in me - my maternal grandmother was a McBride.)

But whatever the reason for coming, it's always interesting and always a good time, but like I said, be prepared to enjoy the heat as well.

Pioneer Days

This coming weekend is Pioneer Days. This is a state holiday, set aside to honor those brave souls who crossed the wilderness and settled here. No small act of bravery - many lost everything (some even their lives) to find a place free from religious persecution.

If you are a native Utahn (or Arizonian for that matter,) chances are good that you have ties to these people.

Lots of Parades, carnivals and fireworks, so I'm catching my breath 'till then.

Cherry Time

In the next week or so, it's also Cherry time here. Lots of local fruit growers will be harvesting and processing this years crop.

Since my job is so slow, and I've been cut back into next fall, (almost) I volunteered to work in the fruit.

In my opinion, you can't be a true Paysonite unless you have worked in the cherries at least once. (Initiation, ha ha.) It's disgusting work - long hours and hard labor, but the pay is decent, and just when you think you can't stand it anymore, it's over.

That pretty much covers things here. :-)
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Surprises

Tuesday, my youngest talked me into taking her shopping to all her favorite little haunts. We had a fun day, looking at everything and grabbing a snack at our traditional greasy spoon.
When we got home, all of my family's cars were parked in front of the house - I wondered what was going on here while I was away...

We walked in the door, and everyone yelled "Surprise!" They had thrown me an early birthday party - and I had fallen for it hook, line and sinker. What a devious bunch! :-)


(My son the artist/food stylist arranged the table aesthetically because he knew I would want photos.)
But it was lovely, the meal was tea party style, with dishes that were not only delectable, the were pretty to look at too!
...There were lace table cloths and flowers - Martha Stewart would have approved!

My daughter in law planned it and made all the food herself.
It's so touching when someone is willing to put in not only the work, but the thought that goes into something like this - it's just really special.

Thanks to my family for giving me such a wonderful day!


...A surprise that wasn't so good - doing the math and finding out that I'm actually a year older than I thought I was! Hmph.


The 4th of July weekend is upon us already, and we're having fireworks here Sunday, as well as a pot luck supper. July is such a busy, festive month!

Have a safe and happy holiday!
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Night

I tried to sleep. Really I did.
It's just too hot, and the full moon is peeking through my blinds and taunting me.
It knows that when it is bright and full, it makes me want to drive up into the hills and look at the stars in the sky and the lights in the valley below.

I like to watch the bats come out and get them to dive at the little pebbles I throw at them, and remember the days of night games, tree houses, and sleeping out on the big front porch.

I love my little town at night. The streets roll up, and it's so quiet and still.
I've spent many a restless night driving around and discovering little crannies and hills with views that take my breath away. All those favorite little places hold memories that are best enjoyed alone because that's how I first experienced them...

But since it's too late for a respectable old lady to be wandering around town alone, I've been sitting here looking for pictures of favorite things to cheer me.

One of my favorite sites had tons of gorgeous pictures of Oregon - which led me to think of my children, and how things are going to change at the end of this Summer.

My son is going to move back to the Pacific North West - not Oregon, but even further. Seattle.

On the one hand, I'm excited for him to be going off to a new adventure, and continuing on to fulfill his goals - but on the other hand, something in my gut fears that he will never come home again. Ever.

I've been so spoiled having all my kids so close.

But fish gotta swim, and birds gotta fly.

(...While crotchety mamas sit home and *Sigh*)


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Summer Solstice

It's official (by the calendar anyway) Summer is here.

When the kids are out of school - so am I. No more reason to get up early in the morning. The thing is, that for me, school is out forever. No more children in that routine ever again.

Trying to make plans to fill my days. I must accomplish things - or just sit around waiting to die. (Boring!)
Planning to de-junk the house little by little, get the garden in, start reading again, and hopefully do some creative things too.

Planning a trip this fall - so working to save for that. Difficult when the job is dwindling down to nothing...

I spent this past weekend at a couple of dance recitals for my granddaughter.
The one on Friday was for her tap/jazz class, and the other on Saturday was a full blown ballet (Coppelia.) The performances were at the new art center in Provo, a very nice venue.

Long performances, but it was fun to see how focused she was, and how seriously she was taking it. So cute. Wish I could share pictures, but they wouldn't let us take any...

Saturday I also went with my sister to the Parade of Homes. It's always fun to tour the homes and see what is new not only in the architectural styles, but in decorating styles as well.
We were only able to get through four of the homes before I had to leave for Millie's dance recital (the homes are spread all over the county) but it was fun - I enjoyed it.
In past years, the homes have all been huge and outrageous, but this year they were mostly small and conservative - signs of the times.

There was one huge "castle" type home that was my favorite - because I could imagine my entire family being able to live there together without feeling crowded. I never knew I wanted that - but it would be awesome, I think.
It was completely self-contained - movie theater, gym, indoor pool, even a dance studio! The only thing the place didn't have was a bowling alley!
Awesome. *Sigh* Unfortunately, the only oil on my property belongs to Questar.

News
Sad week in the neighborhood - 2 of my neighbors passed away this past weekend.

One a nice old gentleman who lives around the corner. Salt of the earth - his kind smile will be missed.

The other was an 11 year old boy. So sad when there is a life that will be unfulfilled - and especially when it was an accident that could have been easily prevented with a little forethought. The boy is in a better place, but his family will struggle.

Enough for today - I have laundry to do, and dishes to wash.

Happy Summer! (Wish I were on that beach...)

Weekend Rewind...

Thanks for being patient with me...

It's not that I have nothing to say these days - it's a technical thing.
It's so complicated to post these days, because I have to go back & forth between computers, email photos to myself, download them onto the other computer, then post them... (I have an unhealthy virus on my main computer, so I don't trust doing everything there.)

I haven't deserted - I've just gotten lazy. (Too much work)

Anyway, It's been a good week here - Sunday we celebrated my daughter in law's birthday with a barbecue up the canyon. She did all the work herself, and it was AMAZING! Yummy ribs, dutch oven potatoes, and home made doughnuts.

The weather man (as well as Mother Nature) kept threatening rain, but thankfully, that didn't happen. It was a bit chilly, but it was green and beautiful up there!
The party was a success, and lot's of fun! I enjoy her family, they are kindred spirits.


Family& Friends


As the air got cooler, the circle around the fire got closer...


Babe in the woods Sighted the elusive Babe-squatch


Beauty My daughter caught this shot - lovely.


Sorry the photos are so small... still trying to get the hang of this.
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Friday

It's been a pleasant week here - rain during the nights, cool breezes during the day. I love sleeping with the windows open, and what the rain does for my flowers.
(Even though it does make the grass grow a little too fast...)

It's also been very quiet.
Hubby has spent most of the week at the Huntsman Cancer Center with his brother, so I've been on my own. (The brother is doing well - almost beyond expectations.)

Been finding this & that to do - finished a little album for my daughter's best friend. She's been a part of our family for almost as long as my daughter - so a mere graduation card just didn't seem like enough...


I had the hardest time deciding what to do for her - then it occurred to me that I had all these photos of times that she had spent with our family - and voila! ...the idea was born.





I only hope that she can recognize the heart-felt sentiment that comes with it - she means a lot to us.


Other pass times this week?

Wrote a few chapters on my silly story, spent some time with the grans and my girls. Last night my daughter and I watched "On a Clear Day" together - what a trip back in time! (Gotta love those fashions from the '70's!) ...and the ever present laundry and cleaning.

It's Friday now, and I'm so ready to get out of here for a bit - any suggestions?

Have a great weekend!
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HellOooooo!

It's Summer vacation - now if someone would just alert the weather...
Still coolish and damp here, but the upside is that for the time being, everything is very GREEN.

I made a little trip to the garden shop this week, and lost myself among all the flowers. Heaven.
I wish those folks would come and re-do my whole yard for me, the shop was so full of beautiful blooms.

I picked up just a few to plant in my 'giant' teacup:

I had such a hard time deciding with all the beautiful choices there - but I settled on a few that were unique and fun.
These petunias captured my imagination - they are so different from any I've ever seen...
Love the green around the edges - so cool.

I had a plan to eliminate some of the large plants in my front flower beds - they have always been unruly, and laid flat in a tangled up mess. I was finally going to rip them out this year and replace them with daisies or something - but guess what? The darn things are pretty this year!



I've also been creating a little. With graduation comes the need for more cards...

Not terribly exciting, but I was in a pinch...

I also made this little recipe book for my daughter who will be leaving home for the first time this fall.

I made it out of one of those inexpensive photo albums you can find at any department store. I used some Basic Grey papers I had on hand, and the vintage title which is Cosmo Cricket. I don't know if she'll appreciate the "old fashioned" look that much, but it spoke to me of my momma and yummy home cooking, so there it is.
I'll fill it with my recipes that are her favorites, so she can create them herself. (Although she already knows most of them!)

Lastly, a little card to celebrate some new ribbons that came in the mail the other day...

I was inspired (or should I say 'tempted'?) by some creations by my favorite card artist; Lilybean. She is such a hazard to me - anything she uses on her blog - I have to have. She just makes it look so gorgeous! I swear the woman could sell me old socks, and I'd be happy about it. I hope the folks she designs for appreciate her!

...But I digress... I ordered the ribbons from This Good Day at etsy.com. The papers are some K&Co. that I had laying around, and the vintage 'seed packet' is a sticker that was a fun sister gift last fall (from Victorian Trading).

That's it for today. I was supposed to work this afternoon, but they are cutting hours again. I'm wondering how long until I find myself laid off again?

Nursing a toothache, so I just may put myself to bed...

Enjoy your weekend!
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Graduation Day

May was a busy month - just trying to get the daughter's loose ends tied up at school, then graduations, holidays, etc.
I think I spent half the month washing dirty dishes from all the gatherings!

But it's been good.

As I was shooting pictures at my baby's graduation, I couldn't help but feel so proud - not just of her, but of all my children. I am so grateful for each and every one of my family!

jenny grad

our family

proud parents


Now that it's all over, I've been sleeping in a bit - no more reasons to get up early. It makes me wonder - what am I going to do with the rest of my life?

We also had an anniversary this month - 34 years.
We planned to get away, but it just wasn't in the cards. (Or the budget!)
Hubby had some time off, so we spent it doing quiet things - breakfast out - yard work, touring model homes (dreaming) ...and I even talked him into an afternoon of scrapbooking with me! (He actually got more done than I did.)

Spent Memorial day with the family - cook out (we actually had a nice day for it!) and just visiting.
My sister stopped by, and we got to visit with her and her son's family. His little boy is so cute!

Now that the celebrations are all over, we can settle down to Summer vacation. If the weather will just cooperate...
Peace. (?)
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This 'n That

Feeling gloomy this Monday morning.
I could easily climb back into bed and pull the covers over my head for the rest of the day - if only I didn't have to work.
Totally blaming it on the weather.
I look at the calendar, and see that it's May - but there is no actual evidence to support that assumption.
Blah.
I'm so tired of wind and rain and COLD!
A little springtime please, before summer comes in with a vengeance?

A few celebrations this week - Saturday was our 34th anniversary, hubby and I.
We usually head down south for a weekend vacation - but due to the downslide in the economy (the nations AND ours...) we spent a quiet holiday at home.
Believe it or not, I actually got him to scrapbook with me for the day on Friday. We enjoyed it too - (and nobody died!)

Yesterday was my youngest daughter's Seminary graduation. Came home and spent the entire day in the kitchen to serve an early lunch, but it was worth it just to see my baby shine.

Sat between the grans during the ceremony, enjoying loves from each - moments that I live for...

Later, while we were visiting, we caught Jeff's 2 year old eating the Nestle's Strawberry Quick right out of the container.
A little hyper tonight? ...Sorry.

Rumors going around that Ghost Whisperer is being cancelled this year.
That would be a sad day for our household - it's the only show we can all sit down and watch as a family.
)The girls and I like the ghost stories - I think hubby just likes Jennifer Love Hewitt.)


Back to the real world now, schlepping fabric to the masses.
x.o
Tah!

Finale

Endings are so bittersweet.

Yesterday we attended # 2 grand daughter's graduation from pre school.
She was so cute and proud - she's such a little lady.
Miles to go from here - but she'll do great. She's already reading, so the sky is the limit!

Miss Moo




Last night was also my youngest's final choir concert.
They should have charged for awesomeness, because they really rocked the house!
They just got back from the choir competition in Anaheim, where they took 4 gold medals and 4 trophies - sweepstakes winners being one of them.
Wow. It really showed last night, they were amazing!

Yenny girl - front & center


As we were leaving, grandma T made the comment that our baby will be the last grandchild to attend this school.
It's true - she's ending a long family tradition here.
She's also the end of my legacy - long list of lasts for me...

Payson High Concert Choir

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Salutations

It's been a quiet week here in Grannyland.

I've been busy trying to get photos from my trip tucked away in the scrapbooks.

Problems with that are many - broke the bank to print the photos - and that was only half of them.

Spent hours setting up the work station, only to find I lack something... the basic background papers to put them on.

...Two hours spent at the scrapbook store, trying to make decisions.

Finally ready to work - but no ideas pop into the head... two more hours searching for idea books.

By the time I was ready to go, the family was coming home, and had to leave it for other things.

Such is life.

(I did get 6 pages done this week, so that's something - right?)

...And I finally finished the above card. Just in time to put it all away for the weekend.

Today is a work day. Another day, another dollar.
(Quite literally. *Sigh*)

Happy Friday :-)
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Road Trip

My road trip with my sisters this past week was so much fun! We saw so many amazing things - and so many others that we still want to see... (road trip the sequel?)
I fell in love with Arizona all over again (or should I say for the first time?) ...I never thought it was pretty when I was a kid.

Background: My parents were both from Arizona. They moved to Utah when my dad decided to go to Utah State. He finished school and found employment here, and we have been here ever since.
The rest of both of their families stayed in Arizona, so all of our Summer vacations were spent there. My oldest sister was there in the Arizona days, so she was our link to that era.
I never lived there - but still have many memories of the place...

Anyway, the purpose of our trip was to attend the open house for the new LDS Temple in Central. (Dad's birthplace.)

We decided on the way down to stop and see some of the sights that we had always wanted to see. (Dad was always on a tight schedule to visit people "back in the day," so we never stopped to sight see.)

We stopped at Camp Verde - a military outpost from the 1800's. It's a museum now, and was an interesting place - lots to see, and the views were so incredible - Beautiful country!

Camp Verde




Seriously the coolest headdress I have ever seen!


After that, we stopped at Montezuma's Castle. It was totally different than what I always imagined it would be.
They were cliff dwellings, in the most beautiful peaceful valley - I can understand why the residents stayed there for 300 years...
(Although how they got up there to build it boggles the mind!)

Motezuma's Castle




By the time we arrived in Central, it was dark - but we had to drive by the temple anyway... In fact, we got lost trying to circle it.
(*Hint - there is no road that goes around the temple - we ended up in some poor unsuspecting fellow's driveway.) Luckily, he was a very nice man, and we had a fun chat with him and his cat. :-)













The next day we did the temple tour. We met lots of nice people who were (almost) as excited to be there as we were.


As you can see, the weather wasn't very cooperative. The wind blew the whole time (no such thing as good hair days!) ...and it was COLD!
(Where do AZ natives keep the warm during the day?)

This was the view out of one of the windows at our hotel.
I had to get a picture because it just spoke to me of my dad - the Arizona cowboy.



We filled the rest of the day visiting museums, past homes, and cemeteries (sadly, that's where most of the relatives are now.)

It was fun to see that some of our old family photos were in the museum (which was in my sister's elementary school building.)
We have an aunt and uncle who are still living in the area, so we stopped to say "hi." They were in good shape, considering that he is 99 and she is 97!

The next day we drove up to Heber. We took a different route, so we were able to drive through Sunset Crater and walk around the Wupatki ruins.

For some reason I always thought Sunset Crater was a single crater created by a meteor. I wasn't even close. What it actually is, is a series of small volcanoes.

Sunset Crater













Ruins













Canyon













We drove around Heber while sis told us stories about that location. It was so nice to have her there to fill in the blanks from that time. I have a sister buried there.
We spent the night, then drove around Snowflake the following day.

There is a Temple there now too. (Amazing!) We found a helpful grounds maintenance person who took the only photo of the 3 of us together. :-)



We could easily have spent a couple more days, but it was time to get home.
It got dark around Kanab, and everyone was tired and quiet, so I asked my sis if she knew any good ghost stories.
That opened a whole can of worms that probably should have been left alone on a dark road in the middle of the night...

I'm getting to wordy and boring - long story short - I'm home again - and planning the next adventure...
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Snowbird

I'm outta here - yesterday's news - gone.

My sister has arranged an impromptu trip down south where (I hope) the sun is shining, so I'm blowing this cold and dreary place for a few days.

Making a pilgrimage to the place of my family's origins...

Tell you all about it when I get back.

*Poof*

You can always tell that good weather is here, because everyone immediately disappears from their computers.

It's been another quiet week here - (love it!)...and I've just been puttering and trying to get a little spring cleaning done.

It went from winter to spring overnight, so I'm feeling like I need to get my gardens planned in a real quick fast hurry.

Don't want to miss out on planting one again this year - I love having my own veggies out back, and the flower beds could sure use a remodel.
Wonder if I can talk the grans into helping...

Work is slowing way down too.
It's amazing how fast people abandon indoor hobbies when the sun comes around.
I've been cut back again - from 3-4 shifts per week, to one or two!

I'm ok with it for now, because I have so much I want to get done, but it will sure make a dent if it goes on this way for long.

Any-who...
Just touching bases, 'cuz it's been a while.

You may have noticed (if you were one of the 2 people who ever looked at it - LOL!) that I have closed my crafty blog. I just haven't been doing enough to warrant keeping it up lately. I know how aggravating it can be to keep looking and never seeing any change. Sorry about that - I'm currently searching for my butt-n-gear. It must be around here somewhere? (Probably hiding out somewhere with my give-a-darn! LOL!)

Seriously though - I've been struggling a bit with the old identity. Not really sure who this middle aged granny person is, not the same one I used to be who loved trying new things and being crafty into the wee hours...

Got the weekend off for a change, hope it's a good one!
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Milestones

It's tax day, which is always a bitter / sweet day around here...

Bitter, for obvious reasons, but also sweet because it is the birthday of my darling daughter Melissa.

This year is one of those "milestone" years for her.
We chatted about it the other night, and it seems like she's in a good place about it. Life hasn't turned out exactly how she planned, but she's content.

I'm so grateful for her - she's an awesome daughter - better than I deserve.

Happy Birthday Baby!
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~Closed~

Do you ever have one of those days where you just want to lock the door and hang a sign that says "This life canceled due to lack of interest"?

...yeah.
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Homeward Bound

I've been on vacation this week. Good times, good times.

My son and his family are here with us, and we've had fun hiking and sight seeing with them.
We came to the desert to escape the cold, but it's been pretty chilly here.
The wind hasn't stopped blowing, and, well, it could have been nicer - but according to the news, we'll be going home to 9 inches of snow tomorrow.

*Sigh* I'll take the wind.

We did some hiking today, and it was lots of fun, but I can see that granny needs to get in better shape before good weather is here to stay...
I had to come back and have a 3 hour nap.
(Ok, I'll blame part of that on the allergy meds, but still...)
I wasted valuable time snoring while everyone else went off and did their thing.

Hubby had someone hack into his bank account just before we left (luckily, the bank caught it and froze it.)
But my card isn't working today. (Different bank, different account.)
What goes on out there anyway? Can't a hard working slob save up to have a little fun any more without being burgled at every opportunity?

Sheesh.

All else is well, we're heading home tomorrow. Sure wish I could bring these palm trees with me.
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