Monday, June 30, 2008

Buzz cut!


Doesn't he look handsome? David needed a haircut desperately, so his sister talked him into getting a buzz cut, instead of the usual short-on-the-sides-longer-on-the-top-with-bangs look. I was scared as I put the electric razor to his head. After all, if he didn't like it, there wasn't much I could do until it grew out again. But he loves it! In fact, he was sad that today wasn't school, because he wanted to show off for his friends there. But he did get to show his church friends yesterday. He says it's a lot cooler. With summer here, I think he'll enjoy this.

Here's a closer look at his head:

Coast trip

Don't you just love that jingle on the radio about the Oregon coast, comparing it to Hawaii? Complete with ukulele music? We sing it a bit differently here at our house:

"The central Oregon coast,
I like it the most.
With just a little bit of sand and sea,
But it's a whole lot colder than Hawaii!"

Once again, we proved that true when we took Heather and her friends (and David) to the coast on Friday. They had a ball playing on the beach, while Nelson and I sat in the car, napping, reading, crocheting. (Well, Nelson didn't crochet, I did.) Not only was it cold outside, the wind was whipping along and turning the beach into a giant sand-blasting machine. When you roll Nelson's car windows up or down, you can still hear the grinding and scraping of the sand that blew into the mechanism.

I don't know what it is. People say they love going to the coast, but every time I go, it's cold and windy, and I'm miserable. I like to watch the waves breaking and the seagulls wheeling around; I enjoy the rugged coastline and the hazy view out to sea. But don't ask me to play on the Oregon beach.
Brooke, Nicole, Andrea, Heather, Nathan, Georgia, and Tabor.
Do they look a bit wind-swept to you? They are still smiling, however. Ah, youth....

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

David takes swimming lessons

David is in swimming lessons again this summer. He's a Trout. He was a bit nervous the first day, but made a new friend. Plus his friend Leilani is in the class too.



Have fun, David!

Heather turns 17!


Our lovely Heather's birthday was on Sunday. She's 17, which just blows me away. We didn't do a whole lot, since it was Sunday. But she said she had a happy day.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

"Be Our Guest..."

Heather sings in the Hi-Tones group at her high school. Thursday they had a concert titled "Be Our Guest," which was so fun. They sang about a dozen songs from various Disney musicals, from "Snow White" to "Beauty and the Beast" to "Aladdin" to "Mary Poppins" and more. They did great!

The Hi-Tones.


Heather sang a duet: "Someday My Prince Will Come/He's a Tramp".


She was given an award for being so consistent and the "go-to" gal for the choir.


We're quite proud of our young lady.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Happy Father's Day to my Dad













My dad has always been one of my heroes. He is a faithful priesthood holder, a great father and husband, a funny man, a smart man. He has been a hard worker all his life, working as a farmer/dairyman for many long, hard years. He also is a wise man. Let me tell you a story.

Now, my mom was a rather ... excitable gal (a bit like me). My dad, however, is just the opposite. One afternoon many years ago, as Dad sat in his favorite easy chair, reading the newspaper, he heard my mother's excited voice from the kitchen.

"Myrl! Come here!"

Thinking maybe something was on fire, he jumped up and ran into the kitchen, where my mother was looking out the window.

"Look!" she cried, pointing outside.

As he looked, he saw that a famous (infamous) Idaho wind was whipping across our farm. As it blew, it was grabbing the neat windrows of cut hay and blowing them all over the fields.

Dad said he realized he had four options:
(1) Stop the wind.
(2) Go out and try to sit on the hay to keep it from blowing around.
(3) Wring his hands and get an ulcer.
(4) Go back to reading his paper and, when the wind stopped, go out and clean up the mess, which is what he did.

When things spin out of control in my own life, I try to remember Dad's wise advise. I may not be able to stop the wind or sit on the hay; I sure don't want an ulcer; so maybe I'd best just relax and do what I can.

Thanks, Dad.

Friday, June 6, 2008

More Summer Fun (Free!)


Thanks to Lisa W. for the heads up on the free movies at Regal Cinema this summer! Nelson sent me some information about free events sponsored by the Eugene Public Library. You can read about them here.

Gotta do something to keep those kids busy!

Also, you might check out the River Road/Santa Clara Volunteer Library, just off River Road near Goodwill. Here is their website. An annual card is only $10 (beats what Eugene Public charges us out-of-city folk). They also have summer reading events.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

A Quilt for David

So, I've decided to make a quilt for David. I've made one for Aaron and one for Heather. I'm definitely a beginner, but I think it's fun. I'm making a split rail fence in red, white, and blue. Here is a slide show of Aaron's quilt, Heather's quilt, and what I've done so far.

Warning!

Before David left for school this morning, I peeked into his room and discovered a disaster area! I said, "Wow! You'll need to work on that this afternoon, huh?" Off he went to school. Just now I walked past his closed bedroom door and found this:



I like the hazardous waste symbol. :-)

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Tomato Soup ***corrected***


So, our family loves tomato soup, but I've been looking for a homemade recipe, because Campbell's has corn syrup in it, and we just don't need that. I've found the recipe! It can be made with canned or fresh tomatoes, and now this is our favorite with cheese sandwiches:

Tomato Basil Soup

4 C. fresh or canned tomatoes, pureed

4 C. tomato juice (I use 2 cans tomato sauce + 2 cans water)

12-14 fresh basil leaves, minced or 1 tsp. dry basil

1 C. cream or half and half (I use 2%--works great)

1/4 C. butter

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper (NOT 1/4 C. as first written!)

1 tsp. salt

Combine tomatoes, tomato juice (or sauce and water), and basil leaves in a large saucepan or soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes (more or less). Add cream and butter, stirring to blend. Add pepper and salt. Heat through, but do not boil.

Serves 8.