Ding, dong, the witch is dead - no, ding, dong the school bell rang!!

The day was fairly uneventful. We usually have a staff meeting a couple of days before school starts - but with budget cuts, that meeting day ended up being a "furlough" day. We usually have a session called "nuts and bolts" with all the "housekeeping" kinds of instruction for us - taking roll, changing schedules, room assignments, discipline changes, new staff, etc.

So we just started "cold" - no meetings, no instructions, nada.

And all went well.

Makes you wonder about the whole concept of meetings, doesn't it?

A very quick weekend!!

I arrived in Portland late Friday night and just got back tonight. It was a brief, whirlwind visit - not the most satisfactory way to have visits - but I was certainly glad that I was able to be there for Sully's blessing. And to get a chance to see Hannah and Robbie too. (I think I need to get over being annoyed that they are starting school on Monday instead of Wednesday like they have done for the past 20 or 30 years!!)

Being with the kids makes me wish I could see them more often. Calvin got a "spiky" haircut - doesn't he look older??

Bonny came Friday night too - with Ella. It's always good to have Bonny in on the mix. She has just the right amounts of enthusiasm, organization, charm, and goodwill - not to mention her photographic and cooking skills - to make her a definite asset to any group!!

One of the many faces of our dear Mr. Sully - the reason for it all!!

Miss Ella - babysitter extraordinaire!! Always fun to see her.

Hannah and Robbie - keeping the party lively! I meant to get a shot of Hannah reading my copy of Mockingjay - she finished it, so Phoebe will start next. The jury is still out on how much we like or don't like it. I liked it pretty much - the author at least truly "wrapped up" the story.

Robbie and Harry had run the Hood to Coast Relay - they were a mite tired - but good sports about getting the evening's details worked out! I actually say very little of Dad since he was at the relay when I arrived - and when he got home, it was just about time for bed!! I left tonight and he flies in tomorrow a.m. - but is going straight to work. (A Monday flight was cheaper enough to make it worth doing.)

Our good friends the Mac Dowells - who put up Dad and me for one night when it was a bit crowded at Phoebe's - and fixed us a wonderful breakfast - and drove me to the airport!! It was good to have them at the blessing too.

The happy family - and the sleepy star of the show!

What a cute bunch of kidlets - how can I stand to be away again??

Jinny - a good friend, a great cook, and she's in the family too - by adoption and marriage anyway! And when we go to Portland, we usually get to see her !!

The "senior" members of the Grandchildren Squad - "guarding" Sully as he slept!!

Agnes was pretty excited by all the activity - kept calling the carrot cake a wedding cake - maybe because it had white frosting?? This is a pensive moment though - she might have been feeling tired!! (I think we all were!)

Phoebe's old roomie and her hubby.

The proud parents!!

The lovebirds!! (It was chilly - so Hannah snaked Dad's pullover. Phoebe's note: "This is August in Portland!") Robbie and Hannah have been "on the road" for 10 days - and they took the "redeye" home, since Hannah has to be at work on Monday a.m. - and her school starts too.

Mike and Mandy - some good neighbors and friends!!

Brett and kids joined us too.

Assorted grandchildren and neighbors.

Pam, Denny, and Jeff were there for the occasion too - brought loads of homegrown tomatoes.

Bonny was on the phone, so she missed the sibling shot. I think Dad and I look like 2 of the 3 Blind Mice with our dark lenses!! (Funny story about my skirt. I wanted to pack very light, so figured I could just wear the skirt I'd worn to church on the plane. But I had to have a "pat down" because of my full skirt!!)

I was there less than 48 hours - but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I kept thinking I should take pictures, but I was too busy trying to get the laundry done!! (Funny story - Dad had packed light - I was supposed to wash his Levi's and tee shirts - but he'd left them folded so neatly, I thought they were clean - good thing Phoebe has a "speedy" washer!!)

Whenever some of us are together, we really miss those who aren't there!! But it was great to have as many of us as we did for this happy occasion.

Now I need to go ready for school tomorrow!! Hopefully there will be nothing noteworthy to report - just a regular day!!

Sad News to Note

Got a message tonight from Melissa R. that Ida Smith had died around 7:30 p.m. our time. As many of you know, she was diagnosed only 2 or 3 weeks ago with cancer. It was aggressive and widespread. She opted not to go through treatment - which would have only extended her life briefly - but had her family gathered around her for a week. She wrote on her Facebook wall that it had been the best week of her life.

Since there's a young Lance and a young Jeff McGlone in this photo, you know that it's an old one, but it's the way I remember Ida - especially from the early days.

When we first moved here, Ida reached out to me in a warm, down-to-earth and friendly manner. She shared ideas, patterns, supplies, recipes, and had a wonderful listening ear.

I have had the distinct pleasure of having her daughter Amy as my counselor in the Stake Relief Society - Ida trained her well - the legend will live on - (except that Amy doesn't sew!! But you don't have to do it all anymore!!) Her cinnamon rolls can rival Ida's! I taught Amy in CTR-B - and there is nothing so fine as working 30 years later with a young girl you taught in Primary!! Having a mom like Ida has influenced Amy for so much good - Ida's spirit will live on in her wonderful family!

The family knew her time was short, so they hunkered down together for these last days. I know it has brought them peace and comfort. Lance and Amy spearheaded a drive to gather photos of Ida's famous afghans, quilts, and dolls with their recipients. The Facebook album is a lovely tribute to a woman who truly shared her gifts and talents unstintingly.

She will be missed. But she left a beautiful legacy that we can all try to emulate. That would be a gift she would approve of!

Positively pea-green with envy!!"

For all you GWTW fans out there, the title is a line Scarlett O'Hara gave someone. I thought it went with the photo Dad emailed me just now.

He's the lucky one this time - he's in Oregon with the Fillmores - and the Hamills - and I'm stuck here in the 'hood!! I will be going up for the blessing, but I have to get all this school stuff done first. Whatever happened to school starting after Labor Day - even way after!!??

He and Robbie will be running the Hood to Coast Relay - so for all you race fans out there, place your bets now!!

And I'll keep slogging away at my job!! And trying to resist reading Mockingjay - since I feel like I should save it for the plane ride.

Good times with Ella!!

When I looked at this picture up close, it looked like Ella and Grandpa were having a prayer!! But they were waiting for me to deal in Phase 10!! (I won, thank you very much!!) Dad and I actually enjoy games, but seldom play. It's good to have kids around who will get the ball rolling, so to speak!

Ella forgot her bathing suit, but she figured out how to have some fun in the water with Miss Isla.

It was 101 degrees today - and this hot tub is not heated. Miss Isla loved dipping her toes in.

Of course we hit up Urbane - they are starting to know us all by name!!

And we rounded off our visit by making the famous elastic waist skirts that Hannah posted about. We did one for Ara too.

I forgot to take any pictures while we were working on my classroom - and that's too bad, because Ella was a Class A helper - no pun intended!! She did two bulletin boards for me, figured out how to get my computer up and running, helped me move book cases, tables and chairs, hooked up my cordless phone, filed student folders alphabetically, and generally made a usually tedious task lots of fun. She even came up with a "getting to know you" game that I'm going to use on the first day of school!!

Bonny's coming for her in the a.m. - so it's back to the grind for me!!

(She's making progress on Mockingjay, but probably won't finish before she leaves. But she will get a turn to finish!!)

A great week coming up!!

Yesterday we went to Malibu and enjoyed Sunday dinner with Bonny and the Little Women.

And then Ella came back with us for an early Grandma's B-day Sleepover. We started that with a rousing game of Rummikub - which Grandpa rather handily won - after some long, dry spells with the number tiles!! Dad and I are thinking we should play that every night just to stay sharp!!

We have plans - plans that we will undoubtedly get reported on here. But we are on pins and needles because Amazon.com reported that my copy of Mockingjay has shipped - it's supposed to arrive today!!

And Ella gets to read it first - although she has to have it finished by Wednesday when she leaves, because I am saving it to read on the plane this weekend.

The review in the Times this a.m. was very positive - we'll let you know if we agree.

Meanwhile, we are off to plan the many events that we have to crowd in - mani/pedis, shopping, sewing a skirt, setting up my classroom, some chocolate milk and Milanos, visiting Harry, Dawn and kids, and maybe a round or two more of Rummikub!!

The Unsinkable Mary Clayton!!

Grandma Mary, she of the strong women for our day, had a little run in with the emergency room last week. She was in a lot of pain - pain that turned out to be sciatica - but in searching for the cause of that pain, they found a blood clot in her leg! Funny how trials can be a blessing!!

Donna is giving her daily shots - that would be Nurse Donna - and then she will be on a drug regimen of blood thinners. She came out tonight with Donna and dined with Harry and me. (She had wanted to check out our Farmer's Market - instead she rested at Dawn's while Donna and I gathered fresh produce for her.) And Noah and I went out today and did some cleaning for her - Noah gained her everlasting devotion with his excellent scrubbing of the kitchen floor. If you know my mom, you know that she loves a scrubbed kitchen floor!

I got back to my roots and scrubbed the bathroom sinks!

She may condemn me for this post, but I'm sure you will all want to remember her in your prayers and drop her a card or give her a call. She's one tough lady - but a little attention never hurt any woman - or man - that I know!!

Happy Birthday Hannah!!

Miss Hannula Flannigan was born a quarter of a century ago!!

Sounds old when you say it that way, doesn't it??

It was a great day when Hannah joined our family - she was spunky and cute - in spite of casts and Dr. Brown splints!! And she's been making us smile ever since.




Have a great day Sweetie!!

(The top photo is from Mormon Prom Night in Concord CA and the one below it is Hannah with Grandpa Terrill Sr.)

A day of many occasions!!

Well, maybe not many, but 3 anyway!!

In a big family like ours, it's probably not surprising that the oldest son and the youngest son were born on the same day - 19 years apart on August 19th!!

It was also the wedding day - in 1938 - of Harry and Helen Terrill.

A day worth celebrating!!

(Note: This is the only wedding photo in existence - and it was taken after the wedding!! There is not a photo including Pop - but they did indeed get married on August 19, 1938 - with or without photos!!)

Summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime . . .

Annika and Esme are here while Bonny and the big girls are at Girls' Camp. And we have been having a fine time.

Today was a swimming day - Harry F. joined us and was a big hit in the water - just a big kid himself!!

They were all having a fine time - and I even got in some water aerobics - at least some exercises for my still-deficient knees! And no, I didn't put my face in the water!!

I was thinking that this seems to have been the Summer of the Grandchildren!!

I've been able to spend quality time with all 14 of them this summer. What a blessing that is.

I could get used to this!!

Maybe I should invest in a pair of quality goggles!!

Then tonight we went to the drive in with Harry and Dawn and kids - saw Despicable Me - I wasn't expecting much but it was actually very entertaining - and it was a pleasant, balmy evening to sit out under the stars and watch a movie. I may have to rethink my objections to drive ins!

I'm not excited to see school start!! (Or did I already say that??)

Happy 70th Anniversary!!

I tell the same story every year - probably because after 70 years, it hasn't changed!!

On August 17, 1940, Bob and Mary Clayton were married in the Huntington Park Ward chapel. Then they drove to Salt Lake City and were sealed in the temple 3 days later. (Because it just wouldn't be okay for them to drive up there alone and not married!!)

It's a great story - to go with a great marriage.

The Weekend in Review

A while ago, I issued a little challenge to Porter - and the prize was a sleepover with Grandma and Grandpa. Well, Porter rose to the challenge, so we had our sleepover this past Friday night.

We enjoyed the Street Fair together - I think Porter's favorite part was the new playground at the library - and of course, we had stories and lights out so that he "could see the stars" as he went to sleep. In the a.m., Porter reported, when asked if he'd had a good rest, "It was great!"

Porter added the details to this teddy bear pancake - I thought it would be a Mickey Mouse pancake, and Porter wanted a monster pancake - and this is what we ended up with!! And it tasted good too!

Saturday night we went to San Pedro with the McKendricks - and discovered what for us had been a well-kept secret - Shakespeare by the Sea!!

We sat out under the stars, by the ocean, ate well, snuggled up, and saw

12th Night - and a pretty good production too!!

This small amphitheatre is located at Pt. Fermin Park - which is next to the ocean. The best part - it's free!! We are just hoping it doesn't go the route of all kinds of other fun things we've found to do in SoCal - and that is get popular and crowded and expensive!!

So don't tell too many people!!

Happy Anniversary You Two!!

When Phoebe and David got engaged, it was a different sort of experience for Dad and me. For starters, we didn't really know David! We trusted Phoebe's good judgment though, and of course it all turned out that she had made an excellent choice!!

Though they haven't lived close by, we have had many opportunities to visit and get to know David better. This last 2 1/2 week stint was especially gratifying, since I'm feeling like David and I are great friends too, as well as in-laws!!

So here's to many more happy years together - as well as many happy visits from us!!

A Star Danced.....

Remember the Perseid Meteor Shower can be best viewed tonight and early tomorrow morning. Set your alarms, or just stay up all night.

Tips here.

It's beginning to look a lot like...well, you know.

Correct me if I'm wrong...

Christmas 2010:
Bonny gives to Noah
Harry gives to Bonny
Phoebe gives to Harry
Eliza gives to Phoebe
Hannah gives to Eliza
Noah gives to Hannah

"Summertime, and the livin' is easy, . . ."

Well, either nothing is going on in anyone's life. Or so much is going on that there's no time to report on it.

This photo is from June - the weekend of my mom's 90th b-day party - because I always think a post needs a photo. And believe it or not, I haven't been taking many photos lately. Of course, you might not be interested in a photo of me sleeping in, or staying in my nightgown until noon, or watering the plants outside, or reveling in the exponential growth of the Sycamore tree, or bemoaning the fate of the apricot tree that was attacked by bears and the deer!!, or photos of me addressing birthday cards or sewing aprons. Or shopping. Or talking on the phone. Or blogging. Or doing laundry.

And that's pretty much what I've been doing.

What have you been doing??

(The wildlife did not kill the apricot tree. They left it alone as soon as all the fruit was gone. It looks "pruned" shall we say. We think the strategy is to pick all fruit as soon as it appears, so the animals won't be interested in the tree. At some point, it will become sturdy enough to withstand their attack - and big enough so that there will be plenty of fruit at the top and they can eat what's on the lower branches.)