Happy Tuesday!

Tuesday night and all is well!! It's even beginning to finally cool down here. And the monsoon is officially over for this year. We got 5.70 inches of rain this summer. An awesome amount for Arizona for one summer!

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I have been eating apples like crazy! They just taste so good to me. We bought a container of them at Costco last payday and had them eaten in a week. So we bought more on Friday from Fry's and they have been pretty good ones. So juicy and yummy.

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I finished the second book in the Twilight series a week or so ago. Went online for the library to see if I could reserve the third book as Kodi got rid of hers a while back and we don't have it anymore. Bummer!! Anyway, there are about 25-29 people who have it reserved ahead of me and each one gets to keep it for three weeks!!! This was NOT good news! I guess I should go ahead and sign up though, huh? Maybe they have more than one copy of it and it won't take a year to get to my turn.

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I got candy treats sent to all the grandkids yesterday. We bought one of those $10 bags of assorted Halloween candies at Costco. It cost me another $15 or so to send each family an envelope with the goodies in them. The funniest thing about it all is that I was able to send them all 1st class mail which was cheaper, all except for Chad and Heather's family. I had to pay Priority Mail fees on theirs because they have more kids and it weighed more than the others. Priority Mail to Queen Creek!! A 40 minute drive from our house! LOL I debated sending the Queen Creek kids their treats or just taking it to them. But then I decided it would be fun for them to get goodies in the mail like the out of town grandkids. Sooooo............And this Grandma had enough stamps to put on everything except for the unexpected extra postage because the scales at the post office read different than mine here did. Anyway, treats are sent!

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Well, gotta run. Hope everyone has a great day! Look for the Simple Pleasures out there!

Just Checking In!

Okay! I'm checking in again to say hi and to show you more of my scrapbooking! I think summer is finally winding down. Yay hurray!!! I think the monsoon storms are done, which makes me a little sad as I love them so much. I'm trying to feel like the holidays are about here. I really want to decorate big for Christmas this year. I want to be excited and feel the magic of the season in my heart.

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It's only 102 this afternoon so far. I went to meet Nickie at the bus stop and just got back. There is a warm breeze blowing that feels like a nice warm, soft blanket. But the air isn't so hot that it fills your lungs with heat when you breathe. If it were just a few degrees cooler it would be perfect. But I'm not complaining. It's so much nicer than the hotter parts of summer/fall.

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Work is slow again. Stephen has missed a day and a half off this next payday. That isn't a good thing. But I sure loved having him at home with me! We are kind of worried about what is going to happen with his job. There isn't much work from now til the end of this year and with the economy doing it's insecure thing right now, we are very concerned.

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Okay!! Grandma and Grandpa got treats!!!!! Will be sending them soon!

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Here are some of my latest scrapbooking efforts:

Ruins at Canyon De Chelly (Canyon day shay)

The London Bridge at Lake Havasu, Arizona

This is the Place Monument in Salt Lake City

Papa Santa

Chad

Ky, Stephen R., Chris & Chad

Chad

And I guess that's it for now. Take the time to enjoy the Simple Pleasures before today is over! My list:

That soft, warm late summer breeze that feels like a blanket

Kitties who come running for attention - even though they aren't ours

Eating a crispy apple

Hearing my Honey's voice on the phone at noon

Wonderful cold ice water!

Just a quick note today!

Just a quick note to let everyone know we are alive and well. I think it's beginning to cool down some. It's only 74 degrees this morning at 8 AM. That's GOOD!!

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I'm going to be heading over to the Church to the Family History Computer Lab to help people learn how to do their genealogy this morning. And I need to be getting ready to go. But I wanted to put a few of my latest scrapbook creations up for you to see. I've been trying some new things with erasing parts of different layers, etc. Thought those pages turned out good.

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OH!! And I finished reading Twilight in about three days. I'm now on page 94 of New Moon. Can't seem to get enough of reading lately. Have to check out the third book from the library as Kodi turned hers in to Bookman's a while back because she didn't like that book as much as the others. Crazy girl!!

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Okay. Here are the layouts. Enjoy!

Go look for some Simple Pleasures today! Have a good one!!

MEMORIES AND THOUGHTS OF 9-11

Chris coming to pick Stephen up for work early that morning....HAVE YOU SEEN WHAT'S HAPPENING????..... Someone turns the TV on and I hear the commotion. I get up to go see what's going on. Standing on the stairs, frozen in time, watching the horror of the first attack on the World Trade Center.....WE HAVE BEEN ATTACKED!!!????.....DOES THIS MEAN WE ARE AT WAR????? ARE WE AT WAR?????.....Stunned and just standing on the stairs....Watching the horror unfold....Unable to move....Just watching and watching and watching.....DOES THIS MEAN WE ARE AT WAR?????.....Witnessing the second airplane hitting the second tower.....WHAT IS GOING ON?????.....Not wanting Stephen and Chris to go to work.....Wondering if I should send Kodi to school or not.....Just wanting my family around me.....The first tower goes down.....STUNNED AND SHOCKED.....WHAT IS GOING ON?????.....Then the second tower goes down.....HEARTACHE, FEAR.....WHAT IS GOING ON?????.....Do I send my child to school or do I keep her home with me? Maybe I should keep today as normal as possible....TOUCHED DEEPLY WHEN MY CHILD ASKS ME IF IT'S OKAY TO TAKE HER SCRIPTURES TO SCHOOL WITH HER IN HER BACKPACK TODAY.....OF COURSE IT'S OKAY TO TAKE THEM!!!!!.....I take her to school feeling that maybe the best thing for her is to see her friends, to feel with them what other kids are feeling this day.....Let her feel the "normal" feelings of her teachers, friends and surroundings as everyone pulls together to figure out what is happening to their world.....WAS IT A MISTAKE TO MAKE HER GO?????.....I GUESS IT COULD HAVE BEEN.....BUT THEN AGAIN - MAYBE IT WAS VERY OKAY TO ALLOW HER TO EXPERIENCE THIS DAY WITH HER FRIENDS.....We live under the flight path of a major airport.....All flights are cancelled until further notice.....All planes are grounded wherever the authorities can get them landed.....THE EMPTINESS OF THE SKIES.....THE QUIET IN THE AIR.....TOTALLY EERIE WHEN ONE IS SO USED TO HEARING THE PLANES TAKING OFF AND LANDING DAY AND NIGHT.....THE TOTAL QUIET OF THE SKIES.....Laying in bed way late at night and hearing a military plane from one of the air bases here in the Valley.....It's flying way up high keeping watch over us as we sleep.....COMFORT, APPRECIATION FOR THOSE WHO SERVE OUR COUNTRY AND TRY TO PROTECT US THE BEST THEY CAN.....

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Then.....THE PATRIOTISM EVERYWHERE!!!!! FLAGS FLYING, PEOPLE STANDING TOGETHER, MUSIC ABOUT OUR GREAT COUNTRY, GOD BLESS AMERICA, GOD BLESS THE USA.....WONDERFUL PATRIOTISM AS WE STAND AS ONE NATION UNDER GOD.....LOVING OUR LAND.....LOVING OUR PEOPLE.....RED, WHITE AND BLUE EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK!!!!! HOW I WISH WE COULD ALWAYS SEE AND FEEL THIS PATRIOTISM!!!!!

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But mostly.....GRATITUDE FOR A LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER WHO LOVES US AND PROTECTS US.....GRATITUDE THAT MY FAMILY MEMBERS WERE HERE.....and not in the Trade Center Towers, or the Pentagon, or on the plane in Pennsylvania.....GRATITUDE, GRATITUDE, GRATITUDE!!!

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Where were you? What did you feel? What do you feel now? Why did we let our patriotism fade away again? We say WE WILL NEVER FORGET!.....but where are our flags? Where is the music? What happened to the red, white and blue? Do we still stand as one? Or have we finally gone our separate ways? Have we forgotten?

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We are flying our flag today. The beautiful red, white and blue stars and stripes are dancing and swirling in the breeze just outside our front door as I write. And there it will stay while the weather is good. It will be lit by the porch light at night and warmed by the sun during the day. It will be a reminder that we love our country. We feel GRATEFUL to our Heavenly Father for our free land and the freedoms we are so richly blessed with. Remember GRATITUDE. ALWAYS AND FOREVER!! We are a choice people living in a choice land. FOREVER BE GRATEFUL FOR THAT! NEVER FORGET!! Always.....Remember.....And be Thankful.

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Simple Pleasure for today: The freedom to fly our flag and feeling gratitude for my blessings.

WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

Are you flying your flag today?

WE WILL NEVER FORGET!!

Cydney's Blessing Day!

Today was a lovely day for a Blessing Day! Heather's family was all there and Stephen R. and Karma and their kids and Stephen, Kodi and I. Chad did a nice job on the blessing. And he was just grinning from ear to ear when he held Cydney up to show her off. Here are some photos. Kodi took all of them. This first one she took and made into this screen saver and surprised me with it. I think it's beautiful. Stephen and Cydney:

Of course she looked just beautiful in her white dress and so cute with her big bow. Heather made the little bracelet and her sister pierced Cydney's ears.

This next photo was taken a few weeks ago when Coltin received the Priesthood. Stevie had received it just a couple weeks or so before that. So we got them all together for a special photo of the newest Priesthood holders in the family.

More Cydney pics!

Who do you think she looks like?

Now to gross everyone out. Remember I told you Stephen was trying to keep up with the boys and their injuries? Well, here is the drill injury he got. You can see where the scrape began and then the bit went into his arm. It went under the skin as far as his finger there. It's still a little sore and is hard to the touch but he is doing okay. A day or so after this injury he was using the cutoff saw at work to cut some aluminum and it caught and took three big chunks of meat off the thumb of that same hand. So he was REALLY sore for a while!

Simple Pleasures for today:

1. The ride out to Queen Creek and seeing all the beautiful cloud formations.

2. Watching the rain coming down from some of those clouds. I'm sure it never reached the ground, but you could see that it was raining from them. The gray streaks coming down from them.

3. Getting to see all the family - the few of us who live here! I so miss the rest of you.

4. A sweet hug from our Lissie.

5. Watching Coltin pass the sacrament.

6. Visiting with Melany.

7. Having Frankie be so happy to have us back home again.

Have a great evening!

Nice Day!

It has been a nice day today. Stephen and I went to The Crackerbarrel for our special dinner together. Just the two of us. The food was great - as usual. And we browsed in the store afterwards. They are all ready for the Fall holidays as well as Christmas. Lots of fun things to buy. But we didn't get anything this time. It was just nice to be able to go have dinner.

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Tomorrow morning we go out to Queen Creek for Cydney's blessing day. I'm hoping Kodi can take some photos of her in her blessing dress. Will post them if she is able to take some.

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Here is a new layout I did of Chris. He was our climber. And I wish I had photos of all the places we found him standing on or clinging to before the age of 6. Like when we found him almost to the top of the street light by our house. Or the time he was on top of a basketball standard. All the moms in the neighborhood would get so panicked over him climbing. They couldn't believe how calm I always was about it. But I had learned that Chris was NOT going to keep his feet on the ground. No matter how many times we talked to him about the dangers of climbing on such things, no matter how many times he was scolded, his feet were not going to stay on the ground. And I had also learned that he had good balance. He never fell or got hurt from any of his climbing adventures. Also, unless I wanted gray hair at the age of 30, I had to accept what was happening with this child and trust that angels would watch over him. This photo was of one of his safer climbs. I made up the little poem.

The 8.5 x 11 version:

Simple Pleasures for today:
1. Going out to celebrate our 40th Anniversary with my Sweetheart.
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2. Walking into the little entry way of The Crackerbarrel and noticing that it smelled like alfalfa!! I wonder if it was just my imagination or if they are scenting the air in that little space between the inner and outter doors to make us feel like we are in farming country.
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3. Hearing that winter seems to be coming early in parts of the country this year. And I hope it comes early here too!
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4. Watching four dragonflies flying in circles and swirls several feet above our heads and over the retention area by our condo. Two were dark in color and looked fat, and two were lighter in color and skinny. I enjoyed watching them.
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5. Getting two letters in the mail today! One from a good friend and one from a favorite cousin.
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6. Getting the utility bill in the mail today, also, and seeing that it is finally going DOWN!!!
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7. Seeing a blimp advertising the Outback flying around our part of the neighborhood.
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8. Finding a package of pinto beans that I had forgotten we had. Now I can make another crockpot full of chili beans!! They were so good when I made them the other day. YUM!!!
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Well, that's about it for now. Hope you all have a great Sunday. Watch for those Simple Pleasures that are all around you!

40 Years Together!

Yesterday was our 40th Wedding Anniversary! Wow!! That's over half my life now that I've been married. And happily so. I have been so blessed to have such a great sweetheart. Here are some digital scrapbook pages that I did using our wedding photos.

It was just been a quiet day. Stephen came home at noon and we went shopping for groceries in the evening. We might go out to dinner today but we don't know for sure yet. We may decide to just keep this celebration low key and call it good.

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Hope you are all enjoying the Simple Pleasures today!