A BUCKET OF WEEDS

Last night our home teacher came and gave us our lesson on the lawn swings. Soon neighbors started joining us and we visited for a long time.

One neighbor gave me a great mental image to use in my life. She mentioned that at the end of the day her dad always asked, "Did you get your bucket of weeds today?" This became a habit and she still does this, she pulls a bucket of weeds and her yard is never overrun, it is always tidy, the roses have room to bloom as do her other flowers, not to mention her wonderful garden.

Last night, before we had family prayer, I mentioned to Phil that pulling just one bucket of weeds was pretty simple. Day in, day out, simple but the rewards are huge. Then I started thinking, we should do that with all aspects of our lives.

Spiritual Bucket. We try to read the scriptures in the morning before our day starts but it doesn't always get done. So simple, a few minutes prepares us for the day and yet, some days our spiritual bucket is empty. We go to church every week and Phil is serving at a BYU ward but what about reading the scriptures every morning? I think I will start reading an Ensign article with Phil before bed, too.

My housekeeping bucket is neglected often. A little work each day and then there are no gigantic cleaning projects to tackle. I got into the habit of every time I used a paper towel I then used it to wipe up part of the kitchen floor. Soon the floor around the sink and stove was clean and I was wiping up the floor by the table and back door. When I neglected this simple task the floor needed major cleaning.

Food storage bucket. I learned from my mother so it's second nature for me to have food storage. Most Mormon's do, as we have been counseled by our Prophet and church leaders on this subject for what seems like forever.

One year, as we were bottling yet another bushel of peaches, I innocently asked why my mother we had so much food storage--much more than we could eat in a year. She laughed and said, "Why, Lynne, it's for the Californians. When they have to leave California"--I don't know what she thought was going to happen--some catastrophe maybe--"they will be hungry and we will have the food to feed them?" That was that. She stored food and extra for others.

I would rather shop in my basement than have to run to the store for a forgotten item I need for dinner. I'm not perfect but I have a plan that I got from Liesa Card, who I met in Costco, peddling her book, I DARE YOU TO EAT IT. I like her blog, she has some cool ideas and it's not just all about storage but about her family as well. (Today's blog is "Frozen Hot Chocolate.") When I get my storage up to date I'll blog about it. I'm so excited to put her simple idea into a working plan. Already it has made my life easier.

Speaking of food storage plans I found another blog this morning that I'm excited to read. This girl even knows how to store cheese...for a long time. Article here. Her blog is Preparedness Pro There are lots and lots of blogs like this. What are your favorites?

Family bucket. This is a picture of two of my granddaughters having a two-and-a-half hour water fight out of a clean kitty litter bucket. (I'm eventually going to blog about this.) It took some convincing to get Hillary to drop off her girls because she was busy that day, but four of the grandchildren eventually ended up at my house--for eleven hours--and it was fun for them and fun for me too. I hope they will always remember that day with their cousins and grandma. This is an area I really need to work on. I don't have the kids here often enough.

Just plain Fun Bucket. We need more of this. The other day I said to Phil, "I want to do something fun." He asked what, and I honestly couldn't think of anything we could afford. Two days later some friends brought us a vacation package. A night's stay in Salt Lake City at a cool hotel that brings you a goldfish so you can have a pet for the night, a dinner gift card for the Roof restaurant at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, and a gift card for a fantastic breakfast!

This is a picture of the Salt Lake Temple from the Roof restaurant. We were flabbergasted. We were, and are excited. They have filled my fun bucket with anticipation. We haven't decided when to go but looking forward to it is half the fun. Can you imagine? They are like Santa Claus and the Good Fairy, all rolled up into one. And no, I'm not going to tell you who it was. You can look at all my friends and imagine they are the ones. Won't that be fun?

What buckets do you fill on a regular basis?

FRIDAY THE 4TH OF JUNE

I had a birthday present for one of the grandkids and so they came to get it. Instead of wrapping it I sent everyone on a treasure hunt. After that, they stayed and played. Here are some of the photos I took.

These old guns have gotten lots of use through the years. One of the darts has been on our neighbors roof for a year.

This mother of seven was just lucky to find two shoes for the two year old.

Playing Mother May I? I think this was "you may take five giant leaps."

This is the mother of seven of these kids.

I tried to get her catching some air and cut her poor little head off. Sorry Willow.

I love to photograph this kid. Look at those perfect freckles.

If you are ever w/out clothes, rhubarb leaves can substitute.

Hats!

The baby of the family is learning how to load the gun.

One driver and one rear-engine, the engine helped keep things moving fast with great leg action. A time or two the engine fell off. You just cannot trust these modern vehicles.

Getting ready for a catch.

The man I love. This is the great rhubarb bed.Sleeping sisters.Waking up. Every single get-together has rhubarb eating. First you peel it and salt it.

And then you eat it. Yum! This Bailey boy can out eat everyone when it comes to rhubarb.Eating rhubarb is hard work and requires lots of resting.

It was a great day with 10 of the grandkids here. How I love them.

Winter Solstice

Tonight Phil and I were driving home. It was already dark, darkness comes so soon now. I was thinking about the Winter Solstice.

"Phil, today is the Winter Solstice. Tomorrow the days will begin to get longer."

"Oh, no," he moaned. "I just got the stinkin' lawn swings put away." Then he paused and under his breath he said, "The rusty buckets."

So, there you have it. So many reasons to celebrate the sun, screeching to a stop on it's journey south and deciding to come back. It means spring is on it's way. It means more daylight. It means warmth. And, obviously it means the lawn swings have a new title: rusty buckets. Stinkin' rusty buckets.

THE FACE WASH

When the three oldest children were little--the oldest about ten or eleven--the youngest about five--I noticed one of them was getting some blackheads on the nose area. I didn't want to make them self-conscious nor did I want to make them feel they weren't doing a good job taking care of themselves, so I instituted the "Face Wash."

I took a clean washcloth and got it wet with the hottest water I could run. I rung it out and called the kids. I said something like, "Come for your free face wash."

They came, just out of curiosity, I think. I may have demo'd it on myself, sighing at the wondrous hot cloth, soothing my tiredness away. I can't remember for sure but I do know I got their attention and one volunteered to be first. After that child was done I gave the next one the "face wash." When the last child was done I looked and the first and second one were lined up behind, waiting for another turn. The continued to line up until my hands couldn't wring another drop of water. They learned that a Face Wash was a wonderful thing.

Every night, when I get ready for bed and I've cleaned my face I give myself three "Face Washes." It's a great way to end the day.

Yesterday, Hillary and her two kiddies and Hillary's friend, Shan (who is also now my friend) were here. (Technically, Shan didn't come until later--just to set the record straight. For some reason that is important to Shan, setting the record straight.) We had talked and sat on the lawn swings--even in the 99 degree heat--for hours. It was a lazy day.

We finally decided to go to dinner at 7:00. The girls were so good, never complaining but almost fall asleep in their food.

When we got home Hillary had them change into jammies and then, low and behold, she gave them each "Face Washes!" Who knew?
You can see how tired the littlest one was. Phil wasn't much more lively. He looks like he has "become one" with the chair. He didn't get a face wash.
Hillary has taken the experience to a whole new level. They also got "Foot Washes." I hate it when someone takes my traditions and makes them better. I really only hate it because I don't live at her house and will have to do my own foot washes. Bah.
One of the good things in life: Face Washes and now Foot Washes, too.

PS Hillary did give me a foot rub so I guess I'll forgive her for one upping me. She probably should give me a foot rub about a hundred more times, just to make sure .

CAKE AND COOKIES

Tonight I whipped up a cake, we called a couple of neighbors, and we had Family Home Evening on the lawn swings. Toward the end a bunch of teenagers--in two cars and a motorcycle--roared up and delivered these cookies. They were from the BYU ward Phil serves in. Yesterday in one of their meeting they talked about the kids serving others. So, today we got cookies! I have a feeling the Bishop and his two counselors got cookies too. I made a cake that I got off Muum's Musings and served it after our lawn swings lesson. It was delicious. Recipe here.

It was so pleasant to have neighbors over. I love them all.

We had a couple of youth here, one eighteen years old and one a returned missionary and they both refused cake and ice cream! Amazing. Then our newest returned missionary--he served in South Africa--, came by to tell his mom he was going for a run. He refused cake too. "That would defeat the purpose of the run," he said.

So the youth are healthy and the rest of us...let's not even think about it.

FAMILY, WE HAVE A slight PROBLEM

We are canceling the outdoor family dinner this Saturday. I hope you understand.Visiting on this lawn swing will have to wait for a week or so.
Phil was going to mow the lawn two days ago and decided to wait a day or two. Does this look like a lawn mower?So, dear family, maybe NEXT weekend.

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

Before the great tonsil-removing surgery--and the doctor did mean "great"--as in great big. The adenoids had to come out too.

After surgery. And I hear it just got worse. Gilmore Girl said she looked over at Curly Sue tonight and the tears were dripping off her face. So she gave her some of the $157.00 liquid pain medication and she felt better. Poor little lamb.
The price of the medicine had Mom's tears dripping off her face too, I think.

Get better, Curly Sue. I'm working on a new story. We will sit in the lawn swings, you can lie with your head in my lap and I will tickle your back and tell you all about it. It has a secret cave in it.

That is, we'll do this if spring ever does actually come. But look, a robin. Surely that is a good sign.

And his friend. Yes, surely spring is on it's way and you will feel better soon. And we will tell stories and maybe by then you can even handle a piece of rhubarb. I know you're trying so hard to like it. Get better soon.

Much love,

Grandma and Grandpa, too