The "blizzard" finally hit, and church is cancelled

For several days the forecast was for a big blizzard to hit us on Saturday.  I didn't schedule anything and looked forward to a day of cocooning.   Only, it didn't come.

Instead of snowing, it rained all morning long (which was fine with me--you don't have to shovel rain!).  Then just before noon, the rain turned white and before long the grass was getting covered with the snow. 

Finally, just before dark, the winds arrived.  They howled all night, whipping the 3-4 inches of snow we got into drifts.  The lawns and fields are all bare.  The roads have drifts.  The wind chills are bout -20.  There is ice under the snow.  And we have the entire day to ourselves.  Our ward was cancelled.  The afternoon ward cancelled as well.  So I think we'll engage in a musical "fireside" with the sister missionaries, playing the piano and violas and violins.  This will also be a good time to finish up my Christmas cards.  Except I keep doing things like catching up on my blog. 

In reality, I'm just postponing the moment when I get all bundled up like Nanook of the North and go shovel the drift in the driveway. The worst part is what the snowplow left at the end of the driveway.  Happy Holidays!

So what if Thanksgiving was a few weeks ago?

 Just a few pictures to remember the crazy fun time we had at Thanksgiving!

We pretended we were in a canoe on the ocean on Grandma's bed, (which bought me some more time before I had to get up.  Did I ever tell you that I don't see myself as a morning person?).

We tried something new and went to an indoor water park, were we hung out... 

 and found it to be fun mostly because the rules were quite relaxed as far as the kids went.  Brenna was able to go down slides by herself.  Alastair was allowed to ride with an adult.

I lost count early on as to how many times we climbed the stairs for yet another run.

The parents even caught some slow time in the hot tub.

We had to show the new generation the Fenelon Place "Elevator", which is the world's shortest & steepest railway.

They assured us it has never killed anyone.  But it does cause a bit on anxiety as it moves up the hill on the cables.

 We all made it to the top (it took two trips), so we could see Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin all at the same time as we looked out over the Mississippi river.

We visited it 20 years ago--in 1990.  The benches are the same.  The house in back looks just about the same.  It's only the faces that look different.  (Well, I guess all the coats and winter wear are different as well.)

 There was a lot of silliness...

 a lot of games...

 a lot of eating...

 and even more silliness.

What a great holiday!

Let's do it again next year!

A Mother's Dilemma...

I have come to an interesting situation.  When my children were young, I had no qualms about sharing pictures of them and telling of the things they are doing--some cute, some funny, some otherwise.

Lately though, my teenage daughters have decided they should get to have final say as to what pictures are used and what is shared.  And I guess I would have to agree.

To a point. 

The problem comes with the definition of what is embarrassing, and that definition is different for each of us.  And sometimes, any picture at all is "embarrassing".  I would have to say that I would NEVER want to go through my teenage years again with all the insecurity I felt!

***

Anyway, with all that said, I'm hoping that Alice won't mind my sharing a couple of things about her.

For Halloween, Alice decided that since we'd all forgotten to carve the pumpkin, she'd paint it instead.  She found a picture online on Tom & Jerry, and since I never knew which one was Tom and which was Jerry, I'll just have to say that she painted the cat.

I was impressed, especially when I realized she didn't have any black paint to mix in to shade things.

***

I also wanted to share how self-disciplined Alice is. 

(I feel like a slacker next to her!)

She has decided that she needs more exercise, so she got up this morning at 5:45, did 30 minutes on the treadmill, showered, read her scriptures, then did her piano practicing

before eating breakfast at 7:30.     Me? 

I had managed to read my scriptures before rolling out of bed at 7:10. 

See what I mean?

She always (and this is one time I can accurately use the term "always") does her homework when she first gets home from school.  She's so adamant about it that even when we want her to do it later (for a family purpose), she just can't put it off. 

I could share a number of other things, but since my purpose isn't to embarrass her, I'll stop here.

Raising each child is such a wonderful adventure!

I'm so happy to be a mother.

More sights and tastes of NYC

 Day #3--And we were off to Manhattan to attend the temple, which was a very enjoyable experience.  It's a small temple, but beautiful.  And I can't describe the joy of being in such a place with family.  It is also amazing how quiet it is inside.  You can truly leave the world behind.  

    Afterwards, we took advantage of a farmer's market in the square in front of the temple, picking up some cider donuts, rosemary bread and home-made cheese (called "frolic" because their cows can frolic in their grassy pasture!)

With our picnic in hand, we jumped on the subway and headed for upper Manhattan--for a park on the site of a Revolutionary War fort overlooking the Hudson River.

The large granite outcroppings were very interesting.  I kept wanting to grab my athletic shoes and go scrambling over them!

We also visited The Cloisters--a museum constructed around pieces of medieval architecture, like an arch taken from a castle in England, or windows from someplace in Italy or France.

 So it was fun to see.  It even had a medieval garden.  With a plant called rampion!  I always thought that was just made up for the story of Rapunzel.

 On the way back, we were intrigued by the black squirrels.  Here in Iowa, we have grayish ones with some chestnut brown.  And I didn't even bother taking out the red eyes, because it looks even more like it belongs on Halloween. 

On the way home, we got off the subway in downtown Brooklyn to find this bakery that is supposedly one of the best (as described by Tito--one of Deborah's neighbors).

With lots more walking, and the aid of the GPS on Kevin's phone, we finally found it, and I have to admit, it was worth it!

 These three pastries weighed a couple of pounds.  The lobster-looking one was filled with a delicious whipped cream.  The others had a nutmeg-flavored cream.  We split them four-ways and had dessert for two different meals.  Amazing!  (And probably tons of calories--good thing we were doing so much walking.)

Day #4 and we were off to church.  The Bensonhurst ward, which is a very diverse congregation.  Russian, Japanese, Puerto Rican, Liberian, and so on.  We were lucky in that the subway stop is right in front of the chapel.

In the afternoon, we took advantage of the wonderful weather and walked to the Greenwood Cemetery, only a couple of blocks from the apt. 

But first,their apt. is very identifiable.  Pink shingles on the outside.

 The fall colors were just coming into their height of color, and the cemetery was beautiful.  It was huge, and with such diversity of "residents", from the founder of Steinway piano, Pres. Grant, and Leonard Bernstein, to a regular people.  It was established in 1838, as an alternative to church graveyards.

 Some had such touching poems.  Others were touching because of the date.  Like the fireman who died on Sept. 11, 2001.

Some were simple.  Some were amazingly ornate.  One looked like it belonged to Sleeping Beauty.  But when we went to look, it was for a man.  I didn't recognize the name, but someone wanted to memorialize him!  With a carved man on a pedestal-bed, covered with the huge roof. 

Then we ended the day with a video chat with A & E.  They did very well in our absence. 

 Day #5, we were up early and off, back home to Iowa.  And it's good we traveled on the day we did, because the next day brought canceled flights at Chicago with severe winds. 

All along we felt we were blessed with the right help at the right time,

and the whole visit was wonderful.

I couldn't have asked for a better October trip!

So We Went to the Big Apple!

With our anniversary in October, (#33 this year!), we have a tradition of taking a trip or doing something special at this time of year.  Some years it is just an overnight trip to the temple.

Other years it has been more elaborate, like going to Hawaii, or while we lived in France, going to Switzerland or the French Alps.

This year, it seemed the perfect time to go see where Deborah and Adam are living and what they are experiencing.  And, in true Bailey family style, we really packed in the experiences--with miles of walking and lots of subway rides--it's good we bought the 7-day unlimited pass.  It was "paid" for in 2 days.

 

We arrived in NYC on noon, Day #1.  It took a couple of hours to get to Deborah's apt to shed our luggage, but then we were off to see the sights.  We grabbed a hot sandwich at a deli, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, dodging bicyclists and runners, and then walked all over lower Manhattan to see the World Trade Center site and Wall Street.

 As the day closed, we rode the Statten Island ferry by the Statue of Liberty.  On the return ride, we watched the sun set right behind the Statue.  Memorable!!  With a subway ride back to the apt, we arrived just before Deborah did (she had late parent-teacher conferences).  Adam cooked a delicious soup, we had a great time conversing, and Day #1 came to an end.

 Day #2, Friday, Kevin and I were still on our own for the morning, so we rode the subway to downtown and did the "Top of the Rock" experience--going on top of the Rockefeller Center.  We were blessed with a clear, brisk day and a great view.  We saw the buildings with TV studios (NBC, Fox News, ESPN), the ice skaters (even in the Fall!), and all the people.  There is such energy and life in the city.  So many people going so many places.  It was invigorating, probably because it was taken in such a small dose. 

 Walking along 5th Avenue, there were vendors with cashmere scarves.  I wanted one to help ward off the cold wind, and decided it was the perfect gift for A&E.  The hard part was picking out just three out of all the beautiful colors.  We met Deborah and Adam for a late lunch (her school day was finished early and Adam's work is very flexible),

and thoroughly enjoyed Lombardi's pizza. 

 Then, it was more walking, and more sights.  Chinatown.

 Central Park.

We rented a row boat and took turns rowing, with lots of laughter.

We even fit in an hour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  (Elley, doesn't Deborah look good in your scarf?  She was certainly glad to have the use of it for the day!) 

 After a quick "Subway" sandwich, we were off to Broadway to see "Mary Poppins".

For some background, I'm not usually thrilled with live productions, probably because most that I've seen are of the high school or ward variety.  I have never longed to see a Broadway show but that might be because most that are talked about are "edgy",  That's not me. 

The show was sold out, with some patrons in evening dress, and others, (us!) in street clothing.

The theatre was the first great experience--ornate and classical, with beautiful curtains, boxes, lobby, etc.  The second great experience was the show itself.  It followed the books more than the Disney movie did.  Mary Poppins wasn't quite the cheerful Julie Andrews version.  Some songs were familiar but with updated lyrics and accompaniements.  Some songs were new.  Some songs were left out.  The scenery was amazing!  The singing was superb.  It was so fun to hear live pit musicians.  Even the wonderful Nauvoo pageant uses recorded music but miked singers.

I would have to say that Mary Poppins was a highlight of our visit to NYC.

General Conference

I'm always a little sad when General Conference is over.  For the past month I've looked forward to this--to the messages from our prophet and the apostles, and for the time to just sit and relax in my own home.  We recently switched to a cable company bundle (phone, internet and TV), and the deciding factor was the inclusion of BYU TV.  

Sorry, no pictures to post today. 

I should have taken a picture of Elizabeth bent over a water color painting she worked on during the sessions.

Or of Alice as she embroidered a pillowcase.  (Working on a project for her future home also qualifies as a Personal Progress project).  I was proud of her for also taking notes.

I worked on cross-stitch and some other little projects that didn't take much thought--just something to keep my hands busy when I wasn't taking notes.  I find I'm able to listen better when I have some thing to do.

In talking with Catherine, she had a cross-stitch project,

and Deborah worked on a cross-stitch project she started years ago.

As Brigham Young was quoted as saying, "Never do something you don't want your children to do."  

My favorite talks?  Pres. Uchtdorf's talk on focusing on the most important things.

Elder Holland's talk about all the faithful people everywhere.  Made me wonder if I'm observant enough of the needs around me.

I appreciated Elder Scott's talk about building character.  I can see areas in my life where I have grown, and areas where I still need attention..

I enjoyed the validation of what Kevin and I are doing as parents in Elder Lawrence's talk. 

Pres. Monson's talk on gratitude was certainly on target.  There's a lot there that I need to remember.

Don't focus on what we lack, focus on what we have.

I've found Grandma Bailey to be a good example of this.  Instead of focusing on the trials of widow-hood, she gets busy.  She's indexed over 50,000 names since Christmas.

She plants a garden that feeds half the ward.

She focuses on the small miracles that were evident when her husband passed away.

She lives a life of gratitude.

Once again, she is my example.

Justin, Your Book is Now In Print!

I've been wanting to read Justin's new book, but don't enjoy reading large files on the computer. 

So I took his file this morning to a copy place and had it printed and spiral bound.

Justin, your book is now in print!

And I'm the first one with a copy.

(Maybe now I'll be able to win the contest for the first one to read it, cover to cover!)

And a few random things...

I had one more picture of Don from last summer as he let Connor ride with him on the garden tractor.  I'm so glad I ran out to the orchard to get the picture.  I had no idea it would be the very last picture I took of Grandpa Bailey. I wish I had been able to get their faces.

And now, just some random things from the past couple of weeks. 

First, I mow a pathway for Elizabeth to walk the short-cut to school.  It helps cut down on the amount of dew soaking through her shoes on the way to school in the morning.

The missionaries also use it when they go to the rest home for service.

And for some reason, my eye is always drawn to photos or paintings of pathways.

I want to follow them and see where they go. 

Secondly, I needed to mail a book to Nicole Bailey in Orem and was digging through my stash of boxes when I came upon this gem.  On one side was Catherine's address in Utah (after her marriage) as she sent a package to Justin on his mission in France.

On the other side, Justin re-used the box to mail something to us.

And when I found that the book I needed to mail fit perfectly, the box got mailed back to Utah--after I took pictures for the memory.  The stories that box could tell in its world traveling!

I love the frugality of the Bailey family.  We're just "saving the earth's resources" (and our own pocketbook, of course.)

Then, thirdly, we got to repay another family's kindness (they took care of Lily last September when we went to Idaho for Grandpa's funeral), by taking care of their dog, Stormy.

I'm not sure what the mixture of breeds is, but there is definitely a dachsund in there somewhere.

She is a sweet-tempered dog, about the same size as Lily, and we were thoroughly enjoying her visit until about the 3rd day when we began to notice little black hairs floating around.  On our clothes.  On the sofa.  There was even one or two in the food!

And we remembered why we have a dog that does not shed!

It's good to remember...

Over the past week or so, with autumn-llike weather arriving and a few leaves beginning to turn, my thoughts have moved more and more to this time last year when we received that unexpected phone call, and how much I miss my father-in-law.  And when I think about Don, my thoughts then move on to missing my own dad.

But it is good to spend a moment and remember some of the good times we had together.

Like the float trip on Warm River...

Or spending time with the great-grandchildren...

I especially love to remember the wondrous experiences he enjoyed relating.  How often would family scripture reading take a detour into one of Don's experiences in Mexico or South America?

Or just remembering him as the man of integrity that he was.  

And I wonder, what he is doing right now?

Vacation Wrap-up

Just had to post a few more pictures...

The Bandanna Gang...

The wrap-up-in-a-blanket-to-keep-warm gang...

Miss Sunglasses... (at the splash park),

and

 

the backyard games gang.

It certainly was a great time with everyone.

Let's do it again next year!

Almost done with vacation...

For at least 2 years, we have looked forward to going to Redfish Lake.  This is a big part of what I look forward to when thinking about summer vacation.  We packed the innertubes and the swimsuits for enjoying the water during the normally hot August days.

 

Unfortunately, somehow August served up 3 days of very cool temperatures, and they happened to coincide with the 3 days we were at the lake.  With high temperatures in the 60's, suddenly that crystal clear water didn't look quite as inviting for swimming.   It was great for canoeing though!  And we still enjoyed the inner tubes (though trying to stay as dry as possible.) 

We were glad we packed the sweatshirts and warm clothing, because, even when the sun was shining, it was coool! 

And without as much playing in the water, the youth figured out other things to keep them occupied.

We watched a lot of heavy storm clouds go by, pouring rain, but the rain missed us.  We heard a lot of thunder as well but never close by.

We were prepared for the worst, though.  We put tarps over all the tents.  There was always water warming over the fire for hot chocolate.  We all drank a lot more cocoa than usual!

And Grandma Beth and Terry had found the perfect spot for our group.  They left home at 5 a.m. to arrive at Redfish by 9 a.m., and got the site as another group was leaving.  The rest of us came in waves, and I'm glad we got there by 11 a.m., because that first afternoon was the only time it was warm enough to swim.

And thanks to Uncle Kim, we had a huge tarp to put over the tables and fire pit.  Although it did rain a bit, we were able to keep dry for meals and evenings around the campfire.

With Jeannine's family, Kim's family, our family (including Catherine and her kids), and Grandma Beth and Terry, we made a big group.

As we packed up to leave, the weather looked to get warmer--tempting us to remain and enjoy the beauties of this area. 

Or just inviting us back next year.