Newest Addition

Welcome little guy. You are the newest little guy to join our family. Your wonderful parents are such sweet, hard-working and faithful people. I am very proud of them. You make number six in your family and number nineteen in our sweet little army of Saturday's Warriors Grandchildren.

You look a lot like your dad and two of your brothers. You join three other brothers and two sisters, and I have a feeling you will be loved to pieces by all you have joined. You are also joined by two other cousin. One was born in August and one will be born next April. I hope you will get to know and become close to all your cousins. You are so lucky to have so many. I only had two that were sort of close to my age. And when I say "sort of close", I mean by several years. The rest were all closer to my younger brother's age, who was 11 years younger than I. You are so lucky to be born into such a faithful family. Your good parents will raise you up in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They will teach you right from wrong, how to pray, how to feel the Spirit, to read your scriptures and many other wonderful things. You will be raised to know you have a loving Heavenly Father who knows you by name, and a Savior, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed his life so you can live with Him again. Take advantage of these wonderful blessings and enjoy the life you've been given.

Your dad is a hard-working talented man who loves his family and loves to be home with you. But he goes out every day to earn a living so you will have a safe place to grow up. Your mom is also hard-working talented and a beautiful lady who loves to be a stay-at-home mom. Most important, your parents love each other and their children. You are blessed to have been born in this family. You live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

 You have two sets of grandparents who adore you and are excited to get to know you better, love and spoil you to pieces. (that's our job)

Welcome little Grayson. What a sweet blessing you are to our family. May the Lord bless you always, and may you live a long, happy and prosperous life.

~grandma 

Happy Father's Day Part II

Today we celebrate Father's Day. 
The next dad that comes to mind when I say "Father" is the dad to my children, my husband, Sailor. 

I am grateful for a wonderful husband who is the best example of a father that I have ever known.

From the time the nurse laid our first-born son in his arms, he has been an active father in our children's lives. That baby fit so perfectly in his arms, he looked like he had held babies all his life. After we brought our son home, Sailor was a bit envious of me because I was nursing and bonding with this newborn. So he went to the store and purchased some rice cereal and some pureed baby food. His choice was Blueberry Buckle. When he was in charge, usually when I was sleeping, he mixed up a batch of this pureed food with some rice cereal and formula for extra flavor and nutrients. By the time I found out what he had been doing, it was too late. That baby was no dummy, he figured out who provided the tastiest vittles. By the time he was a month old, our son rejected me as I was trying to nurse. Needless to say, I laid down the law on the next child, but that didn't discourage my husband.

He continued to be active in raising our children. From feeding to changing diapers, reading bed time stories to taking them on piggy-back rides, from escorting his daughter the first year she was presented as a new cheerleader to fixing their cars, he was always present in their lives and still is.  The children call him all the time for advice on fixing cars or making a favorite meal with the Dutch Ovens.

He has become a wonderful grand father now. He plays with his grand children, takes them for rides in his truck, plays with "Grandpa's tools" with them in the back of the truck, and other endearing activities. The grand children call him to talk, and one likes him to video chat, and asks him to bring his dinosaur to make it roar. We have a toy dinosaur that roars when you press a button, and every time one grandson calls, he wants to hear and see the dinosaur. He built a sail boat so he could lure them into coming to take a ride and go fishing and camping with him.

A funny thing, that first son honored his dad when his first-born daughter was ready for advanced solid foods, they asked him to give her the first bite of Blueberry Buckle.

It has been a fun 36 years, being married to him. He sets a tone of love and kindness in the home. And there is always a gleam in his eye with a new joke or way to tease.

He works hard in the garden and yard, and makes the home a peaceful happy place to reside.

Happy Father's Day, Sweetest Friend. You are the BEST!!!

~a

Happy Father's Day

I'd like to wish all of you out there a Happy Father's day.

When I think of a father, of course I think of my dad first, then my husband, his dad, and my sons, sons-in-law, and of course my brother and brother-in-law.

My dad and my husband's dad have both passed away. They were amazing people. They came from the Depression era. Both were artisans in their own ways. My father was artistic from the time he was small, and at one time, his small town in Nebraska had his hand-painted signs gracing every single business. He taught himself drafting and was able to whip out a blueprint in no time at all. He was also a pilot and an airplane mechanic before he became a draftsman. The next job was a machinist at the University machine shop. I don't know what them made there, but I can still imagine I smell the pungent odor of grease and metal, and I remember loving the ball bearing drawers that housed all sizes of ball bearings.

He worked with a crew of men who were all so nice to me. One of my first memories of these men was a Christmas party. I was five and I sang a solo for them called "That's What I want for Christmas". I looked it up online and found the words right away:

Make my mommy's life a song
Keep my daddy safe and strong
Let me have them all year long
That's what I want for Christmas

Let my dolls be made of rags
Fireman hats of paper bags
Just write love on the greeting tag
That's what I want for Christmas

When I wake up Christmas Day,
I'd like to find a sleigh,
But if I don't dear Santa Claus, 
I won't really mind because,


All I really want is this, 
Sisters smile and Brothers kiss
Fill our life with Peace and Bliss
From Maine down to the Isthmas, 
Yes That's What I want for Christmas.

Animals that never bite
Never giving any fright
Soldier boys who never fight
That's what I want for Christmas
Yes, that's what I want for Christmas.

Daddy went on from being a draftsman to opening the shop for the National Center for Atmospheric Research. He designed the shop with tiled floors and acoustic ceilings. This was met with skepticism because usually machine shops are dirty with metal shavings, but he proved them wrong and the shop always stayed clean. Each man who worked for Daddy carefully kept their area perfect after using each machine, and because of the acoustic tile absorbing the sound from the machines, they were able to listen to music as they worked. They built rockets that were fired near White Sands New Mexico to test the atmosphere. 

People who knew him always spoke highly of him. He didn't get a college degree, but he did well. He provided our family with a beautiful place to live in the country. His dream was to build a gyrocoptor, but it never got finished. His dream was to fly that to work, avoiding the rush hour and flying over everyone in a matter of minutes. Mom was afraid for his life, and discouraged it strongly. 

He milked a cow every morning. My job was to go get Swapsy, the Jersey cow the night before, and he would let her out after milking her to rejoin her calf. He could do this so quickly that he would put on a pot of coffee to percolate before he went out and would be back with a 3-gallon pail of milk by the time the coffee was done. That was about 10 minutes. When he went away on business trips, my job was to milk the cow, and poor Swapsy would stand there patiently, eating several cans of grain and flakes of hay as I slowly finished the job. Daddy's bucket had foam at the top. Mine never got as full and never had foam. 

He invented, patented, machined the mold and built a novelty item called the Solitaire Dueling Pistol. It looked like a real pistol, but the barrel was facing backward. He sold hundreds of thousands of them, and our garage became the place of the cottage industry. My brother, sister and I would earn 4 cents per gun gluing them together. He invented the method of gluing them as well. We could earn up to $10 an hour, which, back then was a LOT for that time. Eventually his patent ran out and was not renewable unless he changed something on the original design. He eventually sold it to a company called Loftus. They went on to sell many more, except this time the sent them to China to manufacture. 

I was proud of my daddy. He was amazing. We used to go to Estes Park and look at all the gag gifts and novelty items and he would express his dismay of how he wished he had thought up that idea. Well, he finally did realize his dream to invent and sell something. 

But his talent didn't stop there. He was handy with the sewing machine too. When our Ken dolls arrived from California, sent by his Uncle Glen to my sister and me, they came with just beach shorts. They were scheduled to be married to the awaiting Barbie brides. I had sewed a wedding gown and it would never do to have Ken show up in shorts. Back then, Colorado didn't have Ken dolls, so Uncle Glen agreed to send them from his state. His sweet wife, Aunt Kathryn, owned a floral shop and she sent real live stephanotis flowers to grace the doll's wedding. 
I voiced my dismay at Ken's attire, and the next morning awaiting us were some nice looking Ken pants that my dad had fashioned for us on the sewing machine. They even had tiny zippers.

But his sewing skills don't stop there. He also reupholstered things. The most impressive was for his Honda Civic. He fashioned such beautiful seats that he patterned after the lounge rocking chair in the living room. They had tufted seat backs that were cushioned. 

He was a builder as well and made mom the most beautiful walnut cabinets for the kitchen. He made the dining room table and the lamp that hangs above it. Anything he tried he succeed at. He totally remodeled our house, with an addition. He did all the wiring, plumbing, carpentry and masonry. He built the fire place and got the draft just right on the first try. He built the stairs for the basement, and I remember he realized a mistake just before bed. The stairs went down half way, and u-turned at the bottom. But he realized that if he did this, there would be no way for entry to the master bedroom. The next morning the stairs had been redone and were an "L" shape. He worked miracles in my eyes.

To this day, he gives me courage to try things that I may be afraid of. I think to myself, "If Daddy were here, he would encourage me to try." And most of the time, with that courage, I succeed too. 

He was an artist and painted some beautiful pictures. I have one of a covered bridge hanging above my piano. 

Daddy died when he was 77 years old. He had suffered from Rheumatic Fever when he was a child which damaged his heart. Near the end, he was on 12 liters of oxygen. 

One of my fondest memories was his pet name for me. It was Tweety, a shortened version of Sweetie. I loved that name. He was the only one who called me that, and I still feel warm when I think of his sweet voice and his arm around me as he called me that. 

Thanks, Daddy for the legacy you gave us. You were such a great Dad. I wish you were here for me to hug. 

to all those reading this, go hug your dad. 

In the mean time, I will go hug my wonderful husband who has been such an amazing dad to our children. And to all the men in my life, I wish you a Happy Father's day. 

xoxoxo
~a

Turn Around

I sew for other people. Most of my work consists of hemming pants, replacing zippers and other mundane things most other seamstresses pass onto me in so they can pursue more exciting sewing jobs. My job is a service as much as it is to earn extra money.

Once in a while I make a wedding dress, or a rodeo blouse, quilt or something else that is challenging and very beautiful.
Lately, I have been fixing tiny holes in tiny pairs of shorts that belong to a very tiny girl in grade school. They are her favorite and they came from the store with distressed places to simulate wear and tear. I usually make a patch from old jeans that match, that I sew behind the distressed parts, so her skin or under wear doesn't show through.

I have several boxes of old jeans in assorted colors that I keep for future quilts and patches.

I decided to organize the jeans in separate boxes according to color, so I don't have to haul all six boxes out for one scrap. Most of these jeans are already cut up, zippers, buttons, seams and holes already discarded. Occasionally I will find a whole set of jeans, but it is rare.

While sorting, I discovered an intact pair of Big Smith overhauls that were about a size 3. As I held these up to examine, to my surprise a sob emitted from my throat that had come up somewhere from my heart, and tears sprang from my eyes.

I was picturing the tiny boy who used to wear these. They were his favorite and he requested them daily. Sometimes they had to go through the wash, and the boy was beside himself until they were safely back on. Once upon a time, inside these now forgotten "Smiths" a little heart beat. A little boy would bring dandelions and uprooted sunflowers as his gift to me. Peanut butter and jelly was spilled on them many times. Knees were scuffed and repaired. I even have a picture of him hanging by the straps on a nail, in the shop, laughing with his daddy beside him.

This little boy has grown up. He is now an amazing young man, who earned an engineer's and a master's degree. He has a beautiful wife, a house, and four precious daughters of his own. He is the one looking for a job right now, and his heart is worried for his family's future.

But the younger version of the boy doesn't exist anymore. And I miss him. I miss the questions that came from his intelligent head. "Mom, What's inside glass?" he asked one day when he was about three. I was always was amazed at him.

Turn around they are two, turn around they are four, turn around they are grown with babes of their own. That literally happened to me.

D2 and I were talking this morning, she is eager to have their education over, but then said if she wishes for the time to pass, then her little ones will be grown. So she decided to enjoy each minute, the piles of laundry, diapers to change and all. She is wise. I think I enjoyed my time as a young mother. It was busy though and just flew past.

sorry for the nostalgia. I was rather surprised at it myself.

new mantra: enjoy life as it comes

warmest regards
~a

Exciting times

I think I will track my exercise in a new post each month. I didn't do any exercise today, the reason is explained in the last post.
Yesterday, July 30, we realized our D1 had rescheduled her move from July 31/August1 to July30/31. We had scheduled to come up on the 1st and help move, then spend the night and attend a wedding on the 2nd. Instead, we quickly packed an overnight bag and headed north. The kids and the cousins had worked all day and had the U-haul all packed and moved over to the new house, ready to unpack. We helped load the last of things in the Explorer, then D1 and I stayed to clean a bit. There was really not too much work left. When we got to the house, we realized SIL1, Sailor and a darling niece had most of it unpacked. We helped with the rest, admired the wonderful house and yard. I got a call from S3 to tell me his daughter was born at 9 pm. What an amazing day. I count my blessings with all this sweet stuff happening. By the time the U-haul was unloaded, it was about 11 pm, and we decided to drive home. We got home by about 2:30 and in bed by 3. Got up this morning at around 9. Both of us are wiped out.
Sailor had the day off, so he is working on the fence. He has finished enough that the neighbor dog can no longer see us. He has stopped barking so much. It is a relief.
I had better get back to work now. I have so many sewing projects to finish. About a dozen or so receiving blankets, a torn skirt, a zipper, and a coat to reline. Oh and there is more, that is all that I can think about now.

~a

Happy Father's Day

In honor of the Dads in my life, I want to write a bit.

Daddy, of course was the first Dad in my life. He called me his "little Tweedy". Even when I was in High School, I was "Tweedy".
As the middle girl of three and before my brother was born, I decided Daddy needed a boy. He had three girls, so he needed a boy. Mom had my older sister who was "Suzie Homemaker", so I assigned myself as Daddy's "boy".
I went to the shop with him and learned about mechanics and building. He gave me a chisel and a board to play with while he built cabinets. I played with the ball barrings when he was machining. I watched him build the house, I learned to lay brick, I mixed the mortar so it was ready for him when he came home from work.
I learned to milk the cow and was the substitute when he had to go away on a business trip.

The next two dads, were my grandpas. My Grandpas would hold me on their knees, take us on rides on the tractors, and there was always a dish of candy waiting us when we came to visit. Grandpa S got us lemon drops and M&M's.
These three men served as the dads in my life as I grew up until I met my future husband and married him. My Father-in-law and my husband were the next two Fathers in my life.

My sweet Husband was such a natural dad when our first was born. I was so surprised how perfectly that baby fit in his arms and how easily he adjusted to being a dad. Because he was so eager to bond with this baby, he fed him baby food the first week of his life. He fed him blueberry buckle baby food. Of course my son was NOT interested in nursing, his dad was much more fun. I didn't make it even a month nursing this son. I don't begrudge him of sabotaging me, I understand how excited he was about being his father. It is rather sweet now, because this son's wife makes a big deal of buying the blueberry buckle baby food when they are ready to wean their baby. They wait until we are together then give Grandpa a spoon and the bottle of baby food and allow him to feed the baby the first spoonful of solid food.

My father-in-law was a good dad. My husband was the oldest child, so this was a new thing to have a child get engaged. I felt very welcomed by his parents, and his dad really put on a production of taking pictures of us and making a big deal of our engagement. He was a kind father-in-law to me. He loved his grandchildren and they all loved him.

My Daddy and my father-in-law have both died. I miss them, and sometimes feel their spirits nearby. My father-in-law told us before he died that he was going to apply for Guardian Angel and would be watching over us. I truly believe that God gave him that assignment.

Now we come full circle. All my sons are fathers. One is still awaiting the birth of his first baby, but they all are fathers. Today as they called to wish their dad a Happy Father's day, I wished them the same. You boys had an excellent example of what a wonderful dad is. I know you all love him dearly, and rightly so. I see you carrying on the things your dad did. You are all good young men.

I cannot complete this post without mentioning my in-law sons who are or will be wonderful fathers as well. Thank you, all three of you, for taking such good care of my daughters, for loving them, for providing for them, for being such wonderful dads to my grandchildren.

These men are all heroes. They get up every.single.morning and head off to work. They do this because they want to provide for their families. They do the things we girls can't or don't want to do, and they do it willingly. They stomp on the spiders, reach that thing off the high shelf, they get up in the night with the baby and change it before bringing it to us, they do the hard labor and heavy lifting, among other unpleasant things.

They honor the scripture, Gen. 3:19

"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground. . ."

The Fathers In My Life are all wonderful men. I am so glad they are all a part my life. I truly feel blessed.

Happy Father's Day to you all.

~a