Miss Bliss has come to stay for a while. Her mom is going to college and we've got her till she graduates, at least I hope. I love having a little one to share my day with. Playing in the garden, going shopping, (teaching my girls how to raise children). What a blessing God has given me.

Chels is going to college next week. (Same one Amber is attending) Taking the basic classes towards business consulting. She's living here at home, working full time at the pool, and even cooking once in a while. She's placed her membership at our old congregation and is involved in the work there. (Painting the building, learning to teach the children's classes). She also got to go to Costa Rico with a friend for two weeks in June.

Carissa is a Junior this year. She doesn't want to get her license till she's 18 (which makes Craig secretly happy) and doesn't plan on getting a job till then either. This last summer she has finally opened up to share her boyfriends with us. She doesn't "Date" but they do 'hang out' with all their other friends. She has a great group (for worldly kids). They accept her outburst for moral behavior and modify themselves around her. Occasionally she just has to leave, but they miss her, plus they get pressure from their parents, cause they like her too. This week is Spirit Week and yesterday was 'Dress yourself in a plastic garbage bag Day'. Most of the kids have not realized it's Spirit Week so she expected only about 5 kids to actually do it. 2 of them being her friends. She made pants and a top out of one of Craig's construction bags. and splattered paint on the front. She had Cyan tights underneath and a belt cinching the waist. Now I wish I'd gotten a picture.

I got to go to Colorado for 10 days to be with my cousins and Aunt. Jen is glowingly happy. We spent the days working around napping children but managed to go shopping most everyday, to the fair twice, a potluck, and out to the fields to watch the guys in their harvester too. I had free use of a horse (limited by my sore muscles) and a ride with Jen's brother-in-law, up a small mtn to view all of NW Colorado. The grasshoppers were everywhere (you'd have to walk through the fields with your hand closed or they'd hop right in) and the trees were rare.

The family Craig has been building a house for moves in tomorrow. No more working late - he has been for about 3 weeks. He's says it'll be about another month of putting the final touches on the house before he's done. We don't know what will happen afterwards. He's had several offers for more work but nothing writtin on paper. If he gets some down time he's planning on working on our backyard, Whoooppiii!!!!!! (moving the shed, moving the wood pile, building a retaining wall, hauling in some dirt, and planting some bushes for privacy. :) . Our backyard neighbors have gravelled their yard so it looks like a parking lot. Uhg. Our side neighbor has bought 3 more dogs. His first dog was realitivly quiet. I hope he's as good with 3 more. Two of which are Yorkie puppies, Cute!

We went to the Berg's cabin twice this summer. Very nice relaxing with friends. Taking walks, - till the thunder and rain force us into a nearby shed to wait it out. Marvin and Carissa rode bicycles to the Country Store, 2 miles away. No one wanted to climb Ladies Hat with Carissa, poor girl. Sunday night we all stayed up late waiting for Marvin to get back from the hospital. He had jerked his hand away from a falling metal pipe but it had already snagged his finger. It pulled the fingernail out of the bed and broke the bone. He thought for sure it was cut off but the doctors stitched it up just fine. The doc used this 'tool' to burn some holes in the nail to relieve the pressure and then gave it to Marvin. The guys were just thrilled to have a new 'toy'. "What can we use it on???"

This really hot dry spell we've been through has killed a couple of my strawberry plants. I am sooo happy for that. I have a hard time hanking out healthy plants but I had just way too many of them. I've been yanking out Morning Glory and throwing it in the compost area along the back fence. It was supposed to wilt and die but now it's gone to root and invading my yard again. Nothing like weeding the compost heap. Last year I stuck an advocado seed in soil of one of my house plants. It is now about 3 feet tall and very happy. I had often tried the toothpicks and suspend it half submerged in water. All the women in my close family seemed to think this was the thing to do though it never worked. Out of frustration I stuck it in the dirt, and what do you know. It grows. Now I have a tree growing in my house. This may be a problem in a couple of years.

Chewy picked up a tick Memorial Day at the cabin but it was a month later before I realized it. He's taking flea and tick meds so this was a very small sick tick. I thought it was a wart on his nose. I deadened the area with Orajel and plucked it off and then discovered it had legs. Eewww No ticks this time, so far.

The blessings God heaps on us during and after trials are so amazing. My Father-in-law died just recently and because he wasn't a christian it's been very difficult for my husband. Our brothers and sisters heve showered him with their love. I am so thankful for them.
Our marraige has been renewed to a newly-wed's bliss and our teen-age girls are happy living under our roof. What more could you ask for. Love, laughter and freindship.
Okay, Craig says a better economy would help, but that's what faith is for. So we don't get to do the backyard this year. That's a bummer but I suppose I live. The neighbors will just get another year's painful view. If they hadn't cut down every tree and bush they had we would still have a bit of privacy. Oh, well. I got my Gazebo up yesterday and am so happy. Craig's even happy cause it's not so 'jimmy-rigged'. Do to indicision and a lack of funds I tend to use whatevers on hand to 'make' something work. Yarn, odd boards, broom handles, cardboard, .... I get it honestly, I grew up watching my grandfather do it all the time. So it looks a little funny and tends to fall apart too soon, but it generally gets the job done till I can come up with something better. Craig cringes every time. I smile (waiting to see if he'll fix it, but he rarely does) and enjoy my creation.
Oh, by the way, I have failed miserably on my determination to NOT get hooked on WoW. I am well and thoroughly addicted. Last week I decided to start saving to buy my own. All my other hobbies have fallen by the wayside. It's so wonderfull.
Carissa's birthday went off without a hitch. They never got around to building the campfire, but the poster got painted in the midst of painting each other. They had to shower before they could go to bed, - at 1:00 in the morning. Has Strawberry cheescake and Pudding sundays. She got a toilet seat with all her freinds love written all over it. (You'd have to know them to appreciate it)
I've got my living room back. Craig finished the molding and the stone tiles in the entry. Just need the baywindow and closet, now. They're getting close.
Amber has been blessing us with time with Ruby. It looks like things might become more regular soon. We sure hope so.

So good to see Amber too. We just want to keep hugging them.

The girls are back in school. It has benn so nice in the mornings now that Chels has her own car. She drives herself and her sister to school and I don't have to get dressed till noon. (Not that I'd ever actually allow myself to do that, but it's awful nice to have that option)

Craig ran into a pipe at work and had to have a bunch of stitches put into his forhead. He just got them out before the weekend and was able to get the evidence washed off before church. He said it never really hurt but his co-workers were so grossed out by it he figured he should have it looked at. He had way to much fun with this thing and needed to be teased unmercifully for it which I don't think he got enough of. If your look close you can see the scar on his right forhead, up high. The nurses told him when he gets his hair transplant it will cover it up nicely. Hee Hee.

I've been in varying stages of sickness for a month now. Totally missed out on the yearly ski trip. Suday I had to torment myself repeatedly. I was so thirsty to hear from the other ladies how the trip went. It was wonderful, of course. Getting to be with my sisters in such a close family environment is so encouraging and comforting to my soul. Makes me look forward to heaven so much more. So sad I missed it and am definetly looking forward to next year.

My dear sweet daughter and her boyfriend have been conniving (-visciously tempting) against me. I like to play RPG games but will not join an internet game because of the continuous leakage of funds. (I do NOT need to feel bad for NOT playing) Well, he plays World of Warcraft and has gotten Chels hooked. So 2 weeks ago they brought over his lap top and put it in my lap saying "Here, try this game. See if you like it" Eight hours later .... I have to start SHARING with Chels. ... Then he needs the laptop for school .... ... Recently she asks "Are you hooked yet??? Don't you want to buy this game????" I AM NOT GIVING IN!!! Okay, so maybe we can compromise. Perhaps if I help out with his subscription!!! No threads attached (If he should happen to destroy my character, OOPS!!- no hard feelings) Just being thankful for the gift I've recieved. What a sweet sweet daughter!!! ach, ach, ach.

The SUN is shining on my back yard. It's calling me... Strawberries need to be transplanted. Everything needs to be transplanted. It's supposed to rain for the next couple of days... See ya!

I finally got our computer working again - I think!! A week before Xmas it crashed. I sent it away to my brother-in-law and he said he had to completely wipe it clean to fix it. Ach!! Fortunatly he could rescue our stuff.

We've had about 10 inches of snow. I loved it. It's mostly gone now but it sure helped me to acclimate to winter.

We had a wonderful Xmas. I was even a bit overwhelmed, a big thanks to my family.

My mother-in-law broke her wrist Christmas eve, so her daughter and I were her hands for christmas dinner. It's so very hard to get her to sit down. We'll have New Years dinner over there too.

HAPPY NEW YEAR