It's Debbie's Birthday

Debbie is having her birthday today. I won't say how old she is, but I will say that we are the same age for the next 2o some odd days. That was always fun for us when we were kids. Not many other kids could say they were the same age as one of their siblings. (Of course Louyre and Louse could say that also) Anyway, it was fun for us. Debbie was always my best bud. We lived far away from other people, and we had lots of responsibilities as little kids. We got friends who lived in Shumway when we got a little older, but Debbie and I pretty much remained best friends until we graduated from High School. After that our lives kind of took seperate roads, but we have always been friends. Mom and dad expected lots from Debbie and I. Louyre and Louise came a few years after us, but by then Debbie and I already knew how to do it, so why bother and make Louyre and Louise learn anything. By the time the 3 younger kids got here, it was worse. They actually got waited on. Ha Ha Mom and dad taught all of us kids to love food. I don't know why they couldn't have taught us to love something else like TV (Ha Ha) Anyway, we were always good eaters. Debbie had the hardest time. We are all so very proud of her because of her tremendous weight loss. I am horribly jealous. She looks so good. She has always been a good girl, and we are all jealous of that. She has always made the good and right choices. She has always been the most devoted. I always wished that I could have been as strong as her. I never was, and never will be. I love Debbie very much, and she is still my best "bud" (of course she will have to share that title with Wayne now, because he's my best "bud" also. Happy Birthday Debbie. Debbie never had kids of her own, but Ashley has Debbie's middle name of Diane; Dakota's fir name is actually Debbie, and Adelaide was born on her birthday. That makes it legal for her to claim them as her own.

Our Little Puffy hairdo's

Debbie and I were in different schools this year, but we both had one favorite dress, and so we both got to wear it for our pictures.

The glasses were the top of fashion, but ask Debbie, they were a

source of much teasing unfortunately

This picture was barely save in time. I love this picture

I also have a picture that looks similar to this. Mom had a

tendency to do all of our hair the same each year.

Whatever was the easiest.

Never what looked the best.

I made Debbie's dress (thank you) but Ann Shumway get the

credit for her hair. Debbie could never say no and mean it.

Debbie actually posing fo a picture ????

This was about the time she did her surgery.

She is a whole different person now.

Debbie is those fine glasses again

Debbie's senior picture. At least she was smart enough to

keep her glasses on (someone else wasn't) She also

wore a necklace. Maybe they just used me as a experiment.

Debbie has more pictures than all of us, because she got to

take school pictures every year, sometimes twice.

She does always look good though

This is one of my favorite pictures also.

I love the purple dress. Nellie and my kids think it is icky

but me and Debbie like it, and who counts the most.

Debbie in another school picture

At least her newer ones look better than some of the older.

The older were cute though.

Debbie graduating from BYU.

She's the only one to graduate from college.

That's something to be proud of.

She won't agree all the time, because she still

makes less money than pretty much everyone else when

they were working their "other" jobs.

She still did it, even though everyone told her she

could never graduate from BYU because it was TOO HARD

for someone who couldn't see

In Debbie's older years she got brave with animals.

Of course, she probably touched frogs and snakes as a kid also.

She even has a picture with a snake around her neck somewhere.

Debbie always said she was dad's boy and so she had to

act like one, and I'll have to admit that sometimes

she did.

Debbie graduating from High School in 1974

She went from here to Beauty School in Utah where

she spent the next 2 years. She finished that and came home

and earned money to go on a mission. She came home from her

mission (honorably of course) and went back to work to earn

enough money to get her into her first year at BYU, and then

got scholarships after that to keep her there. She should be

really proud of accomplishing all that. None of the rest of us did.

Ask Vance about his time at BYU.

Nellie was better at BYU than Vance, but

she didn't stay for long.

Debbie on her mission in Greensboro, North Carolina

I had 3 kids by the time she got home off her mission.

I know smetimes she thinks she missed out, but kids are

pretty hectic also. Sometimes I feel like I missed out on lots

of stuff also, because I got married and started having kids and

it limited what I could do for many years. It's funny how our choices

define what happens for the rest of our lives. Those choices make

us who we are. I wonder what would have happened to all

of us if we had made a few different choices ???????

What a crazy month

I haven't blogged in over a month. Things have been so busy. We have been building a new chiken pen and trying to get our garden planted. Both have been tie consuming. We started taking the old chicken pen apart and letting the chickens free range during the day. First a raccoon came along and got some of them and then the dogs (trying to get them back I'm sure) ended up breaking a few necks. All in all when all was said and done we only have 11 chickens left. It was quite traumatizng. The pen is pretty much finished. The only thing that can still get in is a raccoon, and we'll just have to del with that. We have 4 chickens from last year, 3 bard rocks, 3 black sex links, and on Aurcana (?). The goats have been fine through all this. Teir little horns are getting bigger and pointier. A unicorn would have nothing over them. The turkeys are fine, but we are missing one. He wandered too far away and Maggie and Sam broke his neck also. If they weren't sch good dogs. The scotch broom bloomed and it wasn't so bad until a few days ago. The wind started blowing and blew lots of jnk around. I have been pretty miserable the last few days. The puppies are fine. 2 of them are gone andwe still have 4. Clyde is still on his chain and doing fine. It got really hot here this last week. We have been tryinlg to get gardens planted, but it has been really hot and we couldn't get back out. It's cooled down now, nd so we can. Our tomatoes, radishes, onions, pole beans, cabbages, cauliflower and a few various things are doing fine. The cucumbers have survived, but something ate my yellow squash and pumpkins to the ground. They haven't bugged anything else. We are working outside today, hopefully we will get a lot done. We have 2 more boxes to set up and we are going to plant corn and a few other things. I'll be glas when we see some tomatoes. That iswhat I want the most, tomatoes and green beans. Wayne has really been in bad shape. He applied for diaability about 8 or 9 months ago. He got a phone all on Monday and found outthat he got accepted. It will be a good thing. His knees and feet are pretty trashed. His breathing is horrible. He can't do much any more. This will also put him on medicare, so maybe a steady doctor will help some. We are getting a new bishop tomorrow. That is a good thing. Our poor bishop is pretty old and tired. Wayne calls him a lame duck. He's known for onths that he is going out, an he just kind of quit. Change is always nice. Rich's cousin Ia and his wife Pam and 2 kids, Christian and Priscilla (baby girl) are visiting. They will be here for another couple of days. We are teaching them about years supply and coupon shopping. The kids are almost out of school. I'm not sure how much longer they have, but maybe next week or possibly the next. We are trying to get Cody here for the summer. Maybe it will be good for him. Dusty and russ's garden is doing really well. I'm glad they decided to do that. I missed blogging about Penny and Dusty's birthdays. I owe them a blog. The kids are all fine. Addie is getting big. She is almost walking. Ginger's new job is about the same she says. She can wear normal clothes now, instead of a uniform. She goes to work early, and so she definately doesn't get enough sleep. Rich is getting ready to start school. He picked up his books yesterday. He will still work part time. Penny's job is still going fine. They ahve ct her back to about 24-25 hours a week. She can survive though. I wish the gas prices would go down again. They are just slowly creeping up. Things in general are getting pretty scary. We just need more food. I don't hink e will ever have enough. Prices of everything are going up. The president is a disaster. He is trying o hard to make us a third world country. I don't want to be a third work country. Dad though bush was bad, I won't what he would think of Obama. He is definately not an American, and not there for our best interest. I'll get back into pictures my next blog. Couponing has also been taking up lots of time in my life. We have been saving lots and also building up our food storage. That is a good thing, but it does take lots of time. I almost forgot. Mark and Michelle got all moedout into their new place. They are loving it, and we are loving the extra room. We moved Conol and Kael upstairs to their room. We have finally got most of it put together now. Penny moved intoMark and Michelle's room. We still have lots to do, but because f outside stuff it is taking us a while. We are also going to try and get Debbie up here for a while this summer also. Busy Busy

One of those weeks - Racoons and Dogs

Things got pretty crazy after we got back from Arizona. Mark and Michelle were moving and that didn't help any. On Monday while we were still on our way home, a raccoon got into the chickens. It carried off 3 babies before he was discovered. Sam treed him up a tree and Mark finally found him and shot him. He was huge. Michelle has a picture of him, but I forgot to get it before she left. A couple days later, Clyde got out again and hit the chicken pen. He chewed up all of the big chickens pretty bad. One of them died a few days later. It was pretty devastating. The pen is getting pretty trashed because of Clyde. 2 more baby chickens got out in a hole left by Clyde that we didn't find and Same and Maggie "accidentally" killed them. Our chickens had a really bad week. There are a few nice things though, the remaining big chickens are still laying eggs, and we got 2 little pigmy goats. They are adoreable. The turkeys are doing fine also. We decided that one of them has a bad foot. We don't know if he came with it or what, but he seems to do okay. Mark and Michelle got all moved now and they are doing fine except that Michelle is carless over there. It takes us about 25 minutes to get to her house. Mark should get a work truck in July and then she will have a car. It has been pouring rain for about 4 days now. It is so wet, and there has even been water over the road. I've never seen so much rain. We are trying to get our gardens put in, and it is kind of difficult. Hopefully we will dry up for a few days and we can get them going. We have so much to do, and it seems not enough time in the day.

The 2 baby goats - Jezebel and Jasper (Wayne named them)

The chickens surviving the storms (racoons and dogs)

Wayne loves how they all line up in rows

Penny is trying to teach the puppies to eat dog food. Addie decided that if it was good for the puppies it might be good for her also.

The 6 puppies - they are so cute

Liam Biam fell in the trailer (where he wasn't supposed to be) and cut his head open

Addie chilling out with the kitty

The turkeys are so different from the chickens - they sometimes get all riled up

and fluff their feathers. It's funny, because they look just like big turkeys when they do that

One of the puppies with his eyes open now

Trip to Arizona

Brandon and Tiffani flew us to Arizona on Apr 17. They picked us up at the airport and we went to Louyre's house to see all of the Phoenix gang. It was so good to see everyone. We stayed at Brandon and Tiff's house all week and worked on the Preparedness Fair that was to be on Apr 25. We coupon shopped all week. Tiffani has been getting huge amounts of food with her coupons and has been doing it really cheap. It's a cool thing, it just takes lots of time. We took pictures of her storeroom and it was amazing. The pictures I tooik at the beginning of the week only had part of the food. After shopping all week, but room was literally bulging at the seams, and we had to rearrange and restack lots of stuff. There is literally 90 days plus lots more of some things in the room. It was so amazing. On Friday night we had a brithday party for Wayne and my family came over for a cook out. We had a really good time. They all look so good. Kim's grandbabies are adoreable. The preparedness fair was awesome. The food turned out really good and there was over 75 people who attended. There were also some non members there that the missionaries handed out flyers to. Most of the food was gone when it was over and we talked so much we were all hoarse. Tiffani came home to a sign on her house, because it was her birthday that day. Her and Brandon are pretty anazing with all the kids. It is a really hard job to keep care of all of those kids. It just about wore me out. We had a fun week, and we will miss them. It was nice to get back home to our bed and our little kids here. I missed them. Thanks Brandon and Tiff for a fun (and exhausting week). I guess I should fill in a couple of other bits of news also. Dennie was in a buggy accident (yes buggy) that really broke him up and road rashed him bad. He spent one night in the hospital. He is home and okay, but Nellie said he is pretty sore and grouchy. Our Aunt Betty (Margie's sister and Gary's wife) died last week on Apr 21. She was 73 years old. Because of our flight home on Monday I wasn't able to attend the funeral. I felt bad a bout that. Nellie and Vance both talked. Margie told them that Betty never got over Gary dying, and I would believe that. She was buried by Gary in Taylor. Maybe now she will be at peace in her life.

Addie and Miles meeting for the first time

Brittney and her girls, Ashlyn and Paige

Brittney with Bethany's baby, Addyson and Melanee and Shelbee and Ash lyn

Louyre, Louise and Rob

Brandon and Darin

A group picture. Mom and Dad would have loved these kids

Brandon & Tiff's storeroom thanks to coupon shopping

Brandon & Tiff's storeroom again

Brandon and Tiff's storeroom - canned meat in the back corner

Addie and Miles and Zach in the back

Brandon cooking in the wind

Kim and Addie and Bailey

Nellie, Kim and Michelle

Vance, Chelan, me, and Brandon

Vance and me and Addie

At the Preparedness Fair - Tiffani only paid about $40.00 for this entire table of food.

The firstaid table and pandemic stuff

If was Tiff's 30th birthday. This sign got left on her house. Ha Ha

This is the 72 hour kit table

Nellie, Kim and Debbie and canning table with the Elders

Nellie, Debbie and Kim again

The Car emergency kit

Turkeys and Puppies

Wayne insisted on expanding the chicken family by adding a few turkeys. He and Michelle went out yesterday and bought 5 turkeys. They are pretty cute. I suspect they will be naughtier than the chickens. Maggie also had some puppies the other day. If was funny because she had them inside the old tree. She has 4 boys and 2 girls. We did get them moved into the barn yesterday. At first Maggie was a little distraught, but then she chilled out.

Here are 3 white turkeys. The guy at the feed store said their's got to be 60 pounds last year.

Here are 2 little brown turkeys. They are smaller now, but who know about later.

Maggie and the puppies buried deep inside the tree. This picture is taken from about 3 feet out. She is way inside the tree. Penny went in and pulled the puppies out with a shovel thing.

The is the tree she was in

Just to the right of the middle is a dark spot with a limb coming out of it. The dark spot is the opening that Maggie climbed into. She actually had the puppies on the back side of the tree. It is a pretty cool hidey hole if you ask me. I searched for her for hours the other day before I found her.