The World's Largest Bird Feeder/ Shelter????

Lily came over to the house one day and decided she wanted to build a bird house!  So she looked through a pile of scrap lumber and selected her pieces!  With very little help from adults, she managed to put together this bird house, which really is more like a bird feeder, however she feels it can also be a "shelter" cause it does have a little roof over it!!  (And she asked me if I thought this would go i the book of records for being the biggest bird house!...she is sooo cute!)  She got Papa's battery operated drill and screws and managed to do a pretty darn good job of putting it together.  Then her older sister got involved with painting it!  And as they were getting set up, the "feeder" fell and came apart, so then we did call on "Papa" to assist in screwing it in a little bit better to make sure it holds!  One wipe of the paint brush and Lily's leg was all brown!  "I didn't mean to do it!" says Ellie!  (yeah, like I believe that!!)  Then Lily is catching some drips on her side that came from Ellie painting her side and when Lily flicks her brush to clean up the drips, it splatters on Ellie!  Another time Ellie asked Lily to look at her side...and what does she do, but stick her head into the open space to have a look see on the other side and sure enough, now her light brown hair has a big glob of dark brown paint in it!  Oh and get this, Lily says she wants to be a professional painter when she grows up!  OMG that girl had paint everywhere...on her feet, her toes, her hands, elbows, we are talking everywhere.  It sure is a good thing she put on one of my old  T-shirts to protect her clothes!  When they were all done, I had them go home and take a shower and scrub off all the paint!  Such a fun time they had making and painting this wonderful bird feeder/shelter!  It certainly kept them occupied for hours!  (at my house!)  But that is what Grandparents are for, right??

An "Idaho Cell Tower"

Do you remember the cactus cell tower I posted back in May?  Well, now we are in the Pacific Northwest and this is what a cell tower looks like here!  As you can see from the photo directly above and from a distance, it does resemble a fir tree that has died.  Just thought you would like to see it and to be on the lookout for strange yet maybe familiar objects in your own area...you never know it might just be a cell tower!

Family Time, Fun Time, Summer Time

Once again we had a fabulous time in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho at the Gozzer Ranch.  It is such a wonderful place to vacation with the family, there is golfing, pool swimming, lake swimming, boating, paint balling, fishing and so much more!  Both girls and their families had a three day head start on Scott and me, but that was good because we were all (12 of us!) staying in a three bedroom condo!  We did not have the best of weather this year, although it was always sunny and warm in the afternoon, but we had rain most nights and a bit into the morning.
                                                      These are views from the penthouse condo where we stayed.

This is called the Lakeside Resort, Gozzer built this huge complex for its members to purchase.  The word is that Lance Armstrong purchased two 4,000 sq.ft. condos and is having a wall taken out to make one big condo!!

The day Dina and Jamie got there, they saw Phil Mickelson with his family on the course.  Apparently he is thinking about becoming a member....Jamie was a bit star struck!!

Now back to our family adventures...first lots of swimming in the beautiful Gozzer Pool.  They have a whole complex for kiddos...pool, wading pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, fitness center, play structure, swings, food shack, the red barn has a pottery room with a kiln so you can take a piece of pottery and paint it and they will kiln dry it for you.  It has a ping pong table, several computers and a big screen with movies to choose from...lots of activities to keep the younger set happy!

Addie and Jalen getting a push from Dina

Tristan in the kiddie pool

Ellie painting in the Red Barn

Lily painting a little giraffe

Every summer we rent the Gozzer Wakeboarding Boat...it comes with a driver and another very experienced wake boarder or surfer to help all of us who want to try our hand at something new.

Caleb on the surf board.  

Ellie on the wake board!

Lily got up with AJ who is a professional wake boarder...he has traveled the country in competition.

Matt and Jalen on the surf board, Jalen LOVED it!  Notice he has his hand out to touch the wake!!

We are in hysterics during all of this adventure!  Of course, the big deal is to try to dump the ones riding the inner tube.  The boat pulls the kids back and forth across the wakes and gives them some big waves to jump and get drenched with water...Lacey finally had to just let go, Jamie claims Dina was invading Lacey's space and she was pretty much on the very side of the tube anyways!  The finale is trying to get Jamie dumped and he hung on until his arms just could not hang on anymore so then he let go!  It is so fun to watch the facial expressions, we are all just laughing our heads off in the boat!

In the boat heading to "Beauty Bay" for surfing or wake boarding

sunset on the third Tee at Gozzer

On the shuttle boat heading to town for a bit of shopping and lunch

 

 

 

WISDOM

What is the best piece of advice you have been given?  I have been thinking about this...going back many years trying to recall a teacher, a friend, a parent, a priest who has given to me the best piece of advice.  And you know what?  The one thing that someone said...and it was a counselor from Serenity Lane when I was receiving help for understanding Lacey's addiction...be kind and caring with your words!  I don't know, to me that is so profound and should be very easy to do.  And for some it is, it is just who they are, how they are made up, but for others, it isn't easy.

When I did a Bible Study lesson on the Proverbs several years back, I totally fell in love with that book of the Bible.  Oh my gosh, it just really spoke to my heart and life and I thought, how easy and wonderful this is and if everyone took those words to heart, how could we have fighting and wars, and harsh words even in families.  But God made us all a little different and He gave us free choice....and do you see, this is where it can all fall apart.  If you don't choose to follow God, then there is something missing in your heart.  You really are not FREE.  In Proverbs 15:1 it says:  "A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare."  In other words, a kind word turns away anger.  I think most of us have heard the saying:  "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar".  It means more can be accomplished by being pleasant than by being disagreeable.  Yet there are people in our lives who just have to be "right" to the point of being obnoxious or arrogant.  Can we change our attitude?  I think we can...will it take a lot of conscious work?  You bet, and it will not be easy.  But really what is our purpose here on earth?  To fight?  To be the one who is right?  To alienate loved ones? 

Proverbs 3:3-4 says, "Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!...write them deep within your heart.  Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation."

I don't know about you, but I personally want people to like me!  I want people to think kindly of me.  I want people to say,  "Oh I know Colleen, she is a really nice person, so kind and generous".  My reputation speaks to my character and I pray that I am in favor with God.

So I am thinking:  what Words of Wisdom do I want to pass on to my children, grandchildren and one day great-grandchildren.  The Bible is full of the Words of Wisdom so I am sure it will come from there...keeping God in their heart and FIRST place in their life and then relying on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

More pondering and thinking to be done, for sure...as this could be the "Mantra" my family will always remember.  Scott's father, Bill who currently is nearing 88 years has always said, "You get what you give" and that is a "Mantra" that everyone in the family says!  I have said it myself to strangers standing in a grocery line,  "You can go ahead of me...are you sure?....YUP!  You get what you give...pass it on"!  What a Legacy!

Yet another MOUSE story!

Yes, sad but true!  You see there was this little itty bitty space at the corner of a door and because the back patio is not poured yet, the little space is there, so I wadded up a napkin and stuck it in the corner.  Now I know what you are thinking...a napkin?  But a mouse will surely chew through a napkin.  Yes, I know, but that gives me the warning and guess what?  It worked!  The napkin was shredded and pulled away, so I got right on trapping that little guy.  And what I noticed was that he not only shredded the napkin he/she also started on the rubber tubing on the threshold and even on the wood!  All to get out, or to get in...I am not sure!  But I was ON IT!  So the first thing I did was set that electronic trap again and two other traps...I did NOT have any more of those "V" traps that snap your fingers off...but I was willing to go with these for the night.  Well, about 11:30 I get out of bed cause I am just so nervous about a mouse traipsing through my house...and guess what!!  The electronic trap was FLASHING!!  I caught one!!  OMG!!!   OMG!!!  I was beside myself, what to do?  I gingerly picked it up and sure enough, there was the tail...OMG!  It twitched!!  YIKES...I quickly put it back down on the floor.  I was beside myself what to do with it....so I stayed up an hour to keep my eye on it and it stayed in that trap...I wasn't sure how long it took to really give that guy a good enough "jolt" to kill it. 

Well, I finally decided I would put the whole thing into a plastic bag and leave it for Scott in the morning...he did say he would take care of any mouse in the electronic trap...So the next morning I get up and tell Scott he needs to get rid of this mouse and I open the plastic bag and .....the mouse is GONE!! YES!!  Gone as in NOT there!
However...the other trap had a mouse....Now is it the same one who was foolish enough to still go for more food for nourishment to get out of this house?  I don't know, but at least I caught one!  The next night I set all the traps again and once again I caught the bugger in the electronic trap!  Now I have had three nights free of mouse...am I done?  NOOOOOoooooo!  I live in the country..however I think I will set some traps outside the doors to get them before they get into the house.   Don't you think that is a good plan??

Birthday times Three

It is that time of the year when we have our three girls having summer birthdays!  Lily starts us off on June 26, she was 7 years old!  And she is finally toothless!  Yeah, she has lost two teeth and was so excited to finally have a loose tooth!  I love her SMILE!  And a BIG smile she has with the cash she received!!

Here is Ellie getting a thumbs up from her cousin Caleb.  She is modeling some clothes that Lacey gave to her.  She is nine years old (going on 20! if you get my 'drift'!!)  A delightful girl, full of attitude and sometimes sassiness...but always caring and thoughtful!

The last of the birthday girls is our sweet little "Addison June"!...called 'Buggie' by her parents and even Jalen, I call her Addie!   Buggie started when she was born and her middle name is June, so she became the "June Bug", but of course, like most things we shorten it and it soon has just stuck as "Buggie"!  Hah!  I told her dad not too long ago that he should probably start calling her by name because I don't think she will like it much when she is in school and her mom or dad call her "Buggie!"  She has the most beautiful big blue eyes and long lashes...what a doll!  She got a fairy dress with wings from her other Papa Steve and she was in heaven with that little outfit!

Here is our youngest, now 14 months old and such a cutie, let me tell you!  He gives the best hugs ever...just wraps his little arms around your neck and hugs or he will tuck both arms down in front of him as you hold him and lays his head on your shoulder....love those little snuggly moments! (and 'moments' they are, because he is a busy little guy!)

I didn't get a good shot of Jalen, but he is helping Addie open her gifts.  Her Pa Steve is in the background along with Lily and her other cousin, Avery. The kiddos had so much fun..we had the jumping castle up and running for them to jump and bounce in...a slip and slide...a little pool...and Addie got a really cool water sprinkler that shoots out water but has balls in it so the water pushes the balls up a tube and flying into the air!  Such fun for the kids!

Another Birthday Celebration at the Lavender Bleu Tea Room

Wouldn't you say 98 is a pretty impressive number to reach in your living on this earth?  Well, this is a picture of Marie, she is my friend's mother and on July 11 she will officially be 98!  She is an awesome person, really incredible what she does at this age.  She keeps up on all her stretching and moving and walking...she reads her bible every day and several newspapers, too!

She had a slice of quiche, a scone and some fruit, plus a little dessert with a candle for her birthday! Three other friends joined me in celebrating this day with Marie.  Sitting next to Marie is someone from her church, she is 20 years younger than Marie..a mere 78!!  She is in charge of the "Amazing Gray's" bible study group at her church...do you get the idea that all those in this bible study have "gray hair"?  That is a pretty clever title, I think!  Standing from the right is Mary's friend Karen and then Linda, who lives two doors down from Mary and Marie (Marie moved out here from the Chicago area two years ago).  Linda has earned her wings...yes for the last two years that Marie has been living with her daughter, Linda goes over every week day and helps Marie get her compression socks on and makes sure she gets down the stairs and is seated at the table for her morning meal.  Linda gets the summer off as Mary is a kindergarten teacher, so she takes over during the summer and any school holidays!  I pitch in for Linda whenever she is out of town or has an appointment.  But mostly Linda lovingly takes this responsibility and Mary is forever grateful to her!

We had a delightful time enjoying each others company and the delicious food that is served!  What a great place for lady friends to meet and spend the afternoon!