Montana Public radio Week

This has been a crazy week for me . . .Montana Public radio is having their Spring Fundraiser this week.  I have been working early mornings and pitching with Michael , our program director.  I have been tackling big Spring Cleaning tasks and I started Visalus Shakes. . . twice a day, I am trying to lose weight.  We will see how it goes!

It is such a great place to be a part of. . .so many great things about Montana Public radio.  I am a little biased since I have worked there for 10 years but its a great place.

here is my sweet Sabra who is now 4 and sporting her Montana Public Radio Shirt.

and here is Odette, who is now 10 and really doing well,

We recently had an amazing trip to the carousel. . .Odette had so much fun!!  She just squealed with glee as we went around in circles!!

The Oyster

Sometimes I think everyone feels this way. . .


The Oyster

There once was an oyster
Whose story I'll tell,
Who found that some sand
Had worked under his shell.
Just one little grain
But it gave him a pain,
For Oysters have feelings that are very plain.
Now did he berate
This working of fate,
That left him in such a deplorable state?
Did he curse the government,
Call for an election,
And say that the sea
Should have some protection?
No! He said to himself
As he sat on the shelf, "Since I cannot remove it,
I think I'll improve it."
Well, years passed by,
As years always do,
Till he came to his destiny,
Oyster stew!
But the small grain of sand
That bothered him so
Was a beautiful pearl
All richly aglow.
Now this tale has moral,
For isn't it grand,
What an oyster can do
With a small grain of sand?
And what couldn't we do
If we'd only begin
With all of the things
That get under our skin?

Author Unknown

January 2010

Well, its 2010 and I am 36 years old. My friends Rachel, Heather, Joan and my cousin Elizabeth came over . . .I am truly amazed. . .we had cake, peanut butter and chocolate ice cream, I watched the movie Up and Serendipity and made a couple necklaces!

Forgiveness is an amazing and powerful thing. It really can heal the soul.

I like this poem.

Let each man learn to Know himself

Let each man learn to know himself;
To gain this knowledge, let him labor,
Improve those failings in himself
Which he condemns so in his neighbor.
How lenient out own faults we view,
And Conscience' voice adroitly smother;
But oh! how harshly we review
The self-same errors in another!

And if you meet an erring one
Whose deeds are blamable or thoughtless,
Consider, ere you cast the stone,
If you yourself be pure and faultless.
Oh! list to that small voice within,
Whose whisperings oft make men confounded,
And trumpet not another's sin, You'd blush deep if your own were sounded.

And in self-judgement, if you find
Your deeds to others are superior,
To you has Providence been kind,
As you should be to those inferior:
Example sheds a genial ray
Of light which men are apt to borrow:
So, first improve yourself today,
And then improve your friends tomorrow.

Author Unknown

In my personal opinion my personal improvement and my children's is enough to keep me busy for all eternity and never give anything else out to anyone. :)

Sabra's 2nd Birthday Celebration

Sabra and I didn't get a real celebration for her 2nd birthday because of lots of things but we came home and Grandma Gigi and Grandma Vickie wanted to do it up so, Heather Jensen Graham also joined us. . .we ate cupcakes and opened presents. Here are the amazing pics.

Tree Decorating 2009

Sabra and I decorated the tree tonight! Heather J was here taking pictures and hanging out. we listened to awesome Christmas music and got all three trees up . . .now just for outside lights!

Christmas 2009

Seattle was so exhausting but so important for my brother Bud, Sabra and Odette and myself to be together and work together.

Sabra saying Good Job

Seriously I think she came out with her very own agenda :)

I say good job to her but she will color for a bit then just yell it, its quite entertaining hehe.

What an amazing little girl!

Happy October!!

Here was the group of us that came over for conference.

Sabra is getting ready for Halloween!

She is growing so fast and learning new words constantly!

She eats like it is going out of style and truly loves her sister!

We visit Grandma Cleyone often and she cries almost every time we leave.

Odette, and I were sick for about two weeks, throwing up and stuff coming out the other end as well. . .she was so patient and loving when she knew I needed to Hold Odette because she wasn't feeling well.

We had a group of the Singles over here for the 179th General Conference. It was great to be able to share what we were learning from the prophets. We ate awesome food. I made a pork roast with a cinnamon rub and some peas with dill. everyone brought something, pasta salad, rolls, fruit salad, mashed potatoes and gravy and even dessert, and drinks.

I printed off some things from lds.org with a picture of each of the speakers and some writing space by each one so we could take notes. There were so many inspiring and great speakers. It was awesome to be able to hang out with other people in the church and discuss our thoughts and observations, but we mainly listened and took notes.

Lawn Care and Gardening and the like

Sabra seems to enjoy watering more than I do. . .weeds are something that is quite a pain . . . she waters, I weed. . . .I planted a hummingbird and flower garden but we are still waiting for those flowers to grow.

I had a Zucchini plant that was growing in a pot right on my deck and the 102 degree weather killed it!

I thought this poem was quite telling. . .

Flower in the Crannied Wall

Flower in the crannied wall

I pluck you out of the crannies,

I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,

Little Flower--but if I could understand

What you are, root and all, and all in all,

I should know what God and Man is.

Alfred Lord Tennyson

June 10--Miss Odette's 7th Amazing Birthday

Well, I truly cannot believe my sweet daughter is Seven. . . .well I know Heavenly Father has big plans for her. . .I am blessed to be her Mom!

We had a party with her kindergarten class and a party with grandma's aunts and cousins at the carousel. . . then we had another one with friends.

She definitely deserved every moment of every one.

I really like this poem. . .

A Little Prayer

That I may not in blindness grope,

But that I may with vision clear

know when to speak a word of hope

Or add a little wholesome cheer.

That tempered winds may softly blow

Where little children, thinly clad,

Sit dreaming, when the flame is low,

Of comforts they have never had.

That through the year which lies ahead

No heart shall ache, no cheek be wet,

For any word that i have said

or profit I have tried to get.

S.E. Kiser

New Skirts & 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

I am learning to sew. . .and have sewn 2 skirts for each of the girls. . .I am working on more. . .and maybe even shirts which match? (hehe)Will load pictures :)

The day to day routine has slightly changed. . .Ashley ahs left us and its me and the girls each morning which has been so much fun. . .

Sabra is talking a mile a minute. . .pointing chattering about everything under the sun. . .her favorite newest word is up.

This is one of my newest favorite scriptures 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love I havebecome a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Thursdays And Chris G.

Here is our amazing Occupational Therapist, Chris Graden. She comes and does craft projects with Odette as well as play computer games with switches.

Saturdays!

Grandma Cleyone and Grandma Vickie come and visit and play while I run errands and finish household organization projects. Thank heaven for Grandmas. . .I am lucky my kids have such great ones! I miss mine dearly.

I found this poem, my mother would sing it to us whenever we would go to my Dad's parents house in Eugene. . . it was a great old farm.

Over the river and through the woods
To grandmother;s house we go;
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh,
Through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the woods,
Oh, how the wind doth blow!
It stings the toes
And bites the nose
As over the ground we go.

Over the river and through the woods,
Now grandmother's house I spy!
Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

Author unknown

Friday

We love to color but most times. . . chewing on crayons becomes the theme! :)

Silly girls in the tub :)

Getting Clean . . .part of the morning routine.

I liked this poem. . . .

Always Finish

If a task is once begun

Never Leave it till it's done.

Be the Labor great or small,

Do it well or not at all.

Unknown author

Hope

Sabra found this on the floor and wouldn't set it down :) I had to take a picture. My kids are amazing in every way!

Walking on Sunshine on Wednesdays!

Walking On Wednesdays!!


So Miss Sabra really likes to push her sister around in her walker, so Grandma's (Vickie and Cleyone) bought her the cutest baby stroller. She was pushing that thing around like crazy today as well as helping her sister cruise around too.

The next picture is of Paula (Odette's Physical therapist) doing some "container play" before they started the grand tour of walking all over the living room!
Paula visits us on Wednesdays quite typically. . . we have had illnesses and she has been out of town so this is the first visit in 3 weeks! So happy to have her back!

This picture is from a previous day walking around. . . because I was videoing the walking, the camera died! Isn't that typical ? But, oh yeah we have so much fun in these parts :)!!

So here is the cutest video of Odette talking :)Sabra has been doing a very funny sniff and of course she would not do it for the camera but she definitely gurgled and cooed alot. . .. very precious. Little things are the very sweetest.

I like this poem alot.

Little Things

by Julia Fletcher Carney

Little drops of water,

Little grains of sand,

Make the mighty ocean

And the pleasant land. . .

Little deeds of kindness,

Little words of love,

Help to make earth happy

Like the heaven above.

New seat for wheelchair

Sabra was awfully into the box that the new wheelchair seat came in! At least, until I got out the camera. . . . isn't that how it always goes?

Tamara Kittleson Aldred is an occupational therapist who is no longer practicing who donates her time to helping families of disabled children get specific equipment, everything we have for Odette's needs has been through her when she worked for M.A.P. and even currently on her own time. She has a non profit called Eleanor's Project which is named after her daughter and she takes older equipment to third world countries. Well, that is the short version :). She has done alot for our family and has made life for Odette so much easier.

This is Kurt, the Handyman from Norco who does almost all of the fittings for Odette's wheelchair, her stander, her walker and her bath chair.

Tuesdays

On Tuesdays, Ashley is here from 9-12 to help with Odette so Sabra can have my full attention, yes they both need it :) Sabra is starting to venture a little bit more. . . .makes things easier to get errands ran and school work if I need to get it done.

Kelly N. is Odette's speech therapist and comes on Tuesdays as well, works on feeding issues and signing and using the tech 8 to make choices and point at what she wants.

I am greatful for both of their contributions. As you can tell Sabra and Odette love them very much too.

The Smitten Image: Out of Molehills

The Smitten Image: Out of Molehills