Sad

Sunday one of the little boys in the Nursery had a three fingered red mark on his cheek. I thought at the time that it looked like a slap mark but trying not to add drama when there is none I dismissed it. Especially since one of the girls got her finger cut at the first knuckle and barely attached. Her mother sent her to the bathroom alone. We never do that! She is in surgery as I speak. Also, I have three children and their mother here now. The little boy with the slap mark that definately looks like a handprint today his brother, and sister are here talking to social services. Apparently he doesn't beat his wife but the kids are fair game. This little boy is barely over 2. I am appalled and shocked, and very sad.

Happy Thanksgiving

This will be the first Thanksgiving ever we haven't spent with Gram and Gramp. We are going to St. George for a few days since none of our children will be here. Gale and I love the place and wish we could retire there but as the saying goes "If wishes were horses...all beggars would ride" Thanksgiving has always been a big deal to me. It was the fun holiday when my mom would get out the good silverware, and china. I helped set the table and never realized how much my mom was doing in the kitchen. My gramma Kinard almost always came and she would sneak olives off the table before dinner was ready. Danny and I thought that was great fun until Mom blamed us. My mom was one of those women who was a very good cook but she didn't enjoy it at all. I remember always wanting the turkey leg, though now I can't fathom why. My mom had a special dish that we rarely used except for Cranberry Sauce right out of the can. After dinner the adults would lay around and some would nap and Danny and I would play outside. It is a warm fuzzy memory. Thanksgiving with Lois and Gale was much the same although there were always more people. Barbara and Guy were there one year with Barbaras brother, and Little Gramma was sometimes there and as our families grew it just got bigger and bigger. We all brought pies, and other delicious food but Lois cooked the turkey and did the most work. Lately she has made noises about not having it at her house and they will probably celebrate at Nancys house. I'm afraid that our family Thanksgiving may be coming to an end. I did have it at my house once when Gram and Gramp were on their mission. It was kind of fun to fuss over the table but Nancy and Rick were out of town so it was just us and Torrey since he didn't go with them. It was a nice dinner but it was a little too quiet and there weren't many children running in and out. I love our traditional dinners with Lois and Gale and wish they could go on forever.

Summer is over

Summer is over - or is it. We have closed the pool. The garden has been cleaned. And the temperature goes up to 80 degrees. I don't know what to wear every day. I have put the capris away. And, thankfully, the canning stuff but this spot of warm weather is sure enjoyable. I'm heading to Texas tomorrow and I understand it is warm there too. I am so excited to spend a little time with Abby. She is making Christmas stockings for her friend Ellie and wants my help I doubt that she needs it but we always have fun on these projects. Especially, after a late night when we find our mistakes and have to fix them. After this trip I am home for a bit then it's off to Colorado for Joshuas Baptism. Gale really wanted to go. I didn't because of just coming home but after asking Gale if he was sure about not having any meetings for stake conference I booked the tickets. Sunday Gale came home from his meeting and said "I'm so sorry - I should have listened to you but that weekend IS Stake Conference. So not only am I going alone but I am missing Stake Conference also. Now the good part; Jody told me to stay with Breea so I'll get a couple of days with Brian and Bree and we'll go to the baptism together. There is always lemonade somewhere in the bushel of lemons!!!

Aliens

 
This was such a fun project. I sat at my table making these guys and let everything else go

How Busy Are You?

It is amazing to realize that at 64 (that's right most of you missed it!) I can still be so busy. I used to think that women of this age sat in rockers on the porch sipping lemonade. I have to plan carefully to get everything done that everyone wants me to do and I want to do. Yet, amid all this hustle and bustle I took most of the day yesterday to make a large batch of cupcakes for Matthews birthday. Now, these weren't just any cupcakes. They were aliens and boy did they turn out cute. Tara gave me a great book on all kind of cupcake designs for my BIRTHDAY and this was one of their ideas. I made a complete mess of my kitchen but had alot of fun doing it. My hands are very sore but today I am back on the little squirrel wheel and will be making peach jam and putting a load of peaches in the dryer. But before I get to any of that I had to make a very long list. I'm not foolish enough to think I will get it all done today but that leaves something to do tomorrow. I hear people say "I don't have anything to do" and I wonder where they came from. Maybe they are just faster or more organized than me but I never have to hunt for things to do. What a blessing!

Adams Blanket

 
Having a little trouble with this but will try anyway. This is the blanket I made for Adam Joseph Roberts

Adams Blanket

Another New Grandson

20! That sounds like alot when you say it but my grandchildren aren't really numbered I never think of them in that way. Each is as different as peanuts and pecans. All nuts but individuals. This week I have spent with Mitchell, Jody, Joshua, Lucas, Jacob and a bit with baby Adam Joseph. All different, some challenging, sweet and adorable. Joshua has grown up to be the boy Mitch knew he could. He is truthful, responsible, sweet and quite nice actually. Lucas has stepped into Josh's role as tormentor, tease, and bit untruthful, but is still as tender and sweet as they come. Jacob is two - Dad always has loved 2 year olds and this child is the perfect example of why. No Terrible Twos here. Today we're doing laundry. Funny how no matter what time of life you are there is always laundry. I remember my mother-in-law washing tons of it for me and now it's my turn. I've always hated laundry but compared to dirty diapers laundry isn't so bad. Embrace the cloth, soap. Enjoy the freshness! I'm just one of the nuts.

My Mom

Mellonee walked across the living room at the cabin and I did a double take because she walks just like my mom. She always says I look just like Grandmama but I have never seen it so much as that day. I think my mom, Mary Aurelia Kinard, had a pretty hard life as I look back on it. She was born in 1925, shortly before the great depression. Her father was a geologist who did alot of work dealing with oil wells.Her parents divorced early in her life which always causes loyalty issues. She was a very sickly child. She had Diptheria which nearly took her life, Rheumatic fever which weakened a heart valve, Trench Mouth which cost her her teeth at a very early age. Her mother was a realtor and she told me once that it was either feast or famine at their house. I have a set of keys that I got from my Grandma Mary Alice Wox Kinard that fit in the various houses that she worked on. Mary grew up in a time of great financial difficulty and her frugal nature lasted most of her life. When I cleaned out her house after her death I found a little box marked "junque" and it was but even that she couldn't bear to throw away in case she might need it in the future. I remember her doing bills and always tucking a couple of bills into envelopes for emergencies. She made and made over many prom dresses for me. Some she bought at thrift stores and totally created something new and beautiful from very little. Once she took an orange brocade that she had purchased to make my dad Pajamas and made me a beautiful dress for a church function. I do think her life was hard and some of that hardness rubbed off on her. She was married to an unfaithful alcholic but always taught me to respect my father because he was my father. Sometimes she was hard on me but I am so grateful she taught me so many things that I use all the time. When I look at my oldest daughter I sometimes think this is who my mother would be if she had had the Gospel of Jesus Christ in her life. And when I see my mother next she will.

We are having another little girl.

Breea called Tuesday to tell us she and Brian are having a sweet little girl. I whooped it up out of excitement. When I got off the phone the boys (Mason Matthew, Jace, Braden, and Tyler) wanted to know why I was so excited it was a little girl. Hm, I thought about it and realized I would have been just as excited if it had been a boy. But I do think that it will be fun for Breea and Abby to both have girls at the same time. Maybe they will have as much fun together as these five boys have had this week. Today Matthew survived a run in with the barbed wire and was very impressed that gramma could make a butterfly bandage, thus saving him from getting stitches. I put ice on it and he was pretty tough. He made more fuss about the sniffles than a 1/2 inch pretty deep gash in his knee that left blood dripping to his ankle. Braden passed his swim test today, Jace passed Monday cause he was leaving Tues. Tyler shocked the level 2 teacher when he did the crawl, including breathing. Mason treaded water for 5 minutes, and did a pretty good job on the butterfly. I was busy trying to get photos of all of them and didn't actually see Matthew but I think he will also pass. I will have to make cookies for all their wonderful teachers.

Where does the time go?

This title could cover so many things. Like we were at our cabin for our annual reunion and as I looked at the pictures Lois had framed on the wall of the creation of the cabin I remembered taking those photos. I remembered riding up to watch the cabin being moved along the highway and over bridges and under wires. I remember "Little Gramma" telling us the story of her fathers great big draft horses over and over all the way up to Smiley Creek - she was a little forgetful and just kept telling the same story over and over. How excited we were to actually have a family cabin where we could vacation. I remember our first trip up their with our families. The kids were all little. We didn't have running water for the babies (diapers etc.) and there was saw dust all over everything. Heck, the saw was in the living room. Nancy dosed all the kids with benedryl so that they would go to sleep. Gale and I slept on the kitchen floor and a squirrel ran across our sleeping bag in the middle of the night. We didn't have a b oat but the kids had a wonderful time running up and down the trails that have since been eliminated. A couple of years ago I took a picture of Breea next to the tree where Caleb had carved her name. Every time I go to Carey I drive past our old house and look at "my tree" that Caleb dug up at the cabin and kept alive in a garbage bag until my birthday in September.
After we got home I kept Jace, Braden and Tyler joined by Mason and Matthew for swimming lessons. I love watching them progress during this two weeks. Tyler was so apprehensive Sunday night before swimming Monday that he called his Mom and asked her to come and get him. A short three days later he was bobbing, swimming underwater, gliding and jumping off the diving board. He made amazing progress. Matthew is learning the basics and he's so tall and skinney that his arms and legs seem to be going everywhere but he still gets through the water. Mason is a fish and loves the water no matter what he is doing. Jace and Braden have to be able to tread water for five minutes and they can't practice in my pool so it will be interesting. I remember the first grandchild I had for swimming lessons - Yes it was Bryson. He was so scared of the water that every lifeguard knew it. They had to cajole him and talk and talk to get him away from the side of the pool. Then all of a sudden it clicked for him and he became a swimmer! I love the moment when it clicks! Every time. I guess thats why I do this. I am already exhausted and can barely keep up with the meals but I , like Braden, look forward to this time every year. It is the highlight of my summer. And since I have been writing five exhausted little boys have succumbed to slumber. They are so cute when they are asleep!

Summer wonderful Summer

I enjoy the fall with all the colors and the crisp days and I love the spring with the tiny shoots peaking through the dark earth and blossoming like a photograph going from black and white to full vibrant color. But all through the dreary winter I think of summer and a tiny spark of the warmth that is August fills my visions like watching clouds on a warm summer day. I try not to get so excited as spring comes and goes for endless months. Then it is finally here and we open the pool and the rain stops. And then though it is wonderful there always seems to be something missing. I remember thinking the warmth is nice but I must have built this up way to much. Then the swarms of grandchildren arrive and giggle and splash in the pool. They catch grashoppers to feed the big fish and help me make cookies which they devour with relish. I get granddaughters who sometimes share their secrets or want to know what their mother was like as a child Sometimes I get to read them long books and tuck them into bed. Some of them even let me kiss them good night. This is why I love summer! I hope they never stop comming

Family

This weekend we had the pleasure of attending our granddaughters wedding. I usually dread those affairs but this was delightful. The best part was sitting on the sidelines watching my daughters dancing. They were so laughing and having fun. Minon was recovering from surgery and they coaxed her onto the floor, placing a chair in the middle of their circle so she could sit and still be a part of their fun. It almost made me cry. Such simple little acts of love that my children do without even thinking about them. They continue to amaze me. They are so different and yet share many good traits. What a blessing I have been given - seven times.

Sisters

About five or so years ago Mellonee, Tara, and I went to New York City to visit Abbigale while she was working on her Masters Degree at Colombia University. We went to all the touristy things first then some other great places Abby knew about. It was early spring and it was cold. We had so much fun sleeping on Abbys bedroom floor and giggling all night' driving to Palmyra in New York traffic and then home again at night when none of us knew our way. That was not nearly as scary as having Abby point us to the subway with minimual directions. She was engaged to Rob at the time and was thinking a great deal about him. Nevertheless, she made sure that we got to see everything that we wanted to including Grand Central Station. We had so much fun that we decided to try to make Sisters an annual event - and we have. It was great this year as usual and it doesn't seem to matter where we go as long as we're together. I am so glad that I had daughters!!!

Re-connecting

Sometimes I feel like I am alone in the world. It is usually when I haven't seen my children for a while and Gale has been very busy, and I am tired or overwhelmed with something. But, when I have the opportunity to have my children and or grandchildren around me and hear their goals, the progress they have made, their giggles, hear them talk about the Lord I get connected again, and all is right with the world. I am so grateful for family whether near or far and I am grateful for the time in which we live where we are only a call, or text, or email away. As I continue my journey in Family history it re confirms that we are all a part of each other and to some extent dependent on one another. I remember hearing a quote about not being able to get to heaven by putting others down but by helping each other up.

Isn't it funny- the things that go through your head in the hours that you can't sleep in the middle of the night. Tonight I went to bed at 10:00 and I am still up at 3:00. I've thought about all my kids, the cleaning chores I need to do tomorrow, the places I have to be and how I am ever going to fit it all in. I've thought about the terrible economic mess we are in and what it is doing to dear friends and loved ones. I've even thought of recipes I want to try and about crafts I need to work on for the cabin. My mind should be mush but it just keeps running and thinking of new things to contemplate. I've thought about our wonderful body run by a brain that makes most computers look like toys. And a heart that just keeps plugging along. Wow aren't we amazing creatures. Maybe I am just tired but the human body is marvelous. So organized and functional it is nearly unbelieveable. Imagine what our bodies would do if we didn't abuse them but could stretch out and actually reach our full physical/mental capabilities. Right now I would just like to turn everything off for about 8 hours. Oh well, who doesn't need a little alone time in the middle of the night.

I love surprises!

Today I came home to a box at the front door. Thinking it was something that I had ordered online I carried it inside. The box said Sherrys Berries ! That couldn't be; it must be a recycled box. But no! It was Sherrys Berries and it was addressed to me. And may I tell you inside were the biggest strawberries ever covered with about a 1/2 inch of chocolate, nuts on some, coconut, choc chips and some with plain (ha) old chocolate. MMMMM they are good too! I ate three as I was trying to control myself all afternoon so I could share with Gale. Also included was a box of chocolate (white and dark, and milk) cherries with the stems on them. Yum! And may I say that this was so fun, because it wasn't something that I had been yearning for, but it was a surprise. I guess there is still some kid left in this old woman. I have everything in the world that I want and need but I still love sweet surprises. So, Thanks Mitch and Jody for todays excitement. And thanks to all the rest of you for the love and excitement I always get from you too. I love my family even better than surprises. Presents are fun but it is the sweetness behind them that make them meaningful. Like a visit from two daughters when they knew better than I did that I was sad about my brothers death. Like re-arranging their lives to take care of a helpless mother after knee replacement. Like all the sweet meaningful notes and cards and phone calls. Wow am I blessed.

Easter Egg Hunt

It was such a nice celebration. Gram and Gramp were a little stressed but Gale went over and helped them get the chairs and tables out of the Attic. Then he went back on Saturday morning to hide half of the eggs. We had a great lunch and then off they went to the field. Mellonee found the silver egg in a tree under some old gloves and Minon found the Gold egg two bushes down from where Daren was methodically searching.The kids screamed and giggled indoors and out and had a wonderful time. Mellonee and Daren and the kids left on Saturday. Minon and Mason and Matthew stayed as did Tara and Braden, Tyler, and Blake. We all went to church together and then had tacos before the Collards left. Tara and the boys stayed until Tuesday. It was great to have them for a couple of extra days. I am always amazed at how well they get along and how much they love each other. Tara and her Dad went running so she could keep up her training for the Marathon. I think they ran about 3-4 miles. Gale hadn't run in quite a while and claimed he was out of shape. If I could run 4 miles I'd be in the best shape of my life. I'm proud of all my athelete children.

Cake Slide

Jodys birthday just happened to fall while she was here so Mitchell ordered gifts to be sent here. Well, you know these boys like the morning so I heard my bedroom9m door open and talking in my ear. "Hey, Gramma Kathee, did you know it's moms birthday today?" at that point I didn't really care cause I had had about 4 hours sleep. Anyway while I was slogging out of bed and getting dressed they decided to make Jody Breakfast in Bed. They used my cutting board for a tray and made her Raisin Bran, actually there were about ten flakes floating in 2 cups of milk. Jody, like all moms, was a good sport and ate her breakfast. The boys then hopped around for about a 1/2 hour until Jody got up and opened her presents. Anyway it was as exciting for them as their own birthday. I thought it was very sweet.
After the boys left Jody and I were reminiscing about birthdays past. I told her about the cakes I always had as a kid from the little Italian bakery in Eagle Rock and she told me about her yummy ice cream cakes she had as a kid. Since she doesn't like cake they had ice cream "cakes" made with pralines and cream and covered with fudge. I tried to figure how I could get to Twin to Baskin Robbins but since it wasn't possible I decided that I could do as usual and make it myself. So I bought Ice cream and hot fudge sauce. Couldn't find pralines and cream so I bought as close as I could get. Put two large containers of ice cream in my spring form pan and put it back in the freezer for a couple of hours. I got the fudge sauce into a bowl and heated it to room temp and a nice spreading consistency. Then came the fun. I put a large gob of the chocolate frosting on the top of the cake and spread it around. For just a minute it looked beautiful then it started to slide, and slide, and slide. In about a minute and a half I had a white Ice cream cake and a nice large border of hot fudge sauce. I hurried it to the freezer and as I passed Jody she said "I have never figured out how they keep that fudge sauce on the cake, either!" Happy Birthday Jody,

Waiting

Waiting for Mitchell and Jody and kids to arrive. Isn't it funny how much of our life we spend waiting. Waiting in line everywhere, waiting for mail, waiting for kids to get ready, waiting for husbands to get home, waiting to overcome personal flaws. Working goes along with that last one. I have always adsmired my sweet husband for overcoming his temper. People that know him now just can't fathom him in an angry, scary mode. Ha but we can (his family) and that is why I applaude him all the more. I went through this with him as he tried and tried only to explode again then cry and try again. It took him more than ten years, and many prayers, but look at who he is today. Sort of reminds me that the natural man is an enemy to God but this man is not.

Books

Dad is cleaning out the garage in preparation for Mitchells arrival. Mitch wants to get his dad organized. So, I went down to a group of shelves full of old books and started cleaning out the onew we would probably never read again. I found some beautiful Old books for displaying, Gales portuguese scriptures, donald duck comics in portuguese, and several old journals. I found lots and lots of learning books. You know, the ones that help you to be a better housekeeper, person, manager, cook, seamstress, etc. etc. A bookshelf is like a road map of your life. There I found lots of remembrances of different times. A stack of four old yearbooks remineded me of the time I spent in Jr. high and high school. Some fun times, but a stressfull time to say the least. I remember the elastic going out of my fluffy peticoat and falling to the ground at lunch. My face was red as I stepped out of it and did my best to crush it into a small wad that I could carry to my locker. Several of Gales journals that I, of course, saved because they will document his travel through life as well as his emergence into the wonderful man he is today. I put the childcraft encyclopedias in the discard box - that time is over and I hope that I taught my kids the right "stuff." I saved a book about Abraham Lincoln because he has always been a hero to me because he came from nothing but was taught by his mother all the great character traits and he lived up to them. Also, I am reminded of how many times he failed at things but tried again and again until he succeeded.
I was surprised at the ratio of church books to others. So many with great stories written by LDS authors without any unsavory things in them. Lots of Family Home Evening Manuals because we needed all the help we could get.
When I was done I had a stack of books to come upstairs for reading, dirty hands and four boxes of books that I hope someone else will enjoy as much as I did. I love these reflections into the past as well as reading of the wonderful things that are coming to my children and grandchildren. Life is good.

Mad - Crazy Weekend

What a great weekend! We went down to Minons on Friday night and spent a little time with all of them. Makenzie and Sara were there so we got to see them too! Saturday Gale and Minon were able to find Minon a "new" car but we had to wait until Monday to finalize it. Then going to Daren and Mellonees to see our wonderful "Son" become the Bishop of the Willard Third Ward was cool too. It was also really fun to see Jackson suffer. He's the Bishops son. I think it is great. And having been there I know that they will have some great times and lots of wonderful experiences. After we spent part of the day with Mellonee and Daren we went to celebrate Minons Birthday at Tiffany Espinosas parents home. Monday we stopped to see Tara and Brad and Gale decided to spend the night. I was too tired to care but I did enjoy seeing the boys and I always love time with Tara. She is great! Now, hopefully we will be home for a while. Soon our three other little boys will be here - Mitch is coming this weekend.

We are traveling again! We cameto Sandyto help Minon buy a "new" car. They scoured the internet last night, made lists, got phone nujmbers and were off this morning at 8:30. Gale likes to car shop so they will have a good time. I am with Mason, Matthew, and Sara. Sara was a bonus as I didn't know that she would be here. The boys want to make cookies so we will be doing that later. They are such sweet boys and sometimes they make me remember my little guys, Mitch and Caleb. They were all boy and full of it. I always remember how little they wer and how they hauled wood for the wood burning stove in their little red wagon. They weren't veryh big and yet they hauled most of the wood we burned to keep the house warm. My children were andare amazing.

Gale and I are speaking in Dietrich Branch on Thrusday night. The subject we have been given is "Womens Hands." I kinda krinkled my nose when Gale heard the topic but the more I got into it the more I appreciated all the things a womans hands do over the course of her life. Also, I considered the women of the Bible and Book of Mormon.

A WOMANS HANDS

A womans hands gave the fruit to Adam thus insuring posterity.

A womans hands prepared and brought food to Noah as he labored to build the Ark.

A womans hands swabbed a basket with pitch and layed her baby boy inside

then put the basket in the Nile River and trusted the Lord.

A womans hands held a newborn baby Jesus and caressed the precious child.

A womans hands helped pull tar and feathers off her beloved husbands

scorched skin so that he could stand the next day and preach about

The Book of Mormon.

A womans hands scraped away frozen earth to make a shallow grave in which to

bury her child as she traveled the pioneer trail.

A womans hands held rakes and hoes, and shovels, pushed wheel barrows

and pulled horses as she helped to build a new home in the mountains.

A womans hands planted and spun and sewed that men might work

on the Temple of the Lord.

A womans hands packed up her few possesions and leaving her home in the Salt Lake

valley to start again in some harsh part of the Lords kingdom.

A womans hands have the power to bless her family

as well as all who know her.

How will I use my hands today?

by Kathleen Roberts