Parade of Homes

One of our favorite recreations is to tour the annual Parade of Homes. This year, there are fewer extravagantly huge homes, which is due to the economy, I suppose. Anyway, it's easier to pretend myself into these slightly more modest homes. And the color schemes are lighter and less brown, this year, too. However, we went to one house Thurs. that tried to be a French Museum (priced at 2.6 million, unfurnished). Almost every piece of furniture was a French antique (many from a store/gallery in Salt Lake and some belonging to the owners of the house who are collectors). The walls were graced by dozens of 19th century paintings, and there were European knick-knacks everywhere. It was mostly tasteful--and Dad and I felt we had just apparated to France. Balconies, French doors, copper pots, you name it. And the floor plan was gorgeous, with one of those graceful staircases that spirals down into a generous entry. There's a mosaic tile pattern on the floor, of course, and piano music piped all through the house...it was a treat! The owner-guy was in the dining room and admitted his wife was French--and he was a furniture maker who prefered the French style and proportions. If I had money, would I spend it on antiques? On a big showcase house? No. But I may be a unique antique, myself. If you had money, would you turn your house into a museum? Or some other passion?

Grandkids, Again

Okay, I know every child develops according to their own clock. That's part of the fun of being the observer. But even so, there are some terrific surprises. While I was staying with Simon last Saturday, I was startled to discover that he not only recognizes the critter, but can clearly pronounce "octopus." This is the child who is just as good at identifying most of the alphabet. Then there is Sarah, whose reading vocabulary is influencing her general speech--to our delight. She pronounced last week, "Well, I declare, I'm feeling a trifle bit better!" And not too long ago, she confided to me,"I'm pretending to be a nerd." I enjoy Emily's obsession with all things "princess" and the remarkable talent Christopher has assembling Legos. The only thing better than being a parent is being a grandparent. I get to see some things repeated; but incredibly fresh stuff as well. For example, when Jordyn and Taylor sang "Do, Re, Mi" I remembered performing the same song with my cousins for our parents. Yet, these little girls add a whole new dimension. And remarking Whitney's great stage presence recalls her dad playing James Bond with the Jr. High Swing Choir. And some things are just as potent as ever, no matter the kid it comes from. Like little Alyssa who reached up to give me a spontaneous hug and kiss in the middle of our dinner party and said, "I love you, Grandma." Yup. I love my kids--all of 'em.

Brag Moments

(oops! I forgot to rotate before uploading, sorry!)
Hooray! I have my camera back! And now you lucky people get to enjoy some of the Grandchildren talent I've been so anxious to share. Besides the adorable dance and tumbling videos of Tim's cute kids, there is the photo of our Simon playing "take the monkey for a ride." The game includes pulling the monkey on the wagon, and then dumping the beast on the floor whilst saying, "uh-oh!" I got to spend a few hours with Simon while Jacob and Ami were off in Ogden fixing up their rental property for the next tenants. And, I had the camera. hehehe. What fun it is to be a grandma.

Practically Perfect

We spent a lovely weekend traveling to Wyoming and enjoying family time with Tim's crew. Shannon and her girls were part of the Utah contingent, and made our travel much more fun. Whitney and Brian performed well in their Spring Recital. And the BBQ dinner was yummy. It was fun to see Stephanie's mom, dad, grandparents and sister, too. What a grand crowd to cheer on the kids! My favorite part was watching the cousins enjoy each other. They played and played. Grandpa's Steve's favorite part was spending a morning at the golf course with Tim. All of us went later to view this surprise paradise next to the North Platte River, and it was just lovely. I would post a picture of two, but I stupidly left my camera in Stephanie's kitchen. I feel like I've left my right arm behind...but when I get it back, I'll share video of the performances.

New Entertainment

I think Steve and I have hit a milestone of some kind. Sunday evening, while sitting casually on the sofa in the living room, we spent several minutes noting the evidences of old age in each other's faces. Our conversation went something like this:
Steve: "Look, I'm getting those lines on the chin that make you look like a puppet. You don't have lines like that."
Linda: "No, but I've got them around my mouth. See these lines all around my mouth."
Steve: "I see what you mean. You've got some lines there."
Linda: "But you have wrinkles over here by your ears. I don't think I have wrinkles there."
Steve: "No, you don't. Just peach fuzz that didn't used to be there."
Linda: "And you're getting lots of this neck stuff."
Steve: "Yes, I don't think you'll get any of that. Your neck is just thin-like."
Linda: "As in scrawny. And look at these wrinkles on my forehead!"
Steve: "You mean the frown lines, there?"
You get the idea?
Pitiful. And absolutely hilarious. I think it's the funniest thing we've ever done.

A Helpless Hollar

Okay, I'm admitting right up front that this blog is a vent/preachment. Even when I was a younger woman with children at home, I was alarmed and frustrated by the other mothers around me, who poorly modeled and completely skipped teaching certain principles of behavior to their children. It used to bug me that kids were allowed to swing on the stage curtains at ward dinners. It annoyed me that young women never had service opportunities, and that scouts spent way too much time playing basketball. I worried that these children would become selfish and irresponsible. Well, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised to be proven right. Now the children are grown up, and don't even know what they're missing. They mean well; but they don't have the experience or the training they need to model correct principles.
In my ward calling, I'm responsible for the transition of young women into Relief Society. As we have visited with the YW presidency about a plan to accomplish this, it has become apparent that these leaders are clueless in some ways. They have not been "converted" to Relief Society, themselves. Service takes a back seat to fun. Vanity is more a priority than charity. And we're launching another generation of youth with tremendous potential, undermined by incomplete parenting/leadership. And I don't know what to do about it. Aaaargh!

Help me! I've fallen and I can't get up!

I'm trying to think of the perfect idea for a picture book that would WOW the publishing world with its unique approach to a universal theme. Particularly, I would hope to find something publishable by Deseret Books' Shadow Mountain imprint. They are incredibly fussy, especially with the present economic issues. So---put on your thinking caps and tell me what you're looking for in the perfect picture book for your family.
ps Deseret Book has already rejected my book on Annie-dog and the collection of poems celebrating the Sweetwater Corridor in western history, and the fairytale I wrote about the girl who wishes and wishes and finally turns into the wishing star.