Carrot Cake and Rhubarb Pie for Grampy's Birthday

Happy Birthday Grampy

For the first time since Lynell and Erin moved away from home we got to spend John's birthday with them last week. Before we retired we were both teaching and so were our girls so we couldn't get together in May. This year we were in Utah in May and his Utah kids made his day special.

Grampy was greeted with a Happy Birthday sign and streamers adorned the room.

John has two favorite desserts. One is home made (from scratch not a mix) carrot cake. Erin made him a yummy one Sat. night so it would be cold and ready to frost with her delicious cream cheese frosting the next day.

Erin got lots of good help frosting the 3 layer cake.

John's second favorite dessert is rhubarb pie. In spite of getting a delicious recipe from our blog friend, Chef Marie, we had just about given up on being able to make one. We went to every store around but none of them had rhubarb for sale. However, we should have asked Lynell first. Little did we realize that Lynell and Dathan had rhubarb growing in their garden. Dathan was able to harvest just enough for Lynell to make Grampy a pie.

It may not look just like Marie's but it surely did taste good.

Since Dathan got gypped on his birthday because we were at Lonica's dance competition all that day, we made him help blow out the candles.

Of course we had more than carrot cake and rhubarb pie to eat. We also chowed down on Patricks best tri-tip and sausages and all the trimmings for a great dinner.

Thanks kids for all you did to make Grampy's day special. We surely do love and appreciate each one of you. We had a great time in Utah. We miss you already.

Happy Birthday Celia- We all miss you.

RoLayne, Carol, Bill, Forrest ,John and Celia

Celia is my sister-in-law. Celia's and my John's birthdays are only 2 days apart. Celia is 12 years older than her baby brother. Since we were in Utah for Lonica's dance competition we were able to get together with all of John's siblings and celebrate Celia's birthday together. Sadly, I'm not sure if Celia knew we were celebrating for her. In this picture she smiled and I think (I hope) she knew we were celebrating her special day. However, the rest of our day together I don't think that she really knew what was going on.

Here her 3 brothers encourage her to blow out the candles. She just didn't seem to understand what she was suppose to do. After a while, her big brother Forrest, blew them out for her and we all cheered but inside we were not cheering.

In this picture we put the two birthday kids together and told them to smile so I could take their picture. They told her to look at Lura but she didn't know who Lura was. With coaxing she looked my way and I snapped this photo.

I am so sad that one as sweet and funny and full of life as Celia is now lost most of the time in her own world. She may not remember me, but I remember her. I remember the time I was down and out after the death of my cousin that she took me to the movies and went to the snack bar and bought one of every treat they sold. She came back to our seat so burdened with treats that she had to have help carrying them. I couldn't help but laugh and be cheered up.

I remember the thanksgiving after our baby boy died on Nov. 10th that she drove two hundred miles with a complete thanksgiving dinner packed up in her car. Somehow the gravy turned over and made a terrible mess in her new car but she laughed and said with her cooking that should have happened to all the dishes she'd made. We had a good laugh and a good dinner together.

I remember a Celia that is gone from us now. It makes me cry but I am thankful that I know that one day we will be together again when she will be the Celia we knew and loved. She will be free from this disease that holds her mind captive. I know there is a better world waiting for Celia where she will be happy and laugh and know she is loved.

Don't Say I Didn't Warn You.... Here's Loni!

This is the Lonica "brag" blog that I warned you was coming. Loni is Lynell's youngest child. Even though she has 4 older brothers, she is ALL GIRL. We went to Orem, Utah last weekend to see her compete in Champion Productions national competition. She had won "Queen" in the previous competitions (queen is the highest rating) so in this one she was competing only against other "Queens" ..... So I guess you could call this a "Royal" competition. Since she was the youngest in her division, competing against the best, it was both exciting and nerve racking.

She did 6 different dances (2 solos and 4 team ) and was kept busy changing costumes and hair styles. Here Lynell helps her get ready for her lyrical solo

Her lyrical solo was my favorite dance. She did it beautifully.

After each performance she had a hug for her Grampy and Grammy

This was her jazz dance costume. She also did a great job on her jazz solo.

This was her modern dance costume. I didn't think this costume was that cute but the girl who wore it was.

Since Lonica just barely turned 9 she had to compete in the 9-12 year old category. We warned her that being the youngest in this division she probably would not win. However, she proved us wrong. She won "Queen" with both her lyrical and jazz solos. She got two 1st places, one 2nd place and one 4 place on the 4 team dances she was in. Way to go Loni!

This is part of her lyrical dance. Unfortunately, I missed filming her fuete turn series which were her most advanced moves.

This is the end of her lyrical solo. I added it in just because I think it is pretty.

This is some of her jazz solo

This is what Lonica looks like without her dance makeup on. We like her best this way...... our sweet Loni-Lou. We are so glad that we could spend this time with you. You did a great job at your dance competition. You will always be my special "Honey Bunny"

American Idol Here I come!

Grammy's 6 year old Claire Bear

Claire Singing at the OLA Fiesta on May 10th

Claire practicing before the festival.

Mindy asked me the other day if this was my "blog spot" or my "brag spot"? Of course I denied bragging..(who me???)....I told her that I was just "SHARING" my thankfulness for my wonderful family and many blessings. However, today I think she is right about this being a brag blog. I just can't help myself ......(After all I am Claire's Grammy and have bragging rights.) I think that my Claire Bear is SO DARN CUTE!! ......(my unbiased opinion of course.)

Enjoy this video of her practicing at home before she went to one of her singing group performances. She has already won a "Grammy Award"..... (from me of course!) I think SHE IS DARLING ......don't you? She wanted me to make her a blog spot like I did for E.J. I told her I would as soon as she can write it herself. Until then I told her I'd put her on my blog and read her any comments she gets.

We are leaving for Utah tomorrow so we can go to Lonica's dance competition this weekend. THIS IS A WARNING......be prepared for a "LONI BRAG SPOT" next week.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today would have been my mother's 99th birthday. I wanted to post a tribute to her. She was an amazing woman. She pulled her self up by her boot straps and carried on again and again when things got tough. She lost her only daughter, Wynell, in a car accident when Wynell was barely 14. That is where I came into the picture. Back then they did not have intensive care units. Critically ill people were assigned a special care nurse. I was born 2 1/2 months premature in a different state but the same nurse that attended Wynell before she died also cared for me. That nurse was prompted to contact Elizabeth and tell her that I needed a home and love.

At first mother thought that was a ridiculous idea. Why would she want to adopt a baby....especially a sickly one....shortly after losing her teenage girl? You can't replace one child with another....it would be disrespectful to her daughter....people would think she was crazy or worse.

Then mother had a dream that was so real to her that she had to act on it. She dreamed that Wynell was happily dancing around in the front yard with a baby in her arms. She danced over to mom , handed her the baby and said "Take her and love her. You need each other"
This dream had such an impact on mother that she convinced her husband to drive several hundred miles into the next state to look at "the baby". As soon as she saw me she knew I was the same baby she had seen in her dream and they adopted me. She always told me that I was God's precious gift.

I started writing the tribute to my mom yesterday and I finished it today. I wanted it to be at the top of my post list. However, when I clicked publish post, it went underneath the "Thank You" poem I wrote last night. Since I am a new blogger, I can't figure out how to change the order of my posts. (If you know how to change a post's order please let me know.)

Please look beneath my corny little poem below and read about my mom. As I've already stated, she really was amazing. I think that you will be able to tell how sweet she was just by looking at her pictures that I've posted below.

My Mother's Day Thank You Poem

Mother's Day came and then was gone really fast.

It was filled with sweet acts

like other Mother's Days past.

Tulips, roses and posies arrived at my door

with chocolates, cards and well wishes galore.

The day started with pancakes being made by my John.

Then we took flowers to mom before hurrying on.

At church I was sung to by E.J. and Claire

which brought back sweet memories of when my kids sang there.

Dinner at Mindy and Ernie's was great.

Bar-B-Qued scallops and shrimp filled my plate.

More gifts were exchanged and my kids called on the phone

before we packed up and with Austin came home.

This Mother's Day was great from the start.

The memories of it will live in my heart.

Thank you dear family for all that you've done.

I love you each and every one. Mom/ Grammy

(I hope that my non family readers will excuse this corny poem. I just couldn't help myself! I hope that your Mother's Day was special too.)

My Tribute to Mom....Happy Birthday

This picture of mother and me was taken in 1982. (I haven't changed a bit, huh!)

This picture of my mother with our children was taken in 1984 about a year and a half before she died.

Today, May 12th, is my mother's birthday. Each year it fell on or near Mother's Day. I always tried to make it a really special double celebration for her for two reasons.

#1. My mom was an orphan. Her mother died giving birth to her at home in 1909. Her dad, who was ill at the time, died 3 days later after learning of his wife's death. There were no Child Protective Services in her day and mother and her siblings were raised under deplorable circumstances. She often went hungry and resorted to taking food (some called it stealing) even though she knew she would be punished. She said that since she would be beaten anyway, it wasn't as bad on a full stomach. She was beaten and punished often. She tried not to dwell on these things, but Mother's Day was a sad time for her. She said that it was the one day a year that she let herself think about all she had missed by not having a mother. I made it a goal of mine to make her Mother's Days happy.

#2. My dad ran off and left our family when I was 7 years old. We were extremely poor (I didn't realize it at the time.) She never got any alimony or child support from my father. (I don't know if there was a welfare system then but if there was my mom would not have taken it.) In the 50's she only made $1.00 an hour so her bring home pay was less than $40.00 a week. In spite of that she always made my birthdays special. She would wrap up a dozen gifts.....toothpaste, shampoo, a bar of soap, a ribbon for my hair, socks, underwear and usually doll clothes that she had made for my doll. My birthdays were a magical time. I realized at an early age that it was my privilege to return the favor and make her birthdays special too. ( She never had a birthday party as a child.) Since my brother was 15 years older than I and lived far away, her birthday celebrations were left up to me even at an early age.

She died when I was 41, twenty two years ago this month. She died the week after Mother's day. She told me that she refused to die on Mother's day because she didn't want me to be sad on Mother's day. True to her word she lived one more week and died the following weekend in my arms, one week after her 77 birthday. Although she has been gone for over two decades, she still continues to influence my life though the loving example she set.

My mother truly did have "A Heart Like His". All my life I watched her reach out to me and others with love and compassion. It is a sad fact that many abused children grow up to be abusers themselves. This was not the case with my mom. She vowed as a child that when she had children they would ALWAYS FEEL LOVED and NEVER BE AFRAID OF GETTING HIT. She lived up to that vow. Her method of correcting me was to say " Honey, I'd like it better if you would........." or ...."that's no way for a sweet girl like you to act..."

She made friends everywhere she went. People felt her goodness and opened up to her even though she was a complete stranger to them. She often made friends standing in lines at the bank or the grocery store. She had a green thumb and grew lots of plants. On many occasions I remember us hurrying home from the store to get a pot plant that she wanted to take to someone she'd just met that she thought needed cheering up. In a previous post I told about how she made friends with two teenage girls that were making crank calls to her phone. She always saw the good or the potential good in people. She brought out the best in others.

She was a convert to the church and loved sharing the gospel with others. She served as a stake missionary. She loved her Heavenly Father and was true and faithful to the covenants she had made. No matter how little money we had, she taught me that if we paid our tithing first, we would have enough to get though the week....and we always did. Faith ,courage and charity were exhibited in every aspect of her life.

So happy birthday mom. Your posterity love you and appreciate the examples you set for us. Two of your great grand-daughters named their dolls Elizabeth even though they have never met you...(at least not on this earth... Since neither of them know anyone named Elizabeth we get the feeling that maybe you are closer to us than we realize.) We are trying to live good lives. Hopefully when we meet again, you will say "well done" because we would hate to disappoint you. Much love....Thanks for everything...especially for adopting me...no one could have been a more loving mother....I miss you.....

Four reasons that I love Mother's Day (with a p.s. following)

Mindy, David, Erin and Lynell

These are four of the reasons that I love Mother's Day. A mother was never blessed with sweeter children. Of course, we had our moments when they were growing up but I seem to only remember the sweet, precious times. Now, as adults they are my wonderful friends. They all try to live good righteous lives. They are beautiful inside and out. They work hard and hope to make the world a better place. They are loving spouses and parents. Lynell, Mindy and David are teaching their children to love the Lord and walk up rightly before God and their fellow man. Erin is preparing herself and anxiously looking forward to the day when she will be blessed with children. They all married good and kind spouses that always make us feel loved and welcome in their homes. No wonder my heart is full of joy on Mother's Day.

I was also blessed with a wonderful mother. I will write about her in my next post.

Grammy's flower shop

p.s. Thank you so much Erin and Patrick and Lynell and Dathan for the flowers. Getting flowers 3 times in 24 hours is SUCH A TREAT!!! Erin the tulips are lovely and remind me of your Utah gardens. Lynell the 2 dozen long stem roses are gorgeous . As you can see they are so big that I had to put them in two vases. I'm also sure the chocolates will be yummy. (The other flowers in the picture are from Dad.) Your flowers arrived after I had written this post so I just had to add this p.s so you could see them. I love you and I feel loved by you. Thanks again dears. Mom

P.S. to my last blog post

My first customers since renovating the Staffy Bed and Breakfast give it an AAA rating....or at least a PP for perfect pancakes. Look at my last blog post and you will know that all the work was worth it.

May renovation and clean up time.

I've spend the last several days sweeping up leaves and cleaning our patios. This may not sound like a big job, but believe me at our house it is. Since John has a large front yard to mow and a large orchard area in the back to tend, he did not want to have to mow a back yard. So, he built patios (5 of them) over most of our back yard. Every year with the winds ,rains and cob webs they get to be a mess. So, every spring I have to do a major clean up job. Since Grandma B reminded me that it was May Day, I decided to get busy and get my patios ready for summer. I've spent most of this week cleaning and planting. Now all I need is company to enjoy them with me. Pack your bags and come on over.

I replanted the pots that needed it and trimmed and "groomed" the others.

John takes a little break. The water line into our property broke and he has been working on fixing it all day. With all of our vegetation and this warm (hot) weather, we can't do without water for very long.

We can't wait to fire up the fire pit and roast marshmallows.

Heidi is ready for company too.

As you can see, along with my flowers I've planted squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, chives and lettuce. Those who know us may wonder why I've planted veggies in planters since we have a lot of land to plant a garden. It is because we have been at war for years with the rabbits, squirrels and gophers that always eat more of our produce than we do. We finally gave up on the garden idea and reverted to a planter garden. So far the little critters have not ventured down onto our patio for a snack. However, I wouldn't put it past them.

The tables are ready for pool side dining. When our kids were at home this was the site of endless teenage parties. When I look at this picture my mind is full of memories of fun times spent here. Now, except for when our kids visit, we don't use the patios as much as I would like. We try to recruit users, but friends only drop by occassionally and we just have church pool parties once in a while. So, John and I enjoy it on our own. We usually eat breakfast in the patio and lunch too if it is not too hot.

Bring your suit and jump right in. We just converted over to a salt water pool. Now my blondies won't end up with green hair from the chlorine any more.... By the way, if you look between the trees you can see the wood shop and tractor garage John built. When he told me he wanted to build a "shed" I didn't realize it would be two stories high and almost as big as our house!!

Let me know when you are coming and we'll fire up the b-b-q. All we need are people and we can have a party. Did this blog tempt anyone to come visit? I hope so!