Mother's Day 2023

 A quiet but very pleasant Mother's Day for me!

Mark treated Mary to a nice dinner which they enjoyed on their deck.

So glad that she is Jackson's mom!

Unfortunately, Matt was sick and didn't get to come over.

He and Cady have been giving me lots of eggs from her chickens so I used 13 egg whites and made a 'from scratch' angel food cake in the tube pan that was my grandmothers.

I was kind of impressed with myself.

It tasted even better than it looked.

John and family came over and gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. 

We feasted on Papa Murphy's pizza and then went for a walk in the rain.

Isabella loves playing in my closet with me.  I think it is because she has my undivided attention.

We have an animal school with a misbehaving snake and various other animals.

I love it!

I don't want her to grow up and out of this fun stage.

Scott was in Hawaii for a friend's wedding on Maui but first he stopped in Oahu to visit his friend Brandon and family.  Brandon and his wife Lindsay have 4 adorable children.

Including a baby that is about 2 weeks old. Awwww...

These 4 'kids' have blessed my life.

Taught me things that I needed to know

Given me joy beyond measure

I am so glad to be their MOM!

What A World!

 My good friends the Schwendimans were in London the week before the coronation.  I had asked them to bring me a commemorative mug and a tea towel.  They did!  I have mugs from Charles and Diana's wedding, William and Catherine's and from the Platinum Jubilee. 

The most amazing thing is that on Tuesday morning May 2nd I was sitting at my computer in Eagle, Idaho while I was

Texting with the Schwendimans in London to pick out a mug

Watching a funeral over Zoom that was being held in Salt Lake City

Following a soccer game in Spain on my I-Pad

and 

Receiving photos over What'sApp from Kenya!

What a world we live in!

Long Live King Charles

Ok I admit it!  I was one of those people who stayed up all night to watch the Coronation.  Truthfully I had been excited for weeks just thinking about the ceremony and the clothes and the cute kids so I just got comfortable on the couch and watched the preliminary documentaries and pre-coronation coverage.

And I loved every minute!

What a spectacular show!

I guess there is a part of me that wished it could have been the beautiful Diana being crowned.  

I wish that their marriage had been happy and that they had stayed married and in love until this day. 

BUT

both of them cheated in their marriage.

They separated in 1992 so 31 years ago.

They divorced in 1996 - 27 years ago.

And Diana died in 1997 so 26 years ago.

I would not have wanted Charles and Diana to have stayed all those years in a loveless marriage just for the sake of her becoming queen.  

Charles and Camilla have been in love for decades and married for 18 years.

She seems to work hard and be good at her job.

And most importantly of all, she supports and loves Charles.

That counts for something in my book.

Perfect people?  No of course not.

Things to be sorry for....many.

But 'he who is without sin, cast the first stone'.

The coronation ceremony was a deeply felt, religious experience.  I was impressed that King Charles said that he came not to be served but to serve.

So many references to grace and mercy and service.

He seemed genuinely moved by the experience.

The music was spectacular.

I was touched by the grandeur and the history behind all the elements.

Even at 5:00 in the morning!

A highlight for me had to be the Wales kids.

Prince George as a page to his Granddad the King. 

Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis walking so sweetly behind their parents.

Their behavior was impeccable.  Louis got a little restless but then 2 hours is a LONG time for a barely 5 year old to sit still and be quiet.  His nanny took him out for a planned break but he rejoined his family for the recessional. 

I am sure the Prince and Princess of Wales were so proud of their children. As they should be!

From all I read and have observed they are excellent parents. 

This coronation seems like a bookend to my life.  Daddy was in England for Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953 when I was born.  Now nearing the end of my life, I witness this one.  With a little luck, I may live to see Prince William and Catherine become King and Queen.

That would make me very happy.

 

Reading With Isabella

I am blessed that I had a mother who read to me daily and I read to our children regularly as well.  One of my favorite classes in college at both BYU and MSCW was my 'Kiddie Lit' class.  It was a pleasure to reacquaint myself with some of my childhood favorites while also being introduced to many new books.  I distinctly remember rereading Charlotte's Web while sitting on the lawn outside the McKay building and crying.  

A few weeks ago, I got the great idea to share my love of reading with Isabella through nightly FaceTime chats.  I bought two copies of Charlotte's Web - one for me and one for Isabella.  Every night I call her and we take turns reading paragraphs until we complete a chapter.

If she looks a little glum in this photo it is because this is the chapter just after Charlotte's death.  I had been kind of worried because a couple of days before this I had asked her what she thought was going to happen and she joyfully said, "I think Charlotte and Wilbur are going to be friends forever."  

She got really quiet when we read about Charlotte's lonely death but she bounced right back with joy at the 514 spider babies hatching in the barn!

And this from a girl who before now HATED spiders with a passion.

I asked her to pick our next book and she wanted a Junie B Jones book.  I looked on Amazon and discovered that there are lots of books in this series.  28 to be exact.  Isabella had read all of them up to #25.  The title of #26 caught my eye and she agreed that would be our next pick. 

Quite a stark contrast from Charlotte's web!

But it should be highly entertaining and bring back memories of our trip to Hawaii a few years ago.

When she is over at our house we snuggle up on the bed with a few animals so they can enjoy the story too!

Grandma brag moment here!

Isabella is a first grader and Charlotte's web is considered 4th grade reading level. 

She reads quickly and so expressively.

I am loving every minute of this precious time spent with our darling girl.

Van Gogh

 Most of my time in West Virginia was spent totally enjoying playing with Jackson.  I love being that fun little boy's grandma!  

Mary and I did slip away one night to go down to Washington DC to immerse ourselves in Van Gogh.  

Chances are you have seen or heard about the 'Immersive Van Gogh Experiences'.  The highlight is when images or videos of his works are projected onto walls, ceilings and floors in a large room. 

But first we learned more about Vincent and his early life and paintings in a more traditional gallery.

Traditional except that his works were animated.

This was one of my favorites.

His  bedroom in Arles, depicted in one of his famous paintings, was recreated.  Mary and I have good memories of our trip to Arles, France when we were living in Barcelona. 

Next we went into a large gym sized room and were totally immersed with his art all around us.

Starry night

Self portraits

You can see that the art works are animated and change from one painting to another.  Doors and windows open, stars shine, lights come on and off.  Appropriate music plays.  It was quite mesmerizing. Some people just stretch out on the floor but we were thankful for the lounge chairs. 

The last part of the evening was a walk through the French countryside that Van Gogh painted so often. 

The 'walk' was accomplished by putting on virtual reality headsets.  I loved the feeling of walking around and looking behind and from side to side. Birds were singing!  Clouds moving across the sky!  Wheat blowing in the breeze!  A storm on the horizon! Thankfully just as my motion sickness was starting to affect me, I arrived at the end of the walk. 

Here are a few of his paintings that I 'walked' through.

I am so glad that Mary heard about this and got us tickets.  It has been something I've wanted to do for a long time.  Thanks daughter!

Random Fun in West Virginia

 Just a few random shots of fun in West Virginia!

Jackson is a good helper in the grocery store.

Parade time!

As I have said before Jackson has quite the imagination. Here's a fun example. During this parade various participants would get out of line and 'shake their booty'.  I had to make a sign that said, "NO BOOTY SHAKING".  After that when someone would do a little booty dance, Chase, the Paw Patrol Policeman, would arrest them and put them in jail.  This got even crazier when I introduced Jackson to the 1976 KC and the Sunshine Band hit - Shake Your Booty.  After I played that song, the number of animals breaking the law by shaking their booty skyrocketed!

Jackson loves construction vehicles so Good Night Construction Site became a favorite book.

Especially when read on the top bunk!

Jackson is usually not a fan of posing for photos but occasionally you can get him to pose....when HE wants to!

This is in Berkley Springs, West Virginia.  And yes George Washington did bath here. In fact he described the experience this way. 

"We found of both sexes about 250 people at this place, full of all manner of diseases and complaints; some of which are benefited, while others find no relief from the waters two of three doctors are here, but whether attending as physicians or to drink the water I know not. It is thought the springs will soon begin to lose their virtues, and the weather gets too cold for people not well provided to remain here. They are situated very badly on the east side of a steep mountain, and enclosed by hills on all sides, so that the afternoon's sun is hid by 4 o'clock and the fog hangs over us till 9 or 10, like ghosts with occasional great damps and the mornings and the evenings to be cool. 

However, I think my fevers are a good deal abated, though my pains grow rather worse, and my sleep equally disturbed; what effect the waters may have upon me I cannot say at present, as I expect nothing from the air this certainly must be unhealthy. I propose to stay here a fortnight and longer if benefited"

Washington's letter to Reverend Charles Green - August 26, 1761

Mark bought a couple of gallon jugs and we filled them with water from Berkley Springs.  And it tastes great!

On a cold day in April, nothing beats watching cartoons by the fireplace.

Mary and Mark have 4 chickens. One of them is 13 year old Flighty!  She hasn't laid eggs in years but remains the boss lady of the coop. Yes, there really is a 'pecking order'. Can you figure out which one is the geriatric hen? I read on line that well cared for and protected hens can live for as long as 12 years.  Flighty must be very protected and well cared for.

Can't Forget Mark!

Our Jackson hit the jackpot with his parents.  Mark is a great dad for our little guy.

He takes him to breakfast every Saturday morning at Waffle House.  Often they then go on a Home Depot trip.  Mark picks up the kid's DIY kits and then teaches Jackson as they work on completing the project together.

Hammering

Painting

To make a little birdhouse and feeder!

Doesn't he look cute in his Home Depot apron?

Mark is the perfect recipient of my antique toys!

My mother saved this truck for many years and I finally decided to give it to Mark.

He did some research and learned that it is from 1958, when I was 5 years old.

In his research he learned that you could buy a replacement tailgate and the small chains so, of course, he did.

Now my antique truck looks like new.

Thanks Mark.

A couple of years ago, I gave Mark the Marklin train that my mother had saved from my childhood.  Again, he researched, bought the needed parts and now Jackson has a train set.

Mark even bought more cars and enough tracks that they can make a figure 8.

Makes me smile to see my grandson playing with my old train set.

I love thinking of my Daddy in heaven watching his grandson play with the train he gave me so many years ago.

So glad that I got to spend time with this family and participate in their activities.