Adventure #1 Shane is a Jungle Boy

We were off to a great start leaving earlier then we planned on Sunday, but that was the only thing that went right.

After:

1. Driving through tornadic (per the weather man) conditions in Alabama

2. Arriving an hour early in Prattsville Alabama to watch the CES Fireside with Elder Bednar, because we didn't know we changed to Central Time

3. Going about an hour out of our way from following the GPS, we finally made it, or so we thought.

12:31 a.m. I directed Shane to, "Turn right at the stop sign," and because I am the navigator, my head was buried in the map preparing to give Shane further directions. With great alarm Shane said, "Aw...we're on the bike path!" It paralleled the road and he had mistakenly turned onto it.

JUNGLE BOY TIME!

High adrenalin flow!

I looked up and was impressed that our car was small enough to drive on it. He stopped suddenly!

12:33 a.m. we shared a silly laugh, bordering on hysteria and then pressed on.

1:04 a.m. we simply couldn't find the rental agency to get the keys and directions to the beach house. Shane did the noble thing and called the rental agency's emergency number and learned we were 15 miles off course. (Thanks to that dependable GPS!)

1:42 a.m. we unlock the front door.

I'll let you know about Adventure #2!

Ah, the beach

We're here!

On the sunny Emerald Coast.

Whiling away our time at Endless Summer beach house in Santa Rosa Florida.

It's just a little bit of

H-E-A-V-E-N on earth.

Sorry, but we don't wish you were here...

we'll send you a post card.

Love you,

Mom and Dad

For You, Suzi

This is a nice refreshing summer drink too.

Orange Ade

Combine in a sauce pan:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Cool

Add:
2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 cups ice water

Serves 6 to 8

Ice Cold...

Homemade LEMONADE

Real women drink LEMONADE

Especially this homemade LEMONADE!

Country Time is not the same,

frozen lemonade concentrate is not the same,

that watered down homemade, Pampered Chef lemonade

is definitely not the same.

But this, oh this LEMONADE, will not disappoint!

Ask anyone in my family. Heck, just believe me and make it.

Then go outside and work in your flowerbeds

or play with your kids, workout, jog,

do something active, sweat a little bit - get hot!

Go back in the house, get a nice tall glass out of the cupboard,

put ice in it, open the refrigerator

and get out the pitcher of homemade LEMONADE.

Pour it over the ice in your glass.

You'll love the crisp, crackling sound

of the ice popping as the LEMONADE trickles over it.

Now take your first sip.

I can hear you murmur, "umm this is good LEMONADE!"

And I can see that nice little pucker

you get from it's intense lemon taste.

You'll sip your LEMONADE again and again,

enjoying it more each time.

When you finish your last nice long swallow,

you will be sad that your glass is empty.

BUT,

you feel refreshed and ready to go again!

I know you will LOVE this LEMONADE!

Just Wondering

Thomas has not felt well this week and my arms are tired from holding him practically the whole week! I have thought several times about writing a post, but (sigh) Thomas has needed me. Today, I have browsed every one's blog with Thomas sitting quietly on my lap hanging over my arm looking at who knows what on the floor. I thought I could write a quick little post to say, "Here I am!" But, Thomas has seized the moment and is now pushing the keyboard with his feet and trying to grab the keys with fast, snatchy hands. What happened to the quiet little guy who was just sitting on my lap a second ago?

All this week I have found thoughts in my head like:
How did I do it with six kids day in and day out?
How did I clean my house in just one morning?
How did I cook a meal every night,
And keep up with the laundry
And mow the lawn all in the same day!
How did I keep my sanity?

We had one car and a small amount of money. I could only shop where there were shopping carts. No double stroller, no back packs or the snuggle things, just lots of kids and one me. When I did go grocery shopping with all six kids in tow, I would start out positive, fully believing, "This would be the time," there would be no crying, fighting or the golden question asked at least a million times, "Can I get this?" It would be a pleasant experience for the first minute in the store and then, well...I'll be silent on that part.

Now Thomas is wallowing in my lap - happy as a lark - trying as many new wallowing positions as he can come up with. I wonder why he doesn't want to sit on the floor and play with toys or twirl in his exersaucer? At the very least, he should be excited to try and crawl. But nope, it is so much more fun to sit twisting and turning in Grandma's lap; giving me sweet smiles and slobbery sucks on my arms, which does melt my heart and make me think yuck all at the same time.

After holding this squirming, mauling baby for most of the morning, and as the grandma I am wondering and you can answer honestly...

"What mother would miss a moment (repeated a million times) like this?"

Uh huh, honestly...



Well...go ahead...who's going to say me first?!

Family Picture's

I have been scrapbooking for years.

I'm amazed at how easy it has been to do!

Take pictures

Develop them

Ooo and ah

Get that tender heart feeling
Decide which ones to frame

Let them lay around for a while

And then put them in a box

Umm...many boxes, in many places...

Done!

Until your "baby" is planning his wedding

and wants pictures of him for a wedding CD...

Yikes O' Yikes......cringe......Deep Breath!

After gathering boxes of pictues

from the four corners of the house...

Well...

Nice scrapbook, huh!

Home Sweet Home

Shane and I went to General Conference and had a wonderful spiritual experience. I am thankful for the opportunity we had to attend. My sister Suzi and her husband Mike went with us. It was an adventure as we braved snow and cold weather before getting into the Conference Center. I love making memories, especially ones that increase my desire to live a better life. I also went and spent the week with Mom and Harmon. I felt very emotional and cried some the first couple of days, it is difficult to see Mom in her present condition. I love her so much and am so eternally grateful she is my mother. I was thankful for the opportunity to clean her house and serve her for a change. I was reading in one of her journals and found a page where she expressed her love and devotion for her children and her desire to serve her family. I wept as I read her words, because I can look back and see that she lived the words that see wrote. I have ALWAYS wanted to be like my mother.

Anyway...I am back home and fell right back into the routine of daily life...it's good to be home!