Stylish!

I was talking to my mother one day and we were talking about styles of dresses. I have always wanted to wear a dress reminicent of those worn in the 50's and by stars like Lucille Ball. I love the full skirst, longer sleeves, fitted top and collars.

Lo and behold, my mother made me one!! I have strange measurements, so she had to send me the pattern and then a partially done dress to get it to fit right, but I wore it today to church and heard a lot of "oohs and Ahs" and wanting to knows of where I got it.

So, my mother the seamstress has come through for me once again(she made formal dresses and outfits for highschool,and most importantly of all, my wedding and temple dresses) and made a very nice representation of that syle of dress. Happy Birthday to me from my talented mother!!!

Blessing dress

I was going through my cedar chest today and found the dress I was blessed in. It needs to be cleaned, as it has yellowed, some, but it is still cute!

pics

Here are some pictures of Timm and Megan's family. They are cute and smart...:) I am not biased, either!

family

Just spent a very nice week at Timm and Megan's home. Stu helped Timm work on finishing his basement, and I helped by holding our new grandson: Sawyer..it was a pleasure!

Megan and I went shopping at "Sprouts", ( a nice produce market) King Soopers (a grocery store we don't have in Washington; Target ( which is always a good place to shop), and Hobby Lobby, which I haven't been in before and reminds me of "Michaels"...we went to eat a couple of times, but my favorites were Olive Garden(girls lunch!!) and to a place where they sell frozen yogurt and toppings by the ounce . Yum!

It's always fun to visit family and help out a little. It hasn't been with money lately, as the economy and business isn't as good. BUT, you can always extend a hand, a smile, a hug or some encouraging words to make someones' life brighter.

I will post some pictures of Timm's family once I get them off the camera, but just for interest sake, here is a picture from years ago..we have added 7 and almost eight people since then, to our family!! love it!

Late summer things

I thought I would share some interesting things of late summer...We have wildlife in the yard-viz chickens(neighbors' );deer; and a white and black rabbit who stayed under the camper for 4 days...(now gone.hope it didn't get eaten!); and we had a chipmunk in the garage for a couple of days(which is a nuisance..yelled at you when you came out in the garage!). Here are some pictures of some of those mentioned.

I also have enjoy riding my bike and dinging the bell when I pass pedestrians. Camping in the camper was fun, as was working in my small and not so impressive garden. (although I do try to make it better!) Note the wire around and above the garden. It did keep the deer out, but made it harder to weed.. I also have posted a picture of Madison at the mouth of the Elwha river. We had a fun time there one afternoon, Stu, Jared, Madison and I. Nice to be outside and enjoy the sun and water.

Hope your late summer was good! I enjoy fall, too. The air and light are different and I love the colors!

My, my

Just found this picture of our family from YEARS back..Can't remember which year, but I think Erik was 15...so that would be 1994 or 5? Anyway, here we are.....Just think..our family of 6 is now a family of 16 plus two more in a couple of months!!!Yay!!

siblings

I had a fun time chatting with my brother, Erik, for a day and a half. He was up to Seattle for business and decided to come over and visit me! Jared and Erik also got to visit with him. Jared had spent a week or so with Erik's family when he was a teenager, and has fond memories of that. I just wish the family wasn't so far away! My brothers and sister and I only get to see each other every year or so, depending on weddings, etc..

Do you think we look alike? Everybody always says: "My you Binns' all look alike!". I don't see it...anyway, it was grand having him visit! ( it was 102 degrees in Dallas, where he is from. I think he enjoyed the 60 degree weather, here!)

Horses

I an putting a picture of Cassidy here on my post riding the horse I had as a little girl. It has been with me for a long time, as has my love of horses. I have over 30 Breyer plastic horses; have owned a horse at one time, and love watching the races on t.v. I used to spend part of my time at the "ranch" watching and being with the horses there. Although I love them and think they are beautiful, I wouldn't suggest owning one, unless you are willing to spend a lot of time and money on them.

This one in my house has very little upkeep and brings alot of happiness to the grandchildren, especially the girls..I wonder why girls like horses more than boys? Let me know if you know the answer to that one!

my Big Vacation

I got back from Swedish Hospital on Weds. the 29th, after staying for 16 days. I have to say, that I don't remember the pain very much..I hear from Stu that the operation was more involved than they thought and it was a good thing they went in and got the "thing" out. It was a side effect of Pneumonia. So, now i have 3 holes in my side from the tubes they took out; a large incision from where they took the 'thing' out, and a bloated stomach from all the narcotics...other than that, I feel pretty good! I was up to walking 17 times around our hall in the hospital, which was a mile- that way I could forgo the heprin shots in my abdomen...yuck- that was the worst!

I loved the staff, especially the nurses; x-ray techs, and the doctors. Quite an array of personalities and specialties;

I can relate this to a vacation, because I got to sit around, get as much food whenever i wanted, from a menu, got care literally 24 hours a day and got to wear a "cute' gown and robe and slippers with rubber on the bottoms!

I got to meet a lot of neat people and came to appreciate the power of blessings, and people praying for me. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

So, onward and upward!

Here are a few pictures: a picture of one of the tubes they pulled from my side- the reddish part was inside(eww); the two machines(I had three once) that I carried around that were for suction on the tubes( notice my cool wheelchair that I wheeled them around in so I could walk my mile a day!); the board that named my nurse and NAC for the day, and my goals.

so there you go! (sorry for the double of one picture- don't know how to get rid of it!!)

Spring happenings

I really like spring. I especially like the birds that we have nesting around here. Here are three pictures of nests that we have; the hole above the metal hanger thing is for a family of black capped Chickadees( who yell at you from the nearest tree when you are watering the flower garden underneath the hole); the hole above the garage door is for a family of Tree Swallows, which are very pretty, and swoop in and around you when you are by the garage; and the third family (which is VERY loud) is a family of Brown Creepers that live in a fir tree right by our sidewalk in front of our house. I think it is very fun watching those "parent" birds. They are hard workers and very protective of their young. Just like us?!

The other thing I like about spring is watching Stu and our boys work together on projects outside. (the winter is too cold and wet to do much!)

I also have a picture of Jared, Stu and Jared's boyhood friend and neighbor, Jon Hutto clearing brush from their new project......drum roll please......another garage. I have a picture of that, too.

Stu has been very busy cutting wood, (although all of our chainsaws and wood splitter have had to have some work done on them..age, etc) and especially bike riding with: scouts, sons, grandsons , elders, and friends. He has been feeling Strong and Good!

There you go! I am hoping to feel that way too, in a couple of weeks. I go in for surgery on Monday for my lung issue- wish me luck!!

Enjoy your spring!

Green

Because I am still "sitting" and not moving much, I get to look out of the window a lot. I have to say that this time of year is the best to see our yard. In June, it starts turning brown, as we Washingtonians do not water our lawns (except right by the front and back doors) because it costs too much in water bills, and it usually rains, so we don't have to water very often.

This is a picture of the back of our house from the back of our property..see how green? I love waking up in the morning and hearing the robin sing, and the other birds answer.....spring is a great time of year!

This week I have already gone in for one procedure( stick a catheter in between ribs and draw out fluid from the sack around the lung,,,which is not my favorite thing to do) and I go in for another tomorrow called a bronchioscopy which is stick a tube down your throat with a camera....sounds fun, eh? Maybe they will find a cure for this!!!:)

Anyway, enjoy your spring. Best time of year, in my book!!!

being sick

Pros for being sick: You can take long hot baths whenever you want; You can watch t.v., movies, or read all day. You don't have to do anything you don't feel up to doing.

Cons for being sick: You feel horrible; you CAN'T do anything you want to do; nothing tastes good;You have to ask your husband to do inane tasks that YOU should be doing; people you care about are stuck with your callings at church; and you look like a zombie. I am putting a picture up of me with my wonderful shirt that my sister Kristen gave me. I am not telling YOU to go away, I am telling pneumonia to go away.....3 to 6 weeks to be a zombie. Not the life I would choose. Guess I will learn patience and empathy with those who have breathing issues or weakness of body..There is a saying or scripture somewhere: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. That's me.

Hopefully next time I write, I will be back up and doing SOMETHING!!!

Kelli's visit

So, Kelli, Allen and kids came for almost a week. It was fun..We had several dinners with Erik and Angela and kids, and Jared and Ashley and Madison. My mother and father were here for 2 days, so one night we had 15 people sitting at the regular table and the "kids" table (cardtable..do you remember being relegated to that table!!)

So here are a few pictures of the grandchildren, and a few children...Erik and Jeff fiddling around on the piano, and well, there you go! A fun time had by all!

The two kids in the tub are Madison and Cassidy; Keyton at breakfast; Cassidy at breakfast; and Ewan with a face of chocolate ice cream.

Windy Wedding

Stu and I were privileged to be a part of a wedding on Monday evening. We went to the Seattle Space needle and participated in a nephew's wedding. Linds and Eunjee were married on the observation deck at about 5:45 pm. It was VERY WINDY, and VERY COLD!! As you can tell by the photos, it was a memorable experience! They are a very nice, tall and good looking couple! Mom Smith treated us to dinner at the Space Needle. Nice experience, good food and great company! We wish Linds and Eunjee the best! Thanks for letting us be with you!

more winter?

Just some pictures of the winter storm that has come through the last several days. I don't remember having snow this late in the year for awhile. It is beautiful, isn't it?

Also, I have had Erik's kids and Madison over a few times, recently. Jeff was cooking, making swords and practicing his instruments while they were here last time, so here are a few pics of his accomplishments, too.

Oh, Carson and Ewan out in the yard making snow angels:)

Parents

I was reading the New Era this morning, and there is a very good article about Parents and Children- communication..The three things that children can do are: 1. Trust your parents;

2. Take an interest in their lives; 3. Ask your parents for advice.

When I was a teenager, I discovered that my father and mother were NOT perfect...they were people just like me and had their quirks and shortcomings. It was a disconcerting thing to find out, but I still loved them, trusted them and went for advice. I think that is what has kept us close throughout the years. I have also learned that as you get older, your views of what is important and what isn't , becomes more clear.

I talk to my parents about once a week, and it is always a good experience. Why is it, though, that I still feel like I should be 14?

It's also a blessing that my own kids will call and talk to me often, ask Stu and I for advice(on totally different things:) and I think they trust us.

So, all in all, I think we have pretty good relationships with our parents and children. Now it is our turn to have good relationships with the grandchildren! What fun!!

EWWW!!!

Hey!!!I am not insane, afterall!!!For over a month, I have been embarrassed, horrified and downright disgusted with the smell in my living room..I would wake up in the morning smelling IT. So, after much nagging and complaining, my wonderful husband crawled under the house( I have done it before....past blog a couple of years or so ago...) and while I told him where it was, found the offensive item that caused the smell...and here it is!!!!

Yes, we have large rats...ick, ick, ick....I went and bought some rat traps and Stu put them under the house a week ago...both traps were unsprung and the peanut butter GONE...smart rats, too.

Well, one less smelly one, anyway! HURRAY!!!

Gifts

I have had a marvelous little vacation in Greeley, Colorado! I went, at the invitation of Timm and Megan...They were going to go on a weekend getaway and wanted their kids( Harrrison, 5, and Elliot,2 1/2) to get to know me better! So, I went on the 27th of January and just got back last night, Feb. 7th. We did lots of Fun things- I got to bake some cookies, tortillas and Swedish pancakes; we got to eat at Red Robin, Blizzards at DQ and yummy pizza at Timm's work's Bistro.

We went to church twice, where I spied on Megan's Primary Chorister and took notes; and listened to Megan give her primary lessons..she is an excellent teacher! Harrison is an excellent reader, for being in Kindergarten, and was very willing to tell me when I read the words wrong in his books we read before bed....Elliot loved the "Grandma songs" ( Over the River and Thru the woods, Rock a Bye Don't you cry we will go to Grandmas, and In the leafy treetops). I sang these songs to her at bedtime. I got to watch the kids for 3 nights while Timm and Megan went to Estes Park to a resort and snowshoed and sledded. How fun!

Now for the Gift part.....I was happy to have received these items from people I love:

A dragonfly that Harrison made me; A new shirt that my mother made me; and a beautiful necklace that is exactly what I have always wanted, but would never buy for myself, from Timm and Megan.

The best gift of all, is being a Grandma and having wonderful grandkids to play with, sing to (with my not great voice!) and have say to me, "I love you Grandma Shar, ' I love you Grandma Shart' , I love you Gagi', and I love you Grandma! So many different ways of calling me Grandma!

Thank you all for your gifts of love....It makes life so enjoyable!!

p.s. sorry about the sideways picture...stu did that!!!