Resolution or Repetition?

Well, the new year is approaching rapidly and as usual I have been comtemplating my resolutions. You've heard that old saying, "You're not getting older, you're just getting better"! Well, when it comes to me that is not the case. There are 4 resolutions that I have made for the last three years that I will be repeating this year. I just can't seem to get them right. I'm trying hard to make this part of my daily rituals, but for some reason always come up short.
Here goes: #1. Lose weight. #2. Eat more healthy. #3. Exercise daily. and #4. Read my scriptures regularly. Yes, I realize that #'s 2 and 3 would help me accomplish #1. It seems that I start out pretty gung-ho, but then before I know it I become just slow. Slow that is at keeping tabs on my resolutions. Well, as you know, they say the third time is the charm. Too bad this makes four. Ha-Ha! Oh well, all is good and at least I'm trying to resolve something. And when I do go to meet my maker, I may not be thin but I'll definately be happy.

Tis the Season

Tis the Season. How is it that it goes-to be Jolly? Sometimes we find that just a bit difficult after hanging all that holly. Why is it that we do this to ourselves? I love Christmas and actually do love decorating for it, but why do I have to have so much? This is a question that only my psychiatrist knows for sure. Mmm, I forgot I don't have a psychiatrist. At least it's a bit comforting to know that I am not alone. People everywhere share this addiction. Last night Shultz and I saw a house that I swear had lights on every tree and bush in their yard. It was absolutely gorgeous. If the inside of their home looks anything like the outside, then WOW! Really though, all this for only a month or so. And then think of all that storing of it. Oh well, I've got to quit analyzing it and just enjoy! Hopefully we don't let the true meaning of Christmas get lost among all that tinsel.
I'm going to post a few pics and hope that you can enjoy a bit of Christmas at our house. Our door is always open. Well, best get back to wrapping those gifts.

Bountiful Blessings

With Thanksgiving approaching I would like to take the time and reflect upon some of the many blessing I have in my life.
1. Family-The kind that you know you can depend on for anything.
2. Grandchildren- I love their sweet smiling faces. Especially thankful to have Saydee home safe and growing.
3. Friends-The ones that always know how to make you laugh!
4. My Home- Starting to find out things about Alpine that I love. For instance the chiming of the Town Clock that I can hear when I walk outside.
5. The Mountains-Which were absolutely breathtaking this Fall.
6. My view from my Great Room window-Snow capped mountains.
7. Income-Thanks to Shultz and all of the many orange cones.
8. Food on the table-Again thanks to Shultz and all of the many orange cones.
9. Christmas decor-That I can't seem to get enough of.
10. My health-Even if I do have a few aches and pains and arthritic hands. At least I don't have to pop a bunch of pills.
11. My religion- It gives me Hope and Faith that no matter what happens everything will be alright.
12. Gardening- even though it's been put to rest for a while I can't help but to start planning for next Spring.
13. Quilting- Gives me satisfaction during those cold Winter months

The list could go on forever, but these are some of the biggies. I hope that this might cause you to reflect upon how fortunate you are. Remember, no matter how bad it might be at times; there is always sunshine at the end of the rainbow.

SPOOKtacular Fun!

I wanted to share this post that I did two years ago for our family Halloween party.  The grandies had so much fun!  It's a party they still talk about.  They loved all of the activities! 

Saturday night we had a family Halloween party. I greeted grandchildren at the door as Witch Hildegard. Paityn didn't quite know what to think. Each one of them received a coin so that they could go upstairs and get their fortune told by Gypsy Kya. Afterwards Witch Hilde gave them each a tatoo We ate a hauntingly good meal of BBQ beef, potatoe salad, shrimp dip, chips, and brain jello oozing with blood. I have to admit the brain jello was a little hard to eat. Just looking at it and the thought of eating brains made it difficult to swallow. Although, Kade loved it and came back for seconds. The costumes were sure to please. Taylor was a ghost bride, Jordyn a skeleton, Braxton a pirate, and Paityn a hot pink kitten. Kade and Riley didn't come dressed but managed to conjur up quite a managerie by digging through the costume box. Lonnie even graced us with an Elvis look alike that the boys dug out. Karrah and Jayson had a fantastic Troll and Dragon thing going on. We drank a bubbly brew, dipped caramel apples, made slime , ( I was going to give the recipe, but noticed that someone had already linked that up.), and tried to imitate Hildegards broom dance, (I cleared my throat, did a few simple dance steps and then the kids took my broom and tried to repeat it.  It took quite a few times of Hilde saying, "No, that's not quite right."  before they caught on that they had to clear their throat first.) It definately was a spooktacularly fun night!

Linking up with:
http://www.oneartmama.blogspot.com/

http://onetoughmom.blogspot.com/

Halloween Haven

As many of you know, I love Halloween! There's just something about those bright colors that light up my day. I love decorating for it and having my children over for a Halloween party. Seeing my grandchildren in their cute costumes is always so fun. As of late I am wondering, "Have I gone a little overboard?" My youngest son came up for Sunday dinner. After entering he said, "Mom, I think your porch is a little over done." "Now you're beginning to look like that lady who has all the pink flamingos." In other words-THE GOBBSTER OF ALPINE. Has my worse fear came true? Then, after helping me clear the table of decor he said "How many decorations can one have on a table?" This may not be his exact words, but you get the idea. I'm posting some pics and I'd truly like your opinion. Come on, I can take it-I'm tough! Oh, I did forget to mention however that I've heard that Halloween is one time that you can get away with gobby. Ya think?

Mistaken Identity

About a week and a half ago I decided to bring our cat Shidiah home to our new house. The Vet. told me that I would have to keep him locked in the garage for 2-3 weeks or he would just head right back to our old home. We have been painting the garage so we had just left him with Dalan. I got him out of the car and sat him in the garage in his bed. Before I could close the garage, (yeah I know, I should have closed the garage first) he was off. Dalan has been keeping his eye out for him at our old house, but so far nada. Yesterday my friend Joyce came by for a visit. We decided to go for a ride up the road in her jeep. As we were heading back down the road Joyce said, "Is that your cat?" I looked over and sure enough a cat was running through this wooded yard that looked alot like Shidiah. We pulled over and I began to call him by his names (yes, he has two names-but then that's a whole other story). I also was whistling as I called to him. At first no response, but then he started towards me. Along with two dogs that apparantly heard my whistle. The cat stopped and ran off. I continued to call him but he just ignored me. Finally, he jumped up onto a rock wall and Joyce got a hold of him. As I looked at him I thought "I don't remember him having this much black on his legs, and his face seemed a little different. After checking to see if his front claws had been declawed, and they had I decided it had to be him. I took him home and put him in the garage. At first he ran around a little frantically. Then he ate the cat food like he hadn't eaten for a week. This only confirmed that it was Shidiah. After eating he went and curled up in Foxy's (Kylee's cat) bed. I called Kylee and Shultz and happily informed that I had found our cat. When Shultz came home he went into the garage to see. He said, "his face seems a little different, but he was friendly towards me. Around 8-8:30 Kylee and Dustin came home. I told her to come into the garage and make sure it was Shidiah. She took one look at the cat and said "Mom, that is not Shidiah!" "It's a pretty cat and looks alot like him but trust me it is not him ." Then, she informed me that it didn't even meow the same. Shultz and I got into the car and took the cat back to where I had retrieved it. I'm trying hard to do that trust thing, but I'm still not positive that it wasn't our cat. If so at least he has a nice wooded yard to wander in. All I can say is that it's a good thing that I never lost one of my children. Who knows, I might have brought home a stranger and locked him or her in the garage for four hours until Shultz came home and said, "trust me that's not our child!"
p.s. Wish I had taken a picture of that cat!

Detour 101

Help! What's with all this road construction? Everywhere you go there's orange cones. It's so bad that I'm certain I'll be seeing them in my sleep tonight. My sister came up from Ferron today for a visit and no matter which way we went we hit detours, one after another! I know it's Fall and Winter is upon us, but do they have to do every road at once? Oh well, I mustn't complain. After all my husband is an Engineer for Horrocks, and most of the torn up roads started with them doing some of the design. So I just have to remember that those detour signs are what helped to bring home the bacon.

Give Away Today

Give Away Today is a great blog that gives away awesome stuff daily. Today they are giving away assorted card kits. Hope to be a winner!

Just Be-Cuz

Thursday evening I headed to Midway for an annual Fall celebration with my cousin (Cuz) Betty, her two daughters, her daughter-in-law, and my friend Diana. Sometimes I ask myself, "Why do I go to Swiss Days?" We rise early and head to the park hoping to beat the madness of all the crowds and to see what new creations we might come across this year. As many of you know, I really don't need another thing to decorate for Fall or Halloween. For some uncanny reason that's what seems to tempt me the most. One booth had the cutest crazy looking Halloween cat. I was so tempted that I left to go get me a diet coke, thinking that might take my mind off of it. Then Diana told me that there were only two of them and that a lady and her friend bought them both. Lucky for me they beat me to it. The atmosphere is fun and the food is great but after listening to that Swiss music all day we are definately ready to leave by around 2 in the afternoon. By then the park is swarming with people and the lines to buy anything are so long. The overnight stay in the hotel is always fun visiting with everyone and a few laughs are always guaranteed. So when I ask myself "Why?" I simply say Just be-CUZ!
p.s. I vowed not to buy Fall or Halloween, I caved and bought 1 new Halloween decor to hang on my new door.

Where the Wild Things Roam

We are quickly learning to love our new home. The only problem is so are a few wild things. I have a feeling that they have lived in this area long before our arrival.
We discovered that a doe and a baby fawn live behind our side yard where it is just a patch of tall grass. I am posting a few pics but the fawn is a little hard to see because it stays hidden in the foilage. We have a three point and a four point buck that think our backyard is a regular trail to who knows where they are going. They cross through it almost daily. They certainly don't feel at all threatened by our existance. Maybe they don't realize that bow season is upon them. Then again, maybe they're just smart enough to know that there's no hunting inside city limits.
One of my friends sisters told me that someone that was looking at a house by ours wandered out into the tall grass and discovered cougar cubs. Luckily, we have seen no sign of them or their protective mother. A week or so ago we had a bunch of quail and their babies in our backyard. Right now I am loving the opportunity of sighting these magnificent creatures. Next spring however, I may not be so excited to see them munching on my newly planted trees and flowers. Oh well, as Scarlet said in 'Gone with the Wind'. "I don't want to think about that today, I'll think about that tomorrow "(or next Spring) and just enjoy them for now.

Life as I know it

Life is good, so I keep telling myself. The past couple of weeks have been CRAZY hectic, but now I actually have a moment to relax and contemplate what actually has happened. Last week we moved into a new home. Yes, there are still boxes to unpack but something tells me that they are not going anywhere. It was a difficult decision to leave our home of 21 years, but I think we are going to be very happy here. At first when we woke up in the morning it felt as if we were visiting someone or on vacation somewhere and waking up in a hotel. Shultz said that he felt as though we needed to be going to some tourist attraction. But as each day passes it's beginning to feel more and more like our home. I am even starting to learn which switch turns on which light. I'm still having difficulty remembering which drawer I put what in. I'm loving the double ovens and have found myself using both diswashers often. Something I thought was just totally ridiculous and would only be used on Thanksgiving. Each day as we manage to hang a few more of my old familar decorations that I can't seem to part with I see a little more of myself creeping into this house. We have big plans for the yard and gardens and even though it won't be all done at once I know that it will really help to make this house our home. So until then all I can do is imagine and hope that my children and grandchildren will someday love this home as much as they did our home in Highland. We plan to stay here for a long time or until we move to our next home which would be just down the road aways. The Alpine Cemetary.

Land of the Free and Beautiful!

What a great 4th of July weekend! Greg and I started it off with a trip through A. F. Canyon where we came out in Midway and ate at one of our favorite Mexican restuarants. From there we went up to Kamas and stopped at Provo River Falls. Three gorgeous falls that we didn't even know existed until now. The drive through the canyon was so beautiful and we thoroghly enjoyed every minute of it. We also took a little stroll by Lily and Muir Lakes. We came out in Evanston where we spent the night, and spoiled ourselves with "The worlds most famous salad bar". This is actually a joke. The salad bar had very minimal items, but for some reason-that was their claim. We also realizied that we had missed the Testicle Festival held in a nearby town last May. Where we could have had some Rocky Mountain Oysters. Not sure what those are? Try googling it. Sunday afternoon we hiked a wild flower trail with Kylee and Dustin up Little Cottonwood Canyon by Alta. The weather was perfect and we saw some gorgeous flowers along with alot of little streams and some remnants of snow. We were lazy and didn't venture to any fireworks this year, but all in all it was a great holiday! We have so much beauty to be thankful
for right here in Utah. Too bad we don't have a Testicle Festival.

Tag your it

I'm not too savey as to what all the computer terms mean, but I am learning. My daughter Kylee tagged me last week in regards to 10 things you may or may not know about me. I guess that means that I am to do the same thing on my blog. So here goes, although I think it might be a bit boring. I've decided that I am an open book and tell all. I had a difficult time thinking of anything that you might not know about me.

10 Things you may or may not know about me:

1. I had Rheumatic Fever twice as a child

2. My dad died when I was only 9 months old

3. I could walk on my hands for a long time

4. I hated pizza and blueberry pancakes when I was young, but now love both of them

5. I didn't butter my own toast till I was 13 (so my older sisters say-one of the perks of being
the baby of the family.

6. I have a fear of driving off the road into water and drowning

7. I love kissing

8. I always cry in sad movies (even Lady and the Tramp)

9. I have 5 wonderful children (of which the timing of none of them was really planned), and 6
soon to be 7 darling grandchildren

10. I am now the proud owner of a new home. Looking forward to dejunking. Can you imagine
all that I have accumulated after 22 years in this soon to be missed home?

The Hunt

Shultz and I are thinking of moving to a home with a master on the main. As bad as I hate to admit it, I don't think I'll be up to this 5 level split when I'm 80 or so. Why not do it now while the prices are great and theres umpteen million homes out there. The hunt should be fun, but it's also a bit exasperating. It seems like the best deals are on homes that are really bigger than what we need, but you can't help but consider them because the price is good. The down side is the good priced homes have no yards so it'll be starting all over again. In some ways I'm excited to have a new home, but I can't help but think of how much I am going to miss this house. We have such fond memories here and have literally lived in our yard during the summer. It makes me a bit sad to know that some of my grand children will not get a chance to play in the play house. Who knows, maybe we can build another one. I just have to keep positive and hunt, hunt, hunt. Shultz and I also feel bad for all those people who have lost their homes. I know that this needed to happen because the housing prices were ridiculous. Just hope that those people are not homeless and have family to take them in.

Diamond in the Rough

Old door cupboard for storing extra dishes

Cupboards and rack for clothes (He tiled the top for me also)

Friday was my hubby of almost 37 years birthday. As a surpirse I planned for all of our family to go to the Drive In movie. Yes, Redwood Drive In is still open, and believe it or not there are 6 screens. I read about it in a Sunset magazine and thought it would be fun because that is what we did for our first date. The weather didn't cooperate so the event has been post poned until July. The grand kids were so excited to go so that was a bit of a bummer. With Fathers Day approaching and his recent B'day I wanted to dedicate this post to him. He definately is a Diamond in the rough! People who don't know him very well are a bit frightened of him and don't quite know how to take him. He has this whacky sense of humor and says just crazy off the wall things. Sometimes I can't believe that they are coming out of his mouth. He has the most gentle and tender heart. As one employee from Horrocks once told me "I was more afraid of him than I was of Jim Horrocks. Once I got to know him, I realized that he was just a big teddy bear." He loves his children and many times went without so that they could have something that they needed or wanted. The grand children are the apple of his eye. He's always doing honey do's for me and is very patient and puts up with my whacky ideas. The pics are just the last two projects he did. It may take him a while, but he always gets the job done. I couldn't have asked for a better hubby!

This Buds for You!

Celebrating Memorial Day and visiting the cemetaries caused me to reflect upon the lifes of those who have passed away. So many of them had such a great influence on my life. Starting with my Mother and Step Father. From them I developed the love of gardening. As a teenager I was not required to do too many jobs around the house. One thing I did do was mow the lawn. To this day I still love mowing the lawn and the smell of that freshly cut grass. My Mother was such a kind and generous person. She loved every kind of flower, as do I. My real father died when I was only 9 months old, so my Step Father was my Dad. I love and miss both of them terribly. Shultz's mom passed away two years ago. From her I learned to make delicious homemade stuffing. I can't help but think about her every Thanksgiving as I am stuffing that bird. I think that my oldest brother Dennis left to serve his country right after he graduated. I don't remember spending alot of time with him growing up. I do remember him teasing me, flipping me with a towel, and calling me "Pencil Butt". Isn't that what brothers do best? I had wonderful Aunts that took the place of Grand Parents for me. Aunt Viola and Aunt Dorothy. Yum, I can smell and taste their wonderful bread, custard, and rice pudding. wish I had some right now! Aunt Carma was a classic! She was so beautiful and so much fun! I have two great friends that have passed. Sheron a childhood neighbor and Pam my oh so fun college roomie. I have Sheron to thank for the Gospel. She is the one who invited me to go to Primary with her. Many of my favorite recipes came from Pam. Sweet and Sour Chicken, Lasagne, and Cheese Fondue. I know that these are some of my kids favorites also.

I miss and love all of you and just want to say "This Buds for You!"

Bless my bloomers!

Bridal Wreath Bush

Clematis

Wisteria Tree



Golden Chain Tree

I am loving all of the gorgeous blooming bushes and trees in my yard this month. Every time I walk by one of them It smells like heaven on earth. Take time to enjoy what Mother Nature and God so freely gives us.

Sow and You Shall Reap

Last Feb. my friend Kathy and I took a gardening class from Dr. Wells. He used alot of technical terms, but I learned alot. Some of the things that I usually planted in May he said it was better to plant them in March. For example: lettuce, beets, cabbage, carrots, onions, & broccoli. Wow, what a difference! They are growing so well, along with my peas and radishes. The great thing about it is that I only watered them once. All the rain that Mother Nature provided did the trick. Then once the sun started shining they just seemed to burst. These pictures are from two weeks ago and everything is much larger now. Thank God for good earth, rain and sunshine! We are enjoying delicious radishes now and can't wait to reap futhur rewards.

The Bomb

Mothers Day was the BOMB! Some of the family came for dinner and Shultz cooked delicious BBQ Pork in the dutch oven. The kids came bearing gifts and I loved them all. Falco may not have spent $150, but he gave me a bunch of Burts Bees stuff . My hands and feet are gonna be so happy! Ky and Dustin gave me a gorgeous geranium basket and Nichole gave me a subscription to Taste of Home healthy eating. Lonnie and Tracy gave me a cute garden decoration. I love anything for the garden! I hope all of you mothers had a great day also. We took lilacs to both my mom and Shultz's moms graves. They loved flowers as much as I do.
I miss them terribly and think of them often. How thankful I am that I got to have them in my life.

Oh Happy Day!

Just wanted to give you and update on the $150. Diana, Jeanne, and I ran to Springville this morning so we decided to stop at the gift shop and see if anyone had claimed the cash. The woman I had given it to was not working, but the other employee said "Are you the lady that turned in the money?'" She then told me that it belonged to a young kid and he was so happy and said that it's nice to know there are still honest people in this world. So happy day for him! Sad day for me if I don't get a Mothers Day gift from Falco. Actually, all I really care about is a big HUG and a KISS on the cheek.

Gutter Money

Yesterday as I came out of a gift shop and was about to get into Dianas truck I looked down and saw a $50 dollar bill. At first I thought it was play money. Then I noticed more in the gutter. As I picked it up I realized that it was two more 50's folded inside of each other. I asked Kathy if it was hers, because we had both gotten out on that side. She answered "no". My immediate thought was " I've got to give it to the store owner". When I returned inside and told her what I had found there were two other customers standing there. They could not believe that I had brought it in. They just kept saying, "You are so honest". I replied no, I just knew that If I had lost that much money I would feel sick and would be so happy if someone had done the same thing." Hopefully, whoever lost it will retrace their steps and I can help to make their day. So, my qusestion is "what would you have done?" I think that you would have done the same thing.
My mother always taught me to be honest in all my doings. I would like to think that there are more honest people in this world than dishonest. Besides, I would not have felt good spending money that did not belong to me. Am I just crazy?

Birds and Blooms

Where there are birds there is sure to be poop.

Cute little birds in my trees

Potted Pansies and primroses brighten my day.

forsythia-almost through blooming

daffodils still smiling after being covered with a foot of snow
just one week ago.

violets-gotta love their sweet little blossoms

woodland hychianths

One of my favorites-Pasque flower

Happy Earth Day!

I am so loving this weather! The past few days the flowers just seem to be popping out like crazy. My trees are full of birds and I never grow tired of hearing their chirping. I must admit though, I own a bird killer. In just three days I have found the remains of two birds in my garage. Petey is a KILLER cat. What's an owner to do? I've even quit filling my feeders because I felt like I was bringing them in for the kill. All I can say is fly birdies fly. I snapped a few photos of what Spring has brought to my Highland home and thought I would share them with you. Hope you enjoy!