This weekend Kaye Lynn and Jerimie went down to Utah to see Jerimie's cousin play in the BYU Women's Volleyball game against Colorado State University.
We got to keep the kids for the entire weekend. They went to a craft fair with us, and then we went shopping, Lowes, Walmart, lunch at Craigo's, Fred Meyer, Winco, and then home. We fed the animals, and then we made "Gingerbread Houses" out of graham crackers, and lots of frosting and candy. We had such fun!! The best part of course was the part about eating them. Anyway, this is mostly the reason that I'm glad we live here now. Time with grandkids cannot be deducted from a persons life, even if diet pepsi bombs go off in your kitchen! (Brett dropped a can of DP, and it exploded all over the kitchen, thank goodness for vinyl floors, and washable cupboards/walls/ceiling/stove/fridge/garbage cans.) Yes we love being able to be grandma and grandpa.

I haven't posted in a while, and as I look at other blogs, I have about decided that it might be better to just keep up with others blogs, and just let mine die.

Jim and I have been so busy with butchering turkeys, and canning everything that we got in our garden, that I almost don't know if I'll be able to stop. We killed the last of our turkeys that we are going to eat, yesterday. We have one that we are going to keep until spring at least. She is not a bronze like the others were, and she is so pretty that Jim can't bare to kill her. She is much smaller than the others that we have in the freezer. We also have 6 chickens that we are anxiously awaiting eggs from. We hope to not have to buy eggs over the winter. I bottled 9 pints of turkey yesterday, and 9 pints of carrots, and I did 6 pints of marinara sauce on Friday. I still have lots of tomatoes, a 5 gallon bucket about half full of carrots, and I want to do a few bottles of pumpkin. When all was said and done, we picked 32 pumpkins. What do you do with 32 pumpkins?? Well you give them to grand kids, and neighbors, and to the kids that helped us pick huckleberries.

This is a picture of "Dolly", she is kind of grey and smaller than the other turkeys.

We have decided that we are going to stay in this house until at least spring. We want to get a little more of a down payment in the bank before we decide to buy a house. That, and neither of us want to move in the middle of winter. That just does not sound like fun at all.

I am trying to get used to the almost 2 hour bus ride both ways to get to and from work, and I have done a fair amount of reading. I read three books last week. They have still not found enough work for me to do, that I'm trained to do, so I have a lot of what my boss refers to as "down time". They don't seem to care if I read, but they do not want to find me sleeping. Do you know how hard it is to read when your tired, and not fall asleep. I usually sleep on the ride to work in the morning, but it's still light when we leave work, so I read then.

We had a dinner here at our house on Friday with all of my sisters and brother and spouses. I made pizza, and they brought the salad, and bread and dessert. We called it a birthday party, because three of us have birthday's in October. We picked a day in December to all go to the Temple. Have I mentioned how thankful I am that Brett started praying a couple of years ago that "Grandpa Jim would find a job in Idaho, and he and Grandma could move closer". I am so grateful to be closer to family. I am also most grateful that prayers are answered. Sometimes I just have to stop and look at the mountains, or the sunset, or some of my Grand kids, and remember where all these blessings come from.

It's been a while, but we are still here. It's been a busy few weeks.

We have picked apples, corn, zuchinni, beans, beets, and starting this week, even some tomatoes. We have about 20 good sized pumpkins, just starting to turn orange, lots of butternut squash, and carrotts and onions still getting bigger. Since Jim went back to work full time, I started working for NPS, through Northwind, for CWI out at the site. I'm entering freight invoices for payment, and will soon start learning the shipping part of the job. Right now there has not been very much to keep me busy, so I have been reading alot. Three Stansfield books in a week, starting on a Skousan book today, and have three more checked out from the library.

The picture in the middle is our huckelberry outing, with a kid that Jim works with, and his two boys and wife. We went up above Heise, and picked almost all day and brought home about 1/3 of a gallon of berries. It was sure dusty, but the berrys are really good.

The same week that I started work, our house closed in Illinois. It was a good week. We are so glad to have that sold, and we will start looking for a place as soon as the garden freezes, and I can stop putting things in bottles and freezer bags. The kids helped pick apples last weekend, and there are lots more to pick. Even in spite of how many apples they ate!!

Up and Down then Up Again

This picture is of the sunset near the Menan Butte, I just love being here.

Roller Coaster Rides are suppose to be fun, and I suppose at the amusement park they are, but the house selling roller coaster is getting a little tiresome. First it was the radon, and the long distance contract to have that fixed, then the earnest money threats with our agent. We had a closing date set for yesterday, but it got pushed out. The guy buying the house didn't request funds from his 401K soon enough, and they couldn't process the request in time for the closing. So we moved it to next Wed., and that was okay. We jumped through hoops to get our power of attorney to the law firm that is handeling our closing, ( I had to drive to Victor, meet Jim, and get documents notorized, then spent $26 to send it next day air.) Then we found out that the other guys attorney will not be in town next week, so we have moved the closing to Monday the 24th. We would have had plenty of time to spend $3 and have the paperwork to them.

I will be very happy when this ride is over.

On the bright side, I got a job!!! I am going to be working for CWI at the site. They had a shipping receiving position available, and saw my resume. They interviewed me on Tuesday morning, and offered me the job on Tuesday afternoon. The only problem with that was I had gotten an offer from another company that morning. Three months looking for work, and then I get two offers in one day. ( I think Heavenly Father must have a sense of humor. )

Anyway, this job with CWI is the same schedule as Jim is working, (4/10's) with friday's off. More money, and I'm pretty sure that I can do the job and help make a difference and save the company money. I'ts almost exactly what I have been doing with Reichhold for the past 10 years. So as bad as the house sale is, this has made it a lot easier to deal with. Can't wait to get started, and be even busier than I have been the last little while.

Beans, Beans, Beans

I'm kind of stuck in a rut.
The last post was about peas, and now it's all about beans.
Christine called and asked if I wanted to come pick her beans, and Kaye Lynn and I both said yes!! We put up 17 quarts, and 19 pints yesterday, and then I did another 8 pints this morning.





Can't remember the last time I had shelves full of home grown veggies, and jam. And, I can't figure out why it has such a satisfying feeling about it. Maybe it's the Brigham Young saying etched into my mind. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." and the Scout motto "be prepared", but I just really have enjoyed getting some bottles full, and the knowledge that I'm doing something to be prepared.
However, just because it's been a busy summer with all of the canning and freezing, and the picking of zuchinni, we have found time to have some fun. Smores with Brett, Sarah, Will and Anna, on Sunday evening, and then swimming in Rigby lake today. I don't think I am ever going to get tired of saying this, "I love being here"

Anna and chocolate, Sarah, Anna, WilliamBrett learning to float,

We celebrated my parents 60th anniversary last Saturday, and had such a good time.

Almost everyone that lives in the area was there, and the food was good and plentiful. The weather was very nice, a little on the warm side, and just enough of a breeze to keep us all from overheating. Eva made a very nice frame with all of the names of children, grandchildren, and great-crandchildren. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad, may you have many more years together. Charles had a rocket to shoot in the air, and that was a big hit for the kids.

Peas, peas, peas

Yesterday I was asked the question, what do you miss about Illinois, and what do you like best about being here? My response was, "I miss my friends in Illinois, Kathy, Sue, Denita, JoAnn, Cindy, Michelle.... but I love being here. I like the cool nights, the quiet, the number of stars you can see in the night sky, the sunsets, and I love being closer to kids and grandkids, my sisters, and brother, and my parents."

My sister Christine has been sharing their abundant garden crops with us, and we have strawberry jam in the freezer, broccoli, cauliflower, and peas, peas, peas.

Monday night we picked two of the four rows of peas, and ended up with 15 quarts of peas to share. Do you have any idea how many peas in the pod that takes. It's a lot!!

Our flock of chickens and turkeys is growing, and our garden has produced the first zuchinni, and lettuce, spinach, chard, and beans will be ready soon. I love being here, and I'm so thankful for many blessings. Not the least of these is that we have a new contract on our house in Illinois, and it's suppose to close on August 12th. We will be so glad when that is sold, so we can plant some deeper roots here in the Gem State.

Happily Ever After

Just a couple of pictures of Carrie's wedding. I don't think that I'm allowed to say what a nice wedding it was, but it was what they wanted.

They are very happy!

Teton Dam Race 09

Kaye Lynn said that we didn't get pictures of her when she ran the 10K race in Rexburg a couple of weeks ago, but I found some on my phone/camera. She did better than she thought she would, and it was fun to watch.

This is her, in gray sweats, and white t-shirt, after the race, and with her coach friend, Pam.

Bridal Shower

We had a bridal shower for Carrie last night, and here are a few of the pictures that we got of the fun event. We are not very big on games, so we just visited, and worked on a wedding scrapbook for Nate and Carrie, and then she opened her gifts. She tried on her dress, with shoes and veil, and except for the hem, it is ready for the big day next Saturday. Of course the hit of the night was the chocolate fountain... YUM!

Trout and Chicks

Jim caught this fish in the Ashton resevoir on Memorial Day, we went up to Mom and Dad's, built the worm box that was on the list of things to do, and then went and drowned a few of the worms that Aaron and Kara's kids helped Jim pick. He also caught a smaller rainbow, but he was the only one that caught anything.

We dicided that we wanted to get some chicks and turkeys to raise, so we have increased our flocks.


We have two white turkeys, and 5 little brown ones. We also have 25 chicks coming next week.


The birds are living in the garage for now, with a heat light, and we have started mucking out the chicken coop near the house we are renting. When we get it cleaned out, we will move the turkeys, so the chickens can live in the garage for a few weeks.


No pictures of the birds, but it's pretty fun to see them get bigger every day.

It's official!!

Carrie called me on Friday May 15th to tell me that Nate has asked her to marry him, and she said yes!. They want to be married on June 27th, yes folks that's less than 6 weeks away. Lots of things to get planned, and try to put it together in short order.
She is very excited, and we are happy for them both.
We'll have to let you know about details when we get them figured out.
Happy Happy

Spring has sprung!!

The very best part about moving from Illinois to Idaho in late April and early May is that I have had the chance to enjoy spring twice!!! About three weeks ago in Illinois I got to see the daffodils and the tulips, and the trees coming into bloom, and the grass turn green, and then over the last two weeks in Idaho, I have enjoyed the same thing. Two springs in one year... life is good.

We arrived here on May 2nd, after two trips with my parents pick up and a trailer full of our belongings. And apart from tarps that wouldn't stay put, and a new tire on the trailer, and a blowout on the pick up in the middle of "uphill, downhill, Iowa" we made it.

We are renting an old farm house in the Annis Ward, near the Menan buttes. We are about a 1/4 mile from the river, and close enough to Jerimie and Kaye Lynn to see them every day if we want. Carrie and Nate, and Jer and Kaye Lynn and family were here for a cookout on Saturday, for Mothers Day. It is so nice to be close enough to see everyone. We went to Glen and Christine's yesterday just to visit. I think that we will make it a goal to visit family on Sunday's.

We spent two days last week helping to get the pump and water lines hooked up for Mom and Dad in Ashton, to get water to all of the trees that they are planting. Jim and Charles finally managed to hook up rainbirds and hose hook ups down both fence lines. Mom was very happy to have enough water pressure to run a sprinkler. She has a "honey do" list for Jim to work on this week that will probably take most of the week to finish. However, since he is not back to work at Meyers yet, he has time to do it. We are both looking forward to having some time to help out.

Easter with Uncle Fred

Because I'm still sitting in Illinois waiting for somewhere to live in Idaho, and my Sister-in-law, Sue takes pitty on me from time to time I spent Easter with Fred and Sue in Joliet.

She cooked prime rib, and ham, and cheesy potatoes, and all the trimmings. I have never been a big fan of horseradish, but she makes the most incredible horseradish sauce to go on the prime rib. YUM.

We combined the Easter party with Emily's Birthday. She turned 14 on the 14th of April, so we had cake for her. From Left is Josephine, Rikki, Alexis, Emily. Then Josephine, Jordan, Emily and Adam. Alexis and Emily belong to Michele, and Jordan and Adam belong to Julie, and Josephine and Rikki belong to Joe. These are some of Fred and Sue's grandkids. Aunt Sue's family was also there, Aunt Kim and Wild Bill, Charlotte and her new little one, Aunt Kathy, and her daughter Christine, Uncle Bobby, Julie and Jim Larsen. I am so thankful for this part of my family.

I did it !!

About two years ago, we changed out our solid sheet rocked stairways for oak stair railings. We love them, and it opened up the house alot. Jim nor I are famous for finishing jobs completely before moving on, and so there were several peices of trim that were still not finished, when I packed up and moved the stuff out of the family room, so I could show the house. Having no idea whatsoever how to hook up and use the compressor, and nail gun in our garage, and not really sure that I could handle it, I decided to tackle the job, with an old fashioned miterbox and hand saw. I have been watching all of the HGTV shows on how to sell a house, and one of the 35 things that you should do is make sure that maintenance is complete. Being very anxious to have the house in tip top shape, I was determined to get the rest of the trim cut, and nailed into place. A couple of skinned knuckels, at least a hundred trips from the basement to the garage, help from the Home Depot guy, the paint lady at Menards, and several phone calls to Jim for coaching, and I AM FINISHED. (The Designed to sell team would be so proud !)

I did it !!

Two years ago, we changed out our solid, sheetrocked stairways and put in oak stairrails, and trim. The following year we finished our basement and made a Seminary room so Jim could teach early morning Seminary. Neither of us are noted for finishing a job completely before we move on to something else, and there has been several peices of trim on the stairway and the basement that needed to be completed. Last week while I was watching another HGTV show about what to do to get your house ready to sell, and all of the tricks (35 of them) that will help to sell a house, I realized that these trim projects needed to be finished. With absolutely no idea how to hook up the compressor, and use the nail gun that is in my garage, I decided to tackle it with an old fashioned miter box and hand saw. Today I completed the job. With help from the Home Depot guy, the paint lady at Menards, and the guidance of Jim, via phone, the trim is up !!! Yeah !!! now if only someone would actually walk through the house and look at the great job I did, make us an offer, and let us get on with the rest of our lives in Idaho. (if only!)

Not so Techy!!

Getting Techy

Here is our new blog. Enjoy.