Nadeene cont.

Okay, so I started the book online. It looks like when it's all finished the cost is about $13 for the first book and then $7 for each additional book. I think what we'll do is anyone who wants to add to the book can e-mail me, and I'll send them the username and password. Then you can go online and set up your pictures how you'd like them. I've included a few others I've got recently to whet your appetites....

The Greer Man... from Beth

The Barrel Picture... from Kathleen

The Pack Train... from Michael

Fred and Ellen Rees... from Beth

Another Red Barn... from Beth

Mouse Trap

I sew once a year, and once a year only. I like to make Halloween costumes. They are cute, and if you mess up it doesn't matter. Below is M's costume for this year. I only made her a hat, and then she is wearing overalls. She was originally going to be a Teddy Bear. When I finished the costume (I made part of the pattern myself) she decided to be a Mouse. Regardless, she's cute. I will post pictures of E's costume... a butterfly fairy.... when she wears it on Friday.

I like the little red hairs sticking out too.....

Correction!

This, of course, is the point of gathering all the information for Nadeene's paintings. My mother has provided the correct story for the picture that I have from Grandma. I have changed it below. I think I'm going to try to educate myself on the site where you upload pictures and make your own book. We could have a username and password for the whole family and then you could put your pictures and stories in. When it was finished anyone who wanted to order a book could. So, weigh in on whether or not you think that's a good idea.

A Little Poetry: Completely Original

An Ode to My Daughter:

Do not walk in front of me, I might trip over you.
Do not walk behind me, I might lose you.
Just walk beside me, and try not to run away.

Calling All Entries

Speaking of cousins....



I would like to put together a book with photographs of any and all paintings that we all have from Nadeene. Don't worry, I am not coming to steal your paintings... I just think it would be neat for us all to have a book of all the things that Grandma has painted. So, it is your responsibility to take a digital photo of the paintings you've inherited, and to help the techno-savvy Hens out and take pictures of theirs too. Then, if you'd e-mail them to me, I'll post them and eventually put them in a book for all of us to have.



Also, if you know of any odd ones - like the ones at Cowboy Grub, or the ones in Idaho with Beth - and you have the chance to get a picture of them, that would be great too. If you don't have the chance to get a picture still e-mail me with any locations of paintings that you know about. I'll post mine below....

Please also include any pertinant information. For instance, in the bottom left corner of this painting it says: "Mt. Hood, N. Andersen". It was painted for my mother when she first moved back to Utah. Grandma painted it for her living room because she'd bought new green furniture. It is in its original frame.

Hope you'll join the fun in gathering!

5 Favorite Cousin Memories

1. Swimming at the Granite pool. Okay, so I didn't swim... I guess I should label this one "sitting on the stairs in the shallow end at the Granite pool." I am not sure why this is one of my favorites since: A. I hate(d) swimming, B. We always had to get in a nasty cold (or hot, I can't really remember, I just remember hating the temperature) shower in the office when we went. (I think I hated it because I didn't like to get in the water, even if it was only a shower), and C. When Belinda, Heidi, Laura, and I were allowed to buy one Country Time Lemonade from the soda machine afterward I always had to drink the last sip,which they informed me was full of everyone else's spit. It never occurred to me that I could just not take the drink. (By the way, most of my stories have some sort of "pick on Jamie slant" since I was, after all, the youngest girl-cousin around.)

2. Watching Granite Football games. I was convinced Granite had the best team around. When we were really little I remember hiding underneath the blankets our moms had on their laps. When we were older I remember walking around the track. I always thought that since I had a Granite Football sweatshirt, and my uncle was the coach that I must be the coolest one around.

3. Acting out cooking shows in Aunt Becky's kitchen. We even had commercial breaks. I think my favorite "recipe" was melting chocolate chips in a muffin cup, putting peanut butter in there and re-freezing them to harden the chocolate. Also, a cooking show brought about one of my proudest moments as the afore-mentioned picked-on youngest. During one such show where we made something difficult... like spaghetti... I turned out to be the only one able to open the spaghetti sauce jar. Look at those muscles! If only you were as cool as me.

4. Hanging out in the treehouse Bud made at the 1300 E. house. Of course, I was actually quite terrified of this entire adventure and held as still as possible once climbing up the tree. I also remember a musty smell from the carpet he'd lugged up into one of the "rooms."

5. Roller-skating with Laura at the Church by her house. We actually told some kids we were professional roller-skaters that had been forced to use the parking lot because the roller-skating rink was closed. We could do such talented things as move our feet in and out while we skated forwards, and skate down hills without falling over (most of the time).

I'm Watching You

The Boogaliechoo Herself

Okay, so I was wrong. It's not Meg I need to worry about at aerobics. This week one of the children spilled nerd candy on the floor. I told Ellie she could pick them up and eat them if she liked since they'd been there about 4 seconds. (This is the smaller aerobics with a carpeted gym). Anyway, a little while I look back and - no joke - she is licking the nerds off the carpet. Licking. Are you kidding me? So we had to have a short discussion about how that really was not such a good idea.

Also a funny Elise story: Justin and I generally give her parent-weighted choices to make. You know, the kind that go like this: "You can eat three green beans or you can go to bed. It's your choice." This will maybe work one more year until she realizes our options are severely limiting and extraordinarily un-fair. Or maybe until this week. Elise and I were reading books. We generally read three, but I was tired, so I said only two.

E: I want three.

J: You got to have two or none, you picked two, that was your decision.

E: No Mom, that's your decision, not mine.

But my favorite for the week has to do with Ellie's first day of preschool. She loved it, and afterwards Justin and I took her to my mom's so we could go to the Temple.

E: Why are you going to the Temple?

J: Because we haven't been for a long time, and we need to tell Heavenly Father we love him.

E: AND you need to tell him about how I went to preschool today.

Of course, Ellie. Of course.