...our computer is well again! RAH!!!

Yes...........our poor computer has been fighting all kind of things. Sometimes, even itself!! I am so thankful to have it well again. I'll try to do a quick catch up:
End of May to early June: I went to Needles with Roger and Daniel. Our honey crop was so scary we didn't even extract down there. We just loaded everything up and brought it home--along with more of the bees than we had ever brought to Utah. I had HUGE, unbelievable blocks of uninterrupted time in which to sew! Yes..........I wondered if I might have died and gone to heaven.........but no, Suzanne was not there, so I knew it couldn't be that! In just three days I had finished everything I had taken with me!!! obviously, I didn't know how to plan for all this time! I'll try to get some pictures of the things I accomplished, but if not, at least I will have some kind of a record, right? My dear friend here gathered up some more things for me to do and sent them with Michael so I was able to continue. It was heavenly.............

...5760 days.......

We hit a milestone this week. (Well, it was three weeks ago......I've had issues with our computer.) We participated in our 10th high school graduation. During the past 5760 days I have experienced:

• 10 "first day of kindergarten".......not to mention the other 22 "first day of school" days!!!! (and I'm not going to work hard enough to figure out "first days" multiplied by how many were going to school that year)
• 5 (I think) fifth grade breakfasts--early morning the last week of school!
• ....staggering thought!!!!! 64 days of parent-teacher conferences!!! ...again.......I'm not going to do the math. But WOW!!!! I might have to, just because that would be a very interesting statistic!
• 10 Junior Proms........but they were fun! 
• 8 "parent" dances at those Proms.......one of the neighbor boys found me after I had danced with Scott and said, "I need to dance with my other mom". Yes, he still has a special place in my heart.
• 8 4th/5th grade plays
• this ones' a guess.....about 23 high school musicals: Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Brigadoon, Fiddler on the Roof, Pirates of Penzzance, Lil' Abner, Music Man, Into the Woods, Sound of Music, Calamity Jane, Wizard of Oz, Once upon a Mattress, Beauty and the Beast, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers...obviously, some were performed more than once and I'm pretty sure there were some years in there where we did not have a performer...........but you get the idea.
• the audition for each of said musicals and then the costumes to go with them!! 
• numerable times accompanying vocal solos and ensembles, flute solos, violin solos, trumpet ensembles at festivals, concerts, and competitions.
• and I'm not even going to try to guess the number of band and chorus concerts we have attended! ...or dance recitals...or piano recitals (though they didn't have piano in school. But we did have dance!)
• I'm also not going to try to guess the number of football games, water polo games, track meets, swim meets, cross-country meets, or wrestling meets we have endured. I say "endured" because of the stress, the anxiety, and the pain at some of the lopsided scores. I do know we had only one varsity wrestling meet and that was enough to prove to me that I didn't mind that he never again wrestled varsity. Talk about exponential stress!!!
•  then the end of season banquets for all those various extra-curricular activities
• 3 Sterling Scholars
• 10 LDS seminary graduation ceremonies
• 12 years of full-time missionary service
• 5 temple weddings
• a major "good-bye" every year for 10-12 years straight (someone off to college one year then leaving for the mission field the next year..........that one just about did me in!)
• our 17 year old going off to basic training for the National Guard
• that same 17 year old then 19 going off with said Guard to Iraq for a year

I suppose this is a little inaccurate since not all of these things happened on one of those 5760 school days...but that's life, right??? And it's been a good life. Even with the struggles and occasional heart aches we have been so blessed! Thank you to those who made these 5760 days a possibility!!! (I have to admit though........I cheered when we finished with our last "worlds' fair" and the last 5th grade "state report"........I think I'll stop there. I could name a few other things.........

...l...o...n...g jump

We've been to Nephi twice in two days.......it's spring.....it's track.....and this was region track....... We've never "done" track before, and I'm beginning to feel sorry about that. Daniel shows some natural talent and I wonder what he could have done in four years.......I'll never know...... He ran the 200m yesterday and "did" the long jump today. His longest jump was 17' 4 1/2". Sounds good to me, but there were some guys there jumping 19+!!!! It's just amazing to me! So here's my first and last attempt at photographing the long jump.........I'm so glad I tried!!! I love the intensity!!

 

...an even ten...

We blessed our tenth grandchild today...she also makes it five and five. A beautiful little girl, blessed with wonderful parents and attentive, loving brother and sisters. I was able to make another special dress! And I started early enough and stayed with it well enough that I was able to do all the embroidery I wanted/planned and still get to bed at a half-decent hour last night. 

 

 

 

 

And here's a picture of the darling what-cha-ma-call-it Michelle made for our front door. I love it!!! I should have got a closer picture. Michelle took this one--maybe you can see it well enough.

...hmmmm......dandelions......

I have just harvested my first crop of dandelions from my front yard. You might wonder, "Is she making dandelion wine?" Nooooo...... just harvesting.......... the weed and feed we put on three weeks ago obviously did not do the job. Now. I'm not saying it was Ortho's fault. It was most likely our own. But really. Shouldn't it be easier than it must be?? Why do they have to do such a good job of afflicting and tormenting????? However; I have inadvertently discovered a use for dandelions in the front yard! Hooray!!! I push my little dandelion digger tool into the ground and hopefully cut the root below the crown. And I pull out that thumb-sized root, wah-lah!!!!! I have aereated my lawn!!!! But oh my!!!! my aching legs!!!!! They are not as young as they used to be........... and two days now of unaccustomed labor have made them scream in protest! Thankfully, I will survive and my lawn will be green with little purple flowers here and there..........instead of the yellow that might attract some bees. (Dandelions are an excellent source of early pollen for the honeybees.) And my little purple flowers are violets I planted years ago........Yes. I was warned that they would spread everywhere. But somehow I don't mind the "country" look--as opposed to the formal, well manicured look......which I would never have anyway unless I hired a yard service..........hard to come by in our little town. Just wanted to share my new discovery as well as my victory! I understand I will have to do it again nearly every day all summer long. But this first time is always the longest and hardest............done!

I just had to add this picture!!!! Look how she is covered with pollen!!!! I didn't realize that until I down-loaded the picture!! These are some of the most amazing little creatures in all the world!! She's rather young..........her wings are not in the least frayed and she is still really hairy. Someday I hope to be able to "talk" to them!! You gotta love this amazingly glorious and beautiful world!!! Even if it does grow dandelions...............

BTW--our lilacs are sending out their heavenly perfume............wish they lasted longer.........

new resident

We have a new resident at our house..........uninvited yet only partially unwelcome. Obviously I was neither persistant nor persuasive enough to discourage the new construction. I can only imagine what I did to her poor heart when I went bursting out that door yesterday. I got a serious tongue lashing--maybe a beak-lashing? She was not happy with me. Then, as I had to work outside, I found myself praying that somehow, Someone who could communicate with her would let her know that she really had no need to fear me. And I went out of my way to use other doors and entrances to the yard so as not to disturb her further. I'm glad to see that she's back on her nest today. We can use another door for a while since she is obviously doing very important work.

...a joyful heart........today........

My heart is singing at the moment...........I want to share..........


Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.                    ---2 Nephi 22:2  (also Isaiah 12:2)

Oh!!! the blessings of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ!! This verse says it all for me today.................