Summatime

We are loving summer!

Here are a few pictures showing you some of the things we have been up to.

We started our summer break in Cody, Wyoming visiting my sister and her family. "The Cousins" are pictured at top. Actually our kids just say it like one word.."thecousins".

Here are the kids in Yellowstone! And there's Trev and Brandon having a "shoot out" in an old western town, and MD being so cute on my lap.

We spent the 4th of July with friends. Everyone had a great time swimming in Halverson's pool. We had a BBQ and enjoyed the day in the sun, ending it with a fantastic fireworks show in the evening.

And my hubs, Trev and I celebrated our 15 year Anniversary this month. WOW! We've made it this far! Trev picked me up in his Dad's old pick-up. It is the same one he picked me up in for our first date. We went to dinner, and then on a motorcycle ride, just like our first date. (See my March post "Spring is in the Air!" for details on that first date thing...:)

We also went kayaking with our friends the Hickmans and Halversons, and had a great time. I loved it, thanks Trev for such a memorable time!

Oh, and lastly, I just had to throw in this picture of Monkey C and Monkey D for ya.

They are goofy. So goofy.

Happy Summering!

Inspired - Part 2

A few weeks ago, I posted "Inspired".
What are the things in my life that give me encouragement, joy, peace and inspiration? A few weeks ago I shared some of these "constants" as I call them.
Are you ready for more? Here goes.

#4 - What calms me down and gives me peace? Simply...a cup of tea. When I am stressed, or tired, or a little on the "in-need-of-nurturing" side, I make myself a cup. Maybe it is because as I was growing up, my mom would make me tea whenever I was sick and feeling down. It was magic. It always made me feel better. My favorite tea? Stash decaf Vanilla Chai. Ahhhhh.
Heaven in a cup.

#5 - I am a shy person. A lot of people would disagree with that, but if you really know me, you know that this is true. I struggle to put myself out there, but enjoy it when I do. It is work for me. I can tell you without a doubt I would not be "out there" making friends and throwing parties if it wasn't for my best friend. This guy loves people. He is not afraid to go to anyone and start up a conversation. While passing the fishing hole once in my brother's neighborhood on the way to his house, we pulled over to the guy sitting on the grass with pole in hand. Window rolled down, my best friend said in his friendly, interested voice, "Caught any fish today?" This lead to a nice conversation with a sweet old man none of us knew. While chatting with him, my daughter asked from the back of the car..."Mommy? Why does daddy always talk to people he doesn't know?" Trevor has taught me that there is no reason not to say hi to people. Why not look someone in the eye and find out what their interests are, and even invite them over for dinner? There are lots of potential friends out there!
Not only does Trev encourage me to enjoy people, he inspires me to enjoy life. If you know my husband, have read his blog OR mine, you already know he likes to try a little bit of everything. We don't sit still for much, and whether he believes me or not...I do prefer it that way!

#6 - Flowers. Flowers. Flowers. I cannot lie to you. Flowers can bring me to tears. I can walk my garden every single day, looking over the growth or change. It gives me joy. Plain and simple, I am probably happiest around nature.
Though I do not grow hollyhocks, they hold a special place in my heart because they make me think of my childhood, always in my mom's and grandparent's gardens. My mom and hollyhock dolls. Now my girls know how to make them.
There is something about foxgloves that I adore. They are also my daughter's favorite, and she has loved them since she was 2, circling them in my garden catalogs.
Lavender is so hardy and fragrant, I can't help but be proud of it everytime I pass it by.
I dared to plant California poppies in my front rock garden last spring, knowing they spread like crazy. But I took a chance, and I can't regret the shocking bright bursts of orange and red that grow amidst the daylilies, wallflowers, bloodgrass, gaura, red carpet roses and more. I cannot tell you how many people stop their cars in front of our house to ask me what those beautiful flowers are and how they love to look at them.
There are SO many more I won't name, but if it blooms, I pretty much love it (with a few exceptions).
Ah, but roses. I think the roses are dearest to me. Who cannot love them. They do well here. I have a few separate rose gardens, and this year planted probably 10 new varieties to try out. Which ones bring the tears to my eyes? Ha. Well, I am loving these three...

1...VOLUPTUOUS: These beauties glow with bright color. The blooms are humongous, and they smell good. This is a new one to my garden and I am loving it.

2...DOUBLE DELIGHT: I have grown these for a while, and can't get enough of them. I added a few more to my new island. They are beautiful, the bush is nicely formed, and stays healthy, and the smell. Oh the smell. HEAVEN! You want to inhale these babies.

3...ANGEL FACE: I happened upon this one this year. I have always told myself I am not a purple rose person. This rose has changed me. Now I am an angel face purple rose person. :) The petals are ruffly and old fashioned looking and the color is beautiful. They smell so sweet. I was thrilled when showing it to my mom and she told me how she had planted an Angel Face once and loved it. Her father had told her to plant one because he loved them as well. Her father is my dear Grandpa "Hummingbird" whom I adore and miss like crazy. I have always wished I could show him my family and garden, but the sweet part is, I have been lucky enough to feel like he sees it all the time. Maybe he has seen my Angel Face and is smiling sweetly from above because I too, like to garden as he did.

Well, there you go. Sorry this post was so wordy, I guess it's hard for me not to gush about my husband and my roses.
Don't forget to stop and smell the you-know-whats!
Until next time...

Wild Wild West

Just came back from vacation!
We had a blast with my sister and her hubby in Cody! Here are just a few pics to share with ya'all.

(Come on...you can't tell me you haven't always wanted to take pictures like these!)

Inspired

I was thinking the other morning. Thinking of the "constants" in my life. The things that I continually look to for encouragement, joy, peace and inspiration. I had this running list in my head, and so I wrote it down. I thought I'd share my list with you, a peek into my little world and maybe some of the things that make me tick.
I'll start with 3 in no particular order, and in upcoming posts, I will share more. Just bear with me, it could be fun.

#1. As you know, I play tennis. I love tennis. I'm kind of addicted to it. Sometimes I play twice in one day, and my elbow will start to ache. Ibuprofen is my friend. Look at these lovely ladies in the photo. I don't know them personally, but I DO get the awesome opportunity to play with Betty, Cora Jane and Marty. These are ladies I met at the club, and they are all in their 80's. I think the oldest is 87. They can't move as fast as I can, but boy, can they hammer a dadgum green fuzzy ball. They call me dear, and little girl. One of them claims I "beat up on her" after I won our match, then turned around and hugged me. These ladies are my tennis inspiration. Not Ana Ivanovic or Maria Sharapova. I know I will never play like them, but maybe I can play like Betty when I am 87!
#2. We don't have cable t.v. No, we don't have satellite either. Close your gaping mouth, and let me finish. We have not had cable for many years. We don't even watch t.v. with an antenna. So, I am not going to be able to follow any "Idol" or "Lost" commentary. We watch DVD's of our favorite movies and kids shows, but have found that when we have been paying for cable, it ends up being a waste of money. We simply don't watch much t.v., we enjoy other things more I guess. But there are 2 t.v. series I simply can't do without. After a long day, and in need of a laugh, these are the 2 I pop in. MASH. I know, can you believe it? I remember hearing the song come on our t.v. as a kid and my dad rushing in to watch his favorite show. I didn't much get it then, but I love it now. My favorites are the first few seasons when Col. Blake and Frank Burns' characters are still on. I think I relate to the bumbling, not-so-clever but lovable Henry Blake. So call me old fashioned, but I love the cozy, homey feeling I get while laughing at the smart, one-of-a-kind humor on MASH.
If I'm not in the mood for MASH, but need a good laugh, I turn to Everybody Loves Raymond. Who can't relate to the crazy mother in law, or mother, and just the zany, warm, funny family dynamic of this show? It's clever. I love it.

#3. Lastly I would like to share with you a photo. This special picture is near and dear to my heart. Just a warning...it is a silly photo and in it are 3 of my dear childhood friends, who do look at this blog (if only occasionally). So I apologize in advanced if they are surprised to find themselves here on my blog with upturned noses and 80's hair. The photo itself is special, as are the people in it.
Toe, Stubs, Jill-Pill & me. Grade school through high school, different colleges and now miles apart, each one of us.
A few years back, I went through a dark, and well...dark time. We'll save the story for another day (maybe), but as I was grasping for peace, for a source of strength to get me through, I came upon this picture in one of my old albums, and I laughed. I had forgotten how to laugh, and this unfamiliar sound coming from my own lips startled me. But it was much needed, and as I studied the photo, I started to gain a new strength. I actually framed it in a little mahogany stained frame and put it by my bedside. I believe it sat there for a year or so. It was a great source of inspiration to me. First because it made me laugh. But more importantly, these wonderful, amazing, beautiful women had all suffered. And they lived. And they were laughing now. If they could, could I? I placed them by my bedside to help me every day.
So, I apologize to my sweet friends if I have embarrassed you in any way. But this picture, and you in it, and all those who have suffered and lived to tell the tale (which I understand is probably most of us) have been and continue to be an inspiration. I gather strength and hope and determination and laughter from all of you. It helps me get through the prickly thorns in this rosebush of life. (See why I relate to a bumbling not-so-clever character? - I just came up with that rosebush thing...)

So, there you go. Three things that are important to me. Three little peeks at what makes me tick. A few of my "constants."
Keep laughing!
Until next time...

The Fishin' Hole

I was introduced to fishing by my husband, Trevor. When we were dating, I learned it was something he liked to do on occasion.
I remember the very first time he told me he loved me. We were pic-nicking on a blanket by the water, after having spent a lazy afternoon fishing. I don't think we caught anything, but I very much remember him turning to me and saying, "I think I love you".
And the week before we were married, he had a bachelor party. A fishing bachelor party. Yep, he and his buddies grabbed some poles and went fishin'.
Luckily, it is not one of those things that dominates his time, but I am glad that he knows how to fish and has taught the rest of us a thing or two about it. Monkey A has no problem baiting a hook, catching a fish, and taking it off the hook herself. (I still make Trevor take mine off for me.) I am glad that it is something all our kids enjoy.
We made a day out of it on Memorial Day. We just decided we would pic-nic by a small pond that is in my brother's neighborhood. It was very low-key, no one else was around, and we spent the day casting and reeling with some luck. MA caught a couple of tiny fish, and a nice sized bass. MC caught a little fish, and a huge carp that broke her hook at the last minute before getting it fully out of the water. Trev caught a large carp also. MD tried and tried, but luckily the fun was in the casting because she didn't catch anything. We learned that the fish in that pond really go for egg salad sandwiches and cooked shrimp. We shared our meal with them, and I guess in return they gave us a bit of fun for the day.
Fish on!

thirty-something stuffs face

(my blanket flowers)

This weekend we celebrated my birthday!
I had tournament weekend again for tennis, and was quite happy that I won both my matches. Our team will not be going on to the finals, but I was just happy that I played the way I wanted to. And how cool was it that our friends, Jordan & Liz, showed up to watch me play one match, and our brand new neighbors, Justin & Joanna came to watch me play another one!
We went to a really nice restaurant for dinner with our good friends, Casey and Justin, and thoroughly enjoyed the food and the company. Casey & I got the sole and Justin and Trev got the chicken with dumplings. We all agreed the chicken and dumplings was a huge hit, and we all would order that meal again. Their meatballs with verde sauce was so good too!
(trev's b-day surprise dinner)

Sunday was amazing. Trev surprised me with an even more amazing meal for my birthday. I came home to find the table set, and on the smoker grill was a most delicious array of food!!! There were chicken legs, lobster claws, butterfly prawns, scallops with mushrooms and baked potatoes on the smoker. In the oven was my favorite vegetable dish that my mom usually makes - made from scratch by the man himself. All of us stuffed ourselves, and everything
was cooked to perfection. I was amazed. Thank you Trev, it was truly wonderful. You could tell from the nap I promptly took after filling myself.

Trev also surprised me with a birdbath for our garden. We have been working hard to make some new islands in our yard, and as you can see they are still in progress, but I am excited to plant around the birdbath now. I posted a picture of my shade garden too, since it is filling in so nicely this year. Too bad the dogwood had stopped blooming last week, because the color was so beautiful with the rest of the plants.
All my sibs called me, and it turned out to be a wonderful, relaxing day.
Oh, and the roses are starting to bloom!
I couldn't ask for more!

Mother's Day

(click on the cartoon if it is too small to read)
I have been going back and forth on whether to post any thoughts about this Mother's Day. I guess I decided I will despite the fact it might make me look like an ungrateful mother!
This is what I said to Trevor at 1:00 church on Sunday, and I think it might clue you in to how my day kind of went. I know it sounds horrible, but I leaned over and whispered, "I am not sure I really like Mother's Day." He gave me that look that you are making right now, like how could I say such a thing. I explained that I guess on this day, I just have these expectations that the kids will all bring me their cute homemade gifts with kisses and hugs and maybe a letter telling me why I'm a special mom. But MOST importantly there will be peace and love abounding in our family on that day. No fighting, no arguing, trying their best to let mom know it's her special day. Believe me, I do know it is not good or realistic to have expectations!!!

Well, it wasn't all bad. Trev brought me breakfast in bed, which was a great start. Then all morning before church, there was constant bickering. I mean worse than usual. Horrible, actually. There were no gifts on Sunday, because I realized that they had given me the things they had made at school already, the week before. I recall MB coming home on Thursday, walking in the door, and handing me the homemade paper flowerpot card with real seeds in it (loved it) as he walked past me. MC made me some flowers in a vase which was so cute, and she had given that to me I think on Wednesday. MA casually told me Sunday morning that she had written me a card at school for Mother's Day but had accidentally left it there, and she would get it for me Monday. I still haven't seen it. So yes, my kids did make me some cute things, and though I sound ungrateful I am not. I think I am just a little disappointed in their...approach? ...timing?... I really don't recall a hug or much more from MA the whole day, and I think I got a hug from my son in the morning but then it was kind of like they forgot anything else. The little girls were great and MC made me a huge daisy with sweet words about me all around it. That was a highlight, and she thought of it herself!
We made it to church, where I was hoping to unwind from the not-so-great, noisy morning. I whispered the above comment to Trevor during the 2nd speaker's talk. This was the man who did a good job, but made us go 20 minutes over because it was so long. I had to do sharing time in primary (a 20 minute presentation/lesson for all the kids), so I kept wondering how I was going to do it with the time left. Then during my sharing time presentation, MD constantly was interrupting me from her seat in the front row...this is in that voice that kids think is a whisper, but is actually not..."Mooooom! I'm huuuungry!" "Moooom, did you bring me any graaaaapes?" "Mooooooom! I'm reallllly tired, I want to go hooooome!" "Mooooooom! Do you heeeeear me????" Needless to say, I was a little frazzled up there.
After church, Trev made all of dinner which was wonderful, and he surprised me with a garden cart I was wanting. Thank goodness, because I hate to admit it but I was afraid he may have forgotten, and my day so far was feeling so... well...ordinary.
It wasn't a bad day, but it really wasn't an extraordinary day either. I love my kids. I know they love me, but this experience did make me think that I may need to teach my kids to be a little more thoughtful and responsible. I'm disappointed in myself because... did I not teach them to be thoughtful and caring? I am thinking of having a family night or at least a family discussion on how we can show people appreciation and respect (and how not to argue especially on Sunday.) I think when the kids were younger, they were excited and sweet and Trev would help them make it a special day. Now that they are older, I think we both expected them to think for themselves, and well...they kind of didn't. Wow-I really sound ungrateful!!!
Anyway I think the best part of the day was my mom and dad coming over and enjoying their company for a while. I love to celebrate my mom cause she is just so great! Maybe my kids will appreciate me more when they are older. I know I appreciate my parents so much more now that I am a parent and know what they have done for me and how much they love me!
Thanks Trev for all you did for me on mom's day, and Happy Mother's Day to my mom and my mother-in-law. I hope all you mom's out there had a great one!

My girls

Last week we got to celebrate my girls!
Monkey A turned 13. We've been calling her a teenager for about a year it seems, but now it is official, hormones and all. She is good and sweet, giving and kind. She can be fiery and goofy all at the same time. She has a crush, is a crush, and is good at making our eyes roll.

Monkey C turned 8 and got baptized! It was a very special day, and she was a little glowing light all day long with her ever-smiling face and reverent attitude. Here is a little snippet from her journal...

"Yesterday I had my baptism. It was very exciting. I could really feel the spirit of the Holy Ghost. But the water was cold. At first it felt warm on my feet, but then when I got up to my waist, it was freezing cold and the outfit stuck to me. It was a long but great day. Oh, and it was funny because when I got out of the water I had a reallly big yawn. But I didn't want to yawn in front of everyone, so I waited until I was out of the water fully to yawn."

24 Things About Me

Tagged by Kimi

4 Places I Go Over and Over
:: The Court Club
:: The Ballet Studio
:: Fred Meyer
:: Church

4 People Who Email Me
:: Kristi
:: Toni
:: Becky
:: Mom

4 of my Favorite Foods
:: Fried Chicken & potato salad
:: Homemade lasagna
:: Brownies with nuts
:: Fresh Strawberries

4 Places I Would Rather Be Right Now
:: On the tennis court
:: Hiking with my whole family somewhere beautiful like Mt. Rainier with the sun shining and all those colorful wildflowers surrounding us.
:: In Hawaii with my husband, enjoying the fresh breeze and watching the whales surface.
:: Disneyworld with my family.

4 People I Think Will Respond {This means I tag you}
::Kristi
::Nicki
::Jill
::Mara

4 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over
:: Sweet Home Alabama
:: Transformers
:: Sleepless In Seattle
:: As Good As It Gets

My lists

I made this list last night. It is a list of things to get done today.

1. Laundry
2. Get the head shots of 74 primary kids glued onto bulletin board at church.
3. Run to grocery store for small list of needs.
4. Exercise
5. Start eating better, since I seem to be in a sugar & carb eating slump.
6. Clean my horribly messy closet.
7. Get more plants transferred in my garden.

Here is a list of what I have accomplished so far today.

1. Got kids out door to school.
2. Watched an hour of Spongebob with MD. (I know there are a lot of parents out there who do not approve of Spongebob, but I am a loyal fan, especially of the beginning episodes). This pic is from my favorite episode...Crabby patties are an absolute good! ... "good for your soul".)
3. Showered and dressed, but then didn't feel like exercising.
4. Had a huge piece of chocolate cake for breakfast.
5. Spent an hour and a half making these tissue flower balls for the girls' room. They were easy and turned out really cute!
6. Spent an hour reading blogs and email.

So much for my list.
1. Too late to start laundry, since it will just sit while I shuffle kids here and there after school.
2. Don't feel like running to church, so I'll put that on tonight's list for tomorrow.
3. Can hit grocery store in between lessons.
4. Exercise and eat better will have to go on tomorrow's list as well. Unless there is still cake left, then I might just have to put that off one more day.
5. I can clean up my closet tonight.
6. Too windy to garden today.

It's just one of those days, you know? I guess I'll just have to try harder tomorrow.

The "man of my dreams"

The man of my dreams? Well, let's just say, he was LITERALLY the man of my dreams last night. We were at the same party, and all the sudden I realized his little girl (does he even have one? I think he's 50?) was on fire! Her feet were ablaze, so being the quick thinker I am, I dashed right to the fire extinguisher, hosed her down and took care of her. The Florence Nightingale effect took place, and he asked me to marry him and bought us a mansion on the coast of Seattle. I was so happy, but mostly because I had a REALLY good reason that I didn't get the primary activity planned that I was in charge of. Thank you for saving me from myself Tom! (For those who don't know, primary is the organization for the children's program in our church - which I am currently in charge of). Yes, I had gone to bed going over all the calls I had to make the next day to get this activity off and running. Funny thing, the mind. Absolutely no idea how Tom Selleck happened to be a part of it all.

Anyway, update on tennis for you, here is the sweetest picture and poem Monkey C made for me after the tournament was over. I love it!! Read the poem, it is adorable.
I ended up getting to play doubles - yay! Either I pouted enough and it worked, or my coach decided he had better singles players. I had such a great time. I played in 3 matches, and won all of them. Our team took 2nd, and we are going on to play again in May. Absolutely loved playing, and Trev came and watched and cheered me on for a couple of them. He tried to take a few pictures of the last game, but as you can see I am a blur! That's me in the pink skirt, and my awesome partner, Cheryl in the cute tennis dress. She has 6 kids, and her oldest is getting married, isn't she just cute?
Okay, and lastly, I got called to jury duty AGAIN! Unbelievable. Despite the title of my blog, I am not a happy girl about this. I think this is year 4. I am getting so tired of it. Here we go with the weekly call-ins for the whole month of May. I am truly wondering how they pick people now. Random? I think not. Maybe I will have a new dream about Tom saving me from jury duty.

the crazed tennis player

What a full week. I guess what a full life, but I really can't complain about that, a full life is a good thing.
The week started out with a decision to change my hair...

Trev (as he views pictures on digital camera): This is a great shot of you!
Me: Thanks!
Trev: Who took this?
Me: I did.
Trev: You are so hot in this picture. :) Why did you take a picture of yourself?
Me: It's my "before" shot.
Trev: Before? Before what?
The words sink in, and he gives me that look.
Me: I'm getting my hair cut this week. Remember all the times I've asked you this week if you like my hair, if you think it would be good shorter, etc?
Trev: Yes, but...

So, needless to say, this conversation gave me doubts, but I made it to the appointment anyway. I have had the same hairstyle pretty much for the last 3-4 years.

I like it. It's nice to have a change, and much quicker to fix. I don't think Trev is sold on it, but I know he loves me anyway! :)


This coming weekend is my first tennis match in the USTA team tournament. I surprised myself with my emotional outburst during practice this week when my coach announced to me and everyone else that I would be playing singles. Ha ha. I am sort of laughing about it now, but at the time...let's just say I actually almost lost it and cried in front of everyone! Let me explain myself just a little. We have been practicing for months with team practices and late night practices with doubles strategies and playing. I have done pretty well with this, and have advanced nicely in my league play as well, winning most of my matches. I have finally gotten to a point where I can play doubles and not have to think of positioning and strategy so much, but just play it. And I LOVE it! I enjoy hitting a deep shot and then approaching the net and either volleying it with short play or putting it away with a powerful slam! Ha ha. ANYWAY, I have not played singles in a long time, and it's a whole different game. In my mind, not nearly as fun, and with tournament a week away, I realized my anticipation had changed to fear and disappointment. I guess this was pretty evident in my surprising pout that my coach actually sat down with me and gave me his pep talk and reasons why "Singles is my game!!" Hmmmm. Why can't it be my game after the tournament?
Okay, so I am psyching myself up for this thing now, and trying to rethink things positively. I'll let you know how it goes. I didn't know I could be such a dork about tennis competition.


Saturday, we threw a big surprise birthday bash for my Grandma Graesser. Or as Monkey D calls her Grandma Great Graesser. It was so fun to have a lot of my mom's family there. Isn't she a cutie? She has the best sense of humor and is always smiling and humming. Love you Grandma!


Saturday night was a wonderful way to wrap up the week. Trev and I played some doubles tennis with some good friends of ours right after the party. Then we came home, and since the weather was unbelievably summer-like, we roasted hotdogs, hamburgers and sausages in our backyard, and sat around our firepit. The kids jumped on the trampoline, laughing and playing while Trev and I sat by the fire and talked. MD joined us, and her sweet conversation was adorable. We were enjoying it thoroughly. After such an exhausting week, it was a nice change of pace. It was one of those times, when you feel so peaceful and thankful for all your blessings, and it seems too good to be true, you wish the moment could last. I guess sometimes we need those crazy weeks to make us appreciate the not so crazy moments, right?

Birthday card

Finally sharing some pictures from Easter time! MB with his tech project, MC turned 8, and cute with Cotton. My favorite pics in here are of MD working hard on her birthday card she made for MC, and then MC receiving it and giving her a great big hug. That look on MD's face is one of pure love!!