Would you like any pie with that?

We just got home from the temple. Would you like some pie with your whoopcream? Poor photo quality do to cell phone photograph. My nephew, Zachary, called whipped cream whoop cream, so we do to.

Ugly Ties and Pumpkin Pies

Last night we had a dinner in our ward for the adults. The theme was 'ugly ties and pumpkin pies'.  Anyone could wear an ugly tie and anyone could bring a pumpkin pie or any other flavor as well.

Ken's tie was too short. Since it looked weird being 2 inches above his belt line he went ahead and made it about 6 inches too short. It was funny at the church and embarrassing at Walmart after the church. He didn't care so I got over it.

 Here are all the participants of the ugly tie contest.

I got a lot of the descriptions of the ties on video. I'm sorry it's so wobble-ey.

All in all it was a fun evening. Good food, nice conversation and some good laughs.

Nicole made pie...

Yesterday for Nicole's math lab she needed to bake or cook something, to practice measuring and adding fractions. She chose pumpkin pie. She's never baked any kind of pie before--this was her first experience. Scooping canned pumpkin out of a can kind of grossed her out and we did lose an egg but who hasn't dropped an egg at some point in their baking career. Over all she did a very nice job.

Here is the event in pictures...

It tasted just like pumpkin pie. Well done Colie!

Post Script for I'm all unpacked...5 months later

Q&A

Q. Did you just shove all that stuff into the closet?

A. Nope. I didn't even open the closet when I put everything away.

I love you Elise!

The box on the floor is full of scrapbook paper.

The box on the top shelf has baby blankets...no, not for our family. We do not need those any longer.

PS, Happy 100th post in 2010 to ME! I'm a little late this year...

I'm all unpacked...5 months later.

When we moved into this house I unpacked everything in about 4 days. I didn't want to live with boxes and only half my things any longer. We'd already been doing that for three months. Anyway, at the end of the pack job I always seem to have a few boxes of stuff that doesn't have a home and I can't seem to figure out what to do with them. I had that same problem with this move. Instead of putting those boxes in the garage and not worrying about them I put them in my entry way. I had to look at them everyday and so did anyone that came over. I'm happy to announce that this week I FINALLY unpacked the last of my crap junk things. Here is the ugly before picture and the beautiful after picture.

Early Birthday Present

Once upon a time I was a little girl who lived far away from my grandparents and all my cousins. A couple of times a year we would go visit them and the highlights of my visits were:

*Spending the night in my Uncle Steve and Aunt Marla's home

*Playing "Mother May I" in the playroom

*Riding in the mini car

*Sneaking into the 'orange room' when Mom and Grandma went to town so I could play the piano and the organ

*Eating honeycomb cereal for breakfast

*Seeing my aunts and uncles that came to visit at grandma's while we were there visiting.


Grandma died when I was 11 years old. Although there was a huge void in her home when we would visit, many things remained the same. Eventually the mini car died and we got too old to play 'Mother May I' but other than that, it was a lot the same. Grandpa would let us play the piano but we still had to wait for the grown-ups to leave so we could play the organ.


My senior year of high school grandpa gave the organ to my mom. I remember watching them bring it into the house. It was a novelty for a while so we got to play on it a little bit but as time went on and grandbabies started coming over, Mom eventually covered the keys with towels and no one was allowed to use it. (Play on it)


Mom died when my daughter, Nicole, was 11. (It's strange how much Nicole and I have in common...)many things are the same when we go visit mom and dad's house but there are some voids. The organ is still there and no one is allowed to touch it, without permission. I have practiced it a few times when I've gone over to visit.


Last night my dad gave me the organ. Ken and Dad worked together to surprise me as close to my birthday as possible. Last night as it was being unloaded I had many memories rush through my head. Playing it at grandma's, learning how to play 'Jesus Once Was a Little Child' for a video we sent to Ryan on his mission, and practicing it after mom has died. I thought about watching it being brought into the house and I spotted Nicole watching the same thing. More memories were born last night.


I'm excited to have an organ in my home. Two nights a week at the church practicing isn't enough to make me feel calm on many Sunday mornings, so now I get to practice everyday. I'm also sad to have this specific organ in my home. It truly means my mom had passed away. I have tangible proof in my home. I'm more grateful than sad that it's here. Thank you Ken and Dad for a wonderful birthday surprise!



The orange room. Looking at this picture makes me miss grandama right now. The only thing you can't see if the organ. On the right hand side you can see a small corner of the couch and the organ was right next to it. As a side note, the person who took this picture was standing in the entry way. It was a tile entry way and we used to put on our church shoes and 'tap' for grandma. I have cousins and an aunt who really can tap so she probably thought we were silly, but it was fun.

The organ at Mom and Dad's home. (Dad and I were working on funeral arrangements.) If you click on this picture, you will notice right behind my head the willow tree statue is standing there with her back to us. hahaha
The corner where the organ will go in my home.

The organ in the back of the van.

The bench and the stops in my front room

Ken and our friend James getting it out of the van.

It's in the doorway.

James, Yoshki and Ken got it down 'the stair' and into the front room.

Almost done

Ahhh, all done.

Here it is...in my front room. Ironically an orange (ish) one.

The view from the front window.

From a text message

I don't typically use my blog to share cute or funny things I receive in email or text, but I think this is really cute, so here you go. Enjoy these little drawings.

Things I didn't know until I was a mom.

"I can't find my clarinet!" *After looking all over, where was the last place a we looked? Mom's bathroom of course! If you can't find your clarinet, look in the bathroom.

"Can I use some scissors?" *Twenty minutes after this questions was asked, one of my children (guess who) walked out of their room wearing socks that only had the ankle parts left. If your feet are hot and your ankles are cold, you can remodel a pair of socks.

Apparantly 3 days notice is NOT enough time to prepare for a test in school.

Homework is actually just a suggestion, or an idea. Maybe not a good one though.

Hold your breath during the teacher's instructions and when you start to turn red you get to take a break in the hall (or outside of the portable in this instance.)

*****

2 things I never thought I'd ever have to say...

• Don't lick the statue!
• SERIOUSLY! Stop licking the statue.

GROSS!

Heaven help me get them on their missions! I'd like to think my capacity was for more than 2 children. Especially 2 children that are pretty self sufficient at this time. This is just one more instance where Heavenly Father really does know what's best!

Today: October 17, 2010 Edition

Matthew had to go home from church early because it turns out that this morning when he complained he didn't feel well before church, he was actually sick. Weird.

I have managed to lose my camera. I cleaned the memory chip on Friday before I went to my brother's for the weekend and it didn't make it to Pt. Townsend and it's no where to be seen here either. I am sad.

Nicole did a personal progress value experience completely on her own for the first time. I've been helping her with them by reading the scriptures with her or helping her with whatever list she has to make. She turned 12 in July and she has finished 7 value experiences. I think that's pretty awesome.

We sang with the choir.

Ken heated the house up to 79 degrees by burning WAY TOO MUCH wood. When I realized we would be heating with wood this year the thought never crossed my mind that we could make it too warm. It did today, with full force and some heat flashes.

I was going to make Thai Food for dinner tonight but we had to cancel our dinner company because of Matthew's fever. Instead we made steak quesidillas so we could eat guacamole.  I'll be making  Thai Food tomorrow sans company.

Oh how I'm missing my camera!

I took a 2 hour nap this afternoon. It feels much later than 9:15 but I am not the least bit tired. and I want cookies.

I also can't find one of my tennis shoes.

Thinking about my Mom

Tonight my thoughts have been about my mom. She died 7 1/2 months ago. It seems so long ago and like yesterday all at the same time.  Our relationship was different that many mother/daughter relationships.  We weren't super close. I lived over 1000 miles away and in the last 3 years of her life I only saw her 7 times. We spoke on the phone semi-often but it was strained...on my end anyway.  I had the chance to spend a week with my parents, without Ken or the kids, last January. The last time I saw my mom was when I hugged her goodbye at the airport. I told her I loved her and we hugged.  I got teary eyed, promised her I'd be back in the summer to visit her and hugged her again and told I loved her again.  As I waited in line to check my bag I turned back and watched dad drive away. At that moment I said to myself and maybe in a prayer also, I will see her again won't I? We knew she was sick with something but her cancer had not yet been discovered, even though it had already metastisized. Less than 2 weeks later we learned her cancer was back and 28 days after that we drove straight through from Kansas to Bremerton to attend her funeral. 

I'm  not telling you all this to get sympathy. At this moment, my blog is my journal or therapist. Here are some things I want to remember...or maybe I don't want to forget. Is that the same thing?

Mom thought Willow Tree Statues were creepy. Why don't they have face? It's just weird. She had 1 and it was on display in entertainment center, turned backwards. She didn't want to look at it. I was at home this weekend and it's still there, backs turned on everyone. It makes me laugh when I think about it now.

She wore big hair. She LOVED her big hair. When she was going through chemo the first time, I kind of thought she thought she lost her identity because she didn't have her beehive. When she finished chemo and her hair started growing back, she was the most beautiful I've ever seen her in my life. I wish she would have felt it or could have seen it. This time she was only on chemo for a couple weeks but it was long enough that she started losing her hair. Less than 48 hours before she died Gina gave her a haircut. She didn't shave her, but it was really short. Once again she looked very pretty. I feel sad that she didn't look like herself in her casket because her hair wasn't long and in an updo, even though Gina did a beautiful job on her hair.

She told me many times that she liked to practice the piano because she felt closer to her mom when she practiced than anywhere else.  When I practice I just cry a lot. It takes me hours to get through my 'hour a day' and then I just feel more and more insecure about my abilities.  She was so sure of herself in that area!

My birthday is in 10 days. Her's is 26 days after mine. We are 30 years apart and Nicole and I are 20 years apart. I loved the year we were 60, 30 and 10.  I'm sad we won't see 63, 33 and 13. It actually makes me nauseated thinking about it.

There is no good way to end this post. I miss her. A lot. I'd like to talk to her about my kids and homeschooling and how to get the timing right on the piano piece I'm working on. I'd also like to invite her over for dinner because this is the first place I've ever lived that she hasn't seen. I think she would have loved my new couches. Now how silly is that?

Please don't feel obligated to comment on this post. I think that is all for tonight.