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!!!!!

RUN! IT MUST BE THE END OF THE WORLD.....

Always a rainbow at the end of the storm.....

Actual water running in the streets!! This is too good to be true!

One of the things that I miss most about good old Kansas City is a rainstorm.....Ah, thunder, lightning, huge and long rainstorms. It just makes me homesick thinking about them. In Denver, every afternoon it looks like it could rain, and does, every 6". That is, it rains one drop every 6 inches apart. That's It! So we are sitting around the table here and all of a sudden it sounds like rain. Actual thunder and lightning! I run and open the door and get my camera because I want to document this for my own recolletion. Actual rain. We all stood outside in the garage and just soaked it in. Of course, this was the one night that we had plans. There was a banjo concert in the park and we were on our way! DELIVERANCE!!! One side of my face is happy (rain), one side of my face is sad (no concert) at the same time. I looked wonderful........Jonathan said, "Mom just wait a minute, nothing will be cancelled. Lo and behold, I remember this isn't KC and we wait ten minutes. On to the concert! The end of the world abated for one more day :)

Jonathan, in his role as a pack horse. How many more children are you going to have? :) Jacqui talking to the professional about strings, music lessons, etc. Notice she is from the South with her gesturing and all.....

KISSING COUSINS!

I didn't know I had an Uncle Bill and Auntie Pat......Yes, Creed, everyone loves you!

My cousin, Patricia Ann Cassidy, Vary, was so kind and sweet to come and stay with us on her way home. She and her husband, Bill, had been to Oregon for a long vacation and so we were able to see them for an overnight visit. I really appreciate you Pat, for making and taking the time to stop over. We don't get to see each other that much and it was a wonderful opportunity to catch up. I remember being younger and standing on Grandmother's porch with Pat, Mickey, and David. My how the time has flown. Now we are both grandmothers ourselves and with just a little water under the bridge.:) If you can't tell, Pat is over 6' and has always been so striking. Everyone else is jealous of her stature, and she sure wears it well. We reminisced about our"past life," of sitting out in the road and smoking grape vines!!!!!! My kids are still choking, roasting red hot dogs, sitting on back of the tractor and counting the cows, taking baths outside in the freezing water, the old hand water pump, Aunt Martha's fried potatoes, and everything else she grew that was amazing. We talked about Grandmother, parties in her yard, how she liked to cook, and so many more things. Isn't family wonderful? There is nothing to replace it so ,thank you Pat. We will always be family.

CHOO, CHOO!

Christmas in July, still a little snow in the mountains. Ah but that lovely, mountain air!

Beautiful Streams all through our train ride and around the loop in the car. Daddy was so funny, he never looked to the right or left, just straight ahead. I would have noticed but I was cowering in the back floor board.

This old bridge has been refurbished but was built in the l800's for the miners and product from Georgetown to Silvermine..................What a view, and look maw, no top...........

All decked out and ready to ride the train......Richard is still a Chief's fan. We actually met a few others.

Mom and Dad waiting for the train. That water was cold!

Can you see the little chipmunk on the ledge of the rock? This one is for my grandchildren. We love little animals, right Taryn?

Mom and Dad stayed a couple of days after they got back from Mike's. So we decided to be brave and have an adventure. We decided to go to Georgetown and ride the train to the silvermine. It was beautiful outside and we had a great time.