Friday, February 27, 2009

S'more of Our Town

This is the first house we built. Andy got to live out his dream of being an architect and drew up the design. It was an adventure living in a tiny rental with seven children and the eighth on the way. We thought we would save money by doing our own cleaning. That worked out just great...everytime there was a BIG cleaning deadline, the husband would be out of town. So, the pregnant wife would haul construction debris from the house to the curb. Sweep like a maniac and try to keep her crazy band of yahoos from injuring themselves while they "helped". Also, Andy did all of the electrical and thanks to a flakey brick driveway craftsman--he just up and disappeared, left all of his tools and even his lunchbox, Andy also cut, arranged and placed every brick in our driveway.
We also saved money by purchasing the old flooring from a high school gym. The kids got paid to pull out the nails and Andy installed it in the raquetball court. Tedious? Yes. Crazy? A little. But it looked great and was perfect for those rainy days we get around here.
This was the site of many fun parties. The next door neighbors became bestest friends with our kids and had good times running back and forth. Shane was born and learned to walk and talk. Soon he was running back and forth too. We moved, they moved, but the kids still go back and forth!
Our back fence bordered the church's baseball field. It was so nice for the seminary age kids to walk out the back door to class every morning. It was also convenient for the Teachers when they forgot the bread. Both wards knew they could come to the back door and get bread. I warned the people who bought the house that they should be prepared for that.

We lived here for 3 years. Then we found the perfect spot to build again. Because we were completely out of our minds.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Continued...

Oops! This got away from me before I finished the captions... I have been busy packing and cleaning for the move. That's my excuse anyway. Savannah and Tori's: Notorious and Often Unsupervised!
"Don't Cross Fargo!"


Our Town

This is the next installment in our "Farewell to Camas" series. Here you see the first house we bought--well the first house that didn't have wheels.

It is appropriate that it was pouring rain when we were out taking pictures...sure gonna miss that Northwest moisture!




Anyone who knows Andy knows that when we lived here, the walls and driveway were spotlessly clean thanks to his connection with pressure washers, and his constant hard work.

He also went to great lengths to make sure all the planters had nice plants and flowers in them. When we first moved in, I was about five months along with Shanna, and Scott and Siara were running around. Our neighbor across the street (who still lives there BTW) came over to tell me:

"How does your son stand up? His head is so big I expect him to fall over!" in a lovely German accent.

That was a nice welcome to the neighborhood. But, as we got to know her and her family, we realized that though she could be blunt, she was a wonderful neighbor and her daughter Antje babysat for us and our kids loved her. Antje gave Shanna her nickname: Nunny.



Note the VERY steep driveway. The kids adapted quickly and eventually would ride their bikes down it and also had fun coasting down it in the wagon. Siara and Shanna each crashed into the tree down the street after picking up too much speed coming down the driveway. Just minor injuries but major drama.

It kept me in good condition as our van would not fit in the garage and I had to carry every baby, diaper bag, car seat and all groceries from the curb, up the driveway, up two sets of stairs and into the house.



Andy completely remodeled that place. It had the brown and gold shag carpet and avocado green kitchen of the seventies. He moved walls, gutted bathrooms and put on a huge addition to the back. Then he completely excavated the backyard and terraced it. Through it all, the kids had a blast playing in the construction mess. Scott earned money for his used bike by hauling debris to a huge dumpster down at the curb. Spencer stepped on nails every time I turned around. Good thing he had that tetanus shot. Seth fell out the backdoor after the steps had been jackhammered away. He just jumped up and started playing in the debris.


I continued to run a daycare here. Don't worry, that was before the major renovations began! I let the kids ride their trikes and big wheels in the big basement. Another favorite activity was putting the napping mattress on the stairs and bouncing and sliding down it.


After Shanna, four more babies came home to this house. We have pictures here of baby blessing days and baptism days. We had many fun birthday parties here--everything from Pirates to Princesses. And many memorable Thanksgivings and Christmas'. We also hosted a lot of ward activities and business dinners and parties and Joy School graduations.


But mostly we just lived here. It was our home for a long time and we have many sweet memories of that time and place.

Any memories you would like to add?
Up the street: The Cracking Spot--basically a place to play in the dirt
Down the street: Savannah and Tori's house--good friends and partners in mischief.
How 'bout "Don't cross Fargo"?




Wednesday, February 25, 2009

How Do I Love Thee...





In celebration of our 26 years of wedded bliss, today I have a list for my husband:

26 Things I Love About You


1. You served a faithful mission among people that I love. Then married me in the Salt Lake Temple for Time and All Eternity.

2. Scott

3. Siara


4. Shanna


5. Spencer

6. Seth


7. Shayla


8. Sam


9. Shane


10. You sing Josh Groban songs to me on our way to the Temple.


11. You hold my hand when we are out together--even at Costco.



12. You tell me I'm hot. Even though your sight is dimming at the same rate as my youth.


13. You have to wear reading glasses--it means we are growing old together.


14. You flex your biceps for me.


15. You can install a toilet or a tub or a shower. You can do electrical work and tiling--pretty much anything when it comes to home improvement.

16. You don't mess around once you start a project--you just get it done. You have made every place we've lived beautiful and comfortable.


17. You know the lyrics to a million random songs from the 60's right up to today. And sing them at random moments to fit the occasion.


18. You eat anything I make and never complain, and compliment my cooking to the children.



19 You are financially responsible and have given me security all the years of our marriage. Your careful planning is the reason we haven't suffered through this past year of unemployment.


20. You are the voice of reason when I am upset.


21. You make me laugh. I mean that in a good way.



22. You try really hard to understand me and figure me out--your efforts are duly noted--though you know it's a lost cause.



23. You have always been outstanding in your field of work. We have traveled the world together and dined with captains of industry. We have had amazing adventures at home and abroad. I have seen you converse in the language of business with people from far and wide. I see the respect they have for you and the way you put them at ease.


24. You bought a run-down cabin and made it beautiful and comfortable because it was my dream.


25. You have kept the faith and been an example of a worthy Priesthood bearer to our children. I see the love and dedication you put into every church calling--from Bishop, to Gospel Doctrine Teacher to Home Teacher.


26. You have given me the first 26 years of an Eternity with you that I look forward to.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Our Town

Yesterday, The Gale Academy of Classical Education drove about town taking pictures for a project we call "Farewell to Camas". Actually, I call it that. The boys call it: "Anything to Get Out of Regular School Work".
We began where it all started for our family: at the trailer park where we lived right after Andy graduated from BYU. His first job was at Tektronix and we found a used single-wide trailer for an affordable price and moved it into this place. Scott was just a baby and this is where he learned to walk and talk. We have pictures of him inside the actual trailer when he was an actual baby but those are packed away in long-term storage. It was in our little trailer where Scott learned the names and sounds of all the farm animals. His favorite game was to have Andy tell him, "Scott, where's the horse?" Scott would run into his room and bring back the horse from his Fisher-Price farm. Then we'd ask him, "What does the horse say?" (this was in the days before every toy did all the work for kids--they could actually use their own imaginations and make the sounds themselves!). He would make the neighing sound and then wait for the next animal. He also spent many hours here with a magnetic alphabet board that he got for his 1st Birthday. He would point to a letter and say, "What's this?" and I would tell him the letter and the sound. He would go through the whole alphabet and then start over. Since we didn't have TV, this was as exciting as it got. But along the way, he learned to spell his name and other simple words.
This is also where we lived when Siara was born. When she started crawling she was a speed racer and could dash from one end of the trailer to the other in record time. Usually with Scott running after her and both of them laughing. I started doing daycare here so the trailer got a little crowded some days. I made a Noah's ark out of a grocery bag and traced the animals from the nursery manual. I mounted them on cardboard and Scott, Siara and the daycare kids played with that happily for hours.
When we found out Shanna was on the way, we decided it was time to find a bigger place. That will be a later post. Stay tuned for another episode of "Farewell to Camas".

Monday, February 23, 2009

Peace, Be Still

This has been an interesting year for our family. From the day Andy called with the news that his job had been eliminated, through months of unemployment, to selling our house and relocating in a cabin-- we have certainly been on a roller coaster of uncertainty.



We built our last home with the idea that it would be our last. We pictured our grandchildren coming there to visit and huge family gatherings after all the kids were grown and married with families of their own. We have lived within 6 blocks of our ward meetinghouse for 24 years and never intended to stray any further than that.



Apparently, the Lord had other plans. And we have gratefully, if not always happily, accepted that. His tender mercies have seen us through all of our lives and continued through the recent times of worry. Each visit to the temple brought us a sense of peace. Each change ended up being for the better. Each step into the unknown, guided by His hand.



The sale of our house and the timing of it: Truly Miraculous--no other way to explain it. That alone released us from what would have become a huge burden as the job hunt continued longer than we expected. The cabin was another blessing--it softened the blow of all the changes we had to experience and allowed us to live frugally and conserve our resources. It also gives us a place to come back to in our beloved Northwest.



We are thankful for the extra time we've had after we sold our house, to linger in our hometown with our ward family. Grateful to have some extra time serving with the amazing women in our stake YW presidency. Time to spend with my husband, who, for the first time in our married life was free to spend time with the family. The Lord truly has eased the way for this next phase of our lives.



I have always placed such a high premium on security, it has been a great year of learning for me--to let go and trust--REALLY TRUST--that the Lord is mindful of us and would show us the way. Faith is a great thing in theory but requires practice to really mean anything. I keep getting reminded that this life's purpose is to be tested.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Welcome to the Hotel California

Andy and I took a whirlwind trip to San Diego to do some serious house-hunting. It required arising very early on Friday to catch our flight out. Then we spent the entire day with our real estate agent. Needless to say, we were pretty exhausted by the time we got to our hotel that night. We settled in for what we expected would be a good night's sleep.
Imagine my surprise when I was awakened at 1:00 am by shrieking laughter and yelling. What? Our neighbors were having a party and we weren't invited? How Rude!
I was so tired I tried to delude myself that they would settle down soon and I would get some sleep. But it got louder and soon, more partiers came to join in the merriment. They pounded loudly on the door and yelled to the hosts to let them in. I thought the management would want to know about the fun going on in their establishment, so I called the front desk. The poor night clerk had already been informed and assured me that security would take care of it. I fell back into bed and heard security pound on the door and yell "Security!" then pound some more and yell "Security!" This was the partiers' cue to suddenly get quiet and then scuttle around hiding any incriminating evidence. Luckily we got to hear the whole saga unfold as we shared a paper-thin wall with our neighbors.
The person who answered the door: "What is it? I was asleep. What's wrong?"
Yeah, right, you were asleep!
As soon as security left, it was time to let the good times roll once again.
And on it went hour after hour. I called the front desk THREE MORE TIMES!!!
Finally, at 5:00 am, they were evicted...a little late for that beauty rest I so desperately needed.
Security pounded on the door again and informed the person that answered that they had to leave.
"I'll have to wake everyone up," she so innocently replied.
OH WAIT!! YOU ALREADY DID!!!
Luckily, I had this questionable character to cheer me up at the airport:





Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Memories of a Former Beehive


My calling as a stake YW leader gives me the opportunity to attend some of the functions in the various wards of our stake. This time of year it is New Beginnings. This is a treat for me--I love to see the sweet young ladies as they participate in the program. And the very dedicated ward leaders who love them and guide them through their tender, formative years between childhood and womanhood. It reminds me of the wonderful leaders my daughters had/have and also the ones who were an influence in my life as I was growing up.


I turned 12 while we were living in Twin Falls, I had spent the year before that babysitting for the Mia Maid advisor (Sis. Rasmussen) each Wednesday as she went to Young Women. My Mother was the Laurel advisor and the two of them became good friends. I saw how much they loved the girls they served and all of the time and effort they put into their callings. I also really looked up to the older girls and couldn't wait to graduate from being a "Primary Child" to become one of them...a "Young Woman".


My first Beehive leader had beautiful, long hair--past her waist long. She was soft-spoken and sang alto so beautifully I would mouth the words so I could hear her voice when we sang. I was called to be the Beehive President and she began the foundation of my leadership training. I remember her guiding me to call a girl who attended sporadically and who was a little gruff, to be our secretary. I was skeptical about how she would function. She taught me that functionality wasn't the purpose. We visited this girl's home and invited her to Mutual activities and she gradually became more involved. This leader moved away and our new advisor was newly married and very enthusiastic. We had activities at her house. She pointed out things that were wedding gifts and told us about her temple marriage and showed us pictures. I was completely enthralled with all of it and looked forward to my own temple marriage someday.

We were part of a stake that covered several small towns around Twin Falls. One Saturday morning this leader drove us to one of the far-off ward buildings for a play try-out. The stake was putting on "A Bee in My Bonnet" a play about a young girl who learns to be kind and considerate when a bee shows up in her room and gives her advice. There were lots of girls from each ward there and they had us go up on stage and read a part so they could decide who would play which part in this production. I was very shy and my outgoing, enthusiastic leader encouraged us all to get up there and do our best.

There was some discussion among those in charge as we stood around waiting for the final word. Then they announced the parts. I got the lead. The look of shock on my Beehive Leader's face was priceless. I remember all the way home how she gushed and congratulated me and told me she couldn't believe it was me up there on that stage--her quiet Beehive girl. My little Beehive heart swelled with the encouragement from my beloved leader. I still remember the song I had to sing for the play:
"Good manners means, being thoughtful of others
Your Mom and Dad and your sisters and brothers..."

I carried the good wishes and good memories of my Beehive class in Idaho with me when we moved to Orem. My BFF, Kellie Shaffer was a fellow Beehive and we continued to write back and forth over the years. In Utah I finished out my Beehive year with a new leader and new friends. Moving was difficult but it was eased through the kindness of my new Beehive group. Two girls: Kristen Schaefer and Colleen Anderson, came to my house the day we were moving in and invited me to Young Women. They told me all about the school and where the bus stop was and provided me with essential information about the youth in our ward: which guys liked which girls. They picked me up for Young Women and walked with me to the church. They continued to be good friends through the years and subsequent family moves.

The Beehive experience is a beautiful "New Beginning". It's a testament to the inspiration behind the Young Women program. It is such a wonderful transition from little girl to young woman and it works because of the dedicated and fun and spiritually strong women who exemplify true womanhood for the girls. And the spirit of kindness and fun and friendship that dwells in every Beehive heart!

Monday, February 16, 2009

Why I Homeschool: Reason #672

Happy President's Day! Here is a view of
The Gale Academy of Classical Education
Writing Lab
A place where thoughts flow like the river just outside the window.
Where students kick back and put pen to paper.
I remind my boys that they aren't the first to
be educated in a log cabin.
That bar is set pretty high.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Love is in the Air

Happy Valentine's Day!
This week at the Gale Academy of Classical Education, I thought it would be nice for the boys to carry on the tradition of giving Valentines. They put in a request for the kind with candy: Pixie Stix and Fun Dip. So after the morning's core curriculum, we gathered 'round the table for some fun. I encouraged them to fill out some for their friends and family members. I left them to their Valentine project while I got some Young Women business taken care of. When I got back, I saw that they had put together some of the hearts--they were made so that the Pixie Stix go through the heart and then an arrow point is attached to the end and it's a lovely arrow-pierced Valentine. They were each enjoying a Fun Dip Valentine. They had given them to each other. And that was it.

Sam: "There's no way I'm giving one to Seth--he'll beat me up if I do."
Shane: "I'm not giving any to my friends either--that's embarrassing."

I talked them into making one for Shayla and that was the extent of our Valentine festivities. They were happy to keep the rest of the Valentines for themselves and have been enjoying Fun Dip and Pixie Stix the past few days. They were thoughtful enough to share the goodies when they had some friends over last night--I guess that's as close as it's going to get to giving out Valentines.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Dinner and a Show

On a crazy whim, we decided to take the youngsters out to dinner a few nights ago. We thought we had something to celebrate. Then we thought we didn't. Then we thought we did again--such are the ups and downs of trying to find gainful employment in this crazy economy. We bundled everyone up and headed to our local Olive Garden. It was just a plain old week-night but little did we know, we were in for a special surprise.

After the customary wait, we were led to a table centrally located amongst the booths and tables. We settled in and began perusing the menus, anticipating our taste of a somewhat close approximation of Italy. I glanced over the top of my menu and noticed a youngish couple snuggled up in one of the booths. This wouldn't normally attract my attention. I can be pretty single minded when I am hungry, but the display of head rubbing was so riveting I couldn't avert my eyes. The guy was getting a two-handed head massage, his eyes were closed as she raked her fingers through his hair and around his ears, with his head tipped back he looked like a contented cat--I expected to hear purring at any moment.

I dragged my eyes back to my menu but was soon treated to the second act of this excruciating performance. They were both pressed into the space of one person, arms intertwined. She began to rub his arm: up and down, up and down. She threw in a few caresses and pinches. Their faces were millimeters from each each other. Mind you, this is just what I noticed. I have no idea what was going on while I was regulating the drink intake and food choices of the youngsters. Luckily the two little boys had their backs to the whole sideshow.

It was only a matter of time before they moved onto the finale: face sucking. She attached her mouth to his with such force I thought she was going to bring his lungs up through his mouth. When I noticed one of the children's eyes drifting over to the display I said, "Oh, he was choking, now she's giving him mouth-to-mouth--it's good to have CPR training! So, how's that fettucine?"

Dad and I were giving each other the eye-roll, which interpreted means: "Good grief, get a room!" I mean, we're all for love and affection but let's keep some dignity in public and maybe keep it G-rated when you are seated in a family restaurant.

Viva Italiano!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

A Tribute to a Tall President


If Abraham Lincoln were alive today he would be 200 years old! He would also be shocked (and maybe even appalled) at the state of his beloved country.

He was born in a cabin in Kentucky and obtained an education through his own love of learning --mostly through reading. He became an eloquent public speaker, and a great writer whose phrases still inspire us. He was known to sit up late into the night, discussing Shakespeare's plays with White House visitors. He kept the union together, he freed the slaves. He quoted the Bible more than any other president and his Gettysburg address speaks for itself.

He was six feet four and gaunt looking. At first glance, most people thought he was homely. He could laugh it off. A rival once called him "two-faced" during a political debate and he replied, "I leave it to my audience. If I had another face, do you think I'd wear this one?"

Lincoln said:

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown; but we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us." (Proclamation for a National Fast Day, March 30, 1863.)


Our country is going through another humbling--let's hope there are enough people who have not forgotten God that we won't be a lost cause.


Happy 200th Abraham Lincoln.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Illustration for the Previous Blog


This is what I'm talking about...
awesome Ward Cookbooks.
The well-worn "Something Special" has been around since Scott was a baby and we first moved into the ol' Camas Ward. It was actually a throw-back to the old Washougal Ward before they split. I found it when I was helping clean out the Relief Society closet. Best brownies ever are made from a recipe found in it's spattered, tattered pages!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Another Ode to Oatmeal Cake

I sit down to the computer tonight with my tummy full of Oatmeal Cake. I did restrain myself to only two (ok, rather large) pieces. Sam was in charge of Family Night treat tonight--now that Spencer is off to college, Sam and I are the only two Oatmeal Cake advocates left in the family. And Sam can be a little fickle--sometimes he makes brownies or cookies. But I still love him.

The reason for this post, though, is to share a little discovery I made as I was paging through a cookbook. It was one of those Ward Relief Society compilation cookbooks. I love them because they are full of tried and true recipes with real ingredients from real people that you actually really know. So I came across a recipe for Oatmeal Cake. But the topping was a little different. I tried it tonight and to my surprise, a treat that I did not think could be improved upon, actually could be BETTER!

Here's the secret: When making the topping, use 4 Tbls. butter
1 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. canned milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Stir together and bring to a boil on med. heat. Boil for 2 minutes. Pour over warm cake and then sprinkle with: 1/2 C. coconut & 1/2 C. chopped walnuts

Enjoy!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Funny

Q. What kind of shoes do frogs wear?
A. Open Toad

This is what the kids call a "Mom Joke"--I love corny jokes and puns--and inflict them on my family every chance I get. If I can stop laughing long enough to get it out. I know, it's bad manners to laugh at your own jokes but technically they aren't my own--I get them from the newspaper or Reader's Digest or popsicle sticks. Perfect sources for sophisticated humor.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Picnic

This is a handy little gadget that Shane is using to help him with his New Year's Self Improvement...It's a fun way to keep track of his progress as he exercises more and also gives him suggestions for eating healthy. His "Coach" gives him daily challenges that send him running up and down the stairs ten times or doing 25 sit-ups at odd times. So, one of his Tuesday challenges was to plan a picnic for lunch the next day.
He was so excited, he had me make a list: Well, surprise! The next morning, he couldn't wait for lunch. He decided it should be a picnic breakfast! (Note that he scribbled out the word "lunch" on the list.)
He was up at the crack of dawn, making the sandwiches and filling the basket with healthy picnic foods.

Sam and I begged him to wait until the temperature rose to 40 degrees. At least.
He was NOT happy.

But he had mercy on us and waited an hour. Then we all bundled up and went out for our picnic. Note that Shane is NOT bundled up--he is oblivious to the cold.


A good time was had by all.


After we ate, we had stick throwing contests, a cherry pit spitting contest,
and sprinting races.



All in all, a pleasant outing in spite of the fact that it's not exactly picnic weather.
(Here's our Cat With No Name wondering why his crazy humans are eating outside.)






Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Life is Just a ...

Bowl of Cherries! These little beauties...
came all the way from Chile to cheer us in the Heart of Winter.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Conversation

We were talking about how involved the interview process is for the jobs Dad is pursuing.


Me: It's just so grueling--the weeks between interviews and the long all-day meetings.
Dad: Well, not everyone is ready to commit their life to me after the first date!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Date Night


Tonight was date night. An evening set aside once a week for My Guy and I to spend a little time away from the youngsters. An opportunity for them to show their self-sufficiency by making odd food concoctions and leaving the crusty dishes all over the kitchen. Tonight we went to Roots for dinner--and I ate some roots (carrots) and some other delicious stuff. So did My Guy. Then we came home.

We had planned to watch a movie. It required a Clearplay filter so we started what we thought would be a quick process to download said filter. But no, it turned into an ordeal. Remember how we have dial-up Internet? And how it's really really really slow? But, we do have a laptop and some fancy satellite thing that beams in the internet. That didn't work either. My Guy became mildly annoyed. He stomped up the stairs to try and load the filter. Then back down the stairs to put it in the clearplay DVD player and see if it would work. Then he stomped back up the stairs to try it again. He is certainly not a giver-upper! And at last, he did conquer the Clearplay filter and it did bow to his superiority and sheer force of will. And we did enjoy the movie--well sort of--I have high expectations for westerns and this one fell short. But the Clearplay filter worked brilliantly.

Happy Birthday Scott!

 It has been awhile since I updated this little family scrapbook on the internet. I like to pop over here from time to time and look at our ...