Tom's Way of Skyping

Tom has the funniest sense of humor.

 One of the reasons I married him.

And probably one of reasons we have been married so long.

(he even has his own blog but it's not for the faint of heart)

When he Skypes with our grandchildren, 

you can never can predict what he will do.

He dresses up in hats, uses props, or plays tricks 

of some sort with the kids.

 Here he is with binoculars.

"Ohh Papa", they all said in unison.

 He has so much fun entertaining them.

This picture was taken off the computer, while skyping.

It was grand kids turn to entertain Papa.

They got dressed in their water vests.

We all laughed at who was funnier!

Here they all are!

Ila May had to take her vest off 

because she couldn't sit down with it on.

We are heading over to Idaho so Tom can meet Silas!

This will be so much fun!

Interesting Facts about Skype:

Founded in August 2003, Skype is the leading global Internet communications company.

Skype is headquartered in Luxembourg with offices in Europe, United States and Asia.

Skype was acquired by eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) in October 2005.

In 2008, Skype posted total revenue of $143 million, representing 46 percent year-over-year growth and delivered the seventh consecutive quarter of profitability

Every day millions of people use Skype software to communicate with others through free voice and video calls, as well as instant messages. 

Skype is a global phenomenon - in  2008, Skype added 32 million users - ending the quarter with more than 370 million users, representing an increase of 51 percent from a year ago.

In  2008, Skype-to-Skype minutes reached nearly 16 billion, a 63 percent increase year over year, and SkypeOut minutes increased 54 percent versus last year to 2.2 billion

Skype's 370 million registered users have made more than 100 billion minutes worth of free Skype-to-Skype calls.

Skype software is extremely secure, sustainable, and scalable. At peak times, there are over 14 million concurrent users and over 300,000 simultaneous calls. There are more than 100,000 information queries on the network each second.

Skype accounted for 6% of the world's international calling minutes in 2007, according to preliminary data released by TeleGeography Research.

Skype is available in over 28 languages and is used in almost every country around the world.

30% of Skype users use Skype for business purposes.

More than 25% of Skype-to-Skype calls include video.

source:igentry.blogspot.com/

Farmer Market Time

Tom and I dusted off our bikes and rode over

to the local Farmers Market.

Love the flowers!

The three pictures below just cracked me up.

 Out in the middle of the walkway,
 were these two white chairs.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed the handwritten words,

"SENIOR SPOT"
I guess it's for those who want to rest,
before moving on.
(??)

Later on, I saw these two ladies

enjoying a snack.

They choose not to sit on the chairs
 but stand next to them.

Helpful Hints For Shopping At Farmers Markets:

•  If you want to avoid the crowds and have the best selection, go when the market is just opening.
• If you want to get the best deals, go close to closing time.
• Wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen and/or a wide brimmed hat, bring water.
• Remember your cloth bags and bring smaller spare plastic bags as well (many Bay Area FM are going plastic bag free).
• If you tend to overspend, set a budget for yourself and only bring that amount to the market, plus your driver's license or ID. Leave your wallet at home. 
• Put your money in an easily accessible (to you!) pocket and if you did bring a wallet, keep it tucked away in a safe place.
• Take a quick stroll around the market and peruse the goods before you buy. There's nothing worse than purchasing a pound of blueberries only to find them for $1 cheaper a few stalls down.
• If your market doesn't offer at least a few chairs and a table for a resting spot, consider requesting them. Most markets have an info table where you can get more information.
• Get to know your farmers, talk to them, build relationships.
• Don't hurry. Farmers' markets are for strolling.
• Have fun! Explore! Try one new thing each time you go!

My Hero

~ Jack Norman Hansen ~

This was who my Dad was.

Country, service, glasses, shoehorn, handkerchief,

and his ashes.

Thanks Dad for being a Hero to our country 

and me.

I love you and miss you.

Bunny, Bird and Baking

*~ BUNNY ~*

This is "Hoppy"

He has been visiting our yard since 

we moved in a year and a half ago.

Lulu, our granddaughter, named him.

You can almost set your watch, as to when him shows up.

Out our kitchen window every evening,

 around 5:00 PM, he dines on grass.

He stays for several hours, even taking a nap!

Then hops away.

 Sometimes, he comes for breakfast in our front yard.

  

~* BIRD *~

See the bird in the flower basket?
It's a baby bird, taking in the "sunshine".
He stayed for several hours.
He didn't even budge when I came close.


*~* BAKING *~*

 This is a smart idea I found here.
Make ahead eggs for breakfast sandwiches.
I made these for Todd & Stephanie for those busy mornings.

We eat a lot of broccoli.
This is a new way of serving it.
Tom loved it!
You can find the recipe here.

Broccoli:

Did you know ...

* Eating broccoli reduces the risk of coronary heat disease and death in postmenopausal women.

* Broccoli is high in Vitamins C, A and folate and also soluble fiber.

* It has been shown to fight cancer cells in lab tests.

* Fun Fact - Thomas Jefferson was a fan pf broccoli, importing the seeds from Italy to plant at Monticello.

Eat your Broccoli!

Before and After

~*  Before *~

~* After *~

Walk, Read and Play

This post is about the memories that I made during 

my 12 day stay in Boise.

It's my journal of those memories. 

Something to remind me of the fun I had while there.

~*~*~*~*~

I knew I was going to be taking care of plus entertaining 

our three, little grandchildren.

So, I packed a huge bag of craft ideas, one for everyday.

I called these "disposable art projects"

 (throw them away when we were through playing with them)

Some were fun and others were duds.

We didn't care because it's all about the memories!

Here is a list of the crafts:

 1. Seed Bombs - http://www.whatbugsydidnext.com/2011/03/little-green-fingers-part-2-make-your.html

 2. Paper Plate Hangings - http://pinterest.com/handsonaswegrow/stuff-for-windows/

 3. Paper Bag Puppets - http://pinterest.com/donnaquilt/paper-bag-puppets/

 4. Story Books - http://pinterest.com/pin/326862885425648867/

 5. Chalk Drawing - bought sidewalk chalk at the Dollar Store

 6. Paddle Ball  - http://puddlesandmud.blogspot.com/2011/06/balloon-paddle-ball.html

 7. Kites - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ4Nt_fmwuc

 8. Chinese Fans - http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/chinese_fan_craft.htm

 9. Water Guns - on a very hot day, I bought these at the Dollar Store.

10. Play Dough - http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Play-Dough

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Morning Walks

Every morning, we would go for a walk.

(this gave Kimmy and Mark time to shower,eat, feed Silas and get ready for their day)

We explored all sorts of things from bugs to water culverts.

Great time to take it slow, listen to the birds and enjoy the start of our day.

We never left the house without something on our heads!

Cowboy Levi

(official Bug Squishier)

~*~*~*~*~*~

Craft  Projects

I packed enough craft projects for each day.

It was part of our morning routine, after the walks.

Mother's Day, we visited a Street Fair where Lulu

had her face painted.

Pretty Pink Lulu

(official Page Turner and Little Mother)

~*~*~*~*~*~

Playing with our homemade projects.

Well, some of us, found other ways of playing

(Ila May in the toy bin.)

Funny Ila May

Looking through the knot hole

(official Make You Laugh Maker)

~*~*~*~*~*~

We read, read, read and read.

Sometimes alone.

Sometimes together.

After a long, hot walk, quiet time was a welcome activity.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Morning breakfast time included two new routines.

1. Pre-Breakfast: this was some sort of fruit, which would tide them over until, and while, I fixed them a hardy breakfast.

2. One Minute Stories: I am always telling them make-up stories, on the fly. I thought it would be fun to have them tell stories to each other and to me. Only their stories would be short, 'One Minute Stories'. So, while eating breakfast we would go around the table, telling a made-up story. Lulu would time each of us with the big clock on the wall. We would have to stop, right at the one minute mark! This was so much fun. They got more and more creative each day.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Below is our tearful, last Pre-Breakfast ...

before I left for home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The ride home was beautiful but long.

I had time to think about the days in Boise and how much

I will miss our daily routines.

The top picture is ONE of the mountain ranges, that I crossed through.

The bottom left, is of a car driving down a dusty, dirt road.

The last picture is me crossing the 45th Parallel, 

half way between the Equator and North Pole.

~*~*~*~*~

Well, this is the end of this post.

I will be going back soon.

 Only, this time Tom will be with me!

He needs to meet his new grandson 

and catch up with the other three!

Other Celebrations

While I was helping out in Boise, 

several fun and interesting things happened.

 

Lulu lost her front tooth.

Ila May turned 2 years old

We celebrated Mother's Day.

If you would like to read
Silas' Birth Story,
click here
This is Kimmy's beautiful story.



~still more to come~

Silas Was Born

~Sweet Silas~

Do you believe in miracles?

I do!

Kimmy's due date was May 16th.

 I really, really, wanted to be there to help Kimmy deliver Silas. 

So we decided to have me drive over to Boise, early.

I pulled into Boise May 2nd around 1:30 PM.

I drove Kimmy to her appointment with
her chiropractor at 5:00 PM.

Labor started at 5:30 PM as we left the office.

She was in full labor by 6:30 PM.

Silas arrived  May 2nd at 7:53 PM.

It was a home birth and a family affair!

Mark holding Ila May

Lulu giving a kiss to mom during hard labor.

Levi had hugs for his mom.

Each of these precious faces

are a miracle from 

God!

And I have been a witness to each of their births.

I am a BLESSED Grammie- Goo (grandma).

~more to come~

On My Way...

 Google Image

I hugged and kissed Tom, then said good-bye.

Took off early in the morning for the 8 1/2 hour drive, 

over five mountain passes,
with two planned stops for gas.

Google Image

I will be gone for 10 or more days to help 

Kimmy (our daughter) and her growing family.

Kimmy will deliver Silas soon!

Google Image

I won't be on my computer during this time.

Please keep our family in your prayers.

I'll be back!