Brenna Sullivan

This is Brenna Sullivan. She is Catherine's daughter, and we love her!!! These pictures were taken with our new digital camera, a Canon A540. It looks so cool!!! I love this picture.......

..........................and I love this one too!!!
All Dad had to say was," smile Brenna," and we got this great picture!!!! It was so fun having having Catherine and her family over for Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!

A "Notty" or Nice Tale...

Our Annual Christmas Letter:

The Bailey’s have had a quiet year--we have NOT moved, NOT changed jobs, did NOT go on a cruise (but we did go to Disneyworld), and I wish we could say we did NOT get any older. We did NOT have any new grandchildren (but two are due in the spring.).

Catherine & Aaron have NOT moved, which makes their home in Wisconsin our favorite haunt for long weekends—gotta see those grandkids! Connor is 4 and Brenna is 2.

Justin & Darcy are NOT students any longer. They graduated from BYU-I; Justin got a job in finance and they moved to the Phoenix area. Darcy works for a chiropractor. They do NOT miss the snow and cold!

Ryan & Jamie are NOT in Provo anymore—Ryan is working on his Master’s degree at the University of Guam—halfway around the world. He’s working on island hydrology/civil engineering. We’re grateful for the Internet to stay connected with them and 1-year-old Emma!

Deborah did NOT graduate—she opted for an additional year so she could stay and fiddle with the folk ensemble that accompanies the BYU folk dancers. She went to Europe with them this summer and will go again next summer. If you have BYU-TV, you can see see "Christmas Around the World" --watch for her!

Elizabeth, in 7th grade, is NOT being home-schooled, though I thought about it. She is NOT intimidated by the 8th or 9th graders and is loving Junior High. (Who would have thought it!) She recently had the milestone 12th birthday, so Young Women activities keep her busy as well. I can’t call her my little girl anymore, but she is NOT a teenager, yet (though she wishes she were).

Alice, in 4th grade, does NOT have the nicest teacher in school, but she is learning to be a good student and doing well. She is NOT far behind Elizabeth in height. Alice and Elizabeth have NOT given up viola or piano, and with homework, they stay busy.

Kevin has NOT retired from work, though that choice is almost possible. He is still in the stake presidency as well. He has NOT stopped his exercise program, and is as trim as he was when we were married.

Rosemary has NOT been released as nursery leader, and she’s glad! She also got to go to Girl’s Camp this summer. Gardening and the treadmill keep her healthy, but she is NOT as trim as when she was married. She is NOT totally computer-literate but is having fun with a blog—a good way to share thoughts and events with scattered family members. (See address below!)

We have NOT forgotten each of our friend and family who live far away and we love this time of year. We love to pull back and re-focus on them and on our Savior.
And that is NICE!

Merry Christmas!

P.S. Rosemary WAS released today as the nursery leader, and she's so sad! It will be a challenge but she'll rise to the challenge of being the 1st Counselor in Young Women. (It's been 21 years since last serving in YW!)

A day in Iowa

Now this is the kind of sunrise that makes me "rise and shine"! (photo by Elizabeth)

Then, a couple of weeks ago, we had a summer day--it was 70 degrees, rainy, humid. Then the clouds moved away, followed by blue sky. I've always been amazed at how it does this in Iowa--no gradual diminishing of clouds, just an abrupt changeover.

The United Nations in Iowa

We hosted a Christmas get-together for Kevin's engineer group from work on Friday evening. We have done this before--everyone brings their favorite hors d'oerves and we play some game like Guesstures or Balderdash--just a low-key fun time. I like it because I get to meet the people Kevin works with everyday, and I get a little more background of how things are going at work.

This time, things were a little different. Kevin's group is unusual--it is one of the most culturally diverse at the Product Engineering Center. In our gathering there was one woman from Nigeria, a man from Pakistan, a man & his wife here on a one-year assignment from Argentina (she struggled in speaking English), a man from Mexico, and a woman from Venezuela, not to mention one fellow from the Ozarks in Arkansas. Oh wait, that is in the U.S. And the engineer from India wasn't able to come. There were actually only two native Iowans here!

In planning this, Kevin and I were perplexed as to how to entertain our guests. Games were out because of the diverse language abilities of the group. Sing Christmas carols or talk about favorite Christmas memories? Not everyone was Christian.

So we just went around the circle and listened to the fascinating stories of the pathway each person followed from their homeland to work for John Deere in Cedar Falls, Iowa. One common thread that ran through their stories was that their families were well-educated--either medical doctors or professors in their home lands, and some were even educated in the United States. These were all good, decent people and it was fun to have them in our home.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening a great deal. No one left early, not even the part-time UNI student (I thought he'd leave early to go do something with his buddies, especially if this wasn't "fun".)

I guess I can say that the evening was a success!

This week in Iowa...

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

I just came in from driving Alice to school with a monsoon rain in progress. I had to sweep a number of nightcrawlers out of the garage so they wouldn’t get squished and stink. A damp smell is in the air—it is almost 60 degrees and feels like summer. That is supposed to change tomorrow with an “arctic blast” arriving to change the rain to snow. We are grateful the cold didn’t arrive earlier, or we would have had a foot of snow or more!

The Christmas decorating is in process—the tree is up, the outdoor lights are up, and the other room decorations are on the docket. Our street is lined with 6-ft white lighted trees, one for each yard. A couple of neighbors did all the work of purchasing and handing them out, (and collecting the money), and the street looks so nice. Most houses have clear lights on their houses or landscaping, with just a few colored lights to accent things. It looks really nice!

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Catherine and Aaron’s home. We drove up Wednesday morning and the kids were excited to see us. Brenna has changed so much since Labor Day. (It makes me sad for how much we are missing with Emma as she grows!) Brenna is no longer a baby but now a toddler, and speaks quite well, with some letters missing still (which is so endearing at that age). “Mommy” is “Bobby”, which I couldn’t figure out, until we were spent a lot of time looking for the mouse on each page of the book “Goodnight, Moon”, and she called it a “bouse”. (We went through that book many, many times!) She was a little leery of Kevin until he gave her airplane rides and she kept wanting another one, “please, gan-ka!” She could say “grandma” very well though. (Even with an “m” in it?!)


The Thanksgiving meal was delicious—my rolls were perfect, for once, and all the food was so tasty. Catherine’s turkey was scrumptious. It was good the weather was nice so we took a lot of walks, or took the kids to the nearby park (the playground is at the school, about a block away). With the hilly landscape, you always end up walking up a major hill no matter which direction you go in (and then you get to walk down again). That kept us from gaining any weight even though we’d feasted.

Over the River and Through the Woods...

...to Catherine's house we go! The weather is supposed to be nice (50's and maybe lots of sunshine). I'm taking books to read to Connor and Brenna. We're planning on dipping chocolates. We'll be making pies and other yummy things to eat. Then we'll go for long walks in the late autumn woods. All to be ended with putting up the Christmas tree! A great weekend!

I hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful as well.

Whew! It's Finished!

Yesterday was the deadline. I couldn't find the box of miniature candycanes in our Christmas stuff--another trip to Walmart (but I did it at the end of visiting teaching so it was "on the way"). Another batch of frosting (3rd or 4th--I lost count).
















I decided to go ahead and put the two parts together and finish with all the decorations. Good decision--it turned out well.
















Then Kevin held it in his lap as I drove (gently!) to the Music hall where everything is displayed.

I also waited until near the end of the time to submit them--I wanted the competition to already be displayed so I could see them.

















There were some pretty cute and imaginative displays!
Lots of good ideas if I ever feel the need to do this again. Who knows?!?

















There were TWO gingerbread trains, with gingersnap cookies for the wheels. And here I was "locked" into thinking they wanted gingerbread houses!

Maybe next time, I'll just donate money...?

Since I am such a novice at this, it seems like it has taken forever, this week, to get to this point.

Creating the pattern (Kevin helped here): 2 hours x 2 people= 4 hours
Mixing the dough, rolling it out, cutting and baking: 4 hours
Shopping for the candy (3 different stores): 2 hours
Making the practice house so I could remember how to do it: 3 hours










Decorating the real house: 5 hours (and it isn't totally done yet). I have to make a decision...
Go with the Tudor cottage (with yard decorations, of course!) Or,











go with the two-story English Shakespearean-era house?












The single-story cottage would be easier to transport...

I know one thing, the next one I do will go much faster! (IF I ever do another one.)

I made rectangular lollipops for the windows. The shutters are peppermint Andes Mints. The exposed timbers are ribbons of melted chocolate. I tried a number of things for the exposed timbers--sliced tootsie rolls, chocolate Twizzlers, or just leaving them bare. The chocolate ribbons make it look sooo delicious!

Gingerbread House???

Alice, Elizabeth and I have decided to enter a gingerbread house contest. What?!? Us???

Jamie made it look doable last Christmas, and the hospital charity just wants gingerbread houses it can auction off. (The contest part is just to make it fun--don't worry, we're not expecting to win.)

HELP! Our gingerbread house needs a theme, and the general theme of the Festival of Trees is "A Renaissance Christmas".

The display board can be no larger than 18" x 18", and the house delivered on Wed, Nov. 15. (So, time is short). Any gingerbread recipes? Or frosting recipes? Any decorating ideas? Jamie, if we attempted a castle, any pointers???

At least Alice and Elizabeth have two days out of school next week (parent-teacher conferences) and now I know what we'll be doing!

And this is ALL in the name of charity.

Neighborhood Flags

A number of homes like to show their colors.
They have flags flying in their yards--the American Flag is the most numerous.





The University of Northern Iowa Panthers flag is also seen a lot.










The Iowa Hawkeye flag flies in a number of yards, but this year it seems kind of lifeless.










There might be some Iowa State Cyclone fans around, but no flags!

Anyone care to trade?

For those of you living in balmy temperatures, it was 20 degrees this morning, and with a bright, sunny sky at 1:30 in the afternoon, it is up to 36 degrees. Did I mention the 20 mph wind? BRRRR....

And the winner is....

Brushfire!
(Brushfire, Brushfire, Brushfire, Brushfire...)

Deborah's group, "Brushfire" took first place in the large group division at the folk ensemble contest held in Provo last Saturday. Groups from all over Utah took place and in placing first, the group won $500. Although the crowd and the judges liked all their selections, the wild favorite was "Oh, Susannah! Around the World". Based on the old folk tune, the group arranged it to reflect different cultures, such as from Russia, China, Ireland, and Jamaica (reggae!). This grew out of the group's fatigue in playing "Oh, Susannah" this summer in Europe at every single venue with the Folk Dancers. During practice they began playing around with it so it became more fun to play.

Deborah also was part of a small group (3 people) at the folk music contest. They made it to the finals and eventually took 3rd place, which also had a monetary prize. So it was a very profitable day! (Not if you're worried about homework...)

On Nov. 10th, a Celtic folk group called FiddleSticks will release a new CD. This is a family group, and the daughter who is the fiddler on the CD is now on a mission. Our Deborah is the replacement fiddler and has been performing with FiddleSticks this fall. They will have a performance at the release of the CD at the Noni auditorium in Provo.

Is Deborah busy with music? Yes, and that's not all! Last Thursday, the 26th, she traveled with Mark Geslison and another guy to Roosevelt, Utah, and performed at an elementary school on an Indian reservation. Mark is the head of all the folk ensembles at BYU.

So, is that all? No, Deborah is part of one more group, but in this one she doesn't play the fiddle, she plays the guitar! "Not quite ready for public performance" could be one way to describe them, but they practice together a couple hours a week.

Is Deborah going to school??? We think so.

Halloween decorations

Background: Last Saturday as I took a walk, I noticed all kinds of fun Halloween decorations. I came home, got the camera and took a second walk--boy, was the dog happy! She whimpers with joy whenever the leash is brought out. Since then, I tried many times to upload the pictures so I could blog. The Upload screen would appear and say "Done" but the pictures didn't appear! Very frustrating!!!

And so you have my excuse for no recent blogs.

On my walks I have discovered that some people really get excited about Halloween. It seems that this year there are a lot more yards with orange mini-lights in their bushes, or lighted rows of pumpkins (plastic) or other things. I prefer yard decorations that are real, not plastic, such as straw, corn stalks, jack-o-lanterns and so on. And I like saving the lights for Christmas, to celebrate the Light of the world.

I have always enjoyed Halloween. It is the holiday in the middle of Fall, my favorite season of the year. It comes right after my birthday ( so my birthday cake was always an orange one, decorated like a jack-o-lantern). You get lots of candy, and you get to dress up in costumes. If the weather is nice, people actually get to see your costume. If it is cold (which happens about two out of three times), you try to incorporate a heavy coat into the theme you are trying to achieve. (It doesn't usually work). So the kids end up having to tell what they are supposed to be when they go to each door and announce "trick or treat!" We've had Halloweens where even with earmuffs, gloves and coats, we were tired of the chilly wind after about 20 minutes. Those little Snicker bars didn't seem to be worth it. Other times we have been able to run from house to house, for the entire 2 hours (6-8 pm) for the weather was so nice--even balmy--that we had no desire to go home yet. (I am included with the kids in that desire).

Then there was the night that Alice arrived at home after trick-or-treating, and found that she had a hole in her bag. There were only about 5 items remaining. Boy, was she sad! If it were a Hansel and Gretel situation, we could have followed her trail of candy.

Pulse of the Neighborhood

The other day as I walked on the treadmill, I happened to look down at Lily, who was sitting looking rather mournfully at me. I realized that as long as the weather is nice I should be doing my exercising outside, and giving her exercise as well--thus, long walks through the neighborhood!


It is fun to see what is going on--and right now, there is a lot.


First, all the political yard signs. (Democrat ones outnumber Republican ones in our area--hey, I thought the affluent were always Republicans!)


Second, there are the sidewalks--some neatly edged, others with grass growing ever closer to meeting in the middle (must make it nice when shoveling snow--hardly any area to shovel!)

One thing I hate is when people have their lawns aerated and then the little dirt plugs are all over the sidewalk--they look like someone didn't clean up after their dog. Fortunately, in our neighborhood, people are pretty careful about their dogs.


Third, there are all the fall leaves. Oranges, gold, red, brown, and even still some green. With a recent frost, the leaves just tumbled off and carpeted the area around the tree. Fun to scuffle through!


















(The view from our back yard)









I love maple leaves with their vibrant color!

Soon to come--Halloween decorations!

Trunk or Treat

This evening, a "trunk or treat" was held at the church parking lot. We were told that since it was raining, it would be indoors. By the time we got there, the rain had stopped, so it was held outdoors--43 degrees, and we had dressed for indoors! Oh well, it was all over in 45 minutes--all the candy given away, as kids came around 2 or 3 times (at least the more greedy ones). (Then we got in the car, turned on the heat and warmed our fingers and toes!) Alice and her friend Kelly, who was dressed as a cat.

Sister Bailey --the evil church janitor. Better keep your kids under control, folks!

Perhaps Justin will recognize his lab coat. I said hello to all my little nursery kids, and not one of them recognized me. Even when their moms would say, "Look, it's your teacher!" they would look at me like somebody was not telling the truth. Finally, I whipped off the wig, and then a big smile would appear. NOW I was their teacher!

Elizabeth and Alice, our princesses!

Fortunately, the dress turned out well. Now Elizabeth wants one just like it. The skirt is a full circle (took 2 hours to hem by hand!). It reminds me of a dress Ginger Rodgers would dance in with Fred Astaire--all flowing and full. Gosh, now I want one too!

It's baaack!

We have been thoroughly enjoying having green drink back on the menu these past few days! I missed it, but never knew how much until I took my first sips of a new batch. Wow! I love that stuff! Elizabeth and Alice have been drinking tall glasses of it as well--in multiples.

You know, having the recent "difficulties" in the spinach supply makes me think I should be more serious about planting my own. I could even plant it 2 or 3 times in succession, so I had fresh baby spinach all summer long. It seemed so sad that in August and September, the best harvest months for a summer garden, that I had NO spinach! I have been getting too dependent on the easy greens from the grocery store! Maybe this is a reason the prophet said we should be planting gardens... Not because food wouldn't be available, but because we couldn't depend on it (or it might actually make us sick?)

Annoying Appliances

We have had our share of annoying appliances lately, including
1) an oven that suddenly took twice as long to bake things,
2) a dishwasher that quit spraying water, and
3) a freezer that either was on all the time or off all the time.


Now the oven problem was fixed quite easily (if it really is fixed, that is). The problem began when I was baking a pair of apple crisps--one for a family in the ward, and one for us. I was using a foil pan to be given away, and didn't know it had a tiny hole in it which allowed that sugary apple juice to drip into the oven. Soon came the burning smell and smoke. I cleaned up what I could in the hot oven, but then the oven took twice as long to bake anything. I finally put in an oven thermometer to test the temperature, and it was only getting up to 250 degrees, even though it thought it was heating to 350. It is a self-cleaning oven, so I tried that. It worked. (So the heating elements were okay). Then I tried baking something again. Again, it said it was fully heated for 350 when it was only reading 230 on the thermometer. I turned it off and tried again. Same thing. I turned it off and this time set it to 400. It continued heating past 250, and upwards. Then I set it at 350 and it worked perfectly. My conjecture: some water got in the thermostat when I did the "hurry clean" and hopefully now it is all cleaned out. We'll see! Otherwise, we'll have to change the thermostat.


2) We were without a dishwasher for nearly two months as Kevin tried to fix the old one (well, it wasn't quite 7 years old, so it wasn't old.) There was a small plastic part in the water pump that had broken. He called around--that part wasn't available. You had to order the entire pump/motor for $250. So over a couple of weeks, he tried different things--gluing it with Monster glue, etc. It would work for about half the cycle, then, kaput! Finally, we just got a new dishwasher--not the same brand, but it is the same dishwasher (apparently, one company makes them for several brands, Amana, Kenmore, and so on). Cost? $275. So for just $25 more, we have new racks and everything. Our old racks were beginning to get rusty tips. It fit the spot well, and for those of you who have used our old one, this one has a handle that actually works well. And the pump has been redesigned so it doesn't have that little plastic part to break.


This did have its positive side though. Alice and Elizabeth got to have the experience of doing dishes by hand. And now that the dishwasher is working again, I find that I liked having all the dishes done and put away. It is a longer process now when if I need a certain pot or bowl, I look first in its normal place, then I look in the dishwasher (because somehow, they never get put away until the next day).



3) The freezer story goes like this. One Saturday morning as Kevin and I went out into the garage to leave for the Nauvoo Temple, we found the freezer door had swung open (the night before) and ice cream goo was oozing across the floor along with other melted waters. We had to leave, so all we could do was do a 5-minute clean-up, close the door, and defrost it another time.
A week later, Alice helped me with the unloading of all the frozen items. It was a nice day, so we used the garden hose to spray water and cut through the built-up ice. That is MUCH faster than any other method for getting rid of the ice (this is a 30-year-old freezer). Then we dried it out, organized everything as we put it back, and congratulated ourselves on the fastest-ever defrosting job! The only problem was, for the next several days, it seemed that the freezer was always running, and the ice cream was rock-hard. The control was frozen! So I used a blow-dryer on the control, and within a minute, it was free and moveable. But then, after a day or two, I realized I never heard it running. Sure enough, it was getting warmer inside! Again, the control was frozen. Out came the blow-dryer, and this time, I used it long enough to dry the water out of the control, not just thaw it. So now it is working properly again, and we always lock the door to avoid the unintended thaws. (I guess there is a lot to be said for a chest-type freezer!)

A job that was really fun at first, but now I don't think it's that cool any more, so I dropped it by: Elle Bailey

Ok, here's the deal. I liked flower arranging for 37 hours. Now, it's not that fun, but that doesn't mean I'm not good at it, because I am. Here's proof.

These are all extra snap dragons from a reception.
Here's our table's center-piece.
This one's a head-turner!
Gotta add beauty to the books! Here are the last roses!
FYI, all of these pictures were taken by me!

Congrats Justin and Darcy! -Elle

I know you have all been waiting for this day, and here is the answer to contest #2....drum roll........................................ Justin and Darcy you were exactly right! 52 a's in the post about my birthday!!!! You will be recieving $15 by mail shortly!

Bailey Contest Log: 2 contests

Jamie Bailey- $20

Justin Bailey- $15

My Favorite Time... Halloween!

Hello it's me A.B. In a previos post, Elle put a picture of Halloween accidentally so I'm going to finish up what she started.

First I shoud start with why I love Halloween , candy,candy,candy,and... CANDY.

Second I love dressing up.This Halloween I'm going to be an elegant lady from Virginia in the Colonial Period. I love it!

I'm going to a friend's house on Halloween. I hope that it will be really fun. On comments I want to see funny stories of Halloween. I can't wait to read them .

Seeya A.B.(Alice Bailey)

Happy Birthday to me- 5 weeks ago!!!! -Elle

Soooooooo, here's the update of my birthday at home-I've finally caught up, and it's not random!!!
Here is my birthday cake- or cookie. This year, I had a "random" idea about a mint white-chocolate chip giant cookie. Plus, Mom was happy because it'd be easy to bake.
Here's a picture to compare the size of the cookie, to the size of our heads! We didn't just stay home and eat a cookie, we went to Texas Roadhouse, and of course there were presents! Okkkkk, this picture won't delete.................................
I don't know if you can see this, but here are the presents: 3 pairs of earings, pain killer for my braces, a wallet, $40, some roses, plus lots of cards. Oh, yeah! some Japenese pineapple gummies, and a shirt from Ryan and Jamie! And there's the extra rasperry cheese cake, the rasberries from our garden!

"Inspector Detective Foyle"

At our house, playing with costumes is a regular occurrence. We've had pirates, princesses, and other assorted visitors come from the costume box. After we had watched all the available episodes of "Foyle's War", suddenly we had our own "Mr. Foyle"!

Here's a mystery for Foyle to solve--how to get the cucumber out of its prison...

One mystery we did solve--I purchased some locally-grown apples at the grocery store, "Harla Red" is the variety. They looked like the kind we made applesauce from, and when I got home we did the taste test. Yup! They are the ones! So if you ever want to plant an apple tree, that would be a good variety to plant.