Redford Neal Davis is Here!

At 11:57 last night, April 28, Pam gave birth to Reford Neal Davis.  He was 6 pounds 6 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long.  She says he looks just like Chris did as a baby - so maybe this one will be a redhead.  Mother and baby are doing fine.  I will fly out tomorrow to spend a week with them, so my blogs will be sporadic for the next little while - while I love my Davis family.

Happy Birthday Carl!

The problem with wiping out our computer is that we had not been backing up our pictures and lost them.  I was feeling pretty smug and thinking I had fairly recent pictures of all of my family for this year.  That is what I get for thinking!  This picture was taken several years ago at Christmas.  Sadly it is the most recent picture I have of Carl.  I have learned my lesson.  Back up important pictures.  Anyway, I hope it is a happy day for you, Carl.  We are glad you are a part of our family.  You are a wonderful father, husband and son.  You are a blessing to all who know you.  We love you very much.  Have a wonderful birthday.

Easter

We had a nice Easter.  Our Church meetings were wonderful and then at the end of the meetings on a table in the Cultural Hall, a young, nine-year-old boy named Nicholas Frey had made up these little Easter treats for all of the Primary children (with the help of his mother and soon to be stepfather).  They either had a Chick or a bunny in the center of a shortcake cup covered in frosting and dipped in green coconut.  The chocolate was placed in the center and then jelly beans were nestled in to fill the hole.  He wanted all chicks but could only find so many, so he settled for the bunnies.  He and his mother are Italian and apparently where they are from in Italy, this is one of their traditions for Easter.  It was a sweet gesture from a very kind young man.  As it turned out, he almost made enough for the each ward member to have one.  


The other thing that I noticed was the Easter dress.  I will get on my soap box about Sunday best at some other time, but I was tickled to see quite a few of the children actually had Easter clothes - even if most of the adults didn't even think that way.  I guess I will never get over the idea of Easter as time to change out my wardrobe for Spring and Summer and revamping it a bit.  

Hooray for Spring!

After living in Rhode Island for eight years - come June 1 - I have come to the conclusion that Spring is the most beautiful season of the year hear in New England.  I know they tout the Autumnal colors up here but that is iffy. The Spring colors are not.  The weather may be awful and it may rain and the wind may blow you off your feet, but sitting at a window in a car or in a building - the pictures above are the sights you see everywhere you look!  I am not kidding.  Outside of our Relief Society room window is a beautiful tree that blossoms in pink, if we can open the curtains - which is possible on overcast days.  Outside of our apartment is the  bottom picture - in one bed - there many others.  The white 'umbrella tree' is from the Boston Temple as is the bed with the white border.  The forsythia are from either side of our church building but that should be the state flower of Rhode Island.  They are everywhere!  If there was a color that signified that Spring was here it would be yellow because the forsythia are in bloom!  After a cold hard winter - even if the temperatures haven't made it into the 50's for very many days - it makes you feel warmer just knowing the flowers and trees are blooming.  Summer can't be far behind.  Being a Texas girl - I can take the heat!

My Easter Finery

This picture was taken in San Antonio when I was 5 or 6.  My dress had pink flowers on it and my hat was a pale pink.  My shoes and socks were white.  I also had a pair of white gloves and was in big trouble because I either had gotten them dirty or couldn't find them for this picture.  I remember I looked as pretty as my friend Susan Otto up the street (she was a year or two older than me and I thought the world revolved around her).  I think in fact that her mother went shopping with my mom to get my hat and gloves.  They were Catholic so they had to wear hats but I just remember wanting an Easter bonnet so badly.  When I was little, everyone wore a new hat on Easter Sunday, even to our Sacrament Meeting.  But then in the 1950's, women were still wearing hats.  When they started teasing their hair into the 'Bubble' - it became impractical to wear hats and that started their demise.  The next year when I wore the Easter hat - because I was only allowed to wear it on Easter Sunday - Mom let me wear my hair down.  That was a big deal because Mom never let me wear my hair down except to dry it.  That is probably why as long as I had long hair, I rarely let it go loose - because in my early life, it was bound up somehow.  I usually had a barrette or headband at least to hold it back unless it was a special occasion.

Easter Eggs

This slide was scanned in backwards.  If you can't tell from the the milk carton reading backwards, Marianne and I know because this scene was not on the right of our kitchen in the attic but on the left.  This was in Frankfurt Germany.  We had a very long kitchen with NO counter space - which drove my mother crazy.  She used the kitchen table and had Dad make her a 'counter' to put her appliances on - then covered it all with vinyl tablecloths so she could just wipe it clean.  


For some reason, my father loved to dye eggs.  He would boil at least 4 dozen eggs, sometimes more.  We would be dying eggs forever it seemed.  I guess that is why it seemed like such a chore when our girls were growing up - and why I have no desire to do it now.  I was burned out with it at a very young age.  Then we would have to eat these eggs forever!  We had creamed boiled eggs on toast, deviled eggs and egg salad sandwiches.  About the only way I really enjoy hard boiled eggs now is eggs salad sandwiches - which is the one way that I was served the least growing up.  We had them peeled with just salt and pepper more often.  Marianne and Bob would stick with the dying much longer than I did.  They are also much more artistic than I am and enjoyed mixing and striping the eggs.  I dyed about a dozen solid eggs and was done.  Give me a chocolate marshmallow egg any day in exchange for a hard boiled egg or better yet  - Black licorice jelly beans!

Just a thought

Life has not been a bucket of laughs the last few weeks in our family.  Clyde has had some worries in the ward, our daughters have had physical and emotional upsets the last few weeks that are worrisome - in other words - when it rains it pours.  The woman that owns the place where I work out has become one of my best friends.  She too has had  some really  rough stuff in her life lately.  Her biggest worry is her husband was just diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's because of Lupus.  His Lupus has also caused him to have strokes and other problems - in other words he is on the same slippery slope my mother was on her last 10 years.  The owner knows I have been worried but not exactly why.  The other day as we visited another person I workout with, handed me this prayer.  It is called 'Prayer of a Breton' and it is: "Lord, the sea is so wide and my boat is so small!  Be with me."  For some reason as I read this, it put my life in perspective and I realized I hadn't been relying on the Lord enough.  He wants me too.  Lesson learned.

Oh What a Relief!

A year ago, our primary care physician told us he was moving.  He was replaced by a Doctor that would not listen to me.  Clyde never went to the new Doctor but I had several encounters.  To make matters worse, each time I went in, he acted like he had never seen me before.  One of Clyde's associates at work, told us that our first primary care physician we had when we moved here was back in practice.  I  had tried to find a new doctor but because of the new federal changes, no one will take new patients.  Happily my old physician did.  To make matters even better, he remembered us!  It was as if we hadn't been away for 4 years.  It is worth the drive of 45 minutes to know I am seeing someone that cares and he is someone I can talk too.  I feel like I have had a huge weight lifted off of me.

Hand me Downs

This is not a very good picture but the sweater was one that my Aunt Julia made the girls.  It was worn by all of the girls.  I am not sure what happened to it once they grew out of it.  It was one I wanted to keep for them, but my mom was big into hand me downs so I hope it went to my sisters girls. I love the red shoes.  For some reason both Heidi and Carianne went through a red shoe faze.  The only shoes they would wear for almost 2 years were red.  I think that is funny now because Heidi's favorite color is red and Carianne's is pink.  Shoes somehow never lasted long enough to get passed down. It's a good thing.  Heather insisted on blue shoes.

Waterbrook Press - Multnomah or Blogging for Books

Since our computer's hard drive was erased, I have been trying to get my password back or changed with Blogging for books.  I have sent over 20 emails to them - as they say to do - with no results.  I have tried to change my account in hopes I could continue on with them but they always block me.  They obviously have the right email address and blogging address but just not enough time to pay attention to me.  So, I will no longer be endorsing them.  I have, as of today severed ties with them.  I have told a  lot of people about them and highly praised them, but this is no way to run a business.  I have a book to put on their account but if I can't get into review it, then we are both out of luck.  I am sorry that this happened this way.  I will just keep reviewing books on my own through this blog and my favorite book buying sites.

Popi and the Girls

When my girls were little, we always had to wait until Popi came home before we could go home.  Popi is the name Carianne gave my father instead of Grandpa.  That seems to be the oldest child's prerogative. There was a ritual that went with Popi coming home.  For some reason when our girls were toddlers - as soon as Popi pulled them on on his lap, they had to empty his shirt pocket.  Being a Doctor, he always had pens, flashlights and thermometers in that pocket, so taking things out one at a time took a while.  Whenever I look at this picture, I think of the girls carefully taking everything out of his pocket.  They also just loved snuggling up on his lap - as you see in this picture.  I have to say that is one of my fondest memories growing up (snuggling on my father's lap in the early mornings as I helped him study when I was a child).

Grandma Brugger

My girls loved their Grandma Brugger when they were little.  Grandma's house was their favorite place to go.  When Carianne was two months old we moved to a housing area called Live Oak that was only 3 miles away from my parents.  We were over there almost every day for at least a little while - especially since the Church was only a block from my parents.  If you think about it, in those days Sunday was Sunday School and Sacrament meeting - two separate meetings.  Then on Tuesday was Relief Society during the day.  Wednesday was YM/YW and Thursday afternoon was Primary.  We were at Church almost every day anyway.  But our girls loved just being at Grandma's.  When my mom was well - which was quite often when the girls were little - she was one of the best grandmothers in the world.  She was always a good grandmother but unfortunately in later years her illness and medications started to slowly take their toll.  I wish I lived closer to my grandchildren.  My daughters' were truly blessed to have their grandparents so close and such a good influence in their lives.

Pets

Growing up we had some interesting pets.  When I was really little, we had a cocker spaniel named Courtney O'Riley III.  I have no pictures of him.  We called him Riley and didn't have him for very long.  Then our next foray was many years later when we got a beagle named Dolly and cat named Kitty.  Then we got a Siamese cat and Mom named her Ching.  She was amazing and we all loved her.  She was deliberately run over one night by some drunk teenagers.  We were all crushed.  Then we got Ming.  She was a fun cat and is basically responsible for all of the 'Siamese' cats in Ephraim, Utah.  The top picture is Lady.  There will never be a pet quite like Lady.  She was smarter than our whole family put together!  We all loved her and tried to get other poodles to replace her.  It never worked.  There is and will be only one Lady.  After Lady, my parents never really tried to get another pet.  Our family went through a whole slue of pets but Lady will always be the gold standard in all of our minds.

General Conference

Most people make their resolutions - if they make them at all - in January.  I make mine in April and October after I hear what has been said at General Conference.  When I listen to the Prophet and the General Authorities and others speak, I fine tune my life according to what the Lord would want me to do. I am looking forward to today and tomorrow and excited to see what tweaking my life will take on.