This week DeVon has had some time off after working the fourth of July and the weekend. It's been fun spending some time together. When DeVon's off we mostly run around spending money we shouldn't and enjoying each others company. This week he has been working on the back yard and I have to admit that he got that horrible duty after many years of me trying and complaining and finally giving up. I told him I would do the front yard but he or anyone one he wanted to hire could do the back yard. It's a overwhelming job. Sometimes I would love to move to a fun old house with a very little yard. Or if I really want to fantasize I think of a sprinkler system that comes on automatically and covers every area of the yard and I can only worry about paying the bill. Anyway on my daily exercise walks I look at yards and try to get some cute low maintenance ideas, then I drive DeVon back to see what I found. All I can say about yard work is that it takes a lot of time and money. Both of which I would rather not spend. Now I hate to sound so negative, I love a cute yard and have been know to go to the owner of the house and compliment them on their yard. My mother was famous for doing that and making new friends while learning the names of different plants. I have a friend that made a neighborhood garden inviting friends to give her starts of some of their plants and remembering them each time she worked in her garden. I thought that was a very cute idea. But she has moved from that house I wonder if whoever bought her house knew it was a neighborhood friendship garden. Now back to our dilemma I think we are going to rent a dump truck at home depot and go get lots of compost at the landfill and keep working on our Garden of WEEDIN. They say it's therapeutic. I guess I need more therapy. If you have any wonderful ideas to transform my backyard please give us your advice.

Sundays are wonderful and crazy. Crazy in the fact that we love to have the whole family over to have dinner and to enjoy one another's company. When you have a rather small house and a large family it's cozy, and very chaotic. I hope it's in keeping with the Sabbath day. I'm holding firm that it's all about family and we need to stay close. Jodie and Shaun have a new precious baby girl named Parker. She will be making her debut this fast Sunday in our ward to get blessed. She also has a big brother Hayden and he's two years old. He is a very busy little boy. As sweet as can be, but as the commercial says; "you have to have roller skates to keep up with him." We just learned that Shaun is in the process of getting a new job at Kennicott. That will be a very good blessing in there lives.

Emily and Jake have three sweet little girls and they like to keep grandma busy. Their favorite activities on Sunday at grandma's is coloring and cutting paper creating masterpieces to be hung on the window. Afterwords a little make over is in order. Always some time in the back yard finding some cherries to eat. But they love to swing on the swing set and the glider. They also love to go for walks. Fuzzy, also known as Ashley, just wanders around trying on people's shoes and dripping Popsicles all over herself.

Kaleb and Kristin are looking for a house to move into. They keep themselves very busy with work and school. Kristin has two jobs and Kaleb is in school and working. Next month they will be celebrating their first anniversary.

Abbey is very busy working and socializing; it's hard keeping up with her. She wants to sell her car and get a cheaper one. Also work part time and go to school full time. I hope that she succeeds in this endeavor.

Aaron tells me that this is the best summer ever. He very busy socializing and working out at the gym and swimming at the pool. He is also working at Kmart mostly to afford his soccer habit. It's an expensive habit.

DeVon has his hands full as bishop and working for the church as a supervisor in the security department.

This is the reason that Sundays are so important to me. Not only to enjoy the blessings of the gospel, but to also renew my covenants by partaking of the Sacrament. It also fills my life with the goodness of gospel teachings and enjoying our ward family. It's so important to have time with my children and grandchildren because they are the world to me.

This is all so new, but I'll give it a try

Emily has just help me set up a blog. I have loved reading others blogs but I don't know that I have too much to add. I remember being a young mother with a house full of children and their friends and lots going on but I'm living a very quiet life, Abbey and DeVon's at work, Aaron is getting ready to hang out with his friends and I seem to be faced with the challenge of either doing house work or reading. Reading seems to be winning the struggle there. It's crazy not so long ago I would have loved to have the house to myself and peace and quiet. But now I seem a little lost. I know there are always the "good doers" that's right the ones that are always serving others but I don't really want to take thier opportunities away. So I think it's only right that I continue to be a slug and ponder upon the next book to read. I do have to say that it's very fun to go to the website for the Salt Lake County Library and down load book on your MP3 player. DeVon is the one that actually loads them on my MP3 player. I haven't figured out how to do it completely. But I download them on the computer and leave the rest for DeVon to do. But it's great to listen to these books while I'm out doing my daily exercise. The crazy thing is that the books are checked out to you for 21 days and then they just desolve. Modern technology it's amazing. The author that I'm enjoying now is Alexander McAll Smith. I can't remember the title of the books but they'er based in Scotland. The language is good and the stories are just everyday events in these character's lives. It's good to find books that are not offensive.