Fun projects!

Since my grandsons will be here in SIX days...I decided I better finish up some of these fun projects I started for them!  Here are the "I Spy" bags I made.  They were quick and easy...fun to think of things to "hide" inside them!  They should be entertained for at least five minutes...ha ha.

 Another fun project was this floor pillow thingy...I don't even know what you call it!  I found this darling bug fabric and whipped this up lickity split!  I only had enough fabric for three pillows, but I bought four!  Anyway, it will be fun for lounging on (I hope!) for the little ones when they get here. 

Thank you pinterest for inspiring me to make stuff!  Meanwhile, I have an extra pillow and plenty more projects I'd like to work on! I better get busy!

Two happy things...

Today was a productive and wonderful day!  Many happy things happened, but two that stand out to me.  And they are both two-parters so I guess it's FOUR happy things! The first is the rain.  I love it!  It smells so fresh and clean, and gives the earth the water it needs...as I looked onto my back porch, I saw the two little chairs I bought for my grandsons when they come to visit (in 12 days, but whose counting!)...I can't wait to have pictures of them sitting in the chairs!  I could see the raindrops all over them and just thought it was the perfect time to take a picture!  Rain and grandsons...happy things!

 The second happy thing was that I went to the temple this morning.  It was a very full session for a reason...a sweet sister in our ward went for the first time.  I was privileged to be there.  While I was away, my men-folk helped with my spring cleaning list!  (believe me, it's a big list!).  One job that particularly made me happy was the cleaning of my stove top.  That is not a fun chore...but the hubby did it and he did a great job!  It is sparkly clean!  I almost wish I had a before picture to show you how hard he worked, but I would be embarrassed to show you a before picture!  Other jobs got done throughout the day and my list is getting smaller!  YAY! 

We ended the day with a movie and hot chocolate.  The rain and cold weather bring that out in me...it was a wonderful, happy day!  

Old Books...

This post won't interest anyone but me I am sure.  And I am writing it for me.  This blog is my journal of sorts, and this is happy memory I came across in a box in my garage this weekend.  When I was 5 I went to first grade.  We lived in Lawton, Oklahoma as my dad was stationed at Ft. Sill.  I tested out of kindergarten (can't imagine why!) so rode a little Army bus every day to 1st grade.  When my first "Scholastic Book Order Form" came...I was so anxious to take it home and hoped my mom would let me buy some books.  She did!  I'm sure I made my selections very carefully and I'm sure I was guided by my mother and the prices of the books.  I still remember the day I went to school and there was a little bag of brand new books sitting on my desk!  All mine!  To take home and love.  And love them I did.  And I still have them!  These might not be the very first ones I bought, but they have to be close, because they were all published by Scholastic within a year or two of my first grade year.  They are old and worn, but still very cute books!

Watch Out Mrs. Doodlepunk!  This was a favorite for some reason!  The cover tore off long ago.  One Two Three Going to Sea, Too Much Noise, and Rich Cat, Poor Cat.  They are fun books.  How I still love a good book!

Here is the inside of One Two Three...where I wrote my name so nice and neatly.  The first time.  Not sure about all that scribble the second time!

 Mrs. Doodlepunk and her baby doll were always being picked on by Mr. Frizzboy.  He put a frog in the carriage!

 But she ran after him to avenge her baby...he got away...not before some more antics of course...

 In the end Mrs. Doodlepunk gets her revenge when she offers Mr. Frizzboy some tea from her tea party!  The pictures are still as cute to me today as they were back then...and a fun story.  Maybe because I had two older brothers who liked to pick on me! 

Too Much Noise was another favorite.  The old man Peter lives in a house that makes noise.  The floor squeaks, the tea pot hisses, the leaves swish on the roof, etc.  So he goes to the wise man of the village who tells him to get a dog.  Each time he goes to the wise man he tells him to get another animal.  By the time he has a bunch of animals he just can't stand the noise.  TOO MUCH NOISE!  So the wise man tells him to let go of each of the animals.  Then the floor creaks...ahhh, what a quiet noise.  The leaves swish on the roof, what a quite noise...etc.  I have always loves this story.  I think there is a moral in there somewhere.  About appreciating what we have...

 Peter enjoying his "quiet" house...I love the illustrations in this book as well.

 And speaking of old books...I have an old Primary Songbook "including Marches and voluntaries" that belonged to my mom.  It is a cute little book and very old.  My good friend, and come to find out a relation to me through my Philo Taylor Farnsworth line, Scott Olsen, has found me a few more old church song books.  I thank him for thinking of me and blessing me with these wonderful treasures.  Deseret Sunday School Songs was published in 1909.  Latter-Day Saint Hymns was published in 1927.  And the Aaronic Priesthood Chorus in 1945.  These are beautiful old books and I am happy to have them in my "collection."  I love books and I love music, so these were perfect!

 I can't see a publishing date inside my mom's book, but she wrote her name in it (her married name so that was after 1952).  But it belonged to her childhood primary - Thurber Ward (Bicknell, Utah) in 1945.  These kind of books are precious to me. 

That is my post on my old books...and my happy memory of learning to read and loving to read!

McKinney Monday Mornings...

On Mondays, because Clovis High has a later starting schedule than the other days, Joel and some of his friends will come back to our house after seminary to kill time before school starts.  Well, today, he asked if he could have a ride so I went to pick him up at 7:15.  He came out and not one, but THREE girls got in the car as well.  So we brought them all home.  A few minutes later, another car full of kids showed up.  So here is what  Monday mornings at my house look like...

 Becca moved right when I took the picture so she is blurry...sorry!  Notice my baby hat loom on the floor?  I am still making baby hats!  Today there was Becca,  Ty, Austin, Joel, Devin, Carly, and Kaidy.  Kylie is usually there too but she had to go home this morning...

  I took another picture but they all looked away or down this time!  Anyway, it is fun to hear them laughing and talking, working on homework and just all being good friends!  I feel bad that I have to leave for work before they all leave for school...but they start my Monday mornings off on a happy note.  What a great group of kids they are!  I am grateful that Joel has such good friends.  They are all welcome at our house anytime.

This morning I didn't go to work, but had to leave early just the same.  Dave had his appointment at the surgery center to get the cortizone injection in his back.  The actual injection took only 10 minutes.  The prep time however took much longer (over an hour!).  It takes them a long time to find the right vein for an IV...and usually takes more than one nurse to accomplish it.  Sure enough, he was a difficult patient for them today as we knew would happen.  Once they got it in, I was taken back to sit with him.  They soon gave him a sedative and off they went.  Back in 10 minutes.  (why can't they give him a sedative BEFORE they try to put the IV in??) 30 minutes for the groginess to wear off and we were on our way home again!  We hope this will give him the relief he needs in his back.  Between that and doing his stretching exercises, we hope to see him pretty much back to normal!

He rested and I got to enjoy the rest of the day looking in on him, fixing him food, and scrapbooking.  We also watched the movie Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  Why do all the Narnia movies make me cry at the end?  I made a nice tender pork dish for dinner and then we watched a conference talk for FHE.  Another one of Joel's good friends, Mallory, dropped off yummy cookies for us this evening.  So we even had FHE treats!  Thanks Mallory!

It has been a great Monday at the McKinneys today! (Except for that pesky needle part ~ poor Dave!)