tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63156736289834405362024-03-13T23:25:34.164-07:00Atwood's Front PorchUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-54968028722698259762016-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:002016-01-26T06:00:13.160-08:00Looking AheadLooking ahead to the year 2016......<br />
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Just did wedding dress shopping for Kyre on Saturday! We actually found one that was perfect for her, and that's all I can say about it! We bought it! Sorry I can't post pictures, it is top secret! Haha. So looking forward to that at the end of July this year. Plan for a great party at the end of July, including a great hoedown.<br />
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Looking forward to McKayla's wedding in April. I always love to go to Utah and visit Kimmi's family, and a wedding is always soooo much fun. Can't wait to do that.<br />
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I wish there were another Houseman reunion this year, I could use a great camping experience again. We <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">love it when brother cooks up breakfast!</td></tr>
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have so darn much fun at those reunions. Isn't it great to have family that we can spend a few days with and we totally love it with each other. However, I do intend to do some camping anyway, reunion or not. Can't wait until the weather isn't cold and white, bring on the camping / summer / fun. I have always wished I could travel, and maybe someday I may get that opportunity, but for now, camping is my get away. It is my time to rejuvenate, sit by the fire and ponder life. Perhaps we will be able to take in another barn dance or two as well.<br />
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Whoot, whoot, I am going to see Johnny Reid in a few weeks! I can't wait for that, I am so excited. Logan bought me tickets for Christmas and I am totally stoked about it. He has to be my favorite singer of all time. I love his words, stories, and songs.<br />
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Some of the boys have Jeff Dunham tickets as well in a couple of months. They are pretty stoked about that adventure. I love to see them laughing and loving life.<br />
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Hoping to do a trip out to the West Coast this coming summer. It has been far too long since we have seen <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">would love to go here again!</td></tr>
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some of our dearest friends from there. I so hope we can work this one in the plans after the wedding. Time is pushing us all to our limits both physically and mentally, it would be nice to visit again while we are all well enough to enjoy it all.<br />
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All of that will bring us to the end of summer. After that, Rosie will be in grade 12 and we will be working hard to get her graduated and ready for university. <br />
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I know, I know, I am rushing the year away, but not really. I am totally excited for this year of adventures, explorations, and experiences. It is going to be a good year, taking it one day at a time, making memories every step of the way.<br />
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Come along for the fun! 2016 and beyond, bring it on!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-56496880643414191562016-01-15T06:00:00.000-08:002016-01-15T06:00:02.504-08:00Making it Through JourneysLife is a series of journey's that we must all make, and for each of us it is a different set of journey's. I watch all the time, my own kids raising their own now, and others raising theirs as well, and sometimes I think it was easier when my kids were little. Though times were tough, most of the time, it really worries me to think of what my own grandkids will have to journey through in their life. <br />
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I believe there are really great and wonderful things to come yet in this world we live in, but I also believe <br />
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that to get those great things, we will have to journey through some really tough stuff too. How did I ever make it through my own journey's, I often ask myself?<br />
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We had financial challenges, some family challenges, but knock on wood....., we never really had challenges that included major health, death, abuse and those kinds of things. And inevitably whenever I would get down and feel like the journey was too difficult, or I didn't want to make the journey any more, I would pause, look around me and realize that there is always someone out there whose journey I would not want to be walking, and then mine was always, yes always, put into perspective.<br />
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How did I ever do it? I kept on keeping on. I know that sounds like a cop out, but it is true. No matter what happened, I didn't quit. No matter how hard it got and how much I wanted to quit, I didn't quit. I would hit my knees in prayer and then get up and move forward, always with the hope and faith that there were brighter days ahead - and there always were.<br />
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I also did my best to keep my attitude positive and learned to enjoy the little moments along the way that now are often some of my fondest memories. Kids can be difficult, jobs can be hard, it can be difficult to always be positive in relationships, but when it boils right down to it, it is all a choice. Our attitudes are a choice. Enjoying the little moments, the big moments, it is all a choice. How we deal with heartache, it is a choice. How we deal with frustrations and anger, it is a choice.<br />
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I do get asked often, how did I ever be successful in raising six kids to be such good men and women, and honestly, I don't know. I tried always to be their friend and to keep the lines of communication open. The worst thing you can do with your kids is close those communication lines. They need to talk to someone, so if they are not comfortable talking with you, they will find other sources - how sad. I have people tell me all the time how we as parents are not supposed to be friends with our kids, we are the parents, not their friends. I strongly disagree! Be their friends! Be the one they turn to when they are struggling. One of the happiest things I think I have today is that my grown kids are my friends. We like to do things together and they still trust me with their problems. That is priceless.<br />
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I think my journey has a long way to go still, and I look forward to each new chapter, each new grandchild, each new marriage, each new job, and all of the new things that are before us. I think the reason that I look forward to it, is because I know I don't have to do it alone, we will all do it together. <br />
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Get through your journey's together. Create your support team, family or friends, and get through together helping each other along the way.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-36359158044036510312016-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:002016-01-10T06:00:03.400-08:00Leon and Vera WrightAs found in "Bridging The Years".....<br />
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Leon was born 11 December 1909, in Beazer, the twin son of Fredrick William Wright and Emma Elizabeth James. When he was old enough he ran, sometimes barefoot over the two and a half miles to a one roomed school house. His legs were moving so quickly that the sort trousers, which hung just above the ankles flapped and the rocks he stepped on left no impressions on the hard soles of his feet. These feet were tough and calloused, and by the time he had reached home at the end of the day, his feet were also red from walking through patches of wild strawberries where he'd sit down to eat his fill, thus his hands and mouth <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandpa is the one in the middle. A handsome man!</td></tr>
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were equally as red. It was then time to climb on the old sway backed horse called "Bud" and go get the cows. "Old Bruno" the faithful sheep dog was sent over the hill for the sheep. While riding through the hay, the timothy was so high that it caught between his toes.<br />
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Hurrying to finish supper, all the neighborhood children would gather in the corner of "Uncle Teds" field and play ball. This game became an important part of his life. he was a catcher and his twin brother Cleon pitched. They were offered wages at one time to be the "Batteries" for an out of town team. Leon, like all the Wright brothers was a good athlete. He used to run and win a lot of races receiving .25 cents first prize money.<br />
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Leon and his cousin Warner, caused the school teachers lots of problems. Staying in from school was no punishment - it just meant you missed a few chores. They were told if they continued to cause trouble, they would be separated and have to sit by girls. Was this punishment??<br />
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Leon learned to play the guitar and like to sing. He sang and whistled while he drove the team "Pick and Pat" to accomplish his many tasks. All the young people loved to go to dances and he rode his horse to attend the dances at Leavitt and Mountain View. At one of these socials he met Vera Walburger and later <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vera is the tallest girl</td></tr>
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they were married in the Cardston Temple, 9 July 1931.<br />
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Vera was born 9 November 1911, in a family of seven children. She was the eldest girl and this position called upon her to assume many responsibilities. Not only did she learn well all household skills, but how to work with horses also. She loved horses and rode four miles to school in Leavitt. Music lesson required her to ride on horse back to Cardston once a week for three years. The horses were well shot and fast, so they were ridden fast. Vera enjoyed entering horse races and usually won at the celebrations in Beazer and Leavitt.<br />
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The first few years of their married life was spent on the "Old Parker" place in Mountain View. They remained there for four years and then moved to Beazer in April 1935. They purchased Lot #7 in the Beazer townsite. This was formerly owned by Samuel Cox. It was a small place, and the room at the back was made from "mud dobbies". The doors were very low and you had to duck your head to get through them.<br />
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In this period of time everyone seemed to be struggling to get by, and money was scarce. Leon worked on threshing crews, sheared sheep and trapped fur bearing animals in the winter. Since their home was the closest to the school, they were asked to be caretakers for $30 per month. It was also Vera's responsibility to keep the exam papers each year for the Divisional School board. The teachers would run across the road to her house to get them when it was time to write exams. Since the Wright home was also across the road from the church, they were asked to keep the basket and volley balls and give them out when needed. Cold, <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I miss them!</td></tr>
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refreshing water was also obtained from their well for both school and church use. A new home was built in 1939 and some of the lumber used was from the old Cox house.<br />
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Leon's first car was a Model A Ford, for which he paid $150. Land was purchased in Mountain View from Fred Walburger (SW 1/4-12-3-27). After Leon's mother moved to Stirling, he purchased the old homestead quarter that belonged to his father. Here he raised cattle until he started to work for the Cardston School District, then cattle became a hobby. Leon spend his spare time playing and coaching many team sports. He served on the Bishopric of the L.D.S. Church and as Assistant Stake Athletic Director. Leon served his community on the school board and was it's last trustee. He is most happy in the mountains getting out wood or hunting. He knows every valley by heart and could relate volumes of tales spent there with good friends, Alvin and Del Beazer. A special friend, Meade Beazer made many trips into those hills with him. Leon is now retired to 'golfing and fishing'. <br />
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Leon passed away and is buried in the Beazer Cemetary with his parents and grandparents.<br />
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All drama enthusiasts in Beazer will remember the plays that Vera directed. She was also an excellent cook, sharing her treats freely with others. Her grandchildren refuse to let her retire from cooking, they expect cinnamon rolls and spudnuts to always be there when they come.<br />
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Many of us remember swimming in the old swimming hole under the bridge at Beazer. It has been a daily gathering, during the summer, for young and old alike, and for many years starting in the early 1900's. There has been many other swimming holes as well, but this one is the most well known and brings many memories for our family.<br />
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Both of my grandparents are gone now, and I miss them, but what great memories I have of them. What a life they must have lived. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-6177689531962352382016-01-08T06:00:00.000-08:002016-01-08T06:00:16.294-08:00Oh The Places We Have Lived!<span id="goog_1756320781"></span><span id="goog_1756320782"></span>I wanted to do a bit of a flashback today, to some of the places we have lived. It seemed like when we were first married, in fact the first 15 years or so we were constantly moving houses, switching jobs, trying to follow inspiration on where we should be, never really knowing why we needed to move somewhere, until all of a sudden it was time to leave and we finally figured it out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt and Taryn in Coaldale</td></tr>
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Our first few years were spent in between Coaldale and Lethbridge. We would house sit a house in Lethbridge for the winter while some friends went South, and t<br />
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hen we moved to Coaldale when they were home. We only did this for a couple of years, and honestly our most memorable times at this point were made in Coaldale. We had some great friendships <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt and Talia in Coaldale</td></tr>
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developed, and we really loved living here. Our houses were something to be desired, small, cold, spiders, mice, and even a gopher or two in them. I must admit I do not miss that part. You know many of these memories are kind of all blurred all together because we were married and had three kids within a very short period of time and life was really busy!<br />
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Shortly after this we moved to Magrath, thought we might take up Strawberry farming like my dad, but that was a huge mistake and learning experience. We bought a house in Magrath, <span id="goog_1579107668"></span><span id="goog_1579107669"></span>sad leaving somewhere because even though it is really easy to keep in touch, life goes on and others fill those holes of loneliness and we don't keep in touch except on special occasions. We moved on from Magrath, all the way to Abbotsford, B.C.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Talia, Nicki, Matt and Dano in Magrath</td></tr>
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another small house, memories of Logan crawling under the house into the extremely small crawl space to fix things, yuck! Many memories started being made because our kids were finally getting big enough to be social, and we had many family and friends there that we were close to. It always made me <br />
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That was a journey. I remember clearly how we came to the decision of moving out there. We knew we didn't want to be in Magrath anymore and that we were needed elsewhere in the world. We needed to make a break, start over and figure things out. Good memories in Magrath, but also some hard times and feelings we needed to get away from. We sat down with a map one day after Logan got home from work, and pretty much this was our thought process - we can't go south, we don't want to go east, we could go north but don't really want to because of the cold, let's go west! I shudder to think we just did that, but that was the process. We packed up the kiddos in the car that weekend and didn't tell anyone <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt went to a BC Lions football game</td></tr>
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where we were going - because really we didn't know ourselves - and headed west down the highway, feeling like we would know it when we came to it. Whatever the heck IT was!<br />
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We literally drove into and around every town we came upon. We would stop for a picnic sometimes in a nice park, or occasionally a certain town felt so dark and wrong for us that we would just drive on out of the town and keep going. We did this all the way from Magrath out to Abbotsford, and when we drove into Abbotsford, we knew we had found where we needed to be. We had no doubt we needed to move there.<br />
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We pulled into town and got a hotel and the first thing we did was call up the LDS church to see if anyone <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we had tons of picnics in B.C. all the time!</td></tr>
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was around that would be willing to come and talk to us about living there. Sure enough there was an amazing couple that came over and let our kids climb all over them and took us under their wings. They were amazing. The next day they showed us around the city and told us all kinds of things. Helped us find some rental possibilities, introduced us to some people, and we were hooked. We paid the damage deposit on the upper half of a house, drove back to Magrath, packed up our things and headed west.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyre and Santa Blair in Abbotsford</td></tr>
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What a journey, my fabulous brother drove his truck and pulled our borrowed horse trailer full of our stuff. What a trip that was. We pulled into our rental house and moved in our meager belongings. We didn't bring any beds or much of anything with us, just what we needed. It wasn't long before we were overwhelmed with donated things from many people who became our dear friends.<br />
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We lived in our peach house, as the kids called it for a couple of years and then moved to the green house. <br />
Oh those were fun times. Tough times, but fun. We were dirt poor broke, struggling to make ends meet, but we made memories, and created friendships that I miss dearly today. Good times. We spent lots of time at the ocean, the lakes, hiking in the woods, playing with friends, camping and man they were great times. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our front porch in Magrath</td></tr>
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<br />
After five years of struggling, and playing in B.C. we were strongly prompted we needed to move back to Magrath. To this day I still am not sure why, was it another trial? I don't know, but we did live in Magrath for another five years after that. More financially tough times, but somehow we managed to buy a home in all of that. Struggles with some of our kids at this time, struggles with some family, but yet most of those struggles we choose to forget and try to remember the memories made and the close friendships created at this time.<br />
<br />
Five years later, unemployment had hit us again, and honestly I had lost count of it at this time, and was really struggling to care any more. Yes that bad boy depression was a tough one, but I was hanging in there. Logan started reaching out to find jobs elsewhere and landed a job in good old Medicine Hat. We had just been fixing up our house to get it to where we absolutely loved it, so I guess that meant it was time to sell. He commuted for almost a year and would only come home on weekends because I was stubborn and wanted to make darn sure the job was going to last before we sold our home and uprooted again. Well the job lasted, and we sold, and spent the summer living at my dad's farm in Brooks, in a motorhome. Yuppers that was a summer to remember! Haha. The kids remember it well. In fact we didn't <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ozYo8v3oBs4/Vo7iuAnx5uI/AAAAAAAAF6c/HQ_Q9Y0ugPo/s1600/jk%2Bc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ozYo8v3oBs4/Vo7iuAnx5uI/AAAAAAAAF6c/HQ_Q9Y0ugPo/s320/jk%2Bc.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">summer in Brooks on the Farm ready for church!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
even have enough room in the motor home so we had our old "one buck" truck with an old camper on it and the boys stayed in it, while the girls and us stayed in the other. What memories!<br />
<br />
We were not sure where we wanted to make our home, and Logan was still commuting to Medicine Hat each day, and in the mean time looking at houses and all over the place. The house we are still in today is the one he came home and said he had put an offer on a house pending my approval. So we got a house, moved to Medicine Hat and still live here fourteen years later. My kids all tease us that Medicine Hat is a black hole, it sucks you in and you can never get out. But in reality, it is a pretty nice place to live. We still have had our ups and downs with jobs, I think that was just one of <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4HbQsszOQ1w/Vo7i__U3UhI/AAAAAAAAF6k/alK1zLH5QxY/s1600/Family%2B-%2B43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4HbQsszOQ1w/Vo7i__U3UhI/AAAAAAAAF6k/alK1zLH5QxY/s1600/Family%2B-%2B43.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our front walk in Medicine Hat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
our trials in life, but we love it here and now our kids are settling here too. I really have no desire to leave again unless I am moving to the mountains, or six feet under. <br />
<br />
<b>Oh the places we have gone in life - and oh the places you may go.</b> You never know why you might be led somewhere, but trust your feelings. Friends we have made along the way have been eternal friendships and without a doubt we will be building our mansions close together in the Heavens!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-89751812148259395792016-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:002016-01-06T06:50:37.264-08:00Family Recipes<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I love a good family recipe, tried and true, that has been passed down through generations. I have a couple of them I want to share with you today. One of my favorite cookbooks is my <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pE-KCKB_70A/Vox3L_YaQuI/AAAAAAAAF3k/Q_TvdOfprK8/s1600/IMG_20160105_184251330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pE-KCKB_70A/Vox3L_YaQuI/AAAAAAAAF3k/Q_TvdOfprK8/s320/IMG_20160105_184251330.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ya they are looking a little rough!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Walburger family history / recipe book, and unfortunately mine is beat to death. I use it all of the time. It has many of my go to recipes in it. Another, is a binder of favorite recipes I have compiled myself, and it is in need of a new face lift as well. I think for the Walburger book, I will have to just copy out my favorite recipes and tuck the book away, for it is a treasure of family history, and I don't know that I can get another. My red binder book, well, I will just have to get a new binder. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here goes, the tried and true and favorites:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Crazy Chocolate Cake</span></b></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/2 cup margarine or butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 egg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 cup milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 1/2 cup flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 tsp vanilla</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/2 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 tsp soda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/2 cup cocoa</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/2 cup boiling water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Put ingredients in bowl in order given. Don't stir until boiling water is added. Beat until smooth. Pour into buttered and floured cake pan. Makes 1 9x13 pan or 24 cupcakes or 2 layers. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Puffed Wheat Squares</span></b></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 cup brown sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3/4 cup margarine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/2 cup corn syrup light or dark</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 tbsp cocoa</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Pour over 8 cups puffed wheat measured into a bowl. Press into butter cookie sheet or cake pan 9x13. Eat warm or cool and eat, if you can wait that long.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><u><b>Dumplings</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3 tbsp shortening, margarine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 1/2 c flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 tsp baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3/4 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3/4 c milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Milk all well and drop by tbsp into boiling soup or stew. Cover for 15 minutes and let cook. Don't open the lid to check them. Just set a timer and walk away. Yummm.</span><br />
<br />
<u><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Baking Powder Biscuits</span></b></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 cups flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 tbsp sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4 tsp baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 tbsp margarine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/2 c milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mix to form a workable dough. You can roll this out and cut out biscuits or roll into balls and pat onto a buttered cookie sheet, or drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet. I usually add some grated cheese to mine as well, like 1/2 to 3/4 cup or so. Bake on buttered cookie sheet at 400 for 15 - 20 minutes until done.</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-54469025598755490752016-01-03T07:00:00.000-08:002016-01-03T07:00:10.264-08:00George Leroy Houseman<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First off I must say, I had a dickens of a time with these pictures for some reason, so my disclaimer is to enjoy them as they are, and I will attempt to keep fixing them. They just wouldn't cooperate. Enjoy the Ancestor Flashback today......</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lKimLeoNeXs/VoiVo4pr_ZI/AAAAAAAAFw4/DtYWw4EAAzk/s1600/grandad%2Band%2Bgrandma.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lKimLeoNeXs/VoiVo4pr_ZI/AAAAAAAAFw4/DtYWw4EAAzk/s320/grandad%2Band%2Bgrandma.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Leroy, Ida, and my Dad David</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">George (My Grandad)
was born on the 18</span><sup><span style="font-size: medium;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: medium;">
of October 1911 in Deshler, Thayer County, Nebraska, to William Henry
Houseman and Louisa Catherine Suiter. </span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span>
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">George,
whom I will hereafter refer to as Grandad, was the second youngest </span><span style="font-size: medium;">of
13 children, and the last living of them all. He lived a long life
of 94 years and 3 months. I can’t imagine the changes he must have
seen in his life span. From horses and buggies, one room schools, to
the age of computers and travel that we live in today.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At
a Houseman reunion held in Brooks, in July of 1995, </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>this
brief history of Grandad was related as a tribute<b> by his grandson
Mark Senecal.</b></u></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><b> </b> </u></span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">George
was born on the 18</span><sup><span style="font-size: medium;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: medium;">
of October 1911 in Deshler, Thayer County, Nebraska, and lived there
until he moved to Canada in 1929. He was milking cows and doing many
chores before he even started school, and he started school at the
age of four. He didn’t quite finish high school because his
father, William Henry, died and he and his brother Hank had to
operate the farm for two years before he moved to Canada. When he
was a child he remembers that to get money to buy groceries they
milked the cows, then separated the cream, and sold the cream. This
was their grocery money.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">George
first came to Canada in 1929 with a brother, Raymond, and some of
their neighbors. They rode in a box car with all the animals and
farm equipment, and household furnishings. They had a set of
bedsprings tied to the roof of the boxcar that he slept in with a
friend. One night the wires broke and they fell down onto the
tractor below.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When
asked why they chose Brooks, Alberta, to homestead, it was because
they were interested in buying irrigated farmland from the rail road
company. They bought this land for $60 per acre.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Raymond
moved his family to Brooks, in the fall of 1929.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3oMm2fkJCQU/VoiXJ7AvBKI/AAAAAAAAFxA/sXhI67w0axQ/s1600/Grandad%2BHank%2Band%2BGrace.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3oMm2fkJCQU/VoiXJ7AvBKI/AAAAAAAAFxA/sXhI67w0axQ/s320/Grandad%2BHank%2Band%2BGrace.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hank, Grace and George, sorry for the sizing of this pic. It was being pretty stubborn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Hank
and George with their mom and Grace (a sister) came to Brooks to stay
in the spring of 1930. They brought with them a couple of cows and
calves, some farm machinery and some household furnishings.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">George
took his mother home in 1936 to be buried, and returned with Henry
and Rose Albers, a sister and her husband, and their animals and
property.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">He
met Ida Bender when she was working for Raymond and Myrtle, doing
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WXVEW0nm3wQ/VoiLM2NsgTI/AAAAAAAAFwo/M2FGr6cKa9A/s1600/Grandma%252C%2BGrandad%252C%2Band%2Bkids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WXVEW0nm3wQ/VoiLM2NsgTI/AAAAAAAAFwo/M2FGr6cKa9A/s320/Grandma%252C%2BGrandad%252C%2Band%2Bkids.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandad, Grandma and their three kids.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
housework for them. They were married on the </span><span style="font-size: medium;">9</span><sup><span style="font-size: medium;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: medium;">
of October 1936 in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Ida was born in Schuler,
Alberta, Canada on the 3</span><sup><span style="font-size: medium;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: medium;">
of January 1919. They bought the farm from Raymond in 1943. And
after farming the land for 47 years, they retired to Duchess,
Alberta. George will be turning 84 in October of 1995.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Some
of my own memories </u></span><span style="font-size: medium;">I
have of Grandad and Grandma, first start of course when we all lived
out at the farm in One Tree District. They lived in a three bedroom
house, which still stands today, and we lived in a home on the same
farm, which has since been moved off. As kids, I remember spending
quite a bit of time at their house, since it was just next door. We
loved to be with Grandma and she would always feed us. Even today
she always wants to be the perfect host and is always offering to
find food or drink for us. She was always especially good at giving
us vitamins, which most of us still faithfully take to this day.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
remember Grandad being a really hard worker. And of course on the
farm, there were always many things that needed to be done. I think
the work was never ending. We would ride along to take Dad and
Grandad dinner out in the field, because they only could stop the
tractor long enough to stick some food in their mouths, and let us
kids play up in the tractor for a few minutes, and then they would be
back at it, until late at night. </span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qonub6SiGYo/VoiXj7DLrpI/AAAAAAAAFxI/cPj0p503Gh8/s1600/Grandma%2Band%2BGrandad%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qonub6SiGYo/VoiXj7DLrpI/AAAAAAAAFxI/cPj0p503Gh8/s320/Grandma%2Band%2BGrandad%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Grandad
had always been a small man, physically, but a giant of a man inside.
He has an attitude of work until it is done, and even then work
some more. He has been a wonderful Grandad and has always gotten
pleasure from his grandchildren and even great grandchildren. </span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Due
to his hard work and Grandma’s healthy eating and fabulous home
cooking, Grandad has always been one of the most physically fit
people I have known, the next being my own Dad who is just like his
own Dad. Even up until his passing, I marvelled at his overall
health and physical fitness of his body.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Grandad
and Grandma spent some time at my home in B.C. in the summer of 1994,
and then in the summer of 1995. Their objective was to pick
blackberries and make jam. It was great fun to spend time with them
and still see Grandad’s excitement with picking blackberries. I
think this is another hereditary trait in our family. Now for any of
you who know what blackberries are like, you’ll understand the
thorns and vines and what a nasty, tangled, mess it is to pick these
berries. Well, Grandad had his coveralls, gloves, hat, and boots on,
with belt around waist, bucket attached to belt, and a step ladder
trailing behind for hard to reach places, and bush clippers to cut
his way back into the thick of the bush, where the best berries
usually are. He meant serious business.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">From his funeral: </span></span></div>
<h1 class="western" lang="en-US">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>George Leroy Houseman</b></u></span></span></h1>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" lang="en-US" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" lang="en-US" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Born October 18,
1911 in Deshler, Thayer County, Nebraska, and passed away on January
16, 2006. Grandad was 94 years old. </span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-US">Grandad
was the second youngest child, but youngest son of thirteen children,
</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-US"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DkHUHHUHZr0/VoibUiH38JI/AAAAAAAAFxk/Btnzqp62NZM/s1600/Houseman_fam_300dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DkHUHHUHZr0/VoibUiH38JI/AAAAAAAAFxk/Btnzqp62NZM/s320/Houseman_fam_300dpi.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">born to William Henry Houseman and Louisa Catherine Suiter. He was
the last to pass away. He started school when he was four years old,
but that wasn’t the first of his education. He was trained well in
the art of milking cows, and doing chores on the farm and around the
house. He wasn’t able to finish school because his father passed
away and he and his older brother Henry or Uncle Hank as most of us
know him, had to run the farm for two years before they made their
move to Canada.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Grandad and Raymond
made their first trip to Canada in 1929 to check out the
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Fa4liiGb0U/VoiX2jQGw8I/AAAAAAAAFxU/iq7ZXsTwtSw/s1600/Grandad%2Band%2Bfamily.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Fa4liiGb0U/VoiX2jQGw8I/AAAAAAAAFxU/iq7ZXsTwtSw/s320/Grandad%2Band%2Bfamily.png" width="296" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">possibilities of farming here. Land was selling for $60 per acre.
Raymond moved here to Brooks in the fall of 1929 with his family, and
Grandad, Hank and their mother moved here in the spring of 1930,
bringing with them a few cows, some machinery, and household things.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In 1936 when
Grandad’s mother died he returned to Hebron to have her buried
there with his father, and returned with another sister, Rose and her
husband.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-US">He
met Grandma in 1936 when she was working for Raymond doing housework
for them. They were married on the 9</span></span><sup><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-US">th</span></span></sup><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-US">
of October in 1936 in Medicine Hat, Alberta. They bought the farm
out at One Tree, from Raymond in 1943 and farmed there for 47 years.
They retired to Duchess where they spent the next 12 years, until
Grandad’s health needed them to be closer to help, and they moved
into Brooks where Grandma still resides today.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-US">Grandma
and Grandad have three children, David, Lila, and Dory, with 17
grandchildren, and __lots of __ great grandchildren, and 4 (at the time) great great
grandchildren. </span></span></span></span>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Here
is a story related by Bea Behnke about a time when they came to visit
the relatives up in Canada.</u></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">I
was probably about 9 when Mom and Dad (along with me) decided to go
to Canada to visit George and Hank's families. We didn't write or
call - we just drove up </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">from
Nebraska! Guess Mom and Dad figured they'd be home since they were
farming. We arrived in Brooks on Saturday evening after dark - I
think around 9:00 - 9:30. Since we had no idea where either George or
Hank lived, Dad stopped in town and asked the first person he met if
they could tell him where Hank or Shorty </span></span></span></span>
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</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">Houseman
lived. This guy said that he had just seen Hank in town a few minutes
ago, so they took off to find him. He and Dorothy were both in town,
so they were </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">the
first ones surprised. We followed Hank and Dorothy out to George and
Ida's with a plan for when we arrived. Dad went to the door by
himself (of course it was dark out) and when George came to the door,
Dad said he was looking for work and was told in town that George was
probably needing some help on the farm. </span></span></span></span>
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</span>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ViaS933DVsE/VoiYdPZ8a5I/AAAAAAAAFxY/SUw5V1kejHg/s1600/Grandad%2Band%2Bsisters.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ViaS933DVsE/VoiYdPZ8a5I/AAAAAAAAFxY/SUw5V1kejHg/s320/Grandad%2Band%2Bsisters.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">Well
- George had been napping on the "Chesterfield" (a new word
for me...) when Ida saw two cars drive in and pull up in the dark -
(Uncle Hank didn't want them to </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">see
his car and </span>recognize<span lang="en-AU">
it right away.) So she of course, woke up Uncle George. There had
been a murder in a town not too terribly far from Brooks and the
murderer had not been found and just before he had fallen asleep, the
radio had announced that there was a chance that the suspect was in
the area of Brooks and the surrounding towns.
So - the two cars, in the dark shadows - spooked him - when he went
to the door, he quickly put the hook across and latched the screen
door at the same time </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-AU">Dad
reached to open it and ask for work. Dad was quickly told that "No"
- Uncle George didn't need any help.....but Uncle George </span></span><span lang="en-AU">also
noticed two figures in the </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">shadows
- Uncle Hank and my Mom - who wanted to hear the conversation. Dad
used to call Uncle George "Governor" when he was younger
and so he repeated his request,
this time calling him Governor, instead of George. He still didn't
catch on. Then my Mom stepped up and tried to get involved in the
conversation about a job and he didn't recognize her or her voice
either - still being in the dark and shadows, and still that one
figure that he could see, (Uncle Hank) was standing back farther.
Finally, after getting a little concerned, Uncle Hank stepped up and
said "Come on, Shorty, let 'em in." Course he recognized
that voice. What a great reunion that was. Aunt Ida probably knows
how long it had been since they had seen each other, but I think the
last time may have been when Grandma Houseman died in 1936. </span></span></span></span>
</div>
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</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
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</span>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">I
was just 6 weeks old then. I don't know if George and Hank had been
back to Nebraska since then or not.....but if not, it would have been
almost 10 years since they </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">had
seen each other. </span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
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</span>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">The
first Houseman Reunion - at Yellowstone - what an experience that had
to be for the Houseman siblings. All the cooking was basically done
outside on the open fire. I always picture Uncle George getting the
fire ready. Everybody brought lots of food from home - my Mom and Dad
brought bacon, ham and eggs, along with a HUGE griddle to cook
on....and the California relatives brought so much fruit!!!! Uncle
George brought lots of meat, too, I remember. I'm sure that all of
us cousins are grateful that the Reunions got started - otherwise, we
would have not known each other very well, as the miles had taken
many of the first generation in lots of different directions and
</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">v</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">isits
were few and far between. </span></span></span></span>
</div>
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</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">Since
we spend the winters in Sun City, Arizona, we get to see more of
George and Lila since they come to Sun City Grand, Arizona. The last
time Uncle George and </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">Aunt
Ida were in Arizona, they helped me celebrate my birthday in
February. We've got some good photos of that evening and I'll
remember his smiling face from that time.....good times!!!! Our
oldest son, Michael, shares the same October 17 birthday as Uncle
George. </span></span></span></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">The
other thing I remember hearing my Mom talk about many times,
according to the letters she would get from Grandma Houseman after
they went to Canada and </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">particularly
the year before she passed away, she wrote that she was being well
taken care of......and George did without things that he needed, to
make sure that she had what she needed. Mom said it was hard to see
them go to Canada, but she was proud of her younger brothers (George
and Hank, both) and grateful that their Mother was being well cared
for. </span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
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</span>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Thoughts shared
by Hollis Grone:</u></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">
</div>
<div align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">I
don't have any particular story to tell about Uncle George except
that when I was a little shaver he had come back to Nebraska to husk
corn for my Dad. It was a cold season and he had come down stairs
where we had no heat. Mom used a cook </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">stove
in which she burned corn cobs and </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">w</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-CA">ood.
Uncle George opened the oven door and sat down on it and the door
broke. It took a little time for him to live that one down. I
remember when my Mother, Bertha was in the nursing home that Uncle
George and Aunt Ida came all the way down here to visit her. They
came in their camper and parked by the nursing home so they could
spend time with Mom. I thought that was really considerate of them.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<h1 class="western">
<u><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thoughts from Sheldon Houseman</span></span></u></h1>
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</span>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-AU">Almost
every time I try to think of something about him it has to do with
berries. Him and his garden in Duchess, the raspberries in
particular. I realize now how little I knew him, and really never did
get to know him like I would have liked to. His smile and his laugh
are the only other things that I can say were unique to him, and that
I will miss.</span></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-83554913687315155732015-12-19T13:12:00.000-08:002015-12-31T21:47:08.584-08:00Candy Making Day with the Fam<br />
We had our first annual Christmas Candy making day a week ago and it was awesome! Thanks to all who came and shared with us, and for those of you who couldn't make it, here is a shot at what you missed and we hope you can come next year when we plan ahead a little better!<br />
<br />
We started with some basic supplies.......Oh sooooooo much sugar and butter......<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vbO-xVC4vhE/VnXGjZVjuqI/AAAAAAAAFIw/-tv1cbVpwAs/s1600/DSC_0121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vbO-xVC4vhE/VnXGjZVjuqI/AAAAAAAAFIw/-tv1cbVpwAs/s320/DSC_0121.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
We had chief cooks.....<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZENiLXF-Vs/VnXEb17JsnI/AAAAAAAAFGI/2WYI9S4t-G4/s1600/DSC_0113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZENiLXF-Vs/VnXEb17JsnI/AAAAAAAAFGI/2WYI9S4t-G4/s320/DSC_0113.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i5VmQ1z6n_o/VnXEc5js5ZI/AAAAAAAAFGQ/DYIqX9FLS9I/s1600/DSC_0114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i5VmQ1z6n_o/VnXEc5js5ZI/AAAAAAAAFGQ/DYIqX9FLS9I/s320/DSC_0114.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
Who cooked and cooked......<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T8I-hEhMvyw/VnXG7240lPI/AAAAAAAAFI4/5YY5BhF883Y/s1600/DSC_0115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T8I-hEhMvyw/VnXG7240lPI/AAAAAAAAFI4/5YY5BhF883Y/s320/DSC_0115.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
We had chief mixers.....<br />
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<span id="goog_834039190"></span><span id="goog_834039191"></span><br />
Chief testers and tasters...... baggers ..... haha<br />
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And we came up with some real treasures............<br />
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We had little kids who played......<br />
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We had big kids who played......<br />
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And in the end we all had a blast.<br />
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Thanks Family.......I am looking forward to next year, and I promise I will be more organized and prepared and it will be even better!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-82044932869336908482015-11-09T17:47:00.000-08:002016-01-01T13:26:07.928-08:00Time Flies When You're Having Fun!<br />
I can't believe it has been almost another year past. It seems like I just wrote that it was a review of another year! How it flies whether or not we are having fun, so we may as well have fun right?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It has been an eventful year. Let me see if I can recap some of it.</span></div>
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Work and more work of course. Lay offs and re hires, changes, and so forth, all take place all the time in the work field, especially when the oil field is involved. Major political changes which affect the economy, and which also affect our jobs and lives have happened. Some good and some really not so good, but we roll with the punches and try to make the best of situations.<br />
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No new grandbabies this year, but we have had great fun with the ones we have. Can't believe how fast they <br />
grow and how much fun they have been. <br />
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Xander is loving having sleepovers with me, especially when Logan is out of town. We have some great fun together. I miss not having Wyatt here every day after school. It seems I hardly ever see him any more and when he does come over, he is such a grown up boy now that he mostly likes to hang with the big boys downstairs in the dungeon staring at screens, that fry their brains out. LOL. <br />
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Jax is finally warming up to me, I guess it is because Grandpa isn't always around, so he has to like me a bit more. I keep the faith that as he grows, he will come to understand more that I am going to be his best friend. Right now he loves his Grandpas the most, and that's okay too. He is the cutest little bug, strutting around like he owns the world and he pretty much does. He will be two in Jan, Wyatt will be ten, and Xander just turned four. Crazy year with the little boys.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fell asleep at his own birthday party</td></tr>
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I won't talk much about my kids, as they don't like me sharing all that they have been doing, but Kyre is engaged to a super great guy, David, and Matt and Beth got married! Yay for both of them. So happy for them. Tal and Jim are always buzzing busy around like a family of bees, and are working on getting foster kids in their home. Some of the kids are in school, some working, and some enjoying life. I sure can't complain.<br />
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We had a great time camping for two weeks this past summer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memories - sisters</td></tr>
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I love camping. I love it because being in nature is just the best. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memories - cousins</td></tr>
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I love the mountains, I love the peace, and I love the crazy fun that comes with throwing in a couple of family reunions into the mix. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh ya......</td></tr>
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I must admit that I am going to downsize my camper. I really want to have one that I can pull or drive by myself when Logan isn't around. I absolutely love my current trailer, but it is just too much for me to hook up and do all on my own, and I don't want that to be the deciding factor if I get to go camping or not.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best friends were made</td></tr>
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I tried it with just a tent one time and the first night was great, but we woke early to a horrific wind which had our tent pretty much flattened to the ground with us girls in it, and we had to take it all down and pack up in the wind before we blew away. Not fun.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New friends were made</td></tr>
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An experience though. :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coolin off in the pool - it was super hot!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good food was had by all.</td></tr>
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That is what it is all about. Memories. I love the quote from Og Mandino - </div>
<h1 class="quoteText">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">“I am convinced that the greatest legacy we can leave our children
are happy memories: those precious moments so much like pebbles on the
beach that are plucked from the white sand and placed in tiny boxes that
lay undisturbed on tall shelves until one day they spill out and time
repeats itself, with joy and sweet sadness, in the child now an adult.”</span></span></h1>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memories and fun were had by all.</td></tr>
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I love making memories, and I love remembering them. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some were on-lookers</td></tr>
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I have many fond memories, and hope that when my kids are older, they will say they have many as well. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some were participants</td></tr>
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I love spilling out the memories and allowing them to repeat their emotions within me. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All were great memories!</td></tr>
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What a treasure. What a great legacy.</div>
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To making many more memories in the coming months and years - here's to you! Remember what is important - always.</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-67517378958376642262015-01-01T08:25:00.000-08:002015-01-01T08:25:32.881-08:00The Door Is Always Open<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Welcome 2015!!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Never a better way to bring in the New Year than with family, good friends and yummy food! Ended 2014 with just that! And nope I didn't make it quite until midnight, but real close! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We had the opportunity last night to do a little reflecting on perhaps what our mission statement would be if we had one, not just in our family but for us as members of the LDS faith, and it was kind of a cool thing to think about. I couldn't pin just what it would be, but I knew that it had to do with loving and welcoming everyone regardless who they are. We kicked around a few ideas, and then Jim reminded us of the one that he thinks of about us - "The Door Is Always Open". Perfect! He said that when he started coming around here, that is one thing that he was always told. We tell everyone that, regardless of who they are, and we really mean it too! I guess I didn't really think of it, but we do. We have always had an open door policy at our home. The door is always open - La puerta siempre esta abierta! I love Spanish! </span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you looked at Atwood's Front Porch, what would you see? </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"> THE DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I think back through the years and it has always been this way. We have learned a few hard lessons along the way, but one thing that we have always tried to keep the same is our open door policy, and I think that for the most part, each of our kids and their friends have felt at ease using this policy. It is always a great feeling when an old friend shows up just out of the blue and pops in for a visit. The door is always open, has stuck!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So perhaps for the New Year, do a little pondering, and see what might ring true for your home and family. What do you want people to think of when they think of you? How do you want them to remember you? I guarantee they won't necessarily remember the things that they did with you, or at your house, but they will remember how you made them feel. They will remember that at the Atwood house, the door was always open for them, anytime, any day. </span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Door Is Always Open! </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Siempre para siempre </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">- always until the end of time!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Happy 2015</span></span></span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-2421272133519511632014-12-09T07:10:00.000-08:002014-12-09T07:10:40.832-08:002014Here is our front porch year in review! 2014, I can't believe that it is almost over! Went way too fast.....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beginning of the year!</td></tr>
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Started off with our little Jaxson being born in January, and he went from little to big in no time. It is amazing to me how kids grow so fast when they are little, and then of course the rest of us are always trying to slow down our growth because it doesn't happen where or when we want it to! Wyatt, Xander and Jaxson have kept us all busy and loving life this year. Wyatt is 8, Xander 3, and Jax will be 1 <br />
soon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xander, Rosie, and Jax </td></tr>
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I love having my kids with families live close to me, as it offers me many chances to be a grandma. Nothing better in life than that. We go through our own kids and the <br />
struggles, so that in the end we have the fantastic reward of grandchildren! Well, that isn't the only reward, but it is one of the best ones! Matt and Beth, Tal and Jim both live close, which is a huge blessing in our lives.<br />
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Dano switched programs from English major to Digital Media and Communication Arts, or some big name like that. He is loving it. One and a half years left and he will be done. I know that sounds like such a long time, but wow does it go fast! Kyre went off to U of L this past year taking her third year of Fine Arts. She loves the fine arts part of it, but doesn't love the University environment. Can't blame her, she took the first two years here at the college in the Hat, and it is such a warm friendly environment, and then bamm! U of L, cold cement, and not very friendly! Took some adjusting! After her time at U of L then she will be off to Art Therapy school out in BC. Hang in there Kyre. :) I miss not having them around all the time, but I guess I can't be too selfish and have all my kids live here, right?<br />
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Kimball graduates this year! True story! How did that ever happen? Cyera is in grade 10 too. They keep me hoppin still! I miss those days of having my little ones at home and home school every day. Those were <br />
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fun days full of lots of memories. I have people ask me all the time if I could do it all again, would I home school my kids, and I say definitely, without a doubt. Now that K and C are in high school - their choice - I have been working in the school system with the preschool classes, and I see the kids out there, and then I look at the kids I have raised and no doubt in my mind, I would do it all over again. My kids are pretty darn good kids. All of them. Have we had our struggles along the way? Sure thing, but they would have been there regardless, and I am sure the struggles would have been way different and probably worse in many ways, had they all pushed through public school. Home school was the only way to go, in my mind. I know it isn't for everyone, but it was good for us.<br />
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Highlights of the year, we built a really great grape arbor with a nice little creek bed under it, in our back <br />
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yard. I love to sit out there in the summer. We also went camping this summer, which is always one of my favorite things to do. I love the lazy days of camping, and the times by the fire. We went to Elkwater this <br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ap7fT5nrINI/VIcQomsPymI/AAAAAAAAEzk/Yc3UpZEFx-g/s1600/20140706_171458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ap7fT5nrINI/VIcQomsPymI/AAAAAAAAEzk/Yc3UpZEFx-g/s1600/20140706_171458.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>time and found some real beauty there. Some of it actually made me feel like we were in the mountains, out in the middle of the prarie! Pretty sweet! Will probably do that again this summer 2015. Otherwise, it was a quiet year, yet a really good one. Looking forward to Christmas this year, I know I actually said that!! Santa will be doing his rounds Christmas Eve again, and I have two weeks off work! Wahoo! That is the nice part about working for the school, I get the same holidays as them. <br />
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Here is to hoping that 2015 tops 2014, with another camping trip planned, and a trip to Utah planned for a family reunion. I am sure many more opportunities to spend with my little boys, lots of bon fires, play dates at the parks, back yard picnics, - just have to get through the next few months of winter - then the fun begins! Yet here we are on December 9th, 2014 at 8:00 in the morning and it is 5degrees above 0 outside, melting the snow like crazy! Can't complain!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-83228889280172041602014-09-01T17:20:00.003-07:002014-09-01T19:13:57.164-07:00Chapters In Our LivesI love turning the pages of a book to open a new chapter. The new chapter is always full of new information, or new characters, or new adventures. Book reading to me, is an adventure, and I am so glad that I have passed it on to most of my kids.<br />
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I kind of look at life like a great novel. It is full of adventures, romance, trials, climax after climax, and of course what goes along with those climax's are the lows and highs of life. As we have moved from place to place, when our kids were young, I used to always say that we were opening a new chapter in life with each new place that we lived. Each place brought new friends, new adventures, new experiences that taught many life lessons.<br />
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Here is a brief synopsis of the chapters in our lives, not including our childhoods. I think it is a great place to <br />
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start writing a life history book for my kids, and I think it should be called "Our Identity" because all of these things that we have experienced along the journey, have created who we are today - a family that loves to play together and work together, and make great memories together!<br />
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Chapter One I consider to be the chapter where Matt and I grew together alone for the first two years of his life. It was a tough chapter, full of crazy stories and many challenges. One that taught me some really valuable life lessons, some of which I may or may not wish to repeat. Then we met Logan.<br />
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Chapter Two we lived mainly in Lethbridge or Coaldale and back and forth, and bam!, had Talia, Dano, and Kyre back to back to make our numbers equal four kids. Life was great. We created many dear friends and had lots of fun, but also had some struggles. Financially it wasn't always great, but we were too stinkin busy with four little kids to notice much anyways. We eventually moved back to Magrath, in fact it was around the time that Kyre was born, or not too long before that. I kind of can keep track by where each kid was born. Talia and Dano both born in Lethbridge, and Kyre in Magrath. Oh those were busy, but fun days. We bought a home, such as it was, a bit of a fixer upper - you might say. We had some family strife, which spurred us on to a impromptu vacation out to BC, which opened the way for the next chapter which included our move to BC.<br />
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Chapter Three, the adventure in British Columbia begins. Kyre was three when we moved there. We only <br />
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lived in BC for five short years, but what a great experience. Life long friendships created there. Oh how I miss those fun filled years. We were poor, broke and struggling, but our kids didn't know any better. I shudder today to think of how they had to walk so far to school all the time. I guess it really wasn't that far, but for little ones, it was pretty far. I always had a few kids in the home that I babysat, and we had one vehicle, so life was pretty simple. These were great days of exploring, hiking, playing, and having so much fun. Great chapter, when I eventually get around to writing it.<br />
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Chapter Four, back in Magrath. I have always loved Magrath, but it seems like that just isn't where the Lord wanted us to be. Again, we thought we were coming back to purchase a family farm, but alas, it was not meant to be. We bought a house that we renovated to the point where we loved it. Life was great again. The kids walked a block to school, walked to their friends places, and started really growing up here. Old friendships were renewed and we began rebuilding family bonds that needed desperately to be mended. We had my sister, and her family move in with us for a few months, and those were a bit stressful days for all of us, but days that I wouldn't trade. Fond memories. Job struggles, financial challenges, but great times. Then the Lord opened the way for another chapter by landing Logan a job in Medicine Hat.<br />
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Chapter Five, Medicine Hat. A move to Medicine Hat that started with living in Brooks at my Dad's farm <br />
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for the summer, and ended in us buying a house in Medicine Hat, close to the High School. The opening of this chapter was a great adventure, except that Matt didn't come with us at first. Rocky roads had happened as we were first time parents of teenagers. They have smoothed into fairly nice paved roads though, - knock on wood - and Medicine Hat has been really good for our family. Not without it's challenges though. For Talia and Dano, there were a ton of LDS youth which allowed them to be pretty involved and social. The youth started to dwindle over the years, and when we are <br />
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now down to Kimball and Cyera, slim pickins at best. It is a struggle, but one that they are meeting head on, and will win. Through this chapter, Talia, Daniel, and Kyre have all graduated and gone on to school. Kimball and Cyera currently in high school. Between Talia and Matt we have three grandsons, the extreme joy of our lives. This chapter has had it's challenges too, but they have been different in struggle. Still financial struggles off and on, but nothing like when we were younger. This chapter will have to be broken down into other chapters, as it is the longest so far.<br />
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Chapter Six, the grandchildren come along, kids are at university and college, and <br />
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we are pretty much determined that it would have to be something pretty great to get us to move away now, at this point. Our family is growing <br />
here, and this is home.<br />
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eventually be empty nesters. I don't know how I feel about looking ahead to that, but it will come none the less. It will be the best yet, I am sure! It will bring new adventures, new friends, and new memories!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-61350450468605150902014-08-23T14:09:00.001-07:002014-08-23T14:09:24.766-07:00Homemaking Things I have Learned - Through The YearsAs I was cutting Talia's hair the other day, and then she in turn cut mine, I was thinking of all of the things that <br />
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I have learned through the years at "Homemaking", which was called "Enrichment" for a time, and is now just called Relief Society. You know it was all of those extra meetings once or twice a month that we have attended for years, the ones that have saved me thousands of dollars through the years, just because of the little things I have been taught.<br />
For one, I took a hair cutting class, actually twice, and it was free. I have always cut my boys hair, and usually my girls hair. I have also taught Talia and Cyera to do some of the basic cuts that I know about. Just think 30 ish years of haircuts for 6 people - how much money would that save you?<br />
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I learned to make some amazing food dishes like, spanish rice, low fat baking, canning, cooking with beans, dehydrating, cookies, making bread, using bread dough for baking so many other things, how to cook with wheat, sprouting, and on and on. Even though I grew up knowing how to cook from scratch, it was those Relief Society meetings that fine tuned everything and taught me to make them yummy!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eUPfXzifdI0/U_kB8R7-elI/AAAAAAAAEUM/XjL6yHSZrUY/s1600/20140814_141413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eUPfXzifdI0/U_kB8R7-elI/AAAAAAAAEUM/XjL6yHSZrUY/s1600/20140814_141413.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>I learned organizational skills, parenting skills, marriage skills (yup they really are skills), preparedness skills, gardening skills, frugal living skills, and all kinds of skills. I feel like I am fairly self reliant in many ways, just because of the skills that I have learned and shared back. Yes, I have even learned crafting skills like crochet and knitting, and making crafty things, which I don't love to do! <br />
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I learned to love service and value friendships created through it. I could literally name dozens of dear close friends that I have found through the years through service and Relief Society. It doesn't seem to matter <br />
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where we have lived, I find instant bonds with my great sisters in the gospel.<br />
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I have learned and strengthened many gospel principles through the years. My faith is always growing. It has been challenged from time to time in my life, but thus far I have always come out on top! <br />
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I have even learned some decorating skills, but unfortunately I don't use them very much! You see my life is pretty plain Jane, (which is how I like it), but give me the challenge of throwing together a party or wedding or something like that, and I can throw a good one! But don't ask, because I am also learning to say NO! Haha. That one is taking probably the most time of all to learn.<br />
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So next time I grumble, or you grump, because we have to go to yet "another" Relief Society meeting, we should ask ourselves, what will I be able to gain from this tonight? A spiritual growth? A skill? A friend? A new idea? A time out? A time to recharge? Whatever it is, I guarantee you will gain something, or learn something, if you go with the right attitude. You may not even realize that you have gained anything, until at some future point in your life, you will remember it at the right moment, and be able to use something from it.<br />
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I challenge you to try it! Kiddos of mine that read this - just do it. No questions or grumping allowed, just do it and learn!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-31415499842828735812014-08-15T10:21:00.001-07:002014-08-15T10:22:24.666-07:00Home Education Past and Present<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyre and Daniel at the time I started home schooling Daniel.</td></tr>
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About 13 years ago, I started home schooling! I can't believe I did it for that long. I had always thought I <br />
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might like to give it a try, because I really loved having my kids home all day. I didn't like sending them off. To me it felt like I was betraying them and turning them over to someone else to take care of them. I know it isn't really that way, but I kind of felt that. So when Daniel started having struggles in grade three, I decided that I would take the plunge into "home schooling" your children.<br />
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It was bizarre how the opposition was there to greet me. The most prominent opposition was people that were "concerned" with his socialization. Really?? Of all things to worry about? I would have thought that the concerns would have been for his education! I guess that just goes to show you that our world really is a messed up place. I was pulling him from school because of the socialization!<br />
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I had a really great support system through a wonderful lady "Wendy" who was part of our school district and was actually involved in alternate education. She understood exactly why I was pulling this angry, struggling little boy from the school "environment" and bringing him home, and<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"> she gave me the best advice that anyone could have at that time, and even today. She told me just to love him and make him happy again, forget about school for awhile until he is in that place where he is willing to learn.</span></span> She told me that <span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;">any child can succeed if they know they are loved!</span> </span> At that time, I really didn't realize just how profound this advice was.<br />
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So in my total naivety, I pulled him from the public school system and started on our journey. For the first many months, in fact almost the whole first year, we just played. We did do a bit of "school" if you want to call it that, because we did read - a lot - but mostly we just played. Then behold, my angry little boy, that just knew the world hated him, became a happy boy again, because he knew he was loved again. Did we ever fall behind because of all of that time we had off to just play? Never. You don't realize how much time is really wasted with unimportant stuff in school, until you try to teach your kids at home. Daniel missed that year of school, but graduated from high school right on track to where he should have been. Nothing lost, but everything gained! He still loves to read and to write today. That love of the word was fostered in him, and it has carried him through some tough times. He is my most avid reader at home, and is pursuing his career in writing.<br />
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I have home school each of my kids for various reasons and various lengths of time, all except my oldest. He wasn't up for that at all, and that's okay. Talia, only did for a very short time. Each of my kids has gone on to do what they wanted to do with their education. All of them went back to school in their senior years, at least part time, because it was their choice. At that point in their life they wanted the "social". It was important to them. They also wanted to start learning some of the extra curricular classes in school that I wasn't prepared or equipped to teach them at home. So off they went, and so far all have graduated and are pursing their education or careers.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And play we did!</td></tr>
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I loved every minute of teaching my kids. Many days we got nothing done but playing, but those are some great memories. There was hard work too. Frustrations, definitely! Would I do it again, absolutely! I loved watching my kids grow and learn in an environment that I chose for them. Not what the world chose. I watched as they grew socially too, into the respectful, great people they are today. I can't say the same for the public school system.<br />
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Now I am not knocking the system. It serves it's purpose and I have and am still using it for it's purpose. I guess my one piece of advice to you would be, use the system for your benefits. If you want to home school, do it. If you need public school, be involved so that it works best for your kid. It is there for us, and even though they often would make you believe differently, as a parent you have the most important say in your child's education! You have the right, and the responsibility to stand up for what is best and right for your kiddo's. Don't let them tell you differently. Fight for what you know is best for them. I did create a bit of a ruckus from time to time, fighting for what I needed done for my kids, but I always won, because I didn't quite.<br />
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I remember a time when Daniel was ready to go back to high school, grade 10, and he only wanted to go back part time, for the optional classes that he couldn't take at home. Our local school wasn't going to allow him part time, because that would mean he would be registered in this school district and his online school district and that wasn't legal, or so they tried to tell me. I luckily had done my research and knew that it was legal and they legally could not refuse me. So I pushed, and wrote a few letters, and challenged them, and I won. I have been told by a few people through the years thanks for that one, because now there are many in this school that do the same thing. Sometimes all you need to do is pave the way, and don't give up if you know it is right.<br />
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Home education today is far different than it was the 13 + years ago that I started. The options out there are limitless. In fact, I was browsing online a year or so ago, looking at some of the different options, and I actually found a site down in Florida, that is completely an online virtual student. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. Your child logs in each morning with his avatar that he / she created, and enters into a virtual classroom setting. For example, if they were working on a social studies or history assignment, and walked <br />
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into their history class, as their avatar - which looks just like a video game world - they would find their assignments in that classroom. They could communicate in that class with whichever other students were attending that class at the same time. The lessons and assignments all were in the classroom as videos, tutorials, online exams, and chat rooms with the teachers. If they were learning about a particular era of history, they could enter that room / world and experience it through a virtual world and culture. Learning about the ocean would be experienced as if they were under the water and a part of it. It was so cool. As the student you would do your essays or assignments and upload them to the classroom and your teacher. You could decide if they were visible to the other classmates or not. At the end of the day, or the hour or whatever you had time for, you log off from your avatar. Who needs books anymore? The world is literally at our fingertips! What a way to learn. Unfortunately, these scenarios are still fairly expensive to register your student in, but if I could have given my kids these opportunities to learn like this, especially those kids that have a hard time with books and writing, wow! It would have been incredible.<br />
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Teaching your kids at home, is such a bonding experience, and one that I am glad I took the time out of my own life to do. Was it a sacrifice on my part? Not really, because I have always believed that I had kids so<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonding with cousins, going for a picnic</td></tr>
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I could raise them, not send them off to someone else for 10 hours a day to be raised and taught values that I didn't want them to learn. Sometimes, I wonder if I did the right thing for them, but then I look at who they are today, and I know it was a good thing. There is no one right or wrong answer or way to do it. The world is wide opening for your learning. Embrace it!<br />
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This is the first year in 30 years that I will have no kids at home, and I will actually be working full time outside the home. It is a new world, but one that I am ready to take on. I will miss the years of teaching my kids. However, I am sure that I will have my fair share helping out with the grandkids. I look forward to that. The only regret I have is that I didn't take more pictures!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-59960011708591081812014-08-08T09:21:00.001-07:002014-08-08T09:21:40.380-07:00July FunWe have had lots of fun this July. We have been camping in Elkwater, playing in creeks, growing lots of things, at the Calgary Zoo, at a reunion in Beazer, at a reunion in Brooks, and it just seems like it has been a whirlwind of playing. If you know me, you know that I am all about making great memories! That is what life is about. Memories and knowledge are the only things we get to take with us when we die, so why not make the most of both of them. Well, we have made memories this summer! Here are some of them caught on paper!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Zoo, Wyatt, Kimball, Jax, Cyera and Xander</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Zoo, Kyre was being a slacker and had to catch a ride!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xander and Wyatt - they loved the dinosaurs - this one was friendly! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of outside time - Cyera and Xander</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cousins chillin in Brooks</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More cousins chillin in Brooks! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonfires and Tent in Elkwater</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZoyV3AlmDLc/U-T4Q1ptfgI/AAAAAAAAECU/p87SH4rFbis/s1600/20140803_133759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZoyV3AlmDLc/U-T4Q1ptfgI/AAAAAAAAECU/p87SH4rFbis/s1600/20140803_133759.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kimmi trying to keep little ones happy! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two little men Checking for bugs in the grass! Haha</td></tr>
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And now we are just over half was done summer! Oh man, gotta take some more pictures and get busy making more memories before it is all over again. Bonfires, walks, and parks! <br />
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Looking forward to the reunion next year in Utah! Gonna be a good one!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-15449463880769731012014-07-24T08:25:00.000-07:002014-07-24T08:25:30.073-07:00A Reader Lives 1000 Lives<div style="text-align: center;">
I have always loved this quote:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the lives we have lived through the years</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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I love the fact that my kids have always been readers. Through the years, we have always read together as a family. In fact for many many years, and through many adventures, I would sit down each night with the little ones gathered around and I would read out loud to them. We would read books like Harry Potter, Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites (a fantastic series), Inkheart and so many more. It would be the best times and my kids remember them well. It was always the groaning and pleading that I loved when I would say that is enough for the night, and they all wanted more. I believe that because I did this with them, they all have a great love of reading. They each picked it up at their own times in life, and they each like reading different types of books, but for the most part they all love it. And they are all really excellent readers. I remember when Kimball took his reading comprehension test in grade nine, he scored at a 2nd year university level.<br />
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I took a class about eight years ago which went through the benefits of reading out loud to your children. How their brain develops, how you bond together, etc. In that class the teacher talked about these two books in particular<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-60Hg0xIGKNE/U9Ei-Etc7uI/AAAAAAAAD5s/CDbUdMguZaw/s1600/20140724_090858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-60Hg0xIGKNE/U9Ei-Etc7uI/AAAAAAAAD5s/CDbUdMguZaw/s1600/20140724_090858.jpg" height="240" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">excellent books I highly recommend</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Of course I had to go straight out and buy these books. If you have kids, I would highly recommend them. They will not only explain the benefits of why you should read to your children, but they will instill in you the urge to do it for the good of your whole family. Check them out from your local library, or go the bookstore and purchase them. It will be well worth your few dollars spent.<br />
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I love to watch my big kids read books now. They get so involved in the stories, it is like they are living right there with the characters. They laugh, cry, and make all kinds of noise depending on what is happening. I truly believe that if you can help develop the love of reading in your kids, they will truly live 1000 lives or more before they die. There is always another adventure, always another world to discover or another character to live. It is pretty cool to watch.<br />
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We have graduated from Hogwart's, we have been to the land of the Nephites, we have been trapped in dungeons, fought in battles, had the best romantic adventures, lost loved ones, found best friends, loved the protagonist, and sometimes even the "bad guys", been through many spiritual experiences, and all of this we have shared as a family through reading with each other. What fantastic experiences we have shared together. I wouldn't trade it for anything.<br />
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I never pushed sports, but always supported it if they wanted to be involved. I never pushed reading either, but just showed them how it was done. Then I would watch as their own love of reading developed along the way. Best thing I could have done for them.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-40402970241057394712014-07-14T09:55:00.001-07:002014-07-14T09:55:30.506-07:00What Mom Said<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-71019930834687172182014-07-14T09:36:00.001-07:002014-07-14T09:36:55.413-07:00Just Go Say I Can<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/982duHc6KmY" width="459"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-61829075932395099302014-07-09T14:06:00.000-07:002014-07-09T14:06:17.277-07:00Remembering Back<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Was looking back through some old photos today, remembering some memories!</b></div>
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<b>Oh how the years zip right along.............. </b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z2HirxQUVH8/U72q59QFcYI/AAAAAAAADk0/UYZ4_l6y0qk/s1600/5babies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z2HirxQUVH8/U72q59QFcYI/AAAAAAAADk0/UYZ4_l6y0qk/s1600/5babies.jpg" height="214" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Davilyn holding Talia, Bobbi Rae holding Jo, Terra holding Vandi, Deedan holding Ylanna, Sherylin holding Mysha</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<b>25 years has gone by pretty fast since this particular photo was taken!</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9NYpf0ohleU/U72rkrJOJvI/AAAAAAAADk8/NRvJxnT59nE/s1600/27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9NYpf0ohleU/U72rkrJOJvI/AAAAAAAADk8/NRvJxnT59nE/s1600/27.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Yup I used to bath those little rascals together! Saved time!</b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mintUSXSlCM/U72suFAyJ6I/AAAAAAAADlI/szqKbmAn1Zk/s1600/Dav+Terra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mintUSXSlCM/U72suFAyJ6I/AAAAAAAADlI/szqKbmAn1Zk/s1600/Dav+Terra.jpg" height="307" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Way back in the days of black and white! Yes we used to play in the mud then too!</b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hgD4faq4dyc/U72tg3T2bnI/AAAAAAAADlQ/y2Ce8D5TPfQ/s1600/m+denita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hgD4faq4dyc/U72tg3T2bnI/AAAAAAAADlQ/y2Ce8D5TPfQ/s1600/m+denita.jpg" height="285" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Matt and Denita - yup I can see Jaxson!</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nc9QIt3wLBk/U72uPS9IM8I/AAAAAAAADlc/psPZzxD8phs/s1600/zoo+trip+2001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nc9QIt3wLBk/U72uPS9IM8I/AAAAAAAADlc/psPZzxD8phs/s1600/zoo+trip+2001.jpg" height="206" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lots of the cousins and Uncle Doug - at the Zoo - year about 2001?</b></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-85814588064959712422014-07-07T08:41:00.001-07:002014-07-07T08:41:37.731-07:00Awesome Camping Trip<p dir="ltr">It has been a great week. Elkwater has some really beautiful places to explore and probably the best thing is the peace of nature. I love the peace and quiet of the surroundings and then hearing Xanders little chatter stand out above the rest. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Might have to make this memory again! But will change up the camping site to one that is a little more flat. But for now am going to totally enjoy our last day here and go explore some more. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yMxLi881aQQ/U7q_nXkB-0I/AAAAAAAADcw/VZcTW_Uy3js/s1600/20140706_171450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yMxLi881aQQ/U7q_nXkB-0I/AAAAAAAADcw/VZcTW_Uy3js/s640/20140706_171450.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-S1XfgVZCA7g/U7q_pe1mmjI/AAAAAAAADc4/dXzDbONTGJQ/s1600/20140706_124114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-S1XfgVZCA7g/U7q_pe1mmjI/AAAAAAAADc4/dXzDbONTGJQ/s640/20140706_124114.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4FBYPOC2E00/U7q_rkogA4I/AAAAAAAADdA/oeyk_Wx1qI0/s1600/20140706_124310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4FBYPOC2E00/U7q_rkogA4I/AAAAAAAADdA/oeyk_Wx1qI0/s640/20140706_124310.jpg"> </a> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Cypress Hills Provincial Park, Maple Creek49.64421 -110.09574tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-43193666115947550872014-06-25T08:31:00.002-07:002014-06-25T08:31:36.531-07:00Locked In The Fridge - MiraclesI was remembering back many years, in fact I think it was probably about 18+ years ago, Wow! So because it was so long ago, my memory is probably a bit fuzzy on this one..........<br />
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We were living in Abbotsford, BC at the time. We had just been given an old fridge, you know the kind with the pull handle, where you actually have to pull the handle down to open the door on it. We figured we would just keep it in the garage as a second fridge, and had only had it for a couple of days. It was plugged in and nice and cold, but empty.<br />
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The kids were all playing out in the yard with half or more of the neighborhood kids, and they were playing <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WeOOh8Gbv5U/U6rqvH-_JHI/AAAAAAAADak/oOPmmCsnL24/s1600/t+d+k1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WeOOh8Gbv5U/U6rqvH-_JHI/AAAAAAAADak/oOPmmCsnL24/s1600/t+d+k1.jpg" height="205" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dano, Kyre and Tal about the time we moved to BC</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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hide and seek. I could hear them laughing and what not. Suddenly I heard Kyre yelling at them, mad as heck that they didn't find her and help her. She was pretty hysterical so I went out to see what was the problem. Usually Kyre is the quietest kid ever. She never got mad and she was always just compliant.<br />
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I discovered that Kyre had decided to hide in the fridge, so she climbed in and shut the door behind her, thinking that someone would surely find her in there! She started to panic shortly because she realized that nobody was going to find her, and she couldn't get the door to open. Miracles happen daily around us and I have no doubt that we are watched over by angels. <br />
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She remembers that she was scared, but the light stayed on in the fridge - miracle - because the light usually goes out when the door closes! She couldn't open the fridge, so she said a prayer and then leaned her back against the door and pushed really hard - miracle - she was only five years old and with that type of door, there is just no way that it should have opened without someone opening the latch on the outside. Logan tried to open the door without pulling down on the latch handle and couldn't do it. There is no way she should have been able to just push that door open from the inside. Miracle - she is alive today. I shudder to think what would have happened had that little girl not had the faith to pray and then to do what she thought after. It wouldn't have taken very long for hypothermia, or air to run out.<br />
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Logan immediately went and unplugged the fridge and duct taped it shut, and we eventually took it to the dump and never did use that old fridge as a second fridge.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-21774110810549170112014-06-23T19:01:00.000-07:002014-06-23T19:01:01.351-07:00Closing a Chapter<span style="font-size: small;">Long day but we got Kyre all packed up and moved off to Lethbridge today! Good for you Kyre! It is always a bit of a nerve wracking thing when you move out of home for the first time. But, yay for Dano, he is only a few minutes away from her, so hopefully they can hang out and watch out for each other. After all what are big brothers for right? Haha.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Now we are back at home and wow, is it quiet here. Tal, Jim and Xander moved into their new house a few weeks ago, Kyre is moved, so we just have four of us at home, with way too much technology that seems to pull us to our separate locations throughout the house, and communication is minimal. Gonna have to work on changing that up a bit! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Was thinking back to the very first time Matt moved out, and how painful that was for me. The circumstances were a bit different, but still he left a void. Such is life when kids go and grow up with your permission!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">It's way too quiet here, I am going to have to do more writing and gardening to keep me from going crazy!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">You can follow some of my other writing's by checking out this sidebar of my blog lists! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Closed one chapter today, and opening a new one!</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6315673628983440536.post-74187065225024722632014-06-22T22:14:00.002-07:002014-06-22T22:14:29.074-07:00Welcome to our Front Porch!<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: large;">WELCOME TO THE ATWOOD FRONT PORCH!</span></span></u></div>
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I started doing some thinking as of late - imagine that!! I think a lot, it seems my mind never slows down, anyways, Kyre is packing tonight and off to Lethbridge tomorrow to start her new adventures there, Tal and Jim just moved into their new place, Kimball graduates next year, Dano has been gone for over a year in Lethbridge at U of L, Matt now has TWO kids - wow, and Cyera is bringing up the tail end in style! <br />
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I figured it was time to start writing down some of these memories and creating some more. This space is for our family stories, memories, and happenings. If you want to follow along in our crazy world, it will no doubt be full of adventure! Never a dull moment!<br />
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Our house has gone from this...........<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And they were awesomely fun crazy years!</td></tr>
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To this...........in such a short time! And they are heading out!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I so love this quote!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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960 Saturdays go by and you don't even realize it! Wild and crazy times! I am going to start reliving stories and memories for our own family record keeping. They will be alive with pictures, videos, and so much more fun. <br />
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I don't want to waste any more Saturdays, or other days for that matter. Let's make them all count!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0