Saturday, March 28, 2009

Blogging Is Easy. I Just Forgot What I Was Gonna' Post, Actually Normal People Usually Don't Have That Problem.

Dory just sums up my life! I forgot what I was going to blog. I've spaced it because... 3 more baby lambs ... triplets again, my family is moving, heifer, exercised too much ... but my back is great. Ahhh ... we have company. Family news, a couple days ago. Not what you think, actually.

You know, I think "brain freeze" comes from these beautiful run-away days, and that has to do with the sickness of ... "Spring Fever" or is it old age? The hammock is calling all of us, except Kiely, who's jumping around to the very appropriate song .... "Jump, Jump," by Kriss Kross. j/k She's leaping. lymi Too Much Information. I Have Brain Freeze. Too Much Medication?
 

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Clueless Me. What Did Kiely Say? No one is Telling!

















This was on my computer screen this morning. What was going on behind my back? I know when this was taken? duhr...When the family pictures were taken from Ashley Stalker. She caught this incredible candid shot. Right on the money, honey!

Outrageous things my little daughter Kiely says to anyone. I am never aware! She's the blond just over my left shoulder.

When she was in the nursery and a very little girl, the Stake President lived in our ward, he just happened to help with his wife in Primary. Someone was unable to be there and they happily went into the nursery to help. Oh, the things you hear in the nursery!

There were approximately... five or six children and the Stake President wanted Kiely to come over and say "Hi!" Her older siblings taught her at 2 1/2 to say, "No Way! Butt-Head!" Yep, that's what she told him. And you know what? He mentioned that at Stake Conference... something about being humble...I can't remember, exactly, but I slipped real far down on the seat. hahaha Like... hide me? My husband's face was beet-red and the "stink-eye" was sent out to all the older children sitting next to us.

Kiley still does it, even today..on the phone...in front of her friends. And gasp! I turn inside out. She's at Disneyland today. Scoop!

But there is a moral to this short story. She's now teaching all my grand children very interesting comments. Kiely says, "Say_____!" Every single one of the grand children are learning quickly, the shocking and embarrassing information that haunted me. Does that scare any teenagers into not teaching their little sister or brother bad language? It better, because you will ultimately be rewarded with a curse of the "little kid" growing up and taking revenge.

It must have been Outrageous..., Secrets at the beach

Friday, March 20, 2009

Greed Will Kill You! Fossil Funny, Sorta' Funny!

















This fossil is so interesting and because I was tagged, and this was the fourth picture, I felt I needed to explain why it's in my folder. The sailor who owns this picture is a sailor in Spain. I don't know if it is from a museum or if they actually own the fossil. The explanation was so interesting. This ancient fish had already a full stomach, like a couple other fish, and tried to eat another rather large fish. Fish scales only are smooth one way and obviously to slip back out the mouth was the "not so smooth way" and wasn't an option. The fish didn't need to eat the big one. It just wanted more of a good thing. OOPS! That definitely wasn't a wise choice. In fact, one of the fish's last decisions. Yeah, one decision can "determine destiny".... I copied the picture to show my Steve, my curious find. You know, I leave food on my plate. I hate the feeling of full, I do!

I love fossils and my love of them came way before I even knew what they were. The house I spent my first five years in --- was on the corner of Manzanita and Laurel Road. There is an apartment in the back of the main house. It was my grandparent's barn. Yes, real barn. I was raised in a barn. Please, don't say it, but I know you will in your head. I knew my mom or Susan was raised in a barn. Soooo buttons!

My dad and grandpa worked on the barn to convert it into a house. My mother picked the beautiful tile and I still love it. Burgundy with pink tones, trim and small salmon tiles all over for the kitchen. The bath had lovely tiles and I know they are completely unavailable now. All so unique. The floor was polished big red tiles like Dr. Strong's office on Eight Street. The fireplace was made by my father. He place a large fish fossil into the fireplace front, just below the mantle. I remember reaching up and rubbing my hands across it. Dad found the fossil in the Crik behind our house when he was really young. It amazes me that he was able to carry it home because this fossil is large. The flagstone has a full clear picture of a fish. I had hoped my camera caught the details, but I think even my flash made it even more unclear of what is on the flat stone. The fish isn't "eating" another fish, but specimen is so clear one could identify it by species. Amazingly the fossil was from our own backyard because Laurel Road and Manzanita are just a couple blocks away from our ranch. Funny, I live here just where I started. That sounds like....maybe....backward? Yes, I've had limited travel experiences.

I was able to take a picture of it with my old, old camera, so the detail is almost completely absent from the photo. The house was up for rent and my friend was handling the details on the rental property. I don't remember how she knew I lived there, but I was so excited to see my house from an adult point of view. I loved it! I loved even the roll-out, old fashioned, California Spanish windows. Maybe someday I can see it again and take a 12 mega pixel of the mantle instead of the my wimpy, but reliable, 1 mega pixel. But... I saw it and how fun to see that it hasn't changed. The owners still take care of our "barn house". Thank you for saving the past for me.






Fossil Fish, Our Creek bed, Random Tag of My Pictures

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Mark Modine, George Larkin, Thorton Lee Jewkes, David Ross Jensen, The Missionaries, And Member Missionaries. I Was Blessed To HaveThem In My Life!

Please turn off my music to watch this beautiful song and photos taken to match the hymn. "If You Could Hie To Kolob." If you have questions about this song or would like any information on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please go to the real source: LDS.org The Internet is full of so much wrong information on The Church by people who "think" they really know. Another good site is: mormon.org Our family can be together forever and marriage isn't until death due us part...it's An Eternal Marriage.

~~~♥~~~




This video is an LDS Hymn and arranged by Lex de Azevedo. It is one of my very favorites and the video highlights the missionaries. There are sister missionaries, also serving. What the video doesn't show is the charity that the missionaries perform. They cleaned my closest friend's ranch and made shelters for her sheep. My BFF (Best Friend Forever) belongs to the Church of Christ. The missionaries dug gardens, laid sod, chucked rocks, cleaned animal pens, next door to us. The missionaries also helped our neighbors to the north, gather rocks from their land and did the hard labor of putting a yard together. They go home and hurry and put their clean "Sunday Best" suits and serve by visiting with people and talk about The Church. They also serve the homeless by serving meals regularly helping at the Pentecostal Church off of Ventura Street. This is service is unending because they take Charity and love of their fellowman.. with them when they are released from their dedicated two years of only being involved in the work being "Hands of the Lord." The missionaries come from every walk of life and from places all over the world. They share their talents and if they don't have them, they develop them and give their all. This isn't a new part of the program of the missionaries. Sister Hansen, now Laurel Albrecht, cleaned many sister's homes and helped with the children of Santa Paula and The Ventura Mission. I know she and her companion did much more, but they did it quietly and happily. I'm not sure if Kiely was born yet when we met Sister Hansen, was it 20 years ago?

~~~♥~~~
Twice a year we don't attend Church and watch it on TV at home if it's available. Satellite Broadcasts can also be viewed at selected churches, or if blessed...we can travel to attend the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. We receive part of Conference on Saturday and then another on Sunday through our local cable company. Time Warner gives us Conference live on Channel 28 or Channel 10 both local, non-profit channels and one or the other usually have The Semi-Annual Conference for Saturday and Sunday Broadcasts. The dates are April 4th and 5th. There are two sessions each day starting here in Southern California at 9:00 am and a continuation of the session at 1:00 pm, both days. Each session has separate talks and music from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and sometimes on Saturday, selected choirs from other areas. It's all beautiful.


~~~♥~~~

I was a convert and I have heard so much of sad, untrue statements, and criticism connected with The Church. I've been active for 40 years solid since I joined when I was 19 years old. I was looking for the true Church and missionaries came the same day my "God Father" came to visit my sick dad. It had been 7 years since our family had seen Mark Modine and we sat on my dad's bed and talked about Mormons. I didn't know Mark was LDS. My dad's other best friend, George Larkin had joined the Church after some rowdy days at college (Cal Poly, duh...) And...was, at the time I joined the church, my dear Bishop. This all wasn't a coincidence. I felt the Spirit easily, and was baptized in a week after talking to Mark and the missionaries. I am grateful beyond comprehension all of their commitment to their mission, their callings, their testimonies, and for teaching me righteous principles. The Gospel completely changed my life for good. It is the True Church.



~~~♥~~~
My Missionaries...Elder Jewkes passed-away this past year, from complications of Muscular Dystrophy. He came to his mission with a cane and left to go home in a wheel chair and suffered all these years since. Elder Jensen lived in Idaho and I pray he is living a wonderful life. Thank you Elders for teaching me. Mark Modine has passed-away as well as my father, but Bishop George Larkin is in Colorado. I wish I could tell him how dear he will always be to me.


Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Missionaries, Mormon, Song: "If You Could Hie To Kolob"

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Quirky Old Fashion Family Sayings, again. My dad, Gene Wellman, should have been a stand-up comic.

Yep, Here's my soft- hearted dad. Gene Wellman.

More Quirky Family Sayings:
I can't help posting these because they keep arriving either by emails from my family or I remember them and bust-out laughing, all by myself. I hope I can refrain from the original version of some, because they are a bit rough. Some I need to delete altogether. My father was not known for his holding back on the "blue talk" He couldn't fake it, not even at fancy dinner parties and dances. Poor mom. I can actually see her face. Hmmmm. Actually, it looks just like the "stink-eye" I get from my husband at the family dinner table, at church, and at parties. OOPS! I'm just going to list them and if they need some.."splangin' to do" maybe I'll add a little bit to help with the meaning. Actually, some of these are so obvious to me, I didn't realize that maybe those who visit my blog from other countries would not understand me a bit. Like those Australians. Wow! Have they started a new language or what?

Let's start with me this morning:
"You look like death warmed over" description of how I look at this moment, with "prairie chicken" hair and no make-up
"Why don't you take a one-way trip on the Shut-up Express (shut-up is a bad word at our house)
"As Useful as a chocolate fireman"
"A buzzard pooped (alternate word) him on a log, and the sun hatched him"
"I'm freezin' my tail off"
"Fixin' to____________ (add anything you are going to do)
"Get Lost"
"I might could do that" maybe

I want to add here that my family has tried to make me less of a nag by just saying, "Yes, Mom," "Yes, Dear" or "Whaaaat!?" You know...like they didn't hear me. Not smarty, but it actually ticks me off and they know it! Dad says to them, " Just say...'Yes, Mom." AACCCKKK! "That would make a tadpole slap a whale" "Makes me so pickin' mad."

I have to add another note here...sorry, I just have ta' go off again with... Why would our folks tell us eat this oatmeal so it'll "stick to our ribs" ? And, then say in the afternoon, "Don't swaller that gum or it'll stick to yer ribs forever"? Shouldn't I just chew a lot of gum and swaller it?

"That gives me the willies" "goose-bumps" "Shivers"?
"Don't stir the mud"
"Don't open a THAT can of worms"
"The more you stir crap (%@#) the worse it stinks"
"That's gonna' itch when it dries"
"Who tooted in church?" I won't say which one of my kids said that, but it was loud.
"They're no better than they should be"
"Tighter than a tick with Lockjaw" Lockjaw is Tetanus
"Well, Well, Well, three holes in the ground" Steve's dad-- lol
"That kid has the Elevens" II Runny nose
"As a crow flys" Don't take the road, it's shorter as the 'crow-flys'
"Wish in one hand and spit(#$%@) in the other and see which one gets filled the faster."
"You can't touch pitch and figure you won't get dirty"
"Up to your arm pits in alligators, drain the swamp" Yes, one of my favorites!
"Don't let that money burn a hole in your pocket"
"More than one way to skin a cat"
"Are you growing potatoes in those ears?"
" He's the low-man on the totem pole"
"Old as Moses toes"
"That's as purty then a slab of butter and sryup on a stack of buckwheat pancakes"
"Uglier than a blue nosed donkey or was it gopher?" "I'll be a blue nose gopher" That's it! Quote from the Mickey Mouse Club when I was a little girl watching, sigh...."Spin and Marty" the ranch boys.
"You hairy gut" The worse thing you could call a person...my brothers, when they were little.
"I bet that guys rear (#$%) is pinchin' the car seat" Close call from gettin' in a wreak

I just thought of something....you know if someone has the hiccups... ask them to do it again and you'll give them a dollar. The hiccups usually stops. This doesn't work twice.

And...if you are doing something quite obvious, like when my children just wouldn't give up the yackin' at me, saying, "Mommy, (Mom, Ma, Mother, SUSAN!) "wud ya' doing?" I would say something totally "off the wall" or not apparent. Like, "Sewing levis," "Driving to Texas,""Plucking a Chicken" "Eating ice cream" never mind, I didn't use that one.

"Don't have a penny to rub against another one"
"If I want somethin' outta ya' I'll squeeze yur head"
"Dirt Poor"
"Cold as well diggers in a Minnesota winter"
"Ding Dang, if that ain't?" not so
"Yer lyin and yer feet don't match!" or "yer socks, shoes, etc. don't match" Fun saying, except when you dressed the kid or the dad.
"If you make me do that, I'll have to hurt you"
"Are grandma's legs that skinny or is she riding a chicken" Honestly Dune...I didn't mean you.
" You COME to a goat's house for wool?" Well, here you get both. But this saying is used for
everthang.
"Don't get in that car without a Tetanus shot first"
"If ifs were and buts were candy and nuts, it would be Christmas every day of the year" Steve's dad.
"They're running like their feet were on fire and their rear (#@%) was catchin"
"Her face could scare the skin off a snake"
"It snowing down south" Your slip is showing
"Keep it under your hat" Don't tell
"They're like squirrels, the woods is full of them" We say, "They're just like rats, the basement is full of them." or "They're just like fleas, the basement is full of them" Whatever!
"Mad enough to eat barbed wire and spit nails"
"Be like a tree and leaf" leave! Steve's dad
"Make like horse apples ($%#@) and hit the trail"
"Like frilly socks on a rooster" She has ankles that are petite
"I'll put a knot on your head a calf could suck"
"Is that the same mouth you kiss your mother with" I've used that at the county fair, chewing out the boys (and girls) in 4-H and FFA. Dang, they think I was invisible, or what?
"Pull the door shut" "Pull the drawer shut"
"Get off the car" means, get out of the car, in Spanglish
"It's in back of beyond"
"Just ain't no fun when the rabbits got the gun"

"That's just as plain as a pig on the sofa" or duck or goat or horse or cow lol Only thing that hasn't been on my sofa is a full grown horse or a pig. Anyone for staying on the sofa at my house?

"Does a one legged duck swim in circles?"
"Does a snake have hips?"
"Eleven cats couldn't clean that boy up"
"Get your ears lowered" Getting a hair-cut
"Happier than a pig in the sunshine" Yes, they like it, but they get sunburned easy, so pigs need lots of cover.
"Funnier than a wagon of monkeys"
"He (She) could fall down walkin' from the house to the barn" Actually, everyone says that to me.
"The missionaries were here and one has a hollow leg" Eats like crazy
"She just kicked the bucket" She passed-away
"He would want a new rope to be hung" Bad person with a rich attitude

"Don't you marry a local Yokel" Yes, my mother said that all the time! I did marry a local Yokel, he lived west of town and he "Didn't have a row to hoe, either"

"Here dad comes heck ($#%%) bent for leather" My dad never ever hit me, ever. Except I let all the horses out at night (herd) and when he got the horses in again, "He flew off the handle, big time" and I ran in the house to play like I was watching TV. He asked me if I had just an inklin' of what a (time he had) I can't even use his language. I said, "What do I look like... a crystal ball?" EWWWW not good, choice there. Sooooo, I "high-tailed it" and he ran just as fast---"Chewing my tail ($%%) the whole way and "cussin....." I know his face looked like "He kissed the wrong end of a baby" and he got winded by yellin', cussin', and hollering at me--so he chucked a rock at me and hit me right in the butt. Yes, alcohol was involved and it wasn't me.

The moral of the story is...dads if you hit your daughter in the butt with a rock, you will be forever sorry and your daughter will probably made $100's of dollars over that incident. I even got to take his truck to the football game. I got my driver's license the day before and I was to never tell my mom, 'cuz my dad cried. Sad story, huh?! I think the "crystal ball, back-sass talk" just "Put him over the edge" He really, really never hit me except the rock. I oughta' go outside and find that ol' rock, it was right next to the arena! lol

Last one for now: Don't eat watermelon seeds or you'll have vines growing out of___________

Did I tell you about the missionary that came to dinner?.... (5 giggly farm girls YW and Dustin a YM, at the dinner table with us and four missionaries) He was from the city and of course, monopolizing the whole conversation about how great he was. He happened to glance out the kitchen window and said he wanted to go out and milk our Holstein. The bull's name was Stupid and we were saving him for the freezer. Oh yeah, that was a fun night. "If he'd had a brain he'd be dangerous." I'm not talking 'bout the bull! Later, my niece offered to cut that missionary's hair (it needed it) "The bull scared it straight." She cut it and then dyed it red, he was one of those really blond, know-it-all, Utards. I think he plain forgot this portion of his mission and I'll bet it wasn't in his "Report of His Mission" in his home ward.

Bree just sent me another from Arkansas from her librarian, she said,"My tongue gets wrapped around my idea & I can't see what I'm saying"

Don't we just have colorful expressions? Links to my other posts of quirky family sayings: here, and here, and this one. Oh, and here and this one is my favorite with my grand daughter being the little Arkie that she is. She is just so sweet and I love and miss you so much (tinker) Bella Jane!


[Watermelon+2.jpg]


This picture is from my daughter in Arkansas and is NOT ME in the trailer. I'm not sure I could load my butt up on the rocker. This picture was taken by a man that works with my daughter's husband. It's not real plain where he is, but it's downtown, I think, Fort Smith. A son is going to the drive-thru smoke shop with his mother in a rocking chair in the wagon behind and she's in her nightgown. I think she wanted to go for a ride. A little too....Adam Sandler, was that in the movie?
Gene Wellman, Old Fashioned Sayings, Quirky sayings

Monday, March 9, 2009

Alligators Knocking At My Door. I Ignore Them and Don't Leave Food Out

I know that somehow a turn unfortunate events can lead into something good. I need to view trials as challenges and try harder the each time. "It's not what happens to you in life, it's what you do about it." Quote by W. Mitchell.

A very wonderful talk was given by one of our Young Women in our ward and it had so much wisdom for a youth talk. I was overwhelmed and asked for a copy of her talk. She found this poem or little book written by Portia Nelson and quoted in: The 8th Habit From Effective To Greatness by Stephen R. Covey. This poem has to with... using your knowledge from the past. Here's her famous...
Autobiography In Five Chapters

  1. I walk down the street
  • There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
  • I fall in.
  • I am lost--I am helpless.
  • It isn't my fault.
  • It takes forever to find a way out.
2. I walk down the same street.
  • There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
  • I pretend I don't see it.
  • I fall in again.
  • I can't believe I'm in the same place.
  • But it isn't my fault.
  • It still takes a long time to get out
3. I walk down the same street.
  • There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
  • I see it is there.
  • I still fall in---it's a habit
  • My eyes are open
  • I know where I am
  • it is MY fault
  • I get out immediately.
4. I walk down the same street.
  • There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
  • I walk around it.
5. I walk down a DIFFERENT street.





So here I am thinking that this is a simple solution by changing my surroundings. Not. When something happens, it's how I react to the problem and not so much the crisis. I seem to think anything that doesn't go the way I thought it should, always IS an actual, major predicament. I'm really trying to be more flexible and accepting of all things ...I will never be serene if I can't accomplish this goal. The whole process of change is really not at all easy. My metaphors of alligators living here, just show you how scared and frightened I can become over things that I can't change. (see: Serenity Prayer that is used in Rotary)

Yep, there's another metaphor about how we are in this, "the journey of life." How many storms can we get through, or how many steep trails can we follow without fear of falling off the edge. I always think I'm going to lose my grip swinging over my problems and fall in with the alligators, like my picture below. I'm just not going to swing-out there... even though I really want to get to the other side. I'm going to find a bridge and soooo what if it may take a longer amount of time? Bridges, I know where to find them.

Today I took the ultimate plunge, not a metaphor. I'm getting into shape by working out at the pool. I loved it! If I have to run sometime, really run, I want to be able to. Thank you my dear Visiting Teachers, Doris Snoeck and Gloria Hansen, they are the most wonderful, caring, sweet, and fun Visiting Teachers ever! Best Friends Forever.

BFF!!



There's no food here ... carnivores! Go somewhere else or I'll make 'ya into boots. Isn't that picture like a dog or cat scratching at the door, just LOVELY?






I'm missing my cowboy hat, see ... that's what happens when I try to take shortcuts and just fall apart. I leave my flipping hat! Oh,no! Where's my purse? Yeee...yah ... Steve's got it and ... Look... It matches his shoes.
You Think You Can Quit Chasing Alligators By Just Draining The Swamp?

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Santa Paula House Burns Down and It's My Son's Fault






My husband Steve is the PIO for the drill.

Our Chief sent an email out to all the firefighters about my son, Dustin, and his work on the fire:

From: Rick Araiza To:
All Subject: Employee of the Week Sent: Mar 3, 2009 12:07

Please join me in congratulating Dustin Lazenby as the employee of the week. Dustin was the training coordinator for the burning of the house on 10th street. He worked many months in preparing for this event and the results were tremendous. We put over 50 people into the class and we burned the house for two days. The experience gained is tremendous and all people agreed it was a first class drill with invaluable training. All who participated will receive a state fire marshal certification. Dustin is to be commended for doing such an outstanding job.

Rick Araiza



To my Captain Dustin: I'm so proud of you Dustin. I am not surprised though, you are our MacGyver of the family. The work setting this all up took forever, I know. I'm glad it didn't just explode on you guys. Like Poof! Gone! You did a really, really nice job on the structure protection. The wooden shed was only three feet away/or less from the burning house. The little shed was attached to the beauty salon and even faced the house. It had only a little black soot on it. All of the firefighters make me feel so safe! I Love You!

Dustin, Excellent Fire Drill in Santa Paula and my son, is Amazing. I lOVE the PIO and I know Why Women Chase Him