Christmas necklaces

The dilemma of what to do with the darling necklaces (but small medallions) I received from two of my children as Christmas gifts has been solved. David and June gifted one a couple of years ago and Sue gifted hers this past Christmas. Because they each featured the slogan “A family’s love is nature’s masterpiece” I have turned them into earrings – they are not exact matches, but who cares – I like them. J And will wear the Tree of Life medallion on a chain with them. They all say much about what is my current focus in life.

Let's see which one of my friends notices they are not matches :-)

Bennet has an early birthday party

Bennet Joshua Pilch will be one year old on 12 November, but he and his parents will be moved to St. George by then. Gotta have a party with his family who live up here :-). His parents picked quite a fun place - the pool of a neighbor and friend of Josh's for whom Josh built the pool house.  The kids (Bennet's cousins) had a blast. Bennett's mom Jen had some of her sibling and their kids in attendance, as well as Josh's parents Kenn and Liz , his sister Chris with Shad and Sedona, and Josh's Aunt Lois Ann.

 

Yep, three water slides, the kiddie one, the middle one, and an upper one that Josh called the Slide of Death (or some such), requiring a helmet and life jacket for all users. The pool was covered during supper time.

Bennett loves the water and was carefully tended by one of his cousins.

A pool full of kids... Bennett in the center right, and Sedona is in the small wading pool in the top corner holding her dad's hand. Another cousin is standing in front of her.

Bennett is in the foreground, while Shad and Sedona are at the top of this photo.

Sedona, the "No Fear" kid, with her parents Chris and Shad.

a Wedding in the Family

In honor of Katy getting married in Alaska tomorrow on 10/10/2010,  let me tell a bit about my Grandmother Sneath's wedding on November 15, 1911. They had to do some traveling too - and to a foreign country!

Let's begin with a photograph...

a Gram story from Jeanette...

"I was born Nov. 29, 1914 in Alameda, Saskatchewan where my dad was manager of the Royal Bank of Canada. Charles Alexander Sneath, my dad, was born 13 Jan 1880, and my mom Lois Rebecca McGregor was born 8 July 1884.

They met at Macoun, Saskatchewan when he was manager of the Northern Crown Bank there, and she came from Iowa to visit her brothers Alex and Bruce who invested in real estate there. Macoun was just a little town on the prairie. There were wheat fields all around. I can’t imagine where they went on a date.

My dad was the entire staff at the Northern Crown Bank – manager, accountant, bookkeeper. He was born in Ontario and had several brothers and sisters. He came west as a young guy and joined the bank in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He served in several branches and was finally in Kimberly, Saskatchewan and then Macoun.

(Josh, how do you like the hair?)

My dad was shy and my mom real out-going and chattered all the time. He was SOO handsome, dark auburn hair… She was so dark too and graduated from high school in 1903.   She was 27 years old when they married so she must have been 24-25 when she went to Canada.

There is a lovely picture at the wedding which Lois Ann copied and framed in an oval frame and which each of my girls have a copy. (See in green oval frame above). My parents were married in Ames, Iowa at her parents’ home. I am enclosing the account which Lois Ann and I picked up at the library in Ames when she and I were there in Sept 1998.

My dad came down to Ames by way of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Uncle Bruce told me he had to give my dad the money to pay the minister (I suppose dad didn’t have any American money?) When Lois Ann and I were up at the cemetery in Ames where Granddad McGregor (Lois’s father Alexander McGregor, Jr.) is buried, I could hear a train whistle and wondered if it was the same line that my parents had traveled to and from Canada. My mom told me that when they arrived in Macoun, there were 52 people to meet the train (the entire population). No cameras in every family, so no pictures. They soon moved to Alameda where three of us kids were born. (Saga to be continued). “

Newspaper article from the Ames Times Nov. 16, 1911; “A quiet home wedding took place this afternoon at four o’clock at the residence of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. MacGregor, 905 Clark Avenue, when Miss Lois MacGregor was united in marriage to Mr. Charles Sneath of Kinley, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Only relatives to the number of fifteen were present to witness the ceremony, performed by Rev. W.J. Minchin of the Congregational Church, the beautiful ring ceremony being used. The bride was becomingly gowned in white embroidered batiste and carried a shower of bridal flowers. After congratulations, a delicious four course dinner was served to the guests, Mrs. R.M. Paxton acting as cateress, the house decorations being of yellow chrysanthemums.

Mr. and Mrs. Sneath leave this evening for Winnipeg and then on to their new home at Kinley, where Mr. Sneath is manager of the Northern Crown Bank. Miss MacGregor came to Ames about a year ago from Macoun, Saskatchewan, and has gained many friends, considering the shortness of her residence in Ames. “

McGregor houseat 905 Clark Ave., Ames, Iowa in 1911.

McGregor house at 905 Clark Ave., Ames Iowa in September 1998.

You know you're in Wyoming....

or some other cattle country town when you take your grandkids to the town park to play in the big sandbox area, and when a few other other girls show up with their dog, the dog's name is Chasey. Yep, she's a cowdog :-). And she is constantly at attention, watching kids move around; maybe thinking she is herding them?. And guess what she is willing to chase? Hand fulls of sand that the girls throw with their new shovels from the sand toys Grammie just brought as a surprise. I laughed and laughed :-). Chasey would even do back-flips...

three Richardson kids try out the new sand toys

Raspberries are............. yellow?

They can be.... and taste just like the red ones

and hollyhocks are... white? well, they are in my garden. I bought them color unknown.

And how about those blossums on the pumpkins and squash? Nice...

I sure am liking my gardens beds and would like to put in a couple moer on the west side of the yard - it gets lots of sun now that the one big tree is no longer there.  The squash got put into pots this year, because last year they ran free all over everything else.  Most of the tomato plants have little tomatoes started. Go baby, Go! Salsa in the fall :-)

The Inch Report

Both of my daughters, as well as my sister Jane have been making progress this spring and summer, to lose some weight. When I sent this to Becky and Sue today, Becky insisted I blog about it !
So here it is - the Inch Report from Curves' Ladies Gym - as in inches lost

Here is how it looked since 2/19/2010: and measurments taken at Curves on Tuesday 6 July


Bust - down 1.25"
Waist down 3.5"
ABS down 3"
hips down 4.25"
thighs down .5" - the slow learner...
arms up .5" - fabulous :-)
wt down 24.25


My Total Health and Fitness coach  Dan Wilcox says he can see weight loss in my face (and he has been saying that for a while), and where I have noticed it especially is in my feet. I can see those veins now - no more puffy ankles or edema on my chin bones. My weigh in with him yesterday shows 27# lost and almost all of it fat. Yippie!
 
You will have to wait for family reunion the end of this month for the swim suit view. Living alone, who would take the photo?   LOL

Ballons...

One of my very favorite things to do this time of year, around the Fourth of July, is go to the grassy field, just east of Utah Valley Regional Medical Center and watch the hot air balloons launch. The crowd - big kids, little kids, the grand parents, everybody are invited out on the field, up close and personal to watch and photograph the balloons and their crews.
This morning - I left the house about 0545 - and got there just as the Bank of American Fork was beginning to fill. Miss Pink Piggy is so cute.

A new balloon on the field - at least I had not seen it before - was a bottle of Coca Cola. It was sooo tall! I think they said over 180 feet? For those of you who have not - or even if you have - been there before, the crews  lay out the "envelopes" of the balloons on the ground first

then a fan is used to fill the envelope with cool air next. At least a couple of people hold the "door" open to let the air in

The lady in the white shirt and blowing blond hair was in charge of the Coke bottle balloon and her husband in the red hat and red Coca Cola jacket kept telling the crowd " I never know when she goes inside (the Balloon) if I will ever see her again"

When the balloon is fluffy enough,  the hot air is "shot" up into the inside of the balloon, encouraging it to raise off the ground.

The wind currents were not just right for the balloons to launch off the ground this morning, but they stayed on the ground and let the crowds wander through  and visit them for a while. In fact, there was hardly any air moving at all.

You will probably remember that Gram loved them too and we'd take her Handicapped parking tag and get into the hospital parking area. Am when the balloons had lifted off, we go have pancakes, yoghurt, juice, etc with the Kiwanis group right there on the field.  I am expecting a nurse to come draw some blood for a new life insurance policy this morning, so I was fasting. I hope she hurries up :-)