24 August 2025

Our week felt pretty busy.  As you may recall, last week Phil worked Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and then he worked Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday of this week, but despite this he's still afraid the overtime will dry up!  Helen is juggling all the fun of senior year and theater, band, and choir.  This week she had afterschool theater rehearsal for the upcoming Fall Show and marching band rehearsal; I'm grateful she is driving herself this year, it saves me a lot of time back and forth between home and the school.  Felicity received the good news that her cosmetology license was issued this week and she is an official licensed cosmetologist.  She is planning to take her equipment with her on her mission so she can offer haircuts to the other missionaries and get some practice in while she's gone.

Jude had music class on Tuesday afternoon and I got to attend with him.  Half the classes are just the students and the teacher and the other half of the classes include parents.  We had a fun time, Jude really enjoys going.  He's learning solfège, relative pitch, and keeping rhythms among other things all through play.  It's a lot of fun.

Less fun was Wednesday when I had to take Jude for his follow up dentist appointment.  They drilled two cavities and placed crowns on the left side of his mouth last time and repeated the process on the right side this week.  He was so cooperative and good for the dentist which allowed them to get done really quickly.  He got an otter pop when he was finished and the only hang up for the morning was when I noticed he was bleeding, he had bit the inside of his cheek while eating his otter pop and since he was still numb, didn't realize how hard he'd bitten himself.  He wanted a breakfast sandwich from McDonalds before I took him back to school and I just had to oblige.  Oh the life of a fourth-born child to old parents!

He was so excited to get to school, he just loves it.  He has made lots of friends and adores his teachers.  I'm so grateful he's having such a positive experience.  Currently his favorite thing is to write "J" on everything he can get his hands on.

I picked up a couple of my finished quilts from being quilted this week and I added the binding and a label to Felicity's mission quilt so its ready to go with her to Indiana.  I'm happy with how it turned out.

Helen was at school early on Friday morning for "Senior Sunrise".  The seniors gathered on the football field for bagels and to watch the sunrise.  I'm so grateful for fun traditions and the wonderful friends Helen has.  It's going to be a great last year of high school.

In the evening Felicity and Jude and I went out to dinner since it was just the three of us and I got home late after a day of errands.  We went to Denny's in Sahuarita and enjoyed some time together.  Felicity tried to teach Jude how to play tic-tac-toe while we waited for our food, it was entertaining.

It was SO HOT this week and Saturday was no exception.  After I got done with my general animal chores I worked on tidying up the front yard and pulling some weeds so that we could set up some EZ-Ups and tables and chairs for Felicity's farewell luncheon.  We spent some time cleaning in the house and in the afternoon Phil and I made the rounds picking up food for the luncheon.  We went to Sam's Club where I got some chips and cold salads along with some cupcakes and cookies.  We stopped by Fry's for stuff for the soda bar, and then we swung over to Eegee's to pick up the sandwiches I ordered.  It was a LONG day, but by the time I crawled into bed we were ready to host a party.

Sunday morning we took two separate cars to church and were happy to have some family and friends join us for Sacrament meeting where Felicity was the last speaker.  She spoke on the joy of making and keeping covenants and it was such a good talk.  I was really proud of her.  We headed home right after the meeting and got all the food out and sandwiches cut up.  I was grateful for everyone's help.  We had quite a few people trickle in throughout the afternoon to share lunch with us and leave well-wishes for Felicity.  If you'd like to be added to Felicity's email list, you can sign up on this Google form.  I greatly regret that I didn't really take any pictures!  Huge fail on my part.

I did however get a photo of Jude right after he took a header into the piano and came up with an ugly goose egg!  Once everyone went home for the evening and I was able to put any leftover food back in the fridge I went to bed early, I was tired!

I have a lot of feelings.  I'm feeling excited for Felicity and the opportunities she'll have.  I'm feeling a little anxious for the unknown, but I'm also feeling very proud of Felicity and her choices.  We still have a couple of weeks to get everything together.  She'll be set apart on Sunday, September 7th and then starts home MTC on September 8th, after which she'll fly to Provo, UT on September 17th to attend the Missionary Training Center with other missionaries called to serve in many different missions.  She'll be there for a couple of weeks before flying to Indianapolis.  

17 August 2025

We went in all sorts of different directions this week!  One of the highlights, however, was that Phil was actually home for all four days of his "four-day".  It was really nice.  He's concerned that the overtime may be drying up for the year, but with the start of wildfire season, I'm a little more optimistic that opportunities for overtime will still come up.  Only four and a half more months of this crazy plan to work as many hours as possible to help the pension!  I kicked off my Monday with an early trip to the gym.  It's been awhile since I've been with any regularity and I felt good (and sore).  I went back Tuesday morning too...and was really sore. Jude enjoyed school and afterschool wanted to help me with some chores.  His favorite thing to do right now is mop the floor...lucky me, that's my least favorite thing to do!

Tuesday was Helen's 17th birthday.  I can hardly believe she's seventeen already.

Jude had music class on Tuesday afternoon after school so Dad took him to that and I took Arlo to get a hair cut.  He hasn't been happy with his last few haircuts and has been avoiding it altogether and had started to look pretty shabby.  With school pictures this week I coaxed him into a haircut by making an appointment at a barber shop instead of the usual Great Clips.  He didn't really know what he wanted, but the barber worked with him, asking questions and showing him pictures, until Arlo decided on something.  He was very happy (and I was very relieved) when they were done.  He's so handsome!  In the evening Helen and Arlo went to a stake water activity at the church's ballpark and didn't get home until after nine.

We were all so busy on Tuesday that we had to wait until Wednesday to celebrate Helen's birthday.  We went to Red Robin for dinner and then came home to open presents and have ice cream cake.  I think she had a nice birthday.  I also updated her current "Loves" and added the best photos from the past year to her album on my Facebook page.  Happy Birthday sweet Helen!

As it turned out, the fire district sent two crews to work wildland fires toward the end of the week and while Phil didn't get assigned to work wildland, he was tagged to backfill for the guys who did go; so more overtime did open up.   I guess we won't be seeing much of him for the rest of this week and into next.  He worked his regular shift Friday, overtime on Saturday, and then his regular shift on Sunday with more overtime scheduled for Monday and his regular shift to round out his tour on Tuesday.  I'm grateful he's such a hard worker and dedicated to helping us achieve our goals, one of which includes early retirement.

Jude came home excited on Thursday afternoon after school as he had been selected to bring home the class mascot "Mr. Coyote".  The assignment was to take good care of him and document his weekend at Two Jack Ranch in his journal.  Great...sounds like Mom-homework!  We did have fun taking pictures of Mr. Coyote and Jude this weekend.  Jude made him fruit salad as a snack, read to him, and took him out to feed the animals among other things.  Mr. Coyote even enjoyed church and Primary.  

Jude and I picked out the best photos from the weekend, put them into a collage and printed them out to add to Mr. Coyote's journal.  We wrote a short narrative about his adventures and we were done!

Felicity left on Saturday morning to go to Thatcher to visit with friends one last time before she starts her mission (in only 3 weeks).  They went to the temple and enjoyed each other's company.  I expect her home sometime on Monday.  I am grateful for the group of girls she met while in college; although for the most part, they weren't really strangers, even if she didn't know it.  Of the girls in the photo two are Richardson cousins, one's family was friends with Phil's family growing up, and one was a playmate of Felicity's when they were toddlers.  

Helen was gone ALL day on Friday.  They had another pep assembly and then in the evening they had the first football game of the season: the Copper and Navy scrimmage.  She had a great time and is ready for the coming season.

The more overtime Phil works the more prolific I am at the sewing machine.  I still had a lot of Christmas fabric left over and on a whim wrote up a pattern based on a quilt I saw online and got to work piecing 480 three and a half inch squares into a 60" x 72" Christmas quilt.  It was tedious and SO many seams, but it also worked up really quickly and by Sunday evening I had yet another Christmas quilt.  I really need to focus on prepping for Felicity's farewell next weekend so I'm telling myself I'm not starting anything new.  Besides, I have two quilts I've been hired to make that I need to get cracking on and half a dozen more that still need labels and binding!

My Saturday consisted of errands, then helping Arlo write a talk for church, then cleaning and doing laundry, then writing my own Sunday School Lesson, and finally sitting at the sewing machine (finishing up that Christmas quilt).  

On Sunday Arlo gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting.  On every Sunday except the first Sunday, members of our congregation take turns delivering the message for that week.  The Bishop extends the assignment to speak and sets the topic.  There are usually two youth speakers and two adult speakers.  Arlo was to give a talk based on Matthew 18:3-4  he was also given the talk "Become as a Little Child" By Jean A. Stevens for reference.  I could tell that Arlo was nervous, but he did a great job.  He was the second youth speaker and once he got through his first sentence or two, he settled in and was fairly easy to understand.  He definitely looked more relaxed after he was done speaking!  You can find a copy of the message he delivered here. We enjoyed the rest of our Sabbath Day, it was quiet and restful.  Helen and Arlo went to Youth Standards Night at the church in the evening.  Normally I would have gone with them, but there was no one to watch Jude so I sat this one out. 

Oh, and I just have to include this selfie that Jude took of himself and Mr. Coyote, I found it on my phone at the end of the week and it was just too funny (and precious).

10 August 2025

 Another week in the books and it was a pretty tame week.  I swapped my "off Friday" for Monday and spent my day cleaning and getting caught up on laundry.  Ah...much better!  There was a lot less overtime available this week, so we enjoyed having Dad home more.  Here he is helping me make dinner...and Jude refusing to eat it, instead having tortilla chips with sour cream.

Phil took Jude to his first music class of the semester and they had a great time.  Jude continues to enjoy preschool, he pretty much asks every evening "can I go to school tomorrow?!".  He is making friends and learning quite a bit.  He came home this week with a "Listening Lion" certificate and a "Sharing Sheep" certificate.  Sometimes at home I want to present him with a "Butthole Bison" certificate, but I guess if he's good at school and church, I can endure his spicy temperament at home!

Nana took Jude home with her afterschool on Wednesday and they went to see The Bad Guys 2 at the movie theater.  I hear he had a great time and was very good in the theater.  

Felicity and Helen took my Broadway in Tucson tickets and went out to eat and then to Centennial Hall for the show "Shucked".  They only stayed through intermission...I guess they didn't really like the show and said it was kind of crude so they decided to leave early.  

Felicity went to the Tucson temple with her friend and roommate Erica on Thursday and they had a nice morning together.  In the afternoon she and Helen went to the movies with Nana and they saw Freakier Friday.  They really enjoyed the movie and spending time together.

Helen is enjoying her senior year so far and all of her classes are in full swing.  Band season is fully underway which keeps her in rehearsals Monday and Thursday evenings.  I think with everyone at school and work Felicity is a little lost while she waits to start her mission, but I appreciate the extra help around the house.  Since Phil was home on Thursday and all the kids were occupied with their own endeavors he and I snuck out of the house and went out to dinner and then wandered Walmart for a little while, mostly just avoiding going home.  We ate at the new(ish) BBQ place in Sahuarita, the one over on Duval Mine in the shopping center where the $0.99 Store used to be...anyway, it was very good; although, we were the only ones in there.

I worked on Friday and in the afternoon picked up Arlo from the bus stop and did all my running around: picking up the neighbor's groceries, hitting up the Circle K for a Diet Coke, Walmart, picking up my own groceries and then a quick stop at the firehouse to drop off a pop for Phil.  Arlo was a good sport and I appreciated his help and company. 

Helen and Arlo went to Tucson for the weekend and the rest of us had a pretty low-key Saturday.  I was super surprised to see Phil walk in the door Saturday morning; evidently there was no overtime and so he actually came home.  I didn't have anything planned since he almost always picks up an extra shift on the weekend.  We hung out at the house and I finished up two quilts that I had in the works.  The fall quilt has been my main focus this week and while I was waiting for some replacement background fabric (I was just shy of what I needed in my stash) I started another Christmas quilt.  I know I said I was done with Christmas quilts, but I had a lot of leftover Christmas fabric and this one worked up so quickly, it only took two days and its super cute.

I also made a couple of receiving blankets for Phil to take to work for some of the firemen who have babies on the way.  I love how they turned out.  I used some of the extra fabric to make burp cloths too.  I have a stockpile of little fire-themed onsies that I made and I'll throw two or three of those in with the blankets.  I don't know if anyone even likes my little baby gifts, but I like making them, so I figure that makes it OK.

Jude really enjoyed having Dad home on the weekend and demanded that he play with him.  They ran in the sprinklers and in the evening got out the guitar and Jude tried to play Guitar Hero on the Wii.  

It was just Jude and I at church on Sunday since Phil was working, Arlo and Helen were still in Tucson, and Felicity went to Sahuarita for her roommate's mission farewell.  Felicity saw a lot of familiar faces as we used to live in that ward when we lived in Sahuarita, although it was a long time ago now that I think of it!  The rest of our afternoon was quiet and restful.  I made a label and added the binding on a baby quilt I'm ready to gift and just enjoyed the quiet.  I also made some plans and preparations for Felicity's Farewell which will be Sunday, August 24th in the Corona Ward at 9AM.  Felicity will have a speaking assignment and then after we're going to host brunch at our house for anyone that can come.  Lots upcoming as we head into the fall and holiday season.

03 August 2025- 800th Blog Post

This week's post marks the 800th entry on our family's blog "Love is Spoken Here".  That's hard to believe!  My first blog post was in November of 2009 when Helen was only 15 months old and Felicity hadn't started kindergarten.  I made six posts that year and then wrote weekly almost every week after.  There were a few times that I got behind, but I always made an effort to get caught back up writing for each of the missed weeks.  That's 15 years and 8 months of life history.  I can relive Arlo's birth, a divorce, a first date, an impromptu Covid- wedding, finding out I was pregnant, Jude's birth, graduations, good days and bad days.  I am so grateful that I set out on this journey, I had no idea what I would end up creating.   I hope to one day publish the blog into a few printed volumes for my children to keep.  I started the blog all those years ago at the request of a family member who had moved away and wanted to keep in touch with what was going on in the lives of her siblings.  Its evolved into so much more than that.  Its a record of my family, its a snapshot in time, its my memoir, its my family's history, its my outlet, its my photo collection, its our travel log, its my way of sharing my beliefs and my testimony, its our story.  I'm grateful for everyone who reads or has read the blog, who comments, who laughs and cries with us, who shares in our triumphs and mourns when we mourn.  I'm grateful for opportunities I've had to share my experiences that may help someone else.  Happy 800th blog post, here's to 800 more!

This week was again, mercifully quiet.  We've settled into our routine for the most part.  Felicity I think has been a little listless as she is stuck in between. She's finished with school and waiting to start her missionary service and doesn't have a lot going on in between.  Her siblings are gone at school all day and I work and so she has to entertain herself.  She was able to take both of her state board exams this week and passed them both!  Yay Felicity!  She is now able to pay her fee and receive her cosmetology license so she can practice her trade.  Her plan is mostly to do ad hoc jobs for friends and family before she starts her mission.  Her license doesn't have to be renewed for two years, so she'll be ready to enter the workforce when she comes home from her mission in March of 2027.

None of the kids had school on Monday for a teacher in-service day, so they entertained each other...and by entertained I mean they fought and ate and watched TV and generally annoyed me and one another.  Helen and Felicity went to the movies together leaving the boys to torment each other in peace.  Helen is enjoying her senior year so far and I dare say she may be starting to see the wisdom in taking all six classes, especially picking up choir.  She's enjoying choir.  I think the director is going to leave her in the intermediate class because he doesn't have enough girls in that ensemble, and I think that's good for Helen; she'll have more opportunities for solos and to lead.

Jude is also loving school!  He was so disappointed there was no school on Monday (and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday too for that matter).  He is learning lots and really enjoys playing with friends his age!  Arlo got to attend the temple on Tuesday evening with the youth and enjoyed that.  He's really done a lot of maturing over the summer and I'm proud of the young man he's becoming.

Felicity has been occupying some of her time by baking...oh joy, cookies, that's what I need lying around the house in greater abundance!  She and Jude made crumble's almond cookies this week and they were SO good.  Jude loved helping.  

We were grateful for some rain on Wednesday!  Finally!  We have had such a poor monsoon season everything in our yard is parched.  It was enough rain to fill the tree wells, so that was good.  I was able to drop off three quilts at my friend's house to be quilted before the down pour started, I can't wait to get them back and show them to you.

Since I finished up all my gift quilts for the year (I think) I went back to working on a fall quilt I started either the beginning of this year or end of last year that I wanted to make for myself.  I had made maybe twenty of the fifty blocks and ended up finishing the rest of it this week.  I had used the embroidery machine last week to make faces on my scarecrows; this week I used the embroidery machine to add eyes to my cute little crows and seeds to my half-eaten apples.  I'm so pleased with how it turned out...I can't wait to take it to be quilted!

On Friday I attended a parent meeting for Jude's upcoming "Let's Play Music" class.  He's graduated from the baby class (Sound Beginnings) and is ready to move onto music/piano lessons with the big kids.  They'll be starting on bells and then moving onto keyboards in year two.  He's excited!  On Saturday morning Helen and Arlo and I drove into Tucson for our Trek reunion.  We enjoyed seeing all our friends and watching a video of all the neat pictures that were taken during trek.  It was a great experience.

Phil was home on Sunday which was a nice treat.  We enjoyed Sacrament meeting which was a fast and testimony meeting  where both Felicity and Phil decided to share their testimonies.  I love to hear my children share what they know is true!  I taught Sunday School second hour and I think it went well.  I felt a little intimidated by the topic so I over prepared.  I think my PowerPoint had something like 52 slides and we didn't get to half of them, but the comments were great and I think it was edifying, so I call that a win.  At the request of a class member, I have archived my lessons on a Google Drive so that folks can access the resources I used and check out anything I prepared that we didn't get to in class.  We had a quiet afternoon and enjoyed one another's company before the kickoff of another busy week.