The Stockings Were Hung...

Christmas Eve was a really fun day. Rod had the day off, so I got to spend some time with him. We took the kids shopping to WalMart and Sam's, which surprisingly were not very crowded or busy. In the early afternoon, Rod and I went to Thunderbird for a hike. It was PERFECT weather - in the 60's. We did our favorite 1 hour trail. Coming down of the face of the mountain, we ran into several other hikers. With one group, I had to step up some rocks to get off the trail to let them pass. I put my right foot on a loose rock and down I went, landing right on my left cheek and sort of whip lashing the left side of my body. I was rather humiliated as all these cute teen aged girls were saying "are you okay??" Fine - just leave me alone and let me nurse my hurt pride. It was such a perfect afternoon for a hike and we enjoyed the beautiful outdoors, blue sky, and breeze. When we got home it was time to make Christmas Eve dinner. I fixed Asiago/Pear Pork Loin, sour cream herb mashed potatoes, sauteed asparagus, baby greens with craisins, cashews, red onion, bacon and poppy seed dressing. Rondaleen brought a wonderful blueberry cream cheese jello, Kathy and Larry Percy brought cherry and apple sparkling cider and we had a delicious Black Forrest cake for dessert. It was so much fun to eat such a wonderful meal and share it with our friends. We then read the Christmas story out of Luke 2, and each told of a favorite Christmas memory. After our company left, the kids insisted on opening one present before going to bed. "It's tradition!" Of course, they picked the present from Katie. (She always gives such great gifts!) Nick's was in a big box, and Becca's was in a little tiny square box. She just couldn't figure out what could be in there. They both ended up getting Hurley shirts from Katie and were delighted. Also, they both got Christmas pajamas (early). The stockings were then hung....... And mysteriously during the night the stockings were filled......... We actually had to wake the kids in the morning, and they had been insisting that we not sleep in because it was Christmas! As you can see, Nick got a big buzz from all the suckers in his stocking. He got Wii games and a couple of movies. Becca really loved this present, but won't let me tell what it is because she wants to blog about it. But she got some Hannah Montana piano/guitar books, videos, a huge variety of candy kisses and some clothes. Allen liked what he found in his stocking! (Uncle Ben is always a welcome relative!) Rod was full of surprises as I opened up a really neat digital video camera (the DVD kind with the little discs!), and a GPS for the car. He thinks you must have toys for Christmas! He was also very pleased with his new GPS - that is one toy he really uses and enjoys. We have enjoyed just relaxing today. We took a little walk around our area and with the help of Rod's new GPS we found a Geo-cache. It is fun to look for those. We are so blessed with such an abundant life, and truly my cup runneth over, even if my stove did burn out while I was making Christmas Brunch! Happy Birthday to our Savior, and Merry Christmas to you.

Christmas Brunch . . . a tradition that is not to be broken!

You will never BELIEVE what happened today. I was making my traditional Christmas brunch . . . breakfast burritos with eggs, sausage, cheese, hash browns, and then biscuits and gravy. m-m-m-m-m-m-m! Well, right in the middle of cooking, my stove died! I could smell something like melting plastic and thought maybe a bit of Saran wrap had fallen on a burner or something. Even Allen said "something smells electrical!" The biscuits were only half baked, I had just stirred the hash browns to brown the other side, the eggs were ready to scramble, and the sausage was browning nicely. I sort of panicked when I opened the oven and it was not hot in there, and the biscuits were sort of risen, but not browned or done - still pasty looking. And then I noticed that the sausage was no longer sizzling in the pan. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! Immediately help was there: my sleuthing team checked the breakers, we reset all the GFCI plugs and still nothing on the stove responded. No lights, no time, no nothing! Needless to say I was pretty upset - I mean this stove is only a year and a half old -we bought it with some tax return money our first spring here. I thought maybe I should just run down to the church and finish, but Rod has a better suggestion. So I called up my good friend, Trudy, and finished cooking everything at her house and then brought it all back home where it was quickly consumed by my hungry fledglings. Everything was good and everone was happy - "WHEW." So tonight - - - I think we'll just have sandwiches. Thank goodness this did not happen last night when I was making our big Christmas Eve dinner - which, by the way, was really good and we had such a great time. More about that later. Merry Christmas!

That Thursday Thing

The city of Glendale sponsors "That Thursday Thing" on the 3rd Thursday of the month from October through May. The downtown area of Glendale consists of several antique stores, gift shops, and cafes. The stores stay open later that night, and offer samples, drawings, prizes and there are live performers (musicians and belly dancers) that do their thing. For those that are willing to wait in line, a free horse and carriage ride can be had through the "historic district." It is very cool. Last night we took the kids to the event. When we arrived, we went to the Civic Center, where the bags with all the coupons, a map of the area, and list of merchants was given out. We each got to spin the wheel for our prizes. I got a little snowman, Becca got a Merry Christmas bracelet with little jingle bells on it, and Nick got a Christmas Stocking. I can't remember what Rod got - duh! "Glendale Glitters" is going on and we enjoyed the beautiful lights in the town square. This one of the palm trees. It is way cool the way they string the lights on the palms. Unique, indeed! We walked around, listened to the performers, saw the belly dancers (Nick and Becca were quited stunned) and selected the little cafe called Bitsy Mama's. Their specialty was Mexican food, but Nick was able to get a great burger, too. Becca, Rod and I were happy with the chips and salsa, chimichanga and chili verde.

Becca's favorite tree was the one behind them with the butterflies. Nick gave her a piggyback ride to the photo spot. We did have a great time together, and I think we'll do "That Thursday Thing" again! It will be one of our Christmas Traditions to go when the square is all lit up with Christmas.

August Rush in December

Just let me say that this movie was surprisingly good. When it was over, I said "I loved that fairy tale story." Becca did not agree that it was a "fairy tale." She said it was "amazing." It really is an impossible story, but one that you can delve into and live the fantasy for a while. There is really diverse music and a great story: one that teaches us to stand for what we believe, and develop what lies within us. If you want a good get-away-from-real-life story, this is your movie.

Oh What Fun It Is . . .

December First – what a day! It is the official beginning of the month of Christmas. To me the beginning of the season is the day after Thanksgiving. That is usually the day I pull out all the Christmas decorations and go to town. However, I was not home during that time, so Saturday was the day at our house.

Ugh! What messy looking boxes.

We had to pull all this stuff out of the shed while dodging our wild dog.

Nick and Becca were such great help and I think they even had fun.

They did the shelf in the family room with the Christmas garlands and lights.

They helped me do the shelf above the doorway to the family room.

They helped put the tree together, they strung all the lights, and they helped hang the ornaments. Of course, while decorating inside we had our favorite Christmas CD’s playing (Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers, and the Oakridge Boys). That’s just a tradition we cannot break! We decided we had to hang lights outside this year, so we even made a trip to Walmart for an extension cord. We ended up getting the icicle style lights for the outside. I went to the store WITH OUT my makeup – can you believe that? AND the kids would not let me wear my cute snowflake headband with the bells, either! I ALWAYS get myself completely ready every day before I do anything. Oh, well . . . it was necessary and I don’t think anyone that saw me will remember! (Thankfully we did not see anyone we know!)

Nick and Becca were so great outside.

They were climbing ladders, hammering nails,

undoing the ties on the strands, and hanging lights.

The sky was way cloudy and dark.

The wind came up.

Nick was at the highest point on the ladder when the rain started.

I told the kids I thought we could finish if we really hustled.

Then the thunder rumbled.

I told Nick I was not willing to sacrifice him to the lightening Gods and to come down off the ladder! We went back inside and worked on the tree while it rained. During a break in the storm we ran out to finish and discovered that the lights did not finish with the right end to plug into the extension cord, so I climbed the ladder and took the lights down. We switched it around and when I finished it was the same! Wrong end again! I could not figure out what was going on. So I started back to remove the lights and got to where the two lines were plugged together. THAT’S where the problem was, so we only had to switch one line around. Boy, did I ever feel stupid! By the time we actually finished up, it had started to blow and rain again. We did get a little wet, but the lights look good. I still need to get a couple more strands to do one more length of the house.

This is a shot of another of my favorite traditions.

The kids hang ornaments on their ears while decorating.

I love this time of year. I love the Christmas decorations and lights, the traditions, the tree, the manger scenes, the music, the food, the secrets, the excitement – ALL OF IT! Most of all I love the great gift that God gave to us with the birth, life, atonement, death and resurrection of his glorious son, Jesus Christ. I know he is my Savior. I am so thankful for this marvelous gift in my life. It is, indeed, the greatest gift of all!

Who said parting is such sweet sorrow? They never had to leave a new grand child behind!

It was so hard to leave Katie & Ryan, Julie, Savannah, Cooper, and sweet Baby Luka. But I do get to go back on the 29th of December! I had such a wonderful time helping with our new baby. He is so precious. There is nothing like a new baby. I so enjoyed watching Savannah and Cooper as they became acquainted with their new brother. They were so sweet and tender. And protective. They listened to Katie as she explained about his soft spot, as she told them about his bottle and how to feed him, and how to support his back when they held him. They were grossed out by the yucky, dried out umbilical cord, but they were a very captive and attentive audience. They each stroked his cheeks and hair, handled his little hands and feet, and were enchanted by his sweet demeanor.

It was great to see how Ryan never left Katie’s

side as she spent extra days in the hospital.

They are an amazing couple.

I was so glad that I could stay with the other kids while they were in the hospital. We got to read a few stories and play LOTS of Bingo. Just let me tell you, Cooper LOVES to play Bingo. I loved making our special treats with Cooper, and coloring with Savannah. We had such a great time making our gingerbread house, too.

Julie has always loved the babies

and she is very much in love with this little guy.

It was fun to see her hold him, and cuddle and love him.

Ava was visiting her dad in CA, so we really missed her!

Even though I was so sad to go, I was homesick for my family at home. I really missed Rod, Becca and Nick while I was gone. It was quite an extended visit. Thankfully it was during a holiday, so I did not have to use vacation days for the whole visit. The day I had to leave, the tears started. Katie told me she was sad to see me go. And as they say in Steel Magnolias “I have a strict rule that no one cries alone in my presence.” So of course I shed a tear or two also. Now it is back to the normal old grindstone. But life is good and I must say that I am so happy!

House Building - leave it to Carpenters!

I thought it would be fun to build a gingerbread house with Cooper and Savannah. They were so cute as they carefully placed the candies where they wanted them. I told them it was their house and they could make it however they wanted to.I have been big on that since my dear friend, Becky Cox, gave me one that she had specially made for me. I just loved it and I think of her every time I do this project. I have made many kinds, from tiny graham cracker houses to sugar cookie dough, to gingerbread. I baked several models for Nick's 6th grade class, and then did several for Becca's 5th grade class. As of late, I have found it quite nice to just buy a kit and forget about making the dough, pattern, cutting, etc. It is pretty nice to just slip it out of the box, have the frosting already made and just piece it together and decorate! The kids had quite a good time, and our house is done. Right after I snapped this final picture, the roof slid off! Ha! That is why I say leave the building of houses to carpenters. I did get the frosting and re-stuck the roof. 3 hours later, it is still intact, so I think the house will be around for a little while. It kind of reminds me of the story of Hansel and Gretel, on of my favorites. But if you think about it is quite a gruesome story, huh? I mean a witch that eats kids and then they push her in the oven to do away with her? Glad our Christmas Gingerbread houses have just a little different feel to them...

Thanks is Given!

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love the family togetherness and the tradition of all the wonderful food. I can remember many wonderful Thanksgiving dinners in my mom's kitchen, in my Aunt Rouvoe's basement with our cousins, and in my own home when I became the mom. My favorite Thanksgiving was in California when Katie came home from college. Just Katie, Julie, Becca and I were home. I fixed the whole big dinner with turkey, cranberry cloud salad, dressing, pies, orange rolls, the whole sha-bang. We had turned the dining room table into a calico bunny factory, making gifts for Katie's college room mates, so we moved the little red picnic table in to eat on. We lined up all the food on the counter and had ourselves a wonderful feast and a day of watching videos and having lots of fun together. Today I made Thanksgiving dinner for Katie, Ryan, Savannah, Cooper and Julie. Katie doesn't like turkey, and Ryan doesn't like ham - so we made a marvelous roast with all the trimmings. We had a great time together and enjoyed our new little baby, Luka.

He looks like a little chocolate chip! Last night, Cooper helped me make some wonderful golden graham s'more treats. Julie and Luka snoozing after dinner.

Ten things I am thankful for: 1. A wonderful and supportive husband that brings me more joy than I could ever dream of. 2. The gospel of Jesus Christ that gives my life so much purpose. 3. Three beautiful and sweet daughters that are filled with goodness. 4. Four of the most beautiful grand children on the entire earth. 5. Health. 6. Running water. 7. Electricity. 8. Food a-plenty. 9. The Internet (great way to stay in touch with family!). 10. Hiking.

Today is somebody's birthday and I missed the Party!

Last night Katie called me and we talked for about 40 minutes. She said how ready she was to have her baby and that she just needed a couple more days to have everything ready at the house. It was so much fun to talk to her! While in a deep sleep my phone rang (3:30AM) It was Katie! She was rather excited, sort of crying. She said her water broke that she wasn't ready for this - she still had not done her laundry! I just laughed at her and told her to have her baby! I would get there as quick as I could and I would do her laundry! I laid back down and then it dawned on me what was happening. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I got online and got a ticket to Salt Lake. I was able to change the itinerary I had since July to fly to SLC the Friday after Thanksgiving to be there for Luka's birth. Rod took me to the airport for my 10:55 am departure, but I go there in time to make the 8:25 flight. I was sooooooo glad! But I was still too late. Julie kept calling me and giving me updates on the labor as we made our way through the Phoenix traffic. When she called and said Katie was dilated to 8 cm it was only like 7:15 AM. I knew there was no way I would be there and I got very sad. I have been present at the birth of all my grandbabies. Julie called again at like 7:30 and said "The party has started!" I knew for sure I would miss it, but I was on my way. My brother, Dave, picked me up and took me to LDS Hospital straight away. We found our way to the room and there was tiny (5 lb,14 oz) baby Luka in his little isolette. Katie was sitting up in bed as proud and pretty as a picture. She had a fast and fairly easy delivery. Ryan was so happy and excited about his new son. What a great event!

Cooper was so careful and sweet.

He was fascinated with Luka's little hands and face. Katie was so sweet as she helped Luka's brother and sister get to know him. Savannah was thrilled with her new brother and took charge right away.

They were delighted with his tiny toes.

Look at how baggy his knees are! Here is the whole family. Sweet baby Luka. Happy Birthday!

Band Season is Over...

For the last 3 months, our Friday nights have been scheduled around Cortez High School football games. But we don't go to watch football - we go to watch the band and particularly the drum line. It has been so much fun to watch Nick play with the band. It has required much sacrifice and hard work on his part - 6:30 am every school morning he has been there to practice. Monday and Thursday nights - extra practices. One morning as he was driving to school, he told me that when he was with the band it was like being with his second family. They have really gotten close this year, and he has made some good friends. Last Saturday was the last performance for the State competition. Nick said there would be lots of tears on the bus. I asked him if he was going to shed any tears and he actually said "probably," with his cute smile. I have included a clip or two and some photos. It has been fun for use to support him in this activity and now I ask you: What are we going to do on Friday nights?!?

This photo is of Nick with a special award the percussion line received at one of the competitions for "Best of Show." He got to bring it home for one night.

Becca's Birthday

Due to all the drama and business of last weekend, I did not post the things I wanted to about Becca and her birthday. So before a whole week past her birthday passes, I want to tell her how much I love her and what an incredible young lady she is. She was so excited to open her gifts, that she convinced me she should do it Friday before Nick went to his game so he could be there to see instead of waiting until Sunday. She said she would have such a boring weekend if she couldn't open her gifts NOW!

Hmmmmm. What could this be?

Becca tends to be very animated when she wants to for pictures.

She was trying to look very quizzical and puzzled about what this present would be.

Deep in her heart she really knew what it was!

It was her guitar Hero III game! She wanted it so badly!

We went to the Texas Roadhouse for her birthday dinner on Saturday night. Here she is pictured with Nick and Allen. Nick and Becca have acquired a taste for prime rib, so that is what they ordered. It was sensational! Becca sat on the birthday saddle and everyone in the restaurant gave her a big "Yeeeee Haaaaa!"

Here's my birthday girl with her cake. She asked for an ice cream cake, so we went to ColdStone and she picked a chocolate mint ice cream cake. It was fabulous! I think maybe the cake was the saving factor in the whole disastrous birthday dinner. You can read about that on my prior post "Ox in the Meyer." Let me just say that I hope I never have another dinner party like that!

Life is always interesting with Becca around. She has such a great sense of humor - always has - even when she was too young to have one. She is a tremendous example and leader in her Young Women's group. Her leaders adore her and the bishopric have all commented on what a sweet and genuine young lady she is. They all love her.

I love having her around, too! It is so fun to go for our evening walks. That is when she will open up and really talk to me. I treasure that time ... even though some nights I am just too worn out to go. I love hearing her play the guitar. Her talent amazes me. She is very supportive of my church calling and is quick to respond to little favors and tasks I ask her to perform. She is always sharing dramatic and hilarious stories about school at the dinner table. It makes our family life quite exciting to hear the latest escapades of the "Nerd Herd" and Becca and her friends. I am so thankful to have Becca in our family. She know I love her more than my luggage!

Here is Becca with McKaela and Mirium. They were the Jonas Brothers for Halloween.

Aren't they so cute!?

Tag - I'll play along

I have been "tagged" by Katie. I am supposed to list 3 things about me and then say what my favorite things are when it comes to the 5 senses.

Here are three facts about me:

I love to read books. I always have more than one book going, and if I don't, I feel rather panicky. I would rather read than watch TV (wonder where my kids get their love of reading?) In fact, when I read I zone out. My girls used to say, "Mom....Mom....KARLA!" in order to get my attention when I was focused on a book.

I love to hike and camp and bee outdoors. It has been so much fun hiking with Rod the last few years. And the hike I took a couple of weeks ago through the fall leaves with Katie, Julie and grandkids is absolutely one of my most favorite memories. Also the Christmas day hike that Rod and I did last year in the white tanks. I also fell in love with the Grand Canyon last summer - wonderful hikes there.

One of my favorite things is having company. I enjoy cooking, especially on weekends when I really have the time. And it is so much fun to have company and it is a good way to get to know people and make friends.

Sight: I love to see the sky - sunrise, sunset, clouds, rain, all of it. I really love seeing the beautiful array of colors that God uses in the sky. When I see a magnificent sunset, I know he loves me.

Hearing: The laughter of my husband, children and grandchildren - nothing better except when any of them say "I love you." The sound of thunder - one of my favorites! I love to hear good music like Chicago, Simon & Garfunkel, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven. I love the sound of the front door opening each night when I know that Rod will walk through it. I love the sound of Savannah's voice when she calls me on the phone.

Smell: Grandma Clark's house, of course! and babies necks. The smell of the desert plants after a good rain, the smell of Christmas, Hot chocolate, ginger snaps baking and homemade bread baking. I love good smelling lotion. I know this is rather twisted, but I love the smell of rubber cement, paint, and magic markers, too! There are so many wonderful smells, how could we ever do without our sense of smell! They say that smells can even trigger memories...

Touch: I savor the feel of Rod's hand in mine, or his hand on my knee when we are sitting close. I so enjoy the feel of those squirmy little bodies that house my beautiful grandchildren - there is nothing like hugging them. I love the feel of holding a new baby and just enjoying their warmth. I relish the feel of the piano keyboard under my hands as I play. I love the feel of new fabric when I am sewing (the smell too).

Taste: Hmmmm - I like the taste of just about everything, but if I had to narrow it down, my favorite would be really good salsa and chips (I mean I founder on that stuff when we eat out for Mexican food), then mint chocolate, then Ice Cream, then homemade soups, then pizza, then . . . well, I guess I better stop there because I could list HUNDREDS of tastes I love. ;o]

Now comes the fun part! I am tagging Diane (Asplund), Kim (yes, McNamara!), and Amy (fly on the wall). So go for it girls! Let's hear all about you.

Ox in the Meyer?

November 4, 2007 Today was Becca’s 14th birthday. The day started out like any typical Sunday morning: get the kids up; get ready, go to church. We came home and enjoyed a nice Sunday afternoon nap. About 3:00 I started dinner – Becca requested a special chicken dish that she likes – we call it sweet and sour chicken. I got the chicken browned, the veggies chopped and sautéed, and the dish in the oven to bake. I then cleaned strawberries and cut up the traditional Sunday pineapple. I set the table (we had 10 people) and got ready to make the rice. I decided to use minute rice in the interest of time. When I added the rice and stirred, to my dismay these little corpses started floating to the top. This was a BRAND NEW box of minute rice – one of the big ones purchased at Sam’s or Costco. Well, I had some regular rice (a 5 pound bag), so I got some water going and measured the rice out. When the water boiled poured in the rice and stirred. Yep, you guess it, more weevils. I had to send Rod to the store for minute rice – after all how can you have sweet and sour chicken without the rice? I was almost afraid to pour the rice when he got back, but no little corpses came floating up. I got ready to throw the salad together, and opened the new package – expiration date 4-10-07. The salad had so much wilted and spoiled leaves that I had to pick through it to get enough to serve. (I did this while Rod was out buy rice on Sunday). That made me so mad! Finally we sat down to dinner. The meal went well and everyone got enough to eat. Time to clean up – Allen and Ashley did the dishes. All at once Allen said the sink was clogged. I mean, this was par for the course today. So I went and got the plunger and plunged away. He turned on the disposal and things seemed to be moving. A couple of minutes later, Rod said, “Hey, what’s all this water on the floor. Water was oozing under the laundry room door into the dining room. We opened the door and the whole laundry room and pantry floor was flooded – Like 2 inches of water and it was moving fast! I yelled at Allen and Ashley to turn of the water now! It as really gross – bits of rice, salad, plates scrapings, were floating in the water. Nasty! I ran and got all the beach towels I could find and we started sopping up water. Brother Wheeler was in his white shirt and tie but just pitched in and helped. We had to clear everything out of the pantry that was on the floor, boxes of stuff from the cannery from our food storage. The boxes were wet, but will dry out quickly. And everything in the boxes was canned, so there should be no damage there. We went to Home Depot after our company left and got some Drano. We hoped it would work over night. It didn’t. Rod is calling a plumber today and we will have to have the line cleaned out. Thankfully, our bathroom lines worked and could shower and use our toilets. I’m sure the Wheeler’s will never forget their Sunday dinner experience at the LaMunyons! Hopefully the will come back another time and it won’t be such a disastrous day. By the way, Happy Birthday, Becca!

Color Code Test - Fun!

you are plum #DDA0DD

Your dominant hues are red and blue. You're confident and like showing people new ideas. You play well with others and can be very influential if you want to be. Your saturation level is low - You stay out of stressful situations and advise others to do the same. You may not be the go-to person when something really needs done, but you know never to blow things out of proportion. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

This is me according to the color code test. What do you think?

Happy Halloween

Well, today is the fun day. I was actually NOT the only one that dressed up at work.

With me are Satan's Sister, Susan, and Queen Zola from Zoltan.

Have lots of fun, and eat lots of junk food today!

Perfect day for a perfect walk

The last day of my perfect fall weekend was Sunday. We got up early and went to church. Cooper wasn't feeling well, so Katie took us back to the house and I stayed with him for the rest of the meeting time. He watched Pinocchio and we read stories. It was so nice to have the one-on-one time with my Buzzy Boy. We had lunch and then Julie came to join us for a little drive up to Muller Park. I remember going there as a kid, but it is way different now. We took the path to walk through the fall leaves. I was truly in my element doing that. I love the fall and I love the leaves, the colors, the SMELL, the shuffling of feet through the leaves. It was so much fun.

Katie gave the kids each a bag so they could collect their leaves.

Savannah is such a little princess! Ryan and Cooper saving a special leaf.

The colors in this spot were just to beautiful to pass up and Savannah is always ready to pose for a picture.

Just goin' down the path...

Ryan found this fallen tree for Cooper to ride. Isn't he cute?

As we came to the end of the trail, here was this spot with the sun just shining on it and the leaves were just glowing with color!

Going to the car...

One last look. I love fall so much and this was my "fall fix."

We returned home from our little hike and Katie made a wonderful Sunday dinner. My Dad and Donna joined us, so I got to see my dear dad, too! Thanks Julie and Katie, for letting me stay with you, and for spending time with me. I love you so much! Can't wait to see you in November!