FIRECRACKER FUNDRAISER

My friends, the Winchesters are amazing.
They don't just sit around talking about an idea-
They make things happen!
When John and Lori's daughter, Lily was sticken
with an awful illness and had
to spend weeks at Primary Children's Hospital,
they saw a need and jumped into action.
Many other families needed help.
They are familiar with this type of work,
as they have organized the Kel Kemp Memorial Golf Tournament,
in honor of Grampa Kel~
giving the proceeds to the Huntsment Cancer Institute.

So on Friday they will be having a fun party, with an auction, raffle, games and dinner,

 to raise money for these little kids and families that need help.

Having been involved with this family for over 30 years, I know it will be fantastic.

They do everything first rate.

They know how to throw a party!!!

A picture of John and Lori's sweet Lily,

 just one of many children who will be helped. 

I just wanted to pay tribute to this amazing family.

I am so grateful they are my friends.

I love them, and wish them well Friday.

Can't wait to go, see everybody and have fun. 

I know it will a great success!!! 

Love,  Polly

MY SECRET VICE

Last night we spent a lovely evening in this historic park in Draper.

We were with our good friends, the Winchesters enjoying a free concert.

Ty and Melanie strolled by with little Dylan and we had a great time.

The weather was perfect. The music was perfect. The company was perfect.

For a time I almost forgot my deep, dark secret.

That is until I got home around 10:00 pm.

I think it is time that I reveal this hideous vice. I've kept it hidden for

years.

I have tried to overcome it, been successful and then fallen back

under its spell.

It all started years ago.

And even though I am a firm believer in taking responsibility for ones own actions,
I do have to say that my daughter-in-law, introduced me to

this particular problem.

We were visiting there. She got me involved in this particular problem

while there, I brought it home with me.

 After a few years, I gave it up, thinking it was so

awful I could no longer have it in my life.

But this last spring we visited again, and again...I was

sucked in.

I know I have freedom of choice and I didn't have to do it,

but it was the season premier

and my daughter-in-law said "just sit down and watch with me",

and so I did... I was immediately

entwined in the lives of Ashley, Ben, William, Micky, Constantine and worst of all

Bentley, from Salt Lake City!

 And so I was back, secretly tivoing every Monday night.

Watching late,

so my neighbors wouldn't hear as they took their evening strolls.

 How pathetic, a nearly 60 year

old woman being entertained by this awful show.

I can't get enough of it.

 (Secretly neither can Jim).

So since I have that off my chest....here's what I really think.

Bentley is not the stupid one. It's Ashley.

 I am so sick of her talking about Bentley I could SCREAM!!!!

And all she does is cry, cry, cry,

start over with a plucky attitude, then cry again.

And when she looks like she's trying to have fun,

she looks like she's going to start CRYING!

And when the guys were mad about Bentley last night, because they'd

given so much time and followed her around the world,
 puulease!!!

They just want to go to the

next great country and stay in the next luxury hotel with their buddies.

And the teasers just

show her crying and wining more. Why would any of the guys stay around?
(I can't wait to call Becky and discuss) 

Why am I watching this show?

It's ok for the younger generation,
they are hip and get this stuff.

but not me...
I don't understand and
it's driving me crazy, yet I can't stop watching!!!!

 Maybe because it's on a Monday...
and I am rather tired after watching the little ones all day.

Is it because I'm old and weary?
 Is it because it is a vice and vices are bad?
(but sometimes kind of fun) 

I guess we all

need something a little like this in our lives.
(or do I just need something like this)? 

Besides, I watch it with my husband - it's our family home evening?!?!

(A little rationalization can't hurt when we have secret vices).

JUST DYLAN AND ME

This week its just Dylan and me.

We're on our own.

These two are off on adventures of their own.

They've left us to come up with our own fun.

Well, they may be having fun at the beach and legoland.

But we'll be going on walks!?

playing in the garden? taking naps?!

It sounds like a really nice week for me.

 I'll miss them, but

a little rest is always nice.

MIRACLE OF MY GARDEN

It was so lovely when I went out to water my plants tonight. The air was still,

the sky was so blue, just one of those beautiful summer evenings that we

enjoy here in Utah. I love to sit and just take it all in. How the flowers are

growing now that the sun is out. It is always a miracle to me. Just put a few

seeds or small plants in the ground. Take care of them, and in a few weeks

they grow, spread out and start showing their colors. It brings me a

sense of peace and gratitude.

"All you need is deep within you waiting to unfold and reveal itself.

All you have to do is be still and take time to seek for what is within,

and you will surely find it."

~ Eileen Caddy

This is a lesson I've learned from my garden.

RELAX DUDE

Lately Jake has been telling me to "Relax Dude". Everytime I tell him to do something, or

ask him anything, it's "relax dude" this or "relax dude" that. Well, first I've had to inform

him that I am not a "dude". I am a grama, who must be respected at all costs. This doesn't

seem to phase him. He just changes it up to "relax grama".

I just don't get it.

When he gets upset or anything goes wrong and I tell him to "relax dude".

He says, "hey grama, thats what I say.

So I guess Grama's are suppose to just let everything slide and

relax,

 but not little dudes named Jake?!?

ABBY'S ROSE

This year was particularly hard on roses. But I learned a long time ago that

roses are very hardy.

 At least my roses are. They just need a little tender

love and care and they will flourish.

This particular rose came from my daughter Abby's garden.

 She was redoing a few things and thought this one was gone,

or had to be

moved or something. So I brought it home, planted it and waited.

It looked awful for the longest time. Then Nick suggested cutting

it down to the ground, so we couldn't see how bad it looked, but

giving it a chance, just in case it decided to come back. How grateful

I am we didn't dig it up.

This small rosebush has the most beautiful

color roses I can imagine.

Not red, not pink, somewhere inbetween.

 So unusual, so lovely. Makes you think, you can't give up on anything,

or anyone.

Just cut out those old thorny branches that get in the way, help it along

and the color, size, shape and beauty will astound you.

I love gardening.

OH, and by the way- today is the best day to harvest herbs to dry
and keep-June 21 is when they are the most flavorful.
I'm going out right now to cut mine and start drying them.
They will continue to grow, so I can use fresh during the summer,
and have dry during the winter.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

 I am truly blessed to have wonderful Father's in my life.  To have a good dad who is fun and supportive and takes time for you is the greatest. Especially if you are a girl. I loved listening to my dad tell stories of his growing up years, during the depression and then WWII.  He learned so much that he wanted to pass it on to his children.  He took me to basketball games and taught me the game. He taught me to work and to play, how to have fun and how to dream. He was the best dad anyone could ask for.
Most of all - I felt his love
and he taught me to laugh.

 Jim is the father of my five kids. Couldn't ask for better.  He has always been there for them.  Supported them. Never missed a game or any kind of activity they were involved in. Worked hard all his life to support them.  He is an example of honesty, integrity and hard work.  He loves his kids more than anything, and can't get enough of his grandsons.

 We couldn't be happier with our oldest for starting out our baseball team ~ only two more to go~ He is the dad of our first four boys. They are so lucky to have such a great dad.  He teaches them by his quiet example. He is with them always, helping them with their athletic skills, teaching on and off the field.  Lots of life lessons are learned there, and they are learning them as a family with James as their coach.

 Our quiet Mike lights up whenever his two boys run into the room.  They are numbers five and six on our little team.  He loves those boys, is an old softy, who plays legos with them,

 teaches them everything about computers -

Sam's 18 months and knows how to work the IPad better than I do.

Gets them to takes naps, teaches them to ride bikes, jumps with them on their tramp,

and teaches them how to swim.

He's a great dad and we're happy Abby found him to be the dad of our little boys.

Ty finally decided to join the club.  Along came number seven. It is so much fun to watch a son become a dad. To become responsible and loving and sweet to a tiny baby.  Tyler is very much into being a co parent with Melanie, I am very impressed at how he takes care of Dylan.

 Of course he, as all these guys have had good examples.

The best things about these dads is, they are all so hands on.  They take care of their kids right along with the moms, as it should be. These seven little boys are truly blessed to have such dads. 

They are loved and I am grateful for men who love and care for their kids.

Happy Fathers Day!

CHOOSE TO BLOOM

 After a long, cold winter the sun finally came out. 

 The sun's warm light hit those somewhat droopy flowers

I had planted hopefully in my garden and things started happening. 

First small signs of green and a bit of color. 

Next, more green.

 I nipped some of the buds off the top

(even though this just kills me, but it encourages growth).

The green leaves spread out as if they were stretching to see the sun. 

New buds appear looking for warmth the sun provides. 

A little distrustful....the sun has tricked them this year and hasn't stayed around

too long in the past,

 so these new little flowers are a bit nervous.

 I go into my garden each day to check the progress. 

These plants are stalwart. 

They want to bloom,

 they want to do what they are suppose to do.

Bring beauty and joy to all those who gaze at them. 

"And the day came when the risk [it took] to remain tight in the

bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."              

 ~Anais Nin

This morning as I wandered through my garden,

 this particular rose took the chance. 

 It knew it was time to bloom and let everyone who passed see its full beauty. 

Being the gardner, I stop, I appreciate, and am pleased.
The Rose is perfect. 

I CAN DO EVERYTHING AT ONCE!!!!

Years ago, when I was young,

I said I would never be one of those grama's who tended

their grandchildren on a regular basis.

That was before I learned to say~

 never say anything about what you would

or would not do.

That is back when I knew everything about everything.

That is back before I realized I know nothing about anything.

 About three years ago I started tending my little grandson Jake three days a week.

 My daughter and I thought we'd try it for a year and see how it worked out for both of us. 

It is three years later and I'm still here, so it seems to be working. 

 (It is a hard job some days, but Abby would have to pull me

kicking and screaming away from those kids now).

Well, of course it was inevitable that she would have a second child. 

This brought a few changes.  But Jake and I adjusted to our new situation

and Sam became a part of our happy days.  Some complications arose occasionally.

But we rose to the occasion, figured things out and became a threesome that

could never be split up. 

 I did need to go back to the child-rearing book. 

 No more spanking.  Only time out for these kids. 

Which is actually good for me, because as the grama,

I couldn't get mad at these darlings anyway. 

It's much easier to put them in their room

and say time-out~ one minute for one year. 

 (Secretly I go in and tickle Sam and we end up laughing and having a little fun-

 no wonder he's such a pill, don't tell his mother).

 Well...my son Tyler and his wife had a little boy seven months ago and we couldn't exclude him from the club.  But, again there were some adjustments to be made. 

 This time Jake has become Dylan's defender and Sam is the one having a somewhat difficult time. 

Needless to say, I must protect Dylan constantly.

I'm sure Sam will grow out of this stage of not wanting Dylan around?!!!

They'll be best friends in a few months -

grama's have an advantage of having perspective and

 knowing that everything is a shortlived stage. 

However, Some of my kids are still just growing out of their stages,

but they do grow out of them eventually -

anyway things have a way of fixing themselves. 

One particularly bad day Jake wanted his juice,

Sam wanted his bottle and Dylan was crying. 

Since Jake is the only one who can talk he over rode everyone

"I WANT MY JUICE"  I said, "Jake I can't do everything at once." 

Skip ahead to yesterday. 

Things seem to be settling into a nice routine. 

 All of us line up on the couch at naptime. 

 Jake with his pillow and blanket. 

Sam with his pillow and blanket.  We're all set to watch the....

 BUBBLE GUPPIES!!! 

Our favorite going to sleep show. 

I got busy.. 

Got Jake's juice, Sam's bottle, Dylan's bottle, while holding Dylan  -

walked toward the couch. 

Jake looked up and said " see Grama, you can do everything at once!"  

Hope he doesn't expect that kind of organization all the time. 

I cuddled in with all my boys,  one by one they drop off to sleep. 

Ahhhhhhh.....peace at last....

 I carry Sam into his bed,

Dylan to his, Jake sleeps on the couch with me.

 Naptime is for everyone.

JUNE 14TH- A DAY TO CELEBRATE

June 14th has always been a holiday in our home. 

After all, it's my mom's birthday and

 Flag Day.

We always made sure the flag was waving in honor of our great country,

And, in honor of our great mom.

 A few years ago Ty and Melanie decided to make

June 14th another reason to celebrate.

They got married on this day.

So June 14th will always give us a reason to~

wave a flag,

remember,

and be joyful.

June 14th is a Happy Day!



TOGETHER WITH THE FAM~

 There's nothing I like better than to gather family together. 

 My nephew Russell is getting married soon to a beautiful girl named Kristen. 

 So of course we had to have a shower for them. 

They live in California, so Jolyn and co. flew up for the get-together.

Many of the cousins hadn't seen each other for a long time,

so it was good to get everybody in the same place. 

The weather has settled down so we had a lovely outdoor picnic. 

Perfect for relaxing and visiting with loved ones and close friends.

These cousins have remained friends even as they have grown older, so it's fun to see them together,

laughing and enjoying one another. 

Towards the end of the evening we watched video's of when these kids were little. 

Some Christmas's past. It was fun to see Grampa Giggs playing the piano, Grama June telling a story,

and Tom Mullin swinging his golf clubs and harassing Tom.

We miss having them here, but know they would be happy to see the family all together.

SNOWBALL FIGHTS IN JUNE?

It started years ago with the older boys.  One year Jack thought it would be fun

to grab my snowballs off the bush, starting a snowball fight.

It has turned out to be something we look forward to every year

when that beautiful bush start blooming.

 Well, the bush bloomed a little late this year due to cool weather,

but the blossoms came eventually. 

So the the annual snowball fight was on. 

Only it is the second group of little boys looking forward to this annual event.

Abby is away on business and so I have the kids on Tuesday. 

I'm having some new carpet laid in the family room (pictures will follow),

so we are over at grama's for the day. 

The inside is a mess (due to carpet) with furniture all over the house,

 so the boys and I have been outside exploring. 

Having fun with the snowballs, exploring upper garden,

doing somersaults down the hill,

 and just seeing what's out there after the long winter. 

Afterwards, despite the mess, the little ones fell asleep

watching their favorite shows and are now napping away on various couches in strange spots. 

 Jake fell asleep saying it was funny taking a nap in grama's kitchen. 

 Always an "abenture" with these two. 

IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE.

"The English rose greets the summer garden with a profusion of colour and perfume and our doors and windows are thrown open to allow the season's intoxicating atmosphere to envelop us and our homes."

~Sydney A. Sykes

It's that time of year when, as you may have noticed I started fiddling with my blog design. 

When this feeling hits me, I used to start moving all the furniture in my house. 

I'd move couches into different rooms, changing the whole look and feel. 

Something about the seasons makes me want to change everything. 

Well, I'm getting older, and also, I have no help. 

My son Nick used to tell me that if I wanted a couch moved downstairs I could do it single handedly -

if I wanted it badly enough. 

Nick was kind and used to help with those couches. 

 But he has moved to a different state. (Probably so I can't call him for the annual furniture move). 

The weather has kept everyone indoors, and so the gardening is even behind. 

 So my blog has been my outlet. 

Elsie King Moreland said, " Changing the furniture around is to a woman what taking a vacation is to a man...Nothing seems to refresh me quite so much, to give me a new lease on life as seeing my piano in another corner, the sideboard under the windows, my bed facing another wall." 

I couldn't agree more. 

 It also gives me a chance to really clean all the corners that never see the light of day. 

 I like to lighten things up in the summer. 

 I'd love to be able to put white slipcovers on all my couches and chairs,

 but knowing that won't happen, maybe a lighter throw, and some seasonal flowers around. 

I put my silver tea set away. 

 I  can't afford a summer house, but I can turn my home into a lovely place, where I will enjoy the summer season with friends and family.

THE TRUTH OF IT IS...

Finally back in the swing of things. 

I like it. 

I love being able to go away, to see different places and things, but I love being home. 

I loved going back to Abby's and seeing the little ones yesterday. 

There were lots of hugs and then back to playing.  Jake and Sam had a surprise for me.

They  (not they - actually their mom and dad) had switched their rooms around. 

Sam doesn't have a room anymore. He has moved in with Jake, and his room has turned into the play room. Dylan even approved, as he checked it all out. 

The way things are suppose to go is that the bedroom is the bedroom, and it isn't suppose to fill up with toys. 

 So we used it to lounge around and catch up. 

 Dylan was  taking it easy, just rolling around on the floor. 

Sam was climbing up and down the ladder of the bunk bed.

Jake and I, well we were solving world problems, well their world problems,

when he came up with this one. 

He said "You know, grama, the truth of it is, we can bring a few toys into this room." 

 I said, "really, who told you that?" Jake, "my dad". 

 Well I guess that's the truth of it if that's what the dad says. 

The truth of it is...

I love my days with these little boys.