Thursday Thinking – Noras and Bonnies

Last week while I was still in Seattle I read an on-line article in my hometown newspaper about a woman named Nora.  She died last summer when she was 87 years old, and had been a widow for several years prior.  She and her husband had no children.  Nora loved knitting, gardening, and helping out on the farm.  She went to church and occasionally visited the senior citizen’s center.  She sounded like such a nice lady.

Nine months after Nora died, ten different charitable organizations in her community received a letter from her lawyer stating that Nora had left them each $237,500 dollars. Nora had $2,375, 000 when she died!  No one would have guessed it – not her fellow parishioners, not her fellow senior citizens, no one.  Most of the organizations had never even seen or heard of Nora, but that did not diminish their appreciation for her gift. 

I told Cali the story while she fed Levin and we talked about various good and kind people we know.  Bonnie, Cali and Abe’s primary teacher, was one of the people we remembered.  Bonnie taught the three year old Sunbeam class for years and years.  At the beginning of each year she bought each child his own box of crayons.  No big ice cream bucket of broken crayons out of the church library for her class, no sir, each child had his own sharp crayons.  Bonnie was the sole wage earner in her family so the crayons were a small sacrifice.  Cali said, “I remember she looked at my picture of a little girl wearing a skirt and she told me I was really good at drawing skirts.  And then I told her, ‘Oh it’s easy, I’ll show you how to draw one.  You just make a triangle like this.’ And then I drew one with my crayons she bought us as if she didn’t know how to draw a dress.”  Cali snort laughed at that point and said, “Funny how I’ve never forgotten that – which just goes to show you that you’re never too young to appreciate a compliment.  I'll bet she never knew how important it was to me that she said that and listened.”

Though there was a disparity in the dollar value in the above situations, there was no difference in that Bonnie and Nora both used their talents and means and made life sweeter for someone else.   

Today six women made my life sweeter.  Three brought me a birthday cake and then sat and visited for an hour. 

Later three more women took me to lunch and brought gifts. 

We visited for several hours.  It was plain invigorating . . . and fun.

Life is clear full of Bonnies and Noras, and that’s what I’ve been thinking about.

Homemaking Tip – Wisdom in the Kitchen

Michelle gave me this idea without even knowing it.  She posted “Mr. Darcy’s proposal on a tea towel” on her pinterest board and I thought, “Hey, I could do something like that.  Well . . . almost like that.  Well, something along those lines at least.”

Since it was my sister’s birthday, I made 4 tea towels with quotes about homemaking for her and put them in a red, splatter-ware tin.  I also had a friend who is a Jane Austen admirer return from serving a mission in Ghana, so I made a couple Jane Austen towels as a welcome home gift for her as well.  It was Cali’s birthday the same week so I made a few for her, too.  

Materials needed:

a few good quotes* or images

tea towels (flour sack dish towels are nice because they’re soft and smooth.  You can buy them at Target or Wal-Mart, or the Dollar Tree has hemmed ones though they aren’t as soft)

fabric transfer paper (found in the computer supply section)

Directions:  I typed the quotes and added borders in Microsoft Word and then copied the document into Paint so that I could reverse the image.  After I reversed the image, I printed it out on transfer paper and followed the directions on the package to iron the image onto the towel.  

*Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort. ~ Jane Austen

Home is the nicest word there is.  ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

The homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only - and that is to support the ultimate career. ~ C.S. Lewis

It isn't what we say or think that defines us, but what we do. ~ Jane Austen

Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion. ~ Jane Austen

Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart.  ~Erma Bombeck

My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint. ~Erma Bombeck

Marriage has no guarantees. If that's what you're looking for, go live with a car battery.  ~Erma Bombeck

I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.  ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

Tuesday – Kind of Taken by Surprise

The kids always give Calvin a hard time because he can’t keep a surprise.  He tries, he really does, but if something is good – like a birthday present – he just can’t help but tell you about it.  It’s quite endearing and we all love that about him.  While I was gone to Seattle Calvin did two surprises.  Cali and Ty knew about them, but he promised them he wouldn’t tell me.  And he didn’t.  For three whole days.  Then he agreed when I asked really, really nice.  He installed a new over-the-stovetop microwave and a little air conditioner in the storage room.  What great surprises!  (As you will remember, our microwave died six months ago.)  I appreciate Calvin, and that he tries to surprise me, and that he can’t keep surprises.

Ty, on the other hand, won’t budge on a surprise.  He told us that he and Michelle had left a surprise for us in Moses Lake, but he wouldn’t tell us where it was until Calvin and I were both home together.  Once Ty and Michelle knew we were both home they sent us a text with the first clue:

A fabulous time with you we had,

In leaving you we were pretty sad.

Along with part of our hearts which we left behind,

We also left some things for you two to find.

Next to the piano in the music holder of tin,

This is where your treasure hunt begins.

Find your first clue and follow it to clue #2.

Keep going and going and then you’ll find something for you!

The treasure hunt led us out through the shop, the garage, and my new fort.  Finally, we found two movie tickets and giant Symphony bars hidden in a closet.  What a fun thing to come home to.  I appreciate Ty and Michelle and their surprise.

The bubble popped.  I haven’t had a crisis about all the kids moving away until yesterday.  Suddenly I really realized that they all have their very own families and homes now.  I didn’t recognize how much I still thought of Ande and Ty as being at home even though they were in other states going to college.  Until yesterday.  It’s not terribly painful, but it did close down one vein in my heart temporarily.  They’re gone.  They’re really gone.  I was surprised to feel it as I assumed I’d already dealt with an empty house when Ande went away to college.  Not so.  Hmmm.  I’m glad I have a bit of Pollyanna in me.  I have learned through the years to find something good (as Ma [from The Little House books] always says, “There is no great loss without some small gain”) in situations.  I remember one time when I worried Calvin was going to die and I got sooooo very sad.  So very sad.  I knew I would go crazy with dread and grief thinking about it, so I tried to find the good in case that happened.  I came up with, “I will never have to make bread again if I don’t want to,” and “I will never have to iron shirts again.”  That was the sum total of my small gain, but it was enough to temporarily distract me.  (Sometimes that looking-for-the-good game is dangerous though. Sometimes you can amass quite a pile of small gains and you lose perspective on the great loss.  Just warning you.)  So today I will begin to enjoy the small gains – like cooking beets for supper because there is not one kid here to complain.  I am happy that the kids have created great families, have valuable skills, and wonderful opportunities ahead, so I shall focus on that, too.  And it’s always nice to remember that we’re on our way into the next generation.  There.  I’m feeling better already.  But one more reason to blog, I say.

11 on 11 of July '11

Michelle – our family

Levin – packed and ready to go to his doctor’s appointment.  Unfortunately he 

stumped everyone in the office because they witnessed him eating twice as 

much is needed, but still is a half of a pound below his birth weight.  

We're not sure where all that milk is going . . . I guess in his diaper

Ray – putting Levin where he likes to be: next to him and squished in a tight spot

Cali – showing off our half finished basement that should be finished this week

Ande – the culmination of our FHE: planning our week and Molly Moon's ice-cream sandwiches

Trevor – Ann and Ryker caught their first coyote

Abe - Grace, Connie, and Abe making their pizzas

Grace - Grace and Connie getting ready to eat their pizzas

Calvin and Jane – filled in passport applications for family home evening.  

We don’t have a trip planned, just thought it was a good idea to have them

Michelle – We are about to finally open the rest of our gifts.  We are so grateful for so much generosity

Joe – unfortunate french fries, they can’t all be winners

Ty – at the cannery.  We got a lot of food storage done today

52 Blessings -- Lifestyle

I spent the last two weeks in Seattle with Ray, Cali, and Levin.  I had planned to go home after week one (I’m always conscientious when I’m staying with someone about that old saying that guests and fish are the same – they both stink after five days); however, Cali had some trouble healing so I stayed a week longer.  I had such a great time.  Ray took time off work to help Levin adjust to Earth, Cali heal, and to refinish their basement.  

Cali spent her time caring for Levin and repeating, “I’m just so blessed.  He’s so wonderful.  I’m just so glad we have him.”  I spent my time loving and enjoying all three of them.  I got to hold Levin lots and lots, enough so that even now when I’m standing I start to sway and coo, “Shhhhhhh, it’s okay.  Just burp and everything will be much better.”

Calvin came over both weekends and when I’d hear a noise in the driveway it reminded me of our dating time and watching and waiting excitedly for his pickup to pull in.  Calvin helped Ray with projects that required saws, hammers, and sanders.  When Calvin held Levin and Levin would smile in his dreams, he would say, “Look at this!  Come look!  He just killed a grizzly.”  But if he’d cry, Calvin would say, “Get him Levin.  Don't let him get you.”

Which reminds me of a funny thing Ray and I did one morning:  Ray had gotten Levin out of bed and was watching him in the living room.  Levin was making all kinds of funny baby faces as he slept.  Ray said, “Come on, let’s pass a story back and forth while we watch his face.”  Each of us would say a few lines and then the next one would add a few more, and every single time Ray said something about Levin getting a pocket knife or a bb gun or going hunting Levin would smile real big, but when I’d add my lines and try to curb the story back into something responsible Levin would grimace.  It went on for a good while and was pretty darn funny.  

Ande and Joe also live in Seattle, about thirty minutes from Ray and Cali.  Last Sunday we all got together and Joe and Ande made carne asadas, guacamole, and salsa.  It. was. good.  We ate out on Ray and Cali’s deck with the sun going down on the water.  Then we had root beer floats while we played Ticket to Ride.  I did not win. 

Last night (Saturday) we all went to Joe and Ande’s home for supper.  Ande and Joe strung lights on their back patio and Ande set the table with pink carnations in soda bottles.  It was festive and a beautiful evening.

Joe roasted chickpeas for an appetizer.  Have you ever tried roasted chickpeas?  They are good.  Who knew?  The bowl was soon empty.  Ande made onion rings from Walla Walla sweet onions (an old ad said you could eat them like an apple because they’re so sweet; while I wouldn’t boast that, they do make fine onion rings that I look forward to every summer).  Joe and Ande also wrapped basil and mozzarella cheese in squash blossoms, then rolled them in cornmeal and deep fried them.  Those were very good as well.  The main course was a Greek grilled chicken salad that was very, very good.    

After we had fresh berries and ice cream for dessert, Ande, Joe, Calvin, and I went to the new musical Aladdin.  There is a theater in Seattle where new musicals are often launched and Aladdin premiered this week.  The producer opened the show by telling the audience that workers were sitting amongst us to record our reactions so as to know how to improve the play.  I hope someone was sitting next to the little girl across the aisle from us – she gasped loudly and laughed often, her reactions were so genuine.  During the intermission Ande asked if we thought Cali and Ray felt bad they hadn’t been able to come.  Joe said, “How can they?  They get Levin instead.”  We had a great evening and Joe got us free parking which only makes a great evening better.

Ande and Joe spoke in their Sacrament meeting today, so Calvin and I attended church with them.  Their topic was on how the love and power of God is manifested through ordinances.  It was great being taught by them, I learned new things and they both gave wonderful talks.  It was fun to be with them in their new ward.

Calvin and I drove home this afternoon and also briefly talked to the rest of the kids on the phone. Ty and Michelle move to Maryland this week.  Abe and Grace and Ty and Michelle went swimming together yesterday and spent this afternoon playing games (Abe and Grace spoke in their Sacrament meeting today also).  Calvin and I are glad that all the kids have been able to live by a sibling for the last several months and have good friendships.    

For the last six months we have marked time by big events – Ande will move to Seattle, then Grace will move to Colorado, then Abe will return home from Iraq, then Ande and Joe will get married, then Ty will graduate, then Ty and Michelle will get married, then Ty and Michelle will stay with us for two weeks, and then Ray and Cali’s baby will be born.  They have been wonderful events, each and every one.  Now we have a new normal to live and a new timeline to establish, but the day to day details still won't change much – the broccoli and lettuce will still need to be picked, the chickens fed, the house cleaned, a blog post written, supper fixed, and the laundry will still need folded.  My lifestyle wouldn’t make everyone happy, but it certainly does make me and I’m so grateful the Lord has helped me to have it.  

Tuesday With Ande

A year or two ago I asked you blog readers for suggestions for a topic to write about on Tuesday.  You gave me all kinds of good ideas and that is what I have used.  Ande's suggestion was "Tuesday's with Ande" much like "Tuesday's with Morrie."  That topic worked out perfectly this week, for we spent last Tuesday with her . . 

We stopped by Joe and Ande's house to wait for a call from Ray at the hospital saying that their baby was born.  Ande guessed we might be hungry and quickly made a pot of cheese/mushroom and chicken ravioli with pasta sauce and shaved Parmesan cheese.  She had the five of us (Ty, Michelle, Calvin, me, and herself) fed within a half an hour.  She is so adept in her home. 

Ande and Joe's home is full of color and fun ideas.  I thought I'd share a few of them with you today:

Joe and Ande are both readers and they have hundreds of books to store.  Ande made a shelf by their bed out of a few classics.  She keeps her journal and pen on top of them.   

Both Cali and Ande have old coke bottle boxes with little mementos.  It's fun to see what they have collected, and a perfect place for those little things you don't know what to do with but don't want to throw away.  (The little tag on the bottom shelf says, "Every day I fall in love with you more and more.  Well, not every day.  Yesterday you were pretty annoying.")  

Ande painted this globe with chalkboard paint.  It sits just inside the door on a beautiful secretary desk.  She and Joe leave notes on it to each other.

I love how Ande found a home for her "I Love Lucy" barbie doll with some of their books.  It's so random.

Ande took a picture of this boat down on the lockes, then enlarged it for their home.

Joe's mom has fine furniture stores in the South and Joe has gotten some beautiful pieces of furniture from her.  Inside one of their bookcases, they have a Polish nativity displayed year round.    

Ande covered two magazine boxes with pages from a book, then turned them sideways and hung them in a corner to store phones, cords, and electronic devises.  

Joe and Ande are both very good cooks and like to cook a lot of ethnic foods.  To give themselves more spice room they bought metal magnetic tins and store some of their more abundantly used spices on the front of the refrigerator.

One of the fun things about the kids setting up their own homes is to see their personalities reflected and to feel the spirit of their homes.  Each family has its own style and priorities and it's fun to enjoy them and get ideas from them.  Homemaking is alive and well and it feels so good.

Monday Memories - 7/4

Our family's 4th of July memories are made of picnics in the mountains, swimming at the natural warm water spring swimming pool near our home in Idaho, creamed peas and potatoes, patriotic music on the cd player, community breakfasts at the church, city firework displays, barbecues, but no parades.  We've never lived in a town that had a 4th of July parade.  No matter.   I love the 4th of July no matter how we have celebrated it and this year was no different . . .  

I loved . . . rocking a baby in a milk coma.

I loved. . . going on an afternoon walk along the water by Ray and Cali's house and seeing what all the different families were barbecuing and hearing the different music they played.

(One poor family was trying  to grill chicken quarters over poorly lit coals; they were in for a long disappointing wait, but another group with shish-ka-bobs looked like they had a good thing going.)

I loved . . . eating All-American fare for supper.

(Do you eat pepper on your cantaloupe?  It's an odd habit, especially because I'm not very fond of pepper,
but I do like it on cantaloupe.  And as long as I'm rambling, we tried the red and blue kool-aid ice cubes/seven-up drink and it was great.  I'm going to try it at Christmas with red and green, or maybe Halloween with orange and black, or maybe Easter with green and yellow, or maybe a baby shower with pink and blue, or . . .  well, I have warned you before that I can run a good idea into the ground haven't I?)

I loved . . . being able to enjoy this seven four with 'Levin.

(Now that was a great play on words, was it not?)

52 Blessings -- Living in America

Sometimes when I go to bed at night and after I've flipped on my right side with my hand tucked under my pillow and I'm good and comfortable, I think, "I'm so lucky I don't have to worry about a bomb dropping on our house tonight" or, "I'm so glad we don't have to worry about a slug of rebels breaking in and murdering us in our sleep."  I've never been in danger of bombs or thugs, so I'm not sure why I've singled out those two threats, but I think it's just that I'm unconsciously grateful to live where we do.  Now I haven't traveled the world extensively (I've been outside of our borders only five or six times) and I'm certain there are many wonderful places on Earth to live, but as for me and my house, I'm glad we have been able to live in America.

Ten things I love about America are:

Her heroes.

Her founders.

Her beautiful parks and lands (Glacier National Park)

Her interstate freeway system.

Her constitution.

Her ability to grow crops and produce manufactured goods.

Her resiliency.

Her incredible story.  (Counter-Clockwise:  Columbus, Pilgrim, Revolution, Sustaining the Modern Family)

Her people.  (I think this Human Statue of Liberty is very cool.  It took 18,000
men to create -- 12, 000 men in the flame alone.  It took Mole and Thomas
about a week to organize and shoot the picture.  First they nailed down miles of lace
edging into the outline and then on the day of the photo shoot they used a megaphone,
lots of body language, and a white flag stuck to a long pole to direct the ground
workers where to assemble the troops.  This picture was shot in July 1918 from
about 80 feet in the air.  Temperatures neared 105 degrees and, tightly squeezed
into these massive formation and dressed in woolen uniforms, many men fainted.)

Her freedoms.

 America has been a great blessing to many.  What are some things you love about America?

(I thought The FamilyFun website had this fun 4th of July drink idea:  Simply fill two ice cube trays with red and blue fruit-flavored beverages (such as Powerade, Gatorade, or Kool-Aid) and let the cubes freeze solid.  Then drop three or four colored ice cubes into each glass, pour in flavored seltzer water or clear soda and watch the special effects.  As the cubes melt, colored bubbles will swirl through the seltzer.)

Life in My World -- Watching Levin Grow

That old Bobby Goldsboro song from the '70's, "Watching Scotty Grow,"   keeps running through my head, most likely because that's what I've been doing:  watching Levin grow.  I forgot how quickly a newborn baby changes in those first few days.  

Levin Buchanan Follett

It is so fun to have a new baby from this line on the pedigree chart.  I really, really like being a grandma. I like loving and feeling so connected to a baby, but not having the baby blues or curling my toes in anticipated pain when it's time to feed him.  I love smelling him and rocking him and kissing his head and neck.  I love watching him look around the room with his eyes wide open seeing things for the first time.  I love giving him my finger to hold and rubbing his legs and feet.  I love hearing him whimper.  I love seeing his left-cheek dimple.  Most of all, I like seeing Ray and Cali being parents and taking care of him.  They are a team; for instance, Cali feeds Levin half-way and then gives him to Ray to wake him up again.  

Tonight Cali and I ran down to Target to get a few things she needed while Ray took care of Levin.  As we walked in the store I said, "It's hard to believe that all these people are living life not knowing what a huge miracle just happened in your world.  It feels like the whole world should stop to celebrate, doesn't it?"  And that is what I've been doing this week:  celebrating a new life, a new member of the family.