Monday, July 27, 2009
Comments
This is just a shortie - I am seeking comments. I decided I like the idea of comments. If you read my blog, please make a comment for me. Thanks.
Water Glasses
Today is Monday, July 27, 2009. The sky is blue and the sun is shining.
We have family here from out of town. They will be here for a couple of weeks. Whenever we have family from out of town, the "in town" group always want to be here, too. And that is fine with Glen and me. We love to have the family together. We enjoy watching our grandchildren play together and like to listen in on the conversations of the adult group as they share memories and new discoveries.
A big challenge is the question of water glasses. At meal time we usually use paper cups and for drinks inbetween meals, too. However, the cups multiply and there are always paper cups sitting around on the table and the counter. We have a system of writing names with a sharpie to conserve on the cup usuage. It sort of works. Children leave water or ice in a cup and you know how paper cups get soggy after awhile. Each morning I empty cups and line them up on the counter. I throw away the soggy ones.
This system works pretty well. However, we do have some drinkers who cannot take the time to search out their own cup. (I guess the penalties are not stiff enough.)
Last Friday one of our daughters bought some plastic glasses and some colored sharpies. We had an art project to decorate the glasses and include our name. "This is your glass. You are responsible for rinsing it out and having it ready to use. If you have milk in it and don't rinse it, your next drink of water may be milky. Or if you have juice, the water might be juicy."
Each one enjoyed doing the art work on his or her glass. It sort of works. This morning I emptied water and melted ice from several glasses and lined them up on the counter. Yesterday all the family did pretty well at rinsing and taking care of their own glass.
We panicked when one fell on the floor. "That's it! I bet it broke." It didn't, Yeah! I think it will not cut down on the glasses I empty each morning but it will save on paper cups. I will line them up each morning on the counter. We will make it work as best we can. I feel certain there are families who manage such things better then we do. But, oh well, we have a great time together. That makes most any problem bearable.
That's all for today. (I am not going to reread and correct this blog. Last time I did it I lost the whole thing. Bear with any mistakes I made.)
We have family here from out of town. They will be here for a couple of weeks. Whenever we have family from out of town, the "in town" group always want to be here, too. And that is fine with Glen and me. We love to have the family together. We enjoy watching our grandchildren play together and like to listen in on the conversations of the adult group as they share memories and new discoveries.
A big challenge is the question of water glasses. At meal time we usually use paper cups and for drinks inbetween meals, too. However, the cups multiply and there are always paper cups sitting around on the table and the counter. We have a system of writing names with a sharpie to conserve on the cup usuage. It sort of works. Children leave water or ice in a cup and you know how paper cups get soggy after awhile. Each morning I empty cups and line them up on the counter. I throw away the soggy ones.
This system works pretty well. However, we do have some drinkers who cannot take the time to search out their own cup. (I guess the penalties are not stiff enough.)
Last Friday one of our daughters bought some plastic glasses and some colored sharpies. We had an art project to decorate the glasses and include our name. "This is your glass. You are responsible for rinsing it out and having it ready to use. If you have milk in it and don't rinse it, your next drink of water may be milky. Or if you have juice, the water might be juicy."
Each one enjoyed doing the art work on his or her glass. It sort of works. This morning I emptied water and melted ice from several glasses and lined them up on the counter. Yesterday all the family did pretty well at rinsing and taking care of their own glass.
We panicked when one fell on the floor. "That's it! I bet it broke." It didn't, Yeah! I think it will not cut down on the glasses I empty each morning but it will save on paper cups. I will line them up each morning on the counter. We will make it work as best we can. I feel certain there are families who manage such things better then we do. But, oh well, we have a great time together. That makes most any problem bearable.
That's all for today. (I am not going to reread and correct this blog. Last time I did it I lost the whole thing. Bear with any mistakes I made.)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Possessions
Today is Tuesday, July 21, 2009. It is sunny and warm. The sky is a beautiful blue.
As I have been straightening up the house yesterday and today, I've spent a lot of time putting away "stuff." You know, books, magazines, pencils, pens, dishes, clothes, tote bags, pillows and the like. I have tried over the years to get better at "a place for everything and everything in its place." Some days I think I have made progress. Other days I'm not so sure.
If you have ever been in our house you know we have many, many books. Not only do we have the books we bought, but we have books from Glen's parents' collection and books from my mother's collection. Add to that books that belong to some of our children. We love books, what can I say? Most of them have been read more than once.
When Glen retired from teaching he brought home his office. He had wall to wall, floor to ceiling bookcases filled with more books. We do have lots of book shelves and they are all filled and spilling over. My oldest sister once said that if she left 2 glasses out on the counter top overnight they multiplied by morning. I think that is true of books, too.
We have dozens of cookbooks. And several sets of encylcopedias. And we all love the old Reader's Digest Condensed Books. (We don't like the new Select Editions. They have too much graphic sex and bad language left in them. I feel perfectly okay if one of my grandchildren selects an old Condensed Book to read. I have expressed my dislike to every Reader's Digest person who has called. "NO, I do not want your Selection Editions because ....")
Not so long ago I decided I would like to collect all the Caldacott Award and the Newberry Award winners. Sure, we need more books. It is a fun project. I just wish I could find a copy of Wanda Gag's Millions and Millions of Cats.
And everytime a book ad comes in the mail - five books for $1 - I pore over that ad, select 5 books I'd really, really like. I am doing better at not making the order. I know that I can cancel at any time or return any book I don't want BUT too often in the past I have just kept buying book after book.
Photographs are another possession that we have boxes and boxes full - and albums, too. I am trying to be more discerning with the photos I keep. I ask myself "Is anyone really interested in this photo of me 15 years ago with some of my PTA friends at Disneyland?" Or what about my PTA friends without me? And where on earth was this picture of the highway taken. Oh, yes, once I said I wanted a picture book of trees and clouds so that when I am too old to do much else I can look at the pictures. Wait, I think I said that same thing in my last blog. Am I overly concerned with getting too old to do much else? Maybe.
Dishes - I love dishes. Whenever there is an offer to get dishes in the grocery store, I always fall prey to that come on. Over the years I have parted with some of the pieces but not many. I treasure those dishes. Sure, they are kind of cheap but I like them nevertheless.
Last week I went through my clothes closet. I have plenty of clothes but I usually wear the same old favorites. One of our granddaughters asked her mother "How come Grandma always wears the same dress?" I love it, that's why. Can I clean out my closet a little and give some of those things away? Nope, I might need it one day.
Some of you will understand about me and my possessions. Others of you will shake your heads. A friend told me her mother's motto was "Every day throw something away." I'm trying but somehow I hear my mother's voice, "As sure as you throw that away you will need it." There's got to be a happy medium.
That's all for today. I'm going to tackle a drawer in my filing cabinet. I am doing well at throwing away papers. Wish me luck!
As I have been straightening up the house yesterday and today, I've spent a lot of time putting away "stuff." You know, books, magazines, pencils, pens, dishes, clothes, tote bags, pillows and the like. I have tried over the years to get better at "a place for everything and everything in its place." Some days I think I have made progress. Other days I'm not so sure.
If you have ever been in our house you know we have many, many books. Not only do we have the books we bought, but we have books from Glen's parents' collection and books from my mother's collection. Add to that books that belong to some of our children. We love books, what can I say? Most of them have been read more than once.
When Glen retired from teaching he brought home his office. He had wall to wall, floor to ceiling bookcases filled with more books. We do have lots of book shelves and they are all filled and spilling over. My oldest sister once said that if she left 2 glasses out on the counter top overnight they multiplied by morning. I think that is true of books, too.
We have dozens of cookbooks. And several sets of encylcopedias. And we all love the old Reader's Digest Condensed Books. (We don't like the new Select Editions. They have too much graphic sex and bad language left in them. I feel perfectly okay if one of my grandchildren selects an old Condensed Book to read. I have expressed my dislike to every Reader's Digest person who has called. "NO, I do not want your Selection Editions because ....")
Not so long ago I decided I would like to collect all the Caldacott Award and the Newberry Award winners. Sure, we need more books. It is a fun project. I just wish I could find a copy of Wanda Gag's Millions and Millions of Cats.
And everytime a book ad comes in the mail - five books for $1 - I pore over that ad, select 5 books I'd really, really like. I am doing better at not making the order. I know that I can cancel at any time or return any book I don't want BUT too often in the past I have just kept buying book after book.
Photographs are another possession that we have boxes and boxes full - and albums, too. I am trying to be more discerning with the photos I keep. I ask myself "Is anyone really interested in this photo of me 15 years ago with some of my PTA friends at Disneyland?" Or what about my PTA friends without me? And where on earth was this picture of the highway taken. Oh, yes, once I said I wanted a picture book of trees and clouds so that when I am too old to do much else I can look at the pictures. Wait, I think I said that same thing in my last blog. Am I overly concerned with getting too old to do much else? Maybe.
Dishes - I love dishes. Whenever there is an offer to get dishes in the grocery store, I always fall prey to that come on. Over the years I have parted with some of the pieces but not many. I treasure those dishes. Sure, they are kind of cheap but I like them nevertheless.
Last week I went through my clothes closet. I have plenty of clothes but I usually wear the same old favorites. One of our granddaughters asked her mother "How come Grandma always wears the same dress?" I love it, that's why. Can I clean out my closet a little and give some of those things away? Nope, I might need it one day.
Some of you will understand about me and my possessions. Others of you will shake your heads. A friend told me her mother's motto was "Every day throw something away." I'm trying but somehow I hear my mother's voice, "As sure as you throw that away you will need it." There's got to be a happy medium.
That's all for today. I'm going to tackle a drawer in my filing cabinet. I am doing well at throwing away papers. Wish me luck!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Family History
Today is Sunday, July 12, 2009. It is too early to know if the sun is going to shine or it is going to rain. My guess is the sun will shine.
I have spent the last couple of weeks organizing "stuff" that I have kept over the years. You know, school programs, newspaper articles, family letters, piano recital programs, wedding announcements, family letters, etc. I am enjoying the journey. And I feel a great sense of accomplishment. Once all this stuff was just in a big box. Several years ago I began to sort it out and put it in big manila envelopes, two or three years at a time. Now I am putting it into notebooks, in plastic sleeves by date. I am using regular size paper to mount the smaller things on and writing a bit about each piece of memrobilia. Since I have jillions of stickers from my Creative Memory collection, I am also adding embellishments to make it more interesting. As I said before I am enjoying the journey.
One thing that hovers in my mind each day is I wonder what will happen to the notebooks when I die. I treasure a few things of my Grandma McGuire and a few more of my mother's collection. But I have kept so-o-o-o-o much "stuff." I probably should just throw most of it away. But I can't find it in my heart to do that. I told Glen the other day, "If I have 18 notebooks full of memories, each child can take 2 and then they can pass them around." Two notebooks wouldn't take up very much space in each house.
I guess I got to thinking about this because a friend told me she was trying to "organize" her papers and she wondered what would happen to them when she was gone. Do we all wonder about that when we get old? I decided I didn't really care about what happens to them after me. I can spend a lot of days just looking at the things I've kept and turning the pages. Okay, kids, remember that! When I get too old to do much else, just hand me my notebooks and tell me to turn the pages.
I have had lots and lots of wonderful experiences and adventures in my 70 plus years. It has been an Incredible Adventure so far and I look to many more great experiences in the years to come. There probably won't be as much "stuff" to keep. Our names don't appear on many school programs any more, or in piano recitals like when the children were all at home. But we do have a good life and we do keep pretty busy. Life is good.
That's all for today.
I have spent the last couple of weeks organizing "stuff" that I have kept over the years. You know, school programs, newspaper articles, family letters, piano recital programs, wedding announcements, family letters, etc. I am enjoying the journey. And I feel a great sense of accomplishment. Once all this stuff was just in a big box. Several years ago I began to sort it out and put it in big manila envelopes, two or three years at a time. Now I am putting it into notebooks, in plastic sleeves by date. I am using regular size paper to mount the smaller things on and writing a bit about each piece of memrobilia. Since I have jillions of stickers from my Creative Memory collection, I am also adding embellishments to make it more interesting. As I said before I am enjoying the journey.
One thing that hovers in my mind each day is I wonder what will happen to the notebooks when I die. I treasure a few things of my Grandma McGuire and a few more of my mother's collection. But I have kept so-o-o-o-o much "stuff." I probably should just throw most of it away. But I can't find it in my heart to do that. I told Glen the other day, "If I have 18 notebooks full of memories, each child can take 2 and then they can pass them around." Two notebooks wouldn't take up very much space in each house.
I guess I got to thinking about this because a friend told me she was trying to "organize" her papers and she wondered what would happen to them when she was gone. Do we all wonder about that when we get old? I decided I didn't really care about what happens to them after me. I can spend a lot of days just looking at the things I've kept and turning the pages. Okay, kids, remember that! When I get too old to do much else, just hand me my notebooks and tell me to turn the pages.
I have had lots and lots of wonderful experiences and adventures in my 70 plus years. It has been an Incredible Adventure so far and I look to many more great experiences in the years to come. There probably won't be as much "stuff" to keep. Our names don't appear on many school programs any more, or in piano recitals like when the children were all at home. But we do have a good life and we do keep pretty busy. Life is good.
That's all for today.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Family Get-Togethers
Today is Wednesday, July 8, 2009. The sun is still shining brightly and it is 7:32 PM.
We just got back yesterday from a BIG family reunion in Ogden, Utah, on the Fourth of July. Being the patriotic family that we are we had a posting of the flag by three of the Scouts in our group. We said the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the National Anthem. I am so glad to have been born in America. This reunion was for the descendants of Glen's grandfather who came to America when he was 11 years old. He came with his mother and an older sister from Sweden.
He and his wife had 4 boys and 2 girls. One of the girls died shortly after her birth. The other sister never married. The four sons now have quite a posterity. People came from all over the US who were related. It was fun to rub shoulders with them, to meet some new people, and renew acquaintances. We never seem to have enough time to get all the visiting done we want to.
At these reunions there is always plenty of food, fun games for the little children and visiting for everyone else. I love to visit with people. I love to make new friends. I love to figure out just where they fit in the family tree. As you've already heard, we have 9 wonderful children. These 9 are a part of 41 grandchildren. At this family reunion there were 12 - only 4 of our children were there. Those 12 had a great time getting reacquainted. They used to sleep out on Grandpa and Grandma's lawn in Touqerville. Even the parents slept outside on the lawn many times. It was so beautiful to look up at the stars and feel the wonderful breezes. There wasn't room for all of us in the house. Only a few times were we all there at the same time. But we all have wonderful memories of those days.
Mother and Dad had lots of apricot trees and canning and drying apricots was a part of the family get togethers. We had a great assembly line and could bottle hundreds of quarts in an afternoon. With so many cousins and aunts and uncles it was almost like play. Of course, you could get pretty sticky if the juice ran down your arms.
After work was done, we could walk down into the canyon and if there was water running it made a great swimming hole. Catching lizards was a favorite pass time. Grandma would pay you 5c for every lizard you put into her garden.
And grandpa made the best rubber band guns to sting those lizards with. You weren't supposed to shoot anyone with the rubber bands (but sometimes the boys forgot - never the girls, surely).
Summer time visiting was always special.
Now in our family most of our get togethers have been at Christmas time. And that's wonderful. One of the things we all like to do is to make "gingerbread" houses (we use graham crackers) covered with candy. It is quite a production - to cut the gables - gently, gently. And to cut doors or windows. Most of us build a simple little house but one year one of our boys created quite a castle.
Another favorite thing is Christmas Eve. We have a special dinner. Then Glen reads the story of Jesus' birth and the younger grandchildren - all dressed in costume - reenact the scenes. All of us sing Christmas carols in the right places. We have great pictures of years past.
Family get togethers are wonderful. I wish there could be more. I wish we didn't live so far apart.
Speaking of get togethers, two of our daughters just stopped in. I will go and visit with them. That's all for now.
We just got back yesterday from a BIG family reunion in Ogden, Utah, on the Fourth of July. Being the patriotic family that we are we had a posting of the flag by three of the Scouts in our group. We said the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the National Anthem. I am so glad to have been born in America. This reunion was for the descendants of Glen's grandfather who came to America when he was 11 years old. He came with his mother and an older sister from Sweden.
He and his wife had 4 boys and 2 girls. One of the girls died shortly after her birth. The other sister never married. The four sons now have quite a posterity. People came from all over the US who were related. It was fun to rub shoulders with them, to meet some new people, and renew acquaintances. We never seem to have enough time to get all the visiting done we want to.
At these reunions there is always plenty of food, fun games for the little children and visiting for everyone else. I love to visit with people. I love to make new friends. I love to figure out just where they fit in the family tree. As you've already heard, we have 9 wonderful children. These 9 are a part of 41 grandchildren. At this family reunion there were 12 - only 4 of our children were there. Those 12 had a great time getting reacquainted. They used to sleep out on Grandpa and Grandma's lawn in Touqerville. Even the parents slept outside on the lawn many times. It was so beautiful to look up at the stars and feel the wonderful breezes. There wasn't room for all of us in the house. Only a few times were we all there at the same time. But we all have wonderful memories of those days.
Mother and Dad had lots of apricot trees and canning and drying apricots was a part of the family get togethers. We had a great assembly line and could bottle hundreds of quarts in an afternoon. With so many cousins and aunts and uncles it was almost like play. Of course, you could get pretty sticky if the juice ran down your arms.
After work was done, we could walk down into the canyon and if there was water running it made a great swimming hole. Catching lizards was a favorite pass time. Grandma would pay you 5c for every lizard you put into her garden.
And grandpa made the best rubber band guns to sting those lizards with. You weren't supposed to shoot anyone with the rubber bands (but sometimes the boys forgot - never the girls, surely).
Summer time visiting was always special.
Now in our family most of our get togethers have been at Christmas time. And that's wonderful. One of the things we all like to do is to make "gingerbread" houses (we use graham crackers) covered with candy. It is quite a production - to cut the gables - gently, gently. And to cut doors or windows. Most of us build a simple little house but one year one of our boys created quite a castle.
Another favorite thing is Christmas Eve. We have a special dinner. Then Glen reads the story of Jesus' birth and the younger grandchildren - all dressed in costume - reenact the scenes. All of us sing Christmas carols in the right places. We have great pictures of years past.
Family get togethers are wonderful. I wish there could be more. I wish we didn't live so far apart.
Speaking of get togethers, two of our daughters just stopped in. I will go and visit with them. That's all for now.
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