straight toque with tami,eh?

Video Chatting

2012-01-29T22:31:00.000-07:00

One of the coolest things I've experienced as a teacher

actually happened this past Thursday.

After communication with my friend Becca and a couple of trials and errors,

we were able to set up a video chat between our first grade classes.

Becca is the computer teacher at a private school in New York City.

After teaching a unit about communication, Becca

wanted to set up a video chat with two of her first grade classes

and our class here in Provo, Utah.

If I follow the pathway back to where all of this began, I am astounded.

You see, Becca and I met on an online message board about six years ago.

We began commenting about each other's posts and something truly clicked.

I really liked this woman!

I had the privilege of meeting Becca on a trip to New York City back

in 2007 on a trip to visit two of my other online friends (Chelle and Pam).

We went out for Indian food. Becca and I were instant friends.

We called each other the MormoJews.

Mormon+Jew

(I know...only funny to the two of us)

Then,

we met again in Denver for a Race For the Cure 5K.

Solidifying our friendship.

So...

back to the chat.

Because of the time difference, the only time we could connect was during half

of our lunchtime. I arranged for the children to have sack lunches that day which we

ate in our classroom. That alone just about did those children in!

That was very exciting for them to eat together like that.

Then,

After a few technical difficulties (Grrrrr!)

we finally connected and had a wonderful visit with the first graders at Becca’s school!

The children were mesmerized. I was too. It was so much fun.

Thank you, Becca. Thank you First Graders.

We are very excited to be penpals.

2012-01-19T17:49:00.000-07:00

Sarah Burke: 1982 - 2012

I don't know why this story of Sarah Burke has touched me the way it has. I remember hearing about her accident nine days ago in Park City. Maybe it was because she was a Canadian training in Utah. Maybe it was because she was so talented. Maybe because she is a fellow human being. I don't know. Maybe I do know and I don't want to really think about it. Like maybe it makes me think of my own young adult daughters. What do these mothers do when tragedies like this happen to their babies? How do they live on after their daughters move on ahead of them. Parents should never have to bury their children. It should be the other way around. My heart goes out to Sarah's family. Particularly her mother. I don't know her personally but, today...our hearts touched.

To read Sarah's story go here.

23! Really?

2012-01-14T01:00:00.000-07:00

We have a little saying in our family: The worst thing about the day after your birthday is...it's the day AFTER your birthday! Well, today is my youngest daughter's birthday. I decided to prolong her birthday by taking it into the day after the real one. Making the fact that it is the day AFTER her birthday and it makes it a little less difficult to have to wait another 365 days until her next one. Follow? That's okay if you don't. I tend to have that effect on a lot of people.

Now...about Erika. I realize that it is the proclamation of every mother to be amazed at how her child changes throughout her lifetime. I understand that. I understand that fully and completely. When I look back at my Erika through her 23 years here in this mortal existence, I am just so darned proud. I'm proud of the woman she has become. She was an adorable little child (see below), a precocious teenager, a thoughtful young adult, a beautiful bride, a faithful wife, and now...a mother. The only job she set her sights to being since she was a baby herself. You MAY have seen a cute little baby picture or two on this here blog. (Who am I kidding? You HAVE seen a hundred pictures of that baby!) Well, Erika is the mother of that little cherub.

To Erika I would like to say, I love you! You have changed me. I appreciate that you remind me how to be a better wife and mother myself. You mean the world to me and I admire you in so many ways. So many. Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for sharing your little family with me (and with dad too!!). Happy Birthday!

I made those shorts and headband
for little four year old
Erika.
I wonder where her natural waist
is in this picture!?

See?
Isn't she a beauty?

This is still one of my favorite pictures.
I had to include it here.

Here's Erika with her amazing husband, Tyler.
Look at how beautiful she is. Happiness looks good on
content, peaceful people.

And, finally...
This was the Senneff's Christmas card this past year.
Aren't they an adorable little family?

I think so too!

Thank A Teacher

2012-01-09T18:38:00.000-07:00

I received this note in my teacher mailbox today. I opened it. Read it. Cried. Right there on the spot. Little things like this keep teachers going. This one will keep me going for a good five to ten years! Thanks to my sweet little Shannon who is now a high school student. It meant the world to me.

PLEASE...y'all need to think of a teacher or two you had in your past and write them a note. It doesn't have to be long. It doesn't have to be eloquent. It just has to "be". You just can't believe the lift it will give.

Making Do

2012-01-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

How our New Year's Eve celebration was a little different this year:

1. Food: Lobster, crab legs, shrimp, ribeye steak Well, we always eat this on New Year's Eve but it's usually just my boyfriend and all alone! We've done this since we got married. Difference? Our guests!
2. Guests: Melissa/Danny, Erika/Tyler, Terry/Me, ELOISE! Difference? I finally talked them into a party at OUR house...plus, they're old and married now and finally appreciate seafood like the food of the Gods that it is. Ha!
3. Countdown: 8:00 pm(ish) Difference? It's obvious isn't it? We usually count down at midnight BUT...we had beautiful Baby El here and her bedtime is 8:00 so she had to go home to bed!
4. No party hats. Difference? I always have some sort of party hats. Why didn't we have them? Well, because I'm lame and didn't even think to buy them so I ran to my craft room an whipped just one up! (see above!) Everyone was super jealous, let me tell ya!
5. Games? Just one: Sequence. Difference? We usually just watch the tv parties.
6. Resolutions? Haven't written them yet. Perhaps that will be a blog post in my near future. Difference? Ummmm.....no difference. It usually takes me until June to actually get them written.

Three Little Memories

2011-12-31T22:18:00.001-07:00

I have been noticing a lot of posts on Facebook, Pinterest, blogs, etc. about vintage toys from the 70's. I decided that I had to get in on this fad. I was a small child in the 70's. In fact, the 70's decade was MY decade. I was seven years old in 1970. Being the youngest of six children and a girl after three boys (plus, seven years after the last child!) I pretty much had free range on getting the latest toy. (sorry siblings, but, I was)

So, I've been searching the web for the last hour or so and have had many, many memories flood my soul as I relived my childhood through, of all things, toys! (thank you youtube!) So, here are a just THREE of the many toys I found and specifically remember...maybe some of you will remember them as well!

1. My Easy Bake Oven

This is the exact oven I have. And by "have" I mean that I still have it. In my garage. I just showed it to Terry and he told me "never get rid of it". I won't. Remember how it cooked delicious little cakes by the power of a 100 watt lightbulb?? It smelled so good. Oh, and those sprinkles I put on at the end were ultra-delicious! I remember feeling like a real-live-honest-to-goodness-chef. At least that's what my daddy called me! Bless you, Dad!

2. Clackers!!

The sense of smell is one of the number one triggers of memory. Well, it's true. But I also believe that SOUND is also a huge trigger. When I watched this (and other) Youtube videos, the second I heard the noise of this toy, the memories came-a-calling. Painful memories, in particular! :) Those things could cause a concussion. Maybe that is why they were banned at school! I got super good at the tricks and could go for hours...just like this kid. Behold! I give you...CLACKERS!!

3. Crissy!

"Everyone knows that beautiful hair makes a girl look beautiful" REALLY?? I had no idea the marketing that went into Crissy! This ad is full of the word "beautiful". I counted the world "beautiful" 15 times in a 60 second commercial. No wonder I HAD to have this doll. What little girl didn't dream of being beautiful? I adored her and loved her so much. But, as usual, before it was even in my possession for one week, my brother Larry's dog, "Charlie" had chewed up her feet. (I could never keep anything nice with that dog around!) I can't believe my mother let him keep that dog!

Well, that was lots of fun. I found LOTS of other toys to blog about but will only "bore" you with three today. But, don't you worry...I will definitely do a Toys part two at some point. But, for now, I'll let you digest these three little gems. Do any of you remember these toys? I KNOW I can't be the only one!

Oh, and by the way, HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope that your 2012 will be the very best year of your life so far. I plan on having a fabulous year with lots and lots of changes...for the better.

I love you all...
TamTam

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:31:00.000-07:00

Best Weekend...SURPRISE! (warning: long)

2011-12-22T20:15:00.001-07:00

I just got home from Ft. Collins, Colorado. I had one of the most fun experiences I've ever had.

So, to back up just a tad, I need to tell you that my darling granddaughter, Isabel,

sent me a couple of letters asking me if I would come to her

performance in "The Nutcracker".

I really wanted to go but didn't know if I could swing it with school and $$.

But, after thinking about it and realizing how important this little girl is to me, I decided to go.

But, not only go...but to SURPRISE Isabel.

The only one who knew I was coming was my daughter-in-law, Erin.

So excited.

I got there around 12:00 and walked over to the school (by myself!) to

make the big reveal during the twin's lunch.

Oh yes...Isabel has a twin. His name is Milo and I adore and love him too...lest you think

I was ignoring him! :)

After checking in at the office, I went to the twins's classroom and met their amazing second grade

teacher. And, by "amazing" I do mean "AMAZING!"

She walked me to the lunchroom.

Milo saw me first.

He had several double takes. Then grabbed Isabel (whose back was to me).

When she saw me, she just stared with her mouth open then slowly

covered her mouth with her hand. (See re-enactment below!)

Milo said, "I feel like I'm in a dream!"

As I type this, I realize that there is NO WAY I can adequately write all the feelings

we had during that little surprise. It was very special and very memorable.

I wish I could relive it again and again.

Linton Elementary school.
Here's Milo (and the girl who is obsessed with him! Who wouldn't be)
And here's Issy in mock surprise and sitting next to her is her best friend Sarah.

I left the children and walked back to the house to get settled in. Then, returned at 3:00 to
walk them back home. I ended up helping the children finish up
their Christmas wrapping.
The second graders thought I was very magical because I could
curl ribbon with a pair of scissors!!

Later...

We took a trip to SuperTarget and picked up dinner at Panera.
I LOVE bread!

THE EVENT:

The Nutcracker!

My little Isabel had the part of a peppermint in the Ft. Collin's community performance of

The Nutcracker.

This was the reason I made the trip and I was so excited to be there.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to take pictures in the performance or at anytime of her cute little

costume. But, trust me, she was adorable.

These pictures are from the "after party" of the performance.

The program
Clara
Isabel!!!
The Spanish Dancer (MY personal favorite...next to the peppermints, of course!)

Trust me, she was fabulous!

She may or may not have bossed the other little peppermints around on the stage.

Or, as I like to call it, "Helped the others know what they were suppose to be doing three

steps before they had to do it."

Issy and her mother, Erin
Issy and her Grami, me!
Issy and her Grandma Kim and cousin Kiana!

Funny story. This is Penne (like the coin, not the pasta!).
She was one of the ushers for the performance. Sh asked me to put my phone away since pictures weren't
allowed. Of course, I told her I was just about to do so. Then I told her about my surprise visit.
Miss Penne had tears streaming down her cheeks.
She "got" the whole thing.
So, why didn't she pose for the picture? Well, she was deep in conversation and no
matter how long I stood there, she didn't flinch. So, Grandma Kim just
went ahead and snapped the photo.

SATURDAY

After sleeping in until 8:30 am!!! Erin, Isabel, and I put on our shopping shoes and headed

to Old Town...my favorite part of Ft. Collins.

Best toy store ever!

There was a lot of Christmas "magic" going on during our shopping time together. It was very nostalgic for me for some reason. We saw real old-fashioned carolers..complete with long dresses, boxy hats, and muffs. Plus, they sang like angels.

We saw "Santa" skating around on the outdoor skating rink. Erin told me that he usually skates with an accordion. I would have paid to see that!

There were street singers galore. A 10 year old violinist, a young hipster couple singing duets, pianists at a piano painted bright green with painted lady bugs covering it. A frozen fountain with an icy waterfall and sign reminding me "Do not play in the fountain". I didn't.

Plus, it was 52 degrees outside that day...Perfection!

But the best part was when we were walking down the street and a police car was driving ahead of a horse drawn wagon. Inside the wagon were about 15 children along with Santa Claus. They were waving a shouting "Merry Christmas" to everyone walking along the street. As if THAT weren't enough, they came to a stop at the light and the children called to all of the children along the street to come over to the wagon.

This included Isabel. The children then handed out gifts...big gifts (not just candy!) to each child. Some got games, others got dolls. Isabel ended up with a Beanie Baby teddy bear. She named it "Violet".

What a cool Christmas memory, eh?

This is a small snippet of MY eye candy I ran into whilst shopping.
Oh wait, that top one is actual CANDY! I made Spencer a batch of caramels using his
Grandma Neen's (my mother-in-law) recipe!

We met Spencer at
SPOONERS
and ate frozen yogurt with Milo and Keeler.

Then I had the privilege of tending Keeler while the family went to
The Nutcracker closing performance.

One little cute story about Keeler:
I thought I'd sing him a lovely song before bed and so I sang "Jingle Bell".
Before I even got to "oh what fun it is to ride"
he pushed me away and covered his ears saying
"NO! Stop! Yucky!"
I'll have to work on my skills!

SUNDAY...
last day.

We finished an entire chapter book during my visit.
I love to read to children. This was no different. I will never be able to look at an Ivy and Bean book
ever again without thinking of my twins!

Exchanging of gifts!

I bought the children an Elf on the Shelf while I was there.
I'm so glad I did. They named him "Fritz" and it was more fun than any of us could have imagined.

Seriously, best trip ever!

BONUS: I flew to Denver using the new Frontier Airlines service out of PROVO!! Best thing ever. No one hour drive to the SLC airport. And no long drive back to Provo
when I came back. It is the greatest.
Plus...it was $50 cheaper each way.
Just FYI

Oh Say Can You See?

2011-12-12T20:00:00.002-07:00

Today was priceless! Little Burt Ray really surprised the class this morning. No one could find him, though they tried mercilessly to do so. He was nowhere to be found...that is...until it was time for the National Anthem:

Naughty little elf!

My "pixie" Burt Ray"!

2011-12-10T23:49:00.000-07:00

I have a very strong memory of TWO Christmas ornaments from my childhood.

1. A beautiful red Christmas ornament with a frosted Santa and his reindeer

pulling the sleigh. The image wrapped most of the way around it. It was/is very fragile.

I remember that it was a special privilege to be the "One" to lift it from the Christmas decoration box,

unwrap it, Then pick the perfect spot on the tree so it

wouldn't shatter if it got bumped. I believe it once belonged to my grandmother.

I have no idea where that ornament is but the

memory alone is sweet to my being.

2. My mother had a little "pixie" that I would sit and look at and occasionally

play with. I loved my little pixie with all my heart and it just so happens that I ended up with it in my own Christmas decoration box.

Lucky girl that I am.

Someone has cashed in on this little pixie. Well not 'THIS' one but ones like it.

Have you heard of "The Elf on the Shelf" book and elf?

It's an adorable tradition. A little elf is placed on a shelf to watch children and then report

back to Santa as to whether the child was naughty or nice.

The fun part comes when said elf hides in a new place every single day. Sometimes twice!

One of my students, Averie, shared her elf with the class and by the next day

four or five parents had called Averie's mother to find out where to buy this little elf and book.

A phenomenon! Soon, several children were writing all about their elves in their

journals. I love it.

Now...I decided to find my "pixie" and have him delivered to our classroom

to watch over the children. ;)

It's a funny thing about pixie elves...they are very mischievous.

They shows up in several silly places.

Burt Ray is no exception!

The children giggle with glee (I love the word "glee") when they find little

Burt Ray in his new hiding spot!

They all try to be the first to spy him.

Take a look for yourself at some of the places Burt Ray has shown up:

So, as you can see, Burt Ray could turn up anywhere! Stay tuned for a few more days of hidden pixie fun!! Plus, you should definitely purchase your family and Elf on the Shelf and start creating YOUR Christmas tradition! (I am in no way affiliated with the people at The Elf On The Shelf people! I just loved the whole idea!)

I Can't Express...

2011-12-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

the love I have for this little chickadee...

Merry Christmas!

The ABC's of Mel Rae

2011-12-03T23:27:00.002-07:00

My first born child turned 24 today! (How does that even happen? I mean my children get older but I don't! Weird! )

Anyway, Melissa has reached another milestone in her live. 24!!! I could take this entire blog to tell you over and over again but, I'm not going to...

Okay, just joking. I'm sharing a couple of pictures as well as a few adjectives to remind us all why we adore her. And, since I teach 1st grade, I thought I'd go with an alphabet theme.

A bsolutely stunning!
B rainy!
C aptivating personality.
D aring
E xtraordinary!
F riend to many, many, many a friend!
G racious
H uge personality PLUS!
I ntelligent (You know she's a marketing whiz??)
J eans...man, she looks good in her jeans. (that isn't creepy is it?)
K issable (right Danny?)
L ovely
M arvelous
N ice (I know that sounds trite but...it is just so true about her.
O ptomistic
P ure (Deep within her soul she is full of purity)
Q ueen of everything!
R eally good Reader
S stylish
T rue
U nique
V ivacious
W onderful
X tra great sister! (Right Erika? Right Abbie? Right Melissa? Right Erin? Right Mia?
Y oung...youthful!
Z ealous

Everything I Know About Hanukkah, I learned from Children's Books and Adam Sandler

2011-12-03T01:18:00.001-07:00

If I were not a member of The LDS church, I would want to be Jewish. Seriously. I'm the first to admit that I don't know a whole lot about this religion. As a matter of fact, I met my first Jew (Unless you count my Jewish penpal from NYC when I was in sixth through tenth grade. We thought we had a lot in common since we both went to "temple") when I visited NYC in 2007 and I loved/love her and we were friends at first sight over a plate of Indian food! I think I was the first legitimate Mormon that she had met as well. Together we called ourselves "MoMoJews". She is a brilliant woman and has a very entertaining blog. Find her at magicjewball.com. I love Becca and admire her beyond measure. Since she's Jewish, it stands to reason that ALL Jewish people are also wonderful and admirable as she...just like ALL Mormons are perfect like me! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Okay, enough of that. Now, for the real reason I would convert. It is for the mere fact that I love, love, LOVE Hanukkah. I love everything about it. The gelt, the latkes, the goblins, the menorah, the candles, blue, white, Judas and the Maccabees, the star of David...all of it. I have the same magical feeling inside that I get with Christmas. There is a story. A very special story at the very root of the holiday. I relish the idea of lighting a candle on each of the eight days. Of using the shamash candle to light the others. Instead of one day of presents they have eight crazy nights! (that's the part I learned from Adam Sandler)
Any special day set aside to celebrate and remember a miraculous bit of history is well worth my time in celebrating it. Such is the story of the Festival of Lights. A miracle of having enough oil in the temple to last for eight days instead of one after pleading with God to make it so, is a story I can really get behind.

How did this love of all things Hanukkah begin? It was on the streets of Portland, Oregon. My new husband and I were there on a business trip. While he was in meetings, I roamed the streets. I slipped into a small little shop that sold all things Jewish, in particular, Hanukkah. I was smitten right away. I purchased my own little brass menorah with a box of 144 blue and white candles. I bought chocolate Hanukkah gelt and a bunch of dreidels...like at least 20. Then I headed down to Powell's Bookstore (Most amazing bookstore in the universe) and bought up as many children's Hanukkah books as I could afford, and maybe even some that I couldn't (wink wink).

I brought everything home and have been obsessed ever since. I haven't missed a single year of reading books about Hanukkah and trying to expose my students to as much about other annual celebrations, in addition to Christmas, this time of year. I remember one year I invited my next door neighbor, Eric Huntsman, to be our special guest. Eric was/is a professor of ancient history at Brigham Young University. He speaks about 8000 different languages (not really but he does speak several that I wouldn't ever even think of learning...Hebrew doesn't really come in all that handy these dayd) and he was able to come and share some things about Hanukkah. Then, he gave us a sense of how Hebrew sounds by reciting a couple of the blessings said at Hanukkah time. If you would like to know more about Eric, he is currently living in Jerusalem teaching for BYU in the study abroad program and has a family blog.

After Eric presented, and most years since, I served up some delicious latkes with sour cream and we played the Dreidel game. This has been my tradition ever since...minus Eric, of course! It is my favorite week of the year. The children usually don't know anything about Hanukkah and are just as mesmerized about it as I am.

If none of this makes sense to you and you are thinking to yourself how crazy and far-fetched my ideas about religion are, just know that it's okay. I didn't write this to "make sense" but, rather, to put in words the feeling that have so often been rattling around inside me. I am transfixed when it comes to the topic of religion and love to understand what others believe. It really does build love and understanding rather than forcing us all to misjudge others by being misguided and ignorant.

So...when I hear the greeting "Happy Holidays!" I don't think of it as leaving Christ out of Christmas but, rather, celebrating the religious beliefs of others' who may be different than mine. Give me Christmas and I will always remember and love my savior, Jesus Christ and love him for his life and sacrifice. Plus, the thought of Him being born in a stable to his beautiful mother Mary and stalwart and strong step-father, Joseph will forever make my heart sing at Christmastime. But I think it can sing too for my friends who believe something perhaps a little different than I do. That is just fine. Love, acceptance, understanding, and friendship are what these here holidays are all about.

So, to my Jewish friends a very Happy Hanukkah (beginning December 20th)! I hope you will make room for me at your holiday table and even save me a latke or two!

This is a beautiful and tender story about two little friends, one Jewish (named Becca) and one Christian (named Tami)
Who think of each other at the holiday season and work to make each
life happy and fulfilled.

The Trees of the Dancing Goats
Oh how I LOVE this author, Patricia Polacco, whom I have met a couple of times.
She is a dear, dear lady. Read her books (especially this one and also Pink and Say) if you haven't.
She is amazing. The story is amazing.
Even if she really didn't name her characters
Becca and Tami!!

Books featured in this post:

1. Hanukkah By: Roni Schotler I love the illustrations in this book. It also is written with a rhyme and rhythm that children love and appreciate!

2. The Chanukkah Guest By Eric A. Kimmel This is a cute story about an older woman who makes the best latkes in the village. Her eyesight is failing and when she thinks she is serving latkes to her rabbi, she is really serving to a real, live BEAR! The children love this and think it is hysterical!

3. The Magic Dreidel By: Eric A. Kimmel (this guy writes a lot of Jewish literature) This book is really cute. It has all of the necessary characters (Fruma Sarah, goblins, gelt, dreidels, latkes, etc. etc.) The children really enjoy this book as well. They love to hear how a regular little boy can get into cahoots with a silly goblin to teach the crochity old busy body neighbor a valuable lesson.

4. Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins By: Eric A Kimmel (See what I mean about Eric A. Kimmel?) This is probably my very favorite Hanukkah story. Hersel goes into a village...there are many villages in Jewish folklore...where they haven't celebrated Hanukkah for many years because of the goblins who have overrun the synagogue. When I read this book to my class, they always put forth every sound available to their wonder! "Oooohhhhhh!" "Uhhh Ohhhh!" "Oh no!!!" "Aweee!" And I LOVE it. The illustrations are awesome. Read this one if you get the chance.)

5. Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel! By: ? You've heard the song..."Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel. I made you out of clay..." Well, this book takes the traditional words of that song and puts illustrations to go along with each line. PLUS (are you ready for this?) see that round button up there on the book? Well you push it and it plays the Dreidel song. Have you ever heard first graders fighting over a book during free-reading time??? Well I have. And it's every year over the Dreidel book. :0

6. See above.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

2011-11-20T12:56:00.001-07:00

It's a tradition around here that I post this Thanksgiving video.

It makes me happy. I feel like I claim it as my own even though I had

nothing to do with the making of it.

So if you have followed my blog for a long time,

enjoy it again!

If you're new around here,

enjoy it for the first time.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

My El

2011-11-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

Do you think she likes this bow??

Me Neither!

(sorry about the blurry cell phone pictures! I need a new phone.)

An Awesome Friday Spent With Heros!

2011-11-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had the great pleasure of making plans, organizing, rehearsing, and hard work, then seeing it all come to fruition? Every now and then it happens to me. This past week

I was the right-hand-man (so to speak) to Diane (the facilitator of our school) as we planned the

Veteran's Day assembly.

Let me just tell you that it was one of the best assemblies that our school has ever had.

And by "best" I mean that it was meaningful, well-thought out,

and memorable.

Not because of anything we did but because the reason we were having it in the first place...

to honor our veterans.

We had invited any families with veterans to come to school to be honored

on November 11, 2011.

We had 17 in all!!

It was a beautiful sight.

The sweetest thing of all was when the children stood with their "veteran" and introduced him/her.

It had been my job to work with the students and then to prompt

them during the assembly. What remarkable children they were. So sweet and so proud

of their guest. I was getting choked up just in the practice.

Their little introductions went something like this:

My name is _____________.

I'd like to introduce you to my grandpa (dad, uncle, neighbor) _____________.

He/She served our country in the _______________.

And was a member of the ________________.

We had valiant men who served in Vietnam, Operation Iraqi Freedom (all years), The Korean War,

The Cuban Missile Crisis, and a woman who spent a year on (in??) a submarine

during the Iraqi conflict. We had a representative from every branch of the Armed Forces.

But, perhaps the most amazing of all was a 93 year old veteran who served in WWII.

He was among the first to liberate the concentration camp at Dachu, Germany. I got to handle his authentic swastika flag he torn down from a German post office and touch his Purple Heart and Bronze Star. I could've listened to his stories all day -- one of the last of an amazing generation.

I felt a shiver down my spine as I touched that flag and then his purple heart. He told about his buddy dying on his lap--still knew his name--a soldier from New York. Then how the Russians just all of a sudden released him from the POW camp, helping the liberated prisoners at Dachu, amazing!

He spoke for about 10 minutes and showed us several artifacts.

One of which was his actual helmet he wore.

Lucky Leah, from my class, was chosen to come up and put it on.

When he was finished speaking, he received a standing ovation. There truly was not an adult dry eye in the place. I also believe that the children also felt "something" in their hearts as they listened and watched all of the clapping going on around them. It was just a very special and proud moment.

I'm so glad I was able to be a part of the entire program.

Yes, this lowly Canadian is proud to be living in this great country.

Thanks for letting me stay.

This little sweetie was born when her daddy was serving in Iraq, 2006-2007.

She actually told me that...including the years!

Smarty Pants!

We had two lovely musical numbers.

Even the babies were dressed in camo! :)

Water Problems

2011-11-10T17:22:00.001-07:00

Water...

How can something so good for me

be so hard to drink every single day?

I can't figure out how to do both...

Is it so wrong that I don't really WANT to figure it out?

(By the way, Diet Coke is on sale RIGHT NOW at Macey's grocery store AND

Fresh Market for

4 packs/$11!!! Go buy three for you and bring one to me! :)) )

First Halloween For My Little Pumpkin Eloise!

2011-11-01T21:49:00.001-06:00

Who knew that Halloween could be so magical (in it's own way) just

like Christmas??

This year I channelled my High School sewing teacher, Ms. Kopitzki, to make my little grand daughter a Halloween costume. Ms. Kopitzki taught me how to

alter patterns, sew darts, put in a lining, stay stitch, slip stitch, put in a zipper,

and many more sewing skills.

I definitely called on those skills

(30 years ago...THIRTY YEARS! WHAT???)

as I sewed Ellee's Snow White costume.

It turned out looking mighty adorable and fit her like a glove.

If Halloween had been even one day later, it wouldn't have fit her.

Take a look at the most fun I've had since she was born...

Erika dressed as the wicked witch to match

sweet little El.

(Notice the piping on the front in the top photo compared to the one below??

It got a little wet with Eloise's "teething drool" and came loose! I KNEW

I should have tacked it down with a needle and thread!)

If you look really closely, you can see that Eloise's daddy was

dressed as Uncle Sam which had nothing to do with Snow White.

I wish I had thought of making Tyler a dwarf costume but...I didn't.

Peeking over Grami's shoulder!
Look at those cheeks!

This girl KNOWS how to wear a hat!!

AND, how to carve a pumpkin!

We definitely had a wonderful Halloween

around my house.

Just don't ask me about the nasty

looking mummy wrapped wieners!

How to save a few cents!

2011-10-20T22:44:00.000-06:00

I feel the need to add to the blogging frenzy that is everything FRUGAL! You've seen them: "Frugal Family Fun" "Frugality Is Free" "Suddenly Frugal" "A Frugal Living Blog by a Frugal Living Guy" "Fabulessly Frugal" "Onefrugalgirl" and my personal favorite: "Everything's Coming Up Frugal For You and For Me!" (not really, I just made that one up). And, let it be noted that I absolutely LOVE them. Who doesn't like saving money? (Just don't buy 100 bottles of mouthwash just to save a couple of bucks. Right Rachel??) These blogs have taught me how to make homemade laundry detergent, both liquid AND powder. (They actually work too) I have learned to clean just about everything for under a buck or two. I've learned how to use the little selvage edge of fabric to make a lovely satchel. (just kidding, I made that one up too, but, I'll bet someone, somewhere has actually made one!) I've also found a website where I can buy PRICELESS heal cream (www.solesundae.com). But that is another post for another day, however, you may want to get your Christmas orders in early! :)

Anyway, I am now going to share one of my favorite money saving tips for the grocery store. I make a lot of sauces and gravy (I'm famous 'round these parts for my gravy). I love making soups as well. Most of these recipes call for beef or chicken broth. I like the canned kind just fine but, for an extra "punch" I like to dissolve a boulion cube in hot water. It adds great flavor andis well worth the extra effort of heating the water.

(An aside: My mom used to make hot beef boulion broth for me when I wasn't feeling well. Just water and flavouring. That's it. I adored that stuff, and I adored the way it made me feel when mum would bring it to me and play with my hair while I sipped it. It was an instant healer!)

Now back to my frugal tip. I'm sure you already know about the whole "buy your spices from the Mexican Food Aisle" thing. (If you don't...just check it out next time you are at the store. The prices are unbelievably better there) Well, your boulion is also much, much cheaper and, in my humble opinion, tastier than the American made flavors. See??

These are only 21.9 cents per serving

These are .91 cents per serving

Pretty much a no-brainer, right?? Think of me next time you need boulion cubes, won't you??

You're welcome.

(I seriously can't believe that I wrote an entire blog post about boulion cubes. What's up with me?)

Like Father, Like Daughter

2011-10-16T13:59:00.001-06:00

So, I think I channelled my dad this morning. You see, my dad was a numbers man. By numbers I mean, number facts. Like, who travelled the farthest to get to a wedding. Or, how many steps it would take to walk to my sister's house in Northern BC. When I was living in Utah raising my little family of two, my parents were home in Canada putting together a family cookbook. My dad figured out the following: Each book took 96 sheets of paper for 210 books =20,160 sheets or 40,320 single sheets of paper altogether. Typing: 384 pages in each book@ 20 minutes typing per page =7680 minutes or 128 hours. The length of the assembly line for collating the book was 136 feet. Total feet travelled was 28560 feet OR 5.4 miles OR 9520 steps. And, my favorite little tidbit he figured out was about the binding of the cookbook. He figured that it took 17 pulls of the lever to hole punch each book which equalled 3570 "pulls" to produce all of the books.

See what I mean? He loved trivia like this. Whenever he would expound this "knowledge" to his ~~captive~~ audience, he would end with a super fact to see if you were really listening. For example, after telling us his astounding facts about how far people had travelled, or how many steps it took for everyone to arrive at some family gathering, he would say something like "Now, if ALL of those people were laid end to end around the world, they would all be a lot more comfortable!" Ahhhhhhh...Dad!

Which brings me to my "channeling of my pops" this morning. The sink in my bathroom has been leaking for some time now. Every time I see it I think "I've really got to fix that thing because I'm really wasting a lot of water." So, today I figured out just how much.
I placed a quart jar under the drip and set a timer. Here's what I found out:

It took 8 minutes 35 seconds to fill my quart jar.
Which would mean that it would take 33.4 minutes to fill a gallon.
From there, I found out the average size of a bathtub (42 gallons by the way). Which means that it takes 1670 minutes to fill that tub meaning that I am filling up my bathtub approximately once every single day (every 23 and a half hours!) What a waste of water and money. I was shocked.

There was a certain satisfaction that came from figuring out this bit of information.

I get it Dad. I really get it. Yet one more reason why I loved/love him so much.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving To All and To All a Good Night!

2011-10-13T19:55:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite celebrations of the year.

I hope you don't mind but, I'm going to list everyone who came.

Mostly because I'm thankful for...them.

• Terry (husband)

• Tami (me)

• Melissa (daughter)

• Danny (son-in-law)

• Erika (daughter)

• TYLER (son-in-law)

• Eloise (grand daughter)

• Adrianne (niece, Brian's daughter)

• Dan (Adrianne's hub)

• Kelsey (Adrianne's daughter)

• Rachel (Adrianne's daughter)

• Riley (Adrianne's daughter)

• Samantha (Adrianne's daughter)

• Brant (nephew, Brian's son)

• Ariel (Brant's wifey)

• Aiden (Brant's son)

• Ezra (Brant's son and Aiden's twin)

• Gabriel (Brant's son)

• Asher (Brant's son)

...weird...just realized that Adrianne has four girls and Brant four boys...

anyway,

• Jodi (niece)

• Dylan (Jodi's son)

• Alycia (Jodi's daughter)

• Tansy (nephew David's wife, and Donna's daughter-in-law)

• Holly (Tansy's daughter)

• Daniel (Tansy's son)

• Russell (Nephew, Donna's son)

• Heather (Russell's wife)

• Rylie (Russells's daughter)

• Hailey (Russell's daughter)

• Duke Heaton (friend)

• Angela ( Duke's wife and our good friend)

• Leschia (Duke and Ang's daughter)

• Uh-oh...can't remember Leschia's baby daughter's name

• Kevin Walton (friend)

• Rachel Walton (friend and co-worker)

• Adelaide (Kevin and Rachel's 11 month old daughter)

• Melissa Bayless (my friend and next door teacher-mate)

We had a great time There was lots of turkey, family, friends, and everywhere I looked,

there was a baby! I loved it. Every drop of effort I put into hosting this

Canadian Thanksgiving

was worth it.

Oh, and for good measure and just so that everyone knows...

My recipe for White Chocolate Cheesecake (a tradition) was the

BEST

that I have ever made.

You really should have had a piece!

Oh well, there's always next year! Right?

(Perhaps it was a tad boring for Danny!)

That last picture there was NOT intentional.

Terry just had me hold that knife up there because it would be "cool"!

I actually sliced open on a mandolin vegetable slicer.

I should have probably got a couple of stitches,

but...

who has time for THAT when there are people to feed!

Worth it? Yes!

2011-10-05T20:37:00.000-06:00

I don't know if you know this or not but I teach in the after-school program at Amelia Earhart...the same school at which I teach. I teach the Reading Remediation class for first and second graders. This simply means that I stay an extra hour after school and read to, with, and listen to children reading and enriching their learning on the computer. No, you're right. It is not my favorite thing to put in one more hour of work but, it's good money and five minutes into the class, I remember why I "really" do it. I love those kids.

Anyway, I have children who I know and love from this year as well as children who I know and love from last year (now second graders). Remember Cybil? You know, the little girl who called me a "drama queen" last year? The one I fell in love with and who basically changed my life and thinking as a teacher? Ya, her. Well, she's in my class. I'm thrilled.

She ~~walked~~ strutted into the class and announced:

"It seems like only yesterday that I was walking into this classroom everyday!"

then to the other students:

"Just so everyone knows, Mrs. Anderson was my teacher last year. She likes it when you

play with her shoes and she loves Diet Coke.

Remember that and you've got it made in the shade!"

Oh how I love her. (did I just say that?) She changed me. I'm ready.

You know what bugs me?

2011-09-29T18:22:00.000-06:00

Extreme Couponing. It just puts me in a bad mood. Something about it makes me want to punch those people in the face. (I'm not a puncher either) It seems sort of dishonest to me. Like the extreme couponer is taking advantage of the business. I'm all for home storage, but 300 containers of deodorant or 1000 bottles (yes, 1000) of body wash? Really?

Am I just jealous?

Timing Is Everything!

2011-09-26T19:34:00.000-06:00

Last Friday I had a very nice surprise.

I had just checked my teacher mailbox at school to find

a card addressed to me.

The first thing I noticed was the return address because...

it was MINE!

At first I thought that maybe Mel Rae had sent me a little love note!

NOPE!

After much thinking a wracking my brain about why I had sent myself a card,

I remembered that on my last CITES training in Park City, we each wrote a note to ourselves.

At the time, I thought it was a very weird activity.

BUT...

I'm here to tell you that it was one of the coolest things I've experienced.

WHY??

Well, on a personal note, I have been struggling lately. I'm feeling sluggish, chubby (Ha!). I'm feeling really down on myself and exhausted since the first day of school. In short, I've been having

a pity party for one that is going on way too long.

I need to change.

I need to pull it together.

Surprisingly...my little card that someone at the meeting

had held onto since May, might just have me on my way.

Timing really is everything.

Oh...and I mailed myself a dollar for the day which will buy

exactly two cans of Diet Coke.

Eat, Drink, and Be Married! (The Wedding Luncheon!)

2011-09-20T19:36:00.000-06:00

Right after the marriage at the temple and all of the photography going on, we had

a very hungry bunch of people.

Thank goodness for our dear Abbie who brought her camera and

was able to get some fabulous shots at the luncheon.

Thanks so much Abbie!

We had arranged to have a luncheon "under the Sullivan treehouse"

(that's the actual wording from the invite!)

It was absolutely beautiful!

We simply took several quilts, set up about four tables with a few chairs...for

us "old" folks, but mostly we sat on the quilts, to eat lovely boxed lunches from

Apple Spice Junction and...wait for it...

Diet Cokes with Sonic pebbled ice all around!

Perfection.

My favorite part of the luncheon (aside from the whole reason we were there...Melissa and Danny!) was my ever present and helpful daughters, Erika, Erin,

Abbie, and Melissa who took over the simple decorations of over 100

pennant bunting flags. (I sewed the last one at 1:00 am the morning of!) We couldn't have had a beautiful looking luncheon without them jumping in to help.

Thank you. I love you all for keeping me sane.

Danny's dad, Brian, gave a remarkable blessing on the food. He asked for

blessings to be on the new couple as they started their new life together.

It was memorable and very sweet.

So, here you go again: more pictures to make you feel like you were there.

Maybe you were!

Hopefully you will feel like you were...if you weren't. (weirdo!)

Before

After

It really was magical.

Oh boy!

We love our friends.

I love these pictures of the happy couple
swinging and having fun.
They looked so happy and that made ME happy.
Aren't they adorable??

This is a repost of my three girls.
Priceless!

Proof that I was there.
:)

"A Place of Love and Beauty" (Wedding: Part 1)

2011-09-17T13:03:00.001-06:00

Melissa and Danny

Married for time and all eternity

August 13, 2011

Oh what a day! My oldest daughter wed Danny Sullivan in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. We worked and slaved over every detail of this wedding. We giggled sometimes. Sometimes we cried. Often the color I picked for something was "off" and I fretted. More often than not, our ideas were spot on. The outcome was beautiful and amazing. (which will be forthcoming) Everyone said so. It was happy and special and lots of fun.

However, honestly, all of the preparations, the reception, the luncheon in between all pale in comparison to the wonderful, eternal, marriage ceremony. Only the closest of friends and family are allowed to witness the union. I know that the rest of the world may have a hard time with this aspect of our religion. I am always astounded at those who truly understand about the sacredness of a person's beliefs and allows them to practice without persecution. Just know that (as the title says) the temple is a place of LOVE and Beauty. Only marvelous and joyous things take place there. And this was definitely one of them.

As a mother, I cannot properly express the feelings I had to see my lovely daughter sitting in the sealing (marriage) room ready to become a wife. I remember sitting beside her and looking around the room at those in attendance that meant so much to me in my life. People who have supported me through so many things and now were there to support me as my Melissa was married. People I truly love like: My sweet youngest daughter, Erika and her stalwart and true husband Tyler. My heart might as well have exploded in my chest looking at them and knowing how much they loved their sister Melissa.

There was Terry, my strong rock of a husband who let me into his life to love his children who were also there: Spencer and Erin and Abbie. I love them as my own. And knowing that his daughter, Melissa would be waiting outside the temple doors to meet us made me smile as well. It was nice to see Terry's sister Becky who is in very poor health accompanied by his niece Liz. Terry's family has always been such a supportive family to us.

Then there were my friends and family: Kathe and Fred Torgerson, my best friend who bought me both my dress AND shoes for the wedding! But, more than that, she has been a true sister to me. I love her. There was Brian, my brother and his wife Sarah (my sister) who came from Calgary, Canada to support my little family. Their daughter Adrianne and their son Brant with wife Ariel were there as well. I adore my family.

Then, as I continued my perusal of the room, I saw Melissa's friends who were instrumental friends who worked together with Melissa to remain "good" girls throughout their growing pains. Lindey and Corbin, Ali and Warner. Thanks for loving Melissa.

Then there was Danny's family. I looked at them and realized that they were the backbone of my new son-in-laws life. They helped build his strength and love and respect he shows my daughter. Linda and Brian and Danny's grandpa that I can't remember his name right now but love. I felt so thankful for the way they raised their son and know she is in good hands for the rest of her life.

The ceremony was beautiful. I cried. But, if you know me, that isn't surprising. I am including, oh I don't know, maybe 1000 pictures for my readers to look at at their leisure. I just couldn't pare it down any more than I could. So, enjoy. But, be forewarned that there are lots of them.

•Audrie peeking through the temple doors.
•The happy couple.
•Terry with Milo and Eli.
•Beauty

•Erika and Melissa
•Terry and Melissa
•The Groom
•The Bride

So beautiful and happy.

All of the children.
(I made those yellow dresses by the way!)

This collage cracks me up. I mean, who wouldn't want to hug the bride?
So, beginning at the top left and going clockwise: Olivia, Melissa, Kathe,
Sarah, Erin, Linda hugging Danny, Mallory B., Melissa (yet ANOTHER one. This one
will be Mel Rae's new sister-in-law!), Ian, Sean, Abbie, Mia, Daddio, Erika, me,
Isabel hugging Eloise,
WHEW!

The Littles in the Front: Eli, Milo, Isabel, Olivia, Audrie, and Lyla.
The Center Row: Grandpa Reynolds, Linday, Melissa, baby Collin, Sean, Brian, Mia
Brant, Adrianne, Ariel, Erika and baby Eloise, Danny, Melissa, Moi, Terry, Abbie, Elizabeth, Becky,
Erin and Keeler, Spencer, Melissa, Kathe and Fred.
Back Row: Ian, Conner, Tyler, Richie, Corbin, Lindey with baby Nora, Mallory B., Ali, Warner.

My offspring (sort of):
Me, Terry, Melissa, Danny, Erika, Tyler and Eloise.

Terry's offspring mixed with my offspring makes one HUGE lovely and perfect family.
Oh how I love each and every one of them.
Front littles (again): Eloise, Milo, Isabel (M and I are twins), Keeler, Olivia, Audrie, Eli, and Lyla.
(Olivia and Lyla are twins as well!)
Back row: Tyler, Erika, Spencer, Erin, Me, Danny, Melissa, Terry, Melissa, Abbie

Danny's, and now Melissa's, sweet family:
Brian, Ian, Mia, Danny, Melissa, Sean, Melissa with baby Collin, and Linda

Such an amazing morning. I could live it over and over again.

Still Waiting...

2011-09-04T23:19:00.002-06:00

I'm still waiting for the "official" pictures from the wedding and also for the

"okay" from Melissa to post them.

(for a sneak peak, go to Abbie's blog! shhhh....don't tell Melissa)

So, while I wait, I am going to do a picture purge.

Or as Erika calls it "a photo dump"

of some of the pictures that have been hanging around on my phone and maybe a

couple of other places as well.

A man and his dog!
or
A dog and his man!

These are the lovely ladies I work with everyday. My fellow first grade teachers:
Melissa and Frankie
(of course I had to stand by the little teeny tiny long and lean lady! I love her still...even if she is skinny!)

www.solesundae.com
My second life!

I had no place to put little Ellee when she fell asleep.
So, I used the little play doll bed my daddy made for me when I was four years old.
My name is even carved in the side...by me...with a sharp knife...don't tell mom.

One of the many DIY wedding projects I made during the Summer.

Foot cream anyone??
www.solesundae.com

Shopping with my BFF, Kathe.

Eloise is three months old!

I reeeeeaaallllly need these shoes!

Trust

2011-08-29T18:46:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking a lot about TRUST lately. I'm sure it has ~~something~~ everything to do with the start of a new school year. It is no secret that our first grade classes are bursting at the seams. We have never had more than 20 children in each first grade class in over 14 years. But, given the educational budget of today, we are now sporting over 26! That is too many, but, that is a whole different post that I'll tackle some other day...maybe.

So, back to this trust thing. Every now and then, I have a huge epiphany. Today it came while reading "Purple, Green, and Yellow" (by Robert Munsch) aloud to the class. I was hit with this thought of "Oh my heck (it was actually something else but, I never say swears on this here blog...hee!) I am in charge of 26 little six-year-old children! How in the world do their parents allow them to be in MY care for six and a half hours each day?" (I'm sure you are wondering how I can read and think about something else at the same time. Let's just say...it's one of my talents. Don't ask how it happens. It just does. The end.)

Think about it. For most of these children, it is the first time their parents have even heard of Mrs. Anderson. For others, they have "heard" of me but have no experience with me. And then there are those who have siblings who have been with me in years past. (I'm NOT talking about those who's parents I may have taught...I'm just not going there!) And it gives me pause to wonder how these parents trust me with their most prized possessions. Their babies.

They trust that I will not only teach their children everything the state core tells me that I must but they trust me to:

• keep their child safe
• make sure their child gets food and water
• take care of minor scrapes and bruises (which I always doctor using a band-aid with a kiss on top.)
• dry tears
• tie shoes
• listen...to EVERYTHING!!
• teach their child to READ!

The list goes on, and on, and on. My point, though, is not to say "Oh me, oh my. Look at me. My job is so hard aren't I great??" No, my point is, I can't believe that parents put their trust in me to care for their children. If something were to happen during school hours where there would be a delay before parents could reach us, it is left to me to keep the children safe. To calm their fears. To dry their tears. To hold them. To keep them. To love them.

And so, to those parents who may read this little blog, who may have children entrusted to my care, please know that I vow to do my best to be everything you want me to be in your absence. I know how difficult it is to trust your precious little souls to someone else. I hope you won't be disappointed.

...I simply can't make a post without a picture...I tried. So, here you go. A picture that has nothing to do with this post. I just like it! :)

This is a picture of our sweet Isabel with Eloise.
They are little soul mates/cousins.
I love this picture.

My Girls

2011-08-28T21:32:00.000-06:00

Aren't I lucky??

Brief

2011-08-15T12:47:00.000-06:00

She is married.
I am happy.
I am tired.
That is all.
(for now!)

Eloise: Baseball Fan

2011-08-10T12:11:00.000-06:00

I really think I might die every time I look at her.

Wannado Improvement

2011-08-07T23:13:00.003-06:00

So, this Saturday is the big wedding. More about that later.

You'd think I have plenty to do to get ready, and I do, but, I really want to support my daughter Erika and her Wannabe Link Party. Find it here

For MY "wannado" I want to make the goal to actually cook something for my husband. I bake a lot. That isn't the problem. It's the "food cookin'" I'm talking about. Actually, I'm a pretty good cook but I just don't like to do it. So, I'm going to make this:

(I wish I could make this picture bigger but then it just looks

like pixelated chicken chunks!)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Asian-Orange-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Who knows...one meal may lead to two.

Two meals may lead to three.

I think we all know where this could be headed.

Make sure to check out Erika's "Wannado" blog. I plan to make some

big changes with goal setting around this place.

My Little Colorado Visitor!

2011-07-30T13:57:00.001-06:00

On Thursday around 11:30 am, Spencer (Terry's son) came by to drop off my granddaughter Isabel. She was to be spending the night with ME! As much as I love her twin brother Milo and would have loved for him to stay as well, I was secretly glad that he chose to go rock climbing with his dad so that Issy and I could spend some one-on-one time together. (We have had a special, unexplained connection since her birth).

When I knew she was coming, I wrote a list for myself to help me think of things to do with her incase I couldn't think of anything. The list wasn't really for Issy. But, she found it immediately and announced "I'll keep this by my bed and check off all the boxes when we do them!"

I was committed!

I didn't get a picture of everything we did nor of every place we went (lucky you) but I'll give you a little taste of what we did do and see. Follow along now:

What an awesome day! And, what an amazing little seven year old girl. She was so polite, sweet, kind, obedient, honest, true...on and on. It was a joy having her here.

Thrifty Is My Middle Name

2011-07-13T22:58:00.000-06:00

Terry and I made a short trip to Murray, Utah (basically SLC) last week. On the way to Terry's appointment at 9:45, we passed the Deseret Industries (DI) on 4500 S. Much to my dismay, there was a long, long line waiting outside for the doors to open. What? I really needed to go back and see why. So, I dropped Terry off at his appointment and made my way back to DI.

Deseret Industries is a non-profit organization and a division of the Welfare Services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It includes a chain of retail thrift stores and work projects operated by the program. Deseret Industries thrift stores are similar to the well-known Goodwill Industries. (Taken from Wikipedia) I have donated hundreds of dollars worth of "stuff" to that place. The items are always cleaned and laundered before they ever put them on the sales floor. Anyone who has ever been to DI know what a thrilling feeling it is to make a great "find". I've made a lot of them! Kathe and I used to have a tradition that we would buy one new piece of clothing to wear to our first day of school every year. That actually ended when I embarrassed her by asking for a discount on the dress with two missing buttons!

When I returned to the DI, I fully understood why people waited outside for it to open. Holy Cow! That place is pristine, organized, clean. Someone working there is OCD! I can't wait to go back. Just take a look at the treasures I saw:

I can't believe that the plastic was organized like this.
I also can't believe that plastic bowls come
in so many different colors!

This may or may not have been mine at
one point in the '80's.

Is it wrong to wish I had one of these?
I've never ever won a trophy in my
entire life.

I'm kicking myself for passing these up.
$25 a piece.

This one is just creepy.

So is this one...look at all those Barbies!
They all had all of their limbs as well.

Would this make a great Mother of the Bride dress?
No?
Really?
Okay

These kids were having a blast. I told them that they should
definitely buy that mask.
Then I thought of the other kids who had
tried that mask on and then
I threw up a little bit in my mouth!

I had no idea that Curves had their own shoes!

Why didn't I buy these?

These were really pretty!
Banana Republic
Too small though.

Melissa???

So, I had a lot of fun looking around. I did end up making a couple of purchases. I got a beautiful queen-sized down comforter in perfect shape...smells good too for $8.00!

SEE!

I bought all of these books for 50 cents a piece. Score and a nice addition to my classroom library.

One of my favorite finds of my finds of the day was this paper doll set called: "Punch Out the President (and Pals)!

I could not stop laughing. The book was in perfect condition. There are dolls of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and John Ashcroft. There are several outfits for each "doll". Plus, as an added bonus, a page of famous quotes by each one. For example, "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?" and this gem, "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream." --GWB

Now come on! I don't care who you are or what your political beliefs...that's funny stuff!

I bought this curtain for $3.00 and made a skirt, sandals (which she hated!), and a headband for Eloise out of it...

Thanks for sharing my day! I'm going back again. Anyone want to come?

Blessings

2011-07-09T01:21:00.000-06:00

(If you read Erika's blog, I apologize for making this a repeat. But it's MY blog and I run THIS show! :)

A Day Like No Other

One of the most beautiful parts of the religion to which I belong is the blessings that individuals receive throughout their lives. From the time we are born, we can count on our fathers, brothers, neighbors, and other worthy priesthood holders to provide us with blessings to guide and direct us as we try to face these crazy, unpredictable, brilliant lives of ours.

My favorite "blessing" just happens to be the very first one of our lives. Soon after our birth, we each receive a "name and a blessing"...generally from our fathers. It is such a special time and such a sweet, sweet and special pronouncement from father to child.

Eloise received her baby blessing last Sunday. She was blessed by her daddy, Tyler. He blessed her with the ability to search for knowledge and to be strong spiritually and physically. It was a lovely blessing that brought tears to many an eye. El is lucky to have the parents she does. And also the grami she does! (J/K)

Tyler's parents flew in from Santa Rosa for the big day. Many of Erika and Tyler's friends attended as well. After the blessing, we took lots of pictures then headed to our house for a BBQ and watermelon (the BEST one I've ever tasted! Thanks to Gary!)

Twenty-two years ago, at Erika's blessing, she wore a beautiful white dress with teeny tiny pink ribbon which I pain-stakingly wove in and out of the holes of the fabric. She looked like this:

Well, it just so happens that Erika asked if I would alter the same dress so that El could wear it for her blessing. YES! The sleeves were removed...something about it being too "80's" for her. HA! I also took in the sides about an inch. She looked like this:

The following are a bunch of photos from the day. I know it is a lot but...well...I want to share them with you as well as to help ME remember the special day.

Waiting to get dressed.

Erika gave me the job of getting Eloise dressed.
I can barely look at this picture because my hand looks
so much like my own mother's hand.
So odd.

Cute little family!
Tyler, Erika, and Eloise Senneff

Beauties!

Little piggies and a good look at the
bottom of the dress and slip.

She's a natural!

I made her pose.

My family:
Terry (I must remind him to take off his automatic shades next time!), me,
Erika and Eloise, Tyler, Melissa, and my soon to be son-in-law
Danny.

A Special Treat

2011-06-29T11:30:00.000-06:00

You simply MUST check out Erika's latest post. I love the pictures she posted.

http://te-senneff.blogspot.com/2011/06/these-pictures-make-me-cry.html#comments

A Photo

2011-06-25T23:13:00.002-06:00

Most photos carry with them an entire story. Most are special just to one or two people. I think that this picture I am posting is beautiful. It probably isn't a show-stopper to anyone but me. But, I just want to include it here on my blog/journal as one of my favorite photos of all time.

On Memorial Day, as you could not have missed it, we spent the day at the hospital with our daughter Erika. She was in labor most of that time. She gave birth to our sweet little El. . There was a lot of hustle and bustle all day and our darling photographer, Mandi Taylor, who Erika and Tyler asked to come and photograph "the baby story" (it's the latest in the baby world) was able to capture this quiet little moment.

I love it. I loved watching my babies sleep. I loved watching them sleep as toddlers. Nothing has changed. I love the beautiful, peaceful aura around the sleeper. Thanks, Mandi, for having such a great eye to catch those sweet moments.

So much ahead of her. She will make an amazing mother.

I'm Having a Moment

2011-06-19T21:44:00.001-06:00

This is one of those moments I dreamed about as a little girl. I'm sitting here in my rocking chair (like a good grami should be) rocking my new little granddaughter, Eloise.

In the next room, Melissa and her fiance are sitting across from each other at a craft table cutting out and fluffing up their tissue paper flowers which will show up on August 13 on a table at their wedding reception. I can't hear every word, but there is a quiet whisper as they talk about their future hopes and dreams. There is love in those whispers of words I can't really hear.

Upstairs, I can hear the soft mumble of a television where I know that my youngest daughter, Erika, sits with her husband enjoying a quiet moment alone together.

My dear husband, Terry, is wayyyyyy upstairs suffering from pneumonia. (at least I know where he is!) I hate that he is sick on Father's Day of all days. I am so in love with him. He has been such an amazing father to those two girls (as well as to his other four who, unfortunately, live in other cities and states!)

And, one more picture to add to this bliss is the picture of our three dogs. Yup! The dogs. For all the times I have cursed them, I know that they are a huge part of this household. Yes, I do love them.

Life is good.

My First Order

2011-06-18T20:05:00.000-06:00

I did it! I got my first order. It wasn't from the Etsy site, rather, it was a custom order based on the items on that site. It is for a very special little 18 month old girl all the way in Massachusetts named Emmeline. Want to see it? Here it is:

Turquoise and Pink
Ruffly Ruffle

And just for fun

as a little surprise...

Remember to check it out and spread the word!

Who Here Likes Shopping?

2011-06-13T15:57:00.000-06:00

Boy I've neglected my blog. You'd think that with all of this "extra" time on my hands, what with being a teacher and all, I'd be a bloggin' fool. Nope. I've been busy doing other things. Like giving lots of sugar to my new granddaughter, Eloise. ~~I promise I won't make reference to her in~~ ~~every~~ ~~post I make.~~

Besides being obsessed with Elle, I have been working on my own Etsy shop. Yup! This is something I've been wanting to do for a while now. Plus, I thought it would be a great way to make a little cash to help pay for Melissa's very exciting upcoming wedding. It's funny how scared I was to actually jump in and try to sell my wares over the internet. What if no one buys anything? What is people think my work is ugly? What if some stalker dude starts stalking my shop?

Before I could press that key to "open" the shop, I had two big decisions to make.

Name of the shop:

Now, I know that only a small number of you will know what this means and why I picked it, but as Erika and I sat calling out names and checking availability, when I shouted (and I DID shout it out)
"Mrs. Malty"

My best friend Kathe replied: "Who the HECK is Mrs. Malty? Is she like, Mrs. Doubtfire?" No, Kathe. It is actually the name of a very special story that has been handed down for many generations through my mother's line. It is oral. I'm not sure it has ever been written down. I've often wanted to write it out and have Terry illustrate it. But, I really feel like it would take away some of it's charm. I recently told it to my twin granddaughters Lyla and Olivia. I always hold my breath for the desired effect at the end. Sure enough..."Tell it again!" It is very special.

So...that's how that name came to be. However, when I was signing up, for some reason, I ended up with TWO shops named "Mrs. Malty". So, if your looking for it, here is the link. Or search the shops for "CANADIANTAMI".

What to sell:

I've been obsessed with making, yes making, baby/toddler shoes. I really wanted to sell those (and I will add them later) but it didn't feel right. Then, I wanted to sew children's dresses (and I will add them later) but that didn't feel right. Then, out of my own curiosity, I taught myself to do shirring. It is really simple and I made up a few skirts. Then added a bodysuit and a headband. I took it to Erika in the hospital and she loved it. In fact, baby Eloise wore her little outfit home from the hospital.

Cute little shoes

Cute little dresses

Here's the real deal:

I just love the little skirts and tops. The little rosettes on the bodysuit and headband are so sweet. They was up really nicely as well. All in all, I'm very pleased with the outcome.

I hope you will all at least visit my new Etsy shop. It's lots of fun to do. I do custom orders and requests. Spread the word. Get me some customers. :)

This is my favorite set.

Three Wednesday Favorites

2011-06-01T18:10:00.000-06:00

I love this little girl who has suddenly found herself to be a full-grown mother!
Tyler took this picture over my shoulder as I applied
the requested "water-proof" mascara. Though she really never needs any
man-made enhancement,
She is so beautiful.
Motherhood looks amazing on her.

Moving on...

...and that is all I need to say about that!

She's HERE!

2011-05-31T12:45:00.000-06:00

she's tiny
6.2
19 inches
tons of hair
i"m in love!

Yes, i made the outfit!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/mrsmalty?ref=pr_shop_more

My Work Here Is Done

2011-05-29T17:02:00.000-06:00

At the end of the day as we said good bye for the year, little
Miss Cybil threw her arms around me and...sobbed!
I enfolded her in mine and told her I loved her and would miss her. I told her that she could
come and talk to me anytime she needed to next year.
She said: "I just want to be in your class next year!"
Me: "But then you wouldn't be in second grade. You'd have to be with the little first graders again."
Her: "Why can't you teach second grade?"
All of this broke my heart and made me realize all the things she had taught me this year.
But NOTHING grabbed my heart more than seeing her tear-filled eyes looking back at mine, tears streaming down her face, her bottom lip trembling like I've never seen it before and saying:
"But I don't care. I love you. You are like my best mother!"

Awe.
I love you too Cybil.
You are like my best little friend.

Cake Plates

2011-05-28T20:58:00.000-06:00

I have this "thing" for cake plates. I mean, REALLY have this thing for cake plates.

I love them.

So much so that if I weren't already married to Terry,

I'd totally find one and marry it.

(Please forgive me for my juvenile tendencies...after all, I DO spend a lot of time with juvenile's!)

So, whenever I see one I like, I can stand in front of it for a very long time.

I stare at it. Pick it up.

Turn it over. I examine it down to every millimeter.

Let me charm you with some cake plates I love but will most likely never get because they are so very pricey:

Aren't they beautiful?

Especially that cute little cupcake plate. I really want that one.

(If you want the links to any of these, just let me know and I'll gladly give them to you.)

The two photos of the glass cake plates were taken by me this morning at

Tai Pan Trading Company.

They were $20 a piece. Not all that bad considering that the least expensive cake plate on this page so far is

$40.

Hence, you can see why collecting them is sort of tough.

Last month, I put on a lovely little (well, big actually) shin-dig shower for my daughter

Erika who is so close to giving birth that her toes even look pregnant!

I wanted to serve our famous cupcakes (thanks Abbie!) on cake plates.

I only owned plastic cake plates which I snagged from the prop aisle when I

worked at Bath and Body Works thousands of years ago.

They are super cute but, I wanted something special and glass-y.

So, I strolled the aisles at DI and also the dollar store.

I found that:

$1.00 (glass plate) + $1.00 (glass candlestick) = $2.00 (cake plate)

I'm thinking that they look an awfully lot like the plates I found at Tai Pan!?

Yes?

I found this beauty at DI (are you ready for this?) for 75¢

I bought a glass dessert bowl for 75 as well (see the above photo)

bringing the grand total for this one to $1.50!!

I had to try some color and so this time I used a vase that

matched the plate perfectly.

Now, I have created a beast and I can't stop making my own cake plates.

They are everywhere.

Good thing we have a wedding reception coming up!

I know I can make good use of them there!

Learning Important Things Is Hard!

2011-05-21T21:46:00.000-06:00

There was a time when this little girl gave me some trouble. A lot of trouble. I will never forget the day I questioned my entire career choice and my "skills" as a teacher. You remember, right? There has NEVER been even one child I didn't love...including "Cybil". There have been some that have been harder to "like". There is a big difference between the two. Liking is harder, ya know?

With hardships come great, great learning. I have learned more about being a teacher from this little girl than from any other child I have ever taught. I am such a better teacher because of her.

The other day, I got to school and found this on my desk:

Little Cybil and her mother had pulled together a basket of goodies for Teacher Appreciation Week (two weeks after the fact which made it even more exciting!) More awesome than the actual items within the basket, were the notes tied to each one. Oh my goodness, they were hysterical. I really must share them with you (if there are even any of "you" still around reading this here blog! Which, by the way, has gone private in NO WAY because of anything I did. Someday I'll blog about it...or not. Plus, after visiting with the person who insinuated that I do take it private, I may just make it public once again. Freedom of speech, right??)

Anyway...here we go:

There were a few items without notes on them. My favorite being the play on the fabulous Young Men Young Women reminder to "Return With Honor". I think you'll pick it out right away!

Now, for the cutest little notes any teacher could ever dream of...I saved my very favorite for last.

It's really amazing how much this little gal has made me grow this year in patience and love. She has come so far both academically as well as socially. She is full of love and confidence. She and I have an amazing relationship. I have learned what to say when she starts to "lose it" and she has figured out the way to my heart.

It's amazing how we learn...how I learn. I don't know why it takes such frustration and often pain to learn important truths sometimes. But, it truly does.

Bring on the new first graders!!

The Bee's Knees

2011-05-14T15:30:00.000-06:00

At 4:10 this morning, I was awoken from a very sound sleep with the worst stinging in my knee. I jumped up to find a WASP flying around under the covers. It was the first sting of my entire life. Those things hurt like a bugger! Perhaps I should replace the screen in my window?

I just thought you should know.

A Little List to Catch Us All Up...

2011-05-08T21:26:00.000-06:00

1. We had a lovely baby shower for Erika and Eloise. It was a blast. We had a duck theme.

This is a quilt we had guests work on.

You can check it out here.

2. My adorable son-in-law graduated from UVU (Utah Valley University) in business management. WE are so very proud of him and how he has worked for this.

Once again: go here.

3. OH these two little love birds!!! My oldest daughter, Melissa Rae, is ENGAGED!

(you my have noticed the gorgeous ring in my previous post)

We love Danny!

I couldn't be more thrilled with the amazing men my daughters has fallen in love with

and married.

Our family is growing. It is vey exciting!

4. Last Saturday, Melissa, Erika, and I went wedding dress shopping.
It was very enjoyable to spend the day with my sweet daughters.
PLUS...
we have a dress!
It is gorgeous.
Melissa is very happy which makes me happy too!
(We couldn't have done it without Erika!)

5. Oh yes...I also took my students to the Hogle Zoo.
It snowed off and on all day!

I know there is more to catch up on but, for the most part, we're all caught up!

DONE!

2011-04-26T21:50:00.001-06:00

Okay my friends! I DO mean "friends" too! Would you mind doing a little check? Let me know if you got my invite and if you are here (which obviously, you are)! I love you! Yes, YOU!

My next post will be more about...

THIS:

Melissa

engaged!!

Don't mess with this one!

Privacy

2011-04-21T12:53:00.000-06:00

Yes, I'm making my blog private. Please send me an email if you'd like to continue reading.

tamimet@gmail.com I'm switching over in a couple of days.

"THE" Baby Shower Of The Year

2011-04-19T20:24:00.002-06:00

Remember my list from the last blog? I am happy to tell you that I did 23/24 (plus a whole lot more) of the things on that list. It was a busy Spring Break. I COULD NOT have done it without this sweet little cleaning angel Alycia:

Don't you love this picture??

I do.

This is my niece, Jodi's, little girl Alycia.

I have never seen the cleaning likes of this little girl. She cleaned every blind and washed every

baseboard and banister in the house.

I love her.

NOW...

On to the SHOWER!

(just so we're clear, I stole pretty much all of these photos from Erika's blog about said shower since I only had time to take a couple)

This was so much fun.

I tried something new. I was worried it would backfire but, based on the number

of attendees (about 30) it worked just fine.

I didn't mail out any invitations, but, rather I created an event on

FACEBOOK where I invited as many friends

and family, who had a Facebook account, that I could!

This is the future my friends.

So, if were wondering why you didn't get an invite, you are exactly right you didn't, and must NOT

have a Facebook account. I apologized to those who didn't receive notification.

However, I DID put the announcement in the last post

so...what am I even worried about?

HA1

Anyway...I now present a baby shower in photographs:

I used my cupcake recipe I have now become famous for. I got the recipe from my daughter Abbie. They are always a hit. The water bottles were adorable too. I stripped them of their labels and made my own. Each one said: "Welcome Baby Eloise". Erin provided the fruit bowl and vegetable tray. My favorite treat was the last minute cotton candy I purchased.

On the left: The guest favor...a cellophane bag with little candy pacifiers and a duck made out of

white chocolate!

REALLY!

On the right: The most adorable and delicious blue punch

on which Melissa floated little rubber ducks.

I got the idea from here.

Look at that darling Melissa with Olivia, my little grand daughter.

As part of my gift for the mom-to-be, as well as partly for decoration,

I sewed this banner.

However, this picture was taken mid-creation.

(I don't have a finished photo! or a "GOOD" photo even!)

I spelled out Eloise's name with one letter on each triangle, top-stitched around

each one, THEN I made my own bias tape (which looked amazing) to hold it all together.

Oh, and I made a little yo-yo to go between each triangle.

(I'll get a photo for a future post)

This was one of my favorite sewing projects ever because I just winged it without a pattern.

I also sewed a car seat canopy.

(Yet another photo I'll have to get in the future)

I put a flannel duck baby quilt on my quilting frames for

the guests to tie. Everyone put in at least one stitch.

I also set up a craft with Erin's (she's on the left) help. Guests were invited

to create little hair bows for Eloise.

In this picture you'll see Erin (daughter-in-law), Erika (mommy-to-be), and Sarah (Erika's and my

good friend)

On the left are the most delicious cupcakes in the universe.
On the right: My attempt at label making.
It says "Welcome Baby Eloise"

And here is the mommy of the hour.

She looked so adorable that day.

I'm overly excited to get little Eloise safely here.

Thank you to everyone who came, sent best wishes, sent gifts etc. I am constantly amazed by the generosity of my friends and family.

Backs and Baby Showers

2011-04-11T17:29:00.000-06:00

I hurt my back! Badly! Last week I was emptying the dishwasher when I had an intense piercing pain go through my lower back. It was so painful that I almost couldn't breathe. I won't go on and on (although I could) about how much it hurt but, just to prove it, I will tell you that I actually CANCELLED my hair appointment that was scheduled two days later. I never give one of those appointments up for any reason...except this one.

After a doctor's visit, I found out that I had somehow torn the ligaments around my L1 and L2 (lower back). I have never felt this kind of disabling pain. So, I've been pumping in the ibuprofen and muscle relaxers. They have helped. I still missed about two and a half days of school.

HOWEVER...no matter how badly it continues to hurt, I am going to ignore it. I have to. I have to for at least one week. Why? Because I am hosting one of those life's stepping stone events. It is Erika's baby shower this Saturday...at MY house. Yipee!!! You are all welcome to come. In fact:

I have way too much to do to stop moving because of my silly back. I'll just do everything slower. So, last night I sat down and made a detailed list of everything that MUST be done within this next week. Since this is MY blog and I can put whatever I want to put on it, I will share the list here. Keep in mind that I'm on Spring Break so I have all the time in the world! HAHAHHhahahhahahaha!

Monday (today):

• Date to the fabric store with Mel Rae and Erika w/lunch afterwards

• Visit Danny at the Springville Library (that wasn't on the original list...we just added that one impromptu)

• Do taxes (yes, I know I'm leaving it to the last minute but, that's the way I roll sometimes)

• Laundry

• Sew sundress order/straighten sewing room while I'm at it

• Spring clean front room

• Call Alycia about helping me on Wednesday

Tuesday:

• Spring clean downstairs bathroom

• Deep clean washer and dryer

• Call Erin about what I need her to bring to the shower

• Spring clean guest room #1 (just in case Isabel wants to sleep over!)

• Buy dog food

Wednesday:

• HAIR appointment

• Have Alycia over to help me clean all the blinds

• Spring clean family room

• Run to school to make some copies and tie up a couple of "school things" loose ends

Thursday:

• KITCHEN...this is a HUGE one and will most likely take all day

• Shop for all of the ingredients for the shower treats (cupcakes)

• Sew banner for shower

•

Friday:

• Make cupcakes

• Prepare the shower favors and water bottles

• Set up for shower

• Do a quick sweep of the house so it is all in order

Saturday:

• Shower

Perhaps I should have started sooner. Yes?

Told You I Was Famous!

2011-04-07T19:45:00.001-06:00

Ya, I'm pretty much horrified to see myself in an actual professionally produced video. But, since I'm trying to not care so much about what people think of me...I'm at 1:57 AND 5:58.

Big bonus? I get the last word in!

Bah!!!

PS: There is a second video if you scroll down.

Told You I Was Famous! Part Deux

2011-04-07T19:42:00.001-06:00

Watch for me at the 5:01 mark. I am totally open for giving out autographs in exchange for a Sonic Diet Coke w/lime!

Like a Good Neighbor

2011-04-01T15:27:00.002-06:00

Does this happen in your neighborhood?

Whenever it snows, we have four or five men who vie for the opportunity to exercise their masculinity by firing up their four wheelers, strapping on the ginormous shovel to the front, then riding them around the neighborhood shoveling all of the walks and driveways. I seriously think they spy on one another and then try to out do the other. For example, if, after (often during)the snow falls, the first one to don his parka and hood receives the honor of being the alpha shoveler, whilst the "losers" make a mental note of the time (5:30 am) to get up at 5:15 am to be first next time!

I love it. I appreciate it. Even when the motors wake me up so early. It is an unbelievable act of brotherly kindness and service.

Well, this past winter season was no different. Only, when the snow melted a bit, we saw that our mailbox was in shambles. (I wish I'd taken a picture of it!) Whichever blessed neighbor had shoveled last had connected in a very big way with our mailbox. The hit had to have been so hard that I wouldn't be surprised to see a wrecked four wheeler out there. Our mailbox usually looks like this:

(I realize you have to squint to see it but it really is the only picture of the mailbox...

plus, you get to see those adorable twins again!!!)

After getting hit, the slats were strewn everywhere, the soil had spilled out onto the sidewalk, the poor post was leaning significantly and the whole thing looked like a pile of trash. And, wouldn't you know, before we could clean it up...MORE SNOW! Sooooo.....by the time it was revealed again after a slight melt, the soil was hard and difficult to move. Terry went on a hunt to find some rope. All we could find were yards and yards of bright blue cable wire!! Yes, he used it. So, what already looked "trashy" became even more mock-worthy trashy. It served the purpose though. What a mess. And to think that our poor mailcarrier who had to look at it every single day!

So, I came home from school yesterday to find this:

(Yes, those are transplanted strawberry and decorative plants!

He thought of everything!)

It made me giggle. Then it made me laugh right out loud. My boyfriend is the COOLEST. He is very, shall we say, "creative" in his home repairs. We are leaving it like this until our macho neighbor comes to drill a proper hole to rebuild us a descent mailbox.

(Which he actually offered to do!)

(I cannot believe I actually made a full on post about my mailbox! It's the little things that count, right?)

Who's That Knocking At My Door?

2011-03-27T19:05:00.006-06:00

Every time that I lay eyes on my youngest daughter, Erika, I am filled with the most intense feelings of love that I have ever had in her little 22 years of life. It's a kind of love that I've never experienced before. MY baby is having her own little baby. The body that I formed in my own belly and brought into this world will bring another little body, a girl like her, here as well...a part of me. A part of me! Coming from her. Wow. It is often overwhelming to me that this is even possible. And, it fills my heart to overflowing in a way that is impossible to explain. I wonder...did my mother feel this way when she looked at me while pregnant with Melissa, myfirst child? I would like to think that the answer is "yes". I'd like to think that she experienced this same intense kind of motherly love for me. That would make me very, very content and happy.

(Eloise...your grami is waiting...hurry up June 6th.

I made you a pair of red shoes! Come and get them!)