The Week Winds Down

The week moves on - and we stay busy and tired!! Yesterday we walked to the Post Office - we've been walking daily - at least I'm getting my exercise - and the kids don't complain too much!! We try to alternate our routes and I try to tell them stories about the places we pass. Fortunately they haven't heard most of them!!

Yesterday I took Eve and Porter to see Mirror, Mirror - and it was funny and delightful - I highly recommend it! (I've been having Molly babysit each day while I drive Eve to gymnastics - and yesterday was Eve's "day off" so we wanted to do something fun.)

We need to get up early tomorrow for the Egg Hunt at Rec Park - fortunately it's across the street from Harry and Dawn's house.

Today we plan to get the eggs dyed. At first it seemed like the week stretched ahead of us - but it's winding down quickly!! And we haven't done everything we thought we'd do. Dawn left a big bag of activities, but we haven't gotten to all of them. We did Easter lollipops - but I'm not much of a candymaker - so maybe the kids would rather stick to walks to Library Park!! I do know how to dye eggs though!!

The backyard swing and the playhouse are still popular. Having lunch at Wendy's has been a hit - the toys are pretty good. Harry W. ordered nuggets and fries - and when the cashier asked what kind of sauce he wanted, he said "hot dog sauce." The cashier then translated for me, "Ketchup!"

Oh these funny kids!!

And I did manage to finish the latest Maisie Dobbs - a good read - a little more thoughtful than the last couple of them have been - I am interested to see where she takes the storyline now. I think I should have been doing my homework for my autism class - but that wouldn't be as much fun!!

Sleeping boys!! The star turtle has had a workout this week - Eve takes him into the living room when the boys fall asleep so she can see the stars too.

And Porter dearly wants the living room floor for his bedroom - he thinks it's the best place - Eve does too though - especially since Grandpa usually makes a fire for her to fall asleep by!! She's a great helper - so she's earned that reward.

As you walk in the door, it's apparent that we have a few folks here these days!

The kids happily loaded up the plastic eggs for the family egg hunt at Bonny's.

And the scooters and tetherball are still popular too.

Harry and Dawn come in tomorrow night - we will keep you posted.

Getting along every day - day by day!

When I knew that I would be taking care of Harry and Dawn's children while they spent a week in Ireland over spring break, I thought about the best way to prepare. Several thoughts occurred to me: get lots of rest beforehand (ha, ha! I NEVER get enough rest!), clear the calendar of all conflicts, get caught up on Easter gifts and cards, birthday gifts and cards beforehand, stock the larder, keep ahead on the laundry - you follow my drift.

Believe it or not, I actually did most of the above. But a funny thing happened - life goes on, even if you are trying to slow it down or stop it for a week!

Family came to visit - and who wants to miss that? General conference was that weekend - that's one I am going to have to catch up on next week - maybe when Harry 's in Boston. (Although, I had the thought, "I have sat here and watched several years worth of uninterrupted conference sessions - and the one time someone I know gets called to an auxiliary position, I wasn't on board! I found out about it when my girls started texting across the country to see if there was more than one Linda Sheffield Reeves! So I thought I'd sit down at the computer and pull it up on lds.org. And I did. And just as they were going to announce the new presidency, Harry W. hollered from the bathroom "Grandma, I need you to wipe my bum!" With kids, it needs to be late night if you don't want to be interrupted!!)

I ran into people I knew when I was out with the kids - so I should maybe be unfriendly?? I got phone calls about upcoming assignments. I ran out of groceries. I got requests for favors I wanted to do.

Like I said, life just keeps on keeping on - and there does not seem to be a cure for that. And I'm not sure a cure would even be advisable.

So I got a babysitter for each day - to stay with Isla and either Porter or Harry when I take Eve to gymnastics. Isla is sleeping then - and every fiber of my being rebels at waking up a napping child - and I can have some one on one time with either Porter or Harry after we drop off Eve. It's been lovely.

Now Eve wants a slot - and I think we can figure it out.

I may have this all squared away - and then Harry and Dawn will be home again!

Kind of like life.

It's all about family!!

It has been a long, busy, hectic, exhausting weekend - and I still have a week ahead of me being Grandma - but I really wouldn't have it any other way.

Fun to be with the Fredericksons! Always good to see Noah.

Happy that Hannah K. squeezed us into her itinerary!! We were saying that there really are people in this world without much family to speak of - but that would not be us! (And we are grateful for the great blessing of family!!)

Glad to get together with the Stevens' side of the clan!

Everyone is adjusting, a kind of organization is forming - we will look back on this week with fond memories. And I will have learned a thing or two - and hopefully not gain 5 lbs!

"May the odds be always in your favor!"

Harry and I are definitely Hunger Games fans - and the movie did not disappoint us.

We both re-read the book before we went to see the film - but I don't think it would have mattered. I think you could enjoy the film without reading the book.

I, along with countless other fans, enjoyed the film immensely. I've been hearing negative comments - but they really weren't fans - some who have not read the book - and say they don't want to - say they can't quite get over the idea of children being sent out to kill one another.

I think the film is more about how governments - tyrannical ones especially - ultimately cannot control people completely - there will always be those who can't be subdued.

And isn't that fortunate??

Second Time Around

I read this book a few years ago and certainly enjoyed it. Then my book group chose it for our selection this month, and I decided to re-read it. I often don't re-read books, but I may change my mind on that score.

For one thing, if it's been a long enough time, it seems almost like a first read - obviously I'm not retaining much. I am famous for "skimming" books to get through them quickly. I feel like I know how to dispense with scenic descriptions and lengthy ruminations. This probably contributes to the lack of recall on some scores.

Also, a good story usually can handle a second reading. I enjoyed reading this the second time - I thought I had the outline of the story pretty well set, but I had forgotten several significant details.

And since I want to take part in the book group discussion, a reading closer to the time of the meeting is pretty essential.

If you didn't check it out the first time I recommended it, check it out this time!!

Katie's wedding

Katie's wedding was a lovely affair. I also enjoyed seeing some of the photos on Facebook.

I liked this one - who knew the neighborhood could look so good??

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Reading when I ought to be doing other things!

I have been reading of late - in fact very late!! I was up until 1:30 this morning finishing up a book in fact!! I get that way - I read when I ought to be doing other stuff!!

I found this on a "give and take" shelf at Curves. I remember once when I sent RoseAnn a little Swedish cap that Alice had sent - from Sweden of course - and RoseAnn said that it made Jennifer look like a "little Hutterite!" I knew nothing about Hutterites then - now I know a bit more. This is a true memoir about a woman whose family left the Hutterite colony they were living in - and the impact it had on her life. It wasn't stunningly well-written, but it was interesting and informative.

Found this on the shelf Marcie keeps in her classroom for students during SSR. She wasn't sure where she'd gotten it - then remembered that a publisher had sent it to her - maybe they thought she'd order it for her class. It's not really adolescent fare - but it is a compelling read - about a dystopian society where women are devalued and controlled. A disturbing story on one level, but well-crafted and almost believable.

Jan in the main office suggested this when I was asking for book recommendations for my book group. My group wasn't interested, but I started it - and stayed up late to finish it early this a.m!! It is also compelling, well-written, and somewhat disturbing. It's about a young woman who is kidnapped and held captive for 7 years. The author has emphatically stated that it's not the Jaycee Duggard story in fiction, or a re-telling of the Austrian Frietzel family either. She just wondered what the effect would be of raising a child in a very limited environment, and she explores that idea. The story is told from the point of view of the woman's 5 year old son - that part is poignant and riveting at the same time.

So now I have the newest Grisham on order at Amazon. And I'm going to order the latest Maisie Dobbs as soon as I finish this.

"I'm Barbara and I'm a bookaholic!!"

A quiet weekend -

Except for the chaos of "springing forward," there was not too much action around here. On Sunday I drove out with Greg and his son Jacob, and we went to church with Mom and Donna. We visited afterwards and then had a nice lunch. It is great to get to know Greg and his family better.

Saturday I hosted a little retirement luncheon for Eleanor Esqueda. Several people had conflicts, so several of the "old guard" were not there. But those of us who were had a fine time together.

I made the Weight Watcher's potato soup recipe - it was yummy - go for it!

Hope the week ahead is as quiet as the weekend - I had "prepared" for the time change, so I felt like that went well too. And I had a lovely facial on Friday after school - maybe that's what made it all so "mellow!!"

Happy Birthday Relief Society!

Tonight was our Relief Society birthday celebration. As the events associated with Relief Society morph and change from "work day" to "homemaking" to "Enrichment" to "Relief Society whatever they are," I sometimes fear that maybe something has been lost in translation!!

But tonight we had a great Relief Society Birthday Party, complete with taco salad, some of Dawn's delicious chocolate ganoche cake, and a wonderful talk by one of my fave LDS authors, Lael Littke. It was a treat to sit at the table with her too!!

The theme was creativity - there were lots of displays of the creative efforts of the women in our ward and two lovely musical numbers. Then Sister Littke shared thoughts and experiences she has had over the years as she has pursued her career as the author of over 40 novels. One of my favorite lines from her remarks came as she was sharing some thoughts from Elder Uchtdorf. She commented that she was glad to hear from the brethren as they encouraged women to be the best they could be. "And he's so good to look at too."

I'm sure my girls remember lots of Lael Littke books that have been in our household over the years. I actually had forgotten how much of the Mormon fiction Phoebe, Eliza, and Hannah had consumed over the years until I hunted in Google Images! Prom Dress has been a school favorite too. I told Lael how I had bought multiple copies of Prom Dress because the girls who borrowed it from me never returned it!

Remember Run, Ducky, Run? And Getting Rid of Rhoda? She also wrote, along with two other women whose names escape me at the moment, the Almost Sisters trio. Those books are a great read for a summer day if you are in the market! And the Mink Creek stories are a good read too.

I sometimes fancy myself a writer. The truth is, however, that I am not quite willing to "give it my all" and "giving it your all" is definitely a requirement for gaining status as an author.

I will continue to find satisfaction in blogging, writing newsletters, penning missives to friends, other writing tasks such as journaling, and writing family stories.

And I will always be glad for the writers like Sister Littke who do give it their all!

"Take me out to the ballgame . . ."

So Dad and I watched this Saturday night. I think Dad dozed through the first 15 minutes or so. But then he got "engaged" in the story.

It's a compelling film in some respects - sports films that hinge on scoring and results usually are - but it was deficient in ways that are difficult to elucidate.

For starters, I thought some of the acting was sub-par and almost wooden. Maybe "behind the scenes baseball guys" are really like that?

Also, the ending was kind of a downer. And the story of his failed marriage and his personal life was a bit sparse - leaving the viewer to fill in the blanks with possibly wrong answers.

It did have some exciting moments - but I'm glad we watched it at home and didn't pay the big bucks to "go to the show!!"

Now I know why I don't watch TV!

Harry and I are pretty famous for not watching much television. We have in years past - way past in fact since they were the years in Centerville! But nothing has really piqued our interest I guess. We try random shows now and then when they come highly recommended. And we did love the Hornblower series.

But then the iPad came into our lives - and Hulu streaming!! Now we climb in bed and catch the latest of our current faves. Since Doc Martin ended - and the new series won't be available until April, we decided to investigate Downton Abbey - I know, we come to popular culture late in the game.

And it smacks a lot of Upstairs, Downstairs. But hey, for old-timers like us it doesn't really matter. We can't even keep track of the characters we are watching, let alone remember episodes from 30 years ago!!

I think TV watching per se was too hard to schedule in. When you can see it when you want to, it seems to work better. We did start watching William and Mary, another BBC series, and we do watch it - when we remember - on Thursday nights - but we aren't sure yet whether we really like it.

Such decisions!!

Thoughts about baby Jonah

Four months ago today, our sweet baby Jonah returned home to his Father in Heaven. I was asked to give a talk in the Mountain View Ward on seeking guidance from the Lord. So I talked about our family's experience with Jonah, and how we had all needed continual guidance as we navigated the days we had here with him.

The days after have required navigating also. I came across this poem a few weeks ago - I had thought about it but couldn't recall enough details to locate it. I found it somewhat serendipitously - and thought I would share it. It is by Carol Lynn Pearson.

To A Child Gone

I thought I was ahead of you in line.
You would take your turn
After I took mine,
Like we did before.

I guess you don't need new shoes
For starting heaven
Or a light left on against the dark
The way I always did.
But I'm so used to parenting
I wanted just to be there -
To do whatever needed to be done.

But you went first.
And now, my little one,
Suddenly you are my senior.
Morning, I know, will come.
But bring close your light -
This time it is I who fear the night.

Another good read from the "Booklettes" reading group!

My book group chose this - after I called Phoebe during our last get-together to get another title from her - one she'd mentioned that I couldn't quite remember. And she said, "Well, why don't you read A Town Like Alice?"

So we all said, "Why not?"

It starts a bit slowly, but gathers steam and is a good read. Apparently it's been made into a film more than once. Maybe I will give that a look-see too.

It's based on a true incident from World War II about some Dutch women who were marched around Malaysia by the Japanese. In the book they are English women who are living and working there when the war breaks out. Also involves a "cowboy" from the Australian outback - who appears to have given his life to save our heroine - but it turns out he's still alive.

I'll let you start there!!

Okay, Harry, we just need to jet off to the U.K. then so we can see Series 5!!

We have been watching Series 1 - 4 of the Doc Martin BBC T.V. show. We are pretty much addicted to it in fact. And it just ended - at least for us. Series 5 is only available in the U.K. How's that for patently not fair??

(We have been watching it on Hulu, rather than just watching it once a week on KCET.)

Series 5 can be purchased - but no availability date is listed.

Maybe this is why I usually don't watch TV - the frustration level is too high.

But it is a really funny, poignant, entertaining program - in case you are interested!!

Bedtime -

Harry and I are really big TV watchers. Our TV can not get turned on for weeks at a time. But lately we've been watching nightly episodes of Doc Martin, and that reminded me of all those past years when we'd be addicted to some show and watch it nightly.

We started watching St. Elsewhere when we moved to California. The TV was in our bedroom, and Harry often worked late hours. Or he was in bishopric meetings late. So I'd be in bed reading or watching a favorite show until he came home. And he'd get interested in it too. Lots better than the 11 o'clock news!! St. Elsewhere was on nightly, and somehow I got hooked on the storyline. It was fun the first time we went to Boston to see the actual St. Elizabeth's that the story is based on. I often wonder if I'd enjoy the episodes if I watched them now!

I suspect everyone has a time in their lives when they get or got hooked on M*A*S*H! What's not to love about M*A*S*H?? Seems like whenever we check into a hotel or motel, you can get an episode on the hotel TV!

The years in Centerville were marked by a love and devotion to Upstairs, Downstairs. Interestingly enough, I have watched episodes of this show since then, and they just don't have the draw for me anymore!! I guess they met a need at the time!

The Pallisers were Centerville-based also - I bought the whole set of the novels they were based on - and absolutely could not get into them. But I absolutely loved the show!! And wanted to name a daughter Glencora -after the heroine. Dad would have none of that!!

Perry Mason has always been a fave. And it's another one you can always get at a hotel!! Seems like it comes and goes in popularity.

And now we are hooked on Doc Martin!! Love the characters - and the brilliant lines they say to one another. We actually just get in bed and watch them on Harry's iPad! Maybe they are on TV - I will have to find out I suppose. But it's cozy the way we do it now. Give it a look-see - it's pretty entertaining!

Not sure what the next bedtime fad will be. When I had my knee surgery, we spent nights watching the DVD's of Hornblower - that was fun. Maybe it's just that we enjoy seeing a character more often than once a week - because I remember having favorite shows when I was a kid - and you had to be content with once a week - and a summer of re-runs!

The bonus of technology!!

Better late than never!!

Wish I could show you a shot of our new dishwasher.

But it's not in yet. Some technical - and other delays. The kind that make you hope they will send you a survey asking how you liked their service - so you can blast away at them.

I also finally updated my sidebar - just in time for February!!

Friday night at the movies

Harry was gone Friday night, so I "flicked out" - since he hadn't been interested in seeing this one. I have to agree with the reviews I read - the music was great - the acting sometimes less than great.

Let's just say I love Dolly Parton - what's not to love?? (Queen Latifah is no slouch either!)

Like sister, like sister!!

This post started out being about how Leslie was often called "Barbara Jr." Then I noticed that I had photos of Joan, Leslie, and Donna - but not Mary. Not wanting to leave Mary out, I'm posting this one. So now Bobby, Richard, and Charlie are included too. I'm going to stop there!!

This shot of me was supposed to show the resemblance.

It's an old photo of Joan with Alice and me - I'm maybe 8 years old?? We had just gotten new bathing suits at Ruby's Department Store on Chatsworth - and were headed for Pop's Willow Lake for the Radioplane employee party!!

Not sure of the date here either, but I think Donna was 3 or 4 - so Leslie was 5 or 6 - and you can see some resemblance between Leslie and me. It was when Donna broke her leg - and not sure why Leslie has the big bandage on her chin!!

A "Sister Shot" from 2000 - at Dad's funeral. As we all get older, the resemblances become more apparent.

And a "Sister Shot" from 2010 - at Mom's 90th birthday party.

Sisters are wonderful - I'm glad I have such a great bunch of them!!

A puzzler

I have never been much of a puzzle person. I'm not very good at them. I don't remember doing them much as a child. In fact, I can't remember doing them at all. I suspect that in a house full of children like ours, keeping track of puzzle pieces was a lost cause - because I don't remember others doing puzzles either. (I suspect my dad might have been good at them though.)

Once we had children, I read about how important it was for kids to do puzzles, so I dutifully went and bought puzzles. I can even remember the puzzles because there were not too many of them - I mostly remember the Richard Scarry one and the Star Wars ones. There were wooden puzzles too - one of the three little pigs I remember well - I got it free with Kleenex labels or something.

The trouble was - I didn't enjoy puzzles - and neither did Bonny or Harry. I would have to compel them to spend some time doing puzzles. They would never choose to do them on their own. I would sit and do them with them even. I think after a while I gave up, because I have no memory of doing puzzles with any of the other kids.

Years later, Sue Cornwall shared a family tradition of starting a Christmas puzzle on December first and finishing it on Christmas Eve. "I must do that!" I thought. So I went and got a Christmas puzzle - maybe 300 pieces - maybe 500. I got out the card table and spread out the pieces. The interest was zero!! I would do a few pieces each day, but pretty much no one else did. I tried bribing and compelling, but not much progress was made. Sue had said that she was sure her dad hid strategic pieces throughout the month just to keep them on their toes, but I didn't dare try that - we were getting nowhere!

Christmas Eve came and went and then Christmas night came - and the puzzle was not nearly done. At this time Bonny and Bruce were married, and Bruce was a lover of puzzles, so he was there and took over and started getting it together. Since Bruce was working on it, suddenly everyone else wanted to work on it too! At about a quarter to midnight, we - I say that loosely - finished it! To great shouts of hurrah too!

I give all this background because the irony is not lost on me that Harry our son sets up a big table in his living room each Christmas season with a large, complicated puzzle to work on. Bill and Marjorie always worked on them - maybe that's what started it - but Harry is certainly enthusiastically into it now. And he has lots of company too. The one this year is 2000 pieces - and rather complex.

It's not done yet either - and not for lack of Bruce working on it.

I'm just saying!!

Let the holiday movie-going begin!!

I know they do it on purpose, release a ton of good movies you want to see during the holidays, but I enjoy it every year anyway - even if they are manipulating us!!

Mom and Donna came out, and we took Marjorie with us. The theater was packed - I can't remember the last time I went to a sold-out movie.

It was a good film - worth watching. And we saw lots of previews of movies that look pretty good too - although we all know how sometimes the trailers have the best parts of the movies and you don't really need to see the show.

This show inspired the full crowd in the theater to applaud when it ended!