Once Upon A Time...

The reason for the party... our pretty Kara (and that cute round belly)

My cute daughter in law Kara... sitting in her new rocking chair, and ready to use it!

The girls of the family decided it was about time to have a baby shower, the cute little addition to our family would be here in just about 6 weeks, and we wanted to make sure she had plenty of cute things to wear! 

We had all been doing lots of 'pinning of baby showers' on Pinterest, ever since the day we found out Kara was expecting.  My niece Kyra  found the perfect theme and so the planning began.  With about a gallon of gold glitter, and gold spray paint and throw in some creativity we managed to do our version of ...

 Once Upon A Time....

A shower that would represent just about every 'princess' we could think of....

We bought an old Cinderella story book ripped out the pages and stained them with tea bags, then burnt the edges, we then traced out the individual letters and sprayed gold glitter on the pages and hung them from the curtains, above the table.

We had so many yummy treats including sugar cookies that represented the glass slipper...

rose in a vase for Beauty and the Beast

Snow White's evil queen's Mirror Mirror

My Beautiful girls, Sagan, Brooke, Caitie, Kara, Erica, Shelby, and Kyra.
We missed having Jennifer with us, but she is busy in Georgia with Chase getting through graduate school!

It took me a while to get this blog written, now it is only 20 days till this little lady arrives (maybe less) and we are all so excited there might be some arm wrestling going on in my house to see who gets to hold this baby the most, hmmm I think I win... cause I'm the Grandma!

Wordless Wednesday

My friend put this up on her facebook page,  and I had to share it.  

Those of you in Utah will understand the humor:)

I thought he walked on water...

My Dad and Uncle Bob 1963

Great Uncle Bob and me 

A few weeks ago I was driving home from Salt Lake and an old song by Randy Travis came on the radio, instantly my Uncle Bob's sweet face popped in my mind. He passed away about a year ago, and for that short 40 minute drive home I felt like I had an unseen passenger:)

He was my great uncle and just as he appears in the picture above is how he looked when I was a little girl.  He was raised in Kentucky, grew up very poor, I never remember him having any teeth.

He rolled his own cigarettes and let me lick the paper and give it a little twist, he never learned how to read or write; he signed his name with an X. He never married, he told me because he didn't think he would ever be able to provide well enough.

He always had a watch on a chain that he kept in his overalls that he told me I cut my teeth on.  I remember pulling it out and putting it up to my ear to hear it tick.

He always smelled like Old Spice, and was always clean shaven.

He worked as a hired hand for my Uncle Frank on the farm.  I have wonderful memories of listening to all of my uncles, and Papa sitting around Grandma Jewell's dinner table, drinking coffee hot enough to burn your taste buds and playing Rook, laughing and tellin jokes. 

In his later years my mom moved my Uncle Bob out to Tennessee so she could take care of him.  I got to see him once a year until he passed away.  He was a good man, he always told me he would have liked to come see the mountains of Utah. Well, I think he did... with me... a few weeks ago, in my car.

Uncle Bob and my son Zane

Randy Travis - He walked on water -

Time to Make a Difference

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Albert Einstein

Some changes since my last post, I got a new job.  I am working at the Jr High that my kids attended so many years ago.  I am the 'mean' ISS lady (In School Suspension) I get to meet all the kids that are tardy and sluff and disrupt class.  Instead of being sent to the office they are sent to the 'dreaded room 5' believe me they all know what room 5 is:)

I broke up my first fight in the halls today between a couple boys... don't worry they were smaller then me (I'm a big chicken)

You would think it would be a crummy job, but I like it.  Not because I enjoy being mean cause I'm not mean.  I enjoy talking to these kids, none of them are bad, mostly just lost.  It's really the parents that need to have detention!  Most of the time these kids  just need an advocate.

I see how easily these kids could fall through the cracks, happy to say the school I am working for has one of the best Principal's I've seen in a long time, and he really tries to keep this from happening.

One of my sons came to me through a different mom, he could have just as easily been one of these kids, that at the ripe old age of 13/14 have lost all hope for anything better:(

Maybe this makes me a little softer on these kids, maybe it makes me a little tougher on them too.
My son just needed to know there was someone out there who gave a damn, and cared about his day and his school work and if he had lunch money, and some friends to talk to.

 I know I can't adopt them all but I sure can try and make the time they spend at school a better place, let them know I 'see' them, I 'hear' them, and I believe in them.

My son, that had been counted out, graduated from high school, attended college, excels at his job, just bought his first home with his beautiful wife, and is having his first baby this fall.  He is a great example of what can happen if someone shows they care.

So onward and upward!

Wordless Wednesday

Our Busy Bee's

It has been about 6 weeks since we last inspected the hives, so Saturday morning we opened them up.  They are all doing great. I was brave and got the closest I have ever been and was able to get some pretty good pictures and a couple videos.  

Look at all the glistening honey they are making us!

My first time with the bee hat.. haha I look so funny!  Let me tell you I was so hot while we were doing this.  

Sean getting geared up.  He  forgot to put rubber bands around his pant legs and got stung on his calf.  I would have quit, then and there if that would have been me:)

All of our hives our looking healthy this year.  

Here you can actually see a small pollen ball.

If you look closely at the next few pictures you can see some bee's being born, you can see their little heads popping out.

I realize this is kind of blurry, the sun was shining so bright I couldn't really tell if I was even in the right spot.  But if you look to the bottom you can see a bee being born.  I will try and do better at my video taking in the future. 

 If you want a giggle listen to this video till the end, I kinda lost my 'cool'.  One lone bee decided to chase me as soon as I took my hood off.  But I escaped without a sting:)

"Eat honey, my child, for it is good."

Proverbs 24:13

Can't Wait!

Patiently waiting to feel that kick!
My cute daughter in law who is expecting her first baby in November and my daughter who can't wait to be an Aunt again!