Mrs. Clare's Summer Art School

Since Clare doesn't have a blog on which to toot her own horn, I will do it for her. Tonight was the gallery showing for her two summer art school sessions. A steady stream of students and family members (I would estimate 50 or more) enjoyed the art work and appetizers. There were sculptures, paintings, sketches, metal engravings, frescoes and more. Clare is a wonderful art teacher! As proof, every parent that came asked to be on the list for next summer's sessions. Here are a few pictures of the festivities. (There are no pictures of Clare. She demanded the right to review any photos of her before I published them and I didn't want to call her at ten minutes to midnight to get her permission.) There are a few other faces that you might recognize:

Sentimental Journey

Tonight Carl and Heather invited us to go with them and some friends from Rosedale Ward to the Crystal Palace for dinner and the Buckaroos. The last time we were at the Crystal Palace was for Bill's birthday in 2006. It was one of Buck's last shows--he passed away less than a month later. The tradition continues with Buck's son, Buddy Alan Owens, performing with the Buckaroos and Kim MacAbee every Friday and Saturday. He looks and sounds so much like his dad--it was really bittersweet and brought back memories of all the great times we've had over the years with Buck at the Crystal Palace.

Road Trips

Between Bill's job and the addition of three new members to our family, our travel opportunities are blossoming like summer roses. On August 31, we will drive to St. George to celebrate Grandma's 75th birthday. We will return home on September 4 and, immediately after, Bill will make a trip to Dallas. In early October, Bill is hosting a regional sales meeting in South Lake Tahoe, then taking the corporate jet to Minnesota for meetings. I will stay at home, close to the phone, awaiting word of the arrival of young Alvie Taylor. Upon receiving word I will dash off to St. George to meet our newest grandson and stay for a week to give what assistance I can. In early November, we will be travelling to Sonoma for a four-day meeting of regional managers (spouses invited.) On November 20th we will return to St. George to celebrate Thanksgiving and attend Alvie's blessing on Sunday, November 25th. The next day, on November 26th, we will head to San Antonio to meet little Ellie White, who is due in early November. We will spend the first night in Roswell, New Mexico, arriving in San Antonio on the 27th of November. Emily is hoping for a representation of family members, making this a mini-reunion and early Christmas get-together, culminating in Ellie's blessing on Sunday, December 2nd. The next day, December 3rd, we will drive to Albuquerque for the night, arriving back in St. George on December 4th and returning home to Bakersfield on December 6th. In early January, we are looking forward to the birth of young Will Reed. Will will make grandchild number 12! Later in January we have an overnight trip to Monterey for the San Francisco Region Holiday dinner. We have discovered that it is easier to schedule the holiday dinner if we do it after the actual holidays. Let us know if you want to caravan with us on any of our travels. The more the merrier!

Sewing School

Today was the sixth sewing class in our eight-class series. Aubrey and her friend, Katie Clark, finished and modelled the pajama pants which they have crafted. They pinned them and cut them out by themselves and did 80% of the sewing by themselves. On Wednesday they will begin their final project, a one-yard apron. It has been a long time since I spent much time around nine year old girls. Here's what I have learned:

• They are very silly.
• They have great confidence in themselves and in the adults in their lives.
• Everything is fun and exciting for them.
• They are rightfully proud of what they have done and don't agonize over needing everything to be perfect. (Note to self...)
• They probably shouldn't be allowed near hot irons for a couple more years.
• Their skills improve noticeably from one day to the next. They are little sponges who absorb and remember everything they are taught. They will succeed at whatever they work at. Hopefully, that will include sewing.

The payoff for me came today when Aubrey said, "Grandma, I love being in this room and just talking while we sew." Priceless.

The Score is 7-5

Some of you, less adept in the art/science of interpreting ultrasound images, may have a difficult time identifying the significant feature in this picture of the newest Reed offspring. Let us make it clear for you...



IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Young William Donald Reed (name tentatively chosen) is scheduled to arrive mid-January. We can't wait to make his acquaintance!

See It!

We just got home from watching the movie, "Hairspray." Both of us were a little reluctant. Musicals are not usually our cup of tea, and John Travolta in drag wasn't something we thought we needed to see. But, on the recommendation of Carl and Heather we went. AND WE LOVED IT!!!!!! Go see this movie! It is hugely entertaining. (And how could you not love a movie that celebrates chubby women?) It's one of those movies that leaves the audience clapping, and wanting more. You will want to own the CD and the DVD when it comes out. My favorite line of the night? "Why settle for a twig, when you can have the whole tree?"

My (Current) Secret Addiction

It's time to confess. I have become completely addicted to the BBC series, "How Clean Is Your House?" For the past two weeks I have been tivo-ing three episodes every afternoon and watching them at night (when Bill is out of town.) I have even done a little "cyber-stalking" of the two lead characters, Aggie McKenzie and Kim Woodburn. I have researched their bios and read several interviews with them. I love seeing how filthy other people's houses are, the practical cleaning tips and especially the hilarious British commentary . For example, Kim refers to the grunge in a tub which has gone uncleaned for years as "bum fodder." When she confronted one bachelor with how filthy his toilet was, and insisted that he clean it under her supervision, she responded to his protests, "Well, darling, it IS your pee pee!" I find myself so horrified when I see the funk other people live in that I usually jump up and start doing jobs that I have been neglecting. In the last week, I have de-greased my range hood, cleaned my kitchen drains and vacuumed my upholstery. I learn something new every episode. For example, did you know that mice are incontinent? If you see mice droppings, then you can assume that they are "weeing" everywhere. Here is Kim's recipe for cleaning and freshening kitchen drain pipes:

Pour into the drain 1/2 C. baking soda, 1/2 Cup salt, 1/4 C. white vinegar and let it foam. Then, when it stops foaming, pour a kettle full of boiling water down the drain. This will dissolve any greasy build-up and take care of any funky smells. They also suggest that once a week or so you should run your dishwasher empty, with a Cup of white vinegar poured into the bottom, to get rid of funk and odors. Finally, if you have a lot of flies in the house they suggest you hang up a strip of wide packing tape upon which you have smeared some honey. Within just a few minutes the flies will all be stuck to the tape. I can continue to share interesting tidbits, but you really should check out Aggie and Kim for yourselves.