May the force be with you

It was good times at Henry's Fall Festival last weekend. Calvin managed to keep his ears on MOST of the time.
I have to say that I am a fan of the Family themed costumes.
Thanks Cornwalls for the inspiration!
PS I'll be posting more pictures of the boys tomorrow on Blue Skies.

Ward Halloween Party - Monrovia Style

Tonight was the ward Halloween Party, and since Harry F. is the Activities Committee Chairman, we were all quite involved.

Wesley Heslop came as Ghandi. The Weldons were a Dead Pirate and his Dead Man's Chest! Eve was a witch, Porter was Frankenstein, but he never kept his headgear on!!

Susanne was there in the midst of the fray - mostly keeping Porter under surveillance.

The Gutierrez Family was Robin Hood and His Men in Tights - but I didn't get a good shot of them. The girls were all a version of Maid Marian, and the boys really did wear tights!!

The Cornwalls were down to just the two of them - and I didn't get a shot of them either. Sue said she'd send me a group shot that included Sarah and Rachel.

Noah was a Judge - not dressed as one, but functioning as one. He helped me pass out treats too.

All in all, a fine time was had by all.

And it's still not really Halloween yet!

Halloween is in the air . . .

It's actually cooling off around here - and we are looking forward to Halloween festivities - especially since Harry F. is the Activities Committee Chairman and is in charge of the Halloween Party at the ward. We'll report that tomorrow.

But I was looking for a particular photo - which I didn't find - but I found these two old photos of Bonny and Harry at Halloween time in Utah.

I was thinking that we always dressed up for Halloween and went trick or treating, but I don't have many photos to prove it. But trust me, it happened!

Although the first year we moved to Centerville, when Bonny was 3, I made her a very cute little gypsy costume and made her up and she was charming - and refused to go out! So we didn't - but I thought I took a picture - but I can't seem to find it.

So these will have to do. The quality is poor and they are fading fast - but you get the general drift!

Hooray!

It's gone - and all healed.

Ara played in her soccer game this morning - she was so excited. 

Fall is in the air . . .

Everyone - well maybe not EVERYONE - but some people on the blog - and in other places - are talking about the HOLIDAYS!!

If you go into a store, you would think the holiday was Christmas - because it's way too late to buy stuff for Halloween and Thanksgiving!! If you blink, you will have to start buying the Valentine stuff - and bathing suits and sandals!!

But I was looking for a particular Halloween photo - and couldn't find it. But I found this shot that I thought nicely combined Halloween and Christmas.

Not that you need to combine them. But one year we did - the buying of matching Christmas pj's can get expensive. So one year we got these - for $2 a pair - for obvious reasons.

Happy Holiday Shopping and Other Preparations to All of You Out There in Bloggerland!!

Practice makes perfection

Since Annika seems to have the most issues with reverence - we're doing a little practicing. 

Happy Birthday Beautiful Boy!!

Hannah gave me a cd with some Beatle faves - and Beautiful Boy is one of mine - I like to think of all the "beautiful boys" we can call our own. And Calvin certainly comes to mind. Happy day buddy!! We love you and are looking forward to seeing you!!

Rim to Rim Update

Check out Bruce's account of the run at blogander

Grand Canyon Sweet

Yes, folks, it was 6:30 AM on Saturday and tut, tut, it looked like rain! Undaunted and even feeling some optimism, we began our run. Over the edge and down into the cloudy abyss we ran, shot with adrenaline and oblivious for the first few miles of anything but the glory of Rim to Rim! Ahh, how little we knew that where there is rain, there will also be something that rhymes with rain. That's right, kids! Starts with "P."



But I get ahead of myself. The "rhymes with rain, starts with 'P'" didn't come on until later in the day--maybe by the time we got to the bottom, which is 4500 ft. below the start. We ran by some mules and some people and lots and lots of water by the time we got to the muddy ole Colorado.



What would I do differently if I were to be doing the 21 miles again this Saturday?

1. Actually buy that really cool, expensive, effective, top o' the line Marmot windbreaker that I almost but did not buy at REI last Thursday night. "Good windbreaker" became code words for "life saving device."

2. Eat one more helping of Lasagna during our carbo loading event Friday night.

3. Buy some real gloves instead of those Home Depot cotton ones, 6 pair for $2.49.

4. Get a bag of those really nifty tasting jelly beans that guy shared with us on the trail at about mile 19. On the trail as in life, it's always the stuff the other guy has that really tastes best.

5. Bring my own snuggly beanie and not play the macho when Bruce suggests that even my head might get cold and wet enough to use one.

Did I say "cold and wet?" Not even! It was discolored skin puckering wet and arthritic thumb numbing hoarfrost joint stopping nose slopping cold. I personally burned more calories shivering than I did running. And just when I thought the wet was warming up a bit under my layers of shirts we would hit another waterfall and I was reminded again why I should have popped for Marmot instead of "make do."


This photo really doesn't do justice to the spontaneous waterfalls we had to scoot under. The water was coming down in torrents and was not only freezing cold but filthy dirty (it is called the colorado after all).

Ironically, while water was an issue externally, we also nearly ran out of water to drink. Two of the water stations we were counting on were actually shut down because of the rain and the threat of flash floods breaking pipes and contaminating the systems (it is noteworthy to mention that we missed a small flash flood event --one that made the flooded creek unpassable--by about an hour). The Ancient Mariner comes to mind.

Now, for a photo that really does justice to the experience. Here we are on the day after the run looking over our starting point on the South Rim at the South Kaibab trail. You can use your imagination to see where we merged onto the Bright Angel trail and went off into the distance, up the canyon and into the clouds climbing 5500 feet from the canyon floor to the North Rim. It took us 7.5 hours to run and hike it. It took us about five hours by shuttle bus to travel the two hundred or so miles back around Glen Canyon on the northeast to return to our car at the South Rim.



Would I do it again? I wouldn't choose a rainy day, nor a 120 degree day. But yes, I would and probably will do it again, and I think Bruce agrees. It was exhilarating. It was humbling. It was physically exhausting. It was spiritually regenerating. It was worth it.

Hmmm

So Cal, what have you been up to?

I'll tear you rim from rim

Pictures of the grand run?

Happening Events on Primrose Lane

I seem to be the only posting these days - I guess the rest of you have a life!!

Anyway, Porter had a b-day party at our house on Friday - moon bouncer and all - it was a big hit with the younger set.

Great grandmas were there - and Aunt Donna and Susanne. I'm not sure why I didn't take pictures of them! Mom even ate pizza. (But I didn't!)

Porter was pretty funny - he's a great little guy who knows how to have fun! The mimi cake had a construction theme - not surprising!!

Coverups

I am really into aprons these days.

It all started when I was looking in antique shops for aprons for a gift for a friend who said she was collecting them. I bought a few, and they seemed to be reasonably priced.

I talked to more people, and they said to go on eBay. Well, there it was, apron heaven. But I'm really not into eBay - I guess I don't have the patience. My one friend got several really cute old ones from England, and the prices weren't bad.

So I went on eBay - but everything I wanted had too long a time for people to bid. I guess I'm into instant gratification.

Then I remembered a pattern I had for an apron - and I found an old photo of myself in the apron. I think my mom made it for me, and so then I went out and bought the pattern in three different sizes. (Now they put all the sizes in one pattern - which would have been a catastrophe for me because I would have cut on one of the size lines and I'd have to tape back on all those little strips of tissue for the other sizes - and I probably would have thrown them away anyway!!)

Fortunately I found the patterns - and actually another old (20 years)Vogue apron pattern that I had bought and never made - but always wanted to. So I bought some material for that apron.

Last Christmas I started making aprons for my 4 daughters and daughter-in-law. I ws hooked. I've made about 30 or so since then. I have it down to a science - I'm my own little apron factory.

And I cut out my wonderful Vogue apron pattern - and even started sewing on it. It's harder though - I get easily discouraged.

And then I made a different style apron for Bonny for her b-day - she posted it last week - but last night I found the pattern I had wanted to use years ago to replicate the old blue and red aprons I wore all the time when Bonny was growing up that I tried to replicate for her b-day this year. Are you still with me?? (The old blue and red aprons were really mini-dresses that Donna and Leslie used to wear as teens. When they hit the ragbag, I fished them out and took them home and used them as aprons.)

And then I found a really old pattern, and I'm not sure at all where it came from - I'm thinking it's an old pattern that Polly gave me. It takes more fabric, but it looks pretty simple. I will have to make 4 or 5 and then get it down to a science.

I call my litte enterprise Pinnies From Heaven. But it's totally non-commercial - I just get a kick out of making aprons.

Sue C. pulled an apron out of her bag at Enrichment - we had to bring three things that represented us - and said, "An apron is my Superman cape. When I put one on, I am empowered." Don't you love that??

I am feeling pretty powerful myself!!

Passing the baton . . .

Tonight we had a great Enrichment activity - the first one under our ward's new Relief Society Presidency - Jennifer, Kathy, Diane and Brooke. And the first one in a long time that I didn't have to worry about. (Not that I ever had to worry - I had the world's best Enrichment counselors!!)

No one in the church is indispensable - and I am always impressed when things just keep moving on, seamlessly, even though there are changes in leadership. It is a tribute to the truthfulness of the Gospel!!

Elder Holland spoke along those same lines at our stake conference in August when we got a new stake presidency. It has been inspiring to me to watch firsthand as mantles have been exchanged and the work goes on.

Sharing the big day - Phoebe and Porter

Happy 29th and 2nd to Phoebe and Porter!! (This posting is on the 10th - their shared day of naisance is the 11th - but I need to scoop Eliza!!)

One photo is Porter's 1st b-day last year - my how he's grown!! And several of Phoebe from the 80's. And one of Phoebe on her first birthday. And one of Porter just this week - so you can see that he has indeed grown up a lot.

The Cabbage Patch story deserves telling: I went to the old Kmart that was located where Albertson's is now and saw what I thought was the goofiest looking doll I'd ever seen. My comment? "These will never make it!" Boy, was I ever wrong - they were Cabbage Patch Dolls - and within a few months, they were in short supply and high demand. (This is why I don't do the stock market trading in our family!!)

It was getting close to Phoebe's birthday, and all she wanted was a Cabbage Patch doll. I went to the Kaybee Toys in the mall with Bonny and Harry - and we located the last Cabbage Patch Doll in Arcadia - a preemie CB for $37! (You have to remember that it was 1984 - that was a lot of money for a crummy doll in those days - American Girl dolls were not even a twinkle in anyone's eyes then!)

I kept saying, "Your dad will flip at spending this kind of money on this kind of doll." Harry then said, "Well, make up your mind, because there's a line of people following you around the store waiting for you to maybe change your mind!" Then he said, "Let's take it out to the parking lot and sell it for $75!!" (The newspapers were full of stories of outrageous bidding wars on CB dolls in stores and parking lots all over America!!)

Obviously we bought it - and big Harry said, when Phoebe opened her gift and was absolutely ecstatic, "Well, I guess you called that one right!"

So happy birthday to a couple of my favorite people!! May all your Cabbage Patch dreams come true!!

Synopsis

of tonight's bedtime story.

Cinderesme'

She has two wicked stepsisters - Arastasia and Drizella

Her Fairy Bonmother saves the day with a dress and ride to the ball.

Prince Holden asks her to dance.

The Grand Bruce is sent to find the girl who fits the glass slipper.

Everyone lives happily ever after.

Of Course.

There is hope

So maybe my children's large noggins will be beneficial after all!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061009/hl_nm/head_growth_infancy_dc

Grandma

and her new best friend Michael.