Everything But the Kitchen Sink........

How much longer do you think I will fit, Nonna?

Am I on film?????

We are so blessed to have Creed and his folks living by us. It is our first grandchild that we get to enjoy on a weekly basis. It is so fun to watch him grow and learn new skills it seems like every week. One of my favorite things to do is to give him a bath in the kitchen sink...........That's the way they used to do in the "olden" days kids! He loves to splash and I love to wash him and then lather him with lotion. Aren't nonna's crazy? Bonding, right Creed?

"We Thank Thee Oh God, For A Prophet"

I have been very concerned of late for the state of our country. It seems like there are so many things to worry about. A failing economy, so many practices that are contrary to the principles upon which this great nation was founded. Dishonesty, crime, selfishness on the part of so many and on and on are part of the every day life we are exposed to. So, I have upped my prayers on behalf of our nation. Things in my uneducated mind keep going down and down and I have decided that the only thing I can do is pray. Our options for president have never been so bleak. This is the first time I am not voting for someone, rather voting against someone. I don't think my little vote is going to count for much, although I am and have always been a voter. I think if you don't vote, you don't have the right to complain. Richard is basically retired, and spendable income is no where to be found. I am concerned for my children and grandchildren, but then again I guess parents have always been. I have heard that each generation has their worries. And so, I have anxiously been awaiting conference. I just knew that when conference came around all things would be answered.


I am so grateful that I know that we have a living prophet on the earth today. Conference and the talks were amazing, inspiring, uplifting and just what I needed. Honestly, each talk was so reassuring and motivating. I came away with renewed hope, faith, and joy. The Lord doesn't promise us that life will be easy, he promises comfort and direction along the way. One of my favorite quotes is by President Hinckley. He talks about having Joy in the Journey and I think that as I have grown older, I have honestly tried to incorporate this in my life. "Anyone who imgaines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time journey.....delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas, and thrilling bursts of speed. The TRICK IS TO THANK THE LORD FOR LETTING YOU HAVE THE RIDE." I try each day to find joy in my journey. Some days I have to look a little harder than others but there is always something to be grateful for. I truly am blessed.

I Left Home For This!!!!!!

Jenny and Chris had scheduled a time to clear out a little room for Greg at Mom's house. They dropped the gentle hint that they would like for me to come........So on Sunday after church, I had to teach in Relief Society, we hopped in the car and drove to Idaho Falls. We even tried a new way thanks to Sr. Garmin. We arrived late that night and got up running the next day to work on Mom's house. We did that for three days straight. I know that she was raised during the depression and is uncooperative when we suggest getting rid of anything. I understand that, but there were a great many things that have outlived their usefulness. So under much duress, (Mom was not only not happy, I think she was angry) we started going through closets and cupboards and getting rid of things. I am the great "throw this away," kind of gal. Clutter makes me nervous and so Jenny and Chris would look at me, raise something up, and I would shake my head to chuck it!!!!!!! Poor Mom, she still hasn't forgiven me. But I tell you, she won't miss a thing that we got rid of. Who needs a trash can, I mean a big one, full of plastic lids with no bottoms? Bless her heart. She kept telling me that to throw things away meant that I would need them some day. Let's hope not! Anyway, I think this is all a life experience until my kids start throwing my treasures away! GET BACK....GET BACK!




Lee was always a big help as usual. He walks around with a big question mark above his head when we girls are together.



Who's idea was this anyway? Where is the love, where is the gratitude? You've got to be kidding!
It's not every grandmother that can sit in their grandchild's car seat!

On and On

I haven't blogged in awhile, just so busy with the every day things that are happening here. Last

week, Richard and I went to the cannery, (wet pack) here in Denver. I have been many times, but this time, about 15 of us mixed, stirred, heated, poured, canned, labeled, boxed, 5,000 cans of Tomato Soup, for the humanitarian efforts. It was really a lot of fun, but I will wait a few months to have tomato soup again. We have been working on the playhouse still, going to church, giving lessons, doing vting, cleaning house, exploring with Jacqui and the list goes on and on. We are waiting on Jenny and Paul to drive by on their way to Idaho, and start our first night as ordinance workers in the temple on Friday. I teach RS on Sunday and so I continue to study. Anyway, just to let you know why my blog has suffered. But I still love reading everyone elses.

I Do Have Friends

I have been in Denver now for 3 years. Can you believe that? So fast and so long all at the same time. I hated leaving my friends in Kansas City and still do, but the Lord has blessed me with some good friends here as well. I am part of a monthly book club that I love. There are about 18 of us and we read, share views, and eat lunch. Can't get better than that. This month we read "The Magic of Ordinary Days" and I loved it. One of the group found the Hallmark movie and soooooooo. LUNCH AT VERLINDA'S! Joan is Maldia's sister, Rhonda was the Stake RS president that I served with, and Cathy is a new friend from the ward. She is at least ten years younger than I am but has decided there must be something worthwhile in this old relic. We have the best time and laugh and laugh and laugh. This particular day we even had spitting out our water over a funny remark. So here is some of my new tender mercies.

Best Tio in the World

Jonathan has always wanted to be a good Tio and I think he may be reaching gigantic proportions. Whenever his "kids" come to town, he takes them swimming, plays games, wrestles, and is just all around a favorite person. He has always had a kind heart and that is more plain every day. With his job he ran into this old playhouse. He asked to take it to his home for his nieces. So for the past several weeks we have been cleaning, painting, and trying to remodel this awesome playhouse. The Conroys will be here in October and we can't wait. Jonathan and his dad have made a tire swing and he is hoping to put in a zip line! He is the next Uncle Dorin. He figures he will go from Tio to Legend. Reminds me of another King! (Uncle Mike)

Gotta Love Denver!

As we were walking downtown, right front and center a picture of NOBAMA! What can you expect from the convention site I guess.........................

This was awesome. People on the street playing chess. This man is waiting for a partner. Sixteen Street doesn't have any cars!

Walking downton and seeing all of the wonderful architecture. There are some really pretty buildings in Denver.

Shopping everywhere.

Now this reminded me of KC. Cows painted along the street. The Dixie Chicks!

Beautiful fountains and sculptures.

I'm not exactly sure but I think this is the capital. They say that the thirteenth step is exactly one mile above sea level. Thus the Mile High City..

There were beautiful flowers all over this downtown area.

Posing. Looks like they are having fun, huh?

Peace brother.

Beautiful building again.

Jacqui sporting an attitude. Actually, remember when she was a little girl and whenever she ate anything with red food coloring, her ears got beet red and started to put off heat? Well the sun does the same thing to her, thus the improvised hat. Cute!

Trying on hats. The next top super model!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See the architecture?

Almost done.

On Labor Day we decided to do something fun,(yes, Richard and Verlinda had the idea :) and spontaneous. We had heard about the Taste of Denver and decided to see what was there. Just let me tell you, that if the people we saw were a cross section of the United States, we are in major trouble!!!!!!!! Jonathan even told me at one time not to look around because there was a Latino Bandito (mafia in Tijuana) right behind me and he wouldn't hesitate to cut off my fingers. Then he happened to mention how one of those men dragged him into an alley in TJ...........Better that he told me now.

It was however a lot of fun. Three different stages with music playing. I think Herman and the Hermits had even been there. Dejavu..............We heard Bob Marley music, country, and Janis Joplin all in the same day.

Lots of food to be tasted but expensive. Lots of booths selling things and you know how I love looking at things. I think Jacqui got disgusted with me. I am a major "lookey loo," and love just seeing. No Richard, I didn't buy anything!

Then we walked down the Sixteenth Street Mall. Actually Denver's Downtown or LODO, is one of the best I have ever seen. There are blocks and blocks of great shopping and no cars allowed. I mean even TJ Maxx is down there. How much better can it get.

We ended up eating at ESPN. Jonathan's favorite place. All kinds of games going on, on big screens everywhere. We returned home and played Settlers of Catan. That was one of the things that Jaimie, Jacqui, and I are addicted to. Love family traditions. Thanks everyone for a great day.

I've Been What?

Yes, folks, I have been nominated for a blog award!!!!!!!!!! Imagine that. Of course, Caryn Beck, happens to be a favorite of mine from Janae's long list of friends. Anyway, I will be honored to pass on this award. Thank you so much Caryn, I can find joy in the littlest of things. You made my day.


I would like to nominate a few blogs and here I go. I guess that you put the logo on your blog, and then pass it on to 7 other blogs that you think are deserving and why. At the end you must write an acceptance speech and thank everyone and their mother for your nomination.


1. The first blog that I would nominate is my daughter, Jerianne. After all she is the one that got me hooked on blogging and kept encouraging me that I could do it. She has always been that way, encouraging and teaching an old dog who is trying to learn new tricks. She has listened to me endlessly on the phone, as I lament, cry, and beg for her to help. She is patient and kind, and always willing to do whatever I ask. This allows me to stay in touch with her and my grandchildren whom I adore. I can't forget Kelly! She is so smart and has such interesting entries, and has to her credit, started a family cookbook website. So Jerianne, this award is for you. Love You! You can find her at theconroys.blogspot.com Beautiful Life.


2. My second nominee would go to Emily Scharman. Her blog squeezescharmans.blogspot.com is called "Concrete Sequential" She is the wife of one of my favorite nephews, Clark. She is a professional blogger for sure. She always has such interesting entries and has such a way of wording things that my mother will even go to her blog just to see what she has to say. Her children will be forever grateful, because her blog is truly a journal. She is not afraid to share her real feelings and I feel like I learn from her. Great job Emily!


3. My third nominee is Sariah Spradling. Her blog is thespradling.blogspot.com and
she has an amazingly professional looking blog. Her husband is a young man who was our neighbor when he and Jonathan were young. I have had the pleasure of watching him grow up into a fine man and he has a wonderful family. I just really enjoy her blog and she has given me some hints about blogging with her layout sites. I love your blog, Sariah. Thank you for keeping us connected.


4. My fourth nomination would go to Megan Keck. You can find her blog at thekeck7.blogspot.com entitled , "In Between Days." She is one of my nieces and yes, she is another one of those talented Scharmans. She has some darling kids and I love to read her blog. She is so honest and upfront with some of her hilarious stories that it brings back many a memory of raising my own children. Keep them coming Megan. Any girl who can lay sod in Texas, deserves more than a blog award!


5. Janae Burkinshaw is my next nominee. Yes, she is my daughter and I love her, but I love reading her blog as well. You can find her at theburkinshaws.blogspot.com I am very grateful that she keeps her blog up because it again allows me to keep track of her and her wonderful children. It's hard when you don't live by your children. I can make sure that she is still standing and that my kids are well and strong. I love the pictures and her sharing her daily life with me. Thanks Janae, I love you. Besides, she gives me ideas for my house.:)


6. Jacqui Baer would be my next nominee. Yes, she is my other daughter. I am no dumb mom! :) I couldn't wait for her to update her blog when she was in Arizona. Now she lives here in Denver and things are even better. I get to see her live out her blog and there is nothing like it! And yes Jacqui, blogs are more fun with pictures. I am trying. You can see her blog at washthosehands.blogspot.com The Baers.


7. Last but not least, would be Liz Rosenbaum. She has such an amazing skill and talent with all that is involved in a blog. She is my cousin's daughter-in-law. She helped me through the scrapbooking phase and now gives me new ideas. She is a talented photographer and you can see her skill on her page. You can check out her blog at rosenbaumfamily.blogspot.com Life Is Simply Rosey.


So to all of you bloggers I say, "Way to go." I love blogging and it gives me a chance to keep a journal, which I have never before been able to do. I can't wait to make it into a book and hopefully some day, my children or grandchildren will see that I tried to do my best. For me there is , Magic In Ordinary Days.

Help HGTV.................

This is the shelf, however it is upside down :) Shhhhhhh!

I changed the mat and put ribbon around the picture to make it "match" a little bit more. We had a family home evening in 1992 and talked about the lost sheep and the shepherd. We all signed it and it is a treasure. Grandma Jardine happened to be with us then, so all of the signatures remain......

This is the wall that I need to put something on. Either Jacqui's shelf or a black and gold mirror that I am getting from Janae, what do you think?

My dresser. I love these pictures. Mom, can you see the cologne that you bought me? I love it more than any other perfume I have had. It is called, "Insolence," which I am not sure is wonderful but you should smell it! It is by Guerlain.

Is the piece above my bed too small? So many decisions.

The chairs that my Grandmother and Granddaddy have rocked many a child in. They are a treasure to me and sometimes I just sit in them and reminisce. I miss them so.

The picture on the table is of my folks when they were a little younger. What a studly pair!

I was out with Jacqui yesterday and we happened upon a sidewalk sale at a mall here in Denver. For those of you who know me I am a "looky loo," which means I could look at little stores for hours and never tire. Well, we happened upon this stand that sold OLD things. Jacqui found a tin mantle piece that was framed by distressed wood. She had the money to buy it! We brought it home and put it in my bedroom and she is going to have to fight me to get it out. I sent her back and asked if they would bring more with them in September. Keeping my fingers crossed. Why enter this in my blog? Because I have redecorated my bedroom and something is still not exactly right. I have watched HGTV design shows until my eyes are dry and I am still a little unsettled. Alright, so I did surround myself in MILK CHOCOLATE........Creamy, warm, flowing milk choc0late :) I actually bought my bedding first which is just like Jacqui's and Jaimie's. So I at least know that I am in with good bedding. Then according to my brother, I needed to make sure my oak furniture stood out and thus a darker color on the walls. Next I chose dark drapes, but they are see through and floaty.:) I didn't want to detract from the furniture and thus my dilemma. If you want to sleep, this is the room. Some people might think it is too dark. So in an effort to correct this, I am keeping Jacqui's beige shelf and hope it will complete the room. No one tell Jacqui. This is our little secret...........If you have any further suggestions, don't hesitate to tell me. I am teachable!!!!!!! I love working in my house. It reminds me of my grandmother Upchurch. We used to move her furniture around every week! No kidding....... And I learned about putting furniture "kitty kornered," nothing flat against a wall. She also had an alterior motive with the furniture moving. When Uncle Gary came in too late he would be a little confused in his "state," and inevitably trip. That way she could know when he came home. AHHHHH the memories. I love them.

Heart Of Gold

There is always a light moment with Jonathan involved. They all seemed to get into it as well.

Jacqui and Jonathan have always supported each other. Jacqui had worked all night long in labor and delivery and came straight from work to help out. She got to video and interview the boys and be a general cheerleader. They are trying to take Fastball nation wide and with the leagues come this service project.

Jaimie keeping the stats. She is always supporting Jonathan too. What a treasure she is. They are a good team.

Jonathan, encouraging, teaching and supporting. He truly has a gift with others.

Creed and I hanging out together. I got the best assignment out of the whole group!!! His dad will have him playing soon enough. I tease Jonathan and tell him that Creed will want to play the piano! His response, "No Way!"

This last Saturday, Jonathan and his friend Mike, put on a clinic (baseball of course) for a group of children and their sponsors who work with Big Brothers. Jonathan had signed up and worked with Big Brothers shortly after moving to Denver. So after starting this Fastball League with Mike, they have decided to do some community service. We got to help at their first clinic and it was a great opportunity. Jacqui came in from working at the hospital all night and we jumped in the car and headed to a part of Denver that we have never been in...........They had batting practice, pitching, catching, running and scrimmage opportunities. You could tell that a majority of these young boys knew nothing about baseball. After working with them for a couple of hours, they were darned excited about what they had done. Some of these young boys, could do very well, I told Jonathan he needed to be a mentor. Anyway, it was a wonderful opportunity, that they are going to continue doing and I think everyone was blessed to have been there. I know I was. Jonathan is actually amazing to watch with people. He has such a good heart and cares so about other people. Everyone relates to him and if he didn't need money, I could see him doing service full time and loving it. I am going to sit back and watch what the Lord does with him. Jaimie was every bit a partner. They had certificates for the boys, timed trials that she kept track of, drinks, and lots of cheering and support. They are a wonderful pair. I am blessed.

HERE'S TO ALL OF US FIRECRACKERS!!!!

Didn't I used to change their diapers? What happened?

July is one of the months of birthdays for our family. Navie starts it out by being born on the fourth of July! She really is a firecracker and we all love her. Then comes my mom next being born on the 6th, I blogged about her a little earlier, she also is a firecracker times two........Then comes our newest firecracker Jaimie Lynn Jardine......Her birthday is on the 16th just before mine. We were excited to be able to celebrate with her this year. We are very grateful to have her in our family and she fits in so well, sorry Jaimie. She is beautiful, as are all my girls, and she is sweet, fun, a hard worker, talented, and so good as a mom and wife. I could go on but I must leave some mystery as to how I feel about her, right??????? Happy Birthday Jaimie! We love you!!!!!

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, THANKS RICHARD!

This was a praticularly hard birthday for me. Just saying the number brings back math class in my mind, where diarrhea was my constant friend......Going to the board and not being able to do the problem, you get the picture. So thank heavens Richard surprised me and took me to Steamboat Springs. It was absolutely beautiful, green, fresh mountain air and so many fun things to do. I really didn't concentrate on being older for one second and now I can pretend it just didn't happen.:)

As we are there, I am thinking this is the perfect place for our family reunion next year.......

A view of the ski runs from far away.....

People floating down the Yampa River. So much fun. You can put in all long this river and it actually flows all the way to Craig from Steamboat.

There is a rodeo on Friday and Saturday nights all through the summer season. It was beautiful sitting out in the cool mountain air and watching those crazy boys "cheat injury," one more time. I know Buddy will like this little stop.

I think he's saying to us, "Go ahead, make my day!"

The children's pee wee chase. See the little calf over by the wall with a red ribbon on his tail? The little boy in the middle of the picture, almost by himself, with a blue shirt and white cowboy hat, one the prize. We think someone coached him?

We rode the gondola up to the top of the mountain. It was so pretty. I am sure that Daddy would not be looking down. How about you Buddy? Once you get up this high, there are hiking trails and bike trails and a ton of people taking advantage of them. I would like to be in shape enough on my NEXT birthday to do it myself.

The botanical gardens. We were on the lookout for new groundcover :)
So these are just a few of the things you can do here. I got all of the information and am sending a packet to all of the family. There is an alpine slide, a beautiful little spot out in the middle of nowhere that has five hot pools. There is kayaking, atv's, motorcycles, golfing, hiking, biking, shows, and last but not least, shopping. So stay tuned all of you Messick's, we are going to have a party!!!!!