Springtime in Iowa

As birds sing outside this morning, I just have to say how grateful I am for spring to return!

 I am so grateful for the snow to be gone.  We had a light dusting of it on Saturday morning but it was melted by noon.  I felt sorry for those families attending soccer games for their children, as a very stiff northern wind had to be just awful to deal with.

 The first crocuses bring tiny spots of color--and so much joy!--to a very gray landscape.  Once all the snow was gone, I realized that our Iowa "world" was monochromatic:  dark brownish-gray bare trees.  Light brownish-gray dormant grass, bushes and shrubs.  I almost missed the variation of white snow.

***

Alice has been busy in her 8th grade FCS (Food & Consumer Science) class.  She had to sew one item--a pair of cotton sleep pants, but there were a couple of other options available for the students who wanted to get extra credit.

So she also sewed a felt hat.

 And a baby seal.

This past weekend, she worked on a new skirt.  I think she's well on her way! (She did still want me to help her with the zipper.  Next time, I'm sure she'll get to do that as well.)

Notes for Grandma

First on Friday, I got a note in the mail from Marta.

Grandpa received it as well.  And Marta, we love you!

  

 Then on Saturday evening, I grabbed a shirt out of the closet and I noticed something peeking out of the pocket.

 I took it out, and remembered!

A month ago Brenna made this note, and after reading it

 I put in in my pocket.  Brenna, I love you too!

I love surprise notes from my granddaughters!

Connor's Baptism

I just about forgot to post these!  Although the event occurred a couple of months ago, it is such a milestone in Connor's life.

So big in fact, that we decided to travel to Texas for it--especially since Christmas happened to be at the same time.

 

It wouldn't be the Bailey family if music weren't included somehow, and Connor wanted his aunts to play 

the "Baptism" song.  With Grandpa's help on the piano.

(After all the years of lessons--paying for them, driving to them, sitting through them and "encouraging" practicing for them, it is my special treat to hear the results as these three play their instruments together.)

And then, what we all came for.  What a good looking pair!

We love Connor's bashfulness.

His love of reading.

His playfulness.

And we appreciate him setting such a great example for the younger grandchildren on the Bailey side.

My Dilemma

When we returned from Texas a week ago, we drove through the night, and although I rested while Kevin drove, it is a kind of waking-sleep in which I still feel aware of my surroundings, yet some dreams are mixed in.  And I drove from 1 a.m to almost 6 a.m. So it was a very short night.

I thought I would rest up over the next few days--and then remembered I needed to fill in for the YW President at the early-morning Ward Council on Sunday morning.  And at that time, I found out I would be filling in for the early morning seminary teacher for 3 weeks while she dealt with a family emergency out of state.

 (I have been called as the substitute E.M. teacher).

Let me say here that my perfect day starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 11 pm.  I haven't had too many perfect days in my lifetime--at least as far as sleep goes--the family schedule just doesn't coincide.

I started the week with a sleep deficit, and kept adding to it as the week went along.  Up at 5:20 a.m., in bed around 10 pm.  

And here comes the point of my dilemma.

I can't nap--if I do, I lie awake for hours at night.

And I've found out that I can't sleep in on Saturday morning, because I ended up with a migraine.

It seems impossible to get to bed earlier.

Am I just doomed to be always tired???

(At least I can now feel sympathy for all the young mothers out there who are going through the same sleep deprivations!)

Now, I have felt very blessed in accomplishing the seminary assignment.

I have enjoyed the lessons, and the youth are great.

I enjoy the time together.

But once they leave at 7 a.m., I suddenly feel.... tired.

A Medical Revolution...

Last summer, while on vacation in Idaho, I developed an infection and needed a prescription.  I called my doctor back in Iowa--but it had been over a year since I had been seen, so they couldn't help out, even though this infection was in line with my past history.

Luckily, my sister has found a treasure.  Within an hour, I was at her doctor's office, and he had actually talked with Terry in making the appointment.  What? It is nearly impossible to talk to my doctor!  It takes 15 minutes just to get a receptionist on the line.

 Dr. Brook took my medical history directly--typing into his lap top as I answered his questions; he agreed it was a simple case solved by a simple prescription of antibiotics.  Fifteen minutes later I was driving away WITH the Cipro.  He keeps a basic pharmacy at his office (but no narcotics).  Total cost?  $35.  ($32--office visit and $3 for the antibiotics).  I could have had a $5 discount if I had paid in cash (I had to use a check).

No insurance involved.

This experience opened my eyes.  There are so many problems with having doctors that take medical insurance.  Costs are so high!

With the same infection and my regular doctor,

the investment in time alone would be great--15 minutes to get the appointment.  Maybe it would be the same day, 

maybe the next day.  An hour+ at the appt. (minimum, counting waiting time).  They always insist on a lab culture (to cover all bases).  (Another hour, at least)

And once the result is back, THEN I get the prescription

and have to go to a pharmacy.  

Total costs?  Doctor--$125

Lab--$30+

Prescription--$5

Some of these costs would be "reduced" by our insurance, and then we would pay the rest, until our deductible is met.

Hmmm.  $35 vs $150+  Which should I prefer?

I'm on the hunt for a good, old-fashioned doctor (who even makes house calls!) like Dr. Brook here in Iowa!

He told me there is no national registry of doctors "off the grid" so to speak, but gave me three websites that might aid in my search.

So far, I haven't been successful.  But maybe you will be!

www. aapsonline.org

www.simplecare.com

www.cashdoctor.com

He also said that as national healthcare moves forward, there will be more doctors who quit taking insurance so that they can practice medicine. 

Good luck to us all!

A week ago today...

It was 23 degrees this morning, with frozen water on the deck--far  different from the weather we got to enjoy a week ago!  We've visited Texas a few times now, and hadn't gone to the seashore because it was too cool. But we were rewarded with warm weather this time so off to the beach we went!

 Our morning started with a car ride--nearly 3 hours long.  Thank heavens for DVD players.

 We traveled through rural Texas--areas of scrub brush--and as we got closer to Corpus Christi, Spring was further advanced--more green trees.

 We passed the exit to Alice, Texas.

 And found a great beach at Padre Island.

 The sand was soft and white, 

but there was also a lot of sea weed.

 The waves were perfect for playing in, and 

the sand was perfect for digging in.

  The water was cool at first touch, but it was easy to get used to (within seconds).  Now that's different from Idaho lakes where it takes several minutes to get adjusted to the water!

  We took turns playing with the kids in the sand and playing in the waves.  The kids had plenty of sunscreen lathered on them, so they finished the day with a little bit of a tan.

 The adults were not so fortunate--sure we put on sunscreen, but somehow missed some spots--foreheads, ears, etc. 

We arrived just after lunch, and left about 4:30, 

but it would have been great to stay longer.

I could play in those waves for days!  I love being in water, and this was so bouyant and comfortable.  It was great fun as we learned the best timing for jumping high to escape the breaking waves.

For those of us used to having nearby horizons (hills, trees, houses), it is good to view the expanse of the ocean and remember how small we really are.  And it is good to remember how powerful those waves are.

 Warm weather.  With family.  No injuries.

 Supper at Whataburger.  More "Cosby Show" on the way home, then showers to wash off the salt and sand.

What a great day! 

Spring Break

We had a hard time deciding where to go for spring break this year. 

Go west and visit family?  Too much snow--or the possibility of snow--especially this year.

Go east and see national sites (Washington, DC)?  Still the same problem.  Snow!

So we kept up an 8-year-tradition and visited Catherine & her family.

Although Texas is a long ways away, it is nice to visit a place where spring has already arrived. 

 The leaves are already coming out on the trees, and the grass is getting green.

 However, this playground had artificial turf--Texas doesn't normally have the kind of grass we usually have in our lawns here in the North.  We have Kentucky bluegrass.  They have Bermuda grass and some other varieties that are much more heat tolerant--but less soft underfoot.

 What a relaxing, wonderful week!  Playing with the grandkids,

reading, seeing some movies, playing some RockBand, and enjoying our vacation.

And as a former teacher, I loved seeing a grandson so engrossed in a book that 

it really didn't matter where he was.  

We're grateful Catherine and Aaron were willing to play host!

THANK YOU!

Three Months' Storage

In my quest to be prepared, I came across the following idea for easily storing "normal" food.  

First some basic rules:  

1.  The food should be canned, dried or bottled--not refrigerated.  The reason for this is in most emergencies electricity will be the first thing to go, and so, we shouldn't count on having it.

2.  I wanted food that we will actually like.  In an emergency situation, having "comfort" food will be nice, particularly if children are involved.

This idea involves selecting 10 main meal recipes that the family likes, and then buying ten times the ingredients for those ten meals.  10 X 10 equals 100 main meals--that is about 3 months' worth.

So I just need to come up with 10 meals!  I thought that would be easy, but if you are not using fresh dairy, a lot of things wouldn't taste very good (like stroganoff). 

  

Spaghetti would probably be our # 1 meal.  That's pretty easy:

1 jar/can of spaghetti sauce--a variety of flavors would be nice. 

 1/2 package noodles.  Parmesan cheese.  Meat?  This can either be a meatless meal, or you can use a can of chili (no beans) for meat.  

Other meal options:  White chili (with canned or foil-pouch chicken)

Regular chili with beans.

Boxed Macaroni and cheese.

Other pasta meal mixes.

Then I would also store--in multiples of 10--canned veggies, fruit, and other things to go along with the main dish.

If you have any good meal ideas, please pass them along!

Now, if the electricity is out, I'll need to use sterno, charcoal, or even a campfire to cook, but that's another issue.

The following link gives more information:

http://www.food-storage.blogspot.com/

Smoke Signals?

A week or so ago, I noticed something strange as I look out our front window.  I'm always interested in weather and unusual clouds and I thought these clouds definitely fell into the category of unusual. 

Were the neighbors sending out smoke signals? 

And the play is finally history...

With rehearsals until 6pm or later every school day, and set construction on Saturdays, having Elley in the school musical definitely impacted the family.  Rehearsals started right after Thanksgiving
and along about mid-January Elley was beginning to wonder if this was
all worth it.
The performances were this past weekend, and
YES!
It was worth it!

She had a great time.  Made lots of good friends. Felt the energy of an audience that laughed at the right places and enjoyed the performance.

And, now I know how to upload video.  I shot this with my little Canon camera, sitting halfway back in the auditorium, during dress rehearsal.  The real performance was much better. We sat on the first row in the balcony and had a much better view. Unfortunately, the better video is on the Sony video camera (with mini-tapes) and I couldn't figure out how to get it in the format for uploading.  Hopefully, I will though!
Although I could never make it through the original movie,
I found that the play was much more enjoyable--
the students could ham it up and
we really enjoyed the performance.
Way to go, Elley!

I have many reasons to smile...

1.  Elley has been prom-dress shopping.  She didn't want a floor-length dress.  She wanted modesty.  And she didn't want to spend a ton for it.  And, the miracle is, she found it! ($49, including shipping). She also found silver shoes for $8.  The dress arrived this week, and when she tried it on, it made me smile!

2.  One morning last week I suddenly realized that the sun was coming up 45 minutes earlier than it did at Christmas, and is coming up much further north on the horizon.  Somehow, I get surprised that the dark winter will NOT last forever, and spring really will come.  And it made me smile!

3.  We had warm weather last week.  Really WARM weather!  One day it reached 65 degrees--and the snow disappeared into oblivion.  We still have a few small piles around--they shrunk from 8 feet tall to 1 foot tall.  And there was a lot of water running everywhere.  But oh, how I smiled as I sat on the deck in shirt-sleeves and read a book, soaking up the sunshine that has been so absent.  I made a lot of vitamin D that day!

4.  And with that wonderful melting snow, I really smiled while out driving, as it is now possible to see in all directions when coming to an intersection.  Before, you had to nose out into the cross-lane to see if anyone was coming.  Nasty!

5.  I'm also smiling now that the frost heaves in the roads are smoothing out.  Some roads were pretty bumpy!  And I'm smiling at the city workers filling in the pot holes that always come as the frost leaves.

6.  Notice the (almost) lack of snow in the background...  But what makes me smile is the Christmas cactus--it blooms for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentine's Day.  I love over-achievers!

7.  And speaking of flowers...

I treat myself to a $4.00 bouquet often, when I shop at Aldi.  Flowers brighten my day and really make me smile!  

8.  This morning I got to sleep in a bit as the regular Early-Morning Seminary teacher is back, so, after 4 weeks of substitute teaching, I'm smiling.

9. I smiled when I peeled a newly-purchased clementine, and it was delicious.  We've have 2 or 3 bad bags lately, and I was feeling silly for even buying another bag of them.

10.  With the warm weather a couple of days ago, I smiled as I noticed the first green points of spring flowers poking up through the soggy soil by the front sidewalk.

Yes, indeed, spring WILL come!

11. Alice is trying out a couple of new violas, to see which one we should buy, and on Sunday evening a week ago, Elley started playing them as well, to give her opinion.

Soon, the girls were playing together, and not arguing.

That is quite the miracle.

And I smiled!

12.  And I have a perpetual smile on my face whenever I get a moment to work on my cross-stitch project.  I had forgotten just how relaxing and fulfilling this is for me.

I now think of it as very low-cost therapy,

especially during the time of year when I can't get out and garden.

13.  And, if I didn't have enough to make me smile, this past week I have been busy working on family history, and suddenly found three (3!) new families!

Clues that had been overlooked before,

or information now available

has led to hours and hours at the computer.

And that brings me to #14 on my smile list:  the treadmill, which helps me overcome all those hours of sitting!

(Because of course, I wouldn't want to take the smile away from my sweetheart)!

A Walk in the (Palmetto State) Park...

As we get ready for another big winter storm here in Iowa (5-8 inches forecast--we'll see what actually shows up), I've been enjoying looking back at the photos Adam took while we vacationed in Texas.

It seems like such a long time ago!  How nice it felt to be able to just walk outdoors without having to put on boots, coat, mittens, scarf and ear muffs (and still feel cold!).  Catherine and Aaron always come up with great things to entertain us. This one was about an hour's drive from their home-- Palmetto State Park, a location where Aaron had gone camping with the 11-year-old Scouts.  There was a nice winding, 4-mile trail, with a small section of palmettos (hence the name), and Texas woodlands--no leaves on the trees, but the grass was green!

Elley and Alice did their own version of the "Sisters" fan dance and had more fun than Bing Crosby & Danny Kaye.  My favorite moment was provided by Alastair.  He came running back to where I was walking, zigzagging around aunts and an uncle to race into my arms and give me a big hug.
Then he was off again, looking at FIRE ant hills, or trying to keep up with Connor and Brenna.

We found all sorts of ways to liven up the walk. 

Kevin found a prickly pear cactus with a fruit on it, and ate it.  

Yes.  He is still alive.

We all had a great time, walking off some of the Christmas goodies we'd all been consuming!

Oh, the chocolates and the cheeses!

And Lily thought it was heaven--a whole world of new smells.  She's actually a pretty good traveler, as long as she can be in my lap or by my feet. 

Can you spot who took the second family photo?

Thanks again, Sullivans, for such a fun time!

January in Iowa...

January is such a time of cocooning--cold weather outside, cozy home inside--time to read a book, watch a movie, start a new cross-stitch project, work on church callings (organize the materials) or do some home-updating.

All good things, just not exciting to write about or show.

So I'll  show the weather first.  Yes, we have plenty of snow. And cold.

And I'm happy with my new camera--nothing fancy, just an updated point-and-shoot Canon A3100.  More compact.  MUCH better battery!

And it even did a good job with a night-time photo.  

(I liked the pattern the landscape lights made on the snow).

 

We had a missionary transfer, with our fun Sister Whitbeck leaving us, but before going, she had to show what happens when you mention to the people writing you that Iowa is cold and you wear scarves a lot--with Christmas coming up.  

Be careful what you ask for--27 scarves!

And finally, some home redecorating.  We got a new sofa-sleeper for the family room downstairs (with memory foam on the mattress--very comfortable), so we moved the old one to the fireplace room...

...added a bookcase, scrounged up some lighting, and now we have "The Library".  

It's a place to escape to--to read a book by the fire, or just sit and enjoy some solitude.

(Special thanks to Lily for modeling).

It is a room that now has a purpose instead of being a room you just walk through.

We love it!

4 inches of snow...

Kevin and I were joking this morning, 

when he called from China, 

about his great ability to be out of town 

whenever we have a snow storm.  

He has been able to miss out on 

almost every snow-shovel opportunity.  

Since December was the second snowiest month 

on record, that's saying something.

Of course, I got to miss one of those storms as well 

(we were in San Antonio)

and the missionaries got to do all the shoveling.

This snow is very small, dry flakes.  

As I was cleaning off the deck,

I bumped one of the stair railings, 

and the snow just slid down and off the end. 

Snowman-making snow this isn't!  

It's a good thing we don't have mountains here to have 

to worry about avalanches.

Much to Elizabeth's dismay, school was not 

even delayed this morning.  

After all the days out last year, 

most of which were unnecessary, 

it seems that a higher standard is being applied 

as to when school is called off.  

Sounds good to me.

I was wondering...

Yesterday I actually got the Sunday School lesson reading done before church (thank you afternoon meeting time!).  I found myself more deeply engrossed in the story of Luke Chapter 1 than I can remember ever being.  With Christmas just over, and with 50+ Christmases behind me, I HAVE heard this story before.  

So maybe it is because of my experience in being an older mom, but I began to wonder, 

why was it necessary for Elisabeth to be old, and previously barren.  

What influences would that bring to the rearing of the prophet, John the Baptist?

Would she be more tender?  More pragmatic?  Would she be able to set aside, because of her wisdom, the worldly conventions that sometimes press upon us in the rearing of children?  What am I not understanding here?

And then we have Mary.

Obviously, since she needed to be a virgin, having a young woman for her role as mother of the Savior sounds right.  But if having the wisdom of advancing years was a benefit for raising John, why not have a woman who was an "old maid"?  Yet here she was, probably around 16 or 17, untainted (or naive--in the eyes of the world), and pure.

In my limited understanding, it makes sense for Mary to be young, in the same way it was necessary for Joseph Smith, the prophet of the Restoration, to be young--she was unspoiled by the world and open to being taught from On High.  And I would have to assume that she was tutored, either by the Spirit, or with heavenly messengers, to prepare her, teach her, and support her through all the coming trials.

So why wasn't Elisabeth a young woman as well!

I would love to hear any insights you might have!

Ah! Christmas Memories!

I'm having a hard time readjusting to "normal" life.  Yes, our Christmas vacation was that good.  We ended up leaving a day earlier than planned to miss a monster storm moving across the U.S. (and we're glad we did), although that meant arriving in San Antonio in the middle of the night, or rather, early in the morning (3 a.m.).

Somehow, once we were up and enjoying everyone, we weren't too tired.

Deborah and Adam arrived from NYC about noon that same day, and the party was on.

Christmas brings out all the excesses, and sugar is definitely one of them!  Grandma Mildred sent us some of her candy rope, which we used to decorate a 3-tiered silver serving dish Catherine received as a wedding gift  11 years ago, but had never used.  As soon as one candy or cookie disappeared, there was more to take its place.

And now we're all swearing off sugar.  Excess leads to that!

Being with the grandkids was a great part of the week.  Putting together puzzles, small and large,

playing games like Mexican Train, Deborah's special version of Rummy, Rock Band, or other video games, going to movies, and even some shopping were all enjoyable.  

We found out that Adam is great at puzzles--must be his artistic training in photography.  

And we enjoyed putting together the nativity story.  Some participants were more willing than others.   Alastair was having none of being a wise man, until Grandpa became one too.  Brenna was thrilled to be the obvious choice for Mary.

 And Aaron was a good sport as always and played Joseph.  Even Lily got a part--as a lamb brought by the shepherds. Alice was an angel.  Elley was the innkeeper, complete with turban.

 There was also a lot of music.  We brought Deborah's old violin and the girls' violas, and there was often someone playing Christmas carols or preparing for Connor's baptism.

One of my favorite times was Adam on the violin, Deborah playing harmony on a viola, Alice or Elley on the other viola for a lower harmony, and Kevin improvising on the piano as they played through Christmas carols.l

 The other excess we indulged in was cheese.  There were some specialty cheeses Aaron had purchased at Thanksgiving that hadn't been opened so we brought them along.  I also found some great English, Irish and Danish cheeses at Aldi .  Deborah & Adam brought an aged goat cheese from Brooklyn.  It became the nightly tradition to have a bedtime snack of cheese and crackers as we stood around the island in the kitchen, laughing and enjoying the witticisms of Aaron, Adam, Deborah, and Catherine.

It made for some strange dreams, but a great memory!