My Life in Haysville

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T12:50:00.001-06:00

Christmas is full of traditions, some of them you don't realize are that until you notice that you are doing them again every year. Luckily, some of them get refined a bit more each year until they work correctly. This year was the first one in ages that Andrew was home, and with Theresa as our new daughter in law. It was great to have them here, and we are lucky to have Theresa to be part of our family.
This year started on Christmas Eve with the candlelight service at church. Nicole sings in the choir and they had an outstanding group of songs, and the rest of the service was great as well. Then we made the ill advised decision to eat out since we hadn't eaten before church. Of course nothing was open, so we ended up at Burger King. Actually, since it was one of the few places in Derby there were a fair number of people coming in. There were only two crew people on duty and they were kept busy. We all spent a few moments feeling guilty for being the reason they had to work on Christmas Eve. We decided than, that we would set up hors d'ouvers before we leave for church next year and eat that when we get home.
On Christmas day, we don't open any gifts until the Blomberg's get here after their morning Christmas at their house. We all went to church at ten and it was a fantastic service. If possible the music was better than the night before and the message was just as good.
Theresa is a fantastic baker, she made baklava from scratch as well and a flan cake and other treats for the day. I ate as much as I could yesterday and still wanted more. The rest of the family came over after church and we ate brunch and opened presents. Wyatt had something of a melt down, (I am understating here), but he calmed down enough to participate in the rest of the day.
After that we went down to Wellington and picked up Jaunita and we all went out to Chris and Phil's for dinner. I bought all the little kids fleece throws this year and they seemed to like that. I felt more creative than just giving the money like I usually do. There was lots of food and a lot of fun with my family. We were all glad to have Jaunita with us. I miss my Dad so much and I didn't realize how Jaunita is the closing living human tie left to my father.
My wish to all of you is for the same love and blessings to you that we are able to share here in this family.

Future Plumber

2011-12-21T15:38:00.000-06:00

I caught Andrea in this pose a while back. The first thought I had was that she had a future in plumbing. She didn't understand why I thought the picture was so funny.

Breakfast with Santa

2011-12-20T00:49:00.000-06:00

We went to the Y on Saturday with the kids for Breakfast with Santa. We had gone last year and enjoyed it. The gymnastic teams perform and there is stuff like face painting for the kids to do. We also have our annual attempt at getting a good photo with Santa. This year was better than last year, but we have a ways to go till we hit perfection.

Danny's Wedding

2011-12-19T12:15:00.000-06:00

My nephew Danny Gerdes married Carey Giebler on Saturday December 17th. It was a Christmas wedding and now that I think about it, I haven't been to may Christmas weddings. They do have a lot of possibilities for decorating that you don't have the rest of the year. It was a very nice wedding, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I know my sister in law is glad it is over. She and my brother paid for the wedding and Cathy had been stressing over getting everything done. As usual, it feels odd to go to a wedding and not be responsible for the photos. I took a few, but made myself walk away often to not interfere with the photographer. It is just a habit with me now. I do love photographing weddings. Best wishes to Danny and Carey.

I have no idea....

2011-12-19T11:54:00.003-06:00

Why the header photo is so big. I am looking but I cannot find where to control the size. Maybe later. I didn't realize that Andrew looked almost asleep, but hey! The grand kids were on their way to melt down, so I had no expectations there.

Halloween 2011

2011-12-11T20:26:00.000-06:00

Since I am playing catch up here, I am posting pictures of Wyatt and Andrea at Halloween. Wyatt was a spider. Nicole made his costume and I have to say it was pretty neat. I think he looks as spooky as a six year old can and should. Andrea was a "cute" witch. I am pretty certain the emphasis was on the cute. Both of them cleaned up on the candy. I am just grateful that it wasn't around this house to tempt me.

Work in progress

2011-12-10T23:41:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of the house and some of the work in progress so far.

Good Grief Lynette

2011-12-10T22:33:00.000-06:00

The carpet had all been ripped up before the house was put on the market. The living room now has bamboo on the floor, tile in the entry, kitchen and dining area. All the trim has been painted white.

We are still working on the kitchen. The floor has been tiled and I am working on refinishing the cabinets. New counter top has been ordered and we will be tiling the walls under the cabinets.

This bathtub has been resurfaced and the entire bathroom redone. It now looks great.

We even had to replace the front door. The work on the the basement will start on Monday. All the sheet rock was removed to prove there was no mold. But the whole place was pretty grim, so it is being redone and the third bathroom in the basement will be roughed into be finished later.

It has been almost two months since I posted anything here. Life has been busy and I haven't been doing any of my normal things. Andrew and Theresa are still living with us, but we are hoping they will be in their own place before Christmas. If not, during Christmas week. We bought a house several blocks from here. It had been foreclosed on and we were able to get it for a very good price. It needed a lot of work which we have been doing. It still has a way to go, but it doesn't look like it used to. I will post a few before pictures, but we don't have a lot of finished after pictures yet. We are still in the great messy stage.

First Presbyterian Fall Festival

2011-10-16T22:40:00.000-05:00

We all went out to Lana and A J Schlegel's place this afternoon for the annual FPC Fall Festival. Lana and AJ have a beautiful place with a small lake and an island. We have hot dogs, make S'Mores and go on a hay rack ride. Everything is there that you need to start the fall season.
It is so nice to have Andrew and Theresa with us now. I have always missed him while he was on active duty, but it is so much nicer to see him here and happy with Theresa. We are so lucky they found each other..

Theresa;s Birthday

2011-10-14T19:04:00.000-05:00

We took Theresa out to Olive Garden for dinner for her birthday last night. I hope it was a fun evening for her. We are so glad to have Andrew and Theresa with us now. The Picture of the two of them is amazing in that this is the first time since he was maybe fourteen that Andrew has voluntarily worn something that was not black and funky to say the least. I want to make a beg deal of it, but I don't want to irritate Andrew. He isn't all that fond of regular clothes.

Adios to Valdosta

2011-10-07T10:29:00.000-05:00

Last week was spent in Valdosta with Andrew and Theresa helping them pack up and move back here to Haysville. I took these pictures as bookends to Andrew's stay in Georgia. He is leaving Valdosta with about twice as much stuff and he came there with, and now he is also married to Theresa. It wasn't a bad move, Theresa's Mother had access to lots of boxes and the Basset Hound puppies are excellent travelers. Everyone will be staying with us until things get settled and organized here. Pray for the house in Georgia to sell soon. It is in move in condition.
Ray and I will miss going to Valdosta at Christmas. It has been a good winter vacation for us for the last three years. I guess we will just have to find something else.

Big Girl

2011-10-06T14:15:00.000-05:00

Andi's hair is long enough for ponytails now. I got her to sit still long enough to take a couple of pictures. It was something of a shock to realize that she really isn't a baby anymore. She is really a pretty little girl now. It makes me glad and sad at the same time. She is also finally potty trained. That was a long haul, but she finally decided that using the toilet is less trouble. We are all pleased about that.

Cropaganza September 2011

2011-09-22T22:08:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I spent up in Park City at Cropaganza. Cropaganza is a large crop sponsored by Scrapfunattic in Andover. There were 182 women in attendance and it was a lot of fun. I had been thinking about going for the last few years, but this year I made the plunge and I don't regret it one bit. I was sitting with Carmen Ned and Kathy Clubb. There were a number of other people there I knew as well. It was really nice in that respect to attend a local crop. The crop is held twice a year in February and September, and I want to be there each time.

Before and After the Work

2011-09-14T22:28:00.000-05:00

Family Room Before- above Bedroom Before -below

Bedroom after-above Family Room after -below

Hallelujah! The work is done on the basement. Ray and I are so happy with the work that has been done. When we walk past the stairwell there is light in the basement instead of darkness. I think the windows make the rooms look larger. We did quite a bit of moving the furniture around too, so it almost feels like we have two new rooms. I would highly recommend Tracy Dayton and Classic Renovations for work on your home.

Helping Papa

2011-09-02T21:42:00.000-05:00

Ray was moving the brick that had been taken out so the concrete could be poured tonight. Andrea thought carrying the bricks to the trailer was a lot of fun. She put bricks inthe trailer as quickly as she could. Then she road with Papa to the back of the house. A good days work in her mind.

Dragonfly

2011-09-02T21:25:00.000-05:00

I always envy the people who take wonderful closeup photos of photos, birds, insects and the like. It isn't that easy for me to get a good photo and that was the case today. Except for once I ended up with some good close up pictures.
It didn't hurt that the subject was cooperative. This large dragonfly was buzzing around the front yard this afternoon. He was there when we came home and went to the house and was still there when I came back out with the camera. My main challenge was keeping him in focus, my camera kept wanting to focus on the background, but I worked that technical question out. He allowed me to shoot pictures of him from several angles and up very close. It was like he was posing on purpose.
To be truthful, he is more interesting to look at in the photo that what I could see in real life. I didn't get to appreciate his glowing colors while I was looking at him. Up close he almost shimmers. Thank you Dragonfly for your time.

Almost There

2011-09-02T10:32:00.003-05:00

The work is almost done on the remodel. I still have to paint the walls and move the furniture around. That should happen this weekend, so I will post photos then. I am so happy with all the work the Classic Remodeling did.

Dad's Last Fathers Day Page

2011-08-31T09:02:00.000-05:00

I have been doing some scrapping recently. It is still strange not having pages to do for Scrapbook Garden and I will tell you now I am really looking forward to working at the new store.
This page uses MME and Basic Grey paper from a great kit I got from Miss Art's Paper School. I have another page to do about my Dad, but I felt I needed to do the Father's Day page first. The pictures are not that great. I could do only so much with the green hue from the fluorescent lights but they are the last pictures I have of Dad. He was so tired and so frail. We all saw that, but still believed he was going to get better and be more like he was before he started his final slide. I guess that is the definition of hope springing eternally.
Photos like this are what make me glad that l take pictures, lots of them. I didn't miss out on the party, but I was able to record the memories with my camera. That allows me to record them in writing. I don't always appreciate it, but that is a gift from God.

Poor Kitty

2011-08-31T08:54:00.000-05:00

Our cat apparently got his tail caught in something last week. The tip was all nasty looking and he was losing hair. I took him to the vet yesterday and he determined that Gabe's tail wasn't broken, but there was some nerve damage at the end. Lucky for Gabe this meant he gets to keep all his tail. Unluckily for me, it has meant that I have been wiping up cat blood from the floor. The tip does look like it i is drying up though. I would be more upset if I wasn't going to have the carpets in the whole house cleaned after the work is done in the basement. I took a picture of his poor little rat cat tail, but decided that it was too gross for posting on this blog. If it made me sort of gag, it was not for you folks.

Random Photos from the remodel

2011-08-31T08:36:00.000-05:00

The work is almost complete on the windows. The concrete for the driveway and the patio extension is being poured today. Needless to say we are tickled pink. The light in the basement now is amazing. For over thirty years we had almost total darkness in the family room without the lights. Now you can go down there during the day and do things without turning the lights on. The bedroom is the same way. People won't have problems knowing when it is light outside anymore. I have to paint when the construction is complete, but it is only a part of the wall in the family room and we have paint from when it was painted last. The bedroom is going to be completely changed so that will take a bit longer. Lucky for us this is the labor day weekend. Then it will be carpet cleaning.

Remodel

2011-08-26T10:44:00.000-05:00

We are at the halfway point on the installation of two daylight windows in our basement. One will be in the guest bedroom and the other one in the family room. Ray and I had been wanting to put windows down there for years and this year we finally made the decision to proceed. Tracy Dayton of Classic Remodeling is doing the work. At this point I am quite pleased with everything. Just looking at the amount of light that is coming into the guest bedroom from the opening is amazing. It will make all the difference in the world down there.
In addition to the windows, we are adding a concrete pad where Ray has had a gravel driveway. The gravel worked, but it didn't look all that great. Having it all paved will improve the look of the front of the house. It is exciting to have all this done to the house. It is going to make the basement look completely different.

Bubble Master Page

2011-08-26T10:33:00.001-05:00

This is the layout I did of the photos of Wyatt blowing bubbles. I used a paper set I got from Close to My Heart. I had started with an entirely different layout in mind. As it happens a lot of the time I ended up with something completely different. After I put the pearls on the page, I realized I would rather have used clear Dew Drops. However, there is always next time. Right now I am working on a couple of layouts about my Dad. They aren't that hard to do. I just want to get them right.

Just a dive

2011-08-19T12:58:00.000-05:00

I got the idea for this page from a layout by Debbie Hodge in the July/August Creating Keepsakes. Hers was a digital layout and mine isn't, but the concept remained similar. The paper is Cosmo Cricket with Thickers for the lettering. I tend to use a lot of oranges and reds in my New Mexico pages. It just suits the vibe.
We went to the Western Bar in Cloudcroft while we were on vacation with Jim and Phyll. We almost always go there when we stop in Cloudcroft. It is just an old western bar. The food is hamburgers, but they are good, and we just sit and listen to all the other people talk. The bar gets the local folks as well as tourists like us. This time we put a dollar bill up on the wall as a commemoration of our visit.

Wyatt, the Bubble Master

2011-08-19T12:46:00.000-05:00

A benefit of staying with your grandmother in the afternoon. When she takes you shopping, you will generally get something for yourself. In this instance, we went to Target and Wyatt cleaned up in the Dollar Aisle. In addition to sidewalk chalk, he got a large bubble wand and bubble solution. The joy of bubbles for a little boy isn't just in the making of them, although that is part of it. The best part seems to be chasing them down and breaking them before they touch the ground. I had to take the bottle of bubbles away for another day or there would have been nothing left. I think the large bubble wand was pretty neat myself.

Clipping Coupons

2011-08-19T12:38:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday, Ray was clipping coupons for me to go shopping the next day. Andrea came over to check out what he was doing and decided that Papa needed assistance. Lots of assistance! She helped him choose what coupons to cut. Pictures are always good when you can't read, and then did her best to convince Ray to let her cut them out. I think he may even have let her cut a little paper. These kids have a wonderful grandfather.

Kindergarten 2011

2011-08-16T16:19:00.000-05:00

It is that time of year again. Time for school to start. Wyatt is going to morning kindergarten. Since we went to Pre-K last year, his class is just down the hall from his own classroom. His teacher is Mrs. Reece. We were there so close to class beginning I didn't get to take her picture. But I do have something to scrap. Look for the page.

August Ten on Ten

2011-08-11T12:52:00.001-05:00

Every month Rebekah sponsors this challenge on her blog "A bit of sunshine". The goal is simple; take a picture every hour for ten hours on the tenth of the month. The end result should be a view of a day in your life. Here goes!

1:00 pm This is the first scrapbook page I have done since before my father died. I did thank you notes, but they were an obligation. This was just for me. It wasn't complete when I took this picture, I have since added journaling and other embellishments. It looks more finished now. I still have a way to go to get my groove back though.

2:00 pm This is our cantaloupe for the year. We didn't plant it, it was a volunteer from the rinds and seeds we tossed out in the garden to compost last year. It is huge, see my phone beside it? I hope it tastes good.

3:00 pm My feet. There is a certain scrapping celebrity who takes heat on a certain blog about always taking pictures of her feet. I decided to see what the appeal is. I still don't know. I enjoyed going to different locations to take a photo, but to constantly feature my feet on the blog? I might get a following that I wouldn't care for. I do like my fancy pedicure job a lot though, that is worth a picture.

4:00 pm Naked Ladies also known as Surprise Lilies. My mother gave me the first bulbs for these. It is so much fun when they start popping up in late July or early August. I wasn't sure they would come up this year as hot as it has been.

5:00 Gonder Swan. I collect pottery. I discovered Gonder Pottery when I bought a ewer that I liked even though it is ugly as all get out. Gonder closed in the sixty's so all their designs are mid twentieth century and much of what you find is this gray with pink interiors. It makes me smile.

6:00 The koi have started eating again since it has cooled down. This year they are big enough that there is a lot of splashing and gulping going on when they all come up to feed. They are getting used to me enough that they will start coming up as soon as I kneel down to put the feed out. After the winter though they will all forget and be wild again.

7:00 Ray talking to Nick. They always spend a fair amount of time talking about stuff before either of them leaves.

8:00 Sun on the chair. The light attracted my attention. It wasn't until after I took the shot that I thought about how I need to lower the blinds to keep the chair from fading.

9:00 One of our Spanish Exchange students gave us this little porcelain guy. I have been taking him for granted for quite a while. He deserves a little attention.

10:00 This is a broken transformer toy. Wyatt believes Papa can fix anything, so Ray is giving it a try. He didn't get it done last night. We will see how it works out.

That is all there is for August 10, 2011. See you soon.

New Mexico 2011

2011-08-10T11:58:00.000-05:00

In other times I have posted my vacation pictures pretty much as I take them. This year is different because our vacation was cut short and other matters took precedence in my life. I accept that, but I am irritated that I have failed to talk about how much fun we all had in New Mexico with our friends Jim and Phyllis.

Last year after we enjoyed ourselves visiting them in Ohio and seeing all the sights, we decided to travel to New Mexico.

Neither Jim or Phyll had been there and so we got to see everything in a new light. That is the best way to go sometimes. We looked around Ruidoso, went to Carlsbad Caverns, Cloudcroft and White Sands. We stopped on Route 66 and shopped in an old curio shop. It was great. We spent a lot of time trying to take a good picture of a hummingbird while we sat out on the patio in the evening enjoying our "Health Drinks" and got a way too close look at a wild fire. Phyllis will never again say how much she likes to look at lightening in the dry climate of New Mexico.

It is too bad we didn't get to Taos and northern New Mexico, but maybe in a couple of years.

Amorita, next four exits

2011-07-28T14:57:00.000-05:00

After the graveside services for my Dad, there was a get together in Amorita at the community center. Since it had been so hot at the cemetery, the cold drinks and snacks were really appreciated. Afterwards, we went out to the farm house so Theresa could get an idea of what an old farm girl I really was. After beating through the weeds, it is always fun for me, at least, to talk about when I was a little girl. This part of the country is all new to Theresa and I think she might have found it at least a little interesting.

On the way out of Amorita, we stopped to take a picture of the sign. Virgil Fry put it up years ago. I never knew if he was serious or tongue in cheek. Probably both, he loved Amorita like no one else.

45 Years

2011-07-28T14:34:00.000-05:00

Ray and I celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary on July 10th. Nicole had ordered a beautiful cake which we shared with the members of our church between services during fellowship hour. Nicole had actually planned a much larger celebration including Ray and I renewing our vow for the day. I was going to get a semi fancy dress and Ray was going to wear a suit for the occasion. However, with my Father passing away the week before I was just not up to having a celebration. Nicole had already paid for the cake, so we had a small party which was just fine. It was really nice that Andrew and Theresa were there as well. Andrew even came to church.

I guess we will try for another party again at 50 years.

Running

2011-07-20T12:38:00.000-05:00

I started running again today. I hadn't gone a step since the last week of June. It seemed like I could not find the mental stamina to start. For whatever reason this morning was different. I finished my weight class and went to the track. It felt good and I didn't have to work as hard as I thought I would. I kept this first time to a mile. "Only" doing a mile is funny to me. Two years ago a mile was an impossible concept.

Olen S. Gerdes - July 8, 1919 to July 2, 2011

2011-07-19T09:51:00.003-05:00

1938 Amorita High School Graduation Picture

2008 at my Uncle Roy's funeral.

My father died on the second of July about 4:30 in the morning. When my brother called, I knew why the phone was ringing. I tried to pretend I didn't, but I did. I had spent the afternoon and part of the evening with him the day before.  He was tired and ready to leave us. We weren't ready but knew it was time. He could still respond to us when we would talk to him. I understand now what an effort it was. Since he went in the very early morning, I like to think that in the end, he went in his sleep which is what I had wished for him. He was at peace and so are we.
The funeral service for Dad was very nice. My brother and sister and I planned it. My stepmother had some input, but she was happy to let us take care of the details. The people at Downing & Lahey were wonderful in steering us in the directions we needed to go and taking care of the other details.
Planning a funeral is one of the more interesting activities you can undertake. When you are younger, you don't think about it, as a general rule you are creeped out by the idea of death and funerals.   Now that I am older, I found that working out the details of the service and interment was a responsibility that encouraged us to honor and share our love of our father with others. My brother Jeff delivered an awesome eulogy. He brought the story of my Dad's life into vivid view. My son Andrew made a short speech about how his Grandfather had affected his life. I was so proud of him. There were military honors at the cemetary and playing taps really made the final minutes beautiful. The whole servicewas a celebration of my Dad's life as it should have been.
When he died, my Dad was six days short of his 92 birthday.  I think most ordinary people lead interesting lives, and my Dad did. His life was not one of uproar and drama, instead his life provided a stable anchor and home for all of us.  He was a man that commanded respect, admiration and love from his family and from people who knew him. My father was one of those men who never met a stranger. He could and would talk to anyone who would talk to him. In later years as his hearing failed I think he mourned that loss more than other failings of his body. I only can recall seeing him angry a few times in my life. Considering how obnoxious I was as a teenage, that is saying something.
Dad loved to be busy. We lived on a farm in Oklahoma until I was ten when we moved to Wichita. He was a mail carrier and after he retired from the Postal Service, he took a few months off. Then, in order to buy tires for the Suburban (his reason), he went to work for the Kansas Turnpike as a toll collector and retired from there at the age of 82. During that time he was interested in woodworking, gardening and for years raised calves during the summer for fun. If you mentioned an interest in making something, it would be done for you by the next time you saw him. I inherited some of those traits and looked for the rest when I chose Ray as my husband. A man who can do things is a treasure indeed.
Traveling is one of the loves I learned from my parents. Family vacations were something we would do together even after we were adults and married. My parents were tickled when we were stationed overseas and they were able to come visit us. Both Dad and Mom had a deep interest in learning about the world around them. The last real trip we took together was to see Andrew graduate from basic training in 2003. Dad was in his 80's then and we all realized afterward how hard it is to travel long distance in a car when you are older. That didn't stop him from considering going to Georgia with us in April when Andrew and Theresa were married. We all managed to agree that would not be a good idea.
My Mother died in 1988, it was a hard time for my Dad, but he took care of her every day as she progressively became more and more helpless. He spent every day in the hospital and was with her when she finally went home. That devotion is still an inspiration to me and a reminder of our wedding vows, "in sickness and in health." Dad showed us that it wasn't easy, but is possible out of love.
He remarried again to Jaunita and they had almost seventeen years together. I am convinced that both of them were able to have as many years together as they did because of the same care and devotion my Dad showed to my mother.
It is so common anymore for people to feel damaged by the way they were raised, by childhood experience. We were not. As far as I am concerned, the family my parents raised is a model for a functional family. They raised three children who all graduated from college, worked at jobs they did well with, neveer divorced and have children who reflect well on them and their grand parents.
That is the best legacy of all.

Ten on Ten

2011-07-13T18:32:00.000-05:00

One of the things that nagged at me was that I didn't do Ten on Ten this month. I think that it was just to close to the funeral for me to concentrate on taking pictures on Sunday, or even on Monday for that matter for a Ten on Eleven. There is always next month.

Father's Day

2011-07-13T18:30:00.000-05:00

My father had been in assisted living for a few weeks when we all got together for Father's Day. Cherished Friends has a number of common areas and everyone ate ice cream and cake. Jaunita had been very firm in her insistence that all the family members in town be there. We were all pleased that Dad was looking so much better than when he was in the hospital. We hoped this was the first step on the road to Dad being more like he was before he went into the hospital. People will opt for hope at any time, even when in our hearts we know there isn't a lot to draw on.

Getting started again

2011-07-13T17:04:00.000-05:00

I have a lot to write about, so I am going to do it in installments. When I was last here, Ray and I were getting ready to go to New Mexico with friends, Fathers Day had been celebrated. All that good stuff. Then on July 2nd everything changed and I haven't posted anything. My father died and a post about that will be in here somewhere too. I don't know that I will be doing this stuff chronologically, more likely, I will write what is easiest first and save the hard stuff for last.
It was odd, when I was sitting with my Dad in the hospital, I really wanted to write, but didn't have a computer. A lot of those thoughts are gone, and I will have to make do with what I come up with now.

Marcel

2011-06-27T22:26:00.000-05:00

Marcel Wolfer was our last exchange student to stay with us. He went to Campus in 2011. For the last year he has been going to graduate school in Chicago. He stayed with u for a week and went to his ten year reunion.
Marcel was a very nice young man when he stayed with us, and he is a very nice young man now. His area of study is microbiology and from what I understand he has done research that is important in his field. Like all of our exchange students, I am so proud of him even though I didn't have anything really to do with their success.
The pictures are of Marcel playing with Wyatt and Andrea. He showed Wyatt how to use the noodle as a megaphone. Sometimes you just don't want to grown up.

Getting My Act Together

2011-06-23T08:58:00.000-05:00

Writing this post is just part of this situation I experiencing. This is the second time I have written it. My laptop is apparently not loading correctly and I lost it the first time. I actually think the first time was better, but I can't bring it back out of my head verbatim. I know why people use word and transfer over. Oh well, maybe next time.

I have been in a slump for a bit over a week. It was a gradual decline until there I was. To be honest, it is not a Valley of Despair, but merely a Gully of Gloom. The reason for the pity party is that Scrapbook Garden is closing. I have taught classes there for over two years. It was the perfect retirement job. I got to do what I loved and got paid for it. I was able to do all sorts of projects and learned a lot. I had even reached the point where I was designing classes as well.

Bob and Kathy decided to close the store after not being able to get a lease with conditions they were comfortable with accepting. As much as I hate to see the store close, their decision is a sound business decision and I wish them well. The closing is being very difficult for them, and it is made worse by the fact that there were no financial difficulties as a factor. My personal feelings are trivial in comparison with how they are feeling.

Never the less, I let this gloom get me down. I haven't scrapped and I have projects. I was invited to participate on a design team for Amberink and I am behind on that. The house is a mess and so on. Well, enough of this. Today, I am going to get caught up starting with the blog. In spite of my slump, I have done some fund stuff and I want to share it in a couple of other posts. Onward and upward into the sunshine of a new day. Is that inspiring enough?

Ten on Ten for June 2011

2011-06-10T21:40:00.002-05:00

I follow a blog called A Bit of Sunshine. Rebekah has a challenge each month to take one picture for each hour for ten hours of the day on the tenth of the month. It sounds simple enough, but can be harder than I thought.
This month I woke up with the idea that I would have a theme for my Ten on Ten. I would photograph flowers or plants around the yard. I also imagined that I might get a photo of the wheat being cut. Well, I started out good and then went back to my old standbys of Ray and kids.

7:45 A M I love Hostas, I have been trying to grow them for years with minimal success. This year every plant from last year returned, so maybe my luck has changed.

8:45 AM Hollyhocks are a plant from my childhood. I remember them growing in yards at farms all around my home in northern Oklahoma. What I didn't know was that the one plant I bought would grow a lot bigger than I would remember and try to take over my garden. Now we dig out all the extra plants and allow two each year back by the fence. I still love them.

9:50 AM Day Lilies are another plant from my childhood. We have the fancy colored ones, but the plain simple orange ones above are what I remember. They have the tenacity of the hollyhocks and will also take over the yard if you don't pay attention. The fancy ones don't do that.

10:45 AM My mother was an Australian War Bride and in my childhood, she pined for the tropical plants of Queensland. When the world got smaller and exotic plants were imported as house plants the Kalanchoe was one of the first plants she bought. I remember her saying, "At home these are weeds, they just grow by the side of the road." I will always have a Kalanchoe which was a cutting from one of her plants to remember my mother by.

11:35 AM When my parents moved to Kansas from Oklahoma they bought a house. Since my Dad was a farm boy and my mother was a gardener they planted things. One of the things they planted was a southern magnolia tree. These trees grow very slowly, but if you hang around long enough they are beautiful. After Ray and I moved back to Kansas and moved into this house, Mom and Dad gave us a Magnolia Tree for an Anniversary gift. I was never sure that it would survive, on year it froze back to the root. But 30 years later it is a beautiful tree with beautiful flowers which will keep coming on until late July.

12:30 PM Kokopelli, we are addicted to yard art, that is all I can say.

1:45 PM Wyatt is getting past the cheesy smile stage. He still needs a little work on posing for me too.

2:20 PM I am still confused why such a sweet face is actually named Destructicon.

3:20 PM One of the joys of being a rural mail carrier. Getting to pull nails out of your tires and plug the hole at the end of your work day.

4:45 PM These two are water babies to the utmost. Wyatt would never get out of the water if given a choice.

Moving to Assisted Living

2011-06-09T19:43:00.000-05:00

My Dad is going to assisted living tomorrow. My brother, sister and I liked the Cherished Friends in Wellington the best of what is available. The building is older but very well remodeled and the people who own it seem to be truly concerned about the residents. Chris and I spent yesterday going around town getting everything organized so the transfer will go smoothly. Now we can only hope that it will.
My Dad has made a lot of progress since he got sick, but the nursing staff told us that it may be months before he would be close to where he was three weeks ago. The very elderly are like the very young. When they get sick, they get sick very fast and it takes longer for them to recover. However, we are lucky that my Dad is going to recover from this infection.

Scrap Supply Caddy

2011-06-07T14:39:00.000-05:00

We will be making this cute caddy at Scrapbook Garden on Tuesday evening July 12th. The caddy kit is from Kaiser Kraft and the paper is Gabrielle by BoBunny. The flourishes are pieces of chipboard and cardstock diecut from a Sizzix Bigz die and glued together. I think eveeryone will love it.

Kids at the Water Park Again

2011-06-06T13:37:00.000-05:00

We went to Stillwell over the weekend to decorate for Memorial Day. The Grand Kids went along for the right since their parents had projects to work on at home. Ray and I had planned to stay in Tahlequah, the maybe Siloam Springs. Then Ray said, lets stay at the Radisson in Tulsa so the kids can go to the water park. Brilliant idea! The two of them had been rambunctious all the way down to Tulsa. We took them down about 6:30 and stayed till 9:45. Neither of them were awake five minutes after going to bed, and we didn't have to keep telling them to behave. Wonderful! The down side was I only took pictures at the park. I was going to do more but got distracted. I just have to work harder to have the camera ready.

A Recent Layout

2011-06-06T13:30:00.000-05:00

I did this layout a week ago. I think I may have overdone the techniques but everything I did just didn't seem to be enough. However I reached the point where I finally just told myself, Enough! I used paper from Close to My Heart. I am finally getting the hang of the pleated flowers too, so I would have to call that good. This layout also finished up our vacation photos from last August. Good thing too since we will be going again in a few weeks and I will have a whole new batch to scrap.

My Dad is doing better

2011-06-01T12:51:00.000-05:00

Jeff, Chris and I went down to the family meeting with the hospital staff about my Dad. He is doing so much better. You can actually see him feeling better every day. My Dad is normally a very good natured man, and he is getting cranky so I imagine he is tired of being in the hospital. I am thinking maybe another week or two and he will be dismissed.

The question is where will he go when he is dismissed. Jaunita would like him to be able to go home, we don't know if he will be quite up to that. Only time will tell. In the meantime. We have been looking at places for him to go at least for the short term. Chris and I have decided which one we like the best, now to see if everyone else will agree.

Memorial Day Trip to Oklahoma and other stuff

2011-05-28T19:46:00.001-05:00

I went down to Amorita today to the Annual High School Reunion. My Dad is still in the Skilled Care Center at the hospital, so I was the only Gerdes there. I did bring Nick, Nicole and the kids along with me. Nick had never been down to my part of Oklahoma, so it was my chance to show him where I spent part of my childhood.
We had a good time. I drove out to where my grandmothers farm had been. The road up to where the house was is fenced off. That was sort of sad. I thought about walking up, but that would have been outright trespassing. After that we went to Christenson's where we lived before we moved to Wichita. No one has lived in the house since we moved up here in 1957, so it is really deteriorating, but has the appeal of any ruin. We walked around the house and I told Nick stories. He was very gracious and listened to me. I like to think that it is interesting in a historic sense.
Afterwards we came on home. The kids fell asleep and we decided it was a good day.
Wyatt has learned how to climb trees and goes up the red bud by the pool. Andrea thinks she should be climbing too. Knowing her, it won't be too long.

A minor set back in my goals

2011-05-25T20:53:00.000-05:00

I had thought I would be here tonight talking about the successful completion of my first 5K. That is not going to happen. The weather has been awful, and it was just cold enough, just wet enough and just windy enough for Ray and I to decide we would not go tonight.

I spent the afternoon vacillating about going on and running. When it finally came down to the decision there is one reason we decided not too. That reason: "We don't have to do it." I think that may be one of the most liberating things about getting older. If the circumstances are such that we can decide not to do something without a negative side effect, we know we don't have to.

I have spent a lot of time doing things when I was younger, because I HAD to, but I didn't want to . Now I don't have the guilt trip, although I do admit that I still have to fight off the twinges. I didn't run tonight, but I am going to run a race soon. I just have to choose which one. The River Run is coming up. I didn't want to start with a big race, but I just might.

Counting my blessing

2011-05-22T14:11:00.000-05:00

My Dad has been in the hospital since Friday. My sister was there when he was admitted. My brother went down during the day and I went in the early evening. My sister and I had been talking and trying to get a handle on his condition before I went down.

When I got there, my Dad was restless, but having a difficult time staying awake. He would not eat and in general was not responsive unless you got in his face and spoke loudly. All of this is enough to rattle me severely. As I was driving home and for the rest of the evening, I tried to process all the possibilities and the probabilities. If you know me, you know I tended to lean more into the possible than into the probable.

This morning I went down not knowing what to expect. I get there at the end of the Doctor's visit. The morning seems to have found an infection that is being treated and that may be the source of some of his issues earlier this week. My Dad is still very weak and doesn't want to communicate unless necessary. For the first time since Wednesday, he was able to keep jello and juice down. So things are looking better. Now to see what tomorrow brings.

Last night

2011-05-20T13:47:00.001-05:00

Last night I drove down to Wellington at 8:30. My stepmother had called and told me that the ambulance had come and taken my father to the hospital after a fall in the bathroom. When I got to the hospital emergency room, my Dad was in a bed waiting to see the doctor. He was a mess, a gash on his forehead and blood all over the place.

Fortunately, after stitches and a CT scan that didn't turn up any internal problems he was able to go home. He was shaky and dazed but OK for being 91 years old. I got both of them back home and Dad into bed and was home by 10:30. He had a doctors appointment today because he had been feeling bad and the doctor had said he was anemic. My sister went down to go to the appointment so we can have a better picture of what is going on.

My sister just called and said that he was not able to get out of bed this morning, and the EMS came out again. They helped her get him into her truck and got him to his doctor. The Doctor has put him into the hospital again to check out his blood work, his back and a couple of other things. My sister says that he should not have been sent home last night. So now it looks like he will be in the hospital for a couple of days until all the possible issues have been cleared. I guess I am satisfied with this. It is so difficult to know what is the right things to do in a situation like this.
I am certain that my Dad and Jaunita don't tell us all of what is going on with their health. In their minds they have a good reason. My sister and I both feel it is time for them to go into assisted living, and Jaunita especially does not want that. The more we know about their health issues, the harder it is to have good arguments not to do this.
Both my Dad and Step mom are in good health for their ages and in control of the mental abilities. We cannot make them do anything. To be honest, even bringing up the topic makes my step mother defensive. I am hoping that this episode where she cannot get my Dad around by herself makes her think more seriously about living someplace that would have help close by. It is for both of their well beings, and a source of reassurance to us.

Andi's Arboretum Layout

2011-05-17T16:46:00.002-05:00

It has been a while since I have had to create an original layout for myself. I often find that I have a hard time getting a good idea going for a layout. When that happens I go to the magazines. This time I found inspiration in a layout by Nicole Pomeroy in the May/June Creating Keepsakes magazine. The torn and rolled paper initially attracted and repelled me. I wasn't sure it I could make it look the way I wanted. In the final result I am very happy. I used Coredinations pink whitewash paper for the base and Basic Grey Sweet Threads patterned paper and embellishments. The colors really reflect the spring day we spent down in Belle Plaine at the Arboretum and complements Andrea perfectly.

Wedding Card

2011-05-17T15:22:00.001-05:00

A friend of Nick and Nicole's from high school is getting married tonight. I told her I would make the gift card. I don't get to do wedding cards very often and it if fun to see what a card maker can do to make the card look like a wedding card without all the doves, wedding bells and flourishes of a commercially printed card. I took the idea for this design from a card by Tracy Henry in the May 2011 issue of CardMaker Magazine. I used Basic Grey Capella paper which has been promoted as a wedding paper. This is the first time I have used it that way and it really does work well.

Best wishes to Chris and his new wife. I hope you enjoy the card.

Bartlett Arboretum, Mothers Day 2011

2011-05-14T17:50:00.000-05:00

We all went to Belle Plaine to the Bartlett Arboretum Sunday after dinner. Ray and Nick made the dinner and we had a fantastic Strawberry Chantilly Cake for Nicole's birthday.
The Arboretum is owned by Robin Macy and is not usually open to the public. However, she was presenting a concert and you had the run of the gardens as well as being able to listen to good music. I had not been to the Arboretum since it had been sold and it is so nice to see all the changes that have been made. Several hundred people were there. Lots of bottles of wine and snacks. We didn't bring anything more elegant than water. Next time we will have to try to be more sophisticated. There are concerts every month through the summer and I would like to go again.

Hero Arts Sunshine Card Set

2011-05-14T17:31:00.000-05:00

These cards were made with Sweet Threads and Lauderdale Stamps from Hero Arts. We will be doing the class on Tuesday June 21st at Scrapbook Garden. I really liked doing these cards. The stamps are just the types that I like and the designs of the cards are just perfect.

Ten on Ten May 2011

2011-05-10T22:19:00.000-05:00

Sevenish - The Amaryllis is in full bloom. It has to be re potted this year.

Eightish The koi pond from the patio. The iris are blooming right now. Ray and I tend to take them for granted and they are such pretty flowers.

Nineish The penstemon in the front yard. One of the plants we found in New Mexico. We always seem to find more interesting plants when we are away from home.

Ten O'clock The new parking lot at the Y. I would never normally take a picture like this.

Elevenish - The koi in the pond. I was surprised that I was even able to get this picture.

Noon The lily in my Mothers Day bouquet.

One Thirty - Andrea playing with the toy computer.

Two Thirty - Andrea taking a picture of me. It wasn't all that bad.

Three O'clock Back at the koi pond. This was the pattern for today.

Four o'clock I told Wyatt he could do anything he wanted, so of course he is webbing me.

It was easier this time to remember to take the pictures at the times I was supposed to. It is pretty representative of my day today.

Pitiful Cat Photo

2011-05-06T21:27:00.001-05:00

Doesn't this poor kitty look pitiful? We got Gabe shaved today for the summer. I really don't think he minds it all that much. About this time of the year hair drops off of him in clumps everywhere. He gets mats in his coat no matter how often he is brushed. The best solution is cut it all off and let it grow out again.

In a couple of weeks he will be the softest cat you would ever touch. By the end of the summer, his coat will be back to its normal thickness. I tried doing this myself last year, but I didn't do all that good a job.This year he went to the groomer. The groomer I go to doesn't sedate the animals and he complemented me on how well behaved Gabe is. As if I had anything to do with that. We are lucky that he has always been a very laid back cat.

I haven't done a page about his adventure. Maybe I will some time soon.

Completion of a goal in sight.

2011-05-06T13:50:00.001-05:00

I kept my 2011 goals simple this year. I want to run a 5K and master the teaser in Pilate's. Since the first of the year I hadn't been training seriously enough to do a race, and the teaser remains sneeringly out of my capacity. Truthfully, I was thinking that inertia would cancel out the goals altogether. Then Beth, our yoga instructor walked into the picture. There is a senior run for adults over forty, (fits us) on the 25th of May. Yesterday, she tells Ray we should do it. He tells me, and so having been given the motivation I sent the entries off.

At this point I have to say, I will be running, Ray will be walking. He isn't to the running three mile stage yet. Once he retires, who knows.

Having signed up to do this, now I have to start running seriously, outside. Most of the time I am a wimp and run inside where I don't have to deal with weather, dogs, other inconveniences. The distance isn't a problem. I can run 3.1 miles easily, but I don't run fast. You lose time running outdoors and this morning it looked like I lost five minutes at least from my regular time. I have work to do.

I am not complaining. As a matter of fact, I am sort of excited. Until I have completed this first run, I can entertain fantasies of how wonderful I will be. The reality is that I will be doing this race to finish, not to compete. If I was going to name my nightmare fantasy, it would be to have the walkers who start a half hour later finish before me.

There is going to be food and drinks afterwards at Botanica, so I will have to be sure to take my camera. I will also have to make sure Nicole comes up to take my picture. That will be a page to scrap, the gray haired boomer running her first race at 64. No body else has to think it is cool, I do.

Mothers Day Card

2011-05-05T20:40:00.000-05:00

I made this card for my stepmother for Mother's Day. The base design is from a monthly kit I got a few months ago from Creative Stamping. I did the flowers in the pot using my Copic markers. This is the first project I have used my markers to complete. I have been watching YouTube videos and reading blogs to get an idea of how they worked. I am pretty satisfied for a first try. Now to just keep improving.

The Face of Leukemia

2011-05-03T12:53:00.001-05:00

There is a lot more drama implied in the title of this post than probably is in real life. Also Nicole will probably be less than thrilled by my selection of photos. I just figured out I don't take enough pictures of my oldest child.
My daughter Nicole has chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). I am not in denial about this. You can't deny leukemia, but in my typical fashion I have been very good an avoiding thinking about it. I tried to read about the disease when she was first diagnosed but it was too upsetting. I left all the research to Nicole who handled it very well and let her tell me what I wanted or usually needed to know. She has had her disease for over six years. What prompted me to write about it today is the fact that the May Smithsonian magazine has a story about the research and testing that got the drug Gleevec on the market. I read the story all the way through. I learned things and I didn't get upset. I may have passed a milestone.
Someone told me once, "When you have cancer, everyone around you has cancer as well." It is the truth, you cannot have any form of this disease without your whole family becoming involved. So this story isn't about how Nicole lives with CML It is about how I live with Nicole's CML
Nicole was diagnosed because she was pregnant with our first grandchild. None of us understood why she was being referred to an oncologist. The lack of understanding must be common because the doctor had to walk us through to the probability that this was why we were there. The doctor did the tests and we had to wait a life time, actually only a week, for the results. During that time I prayed and prayed.
We all went back to the doctor and got the news, she had CML. That was the time I understood what it meant to die inside. Nicole had leukemia, she was going to die. BUT WAIT! Just like the commercials there was more. There was a new drug, it had only been on the market for four years but it was successful against CML. There was also the possibility of a stem cell transplant if a good donor was available. Never the less, I went back to my job and cried for the rest of the day. I was having to get past the idea that leukemia was a death sentence.
I guess I should also mention that CML is a totally random cancer. You don't get it from lifestyle or exposure to something. CML happens because your chromosomes split and two of them change places and go together wrong. I know that is a simplification but it works for me.
Over time a lot of good things happened. Nicole's CML was in the early stages so she was able to take her pregnancy to delivery. We are blessed by Wyatt in our life. She was able to wait a few months after he was born before going on Gleevec. Gleevec suppresses the chromosomal abnormal activity and her CML is in remission as long as she takes her pill a day. After three years, she was able to go off the drug to have our grand daughter Andrea. Another blessing. The drug makes her nauseous, not all be time but often enough. I think she may have a bit less energy that other women her age. But that can be having two small children as well.
Another blessing is that her brother Andrew is a match in case a stem cell transplant ever becomes a necessity. We were told that a sibling match that weren't identical twins is extremely rare.
So for the most part we live our lives just like CML isn't always with us. The research that created this drug Gleevec was ground breaking in that it was the first drug tailored to deal with a specific behavior of a specific cancer. The researchers are continuing to work on new generations of drugs to handle the fact that certain patients develop resistance to the drug.
My only worry is that the projected life span of a CML patient on Gleevec is 30 years. That isn't long enough. But I have to believe that if the Doctors have come this far, there will be more years than that for Nicole and other CML patients.
Read the article. It gives you hope. I also want to say that my prayers were answered.

Family Canvas

2011-05-02T12:08:00.000-05:00

I have had a couple of people ask me when Scrapbook Garden was going to offer another canvas class. At last we have scheduled this project for June 7th, just in time for Father's Day. This is a Quick Quotes project so it has almost all the paper die cut for you in advance. The canvas is slightly smaller than some of the past projects, but I was still able to put nine photos on the canvas.
The other canvases I have done used photo's of Ray's family. This time I used mine. I think it will be an excellent gift for someone who would like some old family pictures, but not in an album. I do have to say that I was desperate for a photo that worked to have used the family portrait from the 60's.

Basic Grey Hopscotch cards

2011-04-30T21:59:00.000-05:00

The class to make these cards will be offered at Scrapbook Garden on May 10th. There are several interesting techniques on these cards that will be usable on other cards or pages.

I am doing things a bit differently now. The kit provided has the materials for cards. It finally has been brought home to me that the class can only make six cards during the class period, at best. Now, I will choose the ones that have the interesting technique to do and the class picks the rest of the cards, but I am not guaranteeing more than five cards to be done in class. The rest will be able to be completed at home. I have actually been moving towards this for a while, but now this is how the class will be done as a matter of course.

Fathers Day Clock

2011-04-27T20:44:00.000-05:00

I made this clock for a class I will be doing in early June at Scrapbook Garden. The base kit is from Kaiser Kraft, they do a lot of neat wood kits. The paper is from Prima, and the little Fleur de lis are from Jolee's. I really like the final piece. It took me a while to decide how to do this since I wanted to make it sort of "manly". In the long run, I think I was successful. The June Schedule is supposed to be posted today, so look at Scrapbookgarden.com to confirm the date and to sign up for the class.

Picking Berries

2011-04-26T12:41:00.000-05:00

Theresa and I went out and picked strawberries and blueberries on Saturday. We picked two gallons of strawberries. They were sooooo good. I ate a lot of them, we made a fruit tart and strawberry limeade out of the one gallon and Theresa took the second gallon home to her parents. I could not think of a successful way to get some home or there would have been strawberries and blueberries in my carry on.
We picked some blueberries as well. Picking blueberries is hard work. It was hot and we had already been out in the sun for a while, so we didn't get that many of them. I am sort of sorry Andrew is leaving Valdosta, I am starting to get familiar with more of the local food places. That really means I should work harder on finding our local farmers.

Once Upon a Springtime

2011-04-26T12:34:00.000-05:00

Everyone who signed up for this class on blind faith will be rewarded tonight. We will be making an accordion album with a cover. The project is one of the Pinecone Press/Graphic 45 Options class. First off, I love the paper. I bought the whole set before I even knew I was doing the class. It is springy and girly. The album is perfect for a baby girl album which I what I am planning. I made a cut paper picture from this paper for the basket auction. I am giving this to the grandma who bought the picture her new grand daughters room. The main interest in the project is from the cut paper. I used stickles to add sparkle to the fairies and flowers.

I also made a tri-fold mini album from the book as well and an example of another project from the book. As I said, I think people will love it.

Easter Day 2011

2011-04-24T16:18:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Easter today with Andrew and Theresa. We had a great meal and Theresa made this great fruit tart. We also had strawberry limeade and managed to finish off the gallon of strawberries. Tough work but we were u[ to it. We go back home tomorrow and will miss the two of them. But it will be great to see the grand kids again.

Day Two

2011-04-23T19:51:00.000-05:00

I have completed two days of having a daughter in law. It is more of a concern having a daughter in law than it was when I acquired Nick as a son in law. As I think about it, I think part of the concern is that I was a daughter in law for so long. My relationship with Pauline was different and far from perfect. I do have to be clear that we did not have a bad relationship. I loved her and and I think she probably was fond of me as well. I didn't like her a lot of the time though.

With that in the back ground, I want Theresa to like me. I don't want to be overbearing or bossy or thoughtless or any of the things women complain about when we get together and talk. I always envied my friends who had the husband whose mother was fun, interesting and a good friend to her son's wife.

How do you get to be that person? I have no idea. It sounds a lot like raising kids doesn' it? You just do the best you can and be yourself. At least that is what I am going to try to be. I made my little mother in law statement today, just like I did to Nick. " I will always tell you what I think. If you don't do it, I won't be bent out of shape, but I will always make my opinion known. " Everything else will be winging it. Wish me luck.

Andrew & Theresa's Wedding

2011-04-22T20:04:00.000-05:00

Andrew and Theresa were married yesterday April 20, 2011. They were married in the court offices in Atlantic Beach which is part of Jacksonville. We all had a great but tiring day. We are lucky to have Theresa become part of our family. Andrew and Theresa wanted to go to Clark's Fish Camp for dinner after the ceremony but it was too early, so we stopped at Panera's for coffee and a snack before.

Clark's is what I imagined a true North Florida eating place would be. The Camp is a rustic building on pilings on the river. There are more stuffed animals than at Bass Pro Shop. People can come up in their boats to eat and enjoy the view. We were able to see a wild manatee in the river too. It was the first one I had ever seen in the wild. I was really impressed.

We drove back to Valdosta that evening. Andrew and Theresa spent the night at the Fairview Inn Bed and Breakfast as a gift from us.

Au Revoir Kenton and Kathy

2011-04-17T18:44:00.001-05:00

You don't always remember your first encounter with people. However that was not the case with Kenton Allen. One of our neighbors had hosted an exchange student and she had come down to visit Ray's brother about hosting. They weren't interested, but we were. She went home and called the Allens. Within hours Kenton had called us and at the end of the call said he might have someone for us. The next day, he called again and said, "I have this Swedish boy named Anders Warnestad that would be a perfect match for you." And so Anders was. This was in June of 1983. This was how the Allens placed students, some one was interested, they were matched.

Over the course of the next twenty years we got to know the Allens much better. We hosted nine more students and served as area reps for several years. We believe as firmly as Kenton and Kathy in the greater good of allowing students to visit homes in other countries as a means to furthering understanding. We could never ever have the abiding committment to accomplishing that goal that Kenton and Kathy have had.

Kenton and Kathy were both teachers while they handled placements in the early years, Then Kathy retired from teaching to do AISE (American Intercultural Student Exchange) full time. A few years later Kenton followed her, but it certainly was not retirement. They were busy twelve months of the year. First in placing students in homes. They accomplished a difficult task of getting every student they were assigned a home and school. Then during the school year they monitored the students, planned activities and trips. Kenton and Kathy also did the hard stuff of sending kids home who didn't follow the rules.

After Andrew graduated from high school, we decided that we were done with exchange students, our focus changed. We would talk to Kenton and Kathy every now and then, so we never lost touch.
Last night we went to a retirement party for them. After over 30 years, Kenton and Kathy have placed their last Swede, German and Brazilian. They are moving to New Jersey to be near their children and more importantly the grand children. We will miss them, but I know that the organizations they worked for will miss them more. No one will ever be more convincing than Kenton. Best wishes and good luck!

Ten on Ten (Actually Eleven)

2011-04-12T08:11:00.001-05:00

This is my first month to post on the Ten on Ten photos idea. I am no where near ready to post anything to the Ten on Ten Blog, but I am at least starting. The first thing I have to learn is to remember to take the pictures. It is harder than I realized to remember to take a picture an hour over the course of ten hours. I hope next month is easier.

A self protrait. I am in my workout clothes which is what I start out in five days a week. I used my purse camera this time since it is easier to take out and around than my DSLR.

My running shoes at the Y. I need new shoes, they aren't worn out on the outside, but over a year of running every day has made the cushy go away.

The grape hyacinth by the front walk. This is the most beautiful they have been in years.

Ray, working on a project. He is so much more organized than I am.

Andrea with her spare pair of big girl panties on her head. She will be pottie trained sooner or later.

Wyatt playing a game on the computer. I am still surprised at five year olds being computer savvy.

Below is Gabe, I like this picture of him too. It is one of his Jabba the Hutt poses.

I made this wall hanging at the crop in Denton. I am donating it to the Basket Auction at Church this weekend.

A piece of Frankoma Pottery from my collection. I love this color, it is Redbud. Just like spring.

This is usually the last thing I do before I go to be. Unload the dishwasher. For some reason, I just hate to do this task in the morning.

First Born Crop

2011-04-10T21:53:00.001-05:00

This was my weekend to go to Denton and scrap with my First Born Friends. We we be starting our eighth year of getting together when we meet again in October. These four day weekends are so relaxing and productive. I get a lot of pages and projects done. We laugh, talk and enjoy each others company. I have to sit back and think of how lucky I was to decide to go meet a group of women I only knew on line.

We have our traditions now. On Thursday evening we eat at Outback, and then on Saturday we go out to one of the local restaurants for a meal. This year, Cynthia had to leave early for a business trip, so we went to lunch at the Oak Tree Tea Room on the square in Denton. Our waiter was so kind as to take our picture. This was the only photo taken all weekend, except for the one of the food. It has been a while since my meal was so pretty I had to take a picture of it. It tasted as good as it looks.

Baby Cards

2011-04-03T21:35:00.000-05:00

We have had a number of babies born recently at church. This gave me the opportunity to make some cards to put gift cards in. I made another girl card, but couldn't get it to scan. I found I really like using yellow and green as a base as opposed to the traditional pink and blue.

Skater Grrl

2011-04-02T12:06:00.000-05:00

I made this page last night when my friend Toni was over to scrap and then finished it this morning. In most circumstances, I will have already posted the photos that I use in layout, but this is an exception. I took these pictures of Andrea on Wyatt's skateboard yesterday afternoon. She is firmly convinced that if Wyatt can do something she can do it just as well. Nick helped her put the pads and helmet on and Andrea practiced standing on the board and looking cute. She is halfway to being an expert.

I used Graphic 45 "Once Upon A Springtime" paper, Jenni Bowlin vintage buttons and hemp twine. I getting to where I am able to do the pleated flowers quickly. I really like being able to make those and truly match the paper. I am not quite there, but I am still working towards making less "simple" pages. This one didn't even have a direct inspiration from a page or a sketch.

Reading Blogs

2011-03-31T19:47:00.000-05:00

I bought my first sets of Copic Markers this week. I thought about posting some pictures, but that is even over the top for me. Copic Markers are alcohol ink markers. Stampers love the because the colors are wonderful and the colors are blendable. What that means is there is a learning curve and also the strong probability that since there are 340 some colors, you will never never stop buying them. Their popularity started with the manga and comic book artists, so when you see the intricate manga drawings you are seeing Copic colors.
By now you should be asking yourself, "What has this got to do with reading blogs?" That answer is that, the modern way to learn about something is to find the people who have written about it. When it comes to these markers there is a lot of stuff written. There is also a lot of stuff on YouTube too, but that is another post. I spent a good portion of yesterday reading and a part of today. Now I am ready to go practice some more. Maybe then I will write about how to do something with Copic Markers. Nah, not too likely.

Engagement

2011-03-28T18:40:00.000-05:00

We are happy to let everyone know that our son is engaged to be married to Theresa Turla-Bautista. Theresa is from Jacksonville, Florida. They have been dating since late last year. Ray and I met her in December when we went down to visit Andrew. She is a wonderful young woman and Andrew is lucky to have met her.
The wedding will be in the next month or so. Andrew is being medically retired by the Air Force and they will be coming back to Wichita. There are a lot of changes going on in their lives. We will be very glad to have them nearby.

Hail Storm

2011-03-25T14:31:00.000-05:00

We had a hail storm here last evening. It was small hail and didn't cause any damage that we can see. There was a lot of it though and it went on for quite a while. When the storm was over, it looked almost like it had snowed, if snowflakes were pea sized bits of ice. There was almost no rain that came down with it either which is very different from most hail we get. Wyatt went out to get some pieces to look at. Papa had to go out and help too, so Wyatt wouldn't get hailed on. What a good Papa!

Trip to Tulsa

2011-03-21T19:29:00.000-05:00

We took Wyatt and Andrea to Tulsa for a long weekend. Ray and I usually go somewhere between our birthdays but didin't get anything put together this year. Two weeks ago, Wyatt announced " Grandma, I need a vacation." That put Ray and I in mind of a waterpark weekend. Great Wolf Lodge proved to be prohibitively expensive. Thank goodness for the internet. I searched and found the Radisson in Tulsa. Their waterpark was smaller, but geared towards smaller children which is what we were wanted.
We got there Saturday evening, and Wyatt and Andrea spent two hours in the water then. I spent the time looking for a Walmart which didn't exist (really) inside the city limits of Tulsa. The next morning, we were back in the water for over three hours. Ray and I got wet to the knees, except when we were splashed. Andrea pitched a fit when we made them leave. Promises to return meant nothing to her. We went to Bass Pro Shop and ate lunch at Uncle Bucks. We had a very good meal. They have a HUGE salt water aquarium in the restaurant and it is fascinating to watch the fish swim while we were eating. Of course, being Bass Pro, there was an abundance of stuffed wildlife to look at too. After we got back to the hotel and we all took a nap, it was back to the pool for another couple of hours. The kids thought it was great and Ray and I enjoyed ourselves immensely too. I think it is interesting that Ray and I prefer less crowded locations, but the kids were almost lost the few times there weren't a lot of kids in the area with them. The more crowded the better.
It was Marie Callenders for pot pie and key lime, apple pie and cheese cake. I think we ate enough in one day to feed us normally for a week. I am going to have to do a lot of running.
We had a wonderful time.

Random Photos

2011-03-18T10:07:00.002-05:00

I have a cat. Gabe really is Nicole's cat, but he doesn't like kids and didn't like her house at all, so he has remained with us. I am always intrigued by the great animal photos other people take. However, I rarely get a good shot. I like this one though. I was down in his face and he was not impressed. I took the second picture of Andrea and Wyatt in a touching moment of sibling affection and Wyatt's expression makes me laugh. The third picture is of Wyatt in a quieter moment.

Some things I did

2011-03-18T09:58:00.000-05:00

Scrapbook Garden is selling these wands now. They are plastic tubes with a cap that you can decorate and fill with candy or anything else you want. I did a couple at the store for samples and brought home two more to decorate with ribbons. The first is for a baby gift topper. I used dies from my Sizzix machine and alpha stickers embellished with Stickles. The red is a magic wand. I wanted pink ribbon for this for a princess theme, but all that Dollar Tree had at the time was red, so I did it this way. The start is three die cuts glued together for dimension.This would be a good favor for a little girls party.

I made two more legal pad journals as well. The top one used Basic Grey's Wander paper and the bottom one is made with Graphic 45's Communique. They are so much fun to make and are great gifts for people. I learned how to make these in a class I took several years ago when River City Rubber Stamp had a store here. It was a very useful class indeed.

The things a grandparent does

2011-03-17T12:04:00.000-05:00

Nicole is sick today, so the grandchildren have been here all morning. I referee arguments, make food, respond to various demands and today did an Ironman jigsaw puzzle. Puzzle doing is primarily the hobby for Papa and Wyatt. However, this is a new puzzle and Wyatt wanted to see it. That required my help. We started out together. Somewhere along the line though, he wandered off to color and now is playing who knows what with his sister. I did puzzle because of the hold a puzzle has on you once you start one. You have to finish it. So I did. I don't care for Ironman, a nice garden scene would have been better. But I guess I take what I am given.

Birthday Dinner

2011-03-13T18:26:00.000-05:00

Today is Ray's birthday. We invited over family for dinner. I made corned beef and cabbage in honor of St. Patrick's Day. It was excellent if I do say so myself. We all had a good time eating and visiting. When it came time to blow out the candles Ray had a lot of help. Right now he and the kids are downstairs watching TV. When I get done here I have to go unload the dishwasher again. I am so happy I don't have to do dishes by hand. Another great day.

Hero Arts Vintage Cards

2011-03-07T20:17:00.000-06:00

We will be making these stamped cards on April 30th at Scrapbook Garden. The new concept for this class is stamping on patterned paper. I really like it and to be honest, I had not thought about doing this type of stamping myself. The other concept about this class is that the cards do not have to be complicated to look good. This is a class that we may actually get everything done on time.

The results of a productive weekend

2011-03-06T19:09:00.001-06:00

I took some time this weekend to do a couple of layouts for myself. What turned out to be more fun than I expected was that I took the same photos and created two layouts. One is for Wyatt's album and one is for Andrea's. I used Basic Grey's Jovial paper and embellishments on the "Santa?" layout, but the others are random pieces I had left from other projects. I know there is a piece of Graphic 45 and Echo Park used. I really did start out with the goal of using up some of my stash and did have some success.
I got the idea for "Christmas Pageant" from a sketch in the December 2010 Scrapbooks Etc, The others took embellishment ideas from a couple of layouts in the December 2010 Creating Keepsakes. Embellishments are the punch I need to add to my usually simple layouts, so I am working on that.

It is Friday

2011-03-04T12:22:00.001-06:00

No photos today, I just wanted to write something.
The kids came over so Nicole could go to work. Andrea refused to get dressed this morning. Not even to get her diaper changed. So she was exactly the way she was when she left here last night. Unpleasant to say the least. I had one of those momentary flashes of insight and offered the chance to take a bath. Andrea said "No!" as she proceeded to strip off her pajamas and head for the bathroom. This is one of those instances of "What I do, not what I say." Now it is 45 minutes later and she is still in the tub . Wyatt needs to leave for pre-school in half an hour, so I am getting up from here every little bit to ask her if she is finished. So far, the answer is no and she means no.
Our good weather has gone away. There was talk of snow,but I think that only further north will be blessed with that. Fine with me. I am tired of snow, rain is preferred this time of year.
That probably will fix my urge to type. I have to make so many corrections. I am a terrible typist. But I dislike it less now with the computer and spell check. The old days with a regular typewriter and correct type were awful. I am digressing here, but younger people don't realize how wonderful it is that your word processing program will check your spelling and grammar for you. It isn't always right, but it is right more often than I was when I had to use a typewriter.

Easter Cards

2011-03-01T13:29:00.001-06:00

It is amazing, but we are already thinking about Easter at Scrapbook Garden. I was given the chance again to create the cards from this class which will be April 16th.. One of the sketches came from the current Paper Crafts magazine, the Easter Fun template came from 2007 Card maker Magazine card. I used Reminiscence Easter paper for the cards and a couple of new Easter Stamp sets. I like being able combine more stamping with paper pieced cards. That is what most people do in daily life. I love the bright colors with this set as well.

Licking the Beaters

2011-03-01T12:27:00.000-06:00

I finished this page yesterday evening. I used Basic Grey's Hopscotch paper which came in the February 2011 Page of the Month kit. I also adapted the design of the sample page by Kelly Goree which is something I rarely do. I scrap lift, but not as closely as I did with this page. However, I would like to move my style away from the really simple pages I would do normally. I like the different lines and shapes. I figure that if I do it enough, it will feel more natural.
I took these pictures of Andrea in November. I was making cupcakes for Wednesday Night Dinner at church. She was "helping" me, so when I finished making the icing, I offered her a beater. I LOVE the beaters, I have since I was a child. I found out that it is a natural thing. Andrea didn't have to be shown what to do, she just started licking all the good stuff off. It didn't matter that some of it ended up all over her face.

Oklahoma City National Memorial, February 2011

2011-02-21T13:10:00.000-06:00

Ray and I drove to Oklahoma City yesterday to visit the Oklahoma City National Memorial. It was the first time for Ray and the second time for me to go there. The Memorial is a powerful place. It is quiet even when there are a good number of people there. For me, it brought back all the memories of the pictures we saw on television after the bombing. The ones of the children were the worst and the sight of the nineteen little chairs representing each child killed is wrenching.

Outside the Memorial is a chain link fence where people leave tokens. Some were so personal I cried. A baby bib, a birthday card for a child, photos, all of it tragic.

Visiting this place also reminds us that terrorists are not just people from other countries with different religious beliefs. They are the men who live next door and mind their own business. Evil is what is in people's hearts, not in a foreign country.

Basic Grey Curio Cards and Quick Quotes Mini Album

2011-02-17T20:57:00.000-06:00

I will be leading the Basic Grey Curio Card Class on Tuesday March 22nd at Scrapbook Garden. This paper is very attractive and has a great vintage feel to it. The theme of this class would be fun with circles. I used a lot of one inch punches as well as larger size circles to do these cards. There are a couple of fun techniques to be learned with these cards.

The mini album from Quick Quotes is cute as is everything from these folks. The album uses to artist canvases for the covers and then has an interesting way to bind the pages. When the album is completed, it is a month by month record for a year. The class will probably be scheduled in April.

Robins! Do they really know?

2011-02-16T13:56:00.002-06:00

I saw a robin yesterday as I was going into to church to attend Presbytery. I remember seeing robins in the yard last year and the weather truly did improve after that. I am pinning a lot of the same hopes on this little guy. The cold and snow and ice can pack up there bags and leave, I am ready for spring.

Back on track, literally

2011-02-14T21:45:00.000-06:00

With all the cold weather the last several weeks, I have not been working out like I should. Not running five days a week and attending my various classes has a direct result on my weight. I am not gaining, but I have had a really hard time getting what I did gain a Christmas back off. I know that working up to twenty miles a week will take care of that. Losing weight was the primary reason I started working out seriously.
Now, I am doing core workouts. I can't believe I am doing Core Workouts. That means crunches, and other horrendous actions that I would never have believed I would even consider. Why am I doing this? Because every part of me looks pretty good, for my age, except my stomach. Years of weight gain and not doing my post natal exercises have come to haunt me. Plus, I have a bad hip to waist ratio, this indicates your risk level for heart disease. So core exercise it is. I think I am making some headway. I sincerely hope so because I don't care for it at all.

Record Low

2011-02-11T08:09:00.000-06:00

Just for informational purposes, yesterday's temperature of -17 was a record low for that date. It doesn't beat the state low of -20, but that was up in the northern part of the state where it always is colder. I don't like winter like this.

Wyatt's Valentines Cards

2011-02-10T16:41:00.000-06:00

I had planned to make Wyatt's Valentine cards for school before he asked me to do that. When your grandson asks, how can you refuse. The designs for these cards are from the current issue of Cardmaker Magazine. They were described as retro cards. I guess that means they are similar to cards we used to give out when we were children. Three of them use the old style paper doilies. I always loved them when I was a child, so the opportunity to use them again was irresistible.

Random Musings in Sub Zero Weather

2011-02-10T13:21:00.000-06:00

Hmmm, for some reason my random thoughts all center around the cold weather.

There is no such thing as a squirrel proof bird feeder. We bought one that looks like a mini maximum security prison cell. The squirrels clean it out. The birds can't figure out how to get past the bars to the seed slots. We tried setting out separate feeders of corn for the squirrel. But they turn their little rodent noses up at corn and head for the sunflower seeds. I am just going to put seed in the feeders and let it be first come first served. I really do find the squirrels amusing, and the seed they toss on the ground is eaten by the nuthatches, jays and everyone else who drops by.

Little kids don't wear undershirts anymore. Until I was almost big enough for a bra, my mother made me put on an undershirt every day in the winter. Maybe it is because houses are heated better now, but I still think more clothes under their clothes would be better for kids. I know it works for me.

Thermal underwear, I need a couple more pairs of long Cuddl' Duds pant and a long sleeve top. I have had sets for years, but now that I dress casually all the time, they are a must for winter. When the weather warms up, I am off to Kohl's to spend my gift card on that. I also want more sweat pants. They are warm, more than jeans and Cuddl' duds. I bought a pair for wearing over my work out clothes, but I want more just to wear around the house. The public has permission to point fingers and laugh if I wear them to do any more than get Wyatt at school though.

I have learned that you do get what you pay for when you buy gloves. I have been wearing the little one size fits all gloves from Walmart for years. At a dollar fifty a set, you couldn't beat the price. But even doubling up, my hands are freezing in minutes. So I will also be looking at Kohl's for a good set of winter gloves. The Walmart ones will be good liners.

The last time I have felt this cold when I wasn't skiing was my freshman year in college. However, I think that was probably due more to a young persons inability to dress correctly for the weather than actually temperature.

The weather is supposed to get better over the weekend. We can only hope.

Snow, snow, snow

2011-02-09T10:23:00.001-06:00

Kansans are not unused to cold weather. It gets cold here in the winter and the wind chill factor is something even a ten year old understands. However, snow has always been a mixed pleasure for me. I love to watch it come down. That is watch it come down from inside my house with a fire going and a hot drink. Once the snow stops, I am good for a day and then it needs to melt. A week of white is too long.

So no one, including myself, was pleased to have it snow again yesterday. As a matter of fact, it snowed over twenty four hours, truly unusual in this part of the country. The snow from last week had not completely melted away, so there we are. A lot of snow on the ground in Kansas, and cancellations galore.

I am so lucky to be retired now and not have to go outside unless I choose to do so. I chose to go out this morning to take care of the birds. I also had an idea that I might walk over to the park and try for some "arty" snow photos. I dressed in layers, two pairs of gloves, the whole thing. I was really quite proud of myself. Until I went outside, I was good for five minutes, it was seven degrees, with a wind chill of way below zero. I got the birds cared forand took the pictures in the yard. At that point my face and fingers were getting numb and stinging. I realized that a walk in the park was not going to happen. I went back in the house, made a hot breakfast and coffee for myself and decided to spend the day scrapping. Oh, and light the fire.
With any luck at all, it may start melting by Friday. None too soon for me.

You know, Kokopelli is from New Mexico. It snows there, he should really know to wear more clothes.

Basic Grey Oliver Three Dimensional Wall Hanging

2011-02-07T12:00:00.000-06:00

I was in the mood to do something for myself last night. This is the result. I saw this Basic Grey Max paper at Scrapbook Garden on Saturday and I just loved it. The design, the colors and the little animals all appealed to me. I also realized that I would want to cut the paper for a wall hanging. I first did a cut paper picture in September with a Halloween project from Pine cone Press and Graphic 45. It was so popular, and was done many times, that it is now easy to see which papers are best suited for these projects.
Doing one of these is simple, just sort of time consuming and requires a SHARP pair of micro point scissors and a good craft knife. Start with three to four sheets of the printed paper. I used four sheets on this one. Cut out the elements you want to give dimension and attach to the base sheet with foam tape of squares. Continue until you have reached the level that you are happy with. It is that easy.
The picture will fit in a Scrapbook Page Frame that can be bought at Michael's or Hobby Lobby. I am going to see if they have white ones. Every frame I have at home is black.
My next project is school Valentines cards for Wyatt. I have them made, I just want to tweak them a bit before posting them.

500 Posts

2011-02-02T19:56:00.000-06:00

Just to be able to take notice of it. This is my 500th post. I had not thought about reaching this milestone and here it is. I have been blogging almost four years too. I may not be the best, but I just keep chugging along.

Pinecone Press/Sassafras Options Kit

2011-02-02T16:42:00.000-06:00

Here are the projects for the next Pine Cone Press Options class I will be doing at Scrapbook Garden on Tuesday March 8. Sassafras provides the paper for this kit which includes an instruction booklet for numerous projects including cards and a mini photo album in addition to the photo journal and pages.
The primary project will be the photo journal which covers a small legal pad. It isn't all that difficult to make. the hardest part for me was getting the photos small enough to fit. But the photos are what make the journal. I love the bright colors. They are such a mood lifter in these cold winter days we are having right now.
The second journal is from a cover design I learned at a class when River City Rubber Stamp still had a store. I used the remaining card stock in the kits and scraps left after the first journal and the page were done. I have always loved the diagonal cut on the cover for the journal.
The page is a lesson on using small pieces to decorate a page while still leaving a large amount of white space. The base is ivory card stock which was spritzed with glimmer mist. This product is still a mystery to a lot of people, so I hope this will help a few toes get dipped in the mist.
As always with Pine cone Press, these are fun projects with lots of supplies to work with.

Happy Birthday Andrew

2011-02-01T17:28:00.000-06:00

Andrew is twenty seven years old today. He probably does not have any problems with that, but it just seems incredible that my baby is that old. However, for the most part it is OK that he is grown up.

Happy Birthday Son!

Blizzard

2011-02-01T17:20:00.000-06:00

We are in the middle of blizzard conditions right now. It is eight degrees outside with a wind chill in the minus teens. The snow is really fine but just keeps coming down and drifts. It is supposed to go on until tomorrow sometime. Places are closing, the local malls closed at 5:00 today. Scrapbook Garden didn't even open, and my class tonight is postponed till Saturday. All in all, not nice outside at all.
The bottom photo is of Nick and the snow blower. Men love power tools and this was his opportunity to try it out.

The Greats

2011-01-31T15:59:00.000-06:00

I try to have my Dad and Stepmother over a couple of times a month for Sunday Dinner. We all enjoy it, and sharing a meal together encourages a lot more conversation that visits to Wellington. I took this picture of them and Wyatt yesterday. Wyatt was named student of the week at school and he needed a poster telling about himself.
I am so pleased that my grandchildren have great grandparents to relate with. I didn't have living great grand parents when I was a child, so I have no idea of what the dynamics are in the kids mind. I know my Dad and Jaunita are viewed by Wyatt and Andrea a different. They are actually treated with more respect, kid wise, than we are. That tells me that they are special to the kids as well.
I am so luck that my Dad at 91 and Jaunita at 93 are still here and able to take active part in our lives.

Hero Arts "Take Time" Cards

2011-01-24T12:04:00.000-06:00

We are offering this stamped card class at Scrapbook Garden on February 22nd. There are a couple of interesting techniques going on with this class, primarily with card design. The embellishment is based on the use of glimmer mist and Stickles which are two products some people are not familiar with using. Take a look and sign up for the class.

An old sweater

2011-01-24T11:57:00.000-06:00

I will be so glad when Wyatt works himself through the two stages he has been in for a while. The first one is the insistence that he IS Spiderman. This was cute last summer, but it is getting old now. He may be getting past it. We see glimpses of him accepting himself as Wyatt again. We can only hope.
The second stage I will be glad to see gone is the cheesy smile period. I am not sure how long it lasts, but I miss the real smiles I used to get from my cute grandson and want them back. This picture is an example of both things. He is "shooting a web" and smiling cheesily while doing so. A grandmother cannot catch a break at times can she?
I actually took this picture to post of Face Book. The sweater Wyatt is wearing was made by one of our Swedish exchange Students, Mia Larssen for Andrew about twenty three years ago. Cedar chests make for wonderful storage of things. You forget what is in there. There is also a purple panda sweater for Andrea when she gets bigger that Mia made for Nicole. I like seeing the grand kids wearing things that my kids wore.

BG Pyrus Cards

2011-01-21T19:46:00.000-06:00

There are shadows on the first two photos, but the colors are very true for these Basic Grey Pyrus Cards. I will be leading this Class at Scrapbook Garden on February 26th. This set focused on making different styles of paper flowers which is popular right now with both card makers and scrappers.
Since I have been leading classes at Scrapbook Garden, the offerings have all been kits from the paper companies. In the spring, we will start offering some classes designed in house. I think everyone will like those. I won't be posting those for a couple of months though.

The Importance of Family

2011-01-16T16:50:00.000-06:00

I have numerous friends, everyone does who don't enjoy getting together with their family. I know I am blessed that is isn't the case for me. Family gatherings are times of great enjoyment for me even when the reason for getting together is a sad one. My Aunt Meta died last week. She was my youngest aunt, only fourteen years older than me. We had a history, I remember going to her wedding, she helped my mother out after I was born, even though my mother sent her home earlier than planned. She was not supposed to be the next family member to die. But then, what family member should have been the one? In my view none!
My Aunt Mary came in from Arizona and my cousin Juanita flew in from Washington. I was able to pick them up and have them stay with us while they were here. I am so happy they did. We went up to Topeka to the funeral service and then down to Amorita for the interment. We visited all the way and got to visit with a large group of other Gerdes's and Hills as well.
On Saturday we thought about going out, but ended up visiting the whole day. I don't remember ever doing that before in my adult life. We just talked and looked at pictures and memorabilia the whole day. It was the best day.
All of the cousins are getting older and we are recognizing that we must find a way to keep in touch. Face book will be a help, but nothing can beat actually being together in person. Love your family.