It was great in 2008

January - I wasn't blogging then and since I'm horrible at journal writing I have to rely on the calendar for the year to get by. My mother celebrated her birthday this month and is now in her 80's. We went to some serious bridal fairs and made appointments to meet with the decorator and photographer for Kallee's wedding. Also Kenzie got her license on January 28.

February brought with it more visits to the dentist, Preference for Kenzie along with valentines day for us all. Happy Birthday to Josh and Natalie

March - Fred and I celebrated our 25 wedding anniversary. Kallee, Clint,Duncan and Grandpa had birthdays. Blake went to Georgia and we had a very fun neighbor party.

April - Best month of the year. MOM's birthday and pre=wedding and engagement pictures were taken. Blake had track meets and we cleaned the church. Are you bored yet?

May - Mother's Day and Fred helping to take care of his mother. Bridal showers for Kallee and my parents celebrated their 62nd Wedding anniversary. Kallee and Duncan did Race for the Cure.

June - Big month. Somebody got married. Youth conference and Heritage Days were celebrated. Fred starts new job in Clearfield and is delighted to have it closer and ride his bike to work.

July - Fred's birthday. He did his annual bike ride. I rode about 30 miles with him. I think he did 56 miles that day. We celebrated the fourth of July with Kenzie, Mason, Kallee and Duncan.
Oh yeah, Josh and Breann were there to.

August - I think this was the end of the moving marathon. We had moved Kallee, Natalie and our neighbors in a three week period. We went camping to the northslope and school started.
Nat and Clint celebrated their 4th wedding anniversary.

September - Kenzie turned 17. She went to homecoming and I posted great pictures of her during mud Olympics. At any time you can go back and view old posts to make sure I'm getting the info. correct. Fred started part=time work at the State Hospital. Also our beloved Grandma Carlson passed away.

October- -Blake turned 18 this month. We went to the Real Soccer game at the new Rio
Tinto stadium. We also went wheeling up Willard Peak and the weather was spectacular. Blake went to Alabama and the girls went to Disneyland over Halloween. It was such a fun trip. Yeah I missed my husband but he gets sick after one or two rides.

November found us having lots of great fun at Thanksgiving in Orem.

December Lots of family get togethers and Christmas. It was a very wonderful year and I'm so grateful for all of the many blessings that our family received.

Part 2

Limmie found a new way of sleeping in a very cramped kennel. We understand that she has alot of her mother's traits. She likes to beg and jump on people and she snores!!! Must get that from derf's side of the family. I would never do that.

We are a family with many expressions!! Do you get the feeling that my kids enjoyed Christmas this year?

A zebra blanket? Little K is into the zebra thing. She was the recipient of many stripes this year.

This picture is too funny. Luke, I am your father. Let me weld your head to this helmet. Please J don't let your dad get a hold of the torch!!!

One of our favorite traditions handed down from Grandma Carlson was the candy wreath. Fred and I decided to keep the tradition going and we made a few. I found out that your fingers can get real sore after you have done a few. Derf took one to his work party and many c0-workers wanted it. They especially thought it was special when derf told them it was a tradition that his mother had started. It was one way that our family kept Grandma C. a little closer in our hearts.

Christmas Morning Part 1

the light is too bright Good Morning DAD

Oh it's too bright

tradition to hide under the blankets and come in for christmas morning. Blake is making his way from the upstairs.

Kenzie and Josh. Notice who is peeking out from under the blanket!!

Christmas Greetings

Merry Christmas to you all. Sorry that the picture did not turn out as well as expected. The caption reads: Merry Christmas 2008 Fred and Charlene Carlson family and Limmie. My dad called us and was wondering if the newest member of our family came from Fred's side, it certainly could not have come from Char's. HA HA Dad I know just how much fun dogs are for you.

We have had a snowy/rainy Christmas so far. Last night we kept with tradition and ordered take-out from Garcia's and ate by candlelight. I do set the table nicely for the occasion. After dinner Mrs. Claus had not finished all the wrapping that she likes to do and she was looking all over in her favorite hiding spots to find the gifts. (I'm thinking to myself that from now on I need to write down where I put things as my mind doesn't recall locations like it used to.) While trying to locate the gifts Kallee volunteered information that she had found all of our hiding spots as a child. I was looking under the bed, behind the headboard, in our closet, in other closets, the garage, under the stairs, in the trailer house etc. Every place that was mentioned she confessed to have looked in as a child. No wonder she always knew what she was getting. As a child I didn't snoop everywhere, I just unwrapped the gifts that were under the tree for me. Our neighbor Becky told us this year that her son's had done that as well. They tore open all the gifts under her tree one year. I sure chuckled at that one. Kids.........

scrapbook marathon

I've decided that I really enjoy scrapbooking 8 x 8 albums. I was able to do 46 pages in 16 hours. Well....mostly finished. The pictures are mounted and now I just need to add the titles and the embellishments. The theme for this album is "Wishes do come true" Kallee wished we could all go to Disneyland and we did!!! I'll take pictures and post them when all is completed.

Brrrrrr it's cold

Right now in my city the tempature is a chilly 23 degrees. However it's still warm enough for the students to have an outdoor recess which is a relief to the teachers here in the building. Even though I enjoy the warmer weather it is fun to have winter come especially around Christmas. The weather report is snow all week and chilly temperatures. I don't think we have to worry about having a brown christmas this year.

We held our FC family christmas party on Saturday at our home. It was alot of fun. Derf has been busy gathering his 'gifts' all year long. Let me explain. We draw names for gift giving. This year Dad drew Duncan's name. Whenever Dad is on his bike, walking or attending a conference he gather's up the 'good' stuff from off the road and from the vendors. This year he found tools, knife, tape measurer, water bottles, office supplies, drinks etc. He taped all of them to a box and in good ole derf style wrapped it in newspaper and proudly presented his gift to duncan. It is really hysterical to see all that he collects over the year. One year on christmas eve he found a large set of tools and proudly left them at the door for Natalie. This is how it all started. Derf does get a nice gift to go along with the gag gift. It is a fun tradition that has been started and we were already talking about next year and Christmas hasn't even arrived. I hope my kids will post comments about the gifts that they've received over the years.

Annual Family Party #1

These are some new faces in our family. These beauties belong to my nieces Chanen and Tonya. Aren't they just adorable? The brown eyed cutie pie was blessed this past Sunday. The blue eyed chick just moved back from the South and now lives closer to family.

My family gets together every year for Christmas. My brother Scott was the host this year and we all gathered together close by. Our menu this year was Soups, Salads and Desserts. It was very yummy and trying out a new soup recipe on the family was a success. We share some of the same traditions as in Derf's family; good food, basketball, chit chat and the breaking of the pinata. Speaking of the pinata. They sure don't make them the way that they used to. Why does the pinata end up getting decapitated before all the kids in line have had a chance to beat it to death? The adults came to the rescue of the disappointed kids with bats and tied the rope around it's belly. A few whacks at it later and the desired candy rained down to the delight of all the children.

Fun times on Turkey Day

Uncle D and grandaughter

Little R and daddy Nate

Big J and cousins in the background

Mr. F., Clint and Nat

Dunc and Kal. We had a great time getting together with many members of our family. As always yummy food and the traditional basketball hoopla took place. We missed some of you.

We are so grateful for family!

I remember, I miss, I love

Random events that I remember from my childhood==This is long and boring for some but it has been therapeutic for me. Thanks for reading.


1. I remember........ being teased very badly by my brothers. They would pretend they were dead until I started to cry hysterically and then start to laugh at me. Then they would do it all over again and I would fall for their routine.

2. My older brothers, the twins hated to babysit their little sister. How bad can it get? I was the only one. They said that I smeared my diaper on the walls and it was just disgusting. Hmmm.....I really don't remember that one personally.

3. I used to run away from home and hide in the neighbors cherry orchard. My friends and I ate lots of cherries. I didn't think that my mom and dad would worry about me. One time the owner was spraying cherries and we all thought we were being gassed and about to die. I remember holding my breath so long that I nearly passed out. When I finally decided to come home my parents had been looking all over for me and were ready to call the cops. The one and only time my father spanked me was that day. He took off his belt and gave me three good whacks. I deserved it. I scared them to death. I also used to hide in my closet for hours and nobody could find me.

4. I remember running home after the civil air raid drills. They would sound the alarm and you were supposed to run all the way home. I was five and ran the whole two miles.

5. Walking home from school one day a car pulled up and the people asked me if I wanted a ride.

The people in the car looked scary to me so I ran all the way back to school and told my teacher that someone was trying to kidnap me. I don't know how I got home. Maybe I reacted this way due to the fact that very often they would show "stranger danger" movies all the time. Good grief was I that traumatized?

6. My mother was an excellent seamstress. She sewed with perfection. She made all of my clothes and I would look into my closet thinking how lucky I was to have such pretty dresses to wear to school

7. When I was six my brothers were shooting birds with slingshots. I was playing outside with my friend and we went running. Next thing I know was that something had hit me. My brother Scott, (whom I love dearly) told me to tell MOM that I had fallen on a stick. My eye hurt so I rubbed it like crazy. My eye was a solid mass of blood and my dad was out of town running the green river. To make a long story shorter....I had surgery and lots of eye exams. I am very blessed to not have lost the eye completely.


I miss my grandparents and all the family gatherings with my cousins. G&G O. lived next door and we always had snacks at their home. They had a silver tinsel tree with blue ornaments and would come over every christmas morning. Some years when my dad had to be to work at 6:00 am we would have christmas then run over and wake them up. I miss them alot. We always had thanksgiving at their home. My grandma started the pie tradition. She would let me help her make the pie dough. We only made a few pies. My mom is the one that would make lots and lots of pies. My dad doesn't like cake so for most desserts it was pie. Guess that is why I love
to make pies during the holidays. It brings back so many fond memories. My pie recipe didn't come from by grandma, only the way how to handle the dough. Actually an old roommate of mine shared with me the perfect pie recipe that I have used since I was about 21 years if age.



Christmas Eve was held at my Grandpa and Grandma Warnicks home. We did the usual gift exchange until the family was so large we couldn't do it anymore A swedish dinner was always served. I can't spell the word but we always had some sort of fish in a white sauce served over mashed potatoes. Sounds gross but it was really yummy and we all looked forward to honoring our ancestors by having that meal every year. After awhile my aunt took over and we always went to her house. Usually my brothers and I got to spend a week at their house during the holidays and we spent our time putting puzzles together, sledding, eating and just having lots of fun. She had a neat loft with pull down stairs. The girls got to stay in the loft. One time my brother Steven had an accident and cut his arm very badly on those stairs.
We carry on the christmas eve dinner tradition at our home. But we eat whatever sounds good, eat by red candle light. The Red Candle is a swedish tradition also. The light represents christ and the color represents his sacrifice for us.



My mother would hold a Christmas Open House on Christmas day. We would bake for weeks and prepare lots of yummy treats. Most of our relatives lived close by and would come to our home. We hastily gathered our gifts and would lay them out carefully on our beds for our cousins to see what we had gotten. We did alot of visiting and eating all day long.



I miss my mother's holiday baking, especially her divinity. It is truly divine. I've tried several times to try and make it like her but haven't got there yet. I miss the snowball fights with my grandma ostergaard who would chase us all over trying to hit us. I miss sitting between by grandparents at church and getting pink mints or some sort of treat from grandpa's pocket. I always tried to wrinkle his skin and see how long the wrinkles would stay in place.


I love that I have such sweet memories. I love all my relatives, my husband and cherish my children and their spouses. I hope your memories are wonderful as well.

more quotes....

"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing." Phyllis Diller

"Our house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy." author unknown.

I used to tell people when they would see my yard and compare it to my moms. (which is always beautiful) I'm growing children not plants!

Happy Day and take a day off from housework and laundry. It's okay!!

A random tag from Mrs.K.
I will answer questions about Mr. F.
*What is your husband's name? I can reveal his middle name.....DeVirl. Like in the Singles Ward movie. When we first heard that line in the movie our family laughed so hard we nearly cried.
*How long have you guys been married? 25 years 8 months
*How long did you date? 1 year 11 months. It's a long story.
*How old is he? Older than dirt
*Who is taller? Well it certainly isn't me.
*Who can sing the best? My sweetie and he doesn't like to let people know about it.
*Who is smarter? We're both smart.
*Who pays the bills? I did for years but now it's my honey's turn.
*Who does the laundry? Mostly me but my cutie pitches in and helps very often.
*Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Well F does and then he wakes up in the middle of the night and sleeps on the couch (and it's not because of my snoring.) It comes from his side of the family. His brother suffers from the same thing.
*Who mows the lawn? Used to be the kids.....now it is mostly Mr. F. I help when needed.
*Who cooks dinner? I'm tired of cooking anymore. So it's fend for yourself. Mr. F makes wonderful cream puffs and German choc. cake, waffles etc. I'm not that bad. I do cook most days.
*Who is the first to admit when they're wrong? Me.
*Who kissed who first? Mr. F. kissed me by his dad's car in the Carlson driveway. It was about our sixth date.
*Who wears the pants? My husband calls me the boss, however, the kids know who is in charge when dad needs their attention!

I don't tag anyone. Just have fun reading.

Got the Blues?

Well......you can't win all the games all the time. I still love my Cougars. All fans unite in the
True Blue spirit. Let's play the glad game like in the Pollyanna movie, we can be glad that BYU and all the other teams may come out with more money with utah going to a bcs bowl game. They say around 270,000. nice chunk of money for the school. So be glad about that and we always have next year back in PROVO!!

GO COUGARS!!! AND A HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT!!

Go Cougars!!! I love you BYU!! Happy Birthday to Chanen!! Have a super day you deserve it.

What have you been doing lately?

What did I do ten years ago? Well on this day I certainly wasn't four wheeling, teaching school, I didn't have a cold and I wore a smaller size. I was a stay-at-home MOM and loving it.



What are five things on my to do list today? Do I have to make a list? Well......

1. Go to work
2. Have assignment for stake meeting finished and attend Stake Meeting .
3. Take a nap after work
4. Find some chocolate to eat
5. Update the BLOG with something exciting and not boring.



What snacks do I enjoy?

1. Crackers and Sun dried hummus (thanks Nat)
2. Fruit
3. Hershey symphony Bars
4. Fruit leather from Costco
5. Brownie Earthquake from Dairy Queen



Five places that I've lived:

1. Lindon
2. Orem
3. Vernal
4. Clearfield
5. Syracuse



Five things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. Pay tithing
2. Pay off mortgage/put some money away.
3. Help relatives out .
4. Donate to BYU and sponsor students in need of an education.
5. Take a trip with family around the world to visit temples and church sites.



TV Shows I watch

The Bonnie Hunt Show
News
Food Network
Good Movies and musicals
Monk



Favorite places to eat:


Brick Oven in Provo
Los Heramanos -- someone help me with the Spanish spelling!!
Any family gathering
Rumbi Grill
Costa Vida



Five things that happened yesterday:


Student working with alpha tiles spells a swear word on their board
Made a visual for primary using the cricut expression
Shopped for ink for the computer only to buy the wrong one.
Went to Walmart with Kenzie and dropped my new 12/12 cabinet on the floor
Wiped my nose so much that it hurt.

My wish list:

I wish that you all are happy and that your lives are centered in Christ and his teachings.

I wish for much happiness and peace in our world.

I wish for good health and the necessities of life.

As for the material things in life I wish for at least one unlimited shopping spree at Roberts and Deseret Book.

To those who love scrapbooking.....

Well....I finally did it. It was very hard to decide whether or not to purchase this product. Natalie and I have debated about this special purchase for nearly three years now. We have looked at other products on the market and I couldn't decide which one would be the best fit for my scrapbooking style. Then someone who loves me alot said that I could buy it. I'm so excited to announce that I'M THE PROUD OWNER OF A CRICUT EXPRESSION!! Okay now I feel better getting that out. To my scrapbooking, card lovin friends and family whenever you are around and need an excuse to come over please do. I would love to share and let you use this machine. Natalie broke it in for me on Saturday. We decided that mom has the "good stuff" like rub on's, embellishments gallore and the great gadgets. Natalie has the best stash of paper. We make a good team. It should be a fun adventure.

Here's to great scrapbooking, card making and crafting!!! (Now if I could just get over yet another cold.....thank you students for all of your sneezing and coughing last week, then I can enjoy the machine myself!!)

4:40 am wake up call......

The fun never ends at our house and neither do the challenges. For the last two days Josh has been complaining of abdominal pain. We called my brother who is a nurse practitioner and asked a few questions about the symptoms and felt that things were not serious at that point. Yesterday, (Thursday) Josh came to my school about 1:00 and it was obvious that he was in a great deal of pain. He tried to hide it being manly and all. We decided after a call to the doctor to head straight to the hospital and have everything checked out. All symptoms pointed to his appendix. He went through the required testing was just thrilled to drink the nasty "lemonade" and wait for the results. About 5:00 it was confirmed that he had a sore appy and it would need to be removed. Josh went into surgery at 5:45 and was out about 6:15 or so. Recovery went as well as it could. He had the usual nausea and pain associated with this surgery. The nurse joked with us and told us to say to him whatever we wanted to because he wouldn't remember it at all. Kallee was in good form and told him what a scum bag he was and other not so flattering comments.....while the rest of us just laughed. Josh just informed me that he remembered everything she said and now Kallee you owe Josh $5.00 bucks for your comments. He delighted me with a 4:40 am wake up call and asked when I was going to get him out of this place because I'm bored. I knew that he would fully wake up about 4:00 am but I did not expect him to call me so soon. I told him that the doctor would see him in the morning and I would be there. I went back to bed only to receive another call at 7:00 am indicating that the doctor had been in and he could go home any time. When I got to the hospital he was already sitting on the side of his bed acting very anxious to get home. The one good thing that happened with all of this is that I got to drive his car to go and pick him up. He's doing well and hasn't bothered his nurse too much due to the fact that the drugs make him sleepy and he doesn't call me.

Wow, I cannot hit a thing

Just one of the great memories with my sister in law, LeAnn. We had a blast with our daughter's and each other in Disneyland. However, I discovered that I cannot hit any target. My score on this ride was pathetic. No worries though I have Blake to back me up anytime.

a moment to laugh about.

The Rio Tinto Stadium debuted with Real SLC playing against the NY Red Bulls on October 7, 2008. Our family had anticipated being a part of the inaugural game opener for quite some time. The big day was finally here and we all bundled up and headed to SLC. We had only seen the stadium from the freeway and it looked beautiful all lit up. Our excitement increased as we got nearer and nearer to our final destination. Upon exiting the freeway the talk in the car was to find free parking and to take the first available spot as the traffic was heavy and we were a bit crunched for time. We found what we thought to be a great spot and hastily exited our vehicle and started going with the masses to the stadium. We found ourselves heading down a dirt path with a stream and trees surrounding us. No worries everyone was headed in the same direction. A conversation was heard that this was the best place to cross and not to go farther downstream. We just kept going forward. Our group was scattered and mom was left behind following everyone else and trying to keep Josh on Mom radar. Finally the group stopped and we slowly inched ourselves down a steep slick incline and across some wooden pallets. Thankfully some kind gentlemen took hold of Char's hands and helped her. She soon found Fred, he was perched up on a chain link fence helping all the people he could to get across. Char could see the rest of our group had hopped the six foot chain link fence and as she looked up and down she could also see many others jumping like someone was after them. At that point we felt like illegal immigrants trying to cross the border to freedom. Someone was so kind to lift the bottom of the fence so that some of us 'older' women could be freed and move toward the stadium. Mr. M. (Little K's friend) managed a gymnastic move to get over the fence. Fred raced over to the east side to the will call window to pick up our tickets. Poor Mr. M., he just hobbled along with the rest of us and we were able to get in our seats right at the beginning of the match.
It turned out to be a fun evening and we all laugh about the fence hopping episode.

Cool School Fox 13 News

Fox 13 news featured Clearfield High School this morning as a cool school. Blake was shown with the marksmanship team and the debate team. It was great to see the Falcons get some deserved recognition. Blake you looked handsome on TV!! GO CHS!!

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss

What kids are saying these days.....

1st grader: "Did you think that girl was cute?" Yeah, if she were a kid I'd marry her!"

Six year old: They've been mean to me for six years.

1st grader running down the hall yelling to another kid, "Stop acting like a child!"


Made me smile. Hope it does the same for you.

Monk in the making

This year at school I have been assigned to work with the kindergarten and first grade. The students are at risk and not on their grade level for reading. They are being monitored and some get referred to Case Management for possible Special Education Services. Currently I push in to the kindergarten classes. I have found that getting low on a chair and trying to fit under their tables can be a real challenge. So far I've been able to get down low and actually stand up afterwards. I currently work with 30 kindergartners. They are a hand full. In first grade the students are pulled out into my room and I do a variety of reading activities to support them. I have one student that is a real character and has OCD. He is constantly rearranging my books on the shelf to be in a certain order, he has to sit in the same chair, he only wants to get a "red" sticker and then insists on counting them everyday, when he places his stickers on his writing journal they are very neat and in order, not like the other kids who place them everywhere. On crazy hair day his mother had to spray his hair red, yes..he wears lots of red and black colors to school, he is constantly rearranging his letter cards in the trays that we use so that they are lined up appropriately He cracks me up, not only do I deal with his OCD, he also has ADHD. I keep thinking about the TV series 'Monk' and wonder if this kid will be like Adrian Monk. Thank goodness he doesn't have a germ phobia...yet. Funny. In this same reading group I have two other students who are very needy and when the group is finished I am ready for a nap.

update

Big thanks for all of your congrats for Blake. He really enjoyed them all. If you want to read more about it than link to Kallee's blog. (I'd do it for you but I'm on a 5 minute lunch break) Last week Fred got hit on his bike by a car. Luckily he wasn't hurt bad and only suffered a few scrapes and bruises. He was too worried about the tomatoes he was taking to work to avoid the mishap. All is well and not to worry. He should listen to everyone and wear a helmet. I've tried talking to him about it but he has that German stubborness in him and won't do it until winter time sets in. He says wearing it then will keep his head warm. ARgggghhhhh.......

Homecoming activities 2008

Little K and her date for the evening, Mr. M.
It's not rocket science ladies.! I don't know why, but putting a boutonniere on a young man's shirt is a most difficult task for me. Natalie was gracious to try, then I tried and poor Mr. M. had to put up with all of it. It took us about five minutes. Natalie was funny!! Love you Nat and thanks for helping.
Little K and her group. It was nice to see that the young women had all chosen modest dresses.
Well I never get to see what Blake's date looks like. We always try and get a picture of him. He was so tired. He had a cross-country track meet and left the house at 6:30 am to go to Mountain State Park near Heber. When I finally came home he was asleep on the couch. Then he's up wide awake and ready to go. He had a good time and yes, Kallee and Nat, he did what he calls the "box step, " Saturday also became a crazy day of canning for Fred, Nat and Clint. After the children had been sent on their way, Fred and I (mostly Fred, I was uploading pictures to send with the dates when they came home) finished cleaning the kitchen, processed all the salsa and base, and I even made an apple pie for the homecoming group. We fell into bed about 2:00 am.

For Chrissy Carlson....Spencer and Limmie

Grandpa Carlson and Uncle Fred encouraging Spencer, Pete's son that Limmie won't hurt you. He was so brave and learned how to give Limmie Treats.
He's getting closer and closer!!
Success!!! This post is for you Chrissy. Thanks for sharing some of your boys this past weekend. We loved seeing Spencer in person!!! Love to all the family. Keep the puppy training tips coming especially the success stories of potty training and staying down.

Mud Olympics

Yes Little K is somewhere under all that mud!!
How about a date guys?
the mud groupies
Thick and gooey all over. The hair needs serious help folks.
Little K and T.

A beautiful day of remembrance

The original red-heads
Fred and his buddies. Brad Ostler slipped away before we could get a picture
Lili and a final farewell.
What a great family!! Fred and his siblings with Lili
We love you Grandma. Goodbye for now, we will be together again.

PS One funny moment to share: Just as Uncle Kendal was getting ready to dedicate the grave there were two great-great nephews who had just sat on the grass and looked up and said....Ooooo fireworks!! Guess they thought we had all gathered for a show.

In loving Memory of Nila Carlson

Yesterday Nila was released from this earthly existence. She no longer suffers and is free of any pain. What a blessing to endure to the end the way that she did. First of all I need to admit that I don't like the term "in-law" because of the negative connotation that is associated with it. My other mom. Nila has totally accepted me into the family and loved me like her own. Today I would like to share some of my favorite memories of Nila. This may end up being a work in progress. She always welcomed you into her home. She was positive and uplifting to be around. She encouraged you to always be your best. I loved playing the dictionary game with her and how she would break out in a silly song. That night totally caught me off guard. We all laughed so hard about it. I loved how she would always have a treat waiting for you and made sure that you had some goodies for the road. I appreciate the fact that she patiently taught my sweetheart how to read and that she loved to read to the grandchildren. I will miss her hot rolls, Christmas wreaths and oatmeal bread. I loved how she and I totally loved black licorice. I loved how she welcomed each new baby into the family and the look on her face as she cherished the time to get to know her new grandchild. I loved hearing the stories in the van on the way to a family reunion and her laughter about the silly things that she recalled doing in her life. I loved her example of service. She never really wanted anything, only to be surrounded by her family. I loved how she always inquired about how each family member was doing and how tickled she would be when we would come to visit. I loved her patience when all the family would gather at her home and the look on her face watching the grandchildren play in the front yard and in the ditch. I loved the birthday cards and valentines that would come. I loved how she would share the gospel with us. I felt honored being in her presence. She truly was a grand lady with a little spunk!! Thanks Nila, my other mom. I truly love you for everything !!!

Birthday Pics

The glow is from the candles folks............(shhh. not because some soccer dude came by)
The soccer dude with the chaperone glaring in the background. He has a name but I really shouldn't use it on the blog. U. R. A. Nutcase Mr. M!!! Beware he has a mean kick and he can run really fast.
This is one scary girl who used to live next door to us. She was posing in this picture believe it or not. NOT!! We miss our Abner and all of her crazyiness.
Alas, the prized gift of all time has been passed around once again. This infamous ugly soccer shirt was first purchased by Fred from Savers for .99. He loved it and we all thought is was so ugly. Fred likes it because it's an Adidas Shirt. We agree that it's still ugly. Fred wore it on his birthday just to give us all a bad time and now we give it to each other on special occasions. Sure hope Little K doesn't have my name for Christmas.
It's too bad that I didn't video this. We have a weird tradition of singing Happy Birthday in the most non-traditional annoying way that we can. I know it's strange but then, we're all a little wacky at our house.

Yes, it's Duncan at it again!!

This is Duncan after he had just told Aiden our neighbor child that is wasn't cool to have your nails painted even if they used "boy" colors. I am laughing too hard to type anything. The pictures say it all. Kallee..........you have married a funny guy that's for sure.

Saturday

I married a wonderful guy. Who else on a Saturday morning will let me sleep in, pick the tomatoes, wash the tomatoes, gather all the canning supplies, get the water ready and by time I have woke up and have worked on a scrapcard project has the tomatoes already steamed, enlisted Blake's help and has half of the tomatoes chopped and cooking in the pot? Fred. What a man and how I appreciate him. He doesn't even complain about it. Why? Because Fred is a great man who loves to make salsa and my version of chili/taco/everything base and doesn't think it's woman's work that's why.

No sleep

I work Monday through Thursday and look forward to Thursday evenings. It is the beginning of my weekend. I mentally unwind and usually do nothing most of the time if I can get away with it because I know the rest of the weekend will be full of catching up with laundry, housework and now canning season. The family went to a soccer match with Limmi, by the way Nat I like your spelling better than mine, and she was full of it. I think that she has had too many wrestling matches with people and she starts to play rough which Fred does not like at all. Limmi went on lots of long walks and was just worn out by time the match was over. When we arrived at home I climbed into bed and turned on Monk which is a great TV series that I enjoy watching. I fell asleep and before I knew it a knock came at the door. It was Little K announcing that she couldn't sleep and didn't feel well. In my mind I am thinking , you are 17 you can take care of yourself!! I climbed out of bed and went looking for some meds for her and the clock said 10:50 pm! What? I felt that I had been sleeping all night long. I got Little K taken care of and climbed back into bed. Just when I had fallen asleep, I hear another knock at the door....Mom, I can't sleep and I don't feel good. By now I figured out that she thinks if she can't sleep that nobody should sleep either. I reassure her that she is alright and to try and go back to bed. A little while later I hear Fred get up. He is a lot like Grandpa Carlson and wakes up early in the morning. His internal alarm can go off at 2, 3, or even 4:00 am. Kendal expressed that he suffers from the same syndrome. Hmmm.... I tell myself, he was trying to be quiet. I tried to go back to sleep and guess that I finally dozed off only to woken up by the DOG!! After that I gave up, watched the news and then finally got out of bed.
By now one would think that the kids, husband and dog are trained! Not exactly true. A mother's job is never done. I chuckle when the married one's call home when they're sick and still want a little TLC from mom , from now on I will tell them as they tell me.....you have a husband remember?
Inside joke. Have a great Friday!!

Spoiled Puppy

Man's Best Friend.

First Bath and boy did she need it.


She's not potty trained completely and it drives me nuts. she is full of it. She is Fred's best bud.

Sorry for the short post.