Forever Family

I am afraid I am destined to blog a bundle of things at once, I write the most amazing, creative blogs in my head,but they never make it to the site. By the time I am here, I just jumble everything up in one big blobby blog. But the one's in my head are so cute, really!

I guess first and for most was the beautiful sealing of the Allred children to their parents. I had to hold back tears, more tears than I shed at my daughters' weddings. My joy was deeper than the obvious joy of seeing a sealing bring two beautiful children to our family. All of our precious girls were there, (along with some really special guys!) But the most heart healing emotion came at the realization of my Laura's dream of having children. Her pain has been my pain, and now her joy was mine also. To see your child suffer, then to have the suffering replaced with so much love, it was an indescribable feeling. In a really good way.

The rest of my blobby blog will have to wait. . .

Okay, turn about is fair play.
Things I did not like about the weekend:
Missing the blessing of Laura's two beautiful little boys. : (
Grown children that disrespect their mother. ( Definitely NOT ANY family member of mine!)
A sick husband.
Marshmellows that don't melt.
Being exhausted after attending a wedding/reception.
Hitting the lamp post with the truck.
Falling asleep early three nights in a row.
Friends that don't answer/ return phone calls after emailing that they are"almost dead".
The mess by my computer that is still there.

It doesn't sound as bad as it felt, but I am remembering some good things too, next posting!

random fun and other things

I feel a need to just catch up with blogging, so I am going to jumble everything together in one happy little blog and entitle it, oh, something creative like, "Things That Happened in the Last Month".

With the amazing weather we have been blessed with(it IS Az. in the springtime),

I pulled out the zoo membership card, dusted it off, and have made a few walking trips around the animal kingdom. Below are two of my favorite exhibits, although I always head first to the orangutans, to pay my respects and say hello.

We had a lovely birthday gathering for dear Jenny at the beginning of March, homemade pizza and smoothies for dessert. An amzing fact, we waited dinner till 7 p.m. as Jenny was working that day. If you know the Allens, you know that was a rare feat for us.! Of course, no Allen gathering is complete without a bit of game playing! As you can see, Tyson and Dad did not make it to the game playing.

A bitter sweet moment came when we moved my Dad's bedroom set to our spare room. It looks like it was made for that room, as it is a big set, the room is big enough to hold it nicely. Dad did not spare comfort whne putting it together, it is a great place for a retreat or a nap! Maybe the Allred's will like it. . .

The pictures below are just random, cute, and all Allen. How many 20 something adults can still find joy in making and hanging out in an inside tent? Joy is everywhere, a person just has to look for it.

Stefanie waiting for Tyson to get done with work, sharing a "girlie" movie night with her Dad. I call it girlie because of the movies they were watching. Dad lasted longer than daughter!

I will tell you what this is, cause I doubt that you can figure it out! A yummy, tasty plate of fried green tomatoes! A treat I have enjoyed since childhood, and one I don't get very often. I saw somme almost green tomatoes at Costco, and had to do it. It only really frys up well if they are totally green, which is why these look kind of mushy. If you want brownie points, bring me a green tomato!

Last week I was able to do my first extra work in a long time, it was so fun, but, more than that, I was so grateful to feel good enough to be doing it. Jenny got booked on the same job, which made it more fun.

Things I am happy about today :
Walking the zoo and enjoying the spring!
Reading the Allred's blog
Finding an old friend on Facebook
It is only 7pm and I can put my pjs on
Re-re-re-reading my beloved Mitford books
Smelling the wet dirt that is harboring lovely/delicious things in my front yard(thanks Jenny and Aaron)
Everyone seems to be almost well again, and happy!
The icemaker works again
The wild daisies growing in neighbor's yards
I finally figured out that the nasty smell was my new garbage can(goodbye new garbage can!)
I feel like writing again, at least right now
The Suns are playing tonight
Writing this will make Laura a bit happy!

Okay, so I guess I've been tagged, which means I go to My Pictures, 6th file, 6th picture, and blog about it. Oh, yeah, I am supposed to tag 6 people, but I only know the bloggers that Laura has already tagged!

This is a perfect picture to put on, yesterday would have been my Dad's 77th birthday.

I took this picture at a Neff family gathering at my Uncle Jack's house in Hardinsburg, Kentucky.

With my Dad is Sarah Neff, the youngest "child" of my only brother. I am SO glad I went back to visit, I was able to reacquaint myself with most of my relatives on the Neff side, reminisce about my childhood, and see my father together with his remaining siblings. What a great experience!

Ode to Albertsons

Another sign of the changing economy, the local Albertson's grocery is closing. Now, I don't do all my shopping there, (maybe that was the problem) but it is so sad to see it go under. No more 11:30 p.m. Saturday night runs, meeting other Ward members and neighbors who also forgot an important ingredient in their Sunday dinner, no more quick runs for treats and junk, which is probably a good thing! If I have to do an Ode to them, I will have to include the car wash around the corner, the Mervyn's down the street, the cookie shop at the mall, and so many other local stores that are folding.
It is a solemn time for American economy, the buck stops here, time to face the music kind of thing. I know that in Albertsons, several members of the same families worked there, which means the whole family is out of work. It is a shame that those with not much will have to pay the most. Yet, I feel a small glimmer of, not happiness, but something like it. We have had SO much for SO long, most of us have forgotten or never known what it is like to really want for anything, to work hard for needs. I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing that we seem to be turning TOGETHER to face the happenings of the day. Our happiness does not depend on what things we have, or our circumstances, but on our attitude, and our gratitude for what we are blessed with.

Okay, I was looking up prices for something on Craigslist, and ran across someone who was selling a lot of things. Good for her, trying to make ends meet. As I was reading through the list I notices a few unusual things. read on:

If you believe in things like magic, I practice Paganism and can perform a spell for you, or give you all the necessary tools to do one yourself.

-Carnivorous plant seeds. The plant is the hard to get seeds of the Purple Pitcher Plant.

-Tubes of Shelly Mehndi henna paste, red-brown, with 3 different caps for different lines.

-Belly button jewelry, tongue barbells, labret studs, nose studs, and ear plugs and tapers (different sizes and styles, let me know what size you're looking for).

. I can babysit here, I am the eldest of 3 kids so I've always had to watch my brother and sister all the time when my parents were away. I only have experience watching young kids. I'm very creative and can keep them entertained other than just t.v. I have taken cpr training more times than I can count.

Okay, maybe I've been sheltered too much, but I don't know too many people who would want to put someone who does paganism in charge of their small children. I think this girl should have advertised her babysitting skills in another ad. Does this person not realize how "unsafe" her lifestyle sounds to others? What happened to "will teach art and music and give your little ones healthy meals"?