Rachel's day...and a great one it was!!

Nicole did an amazing job planning and executing Rachel's baby shower. Everyone that came had a great time and said it was probably the best baby shower they had ever been to, and they were so glad they came. The games Nicole picked were fun, the prizes outstanding, and Rachel got a lot of really nice things to help her start out her 'Mommy' life.

Of course Sue Stewart was so gracious and fun. She provided her home and some of the yummy luncheon. There were so many family reunions. I always forget how the 'Preston Rodeo Days' is a crazy time here with lots of family reunions. There were many who weren't able to come who brought gifts by. In attendance were Nicole Smith, Sue Stewart, Shari and Courtney Turnbow, Lisa Waldron, Jan Hall, Marci and Linda Bingham, Emily (Nash)?,Tanya Walton, and me. We all had a great time. Good things to eat, good company, and the celebration of a new life!

Is this bright enough....

Rachel's baby shower is Saturday, so today was the day I needed to get her cake put together. Is there any doubt that the baby is a girl? Here's to you Marci! I'm thinking of maybe doing fondant cakes as a part time job when I get to Missouri. What do you think?

Good, better, BEST!!!!!

So...A really good thing to do today would have been more painting. Yesterday, Rachel and I took a much needed break and went to Joplin. We were walking through Hobby Lobby and she said that the one thing that made her a little sad was that she wouldn't be getting a butterfly quilt. Well, I knew I had the fabric for it here, so I told her we would go home and make it. Well, found everything BUT the cutting mat. I call my new Bishop's wife and asked if she might have one, which she did and we borrowed. Cut everything out, brought out the sewing machine...no foot pedal. So this morning, I returned the mat and told Chris about the machine. She offered to send her brand new sewing machine home with me, which I felt a little uncomfortable with. So, she asked if we wanted to sew it there...sew we did! Five hours later, minus the handwork, here it is. The pink and green are NOT fluorescent, they are just bright. Rachel and I are very pleased with the BEST thing we could have done today!

Safety Gear...just sayin......

If you are squeamish....do not continue with this post.

I called the garbage company to set up an account so I can get rid of all the garbage that has piled up with this move. Isaac changed out my toilets while he was here, so I needed to discard the old ones. The company said they needed to be in two pieces. So, I found the correct size open end wrench, 1/2 inch, and proceeded to remove the nut. However, there was no corresponding anything to hold on to on the inside of the tank, so the the bolt turned round and round, round and round. But, since this was not the tires or wheels on anything, I was getting nowhere. In talking with Stan earlier, he had suggested taking a hammer to them so the pieces could fit in a box. So...I took a hammer and swung really hard, thinking they were more sturdy and thick than they really are. Two things happened almost simultaneously, the toilet top shattered, and my calf started bleeding profusely, because I was wearing short pants. So, for safety, I completed the job by covering up the toilet with cloth, then pounding it into the pieces needed to separate the top from the bottom. Rachel was a very good nurse, drove the truck (which she hates to do) to Walmart for needed supplies, came home, cleansed the wound and taped me up. Safety gear, yeah..........

Isaac's and Heidi's visit to our new home!

We were able to spend a week with Isaac and his family. It was SO much fun...well for me. Bless Isaac's heart, he installed 2 new toilets, 4 ceiling fans, and a new kitchen faucet. But we did some fun things as well, as you will see in the posts that follow.

One night, Caroline (or whatever they will name her) was really moving around. Isaac called Maddie and Charlotte over to feel their baby sister. It was fun to see the girls experience this miracle of life.

Bert was a really good sport. He got so much attention that, at times, Aunt Rainy's bedroom was his hiding place. The girls and Zach loved him....but Heidi's allergies weren't very loving or fun.

Fish Hatchery, Neosho, MO fashion.

This particular fish hatchery is the first hatchery in the United States! It has a small museum area and is a lot of fun. We learned a lot! It is the first 'bubble' I've been in. The kids loved it. I took Zach the first time, but he kept going in over and over! The large fish you see are sturgeons. There were also rainbow trout, catfish, and a couple of other kinds.

We happened to be there on a day they were transporting fish to a dam. The man in the next picture is pushing the fish forward with a net. He will then use a net to pick up about 25 lbs of fish. The girls will hand the net to the man on the truck who will dump them, then hand the empty net to the young man on the side, who hands it to the man, who will dip the fish out, etc. etc. Really fun and interesting. They figured there were 7000 fish to be transported in the run. One of the pictures shows lots of fish!!

Then, of course, there was the feeding of the fish. Above, Heidi is doing what was inevitable, digging fish food out of Zach's mouth. He really didn't like it that much anyway. It was so fun to throw in a few pellets and have the fish go crazy seeing who would get them. If you're close enough, you will feel the splash of their excitement on your face. I love that this hatchery let you feed the fish and really see them. The only other hatchery I had been to was a 'see what you can through through the fence' facility. This was a lot of fun.

George Washington Carver Monument, Diamond, MO.

This is one of the little known facts about myself. I didn't even remember it myself until I was driving towards Neosho, MO and saw the sign for the George Washington Carver monument. When I was young, I read voraciously. In grade school at the Grace B. Wilson elementary school, they had a library full of biographies of many people who were remarkable in various ways. I read all of them, but the only one I remember much about is Mr. Carver. I was so excited! I will have to go back another time when I was several hours to read everything and see the films they have there. It is actually a National Park, but there is no admission fee because of the beliefs Mr. Carter held sacred. Please click on the Carterisms below. What a remarkable man. Google him, if you don't know anything about him, it's a really good read.

Part of the monument is interactive, a lot of fun for the kids.