Grandma Kathleen

Lunch with Corinne

2012-02-15T06:26:00.001-08:00

I received a text message from my sister, Teri, telling me that her daughter, Corinne, would be in San Luis Obispo for two more weeks. I immediately sent Corinne a message but Teri told me the number I messaged was her home number! When I messaged the new number, Corinne replied back and we made a date for lunch. Picture taken at Big Sky Cafe in San Luis; me, Corinne, and her daughter Kimberly.

danny's vocabulary

2012-02-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

remember "spielschtick"?

the pool (11/10/11)

2012-01-20T08:36:00.000-08:00

i went to the pool with a book and had to take this picture of the birds on the opposite side of the pool. after reading and resting for awhile, i took a dip and shooed the birds away.

yes, kevin is actually swimming. well, here he is getting out after swimming.

a funny story--kevin tries on these shorts and realizes they are too big (he's lost weight since i bought them for him in hawaii almost four years ago) so i rummage in my purse for a safety pin to tighten up the waist.

part of the city of huatulco from our balcony.

here you can see in the foreground the condo they were working on

11/11/11

2012-01-18T08:32:00.000-08:00

we watched the construction going on across the street all week.

they are finishing the condo on the left.

i took this picture because you will note the men doing the cement work just mix the cement right on the road!

kevin's boss sent us to huatulco for the purpose of setting up the media center in his condo.

kevin is hard at work!

i just couldn't help taking pictures of the bahia!

we got away from the condo for a swim in the bahia.

the water was lovely.

kevin tried out the scuba gear but didn't see much.

later, we went for a swim in the pool.

so refreshing!

i swam in the pool every day!

i had to take this picture for proof that kevin actually swam in the pool.

(our kids will know he usually doesn't swim in pools)

the pool overlooking the bahia

this crane had a drilling tool on the end and they were breaking up rocks!

big rocks!

very noisy!

last day in huatulco

2012-01-16T06:48:00.000-08:00

i took this picture to capture the staircase we climbed, twice!

look carefully!

did you find it?

we went to dinner our last night in huatulco at the viena.

our host--

we were sitting by the railing that overlooks the street.

i leaned out to take this picture of the sign.

we decided to share a dinner since it was our last night there.

i ordered the salad and kevin ordered this fish dish.

its red grouper in lobster bisque.

when we told him we would be sharing it, he mentioned separate plates--no problem!

danny, this is the most melt-in-your-mouth, delicious meal i've ever eaten!

i wasn't going to get dessert but when he mentioned apple strudel, i was sunk.

so sorry i didn't get a picture.

it was so delicious!

Huatulco--11/13/2011

2012-01-11T07:31:00.000-08:00

just had to take one last picture from our balcony.

Tim and Kevin.

Tim so graciously consented to drive us to the airport for our early morning flight out.

I noticed Kevin's hat wasn't on straight so when I straightened it, I flipped up the brim.

I couldn't resist taking this picture!

As we were sitting in the waiting room, I looked up and this is what I saw!

Its a thatched roof that extends about 4 stories!

Huatulco--11/11

2012-01-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

from the air---

more to follow

2011-12-03T09:23:00.000-08:00

I didn't steal this picture!

I actually took this one! We got together with Kevin's family for Christmas one year at Uncle Jack's in Escondido. Now I'm going to name everyone----I hope.

Front row: Mandi; Mimi (Kevin's grandmother); Danny, on her lap; Shannon.

The three boys in the middle: Scott, Jamie and Chris.

Next row: Kevin, Chrissy, Candi, Uncle Jack, David, LaVerne, Walt.

Last row: Dave, Dick (he's standing on the top step).

Notice that the three brothers all have mustaches!

(1980)

cutest idea ever!

2011-09-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

the other day when i went to kyra and brad's,

i walk into the kitchen and there is winslow in a laundry basket.

i say "oh look! baby's sitting in the laundry basket"

then I say

"oh look! baby's sitting in the laundry basket"

what a great idea!!!

my children are so smart!

(I know, Kyra. its one of your pictures. one of these days i'll get my system figured out)

babysitting?

2011-08-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Cody's version of babysitting

at least he knows where the baby is...

love it!

Zucchini!

2011-08-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

these are just a few of the zucchini we picked on saturday.

fixed vegetarian stuffed zucchini for dinner at kyra and brad's last night

yummy!!!!

Be Happy!

2011-07-23T10:43:00.001-07:00

as soon as kyra and brad arrived sunday night,

they headed upstairs to see julia and let her get reaquainted

with winslow.

kevin took this picture of winslow

vocalizing.

i just love it!

Family Night!

2011-07-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

I admit it--I'm a thief. I stole this picture from Kyra's blog on tumblr.

I decided last week, we needed to have a family dinner last night to celebrate my first harvest of zucchini. (I'm already regretting that I planted two packages of seeds!) We had homemade macaroni and cheese, green salad with lettuce from my garden, zucchini and of course the requisite brownies! After we ate outside on the patio, (it was just too hot inside after having the oven on for half an hour) we got out The Game and commenced play, Oldsters (Kevin and I) against The Youngsters (Brad, Kyra, Cody, Julia and Sean). We whomped on them the first game--a Trivial Pursuit record-25 minutes!! We played the speed round where you get a pie piece for every correct answer. Then the youngsters proceeded to take us down. We played best out of 3 wins and they won the next two games. It didn't help that Kevin was busy trying to set up his tumblr account. What a fun night!

Winslow!

2011-07-11T11:17:00.001-07:00

he's dressed in his bath towel--so happy to be clean!
first time rolling from back to front!
in case you don't know, i have a new grandson, winslow, and here are some recent pictures of him that i stole from his mother's tumblr posts.

35 years!

2011-06-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my 35th wedding anniversary and this afternoon, Brad saw the cards Kevin and I exchanged on the kitchen table and asked how many years, after wishing me happy anniversary. When I told him 35, he asked if Mandi was 34. When I told him she is, he was pretty amazed. We both agreed that she looks way good!

Family time

2011-06-06T21:24:00.001-07:00

I just had to share this because it reminds me of the day when 4 out of 5 people in the room were on their cell phones. I will post that picture sometime.

flashback friday

2011-06-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

one time (a long time ago now) when my dad was visiting

clem and teri in logan, utah

he bought a toupee from my sister-in-law's dad, who

was a barber.

dad wore the toupee to church in his home ward

and in his priesthood class, the teacher asked him to introduce

himself. he replied, "i'm ray g--"s cousin clarence"

(my dad is ray g---)

we still enjoy a good laugh about that in our family. dad holding baby lori, clem, my brother-in-law

flashback friday

2011-05-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

yes, flashback friday is here again!

you're going to love this story! when kevin came back from his mission, we thought it would be fun to visit family members he hadn't met yet, so we decided to take a weekend trip to reno, nevada, where my sister, teri, was living with her family, clem, tom, corinne, and lori. of course, we had to go play in the snow (it was march)! clem takes his camera everywhere with him and took this shot as kevin, teri and i flew down the hill. if i remember right, teri bumped her chin on my head when we landed. ouch!
take note of kevin's awesome shoes! (kevin, me, teri)
picture courtesy of corinne

Shock of the year!

2011-05-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

May 12th-puttering around in my room getting ready for my trip to Utah. Hear Cody call me to the front room. He wants to "talk" to me. "uh oh--what now?" I think to myself. I go sit down on the sofa next to Cody--Kevin is sitting in his chair. Cody "Julia and I have been talking and we've decided to get married. At first, we were thinking of November or December but since her family is moving to Saudi Arabia in August, we moved it up to August." He continues on talking and Kevin and he discuss schooling, etc. Finally he says "Mom, you're quiet. What do you think?" I reply "I'm in shock. I thought you two were just friends." So people--Aug 17th is the big day! Its so unreal!

This picture was taken on Cody's birthday last year, Nov 1

They are enjoying sushi, thanks to Danny, Cody's older brother.

flashback friday

2011-04-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

on the back it says "Kathy (G___) H____

1954"

happy birthday--mandi!

2011-04-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

this is a combination flashback friday/birth day post for my beautiful daughter, mandi!

so, my due date was March 30th. it came and went and nothing was happening. on april 7th, i went in for my weekly checkup and the doctor stripped my cervix. later that day, i passed a mucus plug and contractions started. they were sporadic and it was hard to tell when they started and stopped. i tried timing them but wasn't having any luck. that night we went to my parents house to stay the night (they lived about 1/4 mile from the hospital). we went to bed and i tried to go to sleep but it wasn't happening. after midnight, i woke kevin (he didn't have any trouble going to sleep!) and we checked in at the hospital. they got me attached to the monitors, contraction and baby. with the monitor it was very easy to see when contractions started and ended so i could do my lamaze breathing. i guess i fell asleep because the next thing i knew, my water broke, startling me and kevin. contractions really got going then. i progressed to 9 centimeters but couldn't get to 10! just when the doctor decided to do a c-section, a couple of emergencies came in and i was put on the "back burner". finally, little amanda louise was born at 11:23pm, April 8, 1977, 8lbs....(uh oh i forgot how much and how long!) happy birthday, mandi! (picture -- april 1980)

slightly overdue....

2011-04-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

little bit late for flashback friday

had to post it anyway

where was this picture taken, cody?

(about 12 years ago)

flashback friday

2011-03-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

don't you just love my cute little smile? i hope i haven't flashbacked this picture before but if i have, enjoy it again! someone printed "kathy g -- 6" on it. i think it was my aunt gladys. her granddaughter mailed a bunch of pictures to me after i went to her funeral 10 years ago.

Happy Anniversary!

2011-03-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

Last week I sent Mike (my son-in-law) a "happy anniversary" text and his reply was so sweet.

"Thank you. 15 years. I have no idea what my life would be like without your wonderful beautiful stubborn funny daughter. But i do know I sure are glad I don't have to find out."

flashback friday!

2011-03-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

danny was ready to go to work the first time in a tie! he looked so handsome i had to take a picture. of course, austin horned in on it. oh well. (2004)

flashback friday

2011-03-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

Its not too late for flashback friday. look how cute we are! kevin is holding baby mitchell, cody, kathleen. standing: danny, kyra, mandi and mike. notice how everyone is smiling but cody. well, our photographer (our neighbor, joseph) noticed that cody was making goofy faces so kevin told him to straighten up or he would get it (something to that effect. it was too long ago. i don't remember his exact words).
taken march 1997?

baby shower!

2011-03-03T08:18:00.000-08:00

i just found this post in my saved file! oops the baby shower was last month but here it is. what? its only been a couple of weeks....

one of the little girls kept asking me if she could take my picture--not bad, huh?

one of the games we played involved measuring out a length of yarn (blue, of course!) to the measurement of Kyra's baby belly. here's one of the ladies measuring her yarn to see who's closest to kyra's girth

the winner!

opening presents

more presents

very pretty quilts, handmade, of course!

and Kyra was worried about no one coming to her shower...

three friends, for life!

jana, kyra and brianna

we went shopping at forever 21 to see if we could find any maternity clothes but it didn't work out. kyra didn't find anything, except this sweater which wasn't maternity. too tight!

we did find shoes we both liked, so i bought them--we're twins now.

Kevin's 1st birthday

2011-02-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

that's a home-baked cake Kevin is digging into

Kevin's birth day--Feb 23, 195----

2011-02-24T11:18:00.000-08:00

from kevin's baby book---Mother's Notes
(Written when you were 5 months of age)
Yours was a most eventful beginning in Life, little Kevin, starting even before your birth. At your mother's very first visit to the doctor she was told there was just a 50-50 chance of keeping the baby; and even those odds would be lower if she didn't go to bed at least four times a day and be very very careful. That was just a little difficult, since she was just beginning her year of heading the P.T.A. (as president) at San Jose School, where your twin brothers were in the second grade. Of course, Daddy and I wanted you very much, so we made up our minds to do everything possible to give our baby a chance to be born. Everything went along quite well until the end of the 3rd month. I'll probably always remember the date, (Nov. 19) for I was conducting the regular monthly P.T.A. meeting, and just as I adjourned the meeting and invited those present to stay for pie and coffee, I knew something bad started to happen. I dashed for a back door to get to our car, and before I could get home I knew my worst fears had happened- I was hemorraging badly and had every indication I was having a miscarriage and was going to lose the baby. As soon as I arrived home I went to bed and Daddy got in touch with the doctor. She told me to stay in bed for a few days unless I had any pain, then I was to go to the hospital. As it turned out I was in bed 3 months. During that time there were many discouraging moments, for twice I went to the hospital with pains and we were sure all our hopes were lost. In all, I had 5 blood transfusions, many many shots, and for a long time was taking 13 pills a day. Our doctor was pretty sure our chances of making the grade were very slim,- and she had several consultations with other doctors on the hospital staff as to what would be the wisest course. Finally at the end of the 5th month a specialist came out here, so one doctor asked me to go to the hospital for an examination and consultation with him. Dr. Carter asked me if I would consent to follow his advice. The specialist asked me many questions and finally said, "I think this young woman is determined enough to do this thing. Her baby will be born premature, but we'll hope it won't be too soon." One more month passed, and then just one day after we'd passed the 6th month I started having pains again, so Daddy took me to the hospital. When we arrived there the doctor said this time it was going to happen. Even though there was just a bare chance of your being born alive she gave orders to have the incubator made ready. I remember so well what one of the nurses, a lab technician, said to me just before I went into the delivery room. She was there to get a blood transfusion ready in case I needed it. She said, "I'm going to say a prayer for you, LaVerne. It's out of our hands now, and in the Hands of The Man Upstairs." Soon, you were born and I heard you cry, and I began to hope. However, I kept my eyes closed for I was still afraid to look at you, and then find out later you hadn't lived. After they took you out of the delivery room I asked the doctor what the baby was and she replied, "It's a boy, LaVerne, but don't get your hopes up, he's terribly tiny, probably not over a pound." However, you, too, were very determined and when, on the third day, you were still alive the doctor decided to weigh you. We were really happy to learn you were heavier than we thought- a big 1lb. 15 3/4oz. I felt funny going home from the hospital without you, but knew you were getting excellent care and besides for the next 80 days while you remained there Daddy visited you every morning and every night to take the milk that I was "manufacturing". Finally, on Mother's Day (May 9) you weighed 5lbs. 4oz. and we asked the Doctor if we couldn't bring you home. What an excited little family we were driving to the hospital to get our wee son and brother! We were so thrilled to get to hold you for the first time. Needless to say, we were afraid to take our eyes off you for several days.
You are now beginning to outgrow the colic and just the other day started smiling at us whenever we talk to you. Starting to coo and take a great interest in people and surroundings. The red clock in the kitchen and the big thermometer in the bedroom seem to be most interesting. Davie and Dickie think you are positively wonderful - even though you didn't turn out to be the girl they were hoping for. Yesterday, you were 5 months old, so Daddy weighed you and you've advanced to 10lbs. 2oz. You are now taking goat's milk formula and we're trying to get whole-grain cereal, banana, orange juice, and meat down you, but you don't like it very well.

i'll be yours---forever!

2011-02-22T10:27:00.000-08:00

when i came home on saturday (the 12th), these were waiting for me on the kitchen table

i think he wants me to be his valentine, again, still---

aren't they beautiful?

on monday, i panfried tilapia filets, made rice-a-roni and served them with salad.

the fish was yummy--fried in garlic and butter.

kevin gave me a lovely, lovely card.

valentine's day--i know its corny and maybe a little commercial but i still want to give kevin a card---38 years and counting!

Sunday Drive

2011-02-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

last sunday we took a drive up highway 1.

our first stop was at the sebastian store by hearst beach.

pictured above--hearst church and in the background on the hill you can see hearst castle.

i thought that point of land was ragged point but kevin said no
we were just south of it

it was a really beautiful day--not as warm as the week before.
still, the sun was shining!

i gave kevin the camera---

if you didn't know by now, i love to take scenery pictures

this is at ragged point

there was no way i was walking down there!

at ragged point, there is a nice inn and restaurant with a graveled walking path

i think "gorda" is the funniest name for a town....

we drove north of gorda to lucia where we took the nacimiento-ferguson road.

kevin said "its not for the faint of heart".

the clouds

the sun in the clouds

next time we drive that road (20 years?)

i'll get a picture of the sign at the summit

Richard's birthday (same day as Austin's!)

2011-02-19T07:49:00.000-08:00

Richard is my nephew, son of my oldest brother, Mike. He called me about a week ago to invite us to dinner at McLintock's to celebrate his birthday with other family members. Kevin, Kyra and Brad couldn't make it and I would have to go late, after work. When I got there, everyone was eating. Lana asked their server to bring a chair. The server brought one from the kitchen and then gave me a menu. Before I looked at the menu, she said, "I want to tell you about our special first." She related the special--some kind of steak. I said "I'll take it!" And I'm not kidding you but I had my dinner in about 2 minutes!! She said "I stole it from someone else, don't tell anyone." It was delicious! Lana had the server bring out the cake she bought and they all sang happy birthday, McLintock style, and took Richard's picture.
When we were getting ready to leave, I mentioned I wanted to get a picture. I handed my camera to Mike, but every picture he took (3) was blurry. We went outside, after looking at the pictures posted on the hallway wall, Mike was there from last fall. Christine took a couple of pictures and finally one came out acceptable. A nice way to celebrate! Thanks for having a birthday, Richard!

Austin Robert

2011-02-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

yesterday was Austin's birthday. he's 9 years old! so here's a funny story. I bought his card a couple of weeks ago and had it in the cupboard. on tuesday, i was planning on mailing it and i even thought "i need to mail austin's card". got to work that day and remembered i hadn't mailed it! put it in the mailbox on wednesday. when i checked the mail that night after work, it was still there, along with our mail for the day! i left it there to be picked up yesterday and when i went to work yesterday, i decided to drop it off at the post office. sorry to be late, Austin! at work yesterday, i decided i needed to call austin to wish him happy birthday. when i called, i told his mother that i wanted to talk to austin. "hello, austin! just called to wish you happy birthday! do you know who this is?" he kept talking over my question--"we're going to chili's for dinner" "oh, grandma! its you!" he thought i was one of his friends.
Happy birthday, Austin!!!!
P.S. I love you!

I love Valentine's Day!

2011-02-16T07:09:00.000-08:00

i thought i remembered seeing these heart earrings in an earring box.

i looked through it and found both of them.

its a miracle, considering there are about 50 pairs of earrings in the box.

aren't they cute?

another sunrise

2011-02-14T06:50:00.000-08:00

yesterday morning i snapped this shot. you may ask why i was up so early---well, let me tell you, i was doing laundry. in case you haven't noticed, i love sunrises and sunsets.

3 brothers

2011-02-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

found this picture while i was rummaging around in a box from kevin's closet.

l-r: dick, dave, kevin

guess who's the oldest?

flashback friday

2011-02-11T06:49:00.000-08:00

I fell in love with him again when I first saw this picture.

It was in a bunch of slides he sent his parents when he was in Argentina on his mission. (1975)

I get to look at this picture every day.

Its on the wall behind my computer screen!

mystery solved!

2011-02-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

Remember this? Well, I caught the children leaving their clothes just now! Here's what happened--I was going downstairs a few minutes ago and happened to glance out the east window. That's when I saw a person running across the eastern fence of our property. So I went downstairs and outside to look in that direction and there were three children leaving their clothes and shoes at the corner. So, I yelled at them "hey. take your clothes and go leave them somewhere else. this is private property". They picked up their belongings and left.

Avila Beach

2011-02-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

Kevin asked me this morning if I'd like to go for a drive this afternoon in his car with the top down so we decided to go to the beach. this is just a silly shot -- you can see that we are driving "topless"

driving through san luis, i took this shot of the field where they will be building a target store sometime soon....

the beach! I was surprised to see people sunbathing--in their swimsuits!

Kevin suggested I take a panoramic picture but my camera doesn't have that capability.

so i just took a bunch of pictures!

Kevin is trying to figure out how to take a panoramic picture with his phone!

we decided to walk out the pier and on the way saw this group of people (kevin thought they were lifeguard-training. they weren't. they were the Lady Knights--a school water-polo team)

walking out the pier

can you spot the two who don't belong?

about halfway out the pier we went down a stairway and this grate is part of the landing for the harbor patrol boats. the gunk in-between the grill is barnacles! thank goodness it was low tide or we would've gotten out feet wet.

lots more barnacles!

going back up the stairs, i caught sight of the orange starfish! so cool.

then i saw a whole bunch more starfishes!!!

look closely and you'll see the starfish here--hint; its not orange....

isn't the ocean so pretty?

remember when you were a kid and thought you could fall into the ocean between the boards of the pier? i really don't like walking on this pier--i try to walk only on the boards

as we turned the corner to drive over to port san luis, kevin said that's a nice shot so he stopped so i could talk a picture. i really like that fountain

port san luis beach--a bunch of dogs were playing catch and just jumping in the water for the fun of it.

sun's going down behind the hill....

i just had to get my feet wet....

is she or isn't she? only her photographer knows for sure....

driving out of port san luis--a bit of trivia---kevin worked as a night watchman at port san luis when we first met.

to top off our day, we went shopping at costco with kyra and brad and had a gourmet meal at the costco "diner", polish sausage and pizza. yummy! sorry i didn't get any pictures of us eating...we were too busy eating!

flashback friday

2011-02-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

don't you love cody's laughing face?

want to know how the photographers got him to do that?

me too.

i don't remember

maybe one of the kids remember...

picture taken sept 15, 1992

Mandi-15yrs,5mo

Kyra-7yrs,10mo

Cody-3yrs,10mo

Danny-13yrs,7mo

what a deal!

2011-01-31T09:07:00.000-08:00

i have to tell you about the great deal i got with this shaver. a couple of months ago, during the remodel at our store, an assistant manager came through my line with this shaver. it rang up at $25. i told him how i really needed to buy a new shaver for my husband, cause his shaver was not so good anymore. he told me i could buy it--he didn't really need it. he just wanted to buy it because it was such a good deal. we cancelled the transaction and i put it aside to buy when i was off the clock. that's not the best part--the best part is i had a $10 off coupon for this brand shaver that i had been saving. i ended up paying $17 for a $100 shaver!!!

Spring?

2011-01-30T08:23:00.000-08:00

the weather was so nice last week that i decided to break out a pair of my capris!!!! raining today...

i like your hair....

2011-01-29T10:01:00.000-08:00

several people at work told me they liked my hair. I hardly ever wear it this way...

flashback friday

2011-01-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

written on the back in my mother's handwriting "Kathy 6yrs"

the date with a date stamp (my dad loved things like that)

oct 1959

yikes!

baking

2011-01-27T06:52:00.000-08:00

after reading the comment about brownies, i was further inspired to bake! these are so easy--you should try it! this recipe card i typed from the cookbook. yes, i typed, on a typewriter. if you don't know what a typewriter is, just watch the movie "you've got mail". notice how well-used the card is. this was before recipe card sleeves.

guess what's missing?

that's right--the cocoa!

gotta have cocoa for brownies....

that's better

after mixing...

ready for the oven

testing for doneness

done, maybe

they will shrink after cooling.

don't worry

it always happens

don't eat them all at once!

cause you'll want to, they are that good.

Brownies

2011-01-26T05:44:00.000-08:00

a comment left in my comment section the other day inspired me to post this recipe.

I started using this recipe when I was 12!

(Its been a few years)

I copied it out of my mother's cookbook "The Joy of Cooking"

Brownies

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Grease an 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan. Start oven 10 min before baking: set to moderate (350). Sift flour, measure, resift 3 times with next 3 ingredients, the last time into a 3-qt mixing bowl, or the large mixer bowl. Add butter, eggs and vanilla. Use wooden spoon and beat 100 strokes per min. by hand, or 2 min on medium speed on mixer. Clean off beater and remove. Stir in nuts with a wooden spoon until just distributed. Turn into prepared pan and spread to even thickness. Bake 20 to 22 min or until barely done. Mark, cool in pan on cake rack, and then store like Brownies. Sixteen 2-inch.

(copied just like that. i don't actually sift. I don't even have a sifter!)

so kind....

2011-01-25T07:15:00.000-08:00

yesterday, one of my customers told me how kind i am, everytime!

she had to find a manager to tell them too.

the manager told me she was complaining about me

haha

shadow

2011-01-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

yesterday afternoon, i noticed that i had a very long shadow so I had to take a picture--i was going out to the patio to bask in the sun while the brownies were baking....

flashback friday

2011-01-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

I was rummaging through my dresser and found a treasure trove of pictures to share for flashback friday. I wrote on the back of this photo "so you don't forget what we look like. (ha ha) this is the most recent photo I could find. Just remember its a "before" picture.
1983 Mandi, Danny, Kathy H....
I was thinking I sent it to my parents when they were on their first mission at the Ogden visitor's center....
don't you love the hair? wow!

the moon!

2011-01-19T06:53:00.000-08:00

I opened the door to look outside this morning and saw this bright light shining on our garage, so I went over to the north side of the house to see what it was...it was the moon! I had to run back inside to get my camera!

the shiny strip on the left side of the picture is our rain gutter, reflecting the moon.

I used several different settings on my camera--this is the "shoot without flash in low-light reducing blur" setting. Even though the sun hasn't come up yet, it looks brighter outside than it really was.

"For shooting with automatic settings"

"Auto exposure with adjustable settings"

These pictures cannot capture my wonder and joy at seeing the "red moon" setting
Click on the pictures to enlarge them and really see the red moon.

flashback friday

2011-01-14T06:53:00.001-08:00

I'm lovin' flashback friday!

on the back of this picture, written in my father's hand

"Helen & Kathleen G....

about 4 weeks old

Born May 7 1953

(that's my brother, Eric, in the lower right hand corner)

Mama Kyra

2011-01-12T07:42:00.000-08:00

yesterday was my annual check-up with my favorite doctor, dr. segal so i made arrangements to have lunch with kyra after the appointment. so after lunch at the closest sushi restaurant (she doesn't like it when i take pictures of our food. it was delicious! i had bob's shrimp tempura roll and she ordered the tempura plate) here she is, after lunch, working.....baby is definitely growing!

Quilt!

2011-01-11T06:16:00.000-08:00

Teri, you better sit down before reading this post. A little background--about 5 years ago, I went to visit my sister, Teri, and she had some leftover material and suggested we make a quilt top. Its called quilt in a day, log cabiin pattern. So she started cutting and sewing and I ironed. Well, I bought the batting and found some fabric for the back. I was going to use a white sheet for the backing and give the quilt to danny and jenny for a picnic quilt but danny decided the top had too much white in it. For several years its been sitting in my bedroom, waiting to be finished. So on Sunday, I told Kevin I was going to finish it and it would be on the bed last night.

Hare the steps. I laid it out on the floor, sewed the backing together,

put the right sides together with the batting on the wrong side of the top,

Then I cut the backing and the batting to fit the top,
sewed the pieces together, leaving a section unsewn to turn it

turning

turned

ironed

tada!

just need to tie it.

parking lot fun

2011-01-10T12:02:00.000-08:00

I was experimenting with my camera on my lunch break one day last week and tried different settings to see if there were any difference in the pictures. can you see any difference? i can't, either. This little hill is east of the parking lot where i spend my lunchbreaks. the building to the right is Kennedy Gym. Never been there and probably won't ever go there--to expensive.

My outfit for tuesday's date.

2011-01-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

I got a new pair of jeans for Christmas--boot cut! wearing my favorite green blouse from Kohl's

The jacket i have on is my favorite. This is my third year wearing it. I really like it and it looks good on me--its fitted and its also warm. oh, and don't forget my black slip-on shoes with, I believe their called "kitten heels"

I really need a tripod. pictures in the bathroom mirror are getting old.

flashback friday

2011-01-07T06:53:00.000-08:00

Another family picture with awesome hair.

This picture was taken in 1984--I was pregnant with Kyra, that's why there are only two children in this picture, Danny and Mandi. Notice that Mandi and I are wearing matching dresses! I made them! We should've put Danny in a lavendar shirt. Haha

Too bad I didn't know how to smile then.

lunch at pier 46

2011-01-06T20:05:00.000-08:00

Kevin asked me on Monday night if i wanted to go to lunch with him on tuesday so we decided to meet up at pier 46 in templeton. it was pretty packed inside, so after we ordered we opted for eating al fresco. while kevin was waiting inside for our order, i sat at the table in the sun and snapped some pictures. this is the sign on the road side of this little shopping center.

you can see they haven't gotten around to taking down the christmas decorations. that's okay with me!

Kevin ordered a fish taco and i ordered a shrimp taco. when he brought them out, we couldn't tell the fish from the shrimp so i pointed out which one i thought was the fish taco and took the other one. after i was almost done, i realized i was eating the fish taco! in the end, it didn't matter because it was really delicious! (we had to wear our jackets even though the sun was shining)

This is the front entrance to pier 46. the food there is so yummy!

when i was taking kevin back to work, he suggested that I go to Guadalupe after he got off work to see what he's been working on with pieter de groot. pieter knows that kevin is very gifted with electrical wiring, etc and asked kevin to help him wire this building he wants to use as a music studio. (darn, i can't think what its really called)

as we were driving down highway 101, we came upon this scene. it was so beautiful!

another ocean view

this is the curve of the shoreline just before getting to arroyo grande. next time i go to guadalupe, i'll take pictures of the place where kevin's been working after work 2 days a week. its going to be so awesome!

"I am a lineman for the county..."

2011-01-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

Danny, you're going to love this. Over the weekend, we had problems with voltage fluctations. (No, that's not what you're going to love)

Again! Kevin called PG&E on Monday morning and about 10 minutes later (I barely had time to take a shower and apply my makeup!), a PG&E truck drives into the driveway. I go out to greet him and he introduces himself as Bob (that's the part i'm referring to, Danny)

He checked out the connections behind the box on the north side of the house and decided he needed to check the connection to the pole on the north property line.

This is what our "north forty" looks like and there's Bob on the pole.

Another shot, using the zoom. He found the problem and fixed it! Thank goodness, because my hair doesn't look very good without using my blow dryer.

one more christmas post

2011-01-04T07:57:00.000-08:00

this is my new christmas friend. actually, not that new.

he was a gift from work a couple of years ago.

i left him plugged in for 2 weeks straight because of all the rain.

isn't he cute?

eclipse

2011-01-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

I got home late that night and was catching up on Facebook when I saw someone had commented about the eclipse. I went right outside with my camera. My camera really isn't meant for such a faraway subject.

look closely and you can see the eclipse beginning. i went to bed before it finished--too tired.

Oops! yesterday was flashback friday!

2011-01-01T08:18:00.000-08:00

we went to grandma and grandpa's house for easter dinner (1989) and took this lovely picture. Kyra is wearing the dress i made for her. i hope to pass it down to her little girl someday.

kyra, 4; danny, 10; mandi, 12; cody, 6mo.

Christmas ornaments

2010-12-28T07:36:00.000-08:00

my favorite ornaments are the ones of my children from when they were very young. this is mandi at age 2 1/2. mandi's nursery teacher took this pic
danny at about age 2, taken at the nursery at church

this "snowman" was made by danny at school, 1st grade?

i love this picture of kyra--another one done at the nursery at church

cody-- kindergarten

cody's visit with santa--don't you love the "cheesy" smile?

cody in 2nd grade, i think

Christmas Eve

2010-12-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

Brad and Kathleen vs. Kyra and Dad.

Dad and Kyra won this game.

Brad and Kyra are pregnant.

(Brad puts a new meaning on this phrase)

Who is farther along?

We read the Nativity story, watched the Nativity story, and then played Trivial Pursuit.

I hope it becomes a tradition!

Flashback Friday!

2010-12-24T07:18:00.001-08:00

When I was digging in my closet for pictures of Danny for his birthday post, I came across this picture! Don't you love my hair!

two little ones

2010-12-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

I couldn't wait for Friday to post a flashback picture! Mandi and Danny at Kevin's parent's house. Danny isn't even 1 year old and he is walking! It looks like Mandi is wearing ruffle-bum panties.

Flashback Friday

2010-12-17T07:19:00.000-08:00

i'm stealing the idea from my daughter-in-law and her sister----we're going waaaay back for this picture. its my junior picture--i was 16 1/2 years old! here's a funny bit of trivia--my first three years' pictures in high school, i wore clothing i made myself! this is my favorite dress of all time! i'll have to get a copy of the picture my brother-in-law took of me in this dress, full-length. guess what year this was.

Resolution update

2010-12-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

So---its been a year since I made my New Year's resolution to lose weight. Its been a very tough year, to say the least. I've been struggling to stay on the fitness train and I'm back on now.

weight-147 12/16/2009
weight-141 12/16/2010

I've lost 6 pounds but only have 11 more to go! I'm going to do it! Who's with me?

(I know you've seen this picture before but I really like it. I think I look gooooood.

more earrings

2010-12-13T07:27:00.000-08:00

I really love these earrings! Last year when I stayed with my grandchildren while their parents went on a cruise to mexico, they asked me before they left what they could bring back for me and I was clueless. They were gracious and brought me these lovely earrings along with a bottle of Mexican vanilla (I just used the last of it last month!). They also gave me a really pretty necklace. I'll post that tomorrow.

photo album

2010-12-11T06:29:00.001-08:00

some of my favorite pictures of danny...(about 1 yr old)
(2 yrs old)

kindergarten. i told my sister i wanted to have retakes and she told me not to because someday i would think it was a cute picture. she was right! i love this picture! (5 1/2 yrs old)

6th grade. love the hair! his sister mandi styled it for him. (11 yrs old)

i wish mandi had styled it for this picture....(15 yrs old)

17 yrs old--i must have taken 3 or 4 rolls to get a picture danny liked for his senior portrait. notice the car in the background. danny's dad's boss gave it to danny.....he never got to drive it.

Picture....

2010-12-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

I'm just going to string out my picture journal.... I don't know what that means. anyway, I got this picture off our "rogue's gallery" wall. haha (mandi and kyra put it up a few years ago). I'm posting my favorite pictures of Danny. This picture was taken when he was going to pre-school. It was the Tiny Bearcats Preschool. The "teachers" were high school students at Paso Robles High School. Danny loved it! Don't you love this darling picture of Danny? (he's 5 1/2 years old)

Danny is 32!

2010-12-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite pictures of Danny and Jenny! Happy birthday, Danny. Wishing you many more to come! I will be posting your birth story but not right now. Love you, Danny!

Baby Kyra!

2010-12-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

I know you've all been anxiously waiting for this post. I promised a picture of Kyra as a baby and here is one of my favorites! This picture was taken in August, 1985. Kyra was 9 months old.

Aack!

2010-11-30T09:00:00.001-08:00

Have you ever tried to take a picture of the broken blood vessel in your eye?

The following pictures are the results of my efforts.

The way it rolls---stand in front of the mirror,

point the camera at my eye,

look at the display in the mirror then adjust the camera to center the object,

shoot!

This picture is kind of creepy/scary.

I just had to post it because I laughed so hard when I saw it.

I didn't notice the blood in my eye until I put my contacts in yesterday morning.

What happened?

Pretty, red eye!

Stump

2010-11-29T09:36:00.000-08:00

Kevin is trying to destroy this olive tree stump by burning it. That is a chunk of willow tree that he lit on fire to hasten the process. (our lawn is so sad:(

no more leaves

2010-11-28T16:58:00.001-08:00

One Friday morning before he left for work, Kevin asked me to rake up the leaves so he could tamp the base in preparation for putting the adobes back in place. Notice the neat stack of pavers on the wall.

Kevin had decided that something had to be done about the pavers. They were buckling from the roots of the tree. One root was coming very close to the corner of the house. Eeek!

A pile of leaves before bagging and dumping in the garden area.

We've had some freezing mornings this past week and now our tree is leafless.

Its difficult to see the tree with the other tree behind it that doesn't shed leaves.

I didn't have to rake any more leaves---Kevin must've done the rest.

Doesn't the patio look nice? Kevin has done a fabulous job. Just the edge needs to be finished.

Parkfield Pigs

2010-11-27T09:14:00.001-08:00

After dinner at the Parkfield Restaurant, we got in the car to drive home and there were pigs crossing the street! So, naturally, we had to take pictures!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-26T08:42:00.000-08:00

Kevin was very thankful to work on our patio. Its taken several months, but he's finally getting it finished.

After I finished making the pies, walnut and apple, we drove to San Luis to join Kyra and Brad. Sorry I got your back, Val, I really wanted to show off Kyra's baby bump!

This is Kyra's second helping of Green Bean Casserole. She was so excited to get to eat some (its her favorite Thanksgiving dish) that she made a double recipe!

Kyra, Natalie, Kevin, Val and Brad. Dinner was fabulously delicious! After we were done eating and before we all left the table, Brad wanted to continue the tradition from his family of everyone relating what they are thankful for. I'm glad we didn't do that while the food was getting cold on our plates.

Here is the dinner counter, after we all ate. This was Kyra's first turkey and it turned out just right. Kevin performed the surgery on it (carved)--He is fabulous at that, too.

After dinner, and after Kevin, Kyra and I finished up the dishes and putting away the food, we got out the movie "Wall E" because Kevin and I had never seen it. So cute! We enjoyed dessert, too, brownies with cream cheese frosting, sweet potato pie cheese cake (yummy!), walnut pie and apple pie, all with whipped cream.

Thank you, Kyra and Brad, for a very memorable Thanksgiving! (thanks for all the yummy leftovers, too)

text conversation---

2010-11-26T08:23:00.000-08:00

I started this funny conversation with Brad yesterday--
Kathleen sent at 9:47am--is the turkey in the oven? Lol

Brad received at 10:20am--oh crap

Kathleen sent at 10:21am--LOL

Brad received at 10:27am--We were supposed to cook a turkey?

Kathleen sent at 10:27am--Haha

Kathleen sent at 10:31am--I'm bringing the desserts--not just pies but brownies with a surprise.

Brad 10:33am--Sweet. What time are you coming down?

Kathleen 10:33am--As soon as the pies are done. When I get the apple in the oven I can give you a better idea of the time frame.

Brad 10:37am--K

Kathleen 11:21am--Walnut pie out of the oven--apple in. Takes 45 min.

Brad 11:23 am--Awesome

Ok maybe it isn't so funny to you. I guess you had to be there.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T07:12:00.001-08:00

Happy to head to Kyra and Brad's for dinner with them and Brad's sisters!!! Pictures to follow.

moonrise

2010-11-24T06:29:00.001-08:00

as i was making my way to kyra and brad's, this is what i saw emerging from the clouds.....

Kyra's birthday

2010-11-23T07:30:00.000-08:00

I know I'm late....I was just too lazy to upload the pictures from my camera. I also wanted a baby picture of Kyra--I'm having trouble scanning it. We'll see if I can get that done. Sunday was Kyra's birthday. Before church on Sunday morning, I baked a cake. Brad informed me that Kyra wanted a "rich chocolate cake". I wasn't sure what that meant so I bought a Betty Crocker
Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake mix. I let the cake cool while we were at church and frosted it when I got home (cream cheese frosting, again per Kyra's request). I mixed up my usual half recipe of frosting and when I looked at it, I thought to myself, that is not enough so I dumped in another chunk of cream cheese and about a cup of "cone" sugar and mixed it up again. I didn't want any cake pulling up when I frosted it.
We drove the truck, loaded with firewood, to San Luis. Kyra and Brad installed a fireplace insert! They had a nice fire going when we got there. This is Kyra's cake with the candles lit. Kevin and I decided that she will only get one box of candles on her cake until she's 48! haha. the biggest box of candles had only 24. What happened to the boxes with 32 candles?

She tried to blow out the candles slowly but left 3 lit. Can you see her baby bump?

Here's a better picture of baby boy bump Liggett!

we're eating cookies and cream ice cream with our Triple Chocolate Fudge cake. mmmmm! yummy! (Brad, Kyra and Kevin)

the baby's room!!!! with mama kyra

future parents! I also got out Kyra's baby book and gave it to her. She and Brad enjoyed looking through it, me too! Brad mentioned that Kyra looked like Danny, her older brother, in one picture.

Kyra's older sister, Mandi, requested birth stories so I'll try to relate Kyra's here.

My doctor for this pregnancy was Art Segal. If I remember correctly, my due date was November 30th, 1984. I was 30 yearls old. Dr. Segal wanted an amniocentsis to determine if the baby's lungs were ready for breathing outside the womb. That was not an experience I want to repeat. I told them that I didn't want to know the sex of my baby until birth. I'm old-fashioned that way. After the amnio, we decided on Nov 21st as the birth day. Nov 21st was a Wednesday that year, the day before Thanksgiving. Mandi and Danny were in school, Mandi was 7 1/2 and Danny was almost 6. I arranged with my parents for them to stay at our house on the big day to tend to their needs. We went to the hospital very early, my favorite, San Luis County General Hospital--Mandi and Danny were both born there. There was the check-in, usual prep. Kevin was allowed to be in the surgerical room but only standing by my head. He had my dad's Polaroid camera and took pictures. Everything went very well and guess what! another girl. I cried that time, too. We had previously decided on the names Kyra Rebecca or Nicholas, if we had a boy. Oh, I have to tell you where we got the name Kyra from. I was about 7 months along when we watched a video titled "Xanadu", starring Olivia Newton John. The main character's name is Kira. When I told Kevin "what do you think about the name Kira?' he said "Okay but let's spell it with a "y"". Later in the afternoon, Mandi and Danny came to meet their baby sister and Danny said to her "I'm Danny, your big brother". so cute! I'm so glad Kyra is part of our family! Thank you for being the sweet, loving woman that you are!
I almost forgot to add that we left the hospital on Saturday and had our family Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house in Atascadero. I'll see if I can find the picture taken then.....

Yesterday

2010-11-22T08:33:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Kyra's birthday---just in case you didn't know. I will be adding some pictures here. Just have to find the time to get the pictures off my camera......

Cone sugar!

2010-11-19T07:07:00.000-08:00

Remember cone sugar? This Tupperware container was part of a set given to me by my long-time friend, Tani. The label is abbreviated "Conf Sugar". When the children were little, they thought it read cone sugar. Isn't that cute?
Preview--Look for sweet daughter pictures on this blog over the weekend. Sunday is Kyra's birthday!

??????

2010-11-18T13:25:00.000-08:00

Remember the post last month "strange"? Well, here are some pictures (I didn't have my camera at the time). There are now more clothes and shoes plus a couple of lunch bags with names on them (Lindsey, Matthew and Christine). I picked up the lunch bags and other trash so it wouldn't get blown around. (that's one thing you should know about me, I don't like trash!)

The ground is very smooth there from being walked on. It used to be kind of lumpy, like it was harrowed. I think I will get up very early tomorrow and hide behind the bushes to see what happens. Then Kevin and I can put up chickenwire to close off the corner. I'm still trying to figure out what is going on!!!!!!

Parkfield-Earthquake capital of the world.

2010-11-14T06:38:00.000-08:00

Parkfield

Be there when It happens.

Here's the other marker. So I went back through the file of photos and found a bunch that i missed. Should I delete this post and start over? ugh.

Things were really hopping there at the restaurant.....

we wandered around at the inn and found the pool. we went right in to the enclosure.

This is the main street of Parkfield. Don't blink!

This sign designates the San Andreas Fault and the North American Plate.

Its only taken me 3 days to upload all my pictures from our afternoon in Parkfield! Here's the story--one afternoon I suggested that we go to Parkfield. I've never been there. We were going to take off after church one Sunday last spring but something else came up (don't remember now what it was). So on 10-10-10 I suggested to Kevin that we go there after church. We put the top down on the Miata and took off east on highway 46. Good thing I took along an extra cap because I really needed it! My hair was whipping around all over the place. It was the first time I rode in the Miata with the top down since I let my hair grow longer. Above, is a shot of the old post office.

Parkfield Inn. We walked around behind it and looked in the windows of the rooms and they look really cool! One room had a loft! They were themed rooms but I forgot to make note of their names.

Self-portrait. Like the cap?

we called this beagle the Greeter. see the blurry tail? the minute we drove up, she came up to our car, barked a few times and wagged her tail the whole time.

Another shot.....

When I reached out to pet her, she rolled over and let me scratch her belly. So cute!

We drove over the Parkfield creek and there was actually water running under the bridge!

These notices are posted on the door to the Parkfield restaurant. We never did find out why they close early on Tuesdays.

This boiler is to the side of the Parkfield Inn.

So they planted these markers (the other one is in front and to the side of this one). Notice how long it took the plates to move.

In case you can't read it, the population in Parkfield is 18. (note, that black thing in the lower left corner is the edge of our car.)

Fault signs--we were right on the San Andreas fault!

These signs were in front of the Parkfield restaurant.

After looking around, we went to dinner. These are brands hanging from the ceiling of the restaurant. There were lots of them!

I'm sorry to inform you that my pictures are out of order. I had a really hard time uploading them.... This is the Parkfield creek again.

This is my favorite shot of the whole trip. Isn't it pretty? Credit goes to Kevin--I left my camera at home and he took all these pics with his phone!

Here's another pretty one---

Looking down at the creek from the bridge....

Here's where we turned off the road to drive to Parkfield....

sunset

The guardrail over the creek. I like this photo, also.

right next to the Inn was this little rock garden .

As a footnote, one of my customers a couple of weeks ago was from the Parkfield Inn. So I was telling him about our little excursion there and he said, when I mentioned I had never been there before because its not on the way to anywhere else,

"Either you're on your way to Parkfield or you're lost"

Water

2010-11-12T10:10:00.001-08:00

Here's a riddle for you----when i take a shower, the water drains normally. when i fill up the tub for a bath, it takes a super-long time to drain when i'm done......

Lorilee Kerr

2010-11-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Lorilee for being my friend. When you said that you look forward to seeing my happy, smiling face when you go to Walmart, that really made my day. Love you! (I will have to post a picture later)

Trix

2010-11-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

Remember eating this for breakfast, Mandi and Danny, Kyra and Cody? Well, I started buying them and eating them again. After watching Dr. Oz's show about food myths that companys are putting over on the public, I read the label and decided that I didn't need that much sugar anymore. I'm cutting back on my sugar! Trix are not for kids anymore, silly Rabbit.

Hibiscus

2010-11-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

Are you tired of my jewelry show yet? Well, I just had to post this picture. I bought these earrings when we went to Hawaii with Mandi and Mike 3 1/2 years ago. Can you believe its been that long, Mandi?

Apron

2010-11-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

I took this picture of my apron because a friend on facebook needs a cute apron for Thanksgiving. I won't be cooking dinner on Thanksgiving Day (I have the day off!) so if she wants to borrow it, that's ok with me.

Notice on the right side--a loop for the matching hand towel. Kyra sent me this lovely for Mother's Day a couple of years ago (2, 3?)

Halloween earrings

2010-11-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

Like my spider web earrings? This is the only way I like spiders because I can't see them. I get lots of comments on these when I wear them for Halloween. I would've posted this pic sooner but my camera was on hiatus in Guadalupe.

Parkfield

2010-11-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

coming to a blog near you--lots of pictures of our afternoon in parkfield

people of walmart

2010-11-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

i couldn't get my phone out of my purse fast enough to get a picture so you will have to use your imagination. as i was walking into the store after my lunch break, i saw a teenage girl walking in, wearing, now get this and keep in mind it was about 90 degrees outside, a lambskin hat, the kind with the wool on the inside, a lambskin coat over shorts and lambskin boots! too funny! it made me sweat just to see it.

halloween

2010-11-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

i stole this picture from facebook. kyra and brad always dress up really cute for halloween and they did it again! brad sent me a text message a couple of days before halloween asking if i would be going to the church for the annual "trunk or treat", but, lo, i was scheduled to work. he then asked me to come to his house to help hand out candy on sunday evening. they would also feed me but only if i came in costume. then he sent another text with a message from kyra "and tell her that she can't wear that stupid "this is my costume" shirt! i laughed so hard because i was going to wear that shirt. i had to come up with a costume idea quick (this was on saturday)! I remembered a customer coming through my line earlier in the week dressed for a party and her hair in a 60's 'do. i thought, "i could do that too. just curl my hair in my brush rollers and wear my shirtwaist dress, put some blue eyeshadow on my eyelids and i would be ready to rock and roll. i also added my apron to copy june cleaver.

it was fun curling my hair--i haven't used the brush rollers for years! at church one of the mothers coming in to pick up her child from the nursery said she really liked my hair! after church we headed to slo with a stop at kevin's work so he could assist candy with the month end run. by the time we got to kyra and brad's (kevin wore my orange "this is my costume shirt") they had already eaten dinner:( we just reheated the "three sisters" dish they made using the fresh pumpkin out of our garden and it was really good. for dessert brad made pumpkin pie cheesecake, again using pumpkin from our garden. everything was delicious. i contributed a loaf of fresh bread.

so we waited, and waited, and waited but only 2 families came trick or treating. i was disappointed and i know brad was too. we made up for it by playing games--first cranium! love it! then apples to apples. kevin just read from the national geographic magazines they had on their coffee table. fun was had by all and then we went home.

its november again

2010-11-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

I frequently read my friend, Susie's blog, and she reminded me that November is NaBloPoMo so I will be posting every day. I meant to tell you all this last week. November is my anniversary month at Walmart and that means a yearly evaluation. Written on my evaluation was something like this: Kathleen is fast, accurate and competent. She engages in appropriate conversation with customers and is courteous and helpful. Its very nice and gratifying to see it written down. Evaluation also means a pay raise. It will go into effect after the 28th, my actual start date 5 years ago.

birth day

2010-11-02T21:42:00.001-07:00

if this picture looks familiar to you, its because i posted it on cody's birthday 2 years ago. i got a special request from my oldest daughter, mandi, to post my children's birth stories so here goes. my doctor for this, my fourth and last pregnancy was dr. haupt. i really would've preferred to stay with the doctor who monitored me and delivered my two previous children, dr. segal, but he wasn't listed on our insurance. dr haupt gave me a due date of nov 2, to be delivered by c-section. on the morning of nov 1, after sending mandi (11) and danny (9, almost 10) off to school, i was vacuuming the front room when i decided that i needed to lie down, i was feeling something strange going on. kyra, who was 20 days away from turning 4, and i went into the bedroom and got in bed where i probably read some books to her. i don't remember that specifically. soon i started feeling something that i can only describe as pulse beats against my cervix (i think). i got out of bed and when i stood up, my water broke and kyra said "mommy's peeing her pants!" and i replied, "no, i'm not! i'm having the baby!"

i don't remember the exact order but i called kevin who worked at trw in san luis, 35 miles away, and then i called my doctor. dr. haupt told me to get a ride to slo, that kevin should not come home to get me, he could meet me at the hospital. kevin needed something to do so i asked him to call the schools where danny and mandi were, to give them permission to leave as they were going to the hospital with us. i think i called kevin's parents who would meet us at the hospital to take care of kyra. i took a shower and got dressed. the neighbor i asked to take me to the hospital couldn't find her car keys and if i remember correctly, her husband had to come home from his work to give her his key. just a minor glitch. we drove to the middle school where mandi was and donna, my driver, went in to get her. they brought the sign out sheet to me and then we drove to georgia brown school to get danny. the first thing danny said when we told him we were going to the hospital was "i thought we were going to the hospital tomorrow!" i told him the baby decided to be born today!

we got to the hospital without any further delay and met up with kevin, walt and laverne, my in-laws. they took kyra and immediately went shopping.

we checked in and started the prep work. i won't go into detail about that because i'm sure you probably don't want to read about it. one other person who was planning on being there was my sister, teri. she was in nursing school and needed to see a surgical procedure and asked me if she could be there. she was called out of her class at cuesta college and wasn't sure if she should leave but everyone urged her to go. she joined us as they were going through the surgical prep. she almost missed the delivery because she left to get something to eat! Teri did make into surgery in time to observe everything she was supposed to.

everything went well and when the doctor announced its a boy, i started to cry. dr haupt held his head by mine and then handed him off to kevin to talk him into the nursery to measure and weigh him and do all the other stuff they do to newborns. when it came time to give him a bath, danny and mandi joined with kevin in the ritual. this is the only picture we have of cody on the day of his birth because in the rush we all forgot to take cameras!

I love you so much, Cody and i'm so glad you are part of our family!
P.S. i almost forgot the best part. i wasn't there but was told about it later--when danny first saw cody, he introduced himself "hi. i'm danny, your big brother".

i wasn't going to do this but........

2010-11-01T08:19:00.001-07:00

its cody's birthday!
cutest picture ever!

i wish i could've been there. danny and jenny were gracious enough to invite cody and his friend, julia, for the weekend to celebrate cody's 22nd birthday. i know, 22 years! in case you can't tell, they are about to partake of sushi! it looks good enough to eat.

since there wasn't a free bed, cody opted to sleep on the floor. he will always choose the floor over an air mattress, sofa or love sac. that's just the way he is. danny's dog, shaq is keeping cody warm.

this picture is so cute! i am now using it as my desktop background!
it is now my favorite picture of cody. look at that great smile and shaq is way cute here, too.

shaq is such a loving, lovable dog.

dinner at danny's in-laws l-r: cody, julia, ryan (cody's cousin), ryan's girlfriend, jen, danny. you could've smiled, danny. i know you love your brother...

why were danny's in-laws hosting cody's birthday dinner? because danny's sister-in-law, amanda was also born on nov 1st!

jenny made cody his favorite dessert, striped delight. it looks like a frosted cake but its not. what a good sister-in-law.

happy birthday, cody.

many happy returns of the day

strange

2010-10-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

a very strange thing--i was walking to the mailbox (got to get my exercise somehow!) and when i came to the northeast corner of our property, i looked to the spot where we buried nori last year, and there, under one of the bushes planted there, were a pair of women's shoes, a couple of shirts, men's boxer shorts and a ballcap???? it looked like they were just deposited there today--no sign of morning dew. what's up with that?

a "fashion blog"?

2010-10-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

am i turning this into a fashion blog? just for a little while. i really want to share my favorite clothes with you. ok, so I finally retired my "work" shoes. i took this picture right before I threw them in the trash. the brown part on the right is the cupboard door. like my red toenails?

about a month ago i bought this blouse even though i knew i wouldn't be able to wear it to work until it cooled off, considerably. i finally wore it the other day (still too warm). bought it at walmart. there are other colors available. i'm thinking of buying a black one.....i really like the beads on the edge.

the obligatory full shot.....

notice the earring? well, these are jade from mexico. when i stayed with mandi and mike's children last year while they went on a cruise to mexico, they brought home these beautiful earrings for me. (they knew my favorite color is green!) thank you, mike and mandi.

new pants!

2010-10-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, a customer bought a pair of pants called "jeggings", so I decided that I wanted a pair, also. Here they are! What do you think? They are jeans but with spandex so they fit like leggings. I really like them!