HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARLING GRIFFIN!!

Happy Birthday to Griffin, almost a day late. I waited for Julie to call me so I could have some help getting Griffin's picture up but she has disappeared! Maybe she jumped in the fish pond and got her telephone wet. I'm sure Griffin had ample attention for his birthday.

Candice and Gil came home, once again, from their travels. We have missed them. Today, Tanner comes back from CA. And I do hope that Sophie is having a better day. I also need Bart to call him Mom! Love to all...

Zak's Joke A Day Cartoons

I miss Zak's Joke A Day. So here are some cartoons to start us off again...

This is Morgan

This is our Morgan.

She is an Artist.

This is her self-portrait --->>

Spinning Wheel

SpinningWheel
Originally uploaded by gdawney

I have been spinning for almost a year now. I started out on a hand held spindle. Last year, for Christmas, my kids bought me a spinning wheel. This is what I do for relaxation.

It's quite the process, so I created a little slide show for you. Jessica took the pictures. [When you get there, to go to the next photo, click on the little picture to the right. If you click on the arrow you won't see the captions]

Daniel and the Dunking Tank

Today, William Beaumont Army Medical Center had a carnival day for all employees at the local minor league baseball field. The kids had a ball!! Daniel took it upon himself to become the designated dunkee at the dunking tank. Jenna and Sophie also took turns being dunked, but they grew tired of it after 45 minutes or so and left for other activities. Daniel stayed on the platform for the next 2 1/2 hours. When it came time to leave, I went to get him. He said "No, Mom. I'm the only dunkee they have. I'm staying." Well, anyone who has tried to convince Daniel to do something he has decided not to do will know what comes next.
When I reached in to grab him, he simply moved away and splashed me a good one. Shocked, I stupidly reached for him again. He, of course, splashed me again. He was giggling. The onlookers were laughing. I realized i had no way to get him out so I decided to go in after him, which I did. We had a good wrestle in the dunking tank. Of course, I couldn't get him out until someone else's kids said they would take over being the dunkee, then he voluntarily climbed right out. He took his self-imposed responsibility seriously. It wasn't until I had climbed out myself that I remembered my phone...Yikes. So, it is currently drying out. I am hoping hoping hoping that it will still work when I put the dried-out battery into the dried-out phone. Nobody call me.

Cheeeeeeeeese — and sausage pizza

I finally got to taste a world famous Chicago pizza. Gil gave specific instructions on how to eat it! You're supposed to cut off the crust first (but still leave a little pizza on it) and then you can eat the crust part separate from the pizza part. He loves the crust. I liked the pizza. It's different by how the sauce is on the top and there is an entire layer of sausage on the bottom - not little balls. It was very good. Actually we also had pizza last night at a competitor's pizza place. I thought they both were great. I had a great day, but missed you at home. Thank you for my phone calls and singing messagaes. They made me laugh. Tomorrow, Gil and I are going to the beach and walk down Miracle Mile and then hang out at Millenium Park. I'm actually saying, "Cheeeeeeese" in the photo.

I really am smart!!!!

Homemade Granola RecipeTop of Form
Bottom of Form
Ready in: 30-60 minutesDifficulty: 3 (1=easiest :: hardest=5)
Serves/Makes: 7 cups
Top of Form

Bottom of Form
Ingredients:4 cups old-fashioned oats1 1/2 cup sliced almonds1/2 cup packed light brown sugar1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 cup vegetable oil1/4 cup honey1 teaspoon vanilla1 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 F. In a bowl mix the oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. In a saucepan warm the oil and honey. Whisk in vanilla. Carefully pour the liquid over the oat mixture. Stir gently with a wooden spoon; finish mixing by hand. Spread granola in a 15x10 inch baking pan. Bake 40 minutes, stirring carefully every 10 minutes. Transfer granola-filled pan to a rack to cool completely. Stir in raisins or cranberries. Seal granola in an airtight container or self-sealing plastic bag. Store at room temperature for 1 week or in the freezer for 3 months.
This recipe for Homemade Granola serves/makes 7 cups
I get real generous with the vanilla and the cinnamon because I like them.

Also, last time I added a handful of chocolate chips And a hand full of coconut … just to empty a couple of bags….

Here is a hot tip!!!!!

If you have a food processor…. Go to Costco and buy whole (raw) Almonds … then slice them in the food processor….. about one forth the price of sliced almonds in the grocery store!!!

Also, buy the Craisins and Raisins at Costco…. Eat lots of samples while you are there!!!

Love ya

I'M AS SMART AS AN 8 YEAR OLD!!!

With only one hour of stressfull instructions from julie I think I have finally been admitted to the club!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANDICE MUFFIN!!!

Happy Birthday to our CMPJ

who was born on this day 35 years ago!! We love you and hope you are having a wonderful day. You have brought much delight into so many lives. You are so special to all of us.

Hip Hip Hooray!!!!

Everyone say hello to...

Lt. Colonel

Don H. Hansen

Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray!

Tanner says HI!

Tanner came again today

I thought I would take another picture of him, and I tried to get him to wave and say "hi" to his mom. These are the results:

I have a friend that is in a Women's Adult Soccer league. They play in Duarte and she has been asking me to play for about a year. I finally wore down, I joined and I played my first game today! I did not throw-up or faint, or have to quit from lack of stamina, so I thought it was a success. It was fun too.

STAR SIGHTING

Very Exciting for me!

Tonight at Outback Steakhouse, I spotted my first TV star in my regular life. I have seen stars at sporting events, etc, but never in my regular life!

I saw Andrea Evans. She acted in One Life to Live many years ago. She is now on another soap, Passions. I couldn't remember her name at first, then I remembered Andrea. I came home to google her, and found her right away. I talked to 2 friends there who work at the restaurant, they had NO idea who she was.

Ok, I walked by her to make sure, it was nerve wracking. (spelling?)

Oh, by the way, my food was fine - a bit too spicy for me - I had grilled shrimp.

Before and After

BEFORE....

AFTER!!

I am very pleased with how it turned out.

Swimming with Tanner

Tanner came over yesterday and we all went swimming. I thought Candice would enjoy seeing some pictures. Here you go: Tanner's pose:
Tanner's beautiful dive
It was a nice, hot, fun day. No one got sunburned. Griffin cried when Tanner left. I reassured Griffin that Tanner would still be his friend.

New Hair Cut

I got a new hair cut today. This the the before picture:



These are the after shots:





Of course, I had to go home and re-blowdry my hair because she made me look like a helmet head - but I like the way it turned out. We had a long discussion over color. I told her to be BOLD and pick a really dark color. It's the best color she's done.

Just wanted to share! I like blogging!

Pageant of the Masters

Last night Christopher, Steven and I drove down to Laguna and saw the

Pageant of the Masters.

It was Fantastic. You see these amazing works of art on the stage, yet they are made with real people. If you have a chance to see this sort of thing. I highly recommend it.This is one we really enjoyed. It was called The Giant, by N.C. Wyeth

These were our seats. Apparently I got our seats on the last row in the amphitheater. It worked out fine, we used binoculars.

Paris Photos!

For anyone who'd like to see . . . Gil put together a website of the photos we took in Paris. Just click here Paris Pics to check them out. There's a LOT, so be warned.
Hope you enjoy!

Love,
CMPJ

From Gil – A few notes for a better/easier viewing experience:

To go to the next image in the sequence, you just have to click on the big picture on the right, instead of always clicking on the corresponding thumbnail at left, or going to the "Next image" link at far right.

There are captions under each of the big pics at right that (more or less) describe what's going on in the image.

Also at far right is a "Full size image" link that will open a new window with the printable version of the image, in case you want to downnload and print one - or two - or three or more. Tnx!

Guess I clicked a wrong button!!

The ring on my hand (which you can't see very well) is a gift from Dad (Bumpa) for our anniversary on 13 Dec. I thought it would be fitting to get it on sale on this the 13th day of July! I'm so proud of the picture because Chase had to walk me through the directions bit by bit. And I didn't even hear him getting frustrated!! That boy is a marvel!! Anyway, I will see most of you in Vegas with the present on my finger. What a beautiful ring for an old hand!!

50th YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!

This is my 50th year anniversary present!

This is my favorite picture that we took in Paris. We actually have over 300! It was a great experience, but I'm glad to be back home. We did A LOT of walking. Our feet were very sore at the end of each day. Gil is putting the rest of the photos up on a website soon, so that should be fun to see. We'll post the link within the next few days. I'm happy to finally be a member of the bloggers! Au revoir . . . . CMPJ

Happy 22nd Birthday Steven!

Happy Happy Joy Joy

Happy 26th Anniversary to Kerry and me.

Sing with me now....

We're all toghether again...We're all together again.... Well, almost. Kerry is not in the picture, he was in our hearts. He was still at church fulfilling his every obligation.

Kitty con carne with meat

Sadly our cat does not know how much food it should eat, instead it just eats until there is none left.

This is what our cat (Kitty con carne)
looked like when we first got it, we
thought it would starve

This is more what kitty looks
like now. we have no fears
that it will starve now, but
we hope that it wont die
from eating too much

This is how kitty con carne actually looks like now... its still really fat though

Instructions for Adding Pictures

Instructions for the Severely Technologically-Impaired:

1) Find your picture. Hopefully you can do this part yourself. Either a picture on your computer or one on the internet will do, Google's image search works well.

2)Start your post. Press the button that looks like a picture, it is right next to the spell check button.

3)If you are adding a picture from your computer, press the "browse" button on the left and find it on your computer. Very easy. If you are using a picture on the internet it is just slightly more difficult. You have two options: save the picture to your computer (right click on the picture for this) and follow the above instructions; or you can copy the URL of the picture on the internet (http://blahblah.com/picture) and put it in the box labeled URL.

4)You can pick whichever layout you want, if making this choice is too difficult, choose none.

5)Press Upload image

6)Check your spelling and grammar in your post, you will be mocked for your errors.






I hope Tatia was not this sweaty.


















Griffin wasn't able to figure out which way that stinking bus was going from Dawney's post, but I was able to teach him how to add a picture to this blog, so hopefully Tatia can figure it out too.

UGH!! Instructions please

JULIE: I just spent 20 minutes trying to find and add a picture of a heavily sweating woman.

I would rather have some instruction. Line by line, please. Thank you.

Does anyone out there actually LIKE the feeling of sweat?

I absolutely hate it. It is the worst part about exercising. It is sticky and hot. I would rather be cold than be sweaty. AND the more often I exercise, the easier I sweat. YUK.

Yes I am...

Challenge:
Take this test - http://www.funeducation.com/5thGrader/ and then post your scores

Update: You will have to put in a valid email address to get your score.
Use whatever@mytrashmail.com. The results are then given to you via the web, not the email.

Steven and Julie/mom
The waving FLAG made my heart say "Thank you"!

231 Years Old

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Thanks, Steven, for helping find the waving flag!

Revenge of the Cockroach

I have only spotted one cockroach in the past 2 weeks...and it got away. OK. So it took me a full minute to unfreeze my body and look for the biggest and heaviest shoe I could find. So it got away.

Don's bday was yesterday. Lovely day. Only 104 degrees. swamp coooler not working very well (replaced today). Don's team won their softball game (20-2). i made dinner for the second night in a row (shocker). Excercised with my trainer (double shocker). Finally, children in bed and Don and I can relax and watch a movie. Ahhhhhhhh.....Laugh, laugh, laugh at the movie (Star Trek:Generations) what's that tickle on my toe.....




AAAAAAAARGH!!!! It was a COCKROACH CRAWLING ON ME!!!!!

Don smashed it. He was going to use his hand, but as I like to hold his hand, I asked him to use a shoe.

I hope Julie finds a goooood picture to add to my story...

OK. We're off to see "Bodies in Motion"...over 100 cadavers (real) preserved with plastic arranged in different types of motion. soccer, running, sitting, etc. All very clean.

Steven's Welcome Home

Steven's Home!!

Steven got home very late last night - he went to bed and in the morning this is what I heard:

I feel like I came home to a third world country! My bed is low to the ground (the bed which everyone loves), I have no sheet, I found 5 dog poops on the carpet, there are brown spots all over! My room is like sleeping in a tent, it is the same temperature as the outside.

I have now steam cleaned his carpet...the dog poops are picked up...I will put a sheet on his bed.

Don't worry, Christopher, when you get home things will be great. Good idea sending Steven on ahead as a scout.

Nana & Kate's fun day

Okay, Kate came to spend the day with me (Nana). She thought she might like to take the "trax" into SLC....which is what we did. We tried to get tickets - that was murder because, you know I have a very hard time reading directions. I was wishing Julie was there to buy our tickets for us!! Well, we finally did it. Had a great ride. stopped at City Center. Went to see Bumpa at the JS Building. It was wonderfully cool. He was shocked and happily surprised. He took us to lunch. Kate chose Pizza and a glazed doughnut, Dad and I picked a Taco Salad. It was not a southwest taco salad so it was very dry and nasty. After our lunch Kate and I decided to visit the Beehive House and have a tour. (My very first grandchild to want to go through the house. It was so fun. Somewhere along the way the sweet young tour guide mentioned to the people that at one time the house had been a boarding house. The people wanted to know who boarded there. She didn't know so I piped up and said it was for out of town girls who came into the city to go to school and that I was one of them. Everybody looked at me as though they were shocked. I was able to show them my former room.!! It was all fun - we liked the tour very much!!

Oh, and by the way, after buying tickets to get on the trax, we were riding into the city when the conductor came along and asked for everyone's tickets. A man sitting next to us searched and searched and made excuses because he didn't get a ticket so the conductor said to him, "let's get off at the next stop." I think the fine for not having a ticket is $250.00

I got mixed up thinking that Don's birthday was today instead of yesterday so now I think I am in the dog house. But HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DON!!! AND if I forget again, I will say HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DEENA on 6 July, MATTHEW PAYNE on the 8th, JULIE & KERRY anniversary on the 9th, STEVEN on the 10th, CREE KOFFORD 11th. JENNA is on the 21st. CMPJ, 26TH and GRIFFIN, who is a Wednesday's Child is on the 30th!! There now, done for the month!

I just came across this exercise which looks like a good one and I thought that maybe those of my children who do not exercise might like this one.

The article suggested doing it three days a week.

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. With a 5-lb potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, then relax.

Each day, you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato sacks.

Then 50-lb potato sacks and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato sack in each hand and hold your arm straight for more than a full minute. (I'm at this level)

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks!!

Words

Words you might hear in the Cole household....

poop, foop, dookie, bub, beebachu, beebee, pwnage, too, hot too, poop shack,

shocked and appalled.

You also might hear Spanish, Pig-Latin or OP

Just Wondering...

You know that the address of this blog is...sbpayne.blogspot.com (for Sherma - Bart Payne).

I really wanted: payne.blogspot.com - but it was taken. Or I would have taken Paynes.blogspot - TAKEN TOO!

I just got curious enough to see who had those address. Both were used just once, on the day they were made. One posted a few things, the other just had the basic blog with no posts. One was from 2001, the other from 2004.

What a waste!!

BYE, BRONCO!

Zak had a great time at Football camp. It was time we went back to Arcadia. Kerry asked me why I didn't ask any important questions to Zak, like had he seen Brono Mendenhall and had he seen any other BYU players. I saw Bronco on Zak's last day, (Zak had seen him a few times), so I took a nice picture of him. I am sure he is sad to see Zak go.