I Know What All Grandma's Think...

 they have the cutest and smartest Grand babies...

So then that gives me the right to say...

I have the funnest Granddaughter.

I get the privilege of watching Miss Celes when her mommy, Ali has to work.

Kira had laid her down for a nap and I went to check on her to see if she was still asleep.

And there setting in the port a crib was Miss C just setting up and looking around.

I know it looks like she is propped up , but she is not.

So, I pushed laid her back down and told her she was way to young to being doing that trick!

 I love being a grandma...it is totally AWESOME!

Thankful For...

I am thankful for...

a table full of food.

 and for an amazing husband that provides for his family.

I love Kirk so much...I know I rarely talk about him,

 but he is my Hero, my companion, and the father of my children.

He is an amazing example of hard work and determination.

I am so thankful for him.

 We had THANKSGIVING with ALL of our children, our first grandchild,

 Kirk's sister Pennie her husband and our niece, Sydni.

I have been so blessed Josh married a real sweetheart. The more I get to spend time with Ali the more I just adore her. I am grateful that they have chosen to have a family. I did not know it was possible to love more than you do your own child...but being a grandma is beyond amazing.

I love watching Kira and Sergio together,

 and can never thank our Father in heaven enough that they are here with us for the holidays

and hopefully much longer.

I adore my Derek, my son with the Heart of a Lion. I am grateful for the good young man he is.

I am grateful Kirk has such a good family. I truly love his brothers and sisters and their children.

I am grateful for my dad my brothers and sister and for "love ya" texts and phone calls.

So, as FALL 2010 comes to a close...

I can only say what an experience it has been...

NOW BRING ON CHRISTMAS!

HUGE GAME STOP GIVE-A-WAY

I love following TIP JUNKIE she always has Great Ideas and Tips

and she always has some type of give-a-way.

I am not one to enter these types of give-a-ways.

I usually only do the "bloggers"....but I could not resist.

Check out this give a way from TodaysMama and GameStop.

I could not resist entering.

Mama’s Holiday Wish List 2010

TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10)

are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

This is my list and answers:

1. What is your holiday wish for your family? To enjoy every minute of being together, fun, laughter and food.
2. What is your Christmas morning tradition? Mincemeat muffins with hot orange sauce and watching everyone open their gifts.
3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be? Hum...I do not know...maybe an amazing retreat...but I would not want to go alone.
4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money? Food and Making candy ( I always keep in the pantry stuff for peanut brittle and peppernuts though I only make them at Christmas time).
5. What games did you play with your family growing up? We learned to play cards at an early age. Most of my family get together even now include a good game of hearts.
6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood? Opening 1 gift on Christmas Eve (p.j's) and listening to the Real Christmas Story, I also loved that we took turns opening our gifts, so that Christmas was not just about gifts but enjoying the excitement others were having.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip? No where unless it included being with ALL of my family.

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year? I would not minding having a PSP, but the others are games that would work in the WII or the X-box 360 other than role playing games.

To enter, link to your Mama’s Holiday Wish List post using the Mister Linky box below.

BUT WAIT. Did you think we were done? Oh, you must not know us at all.

We have another stockpile of gifts from GameStop that you can enter to win with our extra entry options.

• Runner Up #1 will receive a XBox 360 250 GB with Kinect and a $250 GameStop gift card.
• Runner Up #2 will receive a Nintendo Red DSi XL Bundle and a $250 GameStop gift card.
• Runner Up #3 will receive a Nintendo Red Wii Bundle and a $250 GameStop gift card.

Extra Entry Options include:

• “Like” Gamestop on Facebook
• Follow @gamestop on Twitter
• Head back to the tippy-top of this post and hit that “Retweet” button.

My son, Derek bought one of the Kinect XBOX 360's last week...it is so incredible yet in a way...creepy...I have to say we have had tons of fun on it, and no worries about throwing the remote into the tv.

Winter Storm Warning

I know I was so excited for our first snow fall....little did I know...

This is what was going to follow....

What a crazy storm. I am just so glad we were able to come home before it hit.

Look here to see what Kira and Sergio were able to do with the "pre-storm". 

Hanging Out

I came to Utah for my regular every other week biopsy on my new little heart.

The Biopsy went great...

BUT after an ultra sound, to find why they had such a hard time getting the catheter to go in my neck, they discovered that my body is full of BLOOD CLOTS...

How crazy right??? So, I am getting to spend a couple of days in the hospital on Heparin.

I had been on Coumidin for the 6 yrs from my heart attack until my transplant. Before they did my transplant they did a BUNCH of blood clot factor testing and everything came up negative. So, I came off it.

The Phlebotomy Dr. came in and visited and said that they have really ran pretty much all the tests that should be ran. The end recommendation would be the same if they choose to run a bunch more tests...I will be on Coumidin the rest of my life...

No biggy...right?

So, my question is...do you HAVE to have a specific name when you have health problems or are you OK with knowing how to treat and resolve with our a Clinical name?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUBREY!

Happy Birthday to YOU !!!

Getting a picture of Aubrey can sometimes be difficult...she has the fastest hands to put them in front of her face as you snap the picture.

So, the best thing is to sneak one.

Aubrey in the green and white shirt with Emma

 I do have some really neat pictures of Aubrey making bread, but they are in my camera...which has hid it's self from me today....

Happy Birthday Aub...I love you!

James Willis Berryhill Jr.

My Uncle Jimmy

James Willis Berryhill Jr., 67, passed away Nov. 9, 2010. He was born to James Willis and Christine Williams Berryhill in Baldwin, Miss. on Oct. 25, 1943.
Mr. Berryhill proudly served his country in the United States Air Force retiring after 20 years of service. Jim was married to Sylvia Singleton on June 1, 1999. Survivors include his wife, Sylvia of Tow, sons, Douglas D. Berryhill of Iowa and James W. Berryhill III of Missouri, four grandchildren and a sister, Wanda  of Wyoming.
Visitations will be at the Putnam Funeral Home on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010 from noon to 5:00 p.m. Graveside services will be held at the Tow Cemetery, Tow, Texas on Monday, Nov. 15, 2010 at 11 a.m. with Rev. Gerald Moore and the Highland Lakes Honor Guard furnishing military honors.

I went looking for a picture of my uncle Jimmy, and I could not find one. How sad.

He is the last of my mom's Berryhill siblings. I remember him and uncle Charlie at our house when we were little. I remember going and picking him up at the bus station while he was on leave from the Air Force.

But, in the past 30 plus years I have not seen him or talked to him...

This is the only thing I could find... It was a letter he wrote to my mom after he went back from his leave staying with us. He speaks of seeing my mom's biological father in Texas. 

Today is his funeral...My heart is sad for my Aunt Wanda and for Jimmy's wife and his sons.

and in a selfish way I am sad for me...for not knowing where and what he has been doing for the many years I did not make an effort to stay in touch with him.

6 Months

I can not believe that today is

 my 6 month mark with my new heart.

How time flies!

 I will never have to words for my organ donors family to tell them

how much I appreciate

and truly love them.

In just 6 more months I will be able to write the family of my donor.

I hope then I will get to know more about the person who has saved my life

and will always be MY HERO.

Potato Soup

When I see the first snow fall, no matter how slight on the cars, then I know that it will he a homemade soup day.

and today it is

Idaho Potato Soup

I add 3 potatoes

Well, if you do not have fresh IDAHO potatoes....

You may have to add about 12 potatoes

bring to a boil with water that covers to potatoes in your pot.

I add:

carrots, celery, white onions, green onions, SALT (you must add salt when cooking potatoes), pepper.

and boil until your potatoes become semi soft.

I then add:

1 quart of half and half and about a 1/2 gal of milk. Turn your heat down and let it simmer..

Oh, YES...I also add a cube of butter. When my soup is warm I slowly stir in a white rue (flour and milk)

until it is the thickness I want it to be.

I like to sprinkle real cheese and extra pepper on my soup and serve with corn bread.

Yep, I am a happy girl.

remember I said it taste wonderful...and I did not mention the calories :O)

Tip Junkie

Finishing the Tour

You can start your tour here.

I loved all of the tile work that is in the Capital Building.

We went to the State's Representatives chambers.

Kira found Dr. Fred Wood's seat. He is the doctor that delivered all of my children.

Who knew someday he would be a State Representative.

and we found our sentor, Denton Darrington's seat.

We were all ready to head home after out 2 hour exploration of the Idaho State Capital Building.

though we lost Kirk for a few minutes.

I enjoyed our visit to the "People's House" of Idaho

AND...
I learned a couple of things that I had no clue about ...
READY....

I did not know that the Mormon's were not allowed to vote in Idaho from 1882 to 1895. Fred T. Dubois was a large part of that push...

because of polygamy and they were mostly DEMOCRATS...funny in retrospect..
You really need to read this "speech"that Senator Dubois wrote in 1906.

and here is the 2nd thing....

The Lobbyist meet behind a vaulted door...really...

So, there you have my abbreviated tour...

I have many more pictures...

but it is like when someone pulls out their vacation pictures...

I do not want to loose my blogging buddies.

Amazing Things To See

You can start your tour here

As you walk in the Rotunda is amazing to look up at.

 Or you can look down and see the mosaic tile work on the lower level.

 There are several statues to see...I am so intrigued by this one,

 The Nike of Samothrace.

A Tale Of Trees

You can start your tour here. 

In 2006 when the Idaho State Capital was going to be added on to the OLD trees would not be able to remain on the grounds due to size or age.

An article written

By Royce Williams  Called the Art of Trees says,

 "People began to say something ought to be done to somehow give the old trees a second life, especially the three presidential trees — a Red Oak (called Water Oak in the West) set to commemorate a visit to the state by Benjamin Harrison in May 1891, a Rock Sugar Maple from Teddy Roosevelt in 1903, and an Ohio Buckeye from Robert Taft in October 1911.

 Boise’s District 15 Republican Representative Max C. Black, a well-known woodcarver among Idahoans who whittle and carve. Representative Black said "It turned out to be a much bigger job than we thought."

The results were creative. There were wooden keys to the state, wood writing pens, bowls of every size and shape, vases, clocks, writing desks, Windsor chairs, benches for the Capitol hallways, muzzleloader gun stocks, speaker’s podiums, bookcases, busts of the presidents with commemorative trees, plaques in the shape of the state, presidential railroad cars, even fiddles.

Black used wood from five Capitol trees for his period train — Red Oak, Ohio Buckeye, Rock Sugar Maple, Ash and American Elm. Even the black smokestack on Engine No. 151 is wood stained by deteriorating nails that someone drove into the trees years ago

The train was beautiful to see.

Capital Buidling Tree Projects

You can begin the tour here.

Here are more of the projects created.

Read the whole story here

Welcome To The Idaho State Capital Building

You can start your tour here.

Standing outside the Idaho State Capital is this beautiful replica of the Liberty Bell.

The State Capital is very inviting and you do not have to take a tour to walk around.

The Idaho State Capital Building began being built in 1905.