Tootsies in the Sand

CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN ZOO

2010-07-24T10:09:00.001-07:00

One of our adventures while visiting Anna & Greg in Colorado Springs was the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. We took this picture so you could see that the zoo is on a mountain and the view is beautiful.

In the bird exhibit they would fly and land on your shoulder and Anna got to experience that!

Grandpa and Grandma photo shoot.

Here I am holding a albino wallaby....they are only 4 in a million.

Gavin feeding his bird. They sell you popsicle sticks with bird seed glued on the end....smart idea.
Isa feeding the giraffes....they feed them crackers rather than the kind of food that they have to lick off of your hands...I like this concept better!
The boys enjoying the wildlife....cute bunch aren't they!!
By the way!! the birds loved Bob. They thought his hat was tasty besides his collar and neck. We had a lot of fun and would encourage anyone if you ever go to Colorado Springs be sure and check out the Zoo!

BEST FRIENDS IN BAKING!!

2010-06-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

Meet my best friends in baking....the Nutrimill wheat grinder and the Bosch! Got up early this morning..ground some wheat and made some whole wheat bread dough.
This is my finished product. Believe it or not I cut the recipe down so it would only make 5 loaves. This bread will keep in the freezer for a month. I wish computers had scratch and sniff ....you would be loving the aroma...yummy!!

HOMEMADE BAKING POWDER

2010-06-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

Wow!! You can actually make your own baking powder...who would of ever thought? There are times when you are in the middle of a recipe and realize you either don't have enough or have none. Sooo here is the recipe.....

Homemade Baking Powder

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cornstarch

Simply mix these few ingredients together and store in refrigerator. This recipe can be doubled or tripled, but really only make what you plan to use in near future.

This is the best baking soda to buy. It is aluminum free (if you buy baking powder always make sure it is aluminum free....Rumford is the brand you want to buy). The less aluminum we put in our bodies the better (just a little health tip there).

GUESS WHO'S HAVING A BABY BROTHER??

2010-06-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

ZANE is going to have a little baby brother!! Now we are going to have two little Hoovers...baby's date of arrival is October 28th. Just a few days after Tia's birthday...I couldn't think of a more precious birthday present. This will make grandbaby number fifteen...grandpa and grandma couldn't be prouder!!!

THANK GOODNESS FOR AIR CONDITIONING

2010-05-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

Would you believe our air conditioner died a week ago today??? The last of the installation was completed today (yeah! yeah!). Had to take a picture of these new babies...hopefully we won't have any problems for a long time.

HE KNOWS YOU

2010-05-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

Lauren, Julien and Maude are illustrated in a sweet little book called "He Knows You". You can see they are all smiles at Desert Book. They mailed me a copy for Mother's Day and I was absolutely thrilled to see our little munchins in such a tender book. You can't mistake all three kiddos in the top picture and then Lauren is in the second picture. Just had to share!

MERRY MONTH OF MAY

2010-05-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday we attended the Gila Valley dedication. There where no church meetings so everyone was able to go to their Stake Center and be a part of that. Bob and I went to the 9 o'clock and watched Zack & Kami's kids so they could go to the next one. So here is grandpa out in the back yard with the kiddos. They where playing their favorite game "grandpa chase me" when I made them stop so I could take a picture.

Addie finished her first year of preschool and they have a little end of the year graduation. I had Zane that day so we packed him up and went to the festivities. They sang lots of cute songs and poor little Zane cried every time there was hand clapping.

Everyone got a little certificate and a picture with their teachers. Isn't Addie the cutest!! Addie will go to preschool one more year and then goes to kindergarten. It's so hard when your b-day is at the end of October...you are more than ready but have to wait.

Have to show off our crocked neck yellow squash. This is our first picking and we had it for dinner other night. It was so tasty and just melted in your mouth. You forget how good stuff is from your garden!!

This is random but someone brought us by a HUGE bag of swiss chard the other day. We cooked it up (well some of it...it was enough to feed a army) and it was really good too.

MAYBE I DO HAVE A GREEN THUMB!!!

2010-05-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

These are our tomato plants now...the plant on the left has over 26 tomatoes on it!! Don't ask me what I am going to do with all these tomatoes. I think it is going to have to be sharing and canning salsa. The plants are over three feet high and keep growing. If anyone else has any ideas of what to do with tomatoes let me know!

These are our summer squash plants and they are loaded also...these are Bob's favorite squash but if I have to feed him them every night it is not going to be!

Comparison pic.....see how much they have grown. Now all we have to worry about is the birds and the bunnies they are rampid in our backyard

MOTHER'S DAY POSIES

2010-05-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

Had a great Mother's Day celebration and wanted to share pics of the posies...aren't they beautiful?

GILA VALLEY AZ TEMPLE OPEN HOUSE

2010-05-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

Bob and I decided to go on a little road trip to the Gila Valley Temple for their open house. It was nice to just get in the car and go somewhere besides our usual errands of life. The trip took a little while as we had to go through some small towns and it was a saturday. The open house was busy and they where having a 100 people go through every 10 minutes. The saturday before they had 8,000 people go through. After the open house we went to a park in Thatcher and enjoyed a picnic with our ward. It was a great way to spend a saturday and enjoy the spiritual things of life.

It's a beautiful sight for a Temple...you can see the mountains in the background with snow.

You know who this is...we found someone kind enough to take our picture. It's really windy up there so my hair is going in every direction.

CINCO DE MAYO...BABY GRACEE 1ST B-DAY

2010-05-07T20:38:00.001-07:00

The girls helping decorate cupcakes for Gracee's b-day...we really had some intense sprinkles going on..

Gracee is all excited and ready to party...so are her sisters. Birthdays are a very exciting thing!

No girlies.....it's my present and I want to check it out.

Grandma!! You mean I really can't eat this birthday card????

I am soooo ready for my birthday cupcake. Mommy has me all ready....she even got me this birthday bib.

I don't know how to blow out a candle so maybe I should just grab it!!

This is the best cupcake ever! Well, maybe it's the first cupcake I've ever eaten. I'm loving the sprinkles.....

EASTER EGG HUNT

2010-05-07T20:00:00.001-07:00

I know!!! You are probably thinking where are all the kids for the Easter Egg Hunt? Well, two families live out of town and Zack & Kami where in Show Low for Easter. Sooo we had an awesome time with three little ones. I am loving this easter egg. It gives me something to chew on.

Just because I am little doesn't mean I can't hunt for eggs!!

I'm good at this...look I found an egg buried in the grass!

Lucy is checking out her stash...which egg should I open first?

Do I have to pose for a picture?? I have a lot of hunting to do!!

I wonder if this is the egg that has the money in it???

BOUNTIFUL BLESSINGS

2010-05-06T20:49:00.001-07:00

I posted pictures of our bountiful blessings which are our grandchildren. They bring us so much joy and fun times. Nothing could replace the moments we have been able to share with them. I posted them by family....enjoy!!

JASON & EMILY

2010-05-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

Lucy
Quinn

ANNA & GREG

2010-05-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

Gavin
Gabriel

Isa

RACHEL & BRENDON

2010-05-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

MaudeJulien
Lauren

TIA & ZAC

2010-05-06T20:00:00.001-07:00

Zane

ZACK & KAMI

2010-05-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

Gracee
Bailey

Ellie Addie

MY KIDS AND THEIR KIDDOS

2010-04-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

Jason, Emily, Quinn & Lucy
Greg, Anna, Gavin, Gabriel & Isa

Brendon, Rachel, Lauren, Julien & Maude

Zac, Tia & Zane

Zack, Kami, Addie, Bailey, Ellie & Gracee

These pictures where taken during our little family reunion in March. I think they all turned out great...a bunch of really good looking kiddos!

I'M BACK IN A CRAZY SORT OF WAY

2010-04-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

It has been a year since I posted on my blog! Life got kind of crazy and I don't know where all the time went but it did. Many events have happened in the Scanlan family but I am going to start from March of this year on. We had a family reunion towards the end of March and I will be posting the family pics taken by Accidently Creative. She did an awesome job being there where 25 of us and 14 of them are kiddos age 9 and under. The hard part is I have so many grandkids pics to post not quite sure how to go about it. Maybe I will do it by each family...will see maybe I will come up with some creative way in my sleep tonight. Goodnight all....hope to post some pics tomorrow.

EASTER EGG HUNT & FAMILY BREAKFAST

2009-04-12T16:53:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

PREPARATION

2009-04-04T12:19:00.001-07:00

Monday morning I start preparing for our family Easter egg hunt and breakfast. I love the faces on these eggs! I think some weeks I experience all these emotions. It will be a fun week with a reward at the end of having family time and building traditions. I'll be sure and post pictures of the actual event.

SWEET GRAPES

2009-03-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

Grapes are starting to come in season and I actually saw them on sale for .88 a lb this week. Anna asked for my grape salad recipe today so I thought I would share it on my blog. I love grapes because they are sweet but crunchy and juicy at the same time.

Sweet Grapes With Nuts

1 8oz package cream cheese - softened

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1 lb seedless green grapes
1 lb seedless red grapes
1 cup chopped pecans

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, brown sugar, and vanilla; stirring until smooth. In a large bowl, combine grapes and pecans. Pour cream cheese mixture over, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill. It really makes a lot of sauce, so sometimes even though I mix it all together, I don't end up using all of the cream cheese mixture. You can tell as you pour it on then grapes when it is enough.

SPRING BREAK MEANS GOOFY GOLFING TIME

2009-03-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

Bob and I took Gavin, Gabriel and Isa on a little spring break grandpa & grandma time to do some goofy golfing. They chose King Arthur's Quest so away we went.
These are our little pro golfers full of excitement and can hardly wait to get to the next hole.
Isa's just a little peanut and the club was almost as big as she was. She did a really good job and hung in there like a little trooper.
Bob giving the kids a little golfing advise - he would show them how to hold the club and cheer them on.
This was the hole they where most excited about and you can see why. Anything to do with dragons always captivates the boys!
Had to have a picture with King Arthur!
When we finished goofy golfing we where hungry so we headed to Jason's Deli. The kids love it there and I'll let you know why in a moment.
They love it there because you get a free cone after you eat. You get to make your own. So they always have Grandpa do it because he makes such big swirl cones. I guess there is an advantage to working for Tastee Freez in your younger days. He is awesome at making swirl cones and the grandkids know it.

OSTRICH FESTIVAL

2009-03-15T20:56:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning we packed up and went to the Ostrich Festival with Zack, Kami and the kiddos. It was exciting for Addie to see an Ostrich in real life instead of in a storybook! They are quite the strange creature.
You always need to do one of these poses. The girls smiled as best they could but the sun was right in their eyes. Ellie loved the petting zoo. Every time she saw an animal she would go crazy to the point of even trying to get in the cage - oh and by the way she has the strongest grip I have ever seen so good luck Grandpa getting her down!

The sea lion show was really good. I thought it was as good as any I had seen in San Diego.
Bailey stayed safe in grandpa's arms. She wasn't so sure about the animals. She loves them but only from a distance.
Sorry the picture is pink. I think it might be the canopy they are under. I thought this was a sweet pic of father and son.
Ok so here is a crazy looking Lama. It looks like an enormous poodle to me due to the haircut!
Addie enjoying a pony ride with grandpa. Zack and Kami didn't think she would do it but I guess grandpa has the touch.
We finally had to stop for lunch and guess what I wanted - CURLY FRIES - don't worry Bob and I shared them. They where really good grease and all.
Last but not least Addie on the elephant ride with her daddy. It was a fun time had for all and we even finished our adventure in time for everyone to head home for a nap.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG AT THE SCANLANS

2009-03-09T15:16:00.001-07:00

I was just thinking today what a blessed spring we have had at the Scanlan home. I look at sweet Lucy's face and it makes me feel warm all over with love for her. Lucy was born on February 7th and weighed 6lbs 9oz. We are sooo excited to finally have her here with us.
We also had another arrival. A humming bird made a nest in our tree out back and had 2 baby birds. I love humming birds and to have one actually make a nest and have baby birds just made my spring. See!! we have spring in Arizona
Quinn celebrated his 2nd birthday with the most delicious cupcakes I had ever had made by his Aunt Shannon. He was memorized by the candles when they where lit.
See I told you they where the best cupcakes ever!
Anna's kiddos turned 7 on February 16th but I didn't get very good pictures so check out Anna's blog for those.
Ok so we had the landscapers come and they found a nest of bunnies in our backyard under a big plant that they had trimmed back. Sooo we had to share that moment with the grandkids.
Aren't they the cutest thing ever! These would make perfect Easter pictures- Gabriel holding his bunny.
Gavin holding the bunny and hoping he wouldn't hop away!
Isa in love with the bunnies and begging to take one home!
Spring is time at the park with a picnic lunch. Bailey not wanting to look at the camera. Don't let that fool you she is a tornado in disguise. She is not afraid to do anything!
Ellie and Quinn chilling on the playground - enjoying a little bit of shade.
Addie feeding the birds with Uncle Jason and Quinn trying to decide if he should feed the birds or jump in. So far I think it has been a great spring and we look forward to spending & having more adventures as a family.
There where more birthdays in February but I didn't have pictures to put on the blog. One was Emily's (she was in the hospital waiting to have Lucy) and Julien our grandson who lives in Oregon. March 6th was sweet Jessica's 1st birthday xxoo. Hopefully I won't take so long to blog again.

FAMILY TREASURES

2009-01-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I know it has been a very long time since I have blogged. Things have just been
crazy in the Scanlan household. We had a great Christmas but just didn't get that blogged.

Rachel and kiddos where in town from Oregon for a week and we had an awesome time. They
soaked up the warm sunny weather. We spent time at the park, playing with cousins, family
dinners, miniature golfing, baking & watching a movie with Tia. We had nothing but a great time.
They are home in Oregon now and we greatly miss them. I decided to collage the pictures as I
had so many and had to pick and choose. All cameras where flashing so we may be posting some
of the same pictures.

Christmas Journals

2008-11-30T08:30:00.000-08:00

I loved this little project. I was able to get the
journals done before Dec 1st so people could
start writing in them at the beginning of the month.
I thought what a great way to
journal Christmas memories, thoughts of the Savior,
or whatever people wanted to do.
I bought the journals at Miachels for $1 and used
ribbon I had gotten for half price.
I love simple but meaningful gifts and this fit perfectly.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

2008-11-26T09:01:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for ......

. . . the mess to clean after a party because it means
I have been surrounded by family and friends.

. . . the taxes I pay because it means that I am employed.

. . . the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.

. . . my shadow who watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine.

. . .the lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning because it means
I have a home.

. . .the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.

. . .all the complaining I hear about our government because it means
we have freedom of speech.

. . . my huge air conditioning bill because it means I am cool.

. . . the baby behind me at church who cries because it means that I can hear.

. . . the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby.

. . . weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been productive.

. . . the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means I am alive.

This was shared with me and thought you might enjoy it!

TAGGED

2008-11-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

My daughter-in-law Emily tagged me so here goes (I don't live a very exciting life!!)

Favorite Shows:
1. Extreme Makeover
2. Dancing With the Stars
3. Home Cooking (w/Paula Deen)

Favorite Restaurants:
1. Cafe Rio
2. Texas Road House
3. Paradise Bakery

Least Favorite Restaurants:
1. Chileros
2. Olive Garden
3. Applebee's

Things That Happened Yesterday:
1. Walked 3 miles in the wind and dirt
2. Checked out garage sales
3. Visited a neighbor in need

Thing's I'm Looking Forward to:
1. Another vacation to the beach
2. Rachel & kids visiting in January (Yeah!!)
3. Spending time with grandkids

Things I'm NOT Looking Foward to:
1. Another birthday
2. Mopping all the tile flooring
3. Cleaning the garage

Things I Love About Fall:
1. Cooler mornings & evenings

Wish List:
1. To always have the drive to improve upon myself
2. To be as helpful as possible to those in need
3. To always find the time to delight in the simple things

Things I Do NOT Wish For:
1. More aches and pains
2. Difficult economical times
3. To be left here on earth without my eternal companion

Addie's B-day

2008-10-31T14:57:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Addie!! Yesterday Addie turned 3 years old and I just had to post some pics of the day she was born before I went on with the birthday pictures. Addie is all ready for the candles to be lit and sing Happy Birthday.
Kami~~~ good job on the Aeriel cake
I love my princess wand and the tu-tu Aunt Anna made for me
Opening more presents- now I have some new princess toys to play with. We love you Addie Hugs & Kisses from grandpa & grandma xxoo

Carnival Time

2008-10-31T14:12:00.000-07:00

Every October Anna's neighborhood has a carnival the Wednesday evening before Halloween. So the kids get dressed in their costumes~~grandma & grandpa get to take pictures and then we head to the carnival for games and yummy food. Gabriel and Gavin where Vikings this year. Anna made their costumes and did an amazing job! Kudos to your creativity Anna. This is Gabriel posing for grandpa.

Isa was Little Red Riding Hood. So cute and she is posing with her friend Isabel who she invited to the carnival.
Gabriel with his friend Silas~~ he came to join the festivities
Quinn is our little Super Man ~~ so cute
Addie is a princess (her hair is so cute) Bailey and Ellie wore the cutest tu-tus (sp) A friend made each of the girls one. The trips showing off their costumes~~ Gavin wouldn't break a smile
Quinn at the carnival on daddy's shoulders
I had to show off the girls new car seats that they got for their birthday. Pretty styling wouldn't you say? Love the color.

Oregon Pics At Last

2008-10-31T07:14:00.001-07:00

Sorry it took so long to post our pictures of Oregon. It's just been crazy in the Scanlan household since we got home. We had such a great time with Rachel, Brendon and the kiddos. I love this pic of their family so I had to post it first!!

Lauren's B-day (turning 8) posing with the four generations of cute girls

Family gathering at Rachel's with my brother John and his wife Linda and Grandma

This is their whole family (they are such fun!) Grandma & of course Bob and I

Lauren & her daddy on her day of Baptism
Grandpa & Grandma with Lauren at her Baptism (a very spiritual & emotional day)

The whole gang after Lauren's Baptism ~~ we make quite a good looking group

Grandma Brown (my mom) and Rachel enjoying a moment in the beautiful outdoors of Oregon

The guys have a photo moment

The girls had to get into it too!!

I love this one~~ to me this looks like a children's modeling picture especially JulienOne of Oregon's beautiful water falls

Tia & Zack doing the pose~~ they where at the Oregon adventure also and they are always such fun be be around

The whole fam took a tour of the Oregon Temple grounds~~talk about beautiful!!

Beepers!!! Happy Birthday

2008-10-24T07:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Tia! This is my attempt of taking a picture of a 30 year old picture. This is sweet little beepers on her 1st birthday. We love you Tia and may you have a wonderful birthday year!~
Tia is one of the most kind, loving, and fun Aunts anyone could ask for. She has such a great love for all her nieces and nephews. What a blessing she is to all of them ~ someone they will always be able to turn to. Tia is with Lauren on her 8th birthday ~ cute pic!!!!
Hugs & kisses girl - I love you ~~Mom

Happy Birthday Maudie

2008-10-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Maudie turned 4 today!!! Happy Birthday little princess~~~ Maude is hugging her best friend in the whole world Annica- they see each other almost every day. I had to show the pic of Maude at the Tempe Water Park I LOVE her facial expression.
We love you Maude ~~~ Hugs & Kisses from Grandpa and Grandma
I had to put in a few pictures from memory lane. This is Maude's first birthday at the park with family.
Maude is all ready to eat her birthday cake.
We talked to Maudie this morning and she was going to have her party at 10:00am so they were getting all ready. She is having a pumpkin pinata so she is excited about that. I guess she invited a few boys and told Bob and I that there wasn't going to be any kissing ~~~ Toooo cute!!

OOPS!!!!!!!

2008-10-19T20:39:00.001-07:00

The big OOPS is I got up early Friday morning and made Neiman Marcus Bars to take as refreshment for our Fabulous Friday Night enrichment. To make a long story short I went to enrichment and the bars stayed in my refrigerator. Don't ask me what I was thinking!!!

Cupcakes and Candles

2008-10-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

Had to post some pics of Bailey and Ellie's birthday party. They where really loving the cupcakes and just couldn't seem to get enough!! Don't they look so cute in their styling birthday outfits?? Bailey and Ellie had so much fun opening their presents and playing with the balloons. Everyone had a great time eating pizza and enjoying the celebration. Time is just going by too fast it seems like just yesterday they where born. Hugs & kisses ~~~~

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch

2008-10-09T14:06:00.000-07:00

Gavin, Gabriel and Isa are on fall break this week so today was GRANDMA DAY!!! We went to the Riparian Preserve in Gilbert just over on the SE corner of Greenfield & Guadalupe. It is a 110 acre preserve for all kinds of birds and beautiful dragon fly. We did a little hiking and got to enjoy the wildlife. They even have a program where you can dig for dinosaurs. It also has a lake where you can take the kiddos and fish. We'll have to get grandpa involved with that one! Then off to check out the Gilbert library .....

Autumn Crafting

2008-10-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

Yeah for girls night out!!!! I went with Anna to her neighbor Diane's home and we did some fall crafting. Diane had some really cute ideas. I ended up making the "BOO" wall hanging and really liked how it turned out. It's amazing what you can make with a little scrapbook paper, buttons, and ric-rac. Got to love the crafting, snacking and yakking.

Happy Birthday Ellie & Bailey

2008-10-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Today is Bailey and Ellie's FIRST birthday. We love you and give hugs & kisses xxxooo on your special day. These are Zack & Kami's youngest sweetie pies. We will have a family gathering later in the week so we can all celebrate their Bday. Bob is holding Bailey and I am holding Ellie and you can tell by our smiles that they warm our hearts!!!

Cool Weather and Sweet Grandbabies

2008-10-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

I got to spend some time with Quinn this morning and he just loved playing out in the back yard. The weather has cooled off so he was able to play out there longer than usual . He had such a good time he didn't want to ever come in. I think his favorite thing was to play with the rocks and sit on the big rocks. It doesn't take much to make a little one happy. Thanks Quinn for coming and having some grandma time!
Being the weather has cooled off I better start thinking about doing a little bit of gardening in some pots. I have never done it that way before but life is an adventure so here goes. I'll keep you posted on that one.

Canning Memories

2008-10-05T15:50:00.001-07:00

On Thursday Anna gave me a call and she had two boxes of pears more than ready to be canned. My mom was leaving that morning back to Canada so I took her to the airport and then headed to Anna's with apron in hand. The experience brought back nothing but wonderful memories of canning with the children and spending those bonding moments. It had been more than 20 years since I had canned. We spent many a summer in Colorado canning peaches, pears, apples and cherries. Yes the cherries !!! (lots of hard work pitting each and every one of them with a paper clip) I remember being so tired at the end of a canning day but the next morning when I looked at all we had accomplished and saw that beautiful fruit in the jars there was a great feeling of satisfaction. Anna thanks for letting me have that feeling that comes with canning once again. Don't they look beautiful??
My mom has been visiting from Alberta, Canada and this is one of the treasures she gave me. It's a phamplet from World War II asking the housewives to can, dry and store for victory. It has suggestions to assist housewives so that there shall be no loss of food.
This is a picture of the pledge to be taken by every housewife in Canada to help with the Food Service in world crisis. You will probably have to click on the picture to see what it says. Very interesting to read.
This is the card you would place in the window of your home after you had taken the pledge!
Thank you Mom for sharing!!! Just a note - in the pamphlet on canning pears they took 4 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup of water to make syrup for 4 pounds of pears. Talk about sweet!!!

Another Day In Paradise!!!

2008-09-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

I not only got to experience another day in paradise but actually 8 days. Kauai is definitely the garden island. Bob and I had a wonderful, relaxing time. We stayed in a condo on the beach in a small town named Kapaa. Our lanai (balcony) looked right out onto the beach. We had that gorgeous view every morning and evening. I will always remember our vacation in paradise. Here are some pictures as we went all over the island and not only experienced the beaches but also the mountains.
This is the path we walked every morning for an hour. It goes on for a long ways but follows the coast line. I miss those morning walks - just a little different then the desert!!!
Bob and I checking out Opaekoa Falls and then heading to the beach. Why the ball cap well!! we rented a red mustang convertible and had an awesome time enjoying the sun and breeze. Oh the memories~~~~
Kayaking up Wailua River. We then landed our kayak and hiked to Sleeping Falls.
Water hole on Wailua River I took pictures and Bob took the plunge!!!
Bob and I hiked up to Secret Falls - the water was too cold for me so Bob experienced the falls and I enjoyed the moment.

Kauai has beach after beach. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! The sand is a gold color, the water is warm and a unforgettable color of blue.
Kilauea Lighthouse - its also a wildlife refuge and we saw lots of red-footed bobbies (a white bird with red feet) that soar in the air above the water amongst the cliffs
Waimea Canyon (The Grand Canyon of the Pacific) we fell in love with the colors Na Pali Coast was gorgeous. We took pictures from above as you can only get to the actual coast by either hiking in, boat or helicopter.

Desert Walks

2008-09-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

The best and most beautiful things in the world

cannot be touched.

They must be felt with the heart.

~Helen Keller~

Five days a week the alarm goes off at 5:30 am. Time to get up and go walk the trails in the desert at Ussery Park which is about 10 minutes from our home. These breath taking pictures of the sunrise and the desert where taken this morning. Our desert walks are 3 miles long and we enjoy every minute of that time. What a great way to start your day. Thank you Heavenly Father for your beautiful creations!

Kaley's Baptism

2008-09-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

Kaley is my niece Jenny's daughter and she was baptized on Saturday. She looked and glowed like a little angel! What a great way to spend a saturday. After the baptism Jenny had a luncheon for those who attended. Grandpa and Grandma Cook where able to be there so I got to visit with my sister Lorraine and her husband Chester. They live in Los Lunas, New Mexico so we don't see each other often. It was fun to catch up. I have to say the brownies at the luncheon where to die for. I asked Jenny to email me the recipe so when I get it I will share. Awesome for those of us who have chocolate cravings.

Sweet Baby Jessica

2008-09-06T07:28:00.000-07:00

Sweet Jessica filled with God's grace

We miss your sweet angelic face

Grandma & Grandpa send you their love

Up to your eternal home in Heaven above

You are always held close in

Grandma & Grandpa's hearts

It's such a blessing to know we will never be apart

Hugs & Kisses xxoo

Jason, Emily and Quinn we want you to know how much we love you and that our thoughts are with you today. Thank you for being such an awesome part of our family!

Totes in Triples

2008-09-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

I got ambitious this week and made three "Save the Earth" childrens tote bags. Anna, Greg and family are going on a road trip later today to San Francisco. I thought how fun if I made each kiddo a tote bag with some goodies inside to keep them entertained while they traveled. After I got the bags made I headed to the Dollar Store searching for goodies. I had lots of success and also gave each of them a disposable camera because grandma & grandpa want to see lots of pictures. I went by say good-bye to Gavin, Gabriel & Isa got lots of loving and gave them the bags. They where thrilled!!!

Yeah Julien! Kindergarten 2008

2008-09-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

Today was Juliens first day of kindergarten. It was a happy but sort of a sad day for me. Happy that he got to have the experience of school but sad that I couldn't be there to enjoy the moment with him along with his family. That's the disadvantage of having family living out of state. But I got to talk to him on the phone today and he had a great time. He really liked playing tether ball at recess and of course getting to take the bus to school and back. Julien is growing up too fast like all of our grandkids. I wish there was a way we could slow time a bit but no such luck. I posted a few pics of Julien in his younger days.

We love you Julien! Have lots of kindergarten adventures. Love you bunches xxoo Grandma & Grandpa. Look at you NOW !!!

Happy 2nd Grade

2008-09-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

I just got off the phone with Lauren. Today was her first day in second grade. She is just growing too fast. It seems like just yesterday we where experiencing her kindergarten graduation. I posted a few pics from that sweet emotional day. She really likes her new teacher but missed her new puppy a lot today.

Happy first day of school! Grandma & Grandpa love you bunches xxoo. Look at you NOW!!!!

Kauai or Bust

2008-08-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning Bob & I leave for Kauai. We are both so excited for a little relaxation time and sun. We plan on doing lots of hikes and enjoying all the different areas of Kauai - waterfalls, beach, mountains. I look at pictures and its hard to image the beauty. It will be a great time for contemplating, regrouping and filling our vessels with gratitude for Heavenly Fathers creations. They have lots of farmers markets so I plan on hitting lots of those and indulge in lots of tropical fruit. My mouth waters when I think about the fresh pineapple.

This is my journal for Kauai. When I saw it at Target I had to grab it. Just a simple composition book but so perky. When you look at it you just want to pick it up and start writing. So I am having her pose for you front and back.

We'll miss everyone while we are gone - Bob and I are so grateful we got to see and talk to all our sweet cheeks (family) before we left. ALOHA and we love you!

Happy Birthday to the one I Love!!

2008-08-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

Born August 22nd 1949 - Robert Tate Scanlan Happy 59th Birthday!!!

I had to share this adorable baby picture of Bob. He was just the cutest baby ever. Then I had to show him sitting with his older brother Volney. He's all dressed up in his little jacket and shorts. What's not to love!

Tonight Bob and I are going to hook up and go out and celebrate with a birthday dinner. We are going to have a family party next week so I didn't bake him a birthday dessert. Sooo after dinner we are going to come home and enjoy some "BLISS". I'm thinking blissfull ice cream bars from Trader Joes!! He is going to love them with all that very dark chocolate and rich ice cream. I had to pretest them on the way home from Trader Joes to make sure Bob would like them and they past the test. I think I love the box as much as the bars.

Chuck E Cheese Exstravaganza

2008-08-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the month we got to go and visit Chuck E. The Hoover Team (Aunt TT and Uncle Zac) took some nieces and nephews so we tagged along to help with kiddie patrol. We love to have those grandparent moments. Addie had never been before so you can see from her smile that she was loving it. The only thing she didn't like was Chuck E. She didn't want any part of him.

Isa had one favorite ride. She must of gone on this ride 7 times and loved every minute of it. She would always give her little smile. Gaven checked out all the games several times. He was having such a good time it was hard to get him to stop and let me take a picture. Aunt TT and Gabriel did many a video game. The night ended with the long decisions of what to take home because it takes so many tickets to get just one little prize. The last picture is of Addie giving this Chuck E a hug. What a cute picture!!

Sandy toes & salty Kisses

2008-08-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

I have finally taken the plunge and created a blog. I actually wanted to use the above
name sandy toes & salty kisses. Because at the beach that's what its all about - walking the beach and kissing the one you love! When someone mentions the word vacation that's what comes to my mind. But of course it was already taken. Sooo my loved one helped me come up with the name tootsies in the sand. I think it is really going to grow on me. Wish me luck with this new adventure. I feel it will be a great way to express myself.