Grandma & Grandpa K

Book of Mormon Quilt

2012-01-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

The first block is Lehi's Dream. It puckered when I added the iron rod so I will have to change that. I wanted the colors to portray a dream like quality.

The second block is the Liahona. Yes, it does look like a Christmas ornament. sigh. I wanted to use the Aztec fabric to look South American. I will write or embroider I will since that was the 'attention getter' for the lesson. I use them in my Gospel Doctrine class. I think it will make a nice wall hanging when I am finished with the class. Or maybe I will enter it in the Church's international Art competition.

Anniversary

2012-01-17T15:50:00.000-08:00

We had our 34th anniversary.

We went to see the movie "We bought a Zoo!" a very fun love story.

We ate dinner at 10 Depot. We had the special; prime rib gravy over noodles and a green salad. We each had dessert; I had blueberry cheesecake and Bruce had a chocolate, raspberry tart.

Grandchildren Visiting

2011-12-27T15:31:00.000-08:00

Thea, 3 years young, is singing "Do you see what I see?"

Her favorite color is "boo".

She was playing with the magnets, building something & I asked this sweet, pretty little girl what she was making. She said 'a gun'. Ben says 'she is pretty but deadly.'

I asked Wyatt if he wanted a tuna fish, peanut butter or egg salad sandwich. He replied, " cheese".

The boys all made paper targets to shoot Uncle Luke's pellet gun. Thea made a sweet little, rabbit, Wyatt made random circles, Matt made a target with descending circles and Luke made the rear end of a cow with a tail and Wyatt insisted it was the cow's pee pee. sigh

So what did you do today?

Finished Fountain

2011-10-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

Ta daa! The Eagle has landed.

We had the interview for the paper.

It should appear in the paper soon.

We need to write thank -you cards.

Soccer season is finished so that should happen in the near future.

sigh

Halloween 2011 Costumes

2011-10-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

We are a happy family!

Soccer Team

2011-10-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

Coach Bruce made dinner for the soccer team. He made lasagna, pizza, salad, French bread, lemon bars & white chocolate chip cookies.

They like to have a meal before the home game.

We played Mac High and lost 5-1. We ran out of subs & Andrew wasn't playing because of a red card.

I have been sewing costumes for the high school musical and we did a photo shoot that night.

I posted photos on the costume blog and on face book. Three more pirates were added.

sigh

Halloween Movies

2011-10-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

Just ordered some DVD's for Halloween.

Our VHS died so we need some new old movies to watch.

The ones we like best:

Arsenic and Old Lace (Cary Grant, Peter Lorre & Raymond Massey)

Death on the Nile (the costume award winning one with Peter Ustinov, Bette Davis, George Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, David Niven & Jack Warden, 1978)

Hocus Pocus with Bette Midler

Waiting patiently for them to arrive!

Andrew Burrito

2011-10-06T06:47:00.001-07:00

After seeing Sadie & Zach wrapped, Andrew wanted to try it.

Here he is! Ta Daa!

Eagle Has Landed

2011-09-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

Andrew and his dad finished the Eagle Project! boo Rah

It works too.

Laying Brick

2011-09-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

Andrew helped Rick lay bricks for the drinking fountains. They were heavy. The bricks were left over from the new Otec building. They are beautiful.

New Baby

2011-08-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

Got to help and play

with the grandkids all day.

Two boys and two girls

and one grandma with curls.

Picking blueberries & blackberries

oh what a whirl!

Smiling faces,

were all in our places.

Good morning to you!

Riding in a Model A

2011-08-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

Brother Dick & Ella Mae MCCellan came over on Sunday and took Andrew and Quentin Durfee for a ride in their Model A. It was their 50 year wedding anniversary gift. They rode all around La Grande.

Eagle Project

2011-08-09T09:43:00.001-07:00

Andrew had 5 Scouts show up on Saturday morning to help them do their Eagle Project. Michael Queebeman, Parker & Gentry Berry, & Dereck Huntsman, were the happy helpers. Andrew had already marked off & sprayed a white line for the pipes. Bruce used the ditch digger to dig a ditch & then the Scouts hand dug the hole for the main line. The digging took 6 hours. The ground was very hard. We went back in the evening and filled in the ditch. Howard Houck did the plumbing for us.

Eagle Project

2011-08-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

Andrew & his dad are working on their Eagle Project. They are putting in 2 drinking fountains at LMS. One by the shed and one by the bleachers.

High Adventure

2011-08-02T18:46:00.000-07:00

Andrew and 3 other scouts, his dad & Bro Isaacson went to the coast for thier high adventure this year. They played laser tag in Portland, went out in a boat in the bay crabbing, camped in tents, fished off the reef & played in the sand.

New Washer

2011-07-18T08:38:00.000-07:00

We got our new washer on Friday. It is a front loader. It is supposed to cost only $8 a year, very energy efficient. We like all the push buttons.

Dan & Heidie Reception in La Grande

2011-07-18T08:16:00.001-07:00

We had a small reception in La Grande in the pavilion. We used Verl's fountain, our trellis, Ernie's mints, Jean's cake, and Heidie's colors.

I liked the watermelon hearts, the sequin plant shoes, the cream puffs, Ernie's cream cheese mints and all the smiles.

Hallie

2011-07-05T21:20:00.001-07:00

Hallie has joined our family! She is 2 years old and weighs less than 25 lbs.

She belonged to Dan/Heidi and now we have her while they are in school.

She loves our back yard.

She likes to play fetch.

She sleeps in the kitchen.

She likes to go for walks. She loves to play. She is a riot in the morning.

She sheds all over the place. She is not allowed on the furniture.

She is staking out the territory.

She is an Shiba Inu.

Wedding Reception in Medford

2011-06-30T11:32:00.001-07:00

Dan & Heidie's wedding reception was a princess theme. Blue triangle flags greeted us at the entry way. Decorations were a wishing well, a frog prince, and 4 fake indoor trees in a row. The guest registration was a photo book of Dan & Heidie that we could sign. I liked that idea!

They had a lowered, draped ceiling with plastic & green netting. We will use the green netting here.

Heidie loves plants & she wanted shamrocks (her favorite plant, but they couldn't find any this time of year) so they used Nasturtiums for the centerpieces in pretty glass jars. The tables were covered with white table cloths & blue & green satin fabric with the plants in the middle.

The quilt in the back ground behind the cake was made by Heidie's Aunt Shelly. I love the colors which matched Heidie's colors.

Chicken salad sandwiches, mints were served with a pretty serve your self lemon flavored water fountain that changed lights. The young girls dressed like princesses. Disney music played in the background & then a DJ came & the Single's branch had a nice dance. It was a fun, pleasant evening for us. We will be stressed at our wedding reception next week.

Oreo's on Bob's Bench

2011-06-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

This is Grandpa Bob's bench at Lithia Park in Ashland, OR. We are eating his favorite cookie, Oreo's. We are also killing time while waiting for the wedding reception.

The boys had a race to the top of the jungle toy.

Dan and Heidie's Wedding

2011-06-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

Dan and Heidie were married in Medford, Oregon. See how happy they are! They opened the temple special for the sealing.

All our fam was there except Crystal who was in Taiwan. She had an excused absence.

We had fun taking boy band photos of the bros while they were taking photos of Dan & Heidie.

Heidie's mom, Debbie & a friend made the dress! She is gorgeous!

Heidie made her bouquet with calla lilies and feathers. It is fun!

Debbie made all the ties, vests and brides maids skirts too.

I made my skirt out of vintage fabric I had.

Dan & Heidie enjoy your new life together forevah!

Build Your Own Log Cabin

2011-06-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

Just finished this quilt top.

Got the free pattern here: http://genea-quilters.blogspot.com

I switched the colors around to fit some upcoming wedding colors.

I really like the big blocks and the log cabin pattern goes together fast.

New Fence

2011-06-17T16:32:00.001-07:00

Bruce has been busy building a fence to let the sun in and keep our new grandog out. We are inheriting Dan's Japanese Shiba Inu.

Inu is the Japanese word for dog, the Shiba Inu was bred to hunt and flush small game, such as birds and rabbits.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We will bring her home next week after the wedding.

She is a good dog and we are excited to add her to our fam.

Her name is Hallie.

Last Eighth Grade Choir Performance

2011-06-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

Andrew sang in surround sound with the middle school choir. The group came into the audience and sang their hearts out. They were good too!

They did a song with clapping and turning. It was a great performance. Mr. Van Vickle was the director. Well done!

Dan & Heidie's Wedding Reception Ideas

2011-05-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

Heidie's colors are turquoise and green. They are beautiful together. She is doing a Disney princess theme too. I found some stuff at yard sales this week that we might use at the reception in July. The garland is a beaded garland and I thought it looked like something a princess might have. We can put a bowl of fruit on the green chair. I also found a cement frog for the garden that was fun so I might sneak that in somewhere.

Crys and Alan at the Portland Temple

2011-05-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

Crys and Alan were sealed in the Portland Oregon temple at 1 pm on a Friday afternoon. My mom was there and all the brothers! Robert and his family stayed long enough for photos and then left to take baby Zach to the ER room. He wasn't breathing right and just laying in his arms. We found out later he has asthma. More pictures to come as these were just some Bruce took.

2011-05-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the tea Ceremony gave us a few fun photos.

We loved the dragon at their home.

Crys and Alan knelt before us and presented us with 2 cups of tea on a plate. We each took a sip. As we returned it to them we wished them 1000 years of happiness and a child to be born the first year. They knelt before the couples that were older than them.

We were then fed a wonderful feast of fried rice, noodles, pork, spongy coconut cookie things, egg rolls & fortune cookies.

Kitchen

2011-05-13T14:26:00.001-07:00

Here are the before and after photos of the kitchen.

Bruce fixed the cover for the drawer next to the dishwasher.

We took part of the hanging utensils down.

I made a space for the dish drainer under the sink.

We left an open shelf above the cabinets.

Bruce painted all the walls.

Ta daa!

Chinese Wedding Reception

2011-05-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

As part of our only daughter's wedding we attended a Chinese 8 course meal in Seattle, WA. There were 350 in attendance.

Alan San Lee Crys' husband's grandfather had 3 wives. The grandfather came from Cambodia to America and earned enough money and sent for his family of 200. The reception invites all the descendants. It was loud & fun! They did Chinese karaoke.

We ate at the House of Hong.

The American tables had Won Ton soup, egg rolls, sweet & sour pork, Sweet & sour chicken, Chinese noodles, coconut shrimp with sugared walnuts, & Red Bean soup, and a coconut cookie.

The Chinese tables got Won ton soup, lobster, pigeon, a whole Talapia (fish), fried rice and the other stuff we got. The Chinese bring red envelopes with money and the Anglos bring gifts from the couples registration at Target and other stores.

The couple cut a 3 tier cake and we got a piece of that. The wedding couple sang a song in Chinese and Alan's mother & father sang a song. Our son Dan and his fiancée, Heidie sang "Beauty & the Beast" in English.

During the meal the parents of the couple & the couple go around to each table and "toast" the people at each table and say "thank -you for coming" & click glasses.

Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

Only 3 Easter bunny baskets used this morning.

http://lds.org/pages/mormon-messages-gallery?lang=eng

A short, visual for Easter morning. So many of our youth do not know this story.

I love the clothing used in the scenes. Wish I could touch the fabrics.

Garden Maze

2011-04-21T22:03:00.001-07:00

Finally finished Garden Maze quilt top after 3 years!

It is bright orange & green with black zig zag. It is a bright orange hibiscus flower pattern. I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone when I made this. It is queen size.

Sister Barbara Thompson

2011-04-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

Five friends & I went to Nyssa, ID on Saturday to hear Barbara Thompson, 2 nd counselor in the General Relief Society speak (that is our women’s group at church) at a combined 3 Stake women’s conference.

Sis Thompson received a bachelors degree in social work from Brigham Young University and later, she received a masters degree in social work from the University of Utah. She served a mission in Germany & then worked in social work for the Utah Department of Human Services for 30 years. After retiring, she served as the executive director of The Christmas Box International, an international organization that serves abused and/or neglected children. (Wikipedia)

Sis Thompson talked about the Donner party (look it up on Wikipedia, excellent reading) of 90 people that were caught in a snow storm for several months (resorted to cannibalism) and only about 40 people survived. One of the journals read, Virginia Reed “Don’t take no short cuts.”

Sis Thompson told us about Moses 6:32 Enoch, choosing to serve & flee obstacles. Moses 7 talks about Zion and how to become a Zion people, how to have a City of Holiness. She discussed Alma 30 & how Korihor lead away women so we need to protect ourselves. We then listed the usual ways:

Scripture Study ~ read 2 Nephi 32 to “feast upon the words of Christ”

Prayer ~ Alma 34, pray over your houses, crops and you will have power over your enemies

Temples ~ She said people came 20 hours to get to the temple in El Salvador & couldn’t get in as it was full and too busy, they were turned away. They are now building more temples there. D&C 97 says the temple is a place of thanksgiving, of instruction & you can understand the ministry. She said in John A Widstoe’s talk Oct 1920 it talks about how to get revelation in or out of the temple.

FHE

Keep the commandments

Magnify your calling

Service ~ Stay close to the Lord by doing service

She told us to listen to Virginia Reed & “Stay on the path”. She said we can be like Moses and walk with god. She called us “precious daughters”. She said President Monson prays for the women in the church. She wants us to build a City of Holiness so we can have safety forever.

Following her talk La Crecia & I went up to speak to her. She gave us a hug. She asked where we were from and we told her La Grande and she said we must be having fun & I said shopping and donuts. She said she liked donuts too.

Afterward we went to Jo Ann’s fabric & then ate at Denny’s & finally, alas we had to come home…

Soccer

2011-04-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Andrew loves to play soccer! He is a defender, a sweeper. They had 2 games on Saturday, one won, one lost. They played Milton Freewater & Boardman.

New Railings

2011-04-15T14:39:00.001-07:00

Hurshel put in our new hand rails. We will paint them black with metal paint. We are going to plant climbing cucumbers on both sides.

Vintage Wedding Centerpeices

2011-04-08T14:55:00.001-07:00

We have been collecting red/grey vintage items for Crys wedding on April 29th. The reception in here will be May 3rd, Tuesday. We are going to set up 8 tables with lace tablecloths and then assorted vintage items in res & grays and silver. Alan likes cameras, I like toys and Crys likes vintage.

New Look in the Kitchen

2011-04-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

We (meaning Bruce) are painting the walls in the kitchen!

We thought he should change the thin paneling above the cupboard and put up sheet rock.

I think we should leave it open, now that I look at it.

We can only do part as the other side is the cold air return for the furnace.

I think it would open up the room more, but I don't want to dust the stuff on top...

What do you think?

Wedding Stuff

2011-04-06T16:54:00.001-07:00

We have been collecting vintage items for wedding centerpieces. Crystal is getting married in the Portland temple the end of this month.

I traded for this lamp and purchased the feathers in Boise.

The lamp is electric. I love the crystals, me and Pollyanna.

the Agony and the Ecstasy

2011-04-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

We (meaning Bruce) and me supervising, painted the ceiling. It is white and will match the trim. Oh Happy Day! Leonardo Da Vinci watch out!

Yard Sale Stuff

2011-03-19T09:35:00.001-07:00

Went sailing with Carol this morning. I found a red candle stick toy telephone & 2 silver picture frames for Crys wedding centerpieces.

I got a leather tape measure holder for B cause he keeps losing his...

I got an old metal washer with a wooden dowel, it is what they used when they had the metal tubs to wash laundry in by hand.

The camera I traded with a friend and it will be part of the centerpieces for the wedding. Only 2 sales this morning, it was fun!

Crys Wedding Gowns

2011-03-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the vintage wedding dress Crys has ordered for the Portland Oregon temple & reception in La grande in May.

Here is the finished traditional Chinese dress she will wear to the Chinese tea Ceremony and the 10 course meal reception in Seattle. It has dragons and phoenixes on it which is what the females wear. They are having 3 little girl traditional red Chinese dresses made for Sadie, Thea and Alan's niece. Can't wait to see them!

First Dance

2011-03-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

Whoa! Andrew danced 20 times at his first church dance! We cut his hair. He polished his shoes. He turned 14 and he is ready to dance.

Quilt tops

2011-03-08T07:39:00.001-08:00

Here are two tops I have been working on. I finished the red/ black/ white Drunkard's path and will use it as a wedding present. We have four weddings coming up. The other top (not quilted yet) is Amazing Mazes. It is a four part log cabin rotated. I like the geometric look. I think I will put flannel on the back and it will be a cozy lap quilt.

NEW FURNACE! Ta Daa!

2011-03-03T07:30:00.000-08:00

Our old furnace died & we now have a new furnace! The old one was 40 years old & we could have replaced the motor for $200. We opted to update the heating system & save on our monthly gas bill. The house does seem to heat up faster. It has a digital power thermostat too. Are we new age or what?

One of the pipes had holes in it where it had rusted through. That may have been the cause of my headaches!

T & T were the company we used. They responded in a timely manner, were very knowledgeable and not too expensive! (Albeit one of the T's is going on a Caribbean cruise with his wife this week.) We will replace the water heater after the two weddings this spring & summer...

Pillage the Village

2011-02-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

Andrew and Bruce went to the annual Klondike Derby this weekend which consists of camping in the snow in the mountains in snow caves (if you are brave enough). Since they did not get a chance to dig a snow cave the week before they spent the night in a tent.

Which is better?

Well, that depends on which you value most, your mental or physical safety. In a snow cave the temperature will be at least 32 degrees and if you dig it right it can be warmer than that, so if you have good equipment, it is relatively comfortable. On the other hand you are sleeping below several feet of snow in a confined space which can “weigh” on your mind during the night. In a tent the temperature will be the same as the outside, you won’t have several feet of snow above you and you better have great gear or you will freeze! Friday night it was -15 degrees in their tent. Yes they will get a sub zero patch!

They had 6 inches of straw under the tent to insulate them from the snow and each had a hi tech sleeping pad, two sleeping bags and wool hats. When they got up in the morning they touched the side of the tent and got snowed on. Their breath had condensed and frozen on the sides of the tent.

Why would anyone do this?

So the kids can compete in the Klondike Derby.

This year the theme was “Pillage the Village.” Each patrol of boys had to complete 5 activities that challenged their scout skills, team work and scout spirit. The activities were:

Storming the wall: They had to get each other over an 8 foot wall using a rope and three staves.
The siege: They had to build a catapult and launch frozen soccer balls at each other.
Breaking the gate: They had to rig up a battering ram and smash through a pallet.
Smash into the treasury: They had to chop their way through a 4 foot 2x12.
Roast the ox: They had to build a fire in the snow that would melt a piece of twine 4 feet above the ground.

Viking Mistress Chris Quebbeman sewed white horns on the snow hats for her fellow Vikings.

Andrew is 14!!

2011-02-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

Andrew is 14!!!

He is excited to go to dances! He has been practicing.

He will be ordained a Teacher on Sunday.

He is going to go on the Klondike camp out this Friday. He and his dad are excited to get the sub zero patch. (does not sound like fun to moi)

He loves to play basketball and he practices hard each practice.

He has red braces.

He requested lasagna for his birthday dinner.

He got new snow boots (sz 11) and wool pants for the winter camp out.

He loves to read, Alex Rider books, the Owls of Gahool series and he enjoys the water bending DVD's that Robert got us hooked on last summer.

We love ourAndrew, oh yes we do, we love our Andrew and we'll be true!

Riverside Park Pavilion Gone

2011-02-14T10:07:00.000-08:00

Riverside Park Pavilion burnt down on Saturday. We have used that place for church meetings, Fundraisers, School district picnics, Scouts, Quilt meetings, & wedding receptions. It is used a lot by the community. They are going to rebuild but because of new codes they won't replace roof with a cedar roof. A man we talked to said there was a brand new lawn mower that was just purchased and waiting to be used. They think it was the furnace that started the fire.

Stuff

2011-02-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

I am wondering what we have done in the past couple of weeks. We tell the children we keep busy, but when we look at notes for the last week, it seems like we haven't accomplished anything.

So here is a list of the nothing we have been doing:

Basketball - M, T, Th nights and tournaments on the week end

Scouts - Wednesday evenings

Subbing - I sub, Bruce subs, we all sub, hurray!

Mary Kay party

an 80th birthday celebration for Archie and his fam

Quilting for RS

Haircut for moi

a baptism

endless meetings for church

Subbing in Primary

sometimes cleaning the house, but not really

sewing quilt tops for art exhibits

What I Did for Love

2011-01-21T08:42:00.000-08:00

Here is the quilted Wall Hanging I am entering for the Arts East Exhibit in February. The theme is "What I Did for Love". We get full price this time. It is paper pieced with vintage charms on it, a watch face, a love bug pin, one of those American flag pins from safety pins, a life Scout pin, a key pin and key hole. I stitched Chocolate, family and service in the white spaces.

I also am just about finished my BOM (block of the month) Fairy Tales, one block to go. I am a year behind... I used as many buttons as I could find instead of sewing as I really like buttons. I need a mushroom button for Red Riding Hood. Click on the block to make it bigger and see if you can guess the Fairy Tale that goes with the block. It is a fun game!

Rose Red and Snow White, Red Riding Hood, the Brave Little Taylor, Jorinda & Joringel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rapunzel, the Frog Prince & Cinderella. I also need a shoe button for her block on the stairs. I am working on Rumpelstiltskin and then it will be finished. ta dah!

Anniversary

2011-01-16T08:04:00.000-08:00

We went to Boise yesterday, to the Temple in the am.

Bruce had a training with Elder Gary Walker, the Mission president, Elder Ronald Rasband, of the Seventies and the Temple President. They had a discussion and then were open for questions. Bishop got to ask his question. They were told to come home and kiss their wives and thank them for all the sacrifice we give! I am loving that counsel!

They asked us not to post the info from the meeting, it was for bishop's to help them with their callings.

I had to force myself to go shopping while Bishop was at his training meetin'. I found the DI, Jo Anns and Ross! Yes I am a material girl...

We went out to Sizzler after the meetings & shopping & then drove home, roads were good.

We temporarily misplaced the cell phone. Bruce found it when he went to bed, he had rolled it up in his jammies. I got lost in the fog trying to get back to the meeting house. I thought only people with Alzheimer's did those kind of things...

oh well we get three mistakes a day and then we have to take a nap... & start all over again!

It sold!

2010-12-29T10:45:00.000-08:00

My "Sudoko Christmas' wall hanging sold. I had it at the Arts East Gallery by EOU.

The Twelve Names of Christ

2010-12-20T08:28:00.001-08:00

We had a most excellent talk yesterday from a recently returned very handsome missionary! (aka my son) He said 2 years ago he was in the MTC during Christmas and the apostles came and spoke to them. One of the talks was instead of doing the Twelve Days of Christmas they should compose their 12 Names of Christ and study them out in their scriptures. So he talked about four of his favorite names and I figured I would list some of the names for Christ since there are a bizillion names.

Wonderful, Counselor, the Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, the Bread of life, the Light of the World, the Good Shepherd, the Exemplar, Rock of my Salvation, the Vine, the Creator, the Savior, the Beloved Son, the Firstborn, the Lamb, Holy One, Jehovah, Son, Redeemer, the Word, Deliverer, Mediator, Light, Messiah, Christ

So we had a talk with a challenge.

We Got Him!

2010-12-12T09:11:00.000-08:00

Elder Kevan is Home!

His first flight home was cancelled. We went to Portland anyway and spent the day with Ben/Lindsy and the grandchildren. We had fun waiting. We went out to eat, we went to see the Christmas boats in Portland harbor, we climbed on the bird statues in Portland,

We picked Luke up late Saturday evening at the airport.

He looks good. His cheeks are not sunken in, he is healthy, happy and talks to us.

He will be released today at 11:30. He reports to the High council at 4:15pm today. He speaks in Sacrament meeting next Sunday. He is still a Gun Ho missionary.

We are excited to have him here.

He wants to find work and get enrolled at BYU Utah.

He is walking to church today. He is wearing his name tag, (he hasn't been released yet). He is carrying his Columbian scripture cover and a hymnal cover that his Bishop gave him. It is leather with a burnt drawing. He has a bright red, yellow knitted hat from Columbia and he is wearing his heavy coat from High school. (we will get him a new coat)

Aida 2010 costumes

2010-12-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

I have been working on costumes for the high school musical this year and have finished them. I always think of just one more thing to do. I turned in my invoice to the school today to get reimbursed, so I must be finished. Here are a few photos of the costumes made. I had a lot of help this year which took off a lot of stress and I think the students liked their costumes. The play is tonight, tomorrow and Saturday. We have tickets for tonight. See anyone you know? I guess I will have to clean the house now... I do have a few quilt projects that are calling my name.

Actually this is what we really had...

2010-11-26T09:10:00.000-08:00

Okay so our grand & glorious plans didn't quite pan out. Duncan did make three pie crusts and I did the fillings. Bruce made everything else. We skipped the carrots, olives and mushrooms and pecan pie. (we can eat those today) sigh

We played a killer game of Sorry (the competition brings us closer as a fam) ha!

We talked with all the children far away from home. (except Luke who will be home in in 15 days!)

We worked on a jigsaw puzzle and sat around with turkey tummies.

So what did you do?

Thanksgiving Menu

2010-11-24T10:33:00.000-08:00

Food and cooking plays an important part in our home so here is our menu. We each get to choose a pie. Now we are going over the river and through the woods to the grocery store.

~ Thanksgiving Menu ~

Roasted Turkey

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

Braised Potatoes

Broccoli with Hollandaise Sauce

Croissants

Cranberry Juice & Sprite

~ Desserts ~

Bumble berry Pie

Cherry Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Free Tickies

2010-11-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

We got three free tickets to Phantom of the Opera at EOU. Apparently they got the rights to do the show and talent form the Portland area.

Denise Wheeler called and said they needed a white negligee for a scene where Cristine puts the negligee over her costume and the phantom kidnaps her to his underground world.

They also used the black jacket with cape for they guy that plays Hannibal just before he is killed.

She took about 8 dresses but I didn't see them. They were for the Don Juan rehearsal scene.

We enjoyed the play. The costumes were great, the scenery was fun and the acting marvelous!

There was a standing ovation and a full house. Denise says the tickets are all sold out for the rest of the week.

Luke at the zoo

2010-11-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

Here is Elder Kevan with his companion at the zoo on his day off in Columbia, South America.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUKE! We love you!!!

Carrots!

2010-10-13T11:08:00.001-07:00

What's up Doc?

Bruce planted these carrots this year, for variety and something fun to do.

He harvested a 5 gal bucket of the carrots.

The white one is our ghost carrot.

The red one is a blood carrot and it is orange on the inside.

Tamastslikt Indian Tour

2010-10-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

We did the tour at the Indian Museum by Pendleton with the YM/YW group. Can you tell which one is me and which one is Connie Long? We are in disguise, we took our glasses off...

Andrew got his Star Rank at scouts this week.

He is working hard to get his Eagle.

Great jorb Andrew!

He got four Merit badges; Citizenship in the World, Rowing, Swimming and Physical Fitness.

Giveaway

2010-10-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

I have five yards of orange velour fabric. I made three pumpkins out of it. The first 4 people to log in will get a yard. www.marthastewart.com

Cut out a fabric rectangle, 5-by-10-inch, 8-by-16-inch, and 11-by-22-inch pieces for our three pumpkin sizes.

Fold rectangle, right side up, so short sides meet; stitch along that edge with 1/4-inch seam allowance. Baste the bottom seam and pull threads to gather.
pull thread to cinch fabric, and stitch to secure.

I think I will add a green button for the stem. I love buttons.

Andrew's Scrimmage

2010-09-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

The girls' soccer U- 14 team challenged Andrew's soccer team to wear skirts when they played them on Friday and said they would give them ice cream. The boys sure had fun. Matt and Thea are in the background.

What some people will do for ice Cream...

Kung Fu Panda

2010-09-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

I spent the last week with my mom, Crys and sister, Bonita in SLC.

Mom and I got our hair cut. We went to the Decades clothing store, the Bountiful temple, a couple of DI's for costumes and we watched Mulberry.

I went to classes with Crys & Alan and we got our picture taken in front of Kung Fu Panda at BYU. We went to the Sociology Club open house with a nice museum, we watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, we went to Cafe Rio for salads with Alan. I watched a Chinese movie called "Secret" and read the sub titles. I took Crys to Decades clothing store and each got scarves.

Bo, mom and I went to the General RS meeting. We had salad, quiche and an apple crisp for zert.

It was a fun bonding week.

Babysitting Grandsons

2010-09-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

I spent the last week watching the boys while B & L spent the week in DC.

Monday we picked blackberries and went to the park to ride bikes and play in the sandbox.

Tuesday we went to Macdonald's for ice cream and to play on their big indoor toy.

Wednesday we went to the bouncy house. They have five of those inflatable toys and you pay $7 for the first child and $5 for each sibling. They get an hour and a half of jumping & climbing. Then went to get a Jamba Juice (fresh fruit smoothie with ice) I got a peach mango and the boys got a chocolate moo then off to go to Michaels.

Thursday we went to another park like our Riverside park & the boys ran & ran. I read a book in the shade.

Friday, Andrew & Bruce joined us and we went to the coast and played in a huge sandbox. This is a whale bone sculpture the boys were playing on. We went to the Marine science center and saw Dorie and Nemo. We had a picnic, went to the light house and the last thing we did was walk out across the dunes to the reef and watched the boats come in.

Saturday we went to the farmer's market and got donuts, Bruce got melons & blueberries for Matt. I got to go to Jo Ann's and the the Goodwill. Bruce took the boys blackberry picking. We met B & L at the Target parking lot & gave up the boys. It seems to be a lot quieter around here...

Braces

2010-08-26T14:53:00.001-07:00

Andrew got braces on the top set of teeth today. They are green. He says when he gets in high school he wants to get them in blue. In October he wants orange. We got a mouth guard for him for sports. They want him to brush his teeth three times a day and they gave him a small brush for school.

Moving Bricks

2010-08-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

From Luke's letter:

"the Last two pictures are from a service project we did today. We moved 1500 bricks up a hill where trucks or tractors go. It was for an investigator who is building her house."

Alumni Game

2010-08-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

Duncan played goalie for the Alumni game on Friday. The odds (graduated in an odd school year) played the evens. The evens won 6 to 5. It was fun to watch.

The Textile Artist

2010-08-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here are the art projects at the exhibit at EOU, Nightengale Gallery. It is open M-F, 11 am to 4 pm. Bruce's Garden and the Recycle Pilla. The exhibit goes until Sept. 11th.

There were 40 artists, 90 projects and they chose 44, they chose two of mine.

There was only one nude and it is small, just go by it quickly and you will be alright.

Prices range from $27 (my pilla) to $1000. Am I out of my league or what?

Bruce's Garden is not for sale.

They also have a nice booklet with a photo of the work and an artist's statement.

I will have to revamp my statement and make it sound professional. The booklet sells for $3.00. I got one free for being an exhibitor.

Blue Ribbon Quilt

2010-08-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the quilt that won the blue ribbon, it is in the middle of the quilt. It was a challenge quilt. We had to use one color that we drew from a box with black and white fabric. The crayon color I picked was green. It was fun.

Catherine Creek

2010-08-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we took the grandkids fishing. Matt learned how to cast. Bruce caught 11 fish but had to put them back in because they were too small. Wyatt was more interested in throwing rocks in the water which doesn't work well when Grandpa is trying to fish. Thea just liked to sit in the creek and enjoy the rocks.

We had a nice picnic and played water soccer. What is water soccer you ask? It is small boys throwing the soccer ball in the river and Andrew running to catch it before it is swept away. Ben said it was hilarious and then he ran down stream and rescued the orange tiger soccer ball.

Salmon river

2010-08-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Bruce went with the YW on a 1 day raft trip by Riggins Idaho.

they had lunch at McDonald's. the girls set up there tent. Bruce had a tent with Brett Jackman. This is a before and after picture of setting up the tent. They camped on a sand dune and then the rafting company ferried them to the take off point and they returned to the campsite at night, they went about 20 miles on the river. Bruce and Brett got to go on the IK ( inflatable kayaks) Bruce said at one point his kayak was vertical in the rapids. He had fun. That is what he remembered.

The girls talked about Star twirling. At night you look at one star and twirl around. Then someone shines a light in your eyes and you fall down and everyone laughs with you because you do it to them. Bruce fell down and with his feet still in the air he said, "I can still see my star".

Slip N Slide

2010-08-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

We set the slip N slide up for the boys to play on. they loved to run and slide and fall and have fun. We are living the dream.

Arts East Open House

2010-08-06T19:59:00.002-07:00

Bruce and I rubbed shoulders with local artists tonight. We knew Linda Jones and spoke with her. We also know Steve Feldman, he is an illustrator for magazines and was Andrew's soccer coach last year. Here is his website http://www.stevefeldman.com/. The painting he did is on News tab. Karen Erickson had a gorgeous batik lampshade. My wall hanging is in the room on the right and the pilla is in the main room in the back on the left on a tier.

There is a book with the artists profiles in it for $3. I didn't have any money so will get mine next week. The show is at EOU M-F from 11am to 4pm.

Here is my artist's statement:"I graduated from SUSC (SUU) with a major in English. I taught High School English for two years on the Navajo Indian Reservation. I am a substitute teacher in the La Grande School District. I have a small costume shop in my home. I also do genealogy and yard sales.

This is my second showing at EOU. My first project for EOU was a Mt. Emily watercolor fabric wall hanging in March 2009.

I have won 4 blue ribbons at the Union County Fair. I also won a blue ribbon at a judged Baker Quilt show in 2001 and I have shown my work in the annual Quilt Questers Quilt Show since 2000.

I enjoy creating visual art that tells a history of the individual or subject."

I won another ribbon at the fair this year for my black, white and green challenge quilt so I can say five blue ribbons now! ta dah

I am going to take a class tomorrow afternoon "Artist's blogs" and see what they say to do. don Gray is the teacher and it is at Loso Hall.

Camp Fife

2010-07-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

These are all the fun things Andrew & Bruce got to do at Camp Fife last week. Camp Fife is up by Mt. Ranier in Washington. Andrew did the canoeing, camping, shooting & swimming merit badges. He missed the shooting by 1/4 inch. We will have to practice. He needs more camp outs and he will get the camping merit badge. He finished canoeing and swimming.

I went to Salt Lake to stay with my sister and mom, (see costume blog for what I did)

Sadie and Andrew

2010-07-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

Sadie and Andrew had fun together. We had some down time between removing stumps and building picnic tables.

I need a pig!

2010-07-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

For the Fourth of July celebration we went to the Missionary field in Provo to watch fireworks and I said I need a pig (from Alice in Wonderland) for a footstool and Andrew volunteered. He didn't last too long, just long enough for a photo.

Yellastone

2010-07-12T18:34:00.001-07:00

This is a bear. We saw two of them.

This is a bison.

This is a nice waterfall we stopped to see. (Please note the excited expressions of a vacation we will not soon forget)

This is one of the first bubbling hot springs we stopped to see. We walked on the boardwalk to see it.

Artwork Accepted

2010-07-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Two pieces of my artwork were accepted at a showing for "Artists of Eastern Oregon 2010" exhibit. It will be at the Nightingale Gallery at EOU in August. Here is their website http://www.artseast.org

I am so excited! I got to write an "Artist's statement" telling my education, my career, other galleries, and any grants or awards I have received for an Artist's Catalogue. I just listed my 5 blue ribbons for quilting and my Mt Emily exhibit earlier at EOU. It will be fun and we shall see how well I fit in with this crowd. There will be an opening reception on August 6th from 6pm -8pm (good date night) if any of you would like to attend. (They do provide finger food!)

They accepted "Bruce's Garden" and "Recycle Pilla". I liked my diamond in the rough better...

Morgan Lake

2010-06-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

Andrew and Bruce went fishing and camping at Morgan Lake on Friday. They caught a crawdad. The full moon was gorgeous. Bruce took the pictures.

I got to go to the Boise Quilt show put on by the Boise Basin Quilters (BBQ). It was fun. Here is the quilt I liked the best. We went to the Quilt show, the Boise Co op, Cost-co, Crispy creme donut place and home again.

Home Sweet Home

2010-06-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

We made the last payment on our home with the extra income of two months.

Tra La! We wired the last payment on Friday and now we wait for the deed.

I don't know a vacation to Alaska or down the Mississippi would have been nice...

We are going to Yellowstone and to see Duncan the end of the month on our way to bless the new grand baby in Utah. And we will see fireworks and maybe a parade and go shopping and build a picnic table.

We are living the dream.

Observer article on Retirement

2010-06-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

Principal bids farewell to Central

Written by Dick Mason, The Observer June 17, 2010 03:32 pm

(see full article at http://www.lagrandeobserver.com)

CHRIS BAXTER / The Observer AS HE HAS DONE FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS, La Grande’s Central Elementary School principal Bruce Kevan greets students as they head home after the last day of the school year earlier this month, only this time the farewells were his final as Kevan is retiring this summer.

A decade ago the career of La Grande educator Bruce Kevan took a surprising twist.

It was an unconventional turn in a life during which Kevan has more than once taken “The Road Less Traveled.’’

Kevan, then a La Grande High School administrator, was named Central Elementary School’s new principal in 2000. Kevan may have seemed an unlikely choice to some. He was highly regarded but did not have a background in elementary education.

“I did not know anything about elementary curriculum, but I did know good teaching,’’ Kevan said.

A decade later it is apparent that school district officials made a wise choice. Thanks in no small part of Kevan, Central continues to be a shining light in the La Grande School District. Its students annually have high overall scores on state assessment tests, the Oregon Department of Education awards high marks to Central in its annual report card ratings, the school’s PTA is exceptionally active and productive and there is more, much more.

Central is in excellent shape as Kevan prepares to hand its reins to Reta Doland, who is moving here from Alaska to succeed Kevan as the school’s next principal. Kevan is set to retire at the end of the month following a 34-year education career.

Kevan’s road to Central was unconventional and not just because of his absence of an elementary education background. Kevan did not begin pursuing a career in education until after graduating from Bucknell University in 1974 with a degree in animal science. He worked as a chef for a year in Snowmass, Colo., before entering the University of Oregon where he earned his teaching certificate and later a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction.

Kevan began his teaching career at Ganado High School on a Navajo Indian reservation in Arizona. At Ganado High School Kevan was one of a handful of Caucasians, and at 6-foot, 4-inches, a relative giant among the Navajos, few of whom are over 5-9.

“I learned what it was like to be a minority,’’ Kevan said.

He describes the Navaho as a quiet people.

“They are very reserved in friendships,’’ Kevan said. “When you go there (to Ganado High School) you expect to be watched.’’

“I never figured out what they were watching for, but if they decided you were OK, then you would have some of the greatest friends in the world.’’

Kevan was given a significant measure of freedom while teaching at Ganado High School.

“Teachers were not told to teach a certain way. We were allowed to use our own style as long we got results,’’ Kevan said.

Kevan and his colleagues succeeded at Ganado High, a lesson which shaped the perspective of the future school administrator.

“Teachers who are committed to doing well for kids will do it. You don’t have to tell them how,’’ Kevan said.

The educator always reminded himself of this at Central, where he made a point of giving his staff a measure of freedom.

“He is not a micro manager. He has confidence that they (Central’s teachers and staff) can do the job,’’ said Connie Ingerson, a secretary at Central.

Kevan said he is stepping down because he no longer has the stamina needed to take care of his job and family responsibilities.

“I don’t have the energy level to do it all,’’ he said. “I can’t keep up with my staff.’’

This comment is vintage Kevan, who speaks at every opportunity with pride of the dedication of his school’s staff, parents and volunteers.

“He is so quick to affirm that he values the things you are doing,’’ Ingerson said.

Central fourth-grade teacher Barb Ely echoes this sentiment.

“You always feel so appreciated. He validates us,’’ Ely said.

One reason Kevan may speak of his ebbing energy level is that he, like many principals, made it a point to attend every school play, carnival, concert, bingo night and more. The proof is in Central’s collection of activity photos.

“He is in the pictures we have of every event,’’ Ingerson said.

Kevan was also at almost every recess where he officiated student football games and more.

“I kept reffing the games because I wanted the boys to learn to be good sports and for them to be safe,’’ Kevan said. “Safety is always the most important thing.’’

The principal has made a point of being with the students not just on the playground but in the hallway and outside’s Central’s entrance before and after school.

“To be a better educator you have to be where the kids are.’’

Kevan was a frequent classroom visitor, dropping in on each of Central’s classrooms every school day. Observations Kevan made during the visits were a part of his performance evaluations. Ely said that the evaluations Kevan provided to teachers were extraordinary because of their depth and perceptiveness.

“He knows good teaching skills,’’ Ely said.

The evaluations revealed Kevan’s analytical mind, something people reference frequently when asked about Kevan. La Grande School District Superintendent Larry Glaze said Kevan is always an asset at administrative staff meetings because of this intellectual quality.

“He is such an analytical thinker. He has provided a strong logical problem solving approach at our team meetings,’’ Glaze said. “He has been a great asset.’’

La Grande High School Principal Boon Setser echoes this feeling, and he also marvels at Kevan’s ability to connect with people regardless of the topic.

“He can talk to people on many different levels, whether it is differentiated instruction or catching trout,’’ Setser said.

Angling, specifically fly fishing, is one of Kevan’s favorite hobbies but he has not had time to do it for years because of job and family responsibilities. Fly fishing is something, Kevan, who intends to stay in La Grande, plans to do more of after retiring.

Kevan credits his wife Karen with playing an important role in helping him keep a proper balance and not letting his job consume him.

“My wife keeps my head on straight. She is always reminding me that the most important thing is my family.’’

People always come first for the Central principal, whether at home or work.

“He is as good a man as you are going to find,’’ Ely said.

Setser, like many others, echoes this sentiment.

“He has a heck of a heart,’’ Setser said. “You can just tell he has a heart for people.’’

Kevan speaks of his 10 years paradoxically. He describes them as so stressful that he sometimes had sleepless nights, but also found the 10 years immensely enjoyable.

“The fun balances it out ... I love working with kids. Oh it is so much fun to watch them grow up.’’

During the final week of the school year Kevan told The Observer, “I get to come and play with 400 kids every day. If you have not done it you have missed out.’’

Raised bed gardening

2010-06-17T14:46:00.001-07:00

Last night at Scouts Andrew and his troop built frames for square foot gardening. This was a class for the single sisters in the ward and the boys made the boxes for them at Nancy's house.

EOLS parade

2010-06-11T18:11:00.001-07:00

Earlene and I had a great time at the EOLS parade selling raffle tickets. I was information-gathering for Bruce's retirement. I thought a motorcycle might be just the thing.

It didn't rain on us too much and we sold $38 worth of tickets. We visited and sewed binding on a couple of dialysis quilts. Can we multi-task or what?

Lori was in charge of the parade which was VERY large. Congrats on a job well done, Lori!

Quilt show

2010-06-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

We had the quilt show on Friday and Saturday in Island city at The Place. It is just past our church on Cove Ave. this is a twin size quilt I made for the Challenge this year. We were to use black and white fabric with a color we drew randomly from a crayon box. This green is the color I chose.
I also had my Diamond in the Rough wall hanging in the show.
We were also in the Hog Wild parade advertising the quilt show. We dressed up as Miss Piggies. We were in pinks and lavenders. I wore a Betsy Ross costume. I figured patriotic was a good theme for the parade.

Carol and I went yard saling in the morning before the parade. I got a red tie and several old pins for more wall hangings.
After the parade we went to the Stake center to set up for a funeral. There were easily 400 people there. The service lasted 2 hours. They left for the grave dedication. They gave each of the wrestlers a rose to place on the casket. Bruce said it was very emotional. Afterwards they returned to the Stake center and we had the food ready for a reception and slide show. Two hundred people stayed for the reception. We had prepared for 150. oh well we will know to over prepare for the next funeral which will be this week.
We snuck away to a wedding reception at the Perrys. I loved the soft yellow color. Then we returned and cleaned up the at the Stake center.
We arrived home and I put my feet up. Bruce went over to another family to prepare thier funeral for this week. After that he got home and had to help some people passing through get lodging for the night as they ended up in the emergency room. Someone at the hospital knows his name as a bishop (it was not his month to be called but he did it any way, the Pettits have subbed for us a lot in December). He was home by 9, Andrew wanted him to read to him.
Bruce's eyes are flaming red. He is worn out. The end of the school year is a busy and time with meetings and evaluations for teachers and staff (45 on staff) and budget re vamps. He has two more weeks left. He said he is going to skip the the last school board meeting. What a long and busy day. I now have a testimony about people wearing themselves out in the service of the Lord. People ask us if we are going to travel and have fun. How do you explain to them our lifestyle of service?
We will travel to see the grandkids, but we have commitments to be here on week ends so we won't go far.

Andrew's Solo

2010-05-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

Andrew had a choir concert on Tuesday night. He had his first solo! His was the last song and the end of the song. They sang Blackbird and his line was "You were only waiting for this moment to arise."

He didn't make any mistakes, it was beautiful! His choir director is Mr. Van Vickle. He is in seventh grade.

Arts East contest

2010-05-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

I just entered three art pieces for the Arts East contest. The deadline was today. The winner gets $250 and a 250 postcards of the art object. We won't know if I am in the show until July 9th. It will be at EOU. So here are the pieces I entered. Two wall hangings and a pilla. I like the close-ups. I have been acquiring vintage pins at yard sales and friends homes and trading. I also like buttons so I used them too.

The pilla is made from recycled tags on mattresses, clothes, & towels. I used muslin from a yard sale and stuffing from leftover quilts.

Diamond in the Rough, Recycle pilla and Bruce's Garden

I am getting in touch with my inner artist.

Luke

2010-05-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here is Luke, he was made a zone leader. He is at a Zone Leader conf. with the other elders.

"On Thursday and Friday we were in a Zone leader’s council. President treats the zone leaders different then other missionaries. He was a whole lot more direct with us and demanded a higher level of work. He talked about balancing our work between our own area and the areas of the other elders in our zone. He talked a ton about working with less active members, and working with the members in general. As a president he has worked miracles. In the mission we have 450 baptismal dates, this is more than we have ever had in the history of the mission. If we baptize just 50% of these dates we will have 225 baptisms in June. It is a really special time to be in the mission, and I say to all the new elders that it is the perfect time to be starting the mission." from Luke's letter.

Retirement

2010-05-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

Bruce is retiring from Central School as Principal. They have hired his replacement a short lady from Alaska.

Bruce retired on his birthday in March (that is how PERS does it) and they rehired him for the last three months, his last day will be June 25th.

People ask him what he will do with his retirement. We will be the Bishop! We have 2 more years. He will get a part time job (EOU has openings for 4 student /teacher supervisors in the fall) and he wants to coach basketball at Andrew's age level. He has been telling people he has a 2 year honey do list. When I found out, I replied it would last longer than two years!

No we are not going to travel, Andrew is still at home, he is in the 7th grade. Luke will be home from his mission in Dec. We will visit grandchildren in Corvallis (during blueberry season) and might go to the coast and we will travel to see the new grand-baby, Zachery Bruce in Springville, Utah in July for the baby blessing.Bruce and Andrew are going to Scout camp in July for a week, Camp Fife.

We plan on going on a couples mission when Andrew is 19.

So there you have it. What would you do with three double check payments?

We are making extra house payments so the house will be paid off by July. We will put $$ into savings for Andrew's mission. I do want new kitchen cupboards, we shall see.

Bruce wants to fish more and I want to enter some of my wall hangings in art competitions. We wonder what the Lord has in mind for us.

Mother's day

2010-05-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

Talking with Luke went well. Luke is a DL. He is in a small town, 125, 000, Ipiales, Columbia. He says it reminds him of La Grande. He eats a lot of taters and rice. He had an anchovie and did not like it. They walk or take the bus. He sounded happy. He was having trouble speaking English.

Ben skyped us and we couldn't hear him. So he kept saying I think she said her feet stink. We could hear him. I typed our answers back to him.

Rob showed us baby Zach. He yawned for us and burped and then we saw his tiny foot. Rob wants Bruce to make a picnic table for them. So he will do that in July when we are there. He was made assistant scout leader and Deacon advisor, so he will go on campouts.

Dan got accepted for his internship. He will be working at a medford school for junivenile delinquents in the summer.

Crys is doing well. She has two jobs now. One is editing a newsletter and the other is doing research.

Dunc is doing a broadcasting class. Go to this website and look for "Geology museum contains interesting exhibits". http://byuicomm.net Science is his assigned beat.

Now I need to call my mom.

Mother's day

2010-05-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

We get a phone call from Luke today at 4pm. Here he is on the border of Equador.

We will leave church early to get the call. (yes the Bishop's fam is skipping out)

He is in Columbia, South America on a mission and will be home in December.

I'll write what he tells us later...

We will get to skype Robert and the new baby, Zachery Bruce born on April 26th and we will get to skype (that means a camera visit, like on Star Trek~ we are living the dream!) Ben and his fam and Duncan. We hope to get a call from Dan in Medford, Or. and Crys in Utah then I will be very, very happy. Well at least more happy than usual...

Bob's bench

2010-04-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

We went to Corvallis On Friday on our way to Grandpa Bob's bench dedication.

I love staying with the Grandchildren and their parents... We watched Thea taking some wobbly steps and Matt showing us the things he built at Home Depot and Wyatt sharing his Cocoa Puffs with us. I love it when the boys say " Hey Grandma, look at this." It is soul satisfying.

Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market. Bruce got some cranberry, hazelnut sour dough bread. We got some cheese, a bag of hazelnuts and a bag of sunflower sprouts for a dollar. ( just the sprouts) and then on to Medford to stay with Dan. We went to a doggie park . I have never been to one before. They had a skate park, a bike park , tennis courts and the doggie park. The doggie park is enclosed with a track and all the dogs run free to smell each other, run and poop. There are shovels and trash cans to dispose the business. We walked around the track four times. Hallie, our grand-dog liked to run. she ran around a huge bush/tree thing in the middle of the park and then under a picnic table , the dog chasing her kept going around the bush/tree. It was funny. We went to Mongolian Grill with Dan for dinner.

On sunday we went to the singles branch with Dan and then off to the dedication. I figured it would be easy to find as we had been to the park before. We got there at 10 till and we were still walking around 20 minutes later when we spotted Uncle Dan and Kim going to the parking lot. We got directions to the food/drinks and then took pictures of the bench which I will add later when we down load them.

I am glad we went even tho we missed the dedication.

The food was marvelous and as Bob always wrote what they had to eat I will continue that tradition. I helped Angie in the kitchen slicing a long English cucumber on the diagonal. I then added a dollop of Hummus and then added sliced green onions.

We also had:

Goat cheese in philo mini tarts

cream cheese with sun dried tomatoes dip

French baguette bread sliced on the diagonal

sourdough baguette bread sliced on the diagonal

Meatballs

Pulled pork with rolls

shrimp, crab and desert was Lemon mini philo tarts (Andrew had 6) and banana bread in a bundt cake shape dripping with nuts and carmel

Thank - you John and Angie for putting this together. It was a calm, peaceful closure to remember Grandpa Bob.

Court of honor

2010-04-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

Andrew earned three merit badges at the court of honor. He got winter sports, first aide and communications. He is First class rank now. One more merit badge and he will get a star rank.

Four Generations

2010-04-04T08:21:00.001-07:00

Patty Goff from Salt Lake city, Utah, Karen Kevan holding Thea Kevan, Ben Kevan and Wyatt Kevan.
The picture was taken at Riverside Park in La Grande Oregon.
Genealogy, we are doing it , our genealogy!

Crystal is home!

2010-03-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

We picked up our daughter at the Portland airport on Tuesday. She is home from her mission in New York City. Ben and his family were there and Dan drove up for the day and night. We ate dinner at the Olive Garden across the street. We stayed at the Phoenix Inn so the kids could go swimming. We went to the Portland temple Wednesday morning. We stopped at Multnomah Falls on the way home. Crystal was released Wednesday evening. She is so happy. She can do ASL. (American sign lanuage) She can speak Chinese. She is not afraid to talk to people. She helps around the house. She is fun to have at home!

Saturday

2010-03-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

We put in a new tree in the front yard, bought a dishwasher and
found out the electricity wasn't hooked up to the old one, took a load
of branches to the recycle center, took two boxes to the DI, dug up the raspberries, took raspberries to the neighbors, and cleaned one bathroom. I have to change out a toilet seat and clean another bathroom. Crystal and mom are coming this week.
Andrew went with me to the re psycho center. The tarp blew off twice but we weren't charged because it was cuttings from the yard. Andrew dug out under the peach tree on threat of not coming into the house until it was done...
Bruce planted a pretty pink crab apple tree in the front yard to remember Grandma K.

Can we come over for dinner? I do not want to cook.

FOOTLOOSE

2010-03-13T10:01:00.000-08:00

I got three free tickets to Footloose at the Elgin Opera house last night. I donated some costumes and we got the free tickets and my name in the program. The play was wonderful. Crystal had sung "I need a Hero" for something in high school and now we have the background story for the song. I liked the "Mama Says" song.
The lead had on Carma's prom1980 red/black dress that she donated to the costume shop.
The story is about a boy from Chicago that comes to a town where dancing is not allowed. It is also about rebellious teenagers that need love, parents that are doing their best, and getting over death and abandonment. I was laughing and crying.
Bruce wants to see the Broadway production.
They start rehearsals for Joseph and the Technicolor dream coat on Monday.

Retirement

2010-03-09T15:41:00.001-08:00

Bruce has turned in his retirement. It is in effect as of April 1st. They hired him back for the last three months of his contract. They will probably list his job after the school board accepts his resignation on Wednesday. His last day will be June 25th. He has a PERS meeting in Baker on Thursday so that will be ready. He will look for part time work and will coach basketball and will be Bishop which is like totally a full time jorb in itself.

Service

2010-03-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

We have spent a lot of time this week serving others. Bishop says our job is not to sensationalize, it is to comfort the living. Elaine's daughter died this week too. She had been suffering from cancer. It doesn't look like they will have a funeral for either one.
Pres. Orton said in our Ward conf we need to minister to our neighbors and in our church callings.
Saturday morning we went to two of Andrew's bb games. They won both. Saturday afternoon I made visits and stayed an talked to people. I usually don't do that, always in a hurry to do something else. It was pleasant to sit and chat with friends. I took onions to some elderly people, returned two dishes and rescued my friend from a stranded car in the Bi Mart parking lot.
I came home feeling like I had accomplished something.
I need to empty boxes and clear out the living room for a lunch group on Friday. Should I do that or taxes?

shooting

2010-02-25T10:27:00.000-08:00

We had a shooting incident on Tuesday. Bruce was called as the Bishop because the grandmother that lives there plays the organ on Sundays. She didn’t even know anything had happened because she was inside and the shooting occurred outside her home. That was good for her. The grandmother is Elaine Livingston. Some of you might remember her. Her son Lonnie Whitley shot his son Jason in the chest and then shot himself. He has a history of mental illness. Jason had surgery and it is a miracle he is still alive.
People have been really helpful and have been taking meals into Elaine and visiting her. Her other son arrived yesterday from AZ.
Here is what the local printed about this tragic event:

http://www.lagrandeobserver.com/

Portland Opera

2010-02-11T08:06:00.000-08:00

They decided to go with a sweater and jeans for the capt. I will add a Captain's hat and maybe some boots.
I am bringing 26 red, blue and yella bandannas, some Hawaiian punch hats and Sailor hats and four throw pillas. Jeri Mackley has a ship's wheel we will get from the Haunted house this afternoon and some netting. The Children's choir will wear cut offs or jeans rolled up and sandles.
It is so fun to work with them. Alexis is awesome and I can't wait to hear her sing. Last year she gave me chills listening to her. Her voice is a gift.

Portland opera

2010-02-09T07:48:00.001-08:00

Peter Wordleman called from EOU! They want me to help with costumes again this year. Last year we did the Dragon opera. This year they are doing eight songs from The Voyage of the Good Ship Chipmunk. He said they want a yellow slicker and big rain hat for the old Captain on a fishing boat. Denise Wheeler said to look at the Gorton's fish sticks for a picture of the rain jacket. Jeri Mackley has a ship's wheel.
Mr. W will call again today with more details. Problem is they are performing on Friday.
Anyone have a yella rain slicker? I don't know what size yet.