Good times with Dave and Courtney

We've had a really fun time with Dave, Courtney, Charlie and Margaret here for the past week.  It started out with the BYU Texas game and everyone was in high spirits after that big win.  Mom was here for a couple of nights and it was a great opportunity for Dave and Courtney to spend some time with her.  She got to meet Margaret and see how much Charlie has grown up.  She headed to Shep's blessing Sunday morning, but we were happy for the time we got to spend with her.
Sunday we attended church and then had all of Rick's family over for a dinner and birthday celebration for Pat and Margie's September birthdays.  We sat 22 adults and various children and had a wonderful meal and an evening catching up.  It was great fun for everyone to see Dave and Courtney and their children. Dave's closest cousin on Rick's side of the family is named Miles.  He and Dave were childhood buddies. He came with his wife Catie and their son Linkin. They are expecting their second son in about a month.
Monday we had planned to go up the canyon for a picnic and a river walk, but it was raining, so we went to IN N OUT instead.  No complaints there.
Syd and Adam come over for dinner Tuesday night and it was fun for these two little families to compare notes and babies.  Baby Shep and Maggie hit it right off and after some time to warm up, so did Rafe and Charlie.  Wednesday night, Andy and Chelsea came over for dinner and we had a long conversation afterwards.  It was wonderful to see these two brothers and their wives have a good time together.  During the days they were here, I had to go to work until early afternoon.  Courtney kept busy visiting friends and family and Dave worked the whole week remotely, so that was a nice perk.
We bought fabric for a baby quilt I am going to sew for Margaret and we found a darling pattern for it.  Courtney picked some very adorable fabric and I'm excited to get started.
Thursday night was the BYU first home game against Houston, so I tended the children while Dave and Courtney went to the game.  I was in charge of our department opening social that afternoon and we served over 100 people dinner at that event.  I went right from that to tending the grands.  It was a busy, fun day.
On Friday, Dave's family headed to AZ to spend some time with family down there, but they will be back on Wednesday for a few more days of being together.
It is so gratifying to me to see my kids in action.  Watching my son change poopy diapers, read stories, play with and help take care of his children is a real joy.  He and Courtney are conscientious parents who are raising our darling grandchildren so well.  They have taught Charlie all sorts of amazing things and I'm pretty sure he is a child genius.  They are a darling family and it was been wonderful to see them in action up close and personal.  We love them so.

Happy Grandparents Day!

Did you know that last Sunday was grandparents day? Me neither.  It isn't a holiday that is widely celebrated like Mother's Day or Father's Day. But maybe it should be.
About 60 percent of all adults 50 and older are grandparents, including 80 percent of widowed persons and 13 percent of never-marrieds in that age bracket. The ranks of grandparents swelled by 50 percent in just 25 years. According to new research and this article, grand parenting isn't what it use to be.  The article points out that baby-boomers (my generation) have changed everything their whole lives, so why not change grand parenting? 

Key findings include:

• The vast majority of grandparents in the quantitative study said they play a very (59%) or somewhat (30%) important role in the lives of their grandchildren.
• About seven in ten (69%) grandparents live within 50 miles of their closest grandchildren. Another 10% indicated that they have to travel over 200 miles to see their closest grandchildren. A little over four in ten (43%) grandparents have to travel over 200 miles to see their grandchildren who live furthest away from them.
• Grandparents who said they did not see their grandchildren enough most often cited distance (67%) as a reason why; followed by the grandchildren’s busy schedules (64%).
• The most frequently mentioned methods of communicating with grandchildren were either face-to-face or telephone. In the telephone survey, nearly six in ten grandparents said they speak with their grandchildren at least once a week (58%).
• Grandparents see their role as shapers of another generation. Specifically, grandparents mentioned the importance of passing on values and helping their grandchildren develop morally and spiritually.
• The majority of grandparents in the telephone survey indicated that they have discussed morals and values (78%) and religion or spirituality (66%) with at least one of their grandchildren. As a corollary, nearly half (47%) indicated that they have attended religious services with their grandchildren in the past six months.

Grandparents represent one of America's largest and most underutilized natural resources, they are healthier today than ever before, more vital and they have more financial resources than grandparents did in previous generations.  Many grandparents like to give their grandchildren cultural experiences and take them on trips. Grandparents desire to share family history, teach grandchildren things they felt were important and to love unconditionally. At least half of grandparents discuss very serious topics with grandkids, including sex, drugs, underage drinking, morality and dating. By the numbers, 78 percent talk to them about morals and values, 73 percent discuss personal safety, 72 chime in on school and career plans and 66 percent on religion/spirituality.

I've had the good fortune to spend some quality and quantity time with each of my eight darling grandchildren in the last couple of months. They are such fun and interesting little people and it is a joy to watch them grow and develop.

Grandparents have never been better connected and now they have the opportunity to talk on cell phones, text messages, talk over Face time or Skype and share information on social media outlets.  I love to stay connected with my little grand kids through most of these outlets.

Grandparents are important people.  I think it is important to find ways to keep the channels of communication open and for grandparents to take opportunities to spend time with their grandchildren in meaningful, memorable and fun ways.  I love being a grandparent and look forward to future shared experiences with my GRANDS.

Margaret's baby blessing

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that little children don't need to be baptized until the age of accountability, which we believe is eight years old.  Children that age know the difference between right and wrong and can make the decision of whether they want to be baptized into the Church.  When babies are small, they are given a name and a blessing through the power of the priesthood as infants.  This is what happened last Sunday when our newest little darling granddaughter Margaret was given a name and a blessing my her father, grandfathers and uncles.  It was a sweet occasion and we were happy to be there to participate.  Courtney had made baby Maggie the most beautiful blessing dress and she looked angelic in it.  She made her a bracelet and headband and she was all decked out for the occasion.  Big brother Charlie was looking so big next to his little sister and I know he was proud to be the 'big brother'.  We love our sweet son and his wonderful family!

30 incorrectly used words that can make you look less smart than you might actually be

I'm married to a walking dictionary.  As a former English major in college, he knows his stuff.  He is an exceptional writer, spelling whiz,  grammar snob and composition genius.  When I came across this article, I thought of him. He would score a 100%.  Do you know the difference between these words and how to use them correctly?  Test yourself and check your answers HERE.http://time.com/96982/incorrectly-used-words/

No wonder people learning English say that it is a very difficult language to learn.

 

Adverse and averse

Affect and effect

Compliment and complement

Criteria and criterion

Discreet and discrete

Elicit and illicit

Farther and further

Imply and infer

Insure and ensure

Number and amount

Precede and proceed

Principal and principle

It’s and its

They’re and their

Who’s and whose

You’re and your

My favorite summer salad

My sister-in-law Deborah makes this delicious salad.  It has a unique flavor and I really like it.

Chicken-Bacon-Pasta Salad

this is not a picture of the actual salad, but it look similar to this

1 box Bartoli bow tie pasta, cooked and drained

3 cups purple grapes - cut in half

1 large can chicken, chopped

1 pound PEPPERED bacon (must be peppered), chopped

1 bunch green onions, cut up

1 cup chopped celery (optional)

1 cup chopped cashews (optional)

Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup vinaigrette (Vidalia Onion if available)

pepper - to taste

garlic salt - to taste

1 T. salad supreme

1 t. Montreal seasoning (to taste)

Enjoy!