What's in Your Wallet?

The Church Lady is the host of Fun Monday this week. She wishes to see our purse and hear about the contents.

I skipped the purse shot and instead dumped the contents on my table top. You're so lucky I cleaned it out just before I took my last trip.





I really need to employ that spa coupon and take care of my aching back - a result of carrying this stuff all around with me.

Link over to TCL and sign up on Mr. Linky. What's in your wallet?

My Cup, My Smile.

My cup was the copper colored one. I think my sister had a green one. When I first rested my mouth against it to drink, I felt what seemed like a a tiny electrical current snap me.

I suspect that my Kool-Aid reacted with the metal somehow to bite my lip. We rarely got Kool-Aid so it was an electrifying moment even without the cup.

In this old photo I am with cup in hand. My sister Trish is giving me a casual hug while my brother Mike attempts to look serious and distinguished. Our dog Bobbie looks smaller than I remember him. Whoever took the photo should have told me to get that cup out of my face.

I was hiding my mouth.

My front four baby teeth came in dark and disintegrating.

The dentist told my mom that she'd probably been sick during the pregnancy, or I had experienced a high fever as a new born. He pulled them .

(I'm sure the dentist was wrong. I think it's some kind of genetic thing. My sisters eldest daughter had the same problem. The dentist covered her teeth with silver until her permanent teeth came in fine. Now my granddaughter Curlymop had the same problem. Her teeth are painted with something that is barely noticeable. I'm sure her permanent teeth will come in fine, too.)

My permanent teeth came in straight and white. And BIG.

Thus, my brothers called me Bucky Beaver. They may have only done that once, but when you are small and impressionable you remember it as if it was a daily occurrence.

The attention and comments that my huge new teeth drew caused me to be very self conscious. To the point that I didn't want to smile for photos or open my mouth around strangers. That ugly duckling feeling stayed with me through elementary school and into my early teens.

That changed one summer day when I was in a furniture store. We never bought furniture so I have no idea what I was doing there.

The salesman walked past me where I was leaning up against the counter and then stopped and turned back.

"Gee," he commented before he moved on, "You've got the prettiest smile I think I've ever seen!"

I must have smiled in response and disbelief.

"Yes, indeed - I just love a big white smile on a beautiful face." And then he went on about his business.

Why I believed him is a mystery. But, I did.

I smiled from that day forward.

When my mom passed away in 1993 I found the cup stashed away in one of her cupboards. It now sits by my husband's bronzed baby shoes in our china hutch.


And my smile sits on my face.

Thirteen and Bored

I picked up a hitchhiker on the drive home from California: Our thirteen year old grand son, Lil' Bud.

It appears that one week with us is all he can handle. Texting, My Space, computer games. The life and times of a 13 year old.

Poor kid isn't flying home until Thursday.

Last Saturday we took him and some of our friends tubing on the Snake River - so it hasn't been a total dud for him. He was proud of his bumps and bruises, and the fact that he body slammed the water less often than the other young fellows.

We visited the museum today. Here you will find him posing in one of the cells from the old Washington State Penitentiary. He enjoyed sitting in the cell, acting the part of a felon, and begging to be set free.


The blurry photo is possibly his great great grandfather who worked there. I attempted to zoom in on a tiny photo of the employees that was on the far wall of a glass display case.

Of course we enjoyed the old fire engine and buggies. (He has his grandpa's eyes!)



There was plenty of antique equipment associated with wheat harvest.

This is an original 33 mule team combine...with plastic mules of course. His Great Great Grandfather (Pops) and Pops brother Speedo* worked with mule teams during harvest. To its right is an original wagon that hauled the wheat behind four huge draft horses. The guy who "sacked" the wheat earned $5 a day.



"Hey Grandma," he called, "Come over here and take a picture of this scary baby!"



Eeek. She sure is.



*The name Speedo was his moniker long before there were any swimsuits adorned with that tag. He earned that nick name in 1908, when he caught a fly in mid air while eating breakfast in his high chair.

A Little Beehind

Get the Buzz over at Wordless Wednesday ---

What happened the day you were born?

Sinister Plot. To find out how old I am. I almost fell for it.

Jill over at Lil Mouse is the Fun Monday host this week.

She wants to know what happened on the day you were born.

Nothing.

Well... my Internet search for information wasn't a complete failure. There just wasn't anything more interesting than the fact that I was born that day.

What day, you ask? Aha!

Thursday.

Tears for my friend, a Tribute

Kaleb (almost 5) with his playmates in Chad

My heart will not rest until I give this moment to my forever friend, Jan, and the grief that has been poured upon her family.

Her grandson, little Kaleb, died on June 9 - complications of Malaria.

His daddy & mommy laid him to rest in Chad, where they have been working without a salary (donation based mission) to improve the lives of the people they love.


For friends of the family who wish to help the young couple out right now:

Two funds have been set up this week. The following info is from an Email I got from Jan this morning. One fund is to help Gary, Wendy & their 3 year old Cherise fly to the states to grieve with family and friends. The 2nd fund is for their mission in Chad.

Gospel Ministries International www.gospelministry.org

Checks can be mailed to:
Gospel Ministries International
PO Box 506
Collegedale, TN 37315

Just say (*write on the check) that it is "In memory of Kaleb Roberts". This will put it in a special account so they will be able to tell that money was given for Kaleb.

f you would like to donate to their mission (they live off of only donations) then just (*write on the check) put the memo "for Gary and Wendy Roberts".

The "Kaleb" money will be used for the plane tickets and then anything above and beyond that will be used for a nutrition center there in Tchad.

Busy Grandma

Welcoming number 10. Born 06-03-09. I'm so tired grandma.

Saving the kittens from little Dinkum.

Judging art contests - Goobers entry! (Note: hardly any asthma problems with a change in prescriptions!)

Begging, blackmailing, bribing. Whatever it takes encourage My Red-headed Girl to give me two minutes on the computer.

Taking photos of little Smelly Ellie (24 hours old - so that's a temporary nickname?) - and waiting for my turn to hold her after Z-bubb. (Everyone else calls him peanut. But Grandma can call him whatever she wants!)

Conversation heard last night when Smelly Ellie came home.

Z-bubb: Daddy, why did you bring her here?

Daddy: Because she lives here.

Z-bubb: Oh, Daddy! Don't be silly.