A Hopeless Romantic

Something that you may not know about me, is that I am a hopeless romantic. I am such a sap for mushy movies that make your heart sing, or for songs that touch you. Why do I bring this up? I don't know why actually, I just have been thinking about it for days now, I decided that I should just get it out. There was a movie that triggered these thoughts. The movie "P.S. I Love You." The movie is about a man who dies of a brain tumor and leaves his widow several letters that she discovers through the year and each letter helps her heal. It just was so sweet and it left me feeling that happy little tingle. I am such a guppy for that type of stuff; I can re watch sweet love stories over and over again, yesterday I watched the "Notebook" for the umpteenth time and still loved it. Yep, definitely a hopeless romantic.

Luvies

Audra Lynn, has 2 pairs of her old pajamas that she has fallen in love with. She needs these to go to sleep for a nap or at night. If she is sad or upset over something she gets out her luvies and holds them close. We cannot leave the house for long periods of time without the luvies. I do try to leave them behind as much as possible, so that she does not have them 24/7. It is actually cute, I think, when she is running around the house looking for her luvies, as she is calling out "lubies, lubies." Then when she finds them, she rubs her face in them and says "lubies," softly and happily. Anyway, that is Lou's story about her luvies.

Starting our Garden

Those of you that have been to our home, know that there is a field to the west of our complex. This property is owned by a man who lives in Holladay just a few blocks away. He rents out space on his property to grow gardens, to people in the community. Brian, has a co-worker that has a space in this property and grows his veggies here, so a week or so ago he gave me the contact info on how to get one of these spaces. I spoke with Doug (owner), who seems to think that he will have room for us, YES! I am so excited, there is nothing better then home grown tomatoes, zucchini and other veggies.

Tonight, Bri came home from work and asked what the plans were, I told him we are going to start our garden for FHE (family home evening). So, up to Walgreen to buy seeds, 5 packets for $1. Then over to Rite Aid to buy the mini greenhouse, after all was said and done I spent a big $12.24 to get our garden growing. The kids loved helping plant the seeds and playing in the dirt. Did I mention that the kids LOVED helping? Any way, by the end of the night we had planted Tomatoes (beef steak and cherry), Zucchini, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Pumpkins, Cabbage, Bell Peppers and Cucumbers. We will put the seeds right into the ground for the Carrots, Beets, and Lettuce. So, we will see how our summer of "farming" (as Jeff Nelson would say) goes.

Lynn Harris Nelson

Name: Lynn Harris Nelson

Date of Birth: February 16, 1923

Death Date: N/A celebrated his 88th birthday today

Parents: Glenn and Milicent Nelson

Siblings: Robert Nelson and Sally Nelson

Married to: Mary Louise Taylor March 1, 19-- (still have to get that date)

Children: Stillborn, Jeffrey, Tammy, and Gregory

This great man is my grandfather on my dad's side. However, he decided that he was too young to be called "grandpa," so instead we called him Papa Lynn. I don't even know how to give you a good glimpse of this man, there are so many things but I will do my very best. Well, one thing is for sure, my sisters and I would not know how to play poker if it wasn't for Lynn Nelson. You see, when we would spend the night/weekend at their home, he would break out the cards and chips, and teach us poker. He ALWAYS fronted us the money to ante up, he would deal and then help us play, no doubt sleepovers were expensive. I remember at the end of the poker matches he would call up to Mama Mary, asking were her purse was so he could pay his "debts." We loved playing poker with Papa Lynn. He was always willing to make a bet, if you wanted to bet on football, horse races or other sporting events you usually could get him to go in on it. He also paid us if he swore, $.25 per swear word. We used to listen so closely to try and catch him in the act. I remember one day at our house, my cousins were down at our house with us and all five grandchildren were helping bring things in from out in the trunk. Papa Lynn bumped his head and swore twice, so it cost him $2.50 that day just from that incident.

He also would teach us funny little songs such as:

Be kind to your web footed friends,

That poor duck may be some body's mother.

Remember the boys in the swamp, where the weather is so cold and damp,

Now you may think that this is the end. Well it is!

and

There's a place in France,

Where the naked ladies dance,

There's a hole in the wall

Where the men can see it all,

And the men don't care cause they're in their underwear

And the police don't shoot cause they think it's kinda cute

He is so very funny. I remember calling him in the mornings on our way to school. The first thing that he would say to you when you got on "My you look nice today." A sure way to make you smile and even laugh Once in a while, he still pulls that one on me. He said it too my not that long ago and it was the furthest thing from the truth, it really made me laugh so hard, because it had been such a long time since I had heard that and I looked so horrible. He can also tell stories that make you laugh til you cry. I unfortunately, did not inherit this gene, however my dad and his siblings did and so did my sisters. I love when the family is together and they get on a kick, because your sides can just ache from laughing so much.

Some interesting things to know about Papa Lynn. He is an excellent cook. I remember he would be the one in the kitchen, preparing our meals. I don't remember too many meals but I do remember his salads. He could make the best salads and of course serve it with a slice of French bread with butter.

He is also color blind. He was flying planes for the U.S. Air Force during World War II, that was until they found out that he was color blind. During that same war he was held hostage as a prisoner of war. I believe that he was held in China, unfortunately, due to the events of September 11, 2001. He was unable to return to China and see that country from a different aspect.

He also could play the piano, and so beautifully. However, he could not read sheet music, he always played by ear. He felt that this held him back, but he truly was very talented. Unfortunately, he has given up this past time due to his age and lack of memory. I did not get this talent either. I could go on and on about Papa Lynn and the life he has lead. I hope that this helps you understand him and remember a little about him too.

Valentine's Weekend

This past weekend seemed as if it was a go-go kind of weekend. I am not complaining I am just stating that we were very busy. Friday night started with Grandpa Steve's party at Madeline's. We had a very nice dinner with family. We did miss Jamie and Kash, as it was her brother's birthday party that night too. Hopefully, next time we can get everyone together.

Saturday, Bri had to work, so after we dropped him off the kids and I went shopping. We picked up the Valentine's for Coly's classmates and then over to the Winco to pick up some food that was a rockin' deal. We then got the car washed and hurried home for some lunch and a quick shower. I got dressed and took the kids over to Grandma Debby and Grandpa Steve's house for a sleepover. I then picked up Bri for our Valentine's date. Bri had planned this date for over 3 weeks and kept the activity a secret until Friday night. He took me to Squatter's for dinner were I had the Ahi Spring Roll salad (if you like sushi, you will LOVE this salad). After, we attended The Sleeping Beauty by Ballet West. I thought it was a marvelous performance, Bri on the other hand said he was ready to jump off the balcony. If you love ballet, you should definitely see this.

Sunday morning arrived sooner than I was ready for. I went to pick up the kids. They had had a great time, as Grandma and Grandpa had taken them to Jungle Jim's for some fun. We met NeeNers, Grandpa Garry and GG so we could go on the next adventure. We took the kids up to Midway to see the "Ice Castles". When we got there they were closed, so we could not walk through them, but we could walk around them and see the beauty of these ice castles. The kids thought that was so neat and I felt it was impressive. It was a good weekend with a lot packed into it. I really had a very nice time with my sweetheart, a date for the books.

"My Knees are Hot"

For the last little bit, our kids have been going through a phase were they don't want to wear some or all of their clothing. I asked Colin the other day why he was just hanging out in his underwear, he said to me "my knees are hot." Really? Where did he come up with this? However, it did not end here. He then proceeded to tell me that Lynnie was hot too, and she wanted to take her jammies off too. I wish I could say that it ended here, but it hasn't. Audra has learned how to take off all her clothes, including the jammies with zippers and buttons. We have had to start safety pinning her jammies so she doesn't take them off and freeze in the night time. As much as Coly's little saying is so funny, I do hope that they learn to keep their clothes on, and soon or people will start thinking that our kids belong to a nudist colony.

The Kids' Chores

I have not been one to really make my kids do chores around the house. I would have them help clean up the mess they make, ask them to help make cookies, etc. I don't feel that they have had it easy, but they aren't expected to do a certain chore either. That was until I read this blog. She has a son that is just a few months younger than Coly and he has chores, so I have been trying to figure out. What "jobs" I can have the kids do. Lynnie loves to help with all kinds of things, and she is really so young still just 19 months I don't feel I really need to assign her a job at this point. She does help me put dishes away and wants to help with the wiping of things, etc. Coly doesn't fight when I ask for help, but it is like he doesn't think about doing some of the things, but really he is only 3 almost 4. I thought about what I could change and have the kids do to help out in the house. I have decided that he needs to work on making his bed in the mornings, setting the table for dinner and helping his dad clear the table after dinner. I don't want him to feel as if he has all the responsibilities but I want him to know what is it like to pull your share of the weight in the home, and Audra too. I am just wondering do you think kids need a lot of chores or just a few? I don't know this parenting thing is harder some days, when you want your kids to grow up to be contributing members of society, with good social skills and manners. I don't know, does anyone else feel like you are just taking a stab in the dark sometimes?

Super Bowl XLV

This year for Super Bowl, we went over to NeeNers and Grandpa Garry's. It was a real low key event as it was them and the 4 of us. However, we were surprised when we got there and they had a brand new flat screen 55 inch TV. So, we got to watch the big game on the big screen. We had a bunch of yummy snack food and homemade brownies. I didn't pay to much attention to the game, but talked more with my mom and looked for some pictures. The kids ran around and played with toys while Bri and Gar tried to watch the football. I was however, impressed with the half time show, that is the first one since Janet and Justin pulled their little stunt that I enjoyed.

During the game the kids were eating the black olives like crazy and making "monster hands." It was just so cute, you have to love how creative kids can be. We were thrilled with the outcome of the Super Bowl, we were cheering for GB Packers.

A New Identity?

So, as many of you know the astrological horoscope had a HUGE change in the past few weeks. Not being one that really puts to much thought into this I haven't even looked at whether or not my sign had changed. However, this past weekend at Lindsey and Dustin's house it came up. The curiosity finally got to me today and I had to look and see if my sign really did change. I found out it did not change. Here is how this "new zodiac" works, if you are a Westerner, (which I am) our zodiac goes by the seasons and not by the stars. If you are a Easterner, then it did change and you have been under the wrong stars. SO, I am safe at being an Aquarius, so no new identity here. However, if you are one that leans to Eastern beliefs I have copied and pasted the new Astrological Signs dates below, so you can see if you have changed:

Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16.
Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11.
Pisces: March 11-April 18.
Aries: April 18-May 13.
Taurus: May 13-June 21.
Gemini: June 21-July 20.
Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10.
Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16.
Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30.
Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23.
Scorpio: Nov. 23-29.
Ophiuchus:* Nov. 29-Dec. 17.
Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20.