My Baby is Married!

So here she is with her new husband, Garrett. He is great, and we are happy he is a part of our family.



A quiet moment.



Dang it - they all have to be goofy! Are they ever serious?


More pictures later....

New Decorative Art Form

During the time K&G got married--we had lots of people congregating at our home. Rather than use plastic throw-away cups, we all seemed to have our own. This is where they all liked to congregate.

There is an anaolgy to life - we are all different; we all congregate around a light source and we all drink from the same living water...OK...I know this is a stretch, but we had to capture the cups in the window - it was funny at the time!

Thought I Knew what I was doing - Ha!

I have been going to school for the past year with plans to major in Public Relations. I applied for the major a few weeks ago. Sad to say, I did not make it in. I really thought I had a chance. But as the day goes by, I have plan B and plan C. So it is on to plan B - FACS major - Family and Consumer Science Education. But dang - if I just had done that in the beginning, I wouldn't have 47 more credits to finish up with!

But the bright side of this is that when I finish, I will not be using antiquated equipment and technology in my labs - that is if we still have public schools.

APPLE SEASON

So we have a neighbor that moved, leaving behind two apple trees. No one was picking those yellow and red deliciousness. So we went and picked apples yesterday :) We would have picked more - but that would mean I would have to can them or do something with them - and I have little time.

Von picked up an apple peeler from the Mending Shed. This is his new toy! Such a wonderful invention.

Tonight we canned 14 qts. of apple pie filling and made one apple cobbler. Though it is work - I like the results of this type of work. It makes my cupboards look good - and the fruit was free! I like those type of savings.

Here is the recipe if you want to make your own pie filling. My neighbor, Sheri F.,from Carlsbad gave this to me:

APPLE PIE FILLING

Syrup:
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cornstartch
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Stir together in large pot. Add 1 tsp. salt, then add 10 cups of water. Heat till bubbly and thickened. Add 3 TBSP. lemon juice and 2-3 drops of yellow food coloring and stir to mix.

5 1/2 to 6 lbs. of cored, peeled and sliced apples

Pack sterilized jars with apple slices. Pour syrup over apples, being sure to adjust for air pockets (meaning you need to eliminate them!). Leave 1" head space in top of jar. Wipe down jar and lip of jar. Put on heated canning lid and ring. Process jars in boiling water bath. Quart - 20 minutes; Pint - 15 minutes.

Happy Birthday Middle Child!

Today is my first middle child's birthday. I am not going to share how old she is, other than she was born in 1980. Really? That doesn't seem that long ago – only yesterday. I remember the day so well. Living in Mesa, AZ, over-due by a week when the nurse calls to say the doctor had a opening for me to come in and be induced. Later the nurse chastised me because it was Sunday. At that point I didn't care. And then – after being induced - 1^st middle child comes flying out. Mind you, the doctor never showed up, they actually had to pull in a doctor walking by to be in attendance! Of all my deliveries – she was my easiest. I will have to admit that I was in "shape" before she came, but then being my second smallest – I am sure that helped too.

This child was easy to love. Every morning she was so bright-eyed and eager to be awake. She always seemed to have a smile on her face. We called her our little squirrel because she was always burrowing into the covers with all her treasures. My neighbor made a quilt for her (which she has to this day), she affectionately called "blankie." Every corner was sniffed before going to sleep. Some corners were her favorites! It was hard to sneak the blanket away to wash, she would throw a fit that the "smells" had disappeared. I don't even want to know what she did to establish her "smelling" territory again!! She also had a pacifier, "binkie," that had a squeaky bulb on the end. She was quite attached to it, and her sisters liked to tease her by squeaking it often. I loved it because I always knew where she was. Her favorite book was about Care Bears. She had the book memorized

This child was one of my smallest – and still is. She was sick quite a bit with ear infections, which led to other health challenges as a child. Thank goodness she outgrew all those discomforts. She also had to wear corrective shoes – which did their job. However, if you were holding her and she decided to kick – watch out! Those shoes were hard and they hurt. She literally slept with her boots on!

One of the things that I loved about this child was that she LOVED baby dolls and Barbies. Her older sisters could care less, so it was nice to know that finally I had a daughter that loved the things I loved as a child. She also had "best friends," something that seemed to elude my other children. I wouldn't say any of my children were "Drama Queens," but I would venture to say this 1^st middle child did have her moments – maybe it was because she was the MIDDLE Child and needed more attention – who knows!

I have never thought any of my children were like me, so one day, to satisfy my curiousity, I asked my sister if any of my children had my temperament. She said my 1^st middle child seemed to be more like me. So I have watched her grow up, and I have seen many similarities, one being that I can explain something to her and she can envision what I am trying to say (and I admit there aren't too many that can do this!!!). And we tend to get a little spazzy once in a while! But she is also very much like her father, especially when you start from the feet up (very cute feet I might add!). Then you see she was blessed with my shapely knees and my once good-looking calve muscles J And of course she is like me when it comes to exclamation points!!!

I have truly been blessed with children that are special, and this 1^st middle child is no exception. She is resourceful; she is creative; I think she is a great wife and mother; she has a happy countenance; she wants to be of service to others; she has been blessed with many talents, such as creative writing and a desire to learn all the world has to offer. She also has several musical gifts. She has the ability to remember all the words to songs and she loves arpeggio's – meaning piano pieces that go fast! When she has an idea in her brain – she is ready to go – she is moving fast! Her thoughts and actions are geared to moving forward, ever learning, ever improving.

What wish would I give to her on this her birth-day? Be patient, be faithful, be prayerful, and be believing that someone mightier than you is mindful of your every need. You are a wonderful daughter, valiant and good. Your father and I are very pleased with who you are and who you are becoming.

It is Coming!!!

The other day, K&G come to the house announcing that they just saw some signs posted for an In-and-Out Burger. I had to see it for myself! It is real - it is being built. A good hamburger is coming and only a few blocks from where we live. Can life get much sweeter than this?

ROCKY MARRIAGE

Many know that I love rocks. I would have quite a collection if they weren't so heavy! My shoebox weighs about 8 lbs – with my iron ore chunk making the box lopsided. So why am I writing about rocks? Well to be honest, I failed in writing about our anniversary this past week. Von and I celebrated our 34^th Anniversary—and Opals are supposed to be what you give each other.

To honor this mileSTONE—I thought I would use the characteristics of opals to describe our lives, personalities or whatever I can come up with and make it work – something like the way I play Scrabble!!!

Opal variations are practically unlimited—example would be the children we produced – they are as varied and as different as can be.

They all show in their own special way that unique play of colors
– I would like to think we are a colorful couple—meaning we are unique, and our red personalities don't show up to often!

The name Opal was probably derived from Sanskrit "upala", meaning "valuable stone"—I consider our marriage a valuable relationship, worth working and refining.

In the days of Roman antiquity there existed a so-called "opalus", or a "stone from several elements"—yep, that describes our relationship—there are several elements that keep us together-love of the Lord, covenants, family, faith, determination—OK—this list can go on for a long time. You get the picture!

Pliny, the famous Roman author, called Opal a gemstone which combines the best possible characteristics of the most beautiful of gemstones—I feel that the characteristics and strengths we have brought to our marriage, those developed over the years and those learned from our parents, children and others continues to make our marriage the best possible.

The small spheres of silica gel causes interference and refraction, dissecting the light on its passage through the gemstone, turning into all colors of the rainbow—I guess that is my hope and prayer that as our relationship continues to develop and mature, that we are able to "interfere and refract" with one another so that our light will continue to radiate, sparkling together in beautiful combinations.

Even though we have had our share of "rocky" trials and obstacles, my husband has always been my rock, my foundation that I rely on. I love you Honey B.