Grocery List

(Click on the picture to see an enlarged version - it is worth it to read!)

I found this grocery list in a shopping cart at Safeway; I thought it was cute - it reminded me so much of both my Grandma's handwriting...AND it was carefully written to include the 'deals' that they could get on certain items on the list. See that on the sherbet? I miss my Grandmas.

I wonder if all Grandmas write the same? Between my Grandma Virginia, Grandma Margaret, Jesse's Grandma Linda and this grocery list, it appears that they must have all paid attention to penmanship in school and never had the urge to deviate from it and develop their own funky handwriting like 'kids these days.'

Anyway, here I go with my Grandma memories. I will always keep the last card I ever received from my Grandma Braaten; I was living in Portland when her health really started to go bad and I sent her a card...Aunt Elaine was home staying with her and helped her write a card back to me. Grandma started to write and it definitely was not her usual handwriting, and Aunt Elaine had to finish it for her :(
How did I get so lucky to have 2 of the world's best Grandmas? (Grandpas too!)

Here are my most favorite memories about them:
**Grandma Braaten's snicker doodle cookies
**The oscilating fan at Grandpa and Grandma Braaten's blue trailer
**The pansies at G&G Braatens - I will forever think of Grandma B when I see pansies
**The big huge weeping willow tree and poor Grandpa always worrying about it in a storm
**Grandpa's yellow pick-up parked by the field while he helped us hay in the summer
**The time when G&G Braaten stayed with us while Dad and Mom had to go down to Denver to an asthma hospital; Grandpa laughed while he watched my brother and I wrestle on the floor and then told me that "I really cleaned house!" That same week, Rodney and I were up late "doing homework" and Grandma came down the hall from their bedroom to see if we were going to bed soon - she didn't have her dentures in - it was so cute. That same week, a bad snow storm came through and Grandma was watching it out the window and she said, "I didn't know you had a dog..." - we didn't, but this poor little dog (I can't believe I am saying this) was freezing on our sidewalk so we brought him into our garage and made him a warm cozy bed. Grandpa named him Toby. Toby died months later when he ran into the front tire of mom's car when she was driving up the driveway - stupid dog. (I have to admit, that I did kinda like him).
**Playing Rummy K with Grandpa B - he ALWAYS won and had the best smile and sparkle in his eye everytime he tipped his tray upside down to show us that his tray was empty.
**Grandma Stephens' oven-baked chicken, green salad and the three-bowl salad dressing server, baked potatos and bread with homemade raspberry jam.
**The raspberry patch!
**Grandma S's daycare - when I was 11 I made up a job application to work for her at her daycare. I always wonder how hard she must have laughed at that. I wish I could take Paige to a daycare lady like her! (We do like her current daycare, don't get me wrong).
**Grandpa S playing slug-bug green, no slugs back. Ouch!
**Playing Thump with Grandpa S - his favorite game; only so hard not to cheat because you could always see how many fingers he was going to throw out before we 'thumped'
**The candy dish!
**Peanut Butter and Honey sandwich quarters - never a whole or a half, just a quarter
**Playing Grandpa (tax-accountant even though we didn't know what he did)and typing on his typewriter and using up all the tape on his calculator.
**Grandpa cheering for me in my basketball games - he was my biggest fan; he was also the only one who could get away with yelling as loud as he wanted.
**Grandma telling me that maybe I should pass the ball to the other girls more often.
....

This is getting long. But it's fun to write these things down. I wonder what Paige's memories will be of her grandparents? She's lucky too! I just wish that she could have gotten to know her great-grandparents.

Paige's New Slide

Grandpa and Grandma B got Paige her very own slide for her birthday (she doesn't really like to share the slide when we're at the park).

Memorial Day

Ever notice that Memorial Day has become somewhat of a kick-off to summer? Everyone gets a three-day weekend and takes off to go camping and boating and have a BBQ. Are we treating this holiday too casually? Memorial Day was declared a national holiday to honor our fallen soldiers who fought for our country, for us. I am ashamed to say that I am one of 'those' people who celebrates this holiday incorrectly. Think about families, even now, and especially back when times were so tough, who lost their loved ones. Imagine the parents, losing their son; the wives losing their husbands, the girlfriends and fiance' losing their man, the children losing their father, the brothers and sisters losing their brother...the soldiers losing their friends and fellow soldiers...we don't even know, and yet we just can't wait to take off for the lake. It is so easy for us to disconnect ourselves from the tragedy of war, just like those of us who weren't immediately affected by 9/11.
Memorial day is certainly a day to spend with family and loved ones and to cherish the time, and may our hearts go out to all of those who have ever lost loved ones to war, remember also those who have fought and returned and must try to stifle horrible memories and move on with life.
I remember when my cousin Ken was returning from Iraq. Wow. What a day for him, for his parents, and his girlfriend (now, wife) Alison. I had anticipation and excitement for his return, but I got goosebumps just thinking about the feelings Ken, Alison, Jack & Jan must have been feeling. Ken has experienced feelings and emotions that I will never experience in my life. I hope that the victorious feeling of return was a little bit of redemption for him. Memorial Day is certainly a day that should honor those who have served and those family members of soldiers who have served. How can our country bring that back?

Here are a few traditions:
**Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day - a day to decorate the graveyard

**Red Poppy - Inspired by a poem entitled, “In Flanders Fields”, the poppy has become the flower symbol for the Memorial Day Holiday. From the poem, written by Canadian physician and soldier John McCrae, we develop a sense that the poppy represents the blood shed by soldiers during times of war. Although the poem was written by McCrae, the poppy was first recognized as the Memorial Day flower in 1915 when a woman by the name of Moina Michael began to sell poppies in an effort to encourage further recognition of the day. Michael helped to begin the National Poppy movement and to commemorate her efforts a 3-cent stamp was created in her honor.

The poppy, by nature, is a wildflower. It’s seed will lie stagnant in the ground until it is disturbed. During times of war, soldiers would, inadvertently, churn ground as they marched though fields. The result was a beautiful and overabundant growth of poppy flowers found to flourish in conditions where most other flowers would die. Also during war, poppies were often used by physicians in administering morphine to soldiers in pain as it produces a by-product opium painreliever.

In honor of our veterans, planting a family of poppies in your own garden is simple. Whether you live in a house, condominium or apartment, the poppy is a flower that grows in abundance and is somewhat resilient in inclement conditions. Poppies grow 12 to 24” in height with annual blooms 65-90 days in length. Poppies prefer full sun to partial shade and will grow in moist soil but prefer well drained and slightly drier climates. Your first blooms will show in early to mid summer. Keep weeds down with mulching and water only during extended dry periods. By adding a general fertilizer once a month, your poppies will provide beautiful blooms for your summer enjoyment. So, begin a new family tradition and plant poppies this Memorial Day in remembrance of the soldiers who committed their lives for our country and for a daily reflection of peace and beauty

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/26794/red_poppies_a_memorial_day_tradition.html?cat=32

M Hill (Mount Sentinel)

We had the best saturday so far since we've moved to Missoula! Jesse finally had the whole day off, and we finally had perfect weather. We slept in as long as Paige let us, we had some eggs for breakfast and then took off to seize the day. We borrowed a child-carrier backpack from my boss and we headed to M hill. Paige wanted momma to carry her instead of dadda, which wasn't part of the plan, but it worked out just fine. We hiked to the top and enjoyed the view. (See below).
Then we came home for a quick lunch and found out that Splash MT had it's season opening day today...which I have been waiting for all winter! So we decided to bring Paige to the pool. We floated together on a big tube around the 'lazy river' and then let Paige splash around in the kiddie pool for awhile. Afterwards we came home for a quick bite and then went to Bonner Park (very nice play park) and met our friend Kate (Chris had to work) and their dog for some nice summer evening play time. Paige of course, loved the slides and swing.
I just finished up with my daily dose of homework and it wasn't really too bad - I mean, as good as taxation can be...don't get me wrong I'm kind of a nerd and totally into it...at least when the sun isn't shining anymore.

Here are some pictures from where we stood. It was an easy hike - we're not much of the outdoorsey hikey type people - (not Glacier Lily material), but this hike is about perfect. Anyway, I am really starting to love Missoula. The downtown has a little bit more of the metropolitan downtown city feel, and the bridges going over the river at three locations are fun to drive over every morning and at night the lightposts that I have always loved are all over! I'll do another posting about light posts that I love...for now here is Missoula as we saw it today:

Another Smilebox

Yes, I am totally obsessed with making smilebox productions; for those of us who don't have time, money or patience to scrapbook, Smilebox is excellent! I know if anything, her grandparents like them!!! :)
I got some foam curlers recently and I am having some fun putting curls in her hair - they turn out sooooo cute.
We enjoyed wearing summer clothes this weekend and hope this sunshine is here to stay!

Make a Smilebox photobook

Paige's Birthday

The Birthday Cake

I tried to make this look like the Care Bears sliding down a rainbow in the clouds - just like in Care-A-Lot! haha. I suppose I won't be getting any cake jobs based on my portfolio...but it turned out ok and Paige was pretty excited. We had a little bit of cake with all that frosting...

May 8 - Paige is 2!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Playing Outside