Terry and Valeni

Fall is here

2011-09-19T05:43:00.000-07:00

It's so nice to have cooler weather finally here! We got out to visit Auburn ward yesterday and enjoyed meeting new people and greeting old friends. Later that evening we visited some less active friends here in our ward. I love the gospel and the example of good people around us. We are all very blessed and I love the Fall season that reminds us of our many blessings.
I got to have a long talk with Dane on the phone and hear his thoughts about becoming a parent and all the new responsibility he will have. I felt so good to hear his insights and realize what a special young man he is and what great parents he and Laura are going to be. Having a family is such a joy....as well as a challenging learning experience everyday. This life is a time to prepare for eternity. How great it is to know about the plan of salvation!!
We are planning a shower for Laura when they come to visit Atlanta the end of October. Of course everyone who knows them is invited. Write me if you want more details.
Lots to do this week. I better get busy....

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

We've had fun these past three days enjoying end of the summer and looking forward to Fall. Kydon, Shanna and kids met us at Callaway Friday evening for the hot air balloon festival. They were a beautiful and amazing sight as they glowed all around the lake. We swam, saw a dog show, ate a lot and enjoyed just playing and being together at beautiful Callaway Gardens. Sure wish we had pictures to post!
Sunday was spent visiting three wards to catch up on my RS work. Today we went to the "Altrusa Used Books Sale" and went for Chinese Food to celebrate a friends birthday. Tonight was a yummy dinner and FHE at the Lenhard's with the missionaries and our new friend Connie who just moved here from Utah to work at AFLAC. Tomorrow I start piano and helping at our new preschool. Lots to do and I'm glad to be busy doing new things.

new computer

2011-08-12T15:42:00.000-07:00

We have a new Apple computer! The graphics are great and everything is quick and easy to use. Now to start posting things and putting pictures up. I have a bad feeling whenever I sit down to the computer...It always takes a while and much trial and error to make things work. I want to try and do more....hopefully I can be more successful.
Terry had surgery on his shoulder on Tuesday. Pretty rough few days as he deals with the pain of healing. I keep ice in a portable machine that helps with the swelling. Meds are such a blessing. Hopefully he will soon be up and about and riding his bike again. We are so happy to have Brian and Charlotte Reed here with us until time for them to go back to school. Their family moved to Singapore this week. They will be missed here in the ward.

Terry and the tornado relief trip

2011-05-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

We left early Saturday morning at 5:00 am for Birmingham Alabama.

We met at a baptist church and got a work order to go to Pleasant Grove AL.

This is the first house we worked. I you have been in Columbus, or Atlanta then you know how thick and tall the trees are in the area. Pleasant Grove was no different. This picture is on the edge of the tornado damage area. Some of the houses and trees are still standing. We drove pick up trucks down into the back yard and loaded all kinds of wood and limbs and debris. Then we piled it at the curb in front of the houses for the city to dispose of.

This is the second house which was right next to the first house.

The rest of the pictures are from the more devastated area. There are miles of this area where there is nothing left. You can see where one house was moved about 30 feet off of its foundation and on to the drive way.

The rusty hinge

2011-04-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

This is just a little about my life lately. I have been working on three new (to me) wood working tools. You might ask, " why work on a new tool?" Answer: They are very old. First one is a sears jointer. I didn't really want it, but it came as one piece of a set. He wouldn't sell them separately. These tools need restoration. This jointer predates the craftsman series of Sears tools and was probably made around the late 1930's. The tool line is called companion. One of the things I have been working on is the decals. Maybe someone out there can help me with them.

This is a picture of one decal I got from another owner of one of these tools

This is what I have been able to make out of the original by editing with paint.net free internet software. It is kind of like micorsoft paint I think. I have some directions off of the net as to how to turn this into a decal that can be applied. I like to think of it as an old looking decal in perfect condition. I think that is better than the next picture I found that someone made to look like a new decal. I don't like it. What do you think? new looking or old looking?

This is just too new looking for an old tool.

Why is it that this thing puts pictures in the reverse order, #2 above #1 and #3 above #2 I hate it. Can you tell me how to post these pictures better? As it is I go into edit html and cut and past the photo where I want it. It would be less painful to do it right the first time.

This picture is how I received it. Very dirty and dusty and rusty after 3 years in a barn.

This is after the restoration, but before the decals. The decal goes right in the center on that shinny spot.

I found the bushing/bearings are bad now that I have it all together and running. I can get new bushings for under $10 dollars. This was an exercise to see if I could do this without destroying the machine. All the rust was removed by electrolysis. Basically putting parts in a bucket of water and connecting the battery charger to it for 24 hrs. one piece at a time (not the whole machine). The blue paint is very near the original color. I found it in spray cans at Walmart for under $2.

By the way the rusty hinge is really my achillies tendon. It is really strange you can hear it creak. If you want to you can feel it creak while I move my foot. I rode 70 miles yesterday and the rusty hinge just showed up.

2011-03-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

It's spring in Georgia and the blossoms are so beautiful this year! This picture was actually taken in St. Louis last year, but it reminded me of the lovely trees and shrubs that are popping out right now so thought I would post something about them. We've had a lot of rain so far so everything is growing great. Terry and I even have a tomato plant with blossoms on it by the driveway! Hope the 70 degree plus weather keeps on, so we can have an early harvest.
We are looking forward to the month of April since the Atlanta Temple is reopening. We are involved with the open house tours and invite everyone to come and see the newly renovated Atlanta Temple. We have so much to be grateful for and want you all to know we love and miss you and look forward to our next time together.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T09:25:00.000-08:00

Preston took this picture for us. We are enjoying pancakes each morning for breakfast

Enjoying time in Arizona with Erik and family. They have an amazing tree with bright oranges and dark green leaves on most of it, and a few branches of perfect grapefruit on the other side. We made fresh orange juice for breakfast and it was delicious!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T12:15:00.000-08:00

Kydon and Shanna came to see us a day or two before Christmas so we could enjoy the anticipation together for a day. We had a fish fry, went to a live nativity and spent Christmas Eve Day doing a hike at Pine Mtn. It was just right for getting out....cool and crisp but cold enough to feel like Christmas. We went to Fox's for pizza and stromboli after. Then home to get ready for the big day.

This year was the first time Terry and I have spent Christmas without any of our kids around us. We decided to go to dinner at Outback with our friends the Bowen's. Then home to watch Mr. Krueger's Christmas before time for bed. We enjoyed opening gifts on Christmas morning. What a happy time, and we loved talking to all of you on the phone to hear how your special morning went! It really was a Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-29T11:59:00.000-08:00

We had a really nice Thanksgiving with some of our family at our house for the big feast. It was warm enough for shorts and we got to spend some time at the park just playing around. Scott brined the turkey which made it so moist and tasty. Celebrating Peyton's first birthday was also fun for all of us. He is a cutie!

Dane and Laura came from Texas and we all enjoyed them so much....especially the kids. Laura is good to play outside with them and Dane is always fun to talk to. We went to the UGA/Ga Tech game too. Cold as could be and Granny got sick the next day....but was worth it to be together.

Missionary Dinner

2010-07-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to Shiloh, Georgia for a pool side dinner with the sister missionaries. They stay at a friend's home that has a beautiful view of the mountains and trees on Pine Mtn. We got to enjoy being outside on a hot, humid, July afternoon and it really wasn't bad because we had good food and good company. The sister missionaries are so sweet and fun to talk to. What hard workers too, and how organized and diligent they are in bringing the gospel message to investigators and members in this area. They had appointments today and were setting things up for tomorrow while we were with them. It was really fun to get to know them a little better.

Sunday evening

2010-07-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

:I Love to see the Temple." This picture is actually at the Seattle temple and was taken when we were there before the cruise. The sculpture is the same as is found in Nauvoo. I am grateful for temple ordinances that bind us together as eternal families.
Today was a wonderful day at church as I was able to visit a Primary and feel the spirit that comes with children who are so sweet and innocent and ready to learn and grow. I love everyone who serves children by teaching and loving them and taking the time to help them down the paths that will help them return to their Father in Heaven again. Yesterday at the Birmingham Temple I was reminded of the plan of salvation and the great blessing it is to all of us here in mortality. As we knelt across the altar to do some sealings for husbands and wives, and also for families, the spirit was strong and confirmed that family life is the greatest happiness we can experience. I love my family and want to be with them forever one day.

2010-07-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

Friday night again! It has been a good week and I'm glad the good old summertime is here. We are getting tomatoes off our own vines now and the flowers I have in pots by the driveway are looking good. Terry is off with the missionaries tonight. He has been putting new windows in our house and doing a great job. We will blog about this soon, and put in some pictures.
Tomorrow we are going to the Birmingham Temple and taking three ladies who have soem family names to work with. We are looking forward to a great day together.

July 1, 2010

2010-07-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

Today is the start of a new month so I'm thinking about missionary work and wanting to do more about sharing the gospel. I met Lee while on the plane to Seattle and turned out he knew a lot about the church and loved talking about it to me, so it was a marvelous missionary moment for me! He had good memories of working with members years ago when he worked at a steel plant. He had made friends and had actually had the missionaries teach him at one point. He remembered the kindness of the members to his family. One man had played Santa to his kids for several years. He had been to the temple open house for the Seattle temple, and was anxious to take us there so he offered to give us a tour of Seattle and we went there before we went on our cruise. The man in the middle is a bus driver and an old friend of Lee's. (Lee is a retired bus driver). We met him quite by chance while touring a neighborhood in Seattle. Lee has now been contacted by the missionaries again and has expressed interest in visiting the church.. Today I want to drop him a note and ask how he is doing.

Trip to Alaska

2010-06-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

Here we are in Seattle on the first day of our adventure. We had a tour through the neighborhood where my sister in law, Martha Leavitt used to live. The Queen's area overlooks the water and there's an excellent view of the skyline from here. The houses were small and quaint (and big and nice) in this area. Most had beautifully landscaped yards and lots of bright flowers. Seattle had a unique feel about it. Lots going on all over town.

This picture is the Tracey Arm Fjord. The glacier spills into the ocean and ice chucks are floating all around in the water . We got up early this morning to see the scenery as the ship passed through a narrow inlet to get us close to the blue ice of the glacier. Very beautiful! We met new friends on board too. That was one of the best parts of the cruise for me.

This amazing waterfall was right by the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. (above this picture) We hiked about a mile from the visitors center to get to it. A really nice day and some people were even swimming in a warm water pool along the path. The weather was perfect on our trip. May is the best time to visit Alaska.

Here's the seven of us who took the trip for Granny's 80th birthday. My wonderful sister in law Martha Leavitt . My brother Berne and his son Cade, Terry and me, Mom, and my sister Bonnie. It was great to have just the seven of us. So nice for visiitng and getting places together. These gardens in Victoria Canada were absolutely beautiful!

Celebrating Granny's birthday at dinner. We actually did it twice since we forgot to take pictures the first time. Some of the waitors gathered around with us to sing. We all ate a lot of dessert every night. Everything was so good and we all came home much fatter!

This is our waitor that took such good care of us for a formal dinner each night. He is Reagan from India. Very cute with a smile we all loved! Terry has these pictures labeled, but I can't preview them before they start loading. I'll try one more and see if it's a good one to show....(picture is above)
Terry posing by an "inukchuk." These are man made rock creations that we saw when we got off the white rail train on our way to the summit in Skagway. Beautiful mountains and icy waters....Alaska is a rainforest and everything is very lush and green.
The captions aren't going with the pictures. Sorry, I'll try one more.....

Here we are after dinner one night. We dressed up sometimes which was really fun. This is the internet place on the ship. We were just looking for a quiet place to take a picture. The cruise was great and we liked it a lot more than we thought we would. Hope we can all go together some time in the future!

Preparing for Alaska

2010-05-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

This week is exciting and fun as we are thinking about our upcoming trip to Alaska. I'm telling everyone that we are doing a cruise for my mother's 80th birthday. So many have said what a great thing it is to be able to go with family, and now they want to do it too. I really am glad that it is Granny's idea that we go, and as the time gets closer I am so glad that she has wanted to do this. We started last summer with the planning, since this is my year to put something together for a family reunion. We decided that after this trip, we won't have a big reunion every summer....I think we decided on every other year?? I'm not sure, I just know that getting together as often as possible is really important. We all need to know each other and remember that we are family! I miss being close to all of you and hope that we can keep up family ties on blogs, email, phone and by going to reunions as often as possible. (We did decide to have a family gathering at Cedar City on Grandpa's birthday July 17th , for whoever can come.) I think it would be good to send pictures for those of us who can't make it, and hopefully we can still stay updated when we do come and see everyone's picture on Granny Leavitt's fridge or the wall in the library. To my family: I noticed there aren't as many updated pictures of us as there could be. Please send something new to Granny soon. The whole family will get to see you when they visit her....so please update!
Anyway, back to the cruise. There are seven of us going. Terry and me, Granny and Bonnie Cook in a cabin, Berne and Cade together, and Martha Leavitt has her own place, complete with a balcony because she has done cruises before and knows it is important to do it right! We are looking forward to visiting her when we are cruising at sea between dockings. I've heard the scenery is spectacular and that it can get cold on deck, so hope we can sip hot chocolate with Martha at her place. Bonnie and I have gone round and round about what land excursions to do when the ship docks. It has been fun to research what is available and try and decide what to do. In the end we are only scheduling one ahead (Vancouver to see Butchart gardens). We're deciding on the others after we get on board ship. We have heard positive and negative about scheduling ahead or waiting, but since deciding now is so hard, we are waiting. We may be disappointed if they are overbooked and we miss the train to the summit in Skagway, but like one travel lady said, "just do something else" so that is what we are doing.
I started packing today....warm scarf, gloves, headband, and swimsuit and towel for lounging at the pool, formal dress for dinner on ship a time or two, (my wedding dress that is seldom used does get another wearing) and just a few tops to go with jeans, which I expect will be my main thing to wear everyday. Mom said to go light and I am trying....but it is nice to have a choice...oh well!
Anyway, Terry and I are super excited. We will be taking pictures and we will try to send postcards. Please let me know if you want one sent to you.

Williamsburg Virginia

2010-05-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

Kydon and Shanna invited me to go to Wiliamsburg with them for spring break. We drove eight hours to get there and it was well worth it! We stayed at the "Powhatan" which was a nice resort place with indoor and outdoor pools, a playground, and beautifully landscaped grounds for the kids to run and play on. We visited the historic triangle: Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown. Here's Kydon and Shanna onboard the "Susan Constant" the largest of the three ships to make the original 1607 voyage to America. (It was surprisingly small,. just 116 ft. long!)
We all explored every ship, and heard about the voyages from costumed sailors. There were forts, museums, trolley rides, and lots of fun places to eat out and explore on the trip. We also went to North Carolina and had fun there. Thanks Kydon and Shanna. I loved going on vacation with you.

My new bike at long last.

2010-04-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

About 4 years ago I started riding. I quickly went through or tried 2 bikes and quickly discarded them. I got this 30 year old bike and have been riding it for about 3 1/2 years. I slowly upgraded, but there is only so much you can do to an old bike. It was about 30 lbs when I started and is about 26 lbs. now. I knew I would be getting a modern bike as soon as I felt I had the money. Everything is a compromise where money is concerned. If not we would all have the best of everything, house, cars, trips, food. etc. It took be awhile to come to grips with what I was willing to compromise on and what I wasn't. The most expensive bikes are the lightest and the fastest. I knew weight would be a compromise. The compromise ended up at 19 lbs. That is pretty light for a heavy rider tipping the scales at nearly 200 lbs. The rest of this blog will be some of my thoughts on the bike I have built and why I did different things.

First it had to be the right size, not compromise here. I am 6 ft. 3 in. tall, so a big bike is a must. I found this bike frame on Craigs list. It is 65 cm. That is very big. It is Aluminum with a carbon fork and Carbon Seat stays. The carbon is the black parts. The compromises are it is from a small company with a reputation for bad paint and graphics. It isn't very flashy and the paint chips like crazy. You can see the large chip if you look close. The frame was never assembled into a bike, so it was virtually new.

I got the handle bars used from Craigs list. I would like wider bars but they are fine and another compromise. The seat post works great and is generic. It isn't heavy or light saved money. The wheels are very inexpensive, but are very aerodynamic. They spin true and are pretty light. I have the same ones on my old bike. I saw a $10,000 bike smashed up in a mater of seconds and decided some parts just don't need to be exposed to being trashed. That is when I decided $450 cheaper wheels than I was planing on were just fine.

The tires are also a compromise.
The are pretty expensive, but I shop and shop for good deals. they are pretty light and roll really fast. I get about 3000 miles on them. Lighter tires are more extensive, but don't last as long. They also are not prone to flats and will take up to 165 lbs of pressure.

I decided to get the best running gear I possibly could get. There are 3 companies that the pro riders use. Each company has it's own top of the line models. They do work a little differently. I decided no copromise here and went with SRAM Red shifters, chain, cassette, and derailleurs. The crank has to be 180 mm long, no compromise. Red didn't offer one that long so I went with a lower priced rival model. It saved a lot of money and is a lot less maintenance than the Red model. Good choice there. The pedals have always been a problem. You can't know until you try them. I read and read and ended up with an ebay deal on speed play 5x model I think. I really like them, but will try another speed play model next time. The saddle is another problem. Hurts you if you don't get the right one. The local bike shop loans out test saddles. I tried several and settled on the Selle SMP Glider. It is the best one so far.

The crank

The saddle.

The bike

I really like the bike. It is a lot of money , but way less than what others have invested. If I crash, I won't feel so bad when things break. One or two pieces can be replace with minimal outlays. click on the pictures if you want a closer look. There are a lot of details I left out, so if you want to know more just ask.
By the way the new bike has it's own garage. That's the yellow cover in the first picture. Works well to keep it clean and free of dust in the wood shop/garage.

A visit to Atlanta

2010-03-07T13:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a fun day in Atlanta visiting with Kydon, Shanna and kids. Spring is finally in the air so it was a good day to go to a soccer game, have a picnic and hike with the Olsen's and to visit the Llsen's at their house.

February

2010-02-25T12:20:00.000-08:00

The month is almost gone and it has really flown by! I have been busy working my little part time jobs that are now a bigger part of my life than I thought they would be. I have a few piano students, have done some childcare, have worked some days at Sodexo catering, have cleaned houses for three wonderful ladies, and have been very busy helping put together the women's conference in our stake. All of these things should be talked about in detail, since they have all been fun and good experiences for me. In the future I want to start doing this..but it takes a lot of time and I must keep trying to be more patient and just do it!!. I will blog more as things happen next month. Details make things interesting, right? Anyway, that's another goal to work on.

2010-02-20T18:50:00.000-08:00

I was talking to Erik tonight about making things with wood. I told him how I had wanted to make a simple table without fancy joinery and this is what I came up with. It is a country table that resides in our kitchen. There is very little hardware involved with this table. There is a screw and knob for the drawer and 4 screws to fasten the top. You may notice the apron goes around the outside of the legs instead of the typical way of between the legs. The legs are the key to holding the table together.
They are face glued straight to the inside corner of the apron.

The top is joined in the normal way for a flat panel, no dowels, splines, or plates.

The drawer does have dovetail joints at the front. These were simple and I cut them by hand using a saw and a chisel. A router takes a lot more set up time. I think I remember using the band saw also. The other end is a simple dado cut on the table saw. I added some interest by beveling the ends of the drawer front. It makes it look much lighter, don't you think so?

The drawer slides are simple also.
Just wood above, below and to the side of the drawer. It slides so nicely! I love wooden drawer slides with a little wax on them. The hardware is to fasten the top. Maybe you can see below. There is an ell shaped piece of wood with the nose inserted into a slot in the apron. The ell is then screw to the top. There are 4 of these. One near each corner. I used a router to make the slot (dado).

I think this is a nice looking table. It is light weight and light in appearance. It doesn't have that refined look of gentrified furniture. The top overhangs a bit more than usual. This also adds to the country look. The pictured colors are pretty much true. The stain I used turned out way more orange than I had planned for, but it has grown on me, until I now like it. The top is finished with gloss polyurethane. Stain only on the rest. Maybe someday I will finish it. What do you think? Is it worth messing with, or should I leave well enough alone?

Being creative....I can do it!

2010-02-13T06:37:00.000-08:00

This week I went to lunch with a friend that showed me some cute head bands she was making to sell. I thought they were so cute and looked easy so I would try and do the same. You mostly find unexpensive headbands and then embellish them.
I even found the embellishments ready made for a good price, so last night it was pretty easy to put a dozen of these together. Now I'm thinking it will be more fun to give them as gifts since I don't really have a way to market them. It was fun to be successful at doing something new!
I did buy one from her for a good example of how cute they can be. I bet you can tell which one it is!

2010-02-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of my latest and not so great find.
This mirror was free. You know one of those old gold painted ornate frames you never want. More burnt yellow than gold and flat, not glossy. Well I thought maybe black paint would bring it into modern times. Didn't happen! Although it is an improvement, I can't find a place it the house that I would want to see it on a regular basis. I will try it for a while and see if I can get used to it enough to keep it. I have a smaller mirror almost like this one, but no black paint as of yet.

What do you think? Maybe white paint? Chuck the frame and what? Make a frame? What should it look like? Here is another picture with a different exposure, but fuzzy as I couldn't hold still enough without the flash.

Remember you have to overlook the mess.

Cleaning out

2010-02-10T15:49:00.000-08:00

We had a great class in RS recently that motivated me to clean out and organize around the house. Today I hit the kitchen pretty hard. Pulled everything out of the cupboards, washed the shelves, and then proceeded to throw away, give away and change around whatever was left. Like things go together, food in one cupboard, cooking items in another, new place for the toaster and some serious cleaning underneath the microwave. Wow, it looks so much better and makes you want to simplify and enjoy having extra space! Now for the closets and drawers.....The rule is to ask yourself:: Do I need it? Do I use it? Do I love it? If the answer isn't "yes" to at least one of these, then the item should go. Another tip to make this easier is to tell yourself, "if I haven't used this item in a year I am being selfish if I keep it...someone else no doubt could use it more than me." This helps let go of those valuable little treasures that we are attached to, but aren't using and don't have a place to keep.
It also helps to repeat to yourself over and over while working, "A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place." If you can't find that "place" to put it away, then it has to go! Simple, huh, but actually hard to do for me since I have the mentality of knowing I want it around in case I need it sometime, and I certainly don't want to give away something I think is valuable......Still, there is a lot of peace of mind in cleaning out and letting things g,. so I will continue with the closets and drawers.

the wooden bike rack

2010-01-31T12:43:00.000-08:00

So here we are with another project done. I have been carrying my bike in the back of my truck when I head down to Fort Benning to ride with my group. It is an old scratched up bike so I haven't been worried about it too much. This picture shows just how I hold it. You can see it is less than ideal.

I am still in the process of building a nice new bike without scratches. It is not cheap to build a nice bike, so I wish to protect it from harm when it is finished.

I spent many sleepless nights planing a bike rack. The modern high quality bike racks do not touch anything but the tires. (That way we don't get any new scratches.) So, a tire holding rack was my desire and plan.

I also wanted to be able to use my truck to haul other items. The rack needed to be easily removable. These are two big challenges!

The final product works great and is easily removed by pulling out 2 pins. The rack weighs between 5 and 10 pounds, is easy to handle, stores in very little space and out of the way. The clamp and mounting bar stay in the truck and out of the way. I painted it black so it looks like it belongs. I have used it several times and the bike is solid as can be in all the traffic maneuvers I make.

1-the rack by itself

2-the bike mounted

3-close up of the clamping system

The rack is made from 2x4 material I had laying around and 2 pieces of aluminum and screws and bolts and paint. About $10 total. Next time when I add another rack I will use wood instead of aluminum for the angle supports. The clamp cross section is 3/8 x 1 1/2. Next time I will use 5/8 x 1 1/2.

let there be light

2010-01-23T12:56:00.000-08:00

Some of you already know I recently put a light in our master bath shower along with a bathroom ventilation fan. It's not really exciting but in the interest of blogging, I thought why not. Most of you almost never get here to see it, so maybe you can get an idea of how much this has lightened up our early mornings. First I had to put in a second switch. I had an extra switch so used it. Problem some have noted. It isn't the same color at the other switch and plate. Doesn't bother me as the fan works great. We have had a small problem with mold in the shower since putting in a programmable thermostat. We hope the ventilation will eliminate the problem.

Here is a picture of the fan and light.

This next picture show what the light looks like close up.

Finally I am trying to give you an over all effect. It is amazing how the whole bathroom is brighter, not just the shower. We are really enjoying the light and hoping the fan will solve the mold problem.

January's Here

2010-01-08T13:26:00.000-08:00

The first week of January is gone and it has been a cold one. Very unusual to have temps in the teens in Georgia, but we are actually enjoying the chill since we know it won't last long. We have the Christmas things put away and while doing that I redecorated the wall by the front door. It is simple, but took me some time and now I really love it. Current pictures are still needed from the family in 5 x 7 or 8 x 10 sizes, but last years still look good and I really like just going in there to see your faces whenever I think about it.
I am excited about working on my goals for the new year and feel I have made some progress this week, so that is satisfying. Call me for details if you are interested, but basically I am just trying to be disciplined and focused on doing the basics...if you know what I mean.
I am grateful for family (especially Terry, he is sooo good to me and I love it) and staying in touch with my kids and grandkids is my biggest joy. Maybe I can learn to blog better and post pictures this year??? LOL (that's "Lots of Love" to all of you!

Christmas

2009-12-22T11:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas week is here and we are excited and happy. This year has been a wonderful one for us. Dane and Laura's wedding, Madeline and Peyton being born, Erik and Rachel moving to Phoenix with a good job, Kirsten getting her own place to live and sharing it when needed, Kydon and Shanna meeting the many challenges of their lives and sharing it all with us, my many trips to visit, Terry excelling on his bike and all of us growing and learning so much at this time of our lives. We are truly blessed and I want to express my love and appreciation to the Savior of the world at this special Christmas time. His atoning sacrifice made it possible for us to return to live again as families in the eternities. I hope we can always be grateful for this and strive to keep the commandments and be strong in making good choices so we can have the greatest gift that our Heavenly Father planned for us to have. Love you all and have a wonderful Christmas!!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

Today I am in Portland with Rachel and family. She is helping me work on blogger (thanks Rachel!) so here's a few pictures of our adventure at the Pumpkin Patch.

Makayla and me finding a pumpkin. Isn't she cute!

The field of pumpkins was an amazing sight...that's Bryce and Preston in the center exploring the territory.

The kids loved the little hay maze that was part of our day. What fun to spend a bright autumn day with Rachel and the kids!

Leavitt Family Reunion

2009-07-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

Just a glimpse of the "Narrows." The canyon had high walls that came close together like this a lot of the way. It is worth the effort to see it!
Getting ready for the hike down the narrows. Coby and Ian led the way. Cousin Stephani took the challenge which wasn't easy! It was 52 degrees when we started.

We had a great time in Utah this past week for the Leavitt family reunion. Terry and I flew in to SLC and Brian and Cecilee and girls picked us up to go to Cedar City. It is always fun to be at Granny leavitt's house. This year we celebrated her 80th birthday. She is amazing...always cooks for everyone and makes us all feel special. Her garden was so beautiful too, and we loved the fresh cherries we picked off her trees.
We all had rooms at Kanab for three days of biking, hiking, visiting and enjoying the fourth of July together. Parades in small town Utah are the best! The food was fun too. Coby and Carol's tacos the first night were awesome, Trieste and Bonnie did great Hawaiian haystacks, berne and jan on the BBQ, corn dogs and all the trimmings, and Kori, Cecilee and I were pretty smart to do Subway for our assigned lunch. Everything was great and we loved the time with the family.
Terry, Brian, some cousins and I hiked the "Narrows" through Zion Natl. park on Friday. The scenery was spectacular and we were definitely challenged with the distance and the slippery rocks that took some time to get across. We crossed the stream a lot too, but it was worth it, even though we wondered at times if we would make it.

My Day at Callaway

2009-06-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

This big giant slide looks like a lot of fun, but it was a little expensive. ( I think $5.00 for two turns?) I heard there may be a few free days this summer though...I'll keep my eyes and ears open. It was fun just to see it though. I've always wanted to go down one of those!
The circus comes every summer from Florida State University. The twins and I saw it last year on the 4th of July. We had good seats up close (on the floor) but it was interesting to really see how they do the juggling, high trapeze and other great tricks right in front of your eyes.
The playground is always fun, and paddleboats and miniature golf are close by.
These cabbages were really awesome. Very big and healthy. Lots of interesting vegetables and flowering plants and herbs to see in Mr. Cason's vegetable garden.

Last week I realized our annual pass to Callaway Gardens was about to expire, so I decided to go one more time while I could. I took my bike and a little picnic lunch and enjoyed some time to myself...just seeing the sights and discovering a few new places to ride. I also saw the display model of some new homes that are for sale on Robin's lake, right there at Callaway. What a fun thing it would be...to have a home right there with all the amenities at your fingertips. I hope I can renew my membership. If anyone wants to come and go with me I will definitely do it. There is so much of beauty in Heavenly Father's creations and Callaway is a good place to see and enjoy nature at its finest!

Enrichment Activity

2009-05-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight our ward is having an enrichment activity at our bishop's home. All the women are bringing a brown paper bag with five things in it that describe themselves. We are supposed to exchange with someone else and have their things to take home. Hopefully this activity will help us get to know each other and our interests better, and we may also get new ideas and motivation for new things to do. I love the women of the Church with all their talents and desires to build better homes and families. Thanks to everyone who is willing to share their lives with others. The scriptures say "we find ourselves, when we lose ourselves," (in service) Does anyone know just where that is found? If I don't hear back, I will just have to look it up in the topical guide.

Grandma's 85th birthday

2009-05-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

Grandma Witbeck serving cake at her party

Terry and me standing in front of the beautiful roses

We met Dan and Elaine Duree and her parents at the zoo

Terry and I had a great week-end in St. Louis for Grandma's 85th birthday. We spent the night with Kydon and Shanna on Thursday, then left Friday morning for the 10 hr. drive to St. Louis. It is always a good one...beautiful scenery thru northern Georgia and Tenn. We arrived in good time on Friday night and enjoyed visiting and working a little in the yard with Georgia and Linda. Saturday morning we took Grandma to the zoo. Met Dan and Elaine Duree and the kids (plus her folks Dale and Margo) who were visiting from Utah. Saturday was a fun fajita dinner at Marty and Cindy's and Sunday we did church and another family celebration for Grandma at the park. Uncle John was outstanding at the grill with steaks and potatoes, and we all feasted on lots of salads and cake to make it a real celebration! Monday was the long drive home, with just one stop for a hike at Stone Fort State Park in Tennessee. Very interesting to see the historic mounds made by Indians years ago and the waterfall was spectactular. We enjoyed the trip and look forward to the next time we can visit family in st. Louis.

Wedding Details continued

2009-05-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pictures to share about our wedding weekend in Houston:
Top: Camille, Kirsten and Cecilee had fun on board the Texan ll doing some fishing. It's been a while since all three have been together.
Bottom: The groomsmen and bridesmaids were looking very sharp in their khaki suits and navy blue accents. We loved getting to know the girls. Dane and Laura have some wonderful friends. Very supportive...many flew in from far away places just to share this special time
with all of us.

Wedding Weekend

2009-05-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend at Dane and Laura's wedding in Houston, Texas. We rented a beach house on Galveston and enjoyed having many of our family together to share this special time. Terry and I left Columbus after work on Tuesday and went as far as Mobile Alabama to spend the night with our friend Lisa Diane Owen. She has her own nice little home that we loved to see with all her unique and interesting furnishings that represent her experiences in the military as well as her love of the gospel. Thanks Lisa Diane! We hope to visit you again.
We were on the road again at 5 AM Wed morning headed for Houston. At 6 we got a call from Kydon and Shanna. They had driven all night since the kids were asleep and just arrived at Galveston and were looking for the beach house. Not easy to see when the sun isn't quite up yet, and no numbers visible on the homes. They figured it out though, and found the lockbox with the keys to get in. Kydon went right to bed but the kids were up and excited for the day so Shanna got things unloaded and went to the beach first thing. We arrived later that afternoon and we all went to Sam's to get grocieries and supplies for our fun time together at the wedding. It was hot and humid and very breezy out on Galveston island, but still wonderful to be at the beach.
Thursday Kydon and Shanna met a friend for lunch in Houston and Terry and I picked up Kirsten at the airport. Since it was way north we had the chance to visit our friends Maxine and John Pew who moved from Columbus last year. They have a lovely home in Conroe now and it was great to see them and their boys Chris, Scott and Tyler who are home from school for the summer. We got Kirsten and headed back to the beach house. She was excited to be there and we heard all her news along the way. She is giving some thought to buying a house in Phoenix since there is a possibility of one she likes. It was fun to discuss all the features of homes and to try and decide if this might be the right time for her to buy. Made us want to let ours go and get something new too! Anyway, we loved seeing her and being with her again. At the house we all enjoyed time on the beach and fixing dinner, eating, talking and playing with the kids. Jack, Aidan, and Abigail are so cute and fun. They loved swimming in the ocean and will go right under water with no fear of getting swept away. We got them to bed and then went to WalMart to get things we missed at Sam's. Everyone was pretty tired but we still stayed up late since who wants to go to bed when we are together...besides, we were expecting the others and we wanted to be upto greet them, Cecilee and Camille had gotten in about 8:30 and waited another 45 minutes or so for Scott's flight from Washington DC so they could come together from Houston International Airport. Cecilee rented her own car since the airport was so far away from us and she needed to leave out early on Sunday. They arrived around 8:30 and Erik and Rachel shortly after from Houston Hobby airport. Both got to the beach house around midnight and we had a joyful time hugging and greeting each other. Preston, Bryce and Makayla had stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Bell's and this was their first time to be away from their kids and off with each other in seven years of marriage! Brian had kept Jenna and Lauren so Cecilee could enjoy some time to herself also. It was so fun to see them and catch up pn the news. It was close to 1:00 when we all got to bed and much to everyone's creit we were up early the next morning to be on board for the deep sea fishing experience. We reminded ourselves that we were doing this to be with Dane and Laura and there was no turning back since we all had made the commitment. We were the first ones there and on time at the boat dock (7:30) We found out later they were to leave at 8:30, but that's OK, it's just as well to be early since otherwise, you just push the limits and wait until the last minute. Early is better in most all cases...this is something we all continue to learn. We did enjoy the boat; just being out on the water with the waves and the wake going out behind, and having the chance to cast out and reel in fish, even if most were the flat head catfish that has poisonous gills and has to be tossed back, it was all fun and something different that we had never done. Most everyone caught something at least once, and we talked a fellow out of his large gass fish so we could have it for our fish fry. Someone caught a pretty good sized shark too, but were very unwilling to part with it, so we just bought tilapia, there on the waterfront so we would have plenty of fish for the fish fry. We headed back around 1:00, tired and sunburned but happy from spending time with Dane and Laura and each other on a deep sea fishing trip. Most went on to a good mexican restaurant for lunch now, but Terry and I had things to do. We stopped at Wal-mart for fresh fruit and a few other miscellaneous items. Then hurried back to be first in the showers and start getting ready for our guests that were coming after the ring ceremony rehearsal.
This is getting long...but I must continue for the sake of posterity. One day Dane and Laura's family will want to hear all this. I should include more about them at this point.
The ring ceremony was to be outside the Country Club, on the lawn, and with the lake as a backdrop. it was a beautiful setting. Laura paired up the bridesmaids with the groomsmen and we walked through the whole thing. It was our first chance to meet the Schroeder's and we enjoyed it very much. The bridesmaids were darling young women, friends from high school days and former students at Georgia Tech.

2009-03-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

This is the middle of March so I think I'll get current and write something about this month. We had a lot of rain yesterday, but luckily we mowed the lawn and trimmed it, and washed the car before the rain could do a "half-way" job again. I had 6 hours of church meetings today since I was able to go to my own ward before visiting the ward conference at Edgewood ward and the Spanish group. I love being a part of stake Relief Society, and when I think of the time and service our stake presidency puts in I am in awe! They are the best...and give so many wonderful, inspiring messages to bless the lives of the members here. This year we have been to all our conferences during this first three months of the year, and I have loved hearing them speak over and over again each week. The goal for our stake this year is all about "Becoming a Zion People by being unified, more holy, and giving service to the poor and needy." (From the conference talk by Elder Christofferson, Nov. 2008.) We are also receiving training on being better teachers, which is important as we can really make a difference in another's life( and our own!) through effective teaching.
I think one of the funnest things I did this week was to create a special birthday pie for one of my visiting teaching sisters. I adaated the recipe to use what I had on hand, and it was great. Here's what I did, and I just thought of it and made it and didn't go to the store: Melted together l C. evap. milk, I cup chocolate chips, 1/4 tsp. salt on stove, and cooked until thickened. Remove from heat and add l c. miniature marshmellows. Stir until melted and smooth. Cool. Pour one half into graham cracker crust. Cool in fridge. Make a package of vanilla instant pudding and pour over chocolate layer. Pour the rest of the chocolate mixture over the pudding and cool in fridge. When set top with cool whip, sliced almonds, and marachino cherries. Delicious and very pretty!
What are you doing that is green for St. Patrick's Day? Hope i can think of something... it is fun to celebrate all holidays.

2009-03-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

What did I do in February?? Just looking at my calendar and here's what happened: Zone conference lunch for missionaries, RS New leader training, Youth conference helper, two ward/branch conferences and stake conference, visits to seminary, supporting play group so I can meet and make friends with the young mothers and their kids, church mtgs. about community service day, walking with Shirley, visiting teaching, temple trip, gifts for showers ready, shower for Dane and Laura, trip to St. Louis to visit Grandma Witbeck and family, numerous phone calls to make, cooking and shopping and library visits...I wonder what I have accomplished, and it is a lot of busy work, but remember, we are out here in the mission field and there is a lot to do! I'm grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

January visit

2009-03-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

At the end of January I had a wonderful visit to Ft. Smith Arkansas to see my sister, Bonnie Cook. We have mutual friends, Doug and Linda George that rent a home here in Columbus. They occasionally drive back and forth between here and Ft. Smith to see about their house, so this time I took the opportunity to grab a ride with them and was able to get in a short visit. Bonnie invited our other sister Sue Thompson, and her husband John to come that same week-end, so we had a fine little mini reunion. When we arrived the first thing we did was start gathering pecans that were still on the driveway and grass around Bonnie's house. They had a late crop this year, and there were still a lot available, so Bonnie let us get all we wanted, as well as a full box she had already prepared to mail to me. Bonnie is always busy with family and church work. We were able to enjoy her grandkids Olivia and Hunter (Chris and Alison's kids) and Abby who is just five and belongs to Bobbie and Anne). The kids were out of school for the day, so I set up a treasure hunt for them, and we also went skating and hiking and had a lot of fun just being together. John and Sue and I helped Bonnie by undecorating her Christmas tree one night, and we enjoyed being able to go to church with her. While Bonnie made food for a funeral on Sunday night, we played Dominoes. That was fun, especially with John continually helping us know the rules and playing along with us. I loved spending time with Bonnie, Sue and their families, and hope we can get them back here to see us sometime soon.

spices before and after

2009-02-04T14:11:00.001-08:00

Well, this is before I started. You can see it will take some searching to find the bottle you want.

There is as lazy susan that helps a bit, but I will add to it also.

This picture shows the construction of the shelf. It is 2 inches deep and
about 16 inches long on one leg. 9 inches on the other.

I just used a few
short screws to install the shelf. Make sure it isn't too high for the bottles. One problem, the bottles are close together so you have to get a finger on top of them to get them out. I didn't leave quite enough room. Will have to move it down.

I made a little spool to put the very short bottles on. Can you see it in the middle of the lazy susan?
There are actually more bottles in the after picture than the before picture.
I plan on putting a shelf on the door. It will have something in the front to keep the bottles from falling off while swinging the door open or closed. The door shelf will be as high the the other shelf so it will be above the lazy susan.

January slipped past me....

2009-02-03T17:03:00.001-08:00

My goal was to post at least once a month and I missed January! Oh well, try again. Today was really fun since I got to help with the zone conference for the missionaries. Our ward did teriyaki chicken and rice and also had lots of good salad and dessert to serve the missionaries. They are so cute and appreciative and it really warms my heart to be with them and feel of the great spirit that they carry as full time messengers of the gospel of Jesus Christ! Later the zone leaders who are in our ward came for dinner, so this has been a special day.
I love knowing that we as members can also be full time missionaries and bring to others the blessings we enjoy. Surely we can do more! Have you shared the gospel today??? Please comment if you've had any missionary experiences in January. I made some phone calls and invited some less actives to our "girls night out." They didn't come, but that's OK, it still counts as missionary work and it made me happy to reach out to someone with an invitation.

Christmas week

2008-12-31T11:24:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas with Dane and Kirsten at home with us. But first we spent Christmas Eve with Kydon and Shanna in Atlanta. We had our traditional Jerusalem supper and then enjoyed a little Christmas family night with the children. They were excited and ready for bed early so Santa could come. After that we played games, watched TV and had lots of treats before leaving to pick up Kirsten at midnight at the airport. We drove home and got to bed at 3 a.m. It was really OK, since we got to sleep late on Christmas morning We opened gifts and had friends over for Christmas dinner. The weather was perfect. Warm and nice outside so we enjoyed that too. Kydon, Shanna and kids came the next day, and also Laura flew in from Texas, so we had a chance to get to know her at a little "engagement party" we threw for them and also at a picnic at Flat Rock Park. Sunday Dane got nabbed to give a talk in Sacrament Mtg and the ward enjoyed getting to know them both and congratulate them on their engagement. Monday we all headed back to Atlanta for a day at Upatoi State park and Helen, Georgia. The hike up to Ana Ruby Falls was spectatcular. With all the recent rains the water was higher than its been in a long time. It was a cool, crispy day but still warm enough for us to have a picnic before we hiked. After we enjoyed some shopping around the Bavarian shops of scenic Helen. It was a fun and memorable time to share with Dane and Laura as they are now officially engaged and working towards plans for a wedding. 2009 promises to be a great year!!
(This blog was successfully completed due to help from Kirstens camera, Kydon and Shanna's computer and willingness to help, and Terry's kind and patient tutoring to help me with computer skills. Thanks everyone!! There is hope for me, and "help" is one of my favorite words.

Visiting Portland

2008-12-12T11:56:00.001-08:00

Here we are at the Oregon coast. The beach is firm and smooth and easy to walk and run on this time of year. We had lunch at Mo's which is famous for their clam chowder and home made bread. Then we ventured out on Cannon Beach which has this big rock that is really awesome. Rachel said it is the most photographed spot in Oregon. There were all kinds of sealife living on the rocks. We explored and found lots of bright orange and purple starfish that had sparkly looking drops on their backs that looked like silver beads. Also many barnacles, sea anemone, and hermit crabs, as well as other things that we didn't know the names of. It was all fascinating and different than anything I had ever seen before! We stayed at Seaside in a really nice resort with a view of the ocean from the deck. (Thanks to Rachels' parents the Bells who were so nice to let us use time share.) It was chilly and crisp like holiday winter should be, but no rain and wind while we were there, so was a great time for us to go. Erik cooked steaks on the grill that night too, so we were really treated with the best of everything! It was a fun time for us, and we hope to make it a tradition to come to the coast of Oregon.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T13:07:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed the holiday with Kydon, Shanna and kids, Kirsten from Phoenix, and Scott and Camille from Provo. Terry's sister Penny and hubby Daniel Harville were also with us and brought some great appetizers to enjoy before the Thanksgiving feast began. The day was warm and beautiful and made eventful by a hawk that was defending his nest in our neighbor's tree. Many on the street gathered to watch as the hawk hovered around the branches and made sweeping flights from time to time to observe and keep at bay the hyper little squirrel that would have liked to invade the nest. Good entertainment and a chance to visit with the neighbors! We got BBQ at Country's and also visited Warm Springs while we were together, so we were thankful for time spent as a family this year!

2008-11-17T19:54:00.001-08:00

How about a picture??? Let's see if I can post one...good luck to me!
OK, after several experiments I got this one. This is a picture of my good friend mary mathis and me visiting senior citizens for our stake RS project. It's blurry...but sometimes I look better that way! We've been visiting all year and have learned a few things. Have also enjoyed making new friends and giving a little service by doing what I do best, namely talking and making music.

Exciting family News!

2008-11-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

This week has been busy and exciting with the news that Dane and Laura are engaged! I thought it was pretty cool that Laura wanted to be surprised when she got engaged, and Dane was able to pull it off with his surprise visit to Provo and all the extra touches that go with making the event special. It just goes to show that asking for the right things is a good idea...you get what you want that way and everyone is happy. Congratulations Dane and Laura!
We also had Kydon and the grandchildren here while Shanna took some time to paint the bathroom. We went to Monkey Joe's for a birthday on Friday, Callaway Gardens on Saturday, and Kydon and I helped in the nursery on Sunday. Throw in a little cooking, playing, cleaning and walking, and we managed to stay busy every minute this past week-end. It was fun and we can't wait for Thanksgiving now, when we all get together again. Hope everyone has a great time cooking and getting ready for the Turkey feast. I love the tradition of coming together as families and showing thanks. We have so many blessings to be thankful for....right now I'm grateful for technology that allows us to stay in touch. it means a lot to me!

2008-11-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

It's November....great!! Feels like the holiday season with cool Fall days and the prospect of Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner. Today we decided to cut up our Halloween pumpkin and try to make a pie. We made two and they turned out great. They came out of the oven just in time to give one to our home teachers. Hope this works again when we use the frozen pumpkin for Thanksgiving.

more bike building

2008-10-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

I thought you might want to see a mess, or what happens in our dining room sometimes.
So here is a picture of the nisiki bike while the rebuild is in progress. The effect is better if you click on the picture for the full size version.

This is Valeni holding the finished bike.
And a little better picture of the finished bike. I hope I can get it boxed and shipped tomorrow as Erik Rachael and family will be moving to their new digs on Friday.

Building a commuter bike for Erik

2008-10-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

Well I thought I should give a before picture of what I started with on this bike for Erik's commute to work in Portland. I found this on craig's list in Atlanta. Dane was so kind to drive right over and pick it up for me. He was somewhat surprised at the poor condition, but said ok. He followed my instructions. then the bike sat in his trunk for about 2 or 3 weeks until we were able to connect. When I'm done I will follow up on the build with more pics. The picture is right off of craig's list so it is pretty poor quality. The fellow I got it from said he thought it was a 58 or 60 cm, but turns out to be 62 cm. That's a pretty big bike, just a little smaller than mine. I don't think it will be too big. I started by removing everything, including the paint. It was all chipped up and rusting in spots. The front derailleur was so rusty you couldn't find any chrome on it at all. I will need to replace most of the parts. I kept the brake calipers and levers, but put on new pads and cables. I got rid of the down tube shifters as I don't like them and am putting on stem shifters. Lost the bull horn handle bars and the saddle and seat post. The local bike shop (LBS) let me go through their used stuff to fine most of what I needed there. I had ordered tires off the net about 2 months ago. They have been on back order, but I finally cancelled them. The LBS had the exact same tires I had ordered, so that was nice. I had studied out what I thought would be just the right compromise between fast, safe, comfortable and reliable. Panaracer Pasela 700c x 28. I don't like the look of the gum side walls, but everthing else is good. I have a nice set of Mavic A119 wheels. These are just a little wider than racing wheels. The tires are the smallest that can fit on these wheels.

I forgot to mention the frame is a Nishiki. It is a well known maker of good bikes. The crank will be a bontrager (Trek) 175 mm squar taper, with 53 x 39 shimano chain rings. The front derailler is shimano 600 the rear is Raliegh. It has a 11 x 32 nine speed cassett. The original bike came with a 5 speed. I had to modify things a bit to make this work. The cassett is off my bike as I have noticed I need closer ratio gears when riding with a group. This cassett will make commuting easy as it has a very wide range of gears and no need to match speed with a bunch of speed jockey's. It still has a high gear that will let you pull hard up to about 40 mph if you can or if you find a big hill to go down real fast. The up hill is good too. You can cruise up a hill at 4 or 5 mph if it is in low gear.

I'm almost done with the build. I had to order a couple of cable guides off the net and am now waiting for them to come it. I can't wait to take it for a spin. More later.

Georgia Pears are in season

2008-10-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

Yep, Valeni has been talking and found a way to get some Georgia pears. We road up to Cataula, about 12 miles from here, where we picked up a bucket of pears from sister York who's son used to have a crush on Cecilee when they were in MIA here in Columbus. She told us all about her family, you know the regular southern exchange. None of that northern Hi and bye stuff here. When we arrived home Valeni immediately dove into preparing a wonderful pear cobbler. Here you can see what large pears look like and how yummy the cobbler looks, with Ice cream and brown sugar syrup.

The Latest in Landscaping in Columbus

2008-09-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, we have been working on the yard lately. First we need to replace the rotting landscaping timbers around the front of the house. Masonry is more durable so that was what we wanted to do. Valeni and I shopped together and came up with red landscape blocks as our final choice. We were happy with the outcome, but the plants were a mix and not match of the Hinze 57 variety. We were in Orlando at the Whitney Cornwall's wedding at the Temple and saw what some of the plants we had in our yard would look like if done well. We decided to get rid of the offending plants and purchase more of what we learned was Indian Hawthorn. We purchased some fertilizer to help the established plants to hopefully look as good and healthy as the new plants. Here is what it looks like as you approach the front door.

We felt good enough about the outcome here that taking care of the back of the yard seemed do able. Again a trip to the local Home Depot. Kydon and family were at the house when we got back, so he helped unload 125 pavers.

What you see is the result of maybe 2 hours after work on two evenings and about a half day on Saturday. I didn't take any before pictures, so you will have to just remember what messy dirt hole it was. Now I have been working on the other wall. I have some before pics and will post the results at a later day.

Visiting in Atlanta

2008-09-03T18:21:00.001-07:00

We took a trip!

2008-09-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

Terry and I went to Charleston, S.C. for the Labor Day week-end. We stayed at Quality Suites and enjoyed the pool and complimentary breakfast. We also enjoyed the homes and gardens in the historic area, and visited a rice plantation in the heat of summer. We really empathized with those that worked so hard in the early days! The heat and humidity must have been so hard to live with. We went to church over there before leaving for Atlanta to see Kydon, Shanna , Dane and the kids. The ward was really nice and friendly to us. It was fun to be visitors to Charleston, and we want to go back in the spring when everything is really blooming. It is a great place to visit and has more to see than we had time for. Anyone want to go with us? We're thinking next March should be the right time.

Answering the tag

2008-08-25T19:33:00.001-07:00

I just saw Camille's response to that tag from a while back so thought I better take a minute and answer. It's good to give a little personal info now and again. i don't often do that!
8 TV shows I like: I don't usually watch a lot of TV but I can count the Olympics for this month. Loved watching the finals of the men's volleyball. Team USA..yeah!!! I got excited when they won!
Other than that just the news...we don't get all our good channels anymore so not much on TV.
8 restaurants: let's see....I do enjoy eating out when I can. lately it has been Red Lobster (for our anniversary) Country's downtown diner (when Berne and Jan came to visit on Thursday) Chef lee's for the best Chinese food to be found, pizza (I like the cheap ones and the expensive ones) Fuddrucker's (with the stake RS presidency after our temple trip in Atlanta. The southwest burger and onion rings are awesome) the cafeteria at TSYS where I work...i get to eat whatever I want there for lunch everyday. Just one of the perks of the job. Applebee's Ruby Tuesday and Friday's would probably round out the list.
8 things that happened today: exercised by doing Turbo kick and then Body Pump. First time since I started work. it was harder than it used to be! visited for a couple of hours with a friend that needed to talk, I learned a few things. Made frog eye salad, played piano and sang with Terry for FHE. Looked on line for places to visit when we go to Charleston this week-end. Paid a stack of bills...oops, here's another one I missed. Cleaned bathrooms and mopped, watched the amazing rain storm that hit here pretty hard. Talked to Erik on the phone, read blogs like I haven't done for a while.
8 things I love about summer: being outside, riding bike on the riverwalk, wearing light clothes and no jacket, taking little trips, the crepe myrtle trees blooming so beautifully, all the new people that move to the ward each year , eating outside at a restaurant or picnic, going to the beach if possible.
8 things on my wish list: Visiting all my family, having all my family together, spending one on one time with the grandchildren, living close to all my children, did I say visiting all my family, having family reunion here in Columbus and having everyone come, having money to give all my family that could use it, talking to all my family regularly, having all my family love me and call me, oh no, that's more than eight....but my wish list is all about being with family. I really wish I was closer to all of you! (And I believe wishes can come true)

2008-07-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

Camille was a beautiful bride! The little flower girls absolutely loved being with her. Hope she will soon post some reception pictures on her blog. We are waiting to see them!!

2008-07-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

Here's the picture we got of all of us together at the SLC reception. I like the way Preston is giving Jenna her hairpiece. It was great to be altogether with family!

2008-07-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at Hogle Zoo on the day before the wedding. Bryce and Preston were really excited since it was their first time to go to the zoo.

2008-07-08T20:17:00.001-07:00

Here's Makayla and me at the SLC reception. She is so cute and sweet!

2008-07-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

Dad getting ready to participate with these two young guys in the reverse triathlon at Ft. Benning. He finished the 12 mile bike run at 37 minutes. Their team came in 5th overall with the other guys doing well at the running and swimming. Not bad for a grandpa, and I loved the breakfast and awards ceremony that followed!!

Hello Again

2008-07-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

Here it is July so thought I would put a quick note on here about our lives.
The hot summer days are alive and well in Georgia, so we are trying to do most our work in the mornings and stay cool inside in the afternoons. Today I had a great experience helping the LaGrange branch feed the missionaries at their zone conference. All our units in the stake take a turn doing this, and we in stake RS supervise, so I have had the chance to work with the units several times when they come to the stake center and I love being able to. Today we had wonderful southern pulled pork sandwiches, seasoned just right with Cajun seasonings, corn on the cob, macaroni pasta salad, and huge brownies for dessert. Zak Attabery, whose Mom actually did all the food and then sent it with him to serve, cut those brownies, and they were big!! We all had fun with the Elders too, and requested they sing "The Star Spangled Banner" for us as they wanted to thank us with a song. They sounded amazingly good. they are great young men and being around them is a Joy. We all need to remember not to lose our missionary spirit!!
I have a few piano students so taught some lessons today. Tomorrow I am planning to go with my friend Annette to the temple since she goes every Wednesday and always appreciates someone to accompany her. The temple closes for its annual cleaning for the next two weeks, so this is my chance to go! I love the temple and recommend it to everyone.
Terry is thinking about a family history conference he is setting up for the Fall. He is a great husband, father and grandfather, and we are enjoying time together at this season of our lives.
He's just home from work with some things in his hand he got from the auto parts. he's good at keeping up with maintaining the car and truck. We really like our 2003 Toyota Corolla. We drive it a lot and get good gas mileage, so we are doing OK.
Bye for now and I'll try and get him to help me post some pictures.

2008-06-06T04:22:00.000-07:00

This beautiful cake was made by Shanna for the reception in Georgia. How did she find the time to do it?? Shanna is a good example of pure determination and desire to share her talents. She has a lot going on, but still manages to do it all! Thanks Shanna, you are amazi ng!

We had a happy celebration of Scott and Camille's wedding. Friends helped decorate at the stake center. Aunt Bonnie came from Arkansas and did so much to help us get the food together. Dane acted as MC for the evening and introduced the couple as well as announcing the evening's program. Camille's friend Lauren Miller played the piano and sang for us. it was great! Thanks to everyone who supported us at both weddings. It was wonderful to be together with all of you!

Just checking in....

2008-05-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
Have been looking at some of your pages this morning and enjoying the chance to read about your lives. This is a great way to stay in touch, and I hope to do more with it. Thanks for the good examples!
Terry and I are back to being just the two of us since Dane left for school yesterday. It's been wonderful having him here for the past couple of weeks. We enjoyed the trip to SLC for Camille's wedding so much. It was exciting and memorable and couldn't have been better for us!! Camille and Scott planned everything so well, we hardly had any work to do and got to just enjoy our time at the temple and reception out there. What a joy to be in the Salt Lake temple and to see our beautiful daughter marry such a wonderful young man as Scott. They seem so right for each other too, so we are very happy for them and for us. Having all our kids there was also very special to us, and the reception that the Jensen's helped Camille with was great. My favorite part was the lunch after the wedding at Old Spaghetti Factory and the video that showed Scott and Camille growing up. Like Berne said, "your child's life passes before your eyes." That is emotional but also helps you gain perspective about just how short a time we have with our children to teach them and enjoy them, and then before you know it they are off on their own. Thanks to everyone who came, sent cards and gifts, and shared this time with us. The greatest joys in life happen when families come together, I know that is true!!
Back to Dane, he started school this morning at Georgia Tech and if all goes well he will graduate in a year. He's living with Kydon and Shanna and wouldn't want it any other way. I'm so glad
this worked out. He was able to buy a car in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl last week (that's a good story you can ask more about) and also has sold a motorcycle already to get money for school. He is remarkable and we know he will go far in life.
Terry is preparing to ride bike in a triathlon coming up in a few weeks. He works hard everyday to support us and to keep up with his church callings. He is assigned as the high councilment to Phenix City as well as working on the Family History work in our stake. He painted both the bathrooms here before the wedding guests came to stay, and always has something to do with the car and truck or regular fixing up going on around here. I am currently getting ready for seminary graduation. I went to Auburn this morning to visit the class and also meet about details of Sunday's program. I also stay busy with stake RS. We go to Lanett on Sunday to do some training, so there is always something to think about. I'm trying to get to the gym for Step aerobics and Body Pump several times a week, and i walk with two good friends most mornings, which is great motivation to get through the day.
This can't be too long so will stop for now. I promise to get some pictures posted soon. Remind me!! Love you all and write a comment so i can know who reads this...please. Thanks, Valeni

Hello!

2008-05-02T18:51:00.001-07:00

Just setting up a blog!