Mother's Day Aprons

I decided (a little too late for it to be sane) to help Jordyn and Kaitlin do aprons for their mom's for mother's day this year. I, of course would be doing aprons for my girls without daughters old enough to master one on their own. I had lots of fun sewing with the girls. They were very good students and together we made some pretty cute aprons for their Mom's to don while cooking. Kaitlin had two to make as she has two wonderful Moms. I would pin and sew on one, and she would duplicate it on the other. I traded back and forth like that so she worked equally on each apron and still only had to do the actual sewing of 1. (My lack of planning made the time short.) I have the girls modeling what they made below.

Jordyn with Summer's cute cupcake apron…



Kaitlin wearing Taya's Cherries below and Christy's stripes in the second pic.





I spent the weekend we had Taylor and Daron at the cabin cutting and sewing aprons for the rest of my girls. I really wanted to do one for all the grandgirls too, but I never start early enough. I will post about the boys weekend with us, but I have to admit I was grateful for Grumpy's gift of games and keeping them busy so I could get my sewing done. I tried to put a little bit of Nana in each apron. I know how much she liked Cherry fabric, all things Betty Boop, polka dots, funny buttons, cupcakes, farm animal fabric (on Jade's apron was actually Nana's fabric bought for who knows what?) and jungle animal prints. Taya had a BBQ at her home for all our Mother's and to say goodbye to some of the family she may not see before moving. I gave the girls their aprons as they came in and had so much fun just doing that. R.B. and Stacie had made plans to be with her family, so I delivered her apron the next day. I made one for Megan as she is Stacie's assistant for the Pampered Chef parties Stacie does. (See her blog for her website if you are interested in Pampered Chef products). I will get some more aprons done for all the other grand girls sometime this summer. Maybe they can help me. Madison wants to do one for her other mother too.

Tawna's cute Betty Boop apron…



Jade's cows and pigs with a little zebra mixed in for fun…



Stacie and Megan's fun french chickens with some wild stripes…



Wear them in good cooking fun ladies, I love you all.

Bring On the Boys!

Boys, Boys, Boys. What a weekend with Taylor and Daron. Grumpy was on it for me this weekend as I was cutting and sewing aprons for our girls. I wasn't completely MIA, but ruefully was not good at taking pics of all the things they did. Grumpy flew up Friday afternoon with Taylor as his co-pilot and I drove up with Daron. Grumpy made his famous Yuckka burros for dinner that night. The boys have them as regular fare for hunting, dune trips, father and sons outings, etc. Traditions are the best, right? Then there were movies (for which Daron dropped off fairly early. He does like his sleep!) We watched The Blind Side as Taylor had not seen it yet. Good movie. One of my favs. Grumpy was up early Saturday…but Daron was even earlier. I made him promise to sleep in for Sunday. (I like my sleep too!) Grumpy made the boys pancakes for breakfast and then went to the club house to play pool etc. for awhile. When they came back, you guessed it, the Monopoly game was on. Daron had not really played before, so Grumpy tried to help him get the hang of it. Taylor knew how to play though and he and Grumpy battled it out for the upper hand. Grumpy is still undefeated, and Taylor still loves his Grumpy. Daron will get better as he plays more, but I think he had fun with the whole thing. They decided to play Yahtze (?) after that had had lots of fun with that one. There were card games, more Yahtze and Slap Jack through the day.



Lunch was PB&J for Daron as he does not really like Chicken Salad. Taylor and Grumpy however love their Chicken Salad sandwiches. It was all good and they ate it up. They all went for a walk around the airpark and came back to see what was up here. I was boring so they went and found some fun at the Dairy Queen.




I had planned to have stacked enchiladas for dinner Saturday night as that is one of Daron's favs. Grumpy was again his wonderful self and made a delicious dinner us complete with all the trimmings. Enchiladas are one of my favorites too and love it when I can just sit back and watch him cook. Did I say how much I love this man? There were 'smores after dark and more movies to watch. We watched Avatar as I finally got a good copy from Costco. I love the special effects and the imagination it took to do that movie. Oh yes, and there was popcorn. How can one watch a movie without popcorn? Good Stuff.




I got the aprons done about 2 am Sunday morning. Daron did indeed sleep in (bless his heart) and we had a great breakfast together. Grumpy had to teach his lesson for the High Priests Group, so he was going to fly home after church with Daron. I took Taylor and we headed out for the valley. It was a pleasant trip home and it was nice to talk to Taylor. He is growing up so fast.

I love these boys.

Weekend with Kaitlin and Jordyn

I better get some posts done, or I am in danger of forgetting what we did. I know the weekend with Kaitlin and Jordyn was too fun and hope I can remember it all. Our Friday nite was just a movie night as we usually don't get to the cabin very early. I'm sure it was probably a New Moon night since we can never get enough Twilight entertainment. Saturday brought Grumpy in the kitchen (allowing me to sleep in) making chocolate chip pancakes for his lovely granddaughters. I don't have pics of that as I was sleeping. Then it was bringing on the inevitable Monopoly Marathon with Grumpy (now rested with a good night's sleep as he doesn't subscribe to the Twilight nonsense). This time there were no tears, but sadly Jordyn's winning streak was broken. She took it well though and the girls had fun playing.



After Monopoly came lunch. Jordyn's favorite is Chicken Salad Sandwiches. She and Kaitlin mixed some up as I watched and made us a great lunch. Grumpy took them to the little country store here to get some necessities for dinner, etc. and ended up getting some yummy doughnuts. By then I was among the living and had sorted out some fabrics from the disorderly mess in the extra bedroom. My intention was to teach the girls how to make yoyo's for their hair, and wherever else they wanted to put them. Out came all the fabrics, some buttons, needle and thread and the yoyo templates in 3 different sizes.





I think they really liked the yoyo thing. They made yoyo's all afternoon. There were a few breaks now and then, but they would come back for the needle and thread and start up again. I thought the results were fantastic. Such cute and funny girls.





Other favorite pastimes of the girls away from home (so no chores or any real have to's). My favorites too. Sleeping and reading.




After dinner Grumpy made a fire outside in the firepit and got ready for the smore fest. These girls were crazy, crazy and ended up throwing marshmallows all over the forest. I hope the little critters out there like marshmallow. Back inside we tried to watch Avatar, but the disk was a bummer and I had to pack it up to return to Costco. We watched several movies that day and into the night. We woke up to a surprise dusting of snow Sunday morning, (this was the second of May) so I took a pic to remember it on our way to church. The girls looked so pretty. Grumpy and I look forward to "showing off" our cute grandkids whenever we get the opportunity to take them to church with us. They are a joy to us. All of them.




Thanks for coming up to the cabin with us Girls. We love you so very much.

Schnepf Cousin Party 2010

After about 4 years we finally got together again for a little reunion. The last one was the Thanksgiving weekend before Nana passed away. That was the fall of 2006. Wow. Time really slips away. Deann decided it was time and with a lot of help from Mark and Carrie of Schnepf Farms we had a great get together. We enjoyed the hospitality of Schnepf Farms this year and they really did a great job hosting. All the kids had a great time on the train that circles the farm. Schnepf Farms is of course Raymond and Thora's legacy and Mark and Carrie have done a great job building it up and preserving their history. Their kids were amazing workers as they helped with running the rides and getting the food out and the other one thousand things that go on behind the scenes to make it a success.

Below is Duane, Mark's brother. It was nice to see him and many of his kids there. I, with my usual lame camera skills managed to miss taking pics of 90% of the people there. It was nice to see David and Shauna's family, Michael and Teralyn's family, and Keith and Suzanne's family. I didn't notice if the Cossaboom's were there because I didn't get a chance to get around to everyone. We of course miss Janet, but know her presence is still felt. Seeing her family legacy is wonderful. Such great kids.



Linda (Schnepf) Passey was there with Lori and her kids. Really nice to see them. Aunt Marg told me that it was Lonnie's Birthday that day as well as Grandma and Grandpa's Anniversary. Lonnie (Duane and Mark's brother) died in a plane crash many years ago now. I remember him as funny, onery, and full of life. He taught me to dance in their carport one summer. I learned the Twist, and the Jerk. Funny memories. Sad ones as well when he went down in the small plane in one of the fields.

Below is Darel and Marg talking to Kristi. We enjoyed seeing Kristi and Doug with their kids, Lisa and Greg with their family as well as Grandkids. Daren and Tiffany were there with their young'uns all representing the Don Schnepf Clan. We missed Kevin and Jill's crew and Kari was not able to attend as well and Don and Janet. Don's family hosted last time at their home and they did a great job. We were sorry to miss them this time.



Darel and Marg had almost all of their family there. We all missed Brad and Wendy and their family. Deann was there with her new husband Jay. It was really great to meet him. They had their family with them and once again, Thank's Deann for getting the plan in motion and getting us all together. Russ was there as well as Matt and Mary - they had some very cute girls with them, and Michael and Bob and all of their kids. Darel made the comment as we were sitting talking that there were sure a lot of good looking kids walking around. I agree. We have a very handsome family.



From Maudene and Bob's family (more affectionately known as Nana and Papa) The Harmon's were there, but a few of our kids had to miss out. Tawna and Nathan were there with Faith and Chance, Taya and Kevin were there with Kaitlin, Daron, Madison, Lauren and Emersyn in tow. Robert came with Grumpy and I. We missed Jade (who had to work), Jeff and their family, Summer and Jamie with their kids and Richard and Stacie's crew who were all out of town. Tracy and Kevin Grace and those that could come from their family were there. Sadly, Chelsey and Daniel live in California and could not be there, but Colby and Malea are here now from Utah and came. Rachel and her two boys, Duke and Boss (above) were there, Kamber and Lacy had to work so we missed them, but Shalayne and Clayton were there. Bob and Syd and Tanner were there too. Devlyn was working (that work thing gets in the way alot!) and Dallin is still on his mission. I did get a pic of them during lunch, but did not post it so my sister-in-law would still love me. It was not the best shot of Sydney as I happened to click just as she opened wide for a bite of lunch. I am always impressed (not) with my mad (not) picture taking skills. Papa was with us of course and enjoyed seeing the Schnepf clan. He and Nana always loved getting together and catching up with people.

From Max and Carolyn's family we enjoyed seeing Marlane (Donnie was MIA because of his scout calling) and some of their kids, Cara and Mike were there with Marlo and her little ones and Collin with his cute wife and kids. April and Clint will have to catch us next time. We all had fun following April at the Summer Olympics in Bejing, China. That was truly a wonderful event for her life and we loved watching the DVD Mike and Cara sent us of her Pole Vaulting event. Liz and Steve were there, but again, I didn't get around to see any of their family that may have been with them. We also missed Larry and Terri who were at the hospital getting a new grand baby and Doug and Saundra's family couldn't be with us this time.






It was a good party. We had a good lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs or chicken, chips and water, Coke or Sprite. That was followed by homemade pie from the Farm Bakery, texas sheet cake, chocolate cupcakes and homemade chocolate and vanilla ice cream from the Farm Store. To top that off, Mark and Carrie had whole fresh fruit pies boxed up to send home with our families. We weren't able to stay through the afternoon, but would have loved to stay and visit. After lunch people went out and enjoyed the attractions of the Farm and from what I hear, really had fun.

Thank's so much to those who planned and carried out this Family Reunion.
Deann for getting the ball rolling and all else that that entails.

Nana is smiling from above.

Weekend with Megan & Rylee

The weather was perfect (if you don't count the wind). We came, we saw, we had fun. After finally getting everyone to the right places on our way out, and the million other errands that needed doing, we decided to stop at Sonic (girls choice) for dinner. They were starving of course. We managed to get on the road for real about 7:00 pm. Upon arriving at the cabin, the pilot light on the fireplace was out, so Grumpy had to get that on so we could get warm. We wrapped up in blankets while the heat started to make the room warm. T.V. was good and then bedtime. The girls were up with the sun (not quite, but almost) and Saturday began.

Grumpy made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast while I slept in a bit. Then they were off to the clubhouse for some swing set time and then some billiards. I cleaned up breakfast and got ready for the girls to help with lunch when they got back. When they came in we decided chicken salad sandwiches would be yummy. The girls were great helpers to get things done. In order to accommodate our various likes/dislikes we made a basic chicken spread (just chicken, mayo and cheese) and then chopped/sliced olives, red grapes, and pickles. We just added our favorites to our own sandwiches. It was a fun lunch.






After lunch the girls and Grumpy got ready to play some Monopoly. I don't play games, so I cleaned up lunch. After playing for awhile, Rylee landed on one of Grumpy's expensive properties and had to come up with $1,000.00 for rent. She didn't have the moola. There were tears. I told them, now you know why I don't play games. Grumpy is great at games and is brutal. Ruthless. He helped her figure a way to mortgage her properties, etc., so she could stay in the game. Less tears. Then she landed in jail and was upset that she was in jail. I told her that was a good thing. In jail she couldn't land on his many properties and incur more rent/mortgages, etc. She was okay with that after a while. Megan seemed to accept all the strategies, and after all, It Is Only A Game, right? They had fun, I think they learned a lot and they still like Grumpy.




After the Monopoly marathon, I sent them to the little country store to buy a few things for dinner. They apparently visited Dairy Queen on the way and sat in the truck sucking down blizzards while Grumpy shopped. They each chose a veggie to go with the homemade Mac and Cheese that was on the menu. Megan chose corn (her fav) Rylee chose squash (one of her favs) and Grumpy chose broccoli. He loves almost all the veggies.




When they got back to the cabin I broke out the artist supplies I got for the weekend. These girls love to draw and color. There were 3 different kinds of paper pads each, an assortment of 62 markers, 72 crayons and a big box of colored pencils to choose from. They colored and drew while I got dinner prepared. It was a gourmet dinner and hit the spot. Then it was time for Guesstures.

We had lots of fun with Guesstures. It is one of very few games I will play. I don't do the acting part, but I do the guessing. They got better at acting out their words as they got some practice.





After Guesstures, Grumpy went outside and started a fire in the firepit. You guessed it…smores time. We found the marshmallow roasters and there were smores. They were outside for about an hour and back in for their movie of choice before bed. Grumpy went upstairs to prepare his lesson for Sunday, and the girls and I watched New Moon. Mostly Megan and I since Rylee (who insisted she wasn't tired) fell asleep in the chair. It was about 11:00 by the time we hit the sheets.

This morning was breakfast KP for Grumpy again. He made them French Toast (also by request). He is off to choir practice now and the girls are playing a round of Monopoly without him. Now they are just mad at each other instead of mad at him. LOL. There will be showers, fixing hair and then some lunch before Church. We'll throw on our Sunday best and be off to our meetings. Then it will be the drive home and a good night's sleep before back to the grind tomorrow. Well, maybe the grind to them, I'm sleeping in.

I love the time we spend with this two by two Christmas gift. Good times, good memories.

Easter

Easter 2010 was hosted by Richard and Stacie. It was a lot of fun and I always love any kind of meal with salads. We missed Papa this year, but he was in high demand. All the families came except Taya and Kevin's since they spent Easter weekend in California. They had a great time hanging out in Solvang and the Santa Barbara area. Lots of fun there for them. They ate at famous restaurants, went to a lovely beach, had an Easter egg hunt in the hotel courtyard and went to the woods for a picnic just to name a few of their fun events.

It's always a pleasure to go to Richard and Stacies. They their home is pretty kid proof and there is lots for the kids to do outside. Room to run and play. Thanks for hosting us guys!




Wow. Those are some expressive faces below…
I'm pretty sure there was some kind of food fight outside. Kids. Gotta live with them, can't kill 'em!





Summer and Jamie below, Tawna and Nathan (with his post surgery knee brace) on down the page.





We enjoyed cold ham, some great funeral potatoes, green chile/bacon appetizers, pasta salad, potato salad, broccoli salad, rolls, coconut cream pie, chocolate pie and a fruit salad. I love salads. I didn't get pics of Jade, Jeff and their kids. It was a come and go thing and I suffer from brain lapses where the camera is concerned. It was really nice to be together and I love it when we can do that. I miss our big family dinners. I'll have to work on that.

Grumpy on his phone below. He was on it most of the afternoon and evening because of the earthquake in the Baja. Lots of assessments to do for damage control. It was an interesting night. I'm just glad I wasn't any farther south than I am.



I enjoyed conference weekend a lot too. I love it when I can listen to such great speakers and still be in my nightgown. I really like being in my nightgown. It looks like it too. I need to upgrade my pajamas soon. Anyway, all my favorite speakers gave great talks and I thoroughly enjoyed all four sessions. Grumpy went to the priesthood session with his dad, papa went with Bobby and then to dinner. It was a wonderful weekend in spite of the earthquake. For us anyway.

Finally Getting Better

I am really tired of being sick. I just don't get sick like this very often. A crazy sinus infection that finally is going to pneumonia. This is my 5th round of medications and I actually feel worse, but I think it's because it is finally breaking up and getting out. I have been no fun at all and this weekend has been nothing but rest and sleep for me. I hope this medicine keeps working and in another few days I will be back to normal. I have too much to do to be laying around feeling awful. I like to think so anyway. Last week also brought a little scare with Papa K. He came home from his workout last Friday not talking very well. He seemed fine at first, and I wondered why he was using words he doesn't use often. Within a few minutes, I could tell he wasn't just being funny (as he sometimes does) and called his cardiology clinic. They said it sounded like a TIA or stroke and I should take him to the ER to have him checked. Off we went. There was lots of family support both at the ER and in the hospital. Papa is beloved by his family and he had lots of company. They ended up keeping him till Sunday, but never could find anything conclusive as to cause. They ended up calling it a TIA. He is fine, but just has to search for words now and then. It's like having something on the tip of your tongue and not being able to spit it out. He is amazing though and his brain just finds another way to say what he wants. He will go back for some out patient testing, but so far so good. He has always been such a good and fast healer. He went back on the following Wednesday with some different symtoms and they kept him overnight. Still nothing suspicious on the CT scans, etc. Just another TIA. He is already on all the meds they would put him on, so not much else to do there. He seems to be fine all areas and is dealing with it well. He really is an outstanding kind of guy. Such a good example. Gotta love him.

March went by way too fast. I can't believe April is just 3 days away. Lots to do.

Grandkid Weekend

For Christmas this year we gave some of the Grandkids a weekend at the cabin with us. We thought we would take them by two's, by relative ages and gender. The first to go were Austin and Jaxon the first weekend in March. Grumpy and Robert were in charge and I use the term loosely. LOL I was at Taya's with her family as she was in Vegas with Kevin for his annual company convention. Divide and conquer has always been our tactic when there is a lot going on. From all accounts, the boys had a great time. There was sledding, lots of cocoa, DS systems to play on and our big TV was hooked up again on that trip. I love it when things work. It started to snow on the way home Sunday night and I always worry about ice on the roads. I heard there was one bad spot, but they came through it fine and I'm glad I wasn't there to completely stress out about it.

When I saw the pics, my first question was “Where is Austin's coat?” Grumpy told me he said he was hot and took it off. Hummmmmm. Guys sure do it different than girls do. They were disappointed that their firepit ’smore's got snowed out, but they apparently had enough hot chocolate to make up for it. Fun times. Love those boys.