Whopper of an Ice Storm

We are stuck..... ice everywhere and it is just perfectly beautiful!

 Even the basket ball hoop is pretty in the ice. :)

 Our oak tree this a.m.

 Our pine tree

 Our peach tree

 Marjoram  bush

 Cooking breakfast on the wood stove after we lost power.

 Reading by lamp light

 The rose bush

Staying warm..... eating soup.

A Thankful Week!

The Siblings

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving week! I cannot believe it has come to an end.  Uncle Bob just left to go back to Oklahoma and we will miss him. He brightens our lives!

Erika and I spent a long time in the kitchen preparing for the Big Day when everybody would be here.
But before that, there were two big events that took place.

First Alli's sister Tatyana and her boyfriend Gibson came down from OU to see us on Tuesday. It was a huge surprise for Miss Alli. She was so excited when she found out they were coming that she did some cartwheels. :)
I am so thankful that Tatyana is in her life once again.

Tatyana and Gibson left for Oklahoma on Wednesday a.m. and then it was time to prepare for Anna's 15th birthday!  YES! Anna is FIFTEEN!

 Where has the time gone?
In 9 days, Anna will have been home for 10 years. Wow!
Birthdays and Holidays have always been events that Anna has struggled with over the years.
She was moved alot during holiday times and I have documented many holiday times in my blog where there were struggles. 
She got through her Birthday and Thanksgiving pretty well, and even smiled last night saying, "I made it through!" :)

 She had a friend over for the day, and picked a favorite movie.  She picked pancakes for breakfast with maple syrup and for Lunch we had Tacos.
Sarah created a gift finding hunt for her and she enjoyed her day.

 We finished off celebrating with Black Bean Chocolate cake; her favorite.

Thanksgiving came quickly!  We spent Thanksgiving Day with Uncle Bob, Joe, Becca and the Boys and Chuck, Jodie and the girls! They came all the way from New Mexico to be together. It was a very precious time seeing them!

 Tasting... that's all. Just tasting. :)

 Sweet Cousins

 Erika was in charge of potatoes

 Sarah took a picture from the silverware's perspective.

 A feast!

 Saying what we were thankful for

 These two just hit it off!

 Uncle Bob...

 Chuck having conversation

Jodie and Truman.

Then came Friday.... It was a convergence of all siblings, and grand children.  What fun!
Crazy, but fun!

 Somehow Anna managed to get her picture with each of her brothers. :)

And finally.... .Olivia got her hair cut from Auntie Becca. :)

The kids left for NM on Saturday A.M. and we will miss them as always. 
BUT.... Kate graduates from High School in May and I believe we will be making every effort to be there. :)
Hope You all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving

I cannot believe how close it is to Thanksgiving!

I am so thankful for the Gospel!  I am so thankful for my family!  I am so thankful that all 8 of the kids will be here at Thanksgiving time!

Let the countdown begin! :)

Babysitting

So I got to babysit my grandsons last night. It was AWESOME!
I listened to Sam read a book to me. Truman was a super hero most of the night, and then let me read a book to him.  Felix was just CUTE!
I love being a Ya-Ya!

Troubles

The last several months, our home has been plagued with problems.  We had the foundation fixed last year and then just a few months later it was determined we had a water leak.
There was a fine mist coming from a pipe in the laundry room.  We cut out the wall and fixed the leak, thinking that was all we needed to do.

We were SO WRONG!  A few months after fixing the leak, the floor started "warping".  That is the best term I could come up with.

Our tile floor in the laundry room and dining room began to crack.... and then crack more.
We thought it was the foundation shifting again. 

Then, last night I pulled up a tile. (it was that loose)
And it appears there was water damage. :( 

Sooooo, I called the insurance company and we'll find out in the next week if they will even cover the damage. :(

The good news?  We will have to get a new floor and it will NOT be WHITE! :)

Working Out Misunderstandings

Here they are all Sweetness!   It wasn't so a few hours ago..... :)

Today was a reminder for Miss Sarah, that Alli still does not have her English down well enough to communicate what she wants to say.

It was a happy time of planning for Christmas.  Two of the girls  asked if they could exchange gifts with each other by drawing names.  They came up with a gift amount and I said I thought it would be a great idea.  All excited, Alli went to announce it to Sarah but it didn't quite come out right!

Instead of we get to draw names, and the cost of the gift should be between $ and $, and we get to make a list to help the person buying something pick an item the other person might want, she said, "You are going to buy a gift and you have to get them what they tell you."

Sarah was puzzled and her reply was, "What are you talking about?" 
It went down hill from there.  Sarah interpreted Alli's attempt to explain, that she had to purchase Alli exactly what she tells her to.   And her joy was gone.
Alli's response was, but why would you want to get somebody something they didn't need?
Alli's joy was gone, and my joy was gone.....

"What just happened?"
So Sarah took time to explain, and when she repeated back to Alli what she had said, her reply was, "But that isn't what I meant!" 
However she was unable to put into words what she wanted to communicate.

We navigated through successfully.  I reminded Sarah that Miss Alli has not been speaking English that long and we need to err on the side of grace and mercy.  "Isn't that what we did for you?"
"Yes Maam. "

I helped Alli re explain what she was trying to convey and then all joy broke loose once again!

I told the girls, that the very problem they experienced today with communication, has serious effects in many households across the country, between parents and children, and relationships get soured due to miscommunication!
"Let's work hard on giving the benefit of the doubt and  being merciful. If we think something doesn't sound right, working through till the end to make sure we are communicating effectively has great benefit in the end!

The Adorables Annual Pose

Erika

A Self Portrait:
My sweet girl!

Money Laundering

This a.m. I was  folding laundry.  I found a 5 dollar bill 1/2 out of a back pocket of a pair of jeans. So I asked the girls, "Whose jeans are these?"  Everybody said, "Alli's."
So I gave her her jeans and gave her the 5 dollar bill.

Her reply, "Oh no!  I did it again!  Now I have to throw it away!"

Quite puzzled I asked her, "What do you mean you have to throw it away?" "Why would you have to throw it away?" 

She said, "Because it's no good, it went through the washer and the dryer!" 

"Sweetie, you don't have to throw it way, it is just clean now, and very usable!"


Her reply... "Well I wish I had known that,  because I had to throw a ten dollar bill away a few weeks ago!"

LOL 

Life.... Death....Life

A dear sweet friend will be saying his final good byes to his wife of 63 years, tomorrow. 
We went to the funeral home tonight to pay our respects and comfort our friend.

Barbara was a sweet heart of a lady. We knew her as a sweet, funny, accepting, kind woman who loved her husband and loved the Lord.

So, while she died.... she has also entered into Eternal Life and we will see her again.

Rest for now sweet friend.

My Dabba

My other mom, Dabba, will be 93 on November 2nd.  She was born in 1920.  I talked to her on the phone last night and said, "I can't believe you are almost 93!"  She said, "I know I am.... and I feel every bit of it!" LOL 
Apparently she had a fall and was bruised up a bit.  But she is on the mend.  I so wish we lived closer together.  She is so far away.

We talk every now and then, but mostly communicate through email.  The last email I sent didn't get a response, so I emailed again.  Then my daughter in law emailed me and said, "Have you heard from her?"
I contacted my nephew and he handn't heard either and we were all about to get really worried.
I was so glad to hear her voice when I called her on the phone!

My nephew affectionately said, she is like a robot! :) 

It is amazing how much has changed since 1920.  She went through the Roaring 20's, the Great Depression, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War and she was right in the middle of the first Gulf War, living in Israel, working at a Special Needs orphanage. 
She said the sirens would go off because of incoming scud missiles and by the time they got all the children into the shelter, the all clear would go off and then they'd start all over again!

Our oldest son Chuck and his friend went to Israel while she was there to stay for the summer. That was a memorable time for him and for her. :)

She also managed to raise 6 children after her precious husband died, and also raised her grand son.


My Dabba lived in NM for a while also.  We lived together when the boys were little and both worked part time jobs. She helped me in a great time of need.  She is a wonderful mother,  grand mother and  great grandmother and I cannot say enough about how wonderful she is, inside and out.

I pray that I get to see her once again before she is off on a new heavenly adventure! If not, I know I'll see her there. :)
In the mean time..... since she no longer has access to email, it will be snail mail and phone calls.

I love my Dabba. :)

Fun Photos

Silly Girls. :)