Thanks, Alice!

Christopher and Nicholas were pretty impressed the other day that I knew all the words to the opening song of

The Brady Bunch.
Is there anyone from my generation that doesn't?

We weren't even allowed to watch TV that wasn't PBS, and I still managed to furtively watch every episode and learn every word. Can you imagine who I might be today if I hadn't?

Well, Alice was talking about going out with Sam for the evening and I thought,
"Alice, how old are you?"
Of the 5 people I polled, each guessed late 50's or 60's.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

Thanks to Wikipedia I was able to answer my questions...
The show originally aired from 1969 -1974 (when we watched throughout the 70's and 80's they were reruns in syndication) and Ann B. Davis (Alice) was born in 1926.
Which makes her 43 - 48 years old while entertaining viewers on The Brady Bunch.

I'm almost 40. And to quote my friend, Kathy, "Compared to Alice, we look like super-models!"
Thanks, Alice!

Unsupervised

For a second I thought Nicholas was buried!
I called his name in a panic
but he answered me from the shower
where he was calmly rinsing off.

Renaissance Kid

I couldn't resist snapping a couple of photos of Marty getting his practicing done
before heading off to football camp.

Just What I Needed!

Michelle sent me a link to the Blog, "Catalog Living -- A look into the exciting lives of the people who live in your catalogs."

It's the perfect end to the "I've already looked at Facebook updates and nobody's posted anything new on their blogs but I still need something to entertain me" evening. Seriously, laugh-out-loud-funny!

Homecoming

Just showing off a bit...

Quiet

What a quiet week it's been! Courtney's at EFY and Marty and Dan are at Scout Camp. Everyone left Monday morning and they don't get back until Saturday. I've realized a week's a long time to have half your family away!

Outside Chipman Hall at BYU, looking forward to a great week at EFY

The raft the scouts built--Bear Lake, July 2010

Chris and Nick have played with friends the entire day and then late into the night. We all go outside after the shadows cool off the yard and they climb trees and I sit on our new patio furniture reading a good book. Dinners have been simple and we haven't eaten breakfast until 10:45 when Nick and I get back from swim lessons!

Life's been a bit more laidback -- I haven't had to drive anyone anywhere except to pick up or drop off at a friend's house or to make an evening trip to Island Flavor for snow cones. It's certainly been quieter with only two kids around instead of four. And without the groups of friends hanging out that the older two usually have over.


I've stayed up as late as I've wanted reading with the idea that I'll sleep in as long as I want. For some unexplained reason I've woken up each morning around 7:30. But I've stayed in bed reading which is heavenly!

After quiet evenings Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I was stir crazy to have some life over here! I sent out an e-mail to anyone I had an address for and invited "everyone" over for Italian Sodas and popsicles. I loved having the yard filled with kids and the outdoor couches filled with friends catching up on summer and life! (And Tiffany, not one of my friends had had Italian Sodas before! I told them all about you and how it had become a favorite you'd introduced us to--was it in New York?!)

Everyone comes home tomorrow and I'm ready. I miss my kids. I miss giving and getting their hugs. I miss hearing about their days and I miss seeing their Facebook updates. I miss hearing them play the piano and violin. I miss talking to them. I miss my husband and sitting outside together. It's time to all be together again, if only for a few hours before they run off again.
It will be nice to just have everyone check in.

Oh yeah... I'm offended!

Got the above promotion addressed to me in the mail today...
"More" magazine "for women who love to act their age."
What?!

I have no reservations about turning 40 soon, but I'd no sooner have my daughter start reading "Seventeen" at age 7, then I'd read a magazine for 60-year-olds when I'm 39!

This older woman who has gone "gracefully gray" trying to tell me I'm her age?!
Far from it, lady! I've got a few grays, but only about 5! You want to be best friends? Great!
But I'm nowhere near menopause so we'll have to find some other common ground to chat about!

I checked out their website and found one can enjoy articles on:
Surviving Hot Flashes
The Cougar Life (and I don't mean BYU alum)
An article about Pilates which carefully explains what exactly that means
Anti-aging tricks with your make-up
All things menopause
And sex after 50.

Piles

Some of the piles I'm tackling this summer...

Piles of laundry every Tuesday...
Someday I want to get it all folded in the laundry room, but it seems a few loads always end up in my room to get folded and I never get around to it. And suddenly it's Tuesday again!

I do love summer because there are fewer socks! And I HATE sorting socks!

Piles of books to read this summer...
I like having my own books. I like that even after I finish reading them, the ones I love will still be around for me to see on my shelf and remind me how much I enjoyed them.

At one time I attempted to enjoy the library. I went in with a long list and loads of enthusiasm and was sorely disappointed when I didn't find even ONE of my books available. I'm not a fan of adding my name to a list and waiting...

Two weeks ago I went online to order books from Barnes & Noble. One was out of print and I decided to try their used books service... Ohhhhhhh... Books to own at a fraction of the price. I'm in heaven!

(Although I have to say the book I'm reading now has comments/criticism written in the columns and it's driving me crazy! Past Reader is choosing the most nit-picky things to notice and "complain" about. I can already tell her personality...you know the type.)

Piles of math papers and flash cards...
Summer is not summer without Aunt Marge. She has always been an important part of summers and Christmas for all of my 39 years. We'd wait eagerly for her to arrive and as soon as her 1970 gold Buick pulled up -- bringing her from Northern California to Utah -- we'd shout with joy and go running for hugs and often treasures.

Marge is a whiz at teaching children math facts. Each morning last week she worked with Christopher teaching the stories that go with each fact which magically cements them in your brain. Within a few lessons he could finish a timed test in seconds instead of long painful minutes and his self-esteem had gone through the roof.

Piles of recipes...
About a year ago I sorted through my recipes -- torn from pages of magazines or handwritten on notecards or scratch paper. Some in the category of "I've been meaning to try this," and many stained and dirty from sitting so often by my stove while I used it over and over and over.

I sorted them and placed them loosely in a notebook with the intention of putting them in sheet savers or 3-hole punching them in. The notebook has sat on my counter-top for several weeks on several different occasions because I've intended to finish the project. And then never have.

Well I finally got it done!

Independence Day

We enjoyed a delicious pancake breakfast up at Brighton to kick-off our Independence Day celebration. Well actually, we enjoyed sleeping in. THEN, we got out of bed and made it up to Brighton by 10:30 to enjoy breakfast in the mountains.
Nicholas: "Hey! They have Lincoln Logs!"





After hiking around a bit, we drove over Guardsman Pass into Park City and rode the Alpine Coaster--similar to the Alpine slide but better!




That night we skipped the usual tradition of Sugarhouse Park fireworks and glowsticks and stayed closer to home to watch the fireworks right in Holladay City. I missed being with my family, but it was fun to celebrate with our community and friends.

We also missed Courtney who was in Santa Cruz hanging out with Ruby. Nicholas said she was missing out on all the fun. I'm pretty sure hanging out with one of your best friends on the beach and in San Francisco was a pretty even match with the Alpine Coaster. Not sure Nicholas would agree!

Sunday Musings by Nicholas

Says Nicholas calmly on Sunday afternoon: "I can't wait until you and Dad are dead because then we can have screens on Sunday and get a dog."