Cody prepares

The time is getting closer for the joy of grandson Cody's baptism. We are hosting dinner and another missionary lesson of friday. It looks like about 3 more weeks and we are so happy about it! Cody does so well listening and answering the questions intelligently. I don't think Chrystal has posted the planned date so I will let her do that. (do it Chrystal!) Cody is a smart boy and very loving to us and we're glad he's a part of our lives.

True Love...

We all know how much Dad loves BROWNIES. Well, once when Komu was living with us she came into the kitchen to have a brownie from the pan. When she looked at them she saw ALL the edges cut off. Eaten. Gone. She just said in a low accusing voice, "Don...".

So for Valentine's Day I got him this Edgey Brownie pan!

Now, He can have two edges and sometimes three in every brownie! Isn't this the most fabulous brownie pan? It works wonderfully and came with it's own little spatula just the right size.

No, he didn't eat them all already. I just put one back in so you can see it.

Snow Snow Snow

WELCOME to our snowy house!

"Grampa's playground" is kind of under the weather...

I think this is a foot of snow on the railing. It usually falls off before this much is loaded on!

Little shed in the woods.
Last winter a rabbit lived underneath. Maybe this winter too.

Come and play!

At the Birch Aquarium

We really loved the aquaruim in San Diego a couple of weeks ago. It is so amazing to see all the beautiful colors of sea life. Normally I would think of under the sea as being just dark and drab but NO! Just look at these! I thought I would remember the names of all these but I don't. So I'll label the ones I do remember.

This is Coral. When it's alive it bends and sways in the water.
I think this is a Fan Fish

This is a kind of Seahorse. I think it's a Stick fish....

The snout goes to the left and the body angles down to the lower right.

He is just pretty. Don't know his name.

This weirdo is a Moray Eel. There were three of them together and they just

stayed in the same position looking dumb. Their faces are all dopey looking. So weird!

This is a Moon jelly fish. Or something like that. We also saw the jellyfish that were in the Nemo movie but I couldn't get a good picture.

This starfish is a Sun Star. With so many legs he looks fake!
He is on the wall up at the top of the water.

This guy is another type of Sea Dragon. Not so leafy.

And here is my Famous Leafy Sea Dragon! I love him! He looks like he just floats around but he has tiny little...falanges?...that come out of his back in a row.and they move really quickly like a fan that makes him move around through the water. I saw one at the Coney Island Aquarium with Bonnie years ago and have wanted to see one ever since so this was a treat for me!

The yellowish part is the body and he has two leafy antenna things and the other leaves are his legs. His snout is pointing down to the right corner. Isn't he COOL!?


So next time you have a chance to go to an Aquarium, GO!!!!!

Snowing and Quilting

Because of this....

which is supposed to last for another day...

I will not be going to work but will get to spend my day making these lovely quilt squares.

I am doing a friendship quilt with some ward sisters where each person makes as many squares as there are people involved. Then we all trade and put our quilts together. I couldn't even remember signing up for this and then when we finally had our first meeting I thought "Yikes! what have I gotten myself into? " AND I have had a horrible time with a 9-patch I have been working on. (Luckily Ruth Ann helped me tremendously for a day last week and that one is much better). But I decided to give it a try and am very happy I have. I have 4 of these finished and 6 more than 1/2 way finished. It's hard for me to be so precise with the seams to make the squares work out perfectly but also gives me a sense of pride since my last one was so much trouble.


Isn't it just so cute??? If the whole quilt was all made of these squares they would be placed diagonally so the dark yellow looks like little windmills. Maybe I will make a whole one all by myself some day.

Engaging Father Christmas

Yesterday morning a read an enjoyable little novel about a young woman who has found her family in England. When I read these pages I was entranced. I just thought it was so delightful. I hoped the book was all like this with no dreadful stuff. Luckily it was. I hope you can read these pages - if you click on the picture it gets bigger. The book is "Engaging Father Christmas" by Robin Jones Gunn. A Christian writer. There is a prequel but I haven't read it yet.

Camping in Flagstaff in Winter

Who says you can't camp in Flagstaff in the winter? You don't want a snowcave to sleep in? Well just come on over and you can do as Emma did a week ago. Just gather up all my real and fake plants and trees and arrange them anyway you like in my living room. Emma crowded them around her little bed so she would feel extra cozy and Jana slept on the couch right beside her. Jeff was on the other couch. They had the gas fire going most of the night and the wild animal kitties roamed the fake woods freely.

I don't have pics but we also roasted marshmellows over the stove and made SMore's, and Jeff played his guitar and Emma even taught ME how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on her violin! I am now so brilliant! I am actually very excited that she could teach me! Let's see, we also played Go Fish, and Emma taught me how to "do Inner Peace" also known as "oommmmm". done properly while sitting in lotus position (no I can't do that) and having your fingers curled with your thumb and index finger touching. I think Jana said she learned it on Kung Fu Panda.

We had a yummy breakfast made by Grandma in the morning. We four adults managed to easily eat a whole package of bacon. Does that make us pigs? I'm not really asking that....

Then later in the day we all went on a hike in Sedona which was very fun with perfect weather followed by a feast at the Red Planet Diner; an interesting place with an Alien theme. Very Fun! I hope they come again someday for another campout! (not aliens, but Emma and her parents...) Jana has more pics on her blog if you want more. They are very cute.

A Foxy Time!

I was chatting with my visiting teacher on Friday morning when she looked out

our big window. She was concentrating on her contacts and how her visions was

when suddenly she realized there was a fox laying out in Grampa's Playground!

He was just chillin' out there in the sunniest spot! I hurried over to the back door and

let the kitties come back into the house; they had been pressing their noses at the

back door waiting so they hadn't seen Mr. Fox. Or he them - thank goodness.

Snoozing Fox just Chillin'. He's smiling. Thinking of eating my cats.

But he was too lazy.

I took a couple of pictures through the window then sneaked out the door trying to be invisible. But it didn't work. When he saw me he stood up and then hopped up onto the fence and beyond. But aren't these pics cool? I'm so glad I could at least cut these out of the middle of my too far away pictures. My zoom isn't very zoomy. He looks kind of majestic, don't y0u think?

Good bye Foxy Loxy!

(sorry about the weird layout. I don't know why the first part was underlined and couldn't find a spot to undo it. . ugh.)

California take me away!

We were ready to say good bye to the mountain cold so we took off for California a couple of weekends ago. After a late night arrival and sleepover at Jana's we headed out to San Diego . We stayed in a hotel in Salano Beach where we had stayed with the kids quite a few years ago. If they remember the pizza place we went to the first night when everyone was so tired, that is now a California Pizza Kitchen and has wonderful food!

We walked on the beach at night and in the morning too. Don did NOT go swimming and so I did NOT see a shark fin near him and get all freaked out like last time. Thank goodness! We just did lots of walking and he took a little 5 mile run for fun.

This is the view from up on the cliff. We walked way down on the beach.

I think this might have been the most exciting part of the trip for Don. He was just so happy when he found this car wash. I don't even think the car was dirty.

Mmm mmm mmm, California sun.

Don't you think I must have been the most beautiful creature on the entire beach??

(We went to the Birch Aquarium and it was just SO cool! I loved it. The under water world is so amazing. I will post pics later.)

We drove up to visit Bonnie and Kitty Blue in Whittier. Blue showed up on her doorstep crying and wet and was so happy when she picked him up and cuddled him. He is now her best pal. He is just adorable!

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz

Ummmm, I think Blue might be looking for Bonnie's phone. Or maybe her car keys or wallet or maybe even a phone directory.

Captions? Anyone???

Our last stop was at the old homestead in Barstow to visit Dad and Topsy. Their heater was on the fritz so we had a nice fire going all the time. I hope it's fixed by now! Topsy fed us well and we helped them with their computer. Don turned on the sound again and I set up bloglines. They had better be checking out my blog soon! It was a very nice little visit. I love them both!

Good bye California!