The Knack!

This has made the rounds for some time, but with Joe being an engineer and Courtney being surrounded by engineers at UAH, I just had to post this.  So true!!

A Blessed Thanksgiving!

We do not have family close by, so we open our home every Thanksgiving to other families we know that are also alone.  The number we have varies every year, but we always have a good time!  This year we had 15 for the actual meal but had two other families that stopped by throughout the day as their schedule allowed.  It was truly a blessed Thanksgiving!

Twenty-one pound turkey this year!

Here I am working on the mashed potatoes!  Missed having Courtney here - the mashed potato queen of the Southwest!

Very dear ladies from our church!

Isaac and Joshua were so excited and had fun playing with the other young children.

Rachel enjoyed visiting with the older girls!

Mrs. Webster takes on KP duty!

We went to the nearby park to walk off our meal and enjoy the beautiful weather!

All in all, it was a great day to give thanks for all that we have and to enjoy the fellowship of good friends!

Counting the Days!

Isaac and Joshua are SOOOOOO very excited for big sister, Courtney, to come home from college!  We decided to make a chain so they could visually see how many days were left.  What should have been a quick little project as part of preschool, turned into a big ol' competition between the two boys.  And when I added the camera into the mix, things deteriorated quickly.  But we did capture the basic idea!

Isaac began to be very distressed that Joshua would DARE to hold an orange strip - Isaac's favorite color.  Time for Mom to intervene.............

Rachel heard the sounds of distress and came into the kitchen to assist with the picture taking.  Not only was Isaac upset about the orange strip, Joshua kept trying to hold it in front of his face!

Notice the change is Isaac's demeanor?  Well, the orange strip has been removed from Joshua's clutches................so all is well once again.

Joshua, not one to really get worked up, decided to clutch other colors to make Mom and sister happy!

Wow, that was an ordeal!  Courtney, I hope you appreciate your beautiful rainbow chain now hanging in the kitchen to mark the day of your upcoming arrival!

Later that evening, Isaac was the first one to cut off a link - of course you recognize that it is orange - and that the next one is green, Joshua's favorite color.  What I go through to make these little boys happy!

All done!

Counting the days, beloved daughter, until you walk through the front door!  I know two little boys who will be the first to run into your arms!

Second Post in One Day!

 

The Musical Instrument Museum has been in Phoenix for two years.  It is an interactive experience that allows you to listen to and see instruments from nations around the world.  It is described as "the most extraordinary museum you will ever hear."

 

 

We were given headphones and an "electronic device" that we put in our pockets.  As we moved through each country, we were able to hear audio and view video of the instruments played in their cultural context.

 

 

 

These are shofars from Israel which are the only biblical instrument in continuous use since ancient times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the "restoration room" where repairs were being made on many instruments.

 

 

Then we headed into the "Experience Gallery" where we had fun trying out many unusual instruments.  Beth really enjoyed the harp, and I felt that my musical calling was the gong!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By this time we were tired and headed back home and Beth promptly took a nap.  (She had worked on the computer fixing a snarled up Mcafee virus install for two hours prior to today's adventure, hence our slow start this morning.) I worked on the computer and got my things ready to pack..............heading back home tomorrow!  Thanks, Beth, for a great time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The District at Desert Ridge

Today, after a slow morning, Beth and I headed out to The District at Desert Ridge, which is a shopping and entertainment district.  The weather was beautiful and there were very few people out and about!  These first two pictures show the entrance into the shopping area.

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed browsing at Barnes and Noble and I purchased some much-needed long sleeved shirts for the wee boys.  It was pleasantly warm with a nice gentle breeze.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to eat lunch at "Smashburger", which was new to me.  We split a hamburger, had fries, and splurged on malts.........delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We definitely had to walk off our lunch, so we headed over to the Musical Instrument Museum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple Sunday

We started off the morning by attending Mountain Ridge Church here in Glendale!  It was a good worship time with a very convicting message about not keeping a record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5).  Beth and Drew's church is very different than ours................they even had a coffee shop in the lobby!

After changing clothes, Beth and I went for a nice walk along a trail in the neighborhood.  The lake was lovely, as well as the green grass and trees!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ended the day by having gluten-free pizza and watching one of my all-time favorite movies, "Time Changer"!

Good Times in Glendale

This weekend I am spending time with my good friend Beth.  We have known each other since we were 15 and have lots of memories of growing up together!  It's funny that we both ended up in Arizona!  So today I arrived about mid-day and Beth and I immediately went out for Mexican food............can't beat "On the Border" for a great meal!

After that, Beth and I walked around a small historic neigborhood dating back to the 1920's.  Many of the houses have been converted to boutiques and craft stores.

Afterwards, we drove by the construction of the new Mormon Temple in North Phoenix.  It was interesting to see the building process.

It was a great day and I'm looking forward to going to church tomorrow with Beth and Drew!