And the question is?

As always I have a stack of reading materials to go through for work and one of the pile this week is about questions. It seems odd but when you think about it, what matters most? The question or the answer? Well, maybe both. If we never ask questions, then how do we know we're looking for an answer? The trick is to ask the right question. When I started thinking about this, I realized that being a problem solver may not always be the best identity of which to be so proud.; Maybe it would be better to ask 'why?' like our little kids do, because truly, they have the right idea. 'I can't learn unless you tell me why.'
So, I'm trying to think of what the right questions might be in order to see a new way.... in everything. How can I do this differently? Who is a person with the right knowledge to ask the right question? Do I have the right people involved?
Mostly, I guess it is helping to see that solving a problem might not be the best solution. (smirking smile here because that's just so confusing....) Maybe it's okay to ask why?

Me? Worry?

Why would anyone think I was worrying? Just because Kyle is going to fly about 9,000 miles home and I haven't got a clue of where he is in this huge world just now....no, no cause for worry. ***sigh***  Wish I could say that was true. I know, I know that he's fine and safe wherever he is...but still.....

Grammy and Grandboys=Heaven

These pics were taken at Casey and Sharon's in Madras in January. How fun to be surrounded by grandsons!

Simeon laughing at his Daddy. So adorable!

Mr. Brown Eyes

Simmy and Grammy

Is It Something I Said?

Chores today....sunny out... after kind of a rotten day yesterday with a big old fat reality check, it seemed like a great idea to get out in the yard and pick up some winter storm debris, check on plants, feel the healing power of Earth. But, I couldn't get out the back screen door. The deadbolt wouldn't move. The doorknob was fine, but the deadbolt was totally stuck. So, I got my keys, went around the front and tried my key on the door, but at first the key wouldn't go in. What's the deal? Well, looks like the lock is bent.... I jiggled and wiggled the key to get it in, because once again, someone has tried the lock. The key went in but the lock was totally jammed. Mark finally got it out and now I'll go and buy a brandnew deadbolt to replace the one that was tampered with. It worked fine on Friday.

Have I offended some person? Does somebody mistakenly think that I have great wealth? Why do people want to get into my house? At least this time the screens weren't torn off and there appeared to be no other attempts, but what's going on?

After effects of this: I'll be wide awake listening for noises all night. I really need one of those big bright motion lights. Oh wait.... I have alarms on my doors. Maybe it's time to get an obnoxious yappy dog.

Whoever you are - LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!

So there's a name for this...

and it involves cutting the ties of the superhero cape...it's called Cumulative Stress Disorder and it means that even if we believe we are very strong and very capable, we don't get to leap high buildings in a single bound or stop speeding trains. Or push ourselves to the brink of falling off and out, where we crash into hard walls of reality that have signs plastered onto the unrelenting bricks; the signs say 'Danger' and 'Slow Down' and ultimately, 'STOP.'

That dang wall really hurts. Superheros that bang into bricks may recover, but still get bruises and actually break. Hemingway wrote 'The world breaks everyone~Some become strong at the broken places.'

I will own that I broke. My body slammed into the wall and made me stop, hard.Yesterday the doctor told me that even though my heart is clear and good, it could still stop if I don't stop pushing so hard. I have separated muscles in my left side above my ribs because I have either dug my garden or split wood or done something I am not really capable of doing, but....  I do it anyway because it needed to be done. And my darned collarbone still aches because it never did get put back into place right - just from digging the garden up. Sheesh. I despise feeling fragile and incapable. Can't I carry the world on my shoulders, being Hercules (or in the Plemons/Ogle family, Harkless?) or Superunionpresident?

Road signs are there for a reason; they're not just decorative. And if we are smart, we do not go careening around sharp corners, because, just because, we might not be able to stay on the road, and we might hit the wall.

A Very Bratty Winter

Christmas Eve



Christmas Morning



A Sock Monkey from Santa!



Opening Presents with Dad



Sportin' the New Pumas from Uncle Talmage



Kash's First Bite of Real Food!



Spencer's Nightstand BEFORE:



Spencer's Nightstand AFTER:



Michelle & JoAnna "back-country snowboarding"



*New Year's Resolution: to lose 20 pounds ;)

It's almost New Year's Eve

and that makes me think about resolutions. I made one resolution that I could absolutely keep once, and it was to brush my teeth twice a day without fail, but of course, I have occasionally slipped up on that one. However, the diligence has paid off in healthier teeth and I can almost quote the days I have missed my twice brushed shiny teeth.

It makes a happier year if the resolutions we make are actually doable, and not some impossible task for which we are not prepared to (1) commit to without reservation and (2) have the tools and skills necessary for success before we willynilly run off at the mouth making grand promises to ourselves or others.

I'm giving this serious consideration and have come to a conclusion or two about what really needs to be forefront, utmost and highest of priorities for 2010. (How does one abbreviate 2010? O-ten? Ten? Twentyten? Haven't quite figured this out....)

Peace and quiet. I've spent the day with phones off, music off, and stayed off the computer till now because I've been mulling about this. Peace and quiet without distractions and noise. The soul cannot be fed in the midst of chaos.

Organization. Clutter is an octopus. Wraps itself around you and slowly strangles the breath out of us. I am a clutter magnet. Time to turn on the super powers and alienate octopi. Give Goodwill a cause to celebrate.

Air. Water. Dirt. How easy it is to ignore in the rush. Meditation and conscious awareness allow the bubbles of air to rise to the top, and when there are bubbles floating by, either in water or air, there's no way to keep ignoring them. Dirt. Under the fingernails is the best dirt.

Odd resolutions or solid realizations but either way, perhaps a sound recognition.

Happy New Year.

I Borrowed Some Pictures From Sara's Facebook......

so that Michelle could view them. :)  Some pretty sweet shots!

This one just melts my heart. What a darling little boy!

Levi clearly takes 'say cheese' very seriously, but Kash is looking a little bored with this.

Anna and Auntie Sara are working on flying lessons.

Daddy's girl. I love the look on Dustin's face.

This one was taken while Kyle was home. Sara picked Simeon up and he relaxed and fell sound asleep in her arms. Look at the cheeks!

So cute smiles!

Dustin and his adorable kids. Big grins!

Sanders Family November 2009

Kash and Auntie Sara snuggling

Yes, I have HUGE blue eyes!

The best for last; there is nothing like a picture of a mother holding her new baby close. You are beautiful, Michelle.

Decorating Our Christmas Tree

First Time Snowshoeing

More from Us

Kash was a little jealous of Simeon's hair, so he did his best to match it.


Kash and Kyle


Happy Kash

Kyle's Home

It has been so great to have Kyle home for the last week and a half - we've tried to have a little bit of fun now and then....

Oh wait, they were being silly for a picture - go figure that one. These were taken the night that we went to hear Mark's band play at a dive tavern in West Salem. It was a lot of fun, although Scott was pretty much horrified by some of the clientele and their behavior. Watching Scott was almost as entertaining as watching the other people!

But we danced and danced and laughed a lot. Kyle decided to body slam me and Sara a few times so we grabbed him to settle him down and he thought we were going to make him do the splits!

Mark had to take a break, so Sara made me kiss him. We didn't mind too much. :)

Everyone seemed to have a really good time. We were there till almost 2 am!

October for the Brätts

It's been a busy month with Spencer working on our food storage (aka hunting). So far he's "harvested" 1 elk, 3 deer, a ton of birds, and there is 1 more elk in the waiting. Just so you know, only one of the deer is Spencer's, technically. He got one on the opening day but wanted one with more meat (aka bigger antlers). So his dad happily tagged it. A few days later Spencer got another one (the same size) and also helped out his cousin, David, who couldn't quite get it right and shot his deer in the rear.

Here's our provider, who dutifully spends all of his free time building the family food storage;)





I try to do fun things with Kash while Spencer is gone. This particular day we went on a picnic.





Kash received his baby blessing on October 11. He was told that he was blessed with a cheerful attitude and will be a great example to others. Spencer shaved off his [nasty] goatee for the event (praise the Lord).



I keep finding cottage cheese on my clothing and then I wonder how Kash keeps sneaking into the fridge... He's found his voice and loves to sing! Especially at 7 in the morning:) He's my little rooster. Kash is a happy baby. He smiles whenever he is awake (except when hungry or tired) and is just now starting to giggle instead of grunt when I tickle him. And he's definitely ticklish! He knows his mama and seems happiest at home. This video was taken as I blogged this...



Last of all, Halloween. It was really fun to dress up. We weren't invited to any parties, so we crashed the Brätt's ward party and invited Perry and Jana to dinner. It was a fun night with my little family. Thanks for Kash's costume, Mom and Mark:)

There is a song waiting to be sung....

I think there is a song of thanksgiving floating through the ether because I keep hearing it in my soul, but can't quite know the appropriate words or fully identify the notes. Do you ever feel music without being able to hear it? :)  This song would have to communicate a very full and grateful heart with a robust melody, and also share the peace of a quiet wonder with tinkly, fairy-like notes that would pirouette like the leaves that are falling....and blowing and dancing.  If we listen intently enough, the music is there....

So part of the lyrics would just be 'thank you' and the list of thankyou's would be very long: for Scott coming over for a Sunday evening and bringing beautiful flowers that I was able to share with Sara; for Mark taking us out to a wonderful dinner; for the visit to Idaho with Dustin, Samantha, Levi and Anna, and that Michelle and Kash came up to visit too, and my sweet children buying me sweet chocolates, handpicked; for Sara leaving a bag of goodies in my car, a typical Sara-assortment of carefully chosen and saved for months kind of gift; for Casey and Sharon's homecoming-to-be! and for Kyle's homecoming-to-be!!!! (I think I just heard a triumphant clash of cymbals!)

Thankyou for Levi calling me Gwammy and playing on the Big Toy and laughinglaughinglaughing; thankyou for Anna's adorable smile and for agreeing to be Grammy's Princess (she told me she is happy to fill that role....); thankyou for Kash's dimpled elbows and sleepy blue eyes and smiles that melted my heart; thankyou for Dustin, Samantha and Michelle's approval and encouragement of  Mark's and my relationship. Thankyou for a stunning floral arrangement and chocolates from a son who is so far away, but wanted my day to be full of beauty.

The lyrics are sprinkled with raindrops ....or tears...  How does anyone write music for birdsong, dirt in the garden, fresh carrots just pulled, piles of raked leaves and today's sunshine, tomorrow's rain? I can hear it, if I listen intently enough. Perhaps it is meant to be a connection for us - because this song is about us, the love we share and the gratitude we bear for life; the brilliance of the light of our family. Listen and you can hear it too. Listen and you will feel the rhythym. Listen.

Beauty and the Beach

Bless his heart, Mark came over after he went to church today and said 'let's get out of town today - how about we go to the beach?' And we did! We kind of moseyed on over to Newport and went straight to Mo's. Yummmmmmmm....had bowls of clam chowder, cabbage salad with shrimp, and cheese bread. High calorie lunch, yes, but how often do we stop and drop and head to the beach for lunch? It was great! We walked around South Beach marina for a while and then headed on back home. It was a gloriously beautiful day, a little chilly, and on the way over and back, we were both in awe of the amazing colors of the trees. The vine maples are at the climax of crimson, the aspens are gold and the maples are wavering between faded jade green while heading to pale pink. Lovely. I should have taken my camera, but since I didn't and he didn't....well, looks like we'll just have to go back!

Lovin the pics

Hi there - I just have to say how much I love the pictures you've been posting. I would love to see these kiddos every day, and I do go on to the blogs almost every day to see if there is anything new. Lifeline! If we all lived closer, how much different life would be.... hmmmmmmm.....Let's see: you'd have free babysitting; boys and AnnaJane would have all the treats and cookies and hugs and kisses they could possibly stand; Grammy would be spoiled; big kids would be spoiled; little kids would be spoiled. Sounds just about perfect!

Funniest Video in the World

http://www.todaysbigthing.com/2009/02/20

Copy and paste in the address bar and promise me you'll watch it:)

Cousins