Tuttle Tales

GAK

2010-07-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

Marx found a book at the house with recipes for all of these different concoctions and he decided we needed to make one. I don't remember what it was called but it was the same as GAK. We needed glue and I didn't have any so we had to go to the store. I didn't realize glue was expensive because I always have a gallon at school but it is. The boys made the GAK, after watching a youtube video, and had a great time playing with it. I think it wound up in Texas. There was purple glue everywhere, I mean everywhere. I don't know how it got all over. It was on the fridge, floor, counters, even the patio. I'm still picking it off of stuff but it was so much fun it was worth it=)

Mano and Metate

2010-07-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

We picked up some mesquite pods and I told Marx that if he could grind the pods into flour like the Native Americans, we could use the flour in cookies. He worked and worked, look at the sweat in his hair, but he never got the pods fine enough for the cookies. He couldn't believe how hard that work was=)

Rocket Launch July 5, 2010

2010-07-25T21:25:00.000-07:00

This was our second annual rocket launch and I was running out of engines so we used some C engines and had some of those Alpha Rockets go pretty darn high. I think there were 5 rockets. Molly didn't want to push the button on the launcher but then was deliriously happy when the rocket came down.

Shrek Shakes

2010-07-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not exactly sure how this happened but Cambria made smoothies out of spinach and bananas and convinced the kids that Shrek had come while they were outside and made the smoothies for the kids and then left. Even Maddox, who is notorious for being a picky eater drank the smoothie and declared that it was wonderful. We got him to drink one more and then he was done.

Summer 2010

2010-07-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

I can't believe summer is new the end, well not the end of HOT, just time to go back to work=) Yipee!! Well, not for going back to work just for getting a pay check. The best thing we have done all summer was the Tuttle Family Reunion. We spent a week in the Uintah Mountains in the Tuttle cabin (Thanks Max for letting us use your cabin) and had plenty of food and fun. We had the potential for 39 people to be in attendance and 33 showed up. Pretty darn good. We had family T-shirts and photos were taken. There were some rowdy games of spoons, great talks around the campfire, hiking, eating, s'mores, swinging, riding on the six by six, and zipping down the zip line were some of our activities. Marx and Maddox came from Florida and Cambria and here kids were here from Mexico. We will do it again in 2013!!

Mexico for Memorial Day

2010-06-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

We traveled to Mexico over Memorial Day weekend to see the Memmott family. We had never been introduced to baby Lydia and it was so nice to be at her blessing. We got to deliver the list of things Cambria ordered and some fun things like a quilt for Lydia. The neighbor's dog has puppies that Molly adores and carries around like little sacks of flour. Sunday night I was taking the pits out of the avocados for guacamole and put the knife completely through my hand. Greg took Roy, Alan, and I to the Mexican emergency room and I got 2 stitches. The doctor was very nice, the surroundings were reminiscent of the 70's, and the bill was $54. He didn't ask my name until he was writing up the prescription. Just before he shot me with Novocaine he asked if I was allergic to anything. I told him no and later asked him a question which he didn't understand. We went to to pharmacies to get the antibiotics and pain meds that totaled $36. Molly and Alan are enjoying the new baby although Molly might take advantage once in a while=) Cambria is feeling good and looking good. Greg's back was hurting him and we hope it gets better pretty quick.

Mother's Day

2010-06-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was great!! We went to Travis and Brook's house for steak dinner and Michelle, Ben, Deacon, and Rowan were there. We had the good fortune to Skype with Marx and Maddox, and Cambria's family. I got this cute punch container, chocolate, a music cd, and a Ped egg. We had 5 of our 10 grandkids to play with!! What fun!!

Tomatoe or Tomato??

2010-05-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

There is a volunteer tomato plant in the back yard. I have tried to grow tomatoes in Arizona before and have never had a plant that was so healthy looking. There are blossoms, I wonder if we will get tomatoes??

Hummer Nest

2010-05-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Last spring we had baby hummers on the patio, mom had built the nest on the wire for the lights. I noticed a nest in one of the ficus trees the other day and a hummer with a feather in her mouth. I thought it was too late for babies but Roy has discovered two eggs in her nest that has feathers around the top, kind of like the salt on the margarita glass=) She is quite beautiful and dive bombs when we get too close to her nest.

Nameless Gnome

2010-05-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

We have a little gnome in our family that travels from one house to another=) One night when Travis' family was leaving our house I tucked the gnome inside their van (under cover of darkness). Will got quite a bit of pleasure in returning the gnome to our house when they came again. On Easter Sunday the gnome had recently been returned to our house and showed up at the Tuttle's house before we had even visited...I wonder what happened=) Anyway, our nameless gnome is pretty fun, you never know where he might turn up...

Yard Sale Buy of the Day

2010-04-14T17:31:00.000-07:00

Cambria needed size 3 month pajamas for her baby and someone was headed back to Mexico who was willing to take a bundle to her on Sunday. I headed out on the yard sale trail focused on jammies (and yarn, Beanie Babies, books, etc...). I found 23 pair of pj's for six bucks and was sooo excited, did I mention they are boy colors? Who cares=) My best buy of the day was this bench, oxidized to perfection=) I bought the bench with birthday money from Mick and Shirley=) Thanks!! Aren't yard sales wonderful???

What's in a name?

2010-04-14T17:29:00.000-07:00

Here are the names of all of our grandkids (in no particular order) on the fridge. How many words can you make from these letters?

April 7, 2010

2010-04-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

Lydia Jewel (she has been called that for months) is here!! She was born at home in Mexico and everything went very well with their midwife=) According to Greg the fat little baby (8 pounds 9 ounces) might get another name. Maybe just a different middle name...how about Rose? Lydia nurses well and Molly and Alan think she is terrific, so far. Cam says she is feeling pretty good, happy not to be sooooo prego=) Don't ya think Lydia looks like Alan? Lydia makes 10 grand babies for us and we can't wait to go see her at the end of May.

Three Year Olds and the Horses

2010-04-11T21:22:00.001-07:00

During Spring Break (which seems like a million years ago) Deacon and Charly stayed overnight at our house. I wanted to take them to feed the goats so we got some carrots and headed out. The goats, however, were not in their usual spot so we needed to find other animals to feed. We stopped at one corral of horses and they wouldn't come to the fence. At the next corral the two huge horses were more than willing to hurry right over to the fence. Charly said, "No way, I want to go home!" and Deacon said, "Hurry, give me a carrot!!" I handed him carrots as fast as I could and the horses ate as fast as they could. The amazing thing about this is that Charly is usually fearless and the leader in risky activities while Deacon is afraid of everything and runs when you say 'boo.' I tried to teach Deacon to put the carrot on the flat palm of his hand but he just held the carrot between his thumb and index finger, he still has all of his fingers. Apparently horses lips are very sensitive.

New Front Door

2010-03-05T19:35:00.000-08:00

Our front door was looking pretty bad and I was getting ready to put Roy on the job to refinish it, however he wasn't willing. Then the amazing Mike showed up to accomplish the job. Of course I got him started on the rainiest week ever. We had a rag stuffed in the doorknob hole for about three weeks, until we finally bought a new one. The old one didn't work anymore from darling little grandchildren hanging on it=)

So this is spring in Phoenix

2010-03-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

We talked to Karen and Dick on the phone last night and they were talking about cold and snow. I thought I would show you what we have to deal with at this time of year. The African Daisies close up at night and open in the morning, if it is raining they also close. If you pick them and put them in water they close at night and don't open the next morning. The lemon tree is loaded and it's kind of like zucchini...no matter who I ask if they would like to have lemons they say, "Thanks, but I have a tree, or my neighbor just gave me some, or there was a bushel in the break room at work." Anyone for lemon bars??? How much lemon juice can I freeze?

Happy Feb. Birthdays, Happy Valentine's Day, and Super Bowl Sunday

2010-03-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

Let's do it all on the same day so we can really have a crazy time. There was food for Super Bowl, cake for birthdays, and heart shaped gingerbread cookies for Valentine's Day. Brook, Will, and Roy celebrate their birthdays within days of each other. I think the Saints played in the Super Bowl and somebody won but I couldn't tell you who. We had a great day=)

The 1930's Chair

2010-03-05T18:39:00.000-08:00

One day we were walking and saw this old chair in the back of a truck, a few days later we saw it again and one day we were walking and the man was climbing into his truck to drive away.
I said, "Hey, your chair is beautiful!"
He said, "Do you want it?"
I said, "Are you kidding me?"
He said, "I'm moving and all my stuff is in storage and I don't have any place to put it."
"Go put it in my driveway," said I.
Well, when we got home the chair was in the driveway. I took all of the old upholstery off of it and it had horse hair and hand tied springs, it was really quite amazing, from the Michigan chair company. I hauled it to Phoenix to the antique guy I've bought stuff from for years. He did a beautiful refinish job and then I hauled it to the upholstery lady and she retied all the springs and reused the horse hair and other items that could be salvaged. So, I present to you the before and after pictures.
This also prompted an interior redesign in the living room because there was no place to put it. Anyway, it's great and well worth all the trouble.

The Old Cultured Man

2010-03-05T18:31:00.001-08:00

For Roy's birthday I kidnapped him and we went to the beginning of the light rail in Mesa for our first ride. We relaxed and went in to Phoenix to the Phoenix Art Museum, well, actually I had to take him to his favorite greasy spoon for ribs, Honey Bear's, the barbeque sauce there is the best ever. Then we went to the Art Museum to see the Ansel Adams exhibit. There was also a Geoffry Beene exhibit with crazy clothes that no normal person could afford. All in all we had a great day.

Maddox loses a Tooth

2010-01-26T20:41:00.001-08:00

The amazing Maddox is 7 years and one month old and still had all of his baby teeth. He has anxiously awaited the first tooth to fall from his head and it has finally happened!!! Yesterday at lunch the little bugger fell out and he has now had an encounter with the 'Tooth Fairy'. And to top it all of he has another loose tooth!! Yippeee!!!

Cherry on Top

2010-01-13T19:11:00.000-08:00

The perfect ending to Christmas was the family pictures. Brook arranged to have her sister, Shelby, meet the family for a photo shoot the day after Christmas. It was so much fun. Cam and Brook made little dresses for Charly and Molly. The girls rounded up black shirts for the boys and pink for themselves. Roy and I showed up. There was this incredible flurry of activity and the result is these fun pictures=) Thanks to everyone for showing up and having such a great time. I appreciate all of your efforts.

The Perfect Christmas

2010-01-13T18:31:00.001-08:00

This brings us to the most amazing Christmas ever. Marx and Maddox were here from Florida, all the kids and grandkids were here for Christmas, the girls and I made hundreds of cookies (at least it seemed like it), and we had a family picture taken the day after Christmas. The thing that wasn't perfect was that I, again, forgot that I am 50+ not 30 and got way too many projects going. I made these cute little dogs for each of the boys because I like their zipper mouth and the fact that things can be hidden inside. I made Molly and Charly a doll quilt and a little Raggedy Ann to go with it. I think they are darling and I hope the little girls like them. The Raggedy Anns have painted faces, painted socks on their legs, and painted shoes. I'm not much of a painter but it was fun. The hair is big yarn that is wild. I wasn't going to make pajama pants because I thought I was going to make all this other stuff but Cambria convinced me that it could be done and the kids would love it. So, I gave in. At 9:30 Christmas Eve there were no Pajama pants and by 9:30 Christmas morning there were 9 pair of pants. Thanks for your help Cam. We bought a couple of crazy little Plasma Cars for Christmas and the kids had a great time riding on them. It was just so much fun to have the kids, big and small, around. We had lots of meals together and laughed a lot. It was terrific=)

Travis' BD

2010-01-13T18:24:00.000-08:00

Brook and Travis rode their bikes in the Tour de Tucson on Travis' BD. I think Brook rode about 63 miles and Travis even farther. I am happy to walk around the block=) Anyway, we got to keep the cute kids. Luckily, Mike and Suzi Lantz were here from LV because I was a little over confident in my multi-tasking skills and couldn't have gotten things done without Suzi's help=) Travis thought a German Chocolate cake from scratch would be just the ticket for his BD. I whipped one up and while doing so remembered why I don't make them very often...too much work. But the cake got finished and it was delicious, we had a great time with the kids, and T and B were triumphant in their biking. Yeah!!

Jody's home

2010-01-13T18:20:00.001-08:00

Roy and I went to Mexico to see Cam and Greg over Labor Day weekend. She was newly pregnant, well maybe not so new, but feeling pretty icky. She announced that she was coming home with us so we loaded her in the car with Molly and brought them back to AZ. We went to Jody's group home one day to see the gang and they thought Molly was a pure delight. The second picture is of me with Jody on the day of the Teddy Bear Boutique. She never seems to change, just a little bitty thing=)

Upside Down Tree

2010-01-13T18:00:00.000-08:00

We have this tree in our back yard that was frosted pretty bad about three years ago. I think it is ugly and needs to be cut down and Roy thinks it is wonderful and needs to stay. I call it the 'Upside Down Tree' and would appreciate your opinion on whether it should stay or go=)

August 2009 Playing with the Darling Grandkids

2010-01-13T17:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I just have to tell you that I think it is a crying shame that someone would have a blog and let it sit idle, with no attention whatsoever, for nearly six months. So much has happened and we have had so much fun but I haven't taken the time to sit down and let you know.

We had the Travis' kids for a weekend in August, I can't even remember where Brook and Trav went, but they had fun and so did we. Will is on the go, Charly holds her own between the boys, and little Travis, I mean Jack, is just plain fun to have around. Jack is a slow eater like Great Grandpa Mick and he walks up and puts his arms in the air and expects to be picked up. It's just delightful.

The Stationary Motorcycle Accident

2009-08-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night I had a meeting and left the house a little after 7. I thought I was lost and called Roy to have him look at the mapquest that was still on the computer but I found the house just as he answered the phone. I went in to the meeting and turned my phone off. At about 8:15 I turned the phone on and was driving the 2 miles home when Roy called. He sounded bad and I asked if he was okay, he said no, that the motorcycle had fallen on his head. Now, it did run through my mind that he was kidding, but it wasn't funny. I was almost home so I hurried into the house and he was resting on the table with ice on his head. I moved the ice and there was a big gash behind his right ear (no stitches needed), the ear was also swollen. He said he was okay and told me that he was working on the motorcycle and he moved the kick stand and the bike tipped over on him while he was on the floor. He tried to call me and the message he left on the cell phone was just groaning. We think he passed out for a bit but can't figure out how he got out from under the motorcycle. I think his Guardian Angels helped him out and kept the bike from smashing him. I called a neighbor and he came and stood the bike up, it was still tipped over, not all the way but sideways. I said, "Get in the car we are going to the Emergency Department." and he didn't argue, just climbed in the car. We were at the ED for about two hours and they did a CT scan. Everything looked okay but there have been a couple of people recently who said they were fine after a head injury and died. He has been really sore and had a heck of a headache for the last two days. He finally feels better today (Thursday). Can't tell you how much I love motorcycles=) This is so weird I can't believe it really happened.

Stretched Stars

2009-07-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

This is a great idea I had a few years ago. Finally got the top done and now it is off to be quilted. I love the stretched stars.

Rowan Benjamin

2009-07-31T00:06:00.000-07:00

Rowan with his mom and dad.

Here are all four of Michelle's boys: Deacon, Maddox, Rowan, and Marx.

What a sweet little boy. He is a good nurser and knows the difference between night and day. He was kinda little, 7 pounds, 18 inches.

Here is Rowan on the monkey quilt. At first he looked like Deacon's twin but now I think he looks like his sweet mama=)

Prescott 09

2009-07-31T00:02:00.000-07:00

Each year my team (from school) goes to Prescott to Cilla's cabin (again not really a cabin...air conditioning) and spend a few days pounding out the beginning of the year and curriculum. We have a great time and then it's back to reality. We had an extra treat this year by going for breakfast at Sue's house, before we headed to Prescott, and getting a tour of the newly refurbished home. It was a great time but I still don't want to go back to work.

The Most Fun of All

2009-07-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

The boys looking through a meteorite at the Natural History Museum.

Marx and Will with the salt dough.

Jack has figured out where he is on the food chain and is taking advantage of every bite.

I wish you could see that she has a baby is each arm and then the puppy in the purse. She was taking excellent care of all of her responsibilities=)

Charly and Deacon at Joe's Barbeque.

Will conquered the puzzle of the United States.

Michelle conquered the hydrogen rocket we got at a yard sale but it didn't launch very well. We need to try that one again.

Launching rockets is not just for young boys=)

Another success!!

Papa saved the day with a water fight.

Marx and Maddox rolled into town July 8 from Florida. Marx was baptized on the 10th and that was just the beginning of our fun. We played with salt dough, watched movies, went to the Natural History Museum, launched rockets, went to the park, cooked, cleaned, ate, made ice cream, baked cookies, played with legos, shot the reactor guns, talked, made necklaces and bracelets, went yard saleing, shopped for school clothes, visited the new baby, held the new baby, slept in a tent, read books, went shopping for books, and some other things I can't remember. It was a fun time with the family. We really missed Greg, Cambria, Alan, and Molly.

Wild Hog

2009-07-30T23:21:00.000-07:00

The Wild Hog headed for parts uncharted at the end of June. Actually Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Utah, let's not forget Arizona. He was gone a lot longer than I thought he should have been. Two weeks is a long time and 4400 miles is a long distance. I've decided that nothing can ever happen to Roy or Saffron because I can't get along without either one of them=)

Quilt Retreat June 09

2009-07-30T23:10:00.001-07:00

I don't know why I bought so much of this fabric. It is pretty but I don't think I need two of them.

This is for the newest little monkey, Rowan=)

It's really not a cabin, more of a mansion=)

We didn't have a design wall so we used the design bed. This is the pinwheel quilt that everyone else made.

I have been part of a quilt group for about 7 years and this year we went to the 'cabin' of one of the members for 4 days. This was a little bit of heaven. We cooked for each other and ate pretty well. Then there was sewing, napping, chatting, walking, movie watching, or whatever we could think of. Everyone else started the pinwheel quilt but I have too many half done projects to start one more. I didn't finish these tops at the cabin, but I worked on them there. I'm putting this on my list to do again=)

Yard Sale Buy of the Day

2009-07-30T23:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a cute little yard sale "Buy of the Day". The lady I bought it from would not go down on the price but I couldn't resist. There are always yard sales down here, people are always moving. At this time of year I'm done by 8 am.

Cataract Canyon June 09

2009-07-30T22:36:00.000-07:00

Summer School ended on Thursday and the following Tuesday we headed to Moab, UT to go rafting down Cataract Canyon. This is a great trip and I love baby wipes, they make life on the river much more pleasant=) My perch is about 100 ft above the river. It rained at this camp site and there was a wall of rain that came across the water and pelted us.

The water was high (~28,000 cfs) and cold, many of the rapids were class 5. There wasn't a lot of floating in the water this year=( There was a group of docs on this trip that had way too much to drink and they were obnoxious. In spite of that we had a great time.

The question is: Where does one take care of bodily functions on the river? Here is a picture of the groover that we use for number 2, number 1 goes in the river. There is a lid that gets attached and the groover goes into the raft and rides wherever we go.

We had a raft flip and three of the straps broke that held the frame in. We had trouble getting all of the swimmers out of the river and it got a bit scary. Here is a YouTube link of Karen's flip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pesDpsCWIP0 This footage was taken by a guide from another company who was scouting the rapids before he went down.

We had a great time and I'm looking forward to going again. It's the same 125 miles of river, but it's different every time.

Summer School

2009-07-05T21:47:00.001-07:00

The day after we got back from Hawaii I started summer school. I had 4 kids in a rocketry class and 16 kids in a sewing class. It felt like I was in a blender. There were 15 sewing machines, but I could only get 10 to work. We got into a rhythm and my sewing kids were amazingly well behaved, they produced 12 pair of pajama pants/shorts, 4 quilts, 1 pieced pillow, and about 8 bags. My youngest sewer was going into 4th grade and the oldest one was going into 8th. Cute, Cute, kids. We launched 5 rockets two times each and only lost one to a rocket eating tree=0 You will notice that one of my sewing students was a boy and he did a great job.

Hawaii

2009-07-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

On May 23 we headed to Hawaii, our first big trip in 32 years. Our first tour was on the DUCK, an old amphibious vehicle from the war. We toured Honolulu and Pearl Harbor with a little water trip to Sand Island.

We drove the island and on Memorial Day we went to the Punch Bowl-a veteran’s cemetery located in an old caldera. There were 50,000 graves decorated with a flag and a lei. It was very awe inspiring.

We were headed to the Polynesian Cultural Center and I was the navigator. I could feel my head bobbing and my eyes closing but we were almost there so I didn’t worry too much. I woke up quite a while later to find we had traveled about 15 miles farther than we needed to so we were a bit late. You would think on an island there would be much danger of getting lost but we did a few times. The PCC was fun and we spent the entire day experiencing Polynesian culture including the luau and the program at night. We didn’t get lost going home=) We played in the water at Waikiki beach and in the evening at the Banyan Tree watched the programs.

View from the Royal Grove. Waikiki Beach.

We headed to the island of Hawaii and were greeted by Kristi and Steviann. Kristi’s hair is shorter than mine which must be a first. We went to their house in paradise and got to tour what they have been working on for 17 years. We had great food and got to sleep in the new bedroom addition with a beautiful bathroom. We saw most of the coffee growing/processing at their home and it is a tremendous amount of work. We had so much fun with the Hill's, we hadn't seen them for years and it was just like old times!!!

Can you see the little bananas? They are called Apple Bananas and they are the perfect size.

We went to the volcanos and couldn’t see very well but we did walk through the Thurston Lava Tube. Later in the evening we traveled to the place where the flowing lava meets the ocean and saw the glowing red mass and smelled the sulfur. The park ranger said when the sulfur hits your lungs and gets some moisture it turns to sulfuric acid, isn’t that nice???

One of these 'rocks' is not like the other. Do you see it??

We went to the black sand beach and it was incredibly beautiful. The sand is like little crystals lying all about. There were green sea turtles lazing about. I wanted some of that black sand soooo bad, but there are signs everywhere telling about fines. I didn’t have enough money to pay the fines and even then I bet they take the sand away.

We went to town and had moco local rice on the bottom and a huge hamburger patty next , on top of that were two fried eggs and it was all smothered in gravy. It was the best food on the trip when we ate out. Kristi is a great cook and her food was the best on our trip. We had a terrific time with the Hill’s.

We headed out to our Bed and Breakfast in Kona and you would think with only one road we wouldn’t get lost but dang it was dark and we are incredibly talented. Also, the road signs aren’t the greatest...The B & B was fabulous with amazing breakfasts that kept us going until lunch.

We went snorkeling at Captain Cook. First we had to kayak out to the monument and then we could snorkel. We were rewarded as soon as we put our masks in the water, it was just like the Discovery Channel. Roy wants to buy a waterproof camera because it was sooo beautiful. We went snorkeling again the next day at another beach. The reef wasn’t nearly as healthy and there were too many people for my liking, but there were green sea turtles and I almost ran into one while snorkeling. There was an aggressive little brown fish that kept charging us, I guess we were in his territory.

After rescheduling our appointment for the Temple about 6 times we got there Thursday evening for a session.

We went back to Honolulu to stay in the amazing Royal Grove Hotel to stay the night, this time no a/c.

On the way to the airport we stopped at the Harley Davidson shop to see what Roy needed for his motorcycle and then headed back to reality. There is more to see and do and I can’t wait to go back.

Lola's Wedding Reception

2009-05-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

Cambria's dear friend, Laura, from HS had her wedding reception on Saturday and Roy and I headed on ever because she was one of our favorites. She was excited to see us and more beautiful than ever. Her husband, Steve, is absolutely a cutie. He's a nurse and she just graduated with a degree in 'linguistics with and emphasis in education'. Roy dialed up Cambria and handed Laura the phone so they could say 'hi' to each other. We had a fun evening.

Payson Car Show

2009-05-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

We went to Payson for a car show and as we were driving up the road we realized that neither one of us had a camera. As we were sitting at the show Roy noticed that there was a terrific reflection on the truck next to us in the paint of his car. We don't have any pictures of us, but what a great paint job=) Did I mention that Roy took a 'Best of Class' for the '27 T?

Just a little hummingbird update: eight days after Brook took pictures of the hummers one was gone and the next day the other one was gone. Before they left they practiced flapping their wings and we knew it was close. They were so big that we thought they were stuck in the next and they wouldn't be able to get out=)

Hauling

2009-04-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

I meant to put this picture in the Easter Weekend and missed it. I can never figure out how to edit, so here it is.

Hummer Mama

2009-04-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

The two hummingbird babies have hatched. Last Monday night we had a party in the backyard and mama was nervous. She left and we thought she was gone for good but she is quite dedicated. Brook took these pictures of her feeding the babies. When they were first born they were on the floor of the nest side by side and she would sit on them for long periods of time. Now she leaves them for long periods of time and we can see their little beaks and heads poking out of the nest. Great shots, Brook.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

You know that it doesn't rain often in Phoenix but I made it happen. During the week I cleaned all the blinds and moved furniture so David could wash windows on Friday, he even asked if I was sure I wanted him to wash them because it was supposed to rain on Saturday. Everything was moved and I was ready so I said, "Come on over!!" Anyway, you can see what happened. Will and Charly spent Friday night because Travis was setting tile in their house after the Feb. flood. Will was sorely disappointed because he had quarters to spend at a yard sale and we didn't go because of the rain. After the rain stopped Roy and Will planted some colorful plants in our front yard. Roy and Will went to Home Depot and Will ran into a pole at full speed and wound up at the Emergency Department later Saturday evening. Luckily, no concussion, we were all just a wee bit nervous. He was ready to race Brook to the ice machine at the hospital before the MRI results had even come back=) Aaaah, to be young. Sunday everyone was here for dinner. There was egg dying, egg hunting, and lots of eating, oh, did I mention lots of laundry? The Tuttle's have been in a bit of a mess and needed to catch up. We had a great day. Check out those darling kids.
BTW, Baby # 9 is a boy=)

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-04-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

For our anniversary, yes it has been 32 years, we started out at the gas station for a fill up, headed up to the Macaroni Grill for dinner, and finished with the Temple Pageant. Roy really wanted to have our picture taken with a soldier but we could find one. The cute girls came along and he was quick to take them over the soldier. Just about the time the pageant was ready to start he found a soldier. Soldiers are pretty popular for the photo op and we had to wait in line. You can see it was worth the wait. The Temple Pageant is so amazing. What began as an Easter sunrise service on top of a cotton wagon in 1928, has
now become the largest, annual, outdoor Easter Pageant in the world. The Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant, “Jesus the Christ,” presents the life, ministry, and mission of Jesus Christ through music, dance, and drama. There is a beautiful spirit at the pageant and even though the weather was a bit blustery and cold before the production started it calmed down and the night was beautiful. We are going to try for 32 more years=) I forgot to tell you about the Nerf guns. Cambria started the whole thing at Christmas and gave me one during Spring Break for my BD. I got one for Roy for our anniversary, needless to say they are lots of fun and I am a good shot=)

Happy Birthday to Me!!

2009-04-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

Oh my, I had a GREAT birthday!!! It started first thing in the morning finding that the house had been heart attacked nocturnally, lots of cards, an amazing cupcake cake (I took it to school and fed the kids in my class), a book, an external hard drive, visits from friends, phone calls, dinner at Pita Jungle, CD's, chocolate, muffins, muddy buddies, money, and phone calls. Did I mention the phone calls? One of them was Brook and the kids singing 'Happy Birthday' What a fun time=)

Many Hands Make Light Work

2009-04-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

During Spring Break it became apparent that it was time to pull the African Daisies. I love the AD and we get lots of comments from people in the neighborhood about how beautiful they are and how much they are enjoyed. Pulling is not fun and I do not enjoy that activity. What I do is divide the yard up: east of the driveway, south of the little river, west of the sidewalk, etc. and this way it is not so overwhelming. On Tuesday I pulled east of the driveway and got it all bagged and planned to have the entire job done by Saturday. Wednesday I was working on the next section and Dave stopped by on his way to work to ask if I was having fun. I told him I was having a tremendous amount of fun and he said I should call his girls to help because they were bored. I smiled and nodded and he went off to work. I kept pulling and pretty soon his daughter, Amanda, showed up with her gloves to pull daisies. I had gone into the house to beg Cam and Michelle to help and Cam was helping in her pajamas. We were pulling and talking and Alan and Deacon came out to put the pulled daisies in the garbage can, Michelle was taking pictures, Molly was all over the place. Pretty soon Denat (Amanda's friend) pulled up in her little truck and started to pull right along with everyone else=) Wow, I was in daisy pulling heaven. I stopped my pullers after a bit and told them my goal for the day had been reached and I appreciated their help and that if they had other things to do I understood. They all said, "We want to finish!!!" Well, that was music to my ears and by 10 am the daisies were all pulled, bagged, and in the pile for bulk pick-up. In fact I could hardly keep up with them. Service is a beautiful thing and I like to be on the giving end, the receiving end was a great place to be and I appreciate everyone who helped me. Whoever said, "Many hands make light work." knew what they were talking about. Thanks for the help.

Yard Sale Buy of the Day

2009-03-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

The 'Yard Sale Buy of the Day' Saturday was a sugar and creamer on a little plate. Check out the little wing handles. Too cute.

Alan

2009-03-21T19:47:00.001-07:00

Alan is going to preschool now and is interested in letters and numbers. He rescues Molly from some of her escapades. He loves to build with the Duplo blocks and had a great 'shooter' that he modified many times. He is definitely a good helper and has lots of great ideas.

Deacon

2009-03-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

Deacon does his level best to do whatever Alan is doing. He is a little lover pie and not so interested in getting into everything. He is interested in food and moves like a tank. He is quite a talker and is very easy to understand. He thought Jody was a barrel of fun and he chattered at her and listened intently as she chattered back at him.

Molly

2009-03-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

Molly is quite an amazing little lady. She can get into more things faster than anyone I have ever seen. She actually pulled the wagon into the house all by herself, she can open ziplock bags, screw top containers, and rubbermaid containers. When she wants something she let's you know until she gets it. What a gal=)

Ebelskivers

2009-03-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

The 'Yard Sale Buy of the Day' Friday was an Ebelskiver pan. All of the Tuttle clan has great memories of eating ebelskivers at the cabin. Grandma was quick to give me the recipe and I whipped them out Saturday morning before Cam headed back to Mexico. I'm not sure they were as Grandma's but I can practice a little bit=) Did you know that there are people that have blogs dedicated to ebelskivers?

New Resident

2009-03-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

We had been noticing a humming bird hanging around the patio, but couldn't figure out why. The other night at dinner we noticed the very small nest on the lights we hung for Christmas. Here she is sitting in her nest. She is very dedicated and hardly every leaves the nest.

Spring Break

2009-03-21T19:02:00.000-07:00

Cambria rolled into town on Thursday evening (Mar 12). My policy in this whole thing is to get in the car when they tell me. We went to the Quilt Show on Saturday, the Zoo on Monday (with Bill, Teresa, Brittney and her two boys), Jody's group home for pizza on Wednesday, The Arizona Museum of Natural History on Thursday, yard saling three times. Michelle stayed at the house for a few nights so we had the 3 little kiddles having fun.

Surprise

2009-03-03T17:01:00.000-08:00

Will and Deacon playing with the marble game.

We talked to Marx and Maddox on Skype.

Will picked a bag of bugs out of the Birthday Treasure Chest.

Jack is getting cuter by the day and thinking about crawling.

Grandma and Grandpa (this was the only photo I had of them)

Charly picked the play high heels out of the Birthday Treasure Chest.

Wednesday night Grandma and Grandpa stopped by on their way home (St. George, UT) from Palm Springs, CA. We didn't know they were coming and it was a nice surprise. We went to dinner and helped Roy pick out a jacket for his presentation at the ASHE Conference March 10. Saturday Mick had the difficult job of hanging out with the motorcycle repair crew and attending to their needs, he tracked down q-tips for one thing. The Wild Hogs did get the motorcycle running for a few miles and then it was back on the block. Shirley and I went on a quilt shop tour and stopped for lunch at the Wildflower Bread Company. We also took some time to look at the books at Changing Hands. Sunday we had a very belated birthday party for Roy, Will, and Brook from February and Charly was included since her birthday was Monday. Roy took everyone over to the hospital and practiced his presentation for ASHE, he had many compliments. I stayed home to be the babysitter and I must say I was outnumbered, but everyone was very good (or asleep) so I did just fine.

The Flowers are Baaaack!!

2009-02-15T14:25:00.001-08:00

The African Daisies are bustin' out again. It's time for pictures.

What is there to do?

2009-02-15T14:22:00.000-08:00

I spent quite a bit of time at the hospital this week. What else is there to do but knit hats for the premie babies?
I made ten this week with my yard sale yarn.

He's Baaaack!

2009-02-15T14:07:00.000-08:00

After he got home Saturday.

In the hospital.

Roy went to the doc on Feb 6 (which also happens to be his BD) and was diagnosed with pneumonia. The doc said he was on the border of heading in to the hospital but he could go home and come back Monday if he wasn't getting better. Well, Monday was no better. He went back to the doctor and she admitted him to the hospital from her office. Then the race was on to figure out what was wrong with him. They cultured and probed and scanned, but in the end they don't know why he was in the hospital from Monday to Saturday. All I know is he's home and I'm glad. Happy Valentine's Day=)

Redecorating the Bathroom

2009-02-03T17:34:00.000-08:00

I came up with something good about January. After I got the Christmas decorations taken down and put away on January 10 I went on a search for bathroom towels, rugs, and shower curtain. This is what I found and for not so much money there is a clean new look in there. It just kind of brightens things up=)

Some of the Joes' Bar-b-que Pics

2009-02-01T20:45:00.001-08:00

Bathtub Girls

2009-02-01T18:32:00.001-08:00

I was looking at all of the pictures that were on my camera after Christmas and came across these little gems. Cambria was bathing the girls and got carried away. They are sooooo darling. We also have a new baby on the way...Michelle and Ben have a baby due in July. BTW, how often do you see someone with their binky in their mouth during a bath?

Picture Organization

2009-02-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

So, I have had a burden for years about what to do with all of the pictures (you know, photographs) of the last 50 years. I think this burst of picture organization has to do with Mom's death and the fact that my little brother, Bill, is really missing Dad. Anyway, I bought this darling cupboard from a yard sale (that's another long story) and have been organizing, filing, and tossing pictures for the last 10 days. I have discovered that I had a really crummy camera in the olden days. The idea is to scan pictures from when the kids were little and make them usable for people. I have ripped apart a couple of those magnetic albums that have taken the color out of the pics and ripped many of them when I was trying to extricate them. I found a company that will do the work, I just have to get organized=) I will let you know how it goes. But for now suffice to say I am making huge progress=) You might receive an envelope of old pictures in the mail from me=)

Cute Kids

2009-02-01T18:21:00.000-08:00

I forgot to put in the picture of all of the grandkids after Christmas when Cambria and Greg finally got here=)

January Blues

2009-02-01T18:09:00.000-08:00

January seems like such a long month. I think it is hard to get back into any kind of routine after having two weeks off, then there is the money thing (we have to pay insurance on 2 cars and the HOA dues, and recover from Christmas), and it's dark when it's time to get out of bed and I don't love that. My mom died on January 15 and her funeral services were on the 20th. I had talked to her on the phone on Jan 8 and she chatted with me for several minutes before she said she was tired and had to hang up. Her funeral services lasted 7 minutes and was not very personal. So, after everyone left the cemetary we (Brook, Travis, Cambria, Roy, Bill, Teresa, Brittney, Matt, Ben, and his cute little girlfriend whose name I don't recall) had our own little service. Cambria said the opening prayer, I gave the talk, and Brook said the closing prayer. We had gotten a beautiful floral arrangement from the great-grandkids and Cam picked it up and we hauled it home. The flowers sat on the back patio for a week and they were wonderful. Mick and Shirley were here and they were a tremendous help to take care of little kids and we all just enjoyed having them around. After the services we went to Joe's Bar-b-que to eat and reminisce.

Christmas Eve

2009-02-01T17:59:00.000-08:00

So, the really great thing about Arizona at Christmas time is that you can jump on the trampoline and hit a pinata for entertainment. Travis and Brook hosted a great Christmas Eve for all of us. Marx and Maddox were here from Florida and we enjoyed them a ton. Cam and Greg didn't get here until after Christmas. It's fun to play with family=)

I've been tagged=)

2009-02-01T17:41:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged!
10 years ago I was:
1. 42 years old
2. teaching at Washington Elementary
3. happy our son returned home from his mission to Russia
4. living on Estrella Dr. (I loved that house, street, ward, etc.)
5. Serving as YW President

5 things on today’s to do list: This would be Monday
1. go for a walk first thing
2. go to school and help my little kiddles finish up our DNA project
3. meet Xan at Mesa High to get the fine points of strawberry DNA extraction
4. go to Dillard's and check the end of season sales
5. go to the Empty Nester's FHE at 7 pm

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire
1. Retire from MPS
2. Travel/go on a mission
3. Make quilts for charity
4. Play with the grandkids more/and Roy
5. Read all of those books I have collected

5 places I have lived:
1. LaSalle, Colorado
2. Bountiful, UT
3. Kaysville, UT
4. Mesa, AZ
5. Gilbert, AZ (3 different houses)

5 places I have worked:
1. Bountiful Drive-In (no longer exists)
2. Sears Pet and Garden Department
3. Mark II Theatre
4. Catering Girl for Rosie
5. Mesa Public Schools (17 years)

I tag Brook. Cambria I'll give you a little money to buy a sofa=)

Hell's Angel

2009-02-01T17:23:00.000-08:00

Roy went on a million mile (well maybe only 4,500 mile) motorcycle ride in August to Sturgis, SD, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Canada, and Utah. When he went to Utah, at the end of the trip, I met him for the weekend. I got to see Danna and Kristy who I hadn't seen for a long time. Dick and Karen, and Grandpa and Grandma were at the cabin. It was a fun weekend. It was better when Roy got home and I didn't worry about him splattered on a highway somewhere=)

8/08/08 Jack Arrives

2009-02-01T17:16:00.000-08:00

Baby Jack showed up 8/8/08 but he wasn't born at 8:08 and he didn't weigh 8 pounds=) He is, however, very darling and he is feeling so much better now that he has a little medicine and some special formula for acid reflux. Travis had the same problem when he was little and they called it 'colick' I thought I was doing something wrong. I'm glad things have changed for the better. Here is a picture of the day he was born and Christmas time. He looks a little bit like his dad=)

Washington, D. C. July 2008

2008-09-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

We started out at Mt. Vernon with a bus tour. The tour was good since we had transportation, but we aren't very good at staying with a group and following the rules. We stayed in an amazing hotel called the Gaylord that had just been opened in February. There weren't any places to eat locally that didn't cost an arm and a leg, but we were invited to dinner a few times and had incredible meals. Order the crab cakes whenever you can=)

href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zpdqE5mznhU/SNb6kI2WBgI/AAAAAAAAAT0/YEksEy7Jewk/s1600-h/Capitol+j:m.JPG">
My cousin, Judy, and her husband, Mike, live in Virginia so they sacrificed a day to hang out with us and we had a great time. We started with a tour of the Capitol with their friend who works there. Then we headed to the Library of Congress and Arlington Cemetary with a quick tour of Georgetown by car. Don't forget the lunch and dinner that we had together. We had a great day and it was so good to see family. Thanks Judy and Mike. Did I mention that it was hot and humid???

Arlington is a beautiful place that has a very somber spirit. It is truly awe inspiring to think of all of the people who have paid the ultimate price for this country. We stayed for a long time walking and talking.

Of course, we had to go to the Mall and see the monuments and memorials. You can see from this picture that it was tiring and we did need to rest a couple of times. What a beautiful city.

We got on the bus early in the morning to go to the train and travel to Kensington, Maryland to go to the Temple. It was about a two hour travel time, but it was very worth the effort. The Temple looks like Oz and is totally beautiful. After we left the Temple we went back to the Mall and checked out the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zpdqE5mznhU/SNb6kzfIebI/AAAAAAAAAUM/h8gfwH-ePt8/s1600-h/mass+transit.JPG">
We got pretty good at getting on the bus, remembering to get a transfer, buying the proper fare, getting on the train, and then figuring out where to get off. The people were always very willing to help us out and answer questions. One time we were eating a pretzel while we were waiting for the train. A guy standing and waiting told us that if we took food on the train we could get a big fine, you better believe we finished it up=) The trains were clean and free of newspapers and other junk. We saw a cute little mom with a baby strapped to her in a pack and two little boys. She had her system down and kept everyone happy, although I did see some Capri Sun packages.

UFO's

2008-07-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

Kit gave me these blocks and I finished the top for a charity quilt.

This is the challenge quilt from last summer. Each person in my quilt group made 9 blocks and then we exchanged the blocks and put together our own quilt. The quilts all look very different and beautiful. Mine is done now=)

This is a queen sized charity quilt for Jody's home. The blocks came from Peg and her sister.

This wool project has been in the works for years. Finally done=)

I have been working on unfinished objects in my sewing room with my fancy new sewing machine=) Here are a couple of quilts that will be used as fundraisers for Jody's group home. I'm not sure how many UFO's are facing me because I can't count that high=) Today I am working on the 29 holiday pillowcases for the grandkids.

Tumbleweed

2008-07-07T08:17:00.001-07:00

You never know when one will blow into town, but Bill is in the Phoenix area. He and his wife, Teresa, came to dinner with our gang. We think it's been about 4 or 5 years since we have been together and it was nice to get caught up. He is working here and who know how long they will be around. Family is a good thing=)

The Fish Pond

2008-07-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

Roy and I cleaned out the fish pond. It was an amazing task with pungent smells. We reduced our fish population by about 200 and kept our herd of 5 red eared slider turtles. We have about a dozen fish left. Hopefully it will stay clean for a while.

Fourth of July

2008-07-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

Our ward had a Fourth of July breakfast and the kick-off is a parade by the kids with their bikes, etc. decorated. They ride from the school parking lot to the park which isn't even a block. It is really cute and Michelle helped Deacon decorate the Freddie Flintstone car so he could be part of the parade=) Roy and I went to a swim party with Brook and Travis at Judy's house. We had a great relaxing time watching Charly and Will swim like maniacs. I think we may have been watching future Olympians=)

Shoes

2008-07-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

Charly and Deacon were spending the night here together. Charly brought Deacon's shoes to me and wanted them on her feet. After Deacon noticed that she had his shoes on there was a protest and he insisted on wearing her shoes. I think it is a nice look=)

Off to Florida

2008-07-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

Marx and Maddox headed to Florida at the beginning of June. Kris has a job there for a year and then hopefully they will be back. We have talked to them on the phone and they are loving the beach and Sea World. We can't wait to give them a hug=)

Molly Girl

2008-07-07T07:47:00.001-07:00

Cambria and Molly came into town at the end of May, Greg and Alan stayed home and worked. Molly didn't warm up so well to Papa but would tolerate him if he would do what she wanted him to do. Cambria tried to get 80 thousand things done and went home with not one square inch of room left in the van, I was happy she didn't get pulled over=) Cam brought a pinata and we had a great time breaking it up and getting out the goodies.

Moving Again

2008-05-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

One more time it is packed for the movers.

When I moved from Washington to Sunridge Roy and Travis loaded up the trucks and did the job. At least now the district will hire the muscle and the truck=)

I'm not sure how many times I have moved my classroom in the last 16 years, but I think it's around 8. One more time I am packing up the 'stuff' of my educational life and moving to a new school. We will be a mile west of where we are now at Jordan Elementary. There will be 6 ELP teachers and we will service 15 schools, we will be busy. The Extended Learning Program acronym will have to be changed because of the English Language Proficiency class the state of AZ has incorporated. Any good suggestions?

Rain in Phoenix

2008-05-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

So on Monday, May 19 the temp in Phoenix hit 110 degrees. We have had an absolutely wonderful, mild spring and the 110 day was a shock to the system. By Thursday it had cooled to 50 degrees and there was a wonderful rain storm. Michelle's kids were here running in the rain and soaked to the skin. We realized it was cold when Avery's lips were blue.

More African Daisies

2008-04-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

Will and Charly stopped by and of course they had to have their pictures taken in the African Daisies (me not them). At the end of the month when it was time to pull up the daisies I really didn't want to do it so I decided to do a little bit each day. I started on Friday and pulled for an hour, an hour or two on Saturday, and on my birthday I was out there for a couple of hours. I decided that Tuesday would be the last day and by this time I had 5 garbage sacks full plus the black garbage dumpster. When I came around the corner after work they were all gone. Roy noticed a landscaping crew across the street and paid them to finish up the job. Money well spent=)

2008-04-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

On March 28 Roy had knee surgery on the right knee. He was out patient and came home the same day. I think it hurt lots more than he thought it would but was only off work a few days. We have been married 31 years and he has had 10 surgeries or hospitalizations: right knee, left knee, appendix, hernia, thyroid, back surgery, back surgery, back surgery, staph epi, and motorcycle accident. The knee surgery seemed pretty easy in comparison=)

Charly's Birthday

2008-03-13T06:12:00.001-07:00

Charley turned one on March 2. She was tired and ready to go to bed...until the cake appeared, Will showed her the finer points of blowing out candles and she knew what to do with the cake=) She is a sweetie and so easy to get along with. This is a darling little family with one more on the way=)

February Birthdays

2008-03-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

Roy (holding Deacon), Will, and Brook

Triumphant Will after digging in the treasure chest.

Some of my favorite people celebrate their birthday in February: Roy 6th, Will 8th, and Brook 9th. My dad celebrated his birthday on February 23. Will turned 4 and in only 20 more years Brook will be old, I guess Roy already is=) We had fun and Will loved his dive into the chest.

Spaghetti

2008-03-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

This is just to prove, to anyone that cares, that the darling Miss Charly loves spaghetti=)

African Daisies

2008-03-12T17:08:00.001-07:00

Deacon's turn in the flowers.

One of the best pictures of Will I've had the pleasure to take=)

The sea of African Daisies at the house.

Charly in the middle of the flowers.

We have had rain at just the right times and just the right amount this year and the African Daisies are the best they have ever been. Every time a baby comes by we have a photo op.

Babysitting

2008-01-27T17:27:00.001-08:00

Michelle and Ben went to Las Vegas for the MLK weekend and we got to have Marx, Maddox, Deacon, and Will Friday night. We slept in the tent and had smores and a great time. Deacon stayed until Sunday evening. When I got Deacon he was without bruise Roy was playing with him and Deacon tipped over onto the tile. Deacon was playing on his little car and fell off onto the same spot. He didn't look quite so good when his mom and dad came to get him. Oops, I hope we get to have him over again.

Christmas

2008-01-27T16:13:00.000-08:00

Roy and Greg built a trailer for Mexico while they were here because all of the babies LOVED being pulled in our little wagon. The look on darling Charly's face says it all. Sheer Bliss=)

Charly also enjoyed the leftovers after others opened their gifts.

Greg did a great job cutting the hair of all Michelle's boys. Maddox wasn't that impressed...when he looked in the mirror after the cut he said, "I don't like it!"

Roy did quite a bit of shopping this year and one of his most fabulous finds was the $2 headlamp from Harbor Freight. All of the little boys got one, even Roy.

Marx and Papa opening gifts.

So, there was the afternoon when each family made a gingerbread house. Here is the Memmott home.

The Tuttle home.

Here is the creation Michelle and her boys made.

Heather came over and snapped a few pictures of the family. We didn't do such a great job avoiding the shadows, but we did get a family picture, such that it is. It just keeps growing=)

Cookie Baking

2008-01-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

Brook and Donna showing off the Jubilee Jumbles.

Michelle working away on the next batch.

Nana with Molly and Charly

Here is a sampling of the cookies we made.

Alan really gets into his cookie frosting=)

December 21, 2007
We made a boat load of cookies, including: Hershey Kiss Peanut Blossoms, Jubilee Jumbles, Hugs on Pretzels, Chocolate Chip, Ginger Snaps, and then there were the sugar cookies we didn't share with anyone...except Santa. I'm not sure how many dozen cookies we made, but it was a great day and the kids had a great time playing with each other.

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-12-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to the Riparian Preserve.

Grandpa and Grandma

Filling up the tires so the race can continue.

Lizzie and the boys.

The Memmott Family

There is a lot to be thankful for: everyone is healthy, Cambria and Greg were here with their kids, Grandma and Grandpa were here from sunny Utah, Marx and Maddox spent the day, we always have plenty to eat, and a comfortable house to live in. We had a fun weekend with wall to wall blow-up mattresses and even tying a quilt. There was early morning day-after-Thanksgiving-shopping that I'm not sure is worth it. It was just fun to hang out and not do much.

Thirty Year Old

2007-11-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

Travis and Will blowing out candles Sunday night. Thanks Chris for bringing over the cake=)

No, No, NO, it just can't be. Travis is turning 30 years old on Wednesday. He says he will never be 50, I guess we'll have to wait and see=) It has been fun to have him around for the last 30 years.

Paul Bunyan

2007-11-18T18:44:00.000-08:00

"This tree doesn't have a chance, I can have this down in 15 minutes."

" This is going well, I could do this for a living."

"I really thought this would only take 15 minutes."

"I DID IT!!! Fabulous!!"

November 17, 2007 We have two ficus trees that died after the hard frosts we had last winter. Roy decided today was the day to chop the one in the front yard down. He was going to cut it REALLY low so there wouldn't be a stump. Well, he made good progress and then got stuck for a while. He had an ax, a crowbar, two hammers, a wedge, and the chain saw. The wedge got stuck low in the tree stump and will remain there for eternity=) He didn't get it quite as low as he wanted to but the stump is below the ground and you can't tell where the tree was. Who knows when the one in the back will be felled=)

Nana's First Annual Veteran's Day Sleepover

2007-11-12T20:44:00.000-08:00

Charly, Nana, and Will in the tent. Charly visited but didn't stay.

Hot dog cookers.

The perfect mallow.

'Cars' on the big screen.

How cool is it to make shadows?

This is the wad of humanity in the tent in the morning. Will's neck actually looks painful.

'By the way, did you know I can read a map?'

Hikers at the Riparian Preserve

The fabulous RED salt dough. Oh, what fun.

Nov. 12-Nana's 1st Annual Veteran's Day Sleepover-Marx, Maddox, and Will came over Sunday evening and we cooked hot dogs in the fire pit and made yummy smores (how do you spell that?). We watched most of the 'Cars' movie on the garage door and then the boys slept in a tent in the family room. Well, okay, they giggled, kicked the sides of the tent and didn't sleep a whole lot. We had waffles with buttermilk syrup for breakfast and I found out they REALLY like bacon. The Riparian Preserve was our outdoor adventure where we spotted ducks and a rabbit. They didn't want to get in the car to go to the Preserve and they didn't want to come home. Roy met us at the house for lunch and then they wanted red salt dough. Red is the current favorite color. Of course there was bike and trike riding and just a general good time. I can't wait until next year.

Great Escape

2007-11-09T20:55:00.001-08:00

The Pop Tab Bracelet Sisterhood

Having a great time just chatting.

Roy under the hood at June's Cafe. He would NOT give up=)

An open hood on a car draws men like flies.

Nov 2 & 3-The Palo Verde Ward Relief Society sisters went to the 12,000 sq. ft. Barney cabin, near Heber, for an overnight getaway. We ate, laughed, talked, and just had fun. We made aluminum pop tab bracelets. Twenty-one sisters participated and Roy went along as the Priesthood person in case we needed help. He was the shadow in the background and came around when it was time to eat, not a lot to do. Until we headed home...Natalie's Excursion lost the serpentine belt and when we got to her and Roy looked under the hood he said, "We can fix that." So, we went to the close parts house and got the belt and to Show Low for the tensioner and worked in June's Cafe parking lot. Kelly, who owns June's, loaned us the tools we needed including a drop cord. We couldn't get the belt on so we went back to the cabin for the night. In the morning Clyde and Roy went to the church parking lot and found a car like Natalie's so they could draw a diagram of the belt. Back at June's 5 guys had their heads under the hood to help out. The belt went on easily, now that we realized the hose that had been in our way was aftermarket, and Natalie was back on the road. We had fun and everyone is safe.

Halloween Miscellaneous

2007-11-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Carving with Roy and Marx.

Can cheese balls be darling?

Maybe not cheese balls but Tulip Fairies can be...Darling Charly.

Will the motocross guy.

'I love this Spiderman Costume, I wish I could wear it all the time. By the way I a cactus."

October 31-Halloween is so weird, almost noone likes it but we keep doing it. Julie brought the kids over and Roy and Marx carved a pumpkin. Marx really did not want to put his hand inside to get the seeds, but finally did when Maddox was willing to do it. I made the cutest little cheese ball for staff breakfast. We went to the Tuttle home to deliver treat bags and got to see Charly (Tulip Fairy) and Will (motocross rider). What a night. We never did hand out any candy. Our favorite quote of the day was from Maddox. He walked up to me in his Spiderman costurme, held his muscled arm up at a 90 degree angle and said, "Nana, I a cactus." I thought about that for a second and he was right he looked just like a Saguaro.

Walk-a-thon

2007-11-09T20:05:00.000-08:00

Donna, Helen, and Shannon. Helen is Jody's roommate and has been for years.

Jody, with other volunteers, checking in at the end of her lap.

Barney, who works at Denny's as a buser, hands out pencils, and says he wants to get married.

Donna, Bill (who is in his 70's), and Jody

Quilt made by my quilt group for the Lura Turner Homes. I heard today that Joyce Ridge won it at the raffle. Yeah!!

October 27-Jody's group home has a boutique I usually go to each year, but this year I couldn't make it. I did make 22 pop tab bracelets that sold for $5 each before hand. So, we went to the walk-a-thon and walked with the people from her home at the park. People who pledge just give a certain amount of money, not per lap. Anyway, we walked and walked and talked and hugged. These folks are very affectionate and enjoy the social aspect of the walk. We had fun.

The Machine

2007-11-09T19:46:00.000-08:00

Here it is!!!

The cute little treat bags I made for the kids for Halloween.

My first project on the new machine. I figure they only cost about $400 each=)

October 22-Well, I did it, I really did it. I bought a brand spankin' new sewing machine. I think my parents paid less for the 1972 Maverick they bought for me in 1973=) Anyway, I took the plunge and purchased a Bernina Aurora QE440, the QE stands for Quilter's Edition. It is pretty amazing and has a beautiful stitch. Danna and I were talking the other night and we decided that the Viking I have been using for 25 years is 33 or 34 years old=0 Did I mention the new, old 1927 Ford T Roy made his own recently?

Casa Nevada

2007-11-09T18:53:00.000-08:00

Roy and Suzanne at Santuaro de Chimayo sharing their chili purchases.

This is what Roy wants to have for his headstone=)

This is the Cumbres and Toltec Steam train, America's highest narrow gauge railroad. It was cold at the top!

The Aspen changing color.

Donna, Roy, Suzanne, Bob

United States and Colorado flags.

The Snows at the Casa Nevada.

October 10-14-Roy was worn out from his hospital experience so it was time for a getaway. I planned a trip to New Mexico to visit the Snows. We headed out and on the way to Globe he said, 'The only place I can think of we would be going, headed this way, is Bob and Suzanne's house.' What a bright boy. We watched the Diamonbacks lose miserably, had fun talking, exploring Taos, and riding the steam train from Chama, NM to Osier, Colorado. Oh, I forgot to mention eating Bob's gourmet cooking. When we went into Chama Suzanne had Bob stop at the little quilt shop, as we were peeking through the windows the owner opened the door and invited us in. Lynn Graeves was the owner of the shop and she does classes all over the place, makes patterns, etc. and has an internet business. It was fun to be in her shop and hear her 'mile a minute' instruction about crazy quilts and other construction techniques. Sometimes I understood what she was saying and sometimes not. It was a perfect trip because we had great company (or the great company had us) and the leaves were changing on the Aspen. Roy loved all the chili that flowed and we brought some home. We learned about beekeeping from Bob and brought some 'Bob's Bees' honey home to enjoy.

Cambria's Quilt

2007-11-09T18:47:00.000-08:00

October 2007-Cambria decided that she was going to make a quilt for her baby on the way (well over a year ago.) She was working away and Alan got the scissors and modified a few blocks during her process of creation. I had to find more fabric and send it to her. She finally got it together and sent it to me to get the borders put on. Here it is, finally, ready to go to the quilter.

Visit with Elder Holland

2007-11-09T17:45:00.000-08:00

Travis, Brook, Elder Holland, Donna, Roy

Gotta read a book with the kids around.

I don't know if there was a 'winner' in this situation.

September 15-We had the opportunity to have a wonderful 40 minute visit with Elder Holland. We hadn't seen him since we were at his house (in Utah) after Travis got home from his mission. Before that Elder Holland was in AZ during the time Elder Tuttle and Elder Propst were being held for ransom in Russia. When we were done visiting Roy and I took care of Charly and Will while Travis and Brook went to Anthem for her to do a mini-marathon (that's not really what's it's called, I can't remember.)

The Relatives Came

2007-11-09T17:04:00.000-08:00

This is our little 'premie' Deacon with Michelle.

The entire family on the tour.

The Roy Tuttle minus the 5 kids we left home (with babysitters, of course.)

The techs use these scooters to get around and they sure are fun. Anyone want to race?

Roy with his family.

Karen, Brook, and Travis.

On the tour looking at the amazing staircase.

Cambria and Travis.

The weekend of August 17 was eventful, the Banner Gateway Hospital had it's employee weekend and if you worked at the hosp. you could bring your family on a tour. We expected Mick and Shirley to come for the festivities but Karen, Brent and Dona Jo showed up too. We went to the Saturday barbeque with the entire fam. On Sunday, after church, we had a private showing with Roy as our guide. We had plenty of food and fun.

Bathtub Boys

2007-08-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

Will and Maddox having a splashing good time=)

Deacon the dandelion, doesn't it look like you could just blow his hair away?

This is Charly on Sunday drinking from Roy's glass. What a little sweetie.

Will and Maddox got to take a bath together while Roy was cutting Marx's hair. Deacon was making noise in the bedroom and Charly was cooing on the floor. We had a rockin' place. Michelle and Donna were running around giving kids baths, making bottles, looking for pajamas, and just generally keeping everyone happy.

The Hair Cut

2007-08-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

Why did I say 'Yes' to this?

OOOOOOWWW OUCH!!!!!!

Marx did say, when the hair cut was done, "That wasn't so bad."
What a handsome first grader.

Michelle has been here for a few days with the boys. Marx is getting ready to start first grade on August 6 and was in need of a hair cut. Marx said he would let Roy cut his hair with the clippers....so here is the handsome young man.

Space Camp

2007-07-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

After graduation we were able to turn our name tags right side up to show we had completed our training=)

Sunday July 15, 2007

I really didn't want to get up this morning-but I did want to go home. Miss the husband, kids, cat, bed, pillow, etc. I'm very tired of packing around a heavy backpack. We turned in dorm keys at the desk and loaded luggage on the bus for the last trip to breakfast that has been exactly the same each day: scrambled eggs, bacon, french toast fingers, biscuits/gravy, cereal /milk, and coffee that the drinkers say is terrible. Actually, though, the food has been pretty good and I have been impressed with how they feed us all so quickly 3 times a day. Some of these kids (20-30 somethings) have gone to the bar each night but I guess I'm too old for that stuff (not that I ever bar hopped=)) There was a presentation of the mission patches and they were absolutely fantastic. There was a cute slide show with pictures of what we have done all week. Then we were graduated by groups and we got to turn our names right side up. We left on the bus at 1:30 pm to go to the airport which is quite close. We took off on time from the Huntsville International Airport, but once again Dallas/Fort Worth gave me heartburn. The plane that was supposed to go to Phx was having mechanical probs in Houston and was going to be late. Finally, the plane from Phx came in and tuned around to go back to Phx...we were 90 minutes late. Roy came to get me with Marx and Maddox and they spent the night with us. Oh, how I love my bed=)

The amazing helicopter rescue.

Going off the edge of the zip line.

Arabella was the spider in space that learned how to spin beautiful webs after a couple of days in space, this is her cousin who bit me in the space station=)

This is our space walk, we had to construct this structure. It was tough to do and I dropped a connector, oops more space junk.

Saturday July 14, 2007
Breakfast and off to the 'lake'. There is a 40 foot platform with a zip line. A parachute harness was attached to me and then I was gently pushed over the edge to 'zip' into the water like jumping from a helicopter. It was fun, but pretty mild, there were several people who wouldn't go: afraid of heights, too heavy, afraid of water-whatever. Then we race in paddle boats, three people per boat, 1 straddling each side and a rudder person in the back. I was the rudder person and my boat beat the other boat by about 3 lengths...I'm not telling you about the 250 lb. woman in the other boat. Then we bailed out, swam to the helipcopter basket and got lifted out of the water-very fun again. After we were all done we went back to the dorms, got cleaned up, and had lunch (spaghetti.) After lunch there was a living and working in space presentation that had great infor but not such a great presentation. We had mission training then our mission. I was in the space station doing science experiments and got bit by a spider (not really) and we had to do first aid. Then we did a space walk in a crazy chair that turns 5 different ways, it was very awkward, but we got the truss support together in good time., There was also a fire (pretend) and I got burnedd-more first aid. We also had solar flairs and we had to get under a solar blanket until it was over. This mission was sooo much fun-much better than the first one=) Dinner was in a different dining room-spaghetti again, not so good. Then we went ot the IMAX and waited for the 9:45 pm 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' showing. It was cool to watch a feature length movie on the IMAX screen and it was a good movie. I think I went to bed at 1:30 am.

Here is one of our designs for the Design Challenge, it held up about 17 seconds.

Friday July 13, 2007
Oh my, I am being run ragged!! I haven't had one minute to get to a computer!! Today we wore our flight suits to breakfast and then went to out Atlantis mission. I was the INCO/EVA in MOCR-I was in charge of the space walk for the people in the space shuttle. I didn't have much to say and I couldn't see my EVA people. The two hours flew by and it was great. After our mission we did a Design Challenge to shield a screw glued to a dowel from re-entry. We had a piece of copper screen, foil, two nuts, and a washer. This is great, similar to the Earth to Orbit Design Challenge. The problem is the propane canister and the fire-I'm not sure about that in the basement of Frost Elementary. Then lunch, more carbs and talks from two 'ancient astronauts'=) Cunningham (Apollo) was kind of a sour puss and Bob Springer was a really nice guy who had been on the Space Shuttle. There was an autograph session and we ran to the gift shop just so we could move. It was raining like crazy this am, but cleared up in time for the Fourth Annual Saturn V reunion and the 25th anniversary of Space Camp. We had a briefing on the new Space goal for NASA- to the Moon and Mars and the ARES 1 and 5 space crafts. I am of the opinion that we don't need to send people, they are way too much trouble, just send those cute little rovers like Spirit and Opportunity.

The 1/6th chair simulates the gravity of the Moon, it is very awkward to maneuver.

The Multi Axis trainer where no one ever gets sick=)

We designed, built, and launched water rockets, it was very fun and doable in a classroom.

Thursday July 12, 2007
Breakfast on a beautiful sunny day-then we went to the ASTI (Alabama Science and Technology Initiative) the teacher, Steve, did solar system stuff and preached the glories of science kits that Alabama uses in their schools. It was OK, not great. Besides, Mesa already does that and maybe better. We made bottle rockets with Rhonda and launched them on a $140 PVC launcher. (Maybe I should buy one of those=)) That was fun and very doable in a classroom. Lunch. Then astronaut SIMS First the MAT-Multi Axis Trainer-it spins you around and around in all different directions. They assured us no one EVER gets sick- I didn't throw up, but I felt quesy when I got off!! It was a long 45 seconds=) Then the 1/6 th chair to simulate the moon's gravity was harder than it looked-it was very clumsy. We were supposed to bunny hop, side step, jog, and then chose what we wanted to do-the side step was easiest for me. I can't imagine doing that for 2.5 hours on the moon. We bought tickets to Harry Potter for the IMAX on Sat. and it took about 30 minutes. Bus back to the dorm and off to Huntsville proper for a bar-b-que and Bluegrass music sponsored by the Art Museum. Actually Huntsville is nicknamed 'Rocket City' because there is such a rich history of aerospace and NASA. Werner von Braun was here for years and the beginning of NASA. Lots of people dressed up and had nice clothes on-I didn't have anything to change into-so...We went to a childrens museum and walked to the art museum which had great exhibits of folk art, armor, and silver, sculptures and the blue grass music was wonderful at a grassy park with a beautiful evening that actually cooled off. The band was made up of 'kin' and there was a 10 year old girl that really belted out a song. It was a fun night.

Don't I look official in my flight suit?

There were 84 teachers at the Boeing Space Camp divided into 6 teams of 13 or 14 each. This is team Destiny.

Wednesday July 11, 2007
I slept well last night and feel like a real person. Breakfast was followed by a group picture dressed in our flight suits. Rhonda took us to rocket park to look at rockets and missiles. We listened to Catherine Thimmesh talk about her book 'Team Moon'. We had an activity to make a LEM (Lunar Module) which was kind of fun. The batteries in my camera are dead. Mexican Wednesday for lunch-it was okay. We went on a ride that simulates 0 G's. It was scary and then when it was done it was fun-might have lasted 15 seconds. I sat in chair facing out on this very tall tower, people were all around in a circle on their chairs, and then we were suddenly pulled up and then dropped several times. It's best not to do this if your bladder is full=) We went to Mission Training and I am INCO/EVA in Mission Control (MOCR). I am totally confused and it is good to be on this end to experience what the kids experience at times. Next was Martian Math with good basic Math ideas that I already knew, but it was good to be reminded. Did I mention that many of these teachers look young and lots are Travis' age (30ish), they have tremendous energy and go to the bar each night, I collapse in bed=) Space gardenting was one I was excited about because I wanted to learn about hydroponics but it wasn't that great. Not one work about hydroponics. Design a container for the moon to grow plants, no larger than 1 cubic foot. Homer Hickham, the author of 'Rocket Boys' aka October Sky, was delighful, he told stories in a very relaxed way and signed books after dinner. They had us go up in groups of 20 to get autographs, it took forever because Homer chatted with each person and had photos taken. Back to the dorm and to bed.

Tuesday July 10, 2007
The alarm went off at 6:20 am (4:20 AZ) and I was up and dressed and to the bus by 7:30 am. We were taken to breakfast in this really big tent. There are 84 Space Campers (from Japan, Australia, Italy, Israel, Singapore, Korea, Germany, and US) divided into 6 groups (of 13 or so). I'm on the team Destiny with Rhonda and Tenille as our leaders. We went under the Pathfinder Shuttle (just a mock up, it never flew a mission) and did a couple of team building activities. We got in order of birthdates without using numbers or months, and took the first 13 pages of a book called 'Zoom' in order without letting anyone see your picture. Great Activities. It started to rain-a soft gentle rain-not a monsoon. We went into the museum to do a history activity and answer a few questions. We saw an IMAX movie 'Magic of Flight', it was good but of course I have to fall asleep in an IMAX movie=) We had Shuttle O-orientation with the thousands of acronyms they use, it's confusing. We got a copy of 'The Real Space Cowboys' and Ed Buckbee, the author, talked to us and told stories about the old days. He was great and it was amazing. We had dinner and then worked on the mission patch activity. We have a guy on our team from Italy who teaches drafting, he did the art work for our patch and it is really fabulous! We were bussed back to the dorms-I talked to Roy, took a shower, and went to bed.

Travel Day Monday July 9, 2007

Not Really. Mostly what I did was sit still. I went to bed Sunday night at 12:30 and got up at 4:20 am, was at the airport by 6:00 and on the flight to Dallas/Fort Worth by 6:30 am. We were supposed to take off at 7:05 but the captain said, "We have a leak that needs to be fixed, it will take a few minutes." Two hours later we took off-the connecting flight was missed. I was sent to gate D6 and waited patiently. I talked to the guy at the desk and he said I was on standby for the 4:10 flight. At this point I started to bug them and check my status often. I saw the little 50 seater arrive and heard the desk people talk about restricting weight because of weather probs. I didn't panic, just kept checking with Daniel and Bernard, or course by this time we were on a first name basis. I was on the flight first thing in the morning. Then the flight was cancelled and there was a stampede to the desk. I called the number to space camp and Kat said, "Get on a flight to Birmingham and drive to Huntsville." I went to the front of the stampede and said, "Who is going to Space Camp?" Nine people responded we all got on the Birmingham flight, of course this flight didn't take off on time-mechanical problems that needed fixing-we were an hour late for take off. We called Kat and asked if she would send a bus. The bus was waiting when we got to Birmingham, we piled on and headed to Huntsville. To continue the airport tour we had to go to the Huntsville airport-hoping to find luggage. Three people didn't have luggage, but I did!! YEAH!! We went to the University of Alabama dorms, checked in and went to bed. Did I say Collapse? It was about 10 pm Alabama time.