A New Creation

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This is Paul's latest masterpiece.

Exercise

Working out with a trainer is a very ......difficult, rewarding, hard..... event. I would like to say that I love it but I only love what it is doing for my body. I found this article and it makes me more determined than ever to tone up this 60 year old body.Here's the link to it if you want to read it. I'm putting it here so I can find it when I need a boost. http://www.livestrong.com/article/452842-strength-training-for-women-over-60-years-old/

A tribute to Odie Collard

The last few weeks have been really emotional with more tears than I had expected. All of the stuff on TV about 9-11 has had me missing my daddy more than ever. It may be 10 years since the terrorists attacks on our country but for me its a constant reminder that it has been 10 years since Daddy died. I've tried to push it off to September 11th so Amber could have her birthday without it being the anniversary of Daddy's death. This year she sent me flowers on her birthday because as much as I tried in the past, she knew it would be September 8th that was the really hard day for me. I cried more than I have in a long time. And now I write because I know it is good medicine for me.
Lessons from my daddy:
1. Don't worry. If something has happened that you need to know about someone will find you with the information. Over the years I have tried to do this, but never as well as he did. I remember telling Amber, "I was to praying." That was my way of trying not to worry. Odie did it so well.
2. Be who you are no matter who you're with or where you are. Daddy was always himself. He didn't try to impress anyone with what he knew, what he had done, or where he had been. The truth is he knew lots, had done lots, and he had been around the world. He was just himself. I want to be more like that.
3. Never do anything out of duty. This was a frustration at times. We would want Daddy to do this or that and he would only do it if he wanted. As we got older we knew that when Daddy was with you it was totally because he wanted to be there. When you were together it was because he wanted to be. As simple as it sounds that means something to me now. I can still see him sitting at my house on Christmas not because he was expected to be here but because he want to be here.
4. A Christian isn't just someone who shows up for church. He was turned off by people who went to church on Sunday and did whatever they wanted every other day of the week. See #2.
5. Be committed to the ones you love. Daddy spent the last 13 years of his life with Charlene. He loved her intensely. We was willing to do just about anything for her. The weekends belonged to her. I talked to her on Thursday and we talked about Odie. She has wonderful memories and a house full of things that speak of his love for her. I wondered if his chair , the hutch he built or any of the things around her house are painful She says that it is more of a comfort. Its a little like having him close for now.
I know that my daddy was not perfect and had his faults. PRAISE GOD!! I choose to not talk about those publicly or privately. I just say that now to acknowledge that he was just a man. On this, the 10th anniversary of his death, I choose to remember only the good that I want to have more in my life. It is with this hope that I write that on the 10th anniversary of my death, my children, grandchildren, and hopefully great-grandchildren remember not my many faults but the positive things I have put into their lives. I know that I love them as much as my daddy loved me.

Garden August Update

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Cliff's

Wednesday was our day to go to Cliff's for the very first time. The girls were very excited about going and I thought we were in for a fun filled day. We rode the log ride and that was ok. The Sea Dragon was not a hit and I knew that the big thrill rides were not going to be on our agenda. Amber at the age of 9 was doing double upside down roller coasters so I was surprised that the girls were not looking for the most terrifying ride. On to the Tilt-a -Whirl that both girls loved but Ma'am's stomach did not. I've never been nauseous on it before??? So the day was spend on fun rides. We learned that Jillian likes the spinny rides and Gelsey like the steeper ones. At the end of the day we had Sonic and decided that we had fun.

We had a little shower later in the day so I threw in a couple of umbrella in the rain pictures.

Shopping

Monday was a full day of shopping. We started with breakfast at Flying Star, then the Apple store, and on to Coronado. We spend plenty of time in favorite stores like Claire's, Areopostale, Forever 21 and Kohls.The girls spent most of their money with a little bit left for trips to the "Little Store." A little fashion show when we got home was an important part of the day. You can see a few of the girls purchases. We had lots of fun.

El Morro

We had a great time on Saturday driving out to see El Morro. This is a national monument that has inscription in the sandstone from as far back as 1605. There are three groups that wrote on this huge bluff: the Native Americans put petroglyphs, next the Spanish explorers and then people from the east in wagon trains. This was a common stopping place because of the pool of water that was always there. That water looked pretty nasty but I guess it was a place to find water back then.

The girls seems to have a really good time. They took lots of pictures so I've put up a few.

We were really hungry after looking at all the inscriptions. We stopped at The Ancient Way Cafe. Much to Ma'am delight they served real food.

A great day was had by all.

Garden Update

I think its time for an update on the garden. As you can see we are making good progress on all fronts. Paul saw the first squash bugs yesterday. He was putting some powder into a sprayer to address the issue and promises that its organic. I took a picture of the squash that he dusted. I even got a picture of a bee doing its think on a squash blossom. I think the yellow pepper will be the first harvest. Tomatoes are growing but no signs of red yet.

Cooking, and Sewing, and Painting, OH,MY

Today was a stay home day but it was full.

Each girl made a clutch from a fabric and embellishment of their choice. They did most of the sewing, pinning, and ironing themselves.

Jillian made brownies with no help except taking the hot pan out of the oven. Gelsey made ginger cookies using the cookie gun. We used butter in the recipe instead of shortening so they didn't hold their shape but they do taste good.


We finished painting the old rocking chair today. You can see the before and after. One of our next sewing projects is a cushion for the rocking chair. We're having fun!!

Skating

Yesterday was our first time to go ice skating. Both girls were very excited about going. It didn't take but a few seconds for Gelsey to discover that ice skating is harder than it looks. However, after about an hour of hanging on to the wall the girls showed real improvement. We will be going again after we find some gloves and long sleeves.

Garden July 6, 2011

The girls and I went out and worked in the garden a while. I didn't get a picture of Jillian but she and Gelsey helped. I'm really pleased with the progress of the garden. I'm already thinking about what to plant in the fall.


Gelsey was LOTS of help getting the cages on the tomatoes. I knew I couldn't do it alone and she knew just what to do. She may have a little Collard blood in there -real farmer stuff.



I had to include a picture of the squash. No bugs up to this point and a squash that will be ready to eat pretty soon.


Gelsey, my little farmer, helped pull all of the weeds in the raised beds. She learned the difference between a tender little seedling and a weed very quickly and did a brilliant job.



Here's the bed with beets (in the foreground) and green onions.