Christmas gifts & projects

Aside from the little purses I made my girls (shown in previous post), I was super busy working on gifts for our parents & siblings this holiday season. We rotate names, so at least I only had one sibling of mine & one of Randy's to do gifts for. I started them in September & finished in December. I should have counted the hours I put into it...it was a lot. Randy and the girls were super patient with me being on the computer so much & spending time away from home doing research. What is it, you ask?

I compiled information about each of our LDS pioneer ancestors.

I did 4 books or collections--my family, Randy's family, my sister-in-law's family (Teri) & my brother-in-law's family (Josh). It was a lot of work, but I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Teri and Josh have the one and only copies of these great masterpieces. Of course, I would welcome them passing them along to their families.

My family's book was the longest--nearly 150 pages!

Randy gave me a precious gift, as well. He designed & ordered a 7 generation pedigree chart (including our girls). He had it professionally mounted & framed. It looks amazing & brought tears to my eyes--considering how much time I've put into family history this past year. It was a amazingly wonderful gift!

Christmas 2008

Jenna & Sydney in their Christmas pj's. We also let them open their gifts from our "secret friends", which they loved. Once again, thank you!

We had so many gifts to open Christmas morning. I had pretty much finished Christmas shopping before Randy was laid off in October, so that's part of the reason we had so much. However, next year I need to not buy my girls any toys, because the grandparents seem to cover that area pretty well.

Something interesting...neither Randy nor I slept very well the night before Christmas because we were so excited. My family always opened all of our gifts on Christmas Eve, so that was my first sleepless night anticipating Christmas. Kinda funny. Last year I wasn't able to buy gifts for my family (although, again, we had more than enough!), so I think I was just so excited in anticipation of seeing my girls enjoy it.

Jenna & I this afternoon before church.

Sorry it's blurry, but here are the girls in their Christmas dresses. Jenna's is actually a year old, but it still fits! They looked so beautiful! I also made them little purses to hold their crayons & Sydney's Book of Mormon for church. They both loved carrying them into church today.

Hopefully I will get around to posting a picture of Randy's gift to me & also a picture of my huge Christmas project for some of our family...tomorrow, maybe?

Oh, Jenna!

Christmas Eve was an eventful day for Jenna. First, she discovered the Desitin, not once, but twice. I don't know how much higher we can put it! I probably wouldn't be able to reach it & she would still find a way to climb up to get it. She's beginning to keep up on our toes!

We had the Hackett's over for dinner and games Christmas Eve. After a while, we discovered Jenna & Carson had gone into the gift closet (which had remained untouched for 2 months despite being in the play room) and had unwrapped at least half a dozen gifts. The hard part was figuring out what gift when to whom & who it was from, since they were nearly all gifts from grandparents.

As we adults enjoyed a game a Phase 10, it got too quiet again. I soon discovered that Jenna & Carson had gotten into a bin of flour that was stored in a closet under our stairs. It was all over! Needless to say, Jenna is giving us a run for our money...and those two little ones can't be trusted together!!!

No, we don't let them run around without their clothes, either. We had begun undressing them before deciding that we had to get a picture to document it. :)

Our Holiday Surprise

First off, it's okay to lie to your mother, right? Oh...it isn't? I hope all of you aren't too disappointed, but my big holiday surprise was really for my mom. She directed (and sang in the choir for) Michael McLean's The Forgotten Carols for the community this year. They had two performances. One was in my hometown & one was in Randy's. Our family had originally planned to go to NM the day after Christmas to visit our parents & siblings there. However, I decided it would mean a lot to my mom to be there for her final performance, so we plotted and planned to surprise her. It was really, really hard not telling her about it. I almost slipped and told her a few times.

We left for NM on Thursday to avoid a big snowstorm on Friday. The Forgotten Carols wasn't until Friday night, and it was so hard spending a whole day there without contacting my mom. I did call my dad during the day & my mom wondered if something was going on when my dad kept saying "Where are you calling from?" over and over. Ha ha...I finally got him to leave the room and told him we were in town.

We decided to take the girls with us to the performance. Sydney loves plays and did not want to miss Grandma's play. The girls were surprisingly well behaved for the performance. Right before it started, my dad went in and told my mom we were there. She came over and hugged us, and, of course, we both cried. Anyway, the performance was wonderful--such a good message of Christlike love. It was fun to surprise my mom with flowers when it was all over, too. She had worked SO hard on it, and she definitely deserved them!

We spent the rest of the weekend with our parents & siblings in the area. Each day there was special and wonderful. We made it safely home today & look forward to sleeping in our king-sized, super comfy bed tonight...nothing beats our bed. I can't wait to make our Christmas Eve special tomorrow!

It's about time.

I feel like I've been absent lately. Oh, wait, I have! Here are some bits & pieces of what has been going on. (Warning: This is a long post.)

*Last weekend, Alan & Heather (my brother & sister-in-law) decided to visit. Kelsey & Cedric (my sister & brother-in-law) live nearby, so we were going to have them over for a night of dinner & games. At the last minute, which is usually the case, Tiffany & Chad & kids (my sister & brother-in-law) decided to come up for a visit & to bring me their eliptical. Although only Alan & Heather stayed at our house, we had a house-full all weekend. It was a lot of fun.

*Chad and Randy made a huge snowman. They were like kids coming in the house multiple times to see if we had something that would work for the different body parts. We loved seeing all our neighbors drive by, look, and smile at it on Sunday. It originally had gloves and a snow shovel. By Monday, it looked like this:

The bottom pvc pipe arm was literally holding it up. It has since fallen over.

*While my family was here on Friday night, I was scrambling to get my most-major-Christmas-gift done. (I needed to send it back to Idaho with Alan to avoid mailing it to my sister's family.) After hours and hours, I was able to get it done. I would share, but I don't want to ruin the surprises. Multiple people are getting this gift. :) Even though I did all the work, Randy and the girls deserve a lot of credit because giving up me was a sacrifice to them.

*I was Kelsey's photographer yesterday. She is an amazing artist, and one of her latest ventures is carving wood necklaces. I'm sure my description won't do them justice, but we had a photoshoot to showcase her work so far. The snow made an amazing backdrop. If you're interested in purchasing any of her "Knotty Notions", let me know. She'll even do custom designs. I'm trying to convince her to set up and Etsy shop. She's so talented!

*Goodie bags & plates have nearly all been delivered. Just a few more to attempt delivering tonight. I have tried several families multiple times & just might give up. It's not worth the stress. It's nice having it nearly all done. Plus, I had to do hardly any preparation to get them all ready. Well worth it this year.

*We have secret friends this Christmas. They've delivered fresh cookies and a bulging gift card on two different nights. Whoever you are, thank you!!!

*I'm trying to get my house, clean and in order. Wish me well on that one! I still have one more Christmas project to finish sewing for my girls. Hopefully it will get done tonight.

*And lastly, I have a huge holiday secret I'm keeping. I can't wait to share what it was when it is revealed/over. Okay, so it's not much of a secret--more of a surprise. And no, I'm not pregnant.

How are all of your holiday plans coming along?

Randy

Elle tagged me. (Not-quick sidenote: Ever wonder how I know people? Here's Elle & my story...Randy and I met Elle when we were moving him into our first apartment about 2 months before we got married. She came right out from her place & introduced herself. When me moved to our condo a year later, she, coincidentally, moved across town too. She was pretty much there for my first 2 years of marriage. I love her!) Okay, so here goes...

Where we met: my first day of work/internship at Chipman's Accounting
How long we dated before we got married: 4 1/2 months
How long we have been married: 6 years, 5 months
What's my favorite feature about him: his blue eyes & his lips :)
What's my favorite quality about him: his determination & patience AND he's a really good dad
What's his nickname for me: babe
His favorite color: I have no idea!
His favorite food: green chile--salsa, enchiladas, dip, etc.
His favorite sport: basketball & soccer?
Who said the L-word first: I don't remember at all. I'm guessing I let him say it first.
First kiss, when and where: Again, I can't really recall specifics, but I'm guessing it was by my car in his driveway, possibly a few weeks after we started dating. I didn't let him kiss me for a while (I wanted to get to know him without all the physical stuff), even though I'm sure we both wanted to.
Favorite couple thing to do: go out to eat, attend sporting events, sleep
How many kids: 2
His hidden talent: sleeping with an electic blanket on full power all night and loving it
His age: 29
His favorite music: country. Shocking, for anyone who knew him earlier in his life, I know. I'm certain he would leave me for Carrie Underwood.
What I admire most about him: he has hung in there during a difficult time the last little while and hasn't given up on life when we've both wanted to
His favorite past-time: hiking with his dad & brothers...this is purely an educated guess, though
Will he read this: of course. And then he'll have to correct me. :)

Look what I made!

I've always wanted to make a Christmas tree skirt, and now that I have a sewing machine, I wanted to get it done. I did not have a pattern, but I talked the entire process over with my mom (over the phone) and was so excited. After I spent a bundle on fabric, I saw a simple tree skirt at Wal-Mart that I liked for $10. I really questioned myself then. The fabric sat on my dresser for a week just staring me down, so I figured I'd better do something with it. The hardest part was coming up with a pattern--a circle, angles, circumference--all those things I had long forgotten were now needed. The fabric was not easy to cut, either. The only straight lines I had were from the edge of the fabric. Last Saturday, I spent probably 7 hours sewing it, and I love how it turned out. It's absolutely not perfect, but I still think it looks amazing. Pretty good for an amateur seamstress, huh?

And because you will all know our secret now, we do have our tree stacked on about 6 inches of wood to make it look taller from our window. Whatever works!

Utah Education Facts

My new favorite video.



Get educated, http://www.utaheducationfacts.com/index.php.

Light Parade

Annie & Sydney

The night after Thanksgiving, we met up with several neighbor families at the Chamber of Commerce Light Parade for our little town. The parade was a little....slow. But we had fun visiting and freezing. And Randy and I enjoyed sipping his homemade mint hot chocolate. Mmmm...

We had our neighbors over for more hot chocolate & pumpkin pie. We finished the night with the kids tearing up the house & the adults playing a game of dominoes. Lots of fun!

Just what I've been up to...

Lara, Jessica, Michelle & me

Last Saturday night, a few of my former roommates and I met up for dinner at Biaggi's in SLC. It was great to catch up with everyone & the food was wonderful, too! Of course, we missed having Amy & Erica there.

I also started doing accounting work for HELP International. I've spent a few hours nearly every day this past week working, but have a few days off, I think. It should work out to be a nice, small part-time job. It's an adjustment spending time away from my girls and home right now, but I'm just glad Randy's able to help hold the fort down. :)

With all that has been going on, I feel crazy busy, for the most part. I still have a huge Christmas project that I'm working on, and it will require more time away from home. (I already spent 8 hours one day a last week away from home working on it.) I will be glad when I get it done, for sure! I hope the recipients are grateful for it.

So, that's my life in a nutshell. Just trying to keep my head above water & love my family at the same time. :)

Sandi's Tags

Sandi, a college neighbor & friend, tagged me, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to do one or both. I guess I'll do both, since these tags have been floating around in blogland for a while & I've probably already been tagged.

This is the 4th photo in the 4th folder, or something like that. Isn't Sydney cute? This was a few days before her 1st birthday.

Now here's the 8 Things tag.

8 Favorite TV Shows:
1. The Amazing Race
2. Survivor
3. First 48
4. House Hunters
5. Flip This House
6. The Biggest Loser
7. The Bachelor/Bachelorette
8. Jon & Kate Plus 8

8 Things I did yesterday:
1. Went to work for 2 hours
2. Picked Sydney up from preschool
3. Mailed cards to my VT sisters
4. Made dinner
5. Stayed up late doing family history
6. Watched TV
7. Delivered miscellaneous items left at my house to neighbors
8. Raked leaves in my front yard
& I cut 2+ inches off of Sydney's hair :)

8 Things I look forward to:
1. Randy having a job
2. Having health insurance
3. No longer having our Bluffdale house
4. Being debt free
5. Thanksgiving & Christmas
6. Shoveling snow
7. Having a beautiful yard next summer
8. Going on a vacation when I don't have to worry about money

8 Favorite restaurants:
1. Red Lobster
2. Los Hermanitos in NM
3. Chilis
4. Johnny Carinos
5. Olive Garden
6. Bajios
7. Texas Roadhouse
8. Panda Express

8 Things on my wish list:
1. a Kitchenaid
2. glasses that aren't broken (Jenna!!)
3. having someone else clean my windows
4. lose weight
5. have more hours in each day (some days)
6. a treadmill & home gym
7. a full-body massage
8. Blogger to put in the correct spacing

And that's all she wrote.

Let's play a game

Call me bored, call me crazy... I've spent a while tonight looking at the Google Analytics for my blog. I've always wondered who exactly was looking at my blog, but it's nearly impossible to know. I can see where my visitors come from, and where (approximately) they live, when they visited, how long, etc., but I can't see exactly who it is. Well, wouldn't you like to know? I would! So our game is called, "Tell me who you think it is."

Here's the deal. I get my fair share of visits. Most of them are here once and then quickly (I'm guessing) leave. Some visit a few more times and/or spend a bit of time here. Those are the targets of today's game. I'm going to list some cities, and I want you to tell me if you know someone from that general region who may be lurking on my blog. Bonus points go to whoever outs themselves! So, let's get going... And the cities are:

*Buffalo, NY
*Shannon, AL
*Sioux Falls, SD
*West Hollywood, CA
*Chicago, IL (I think I might know this one...)
*Little Rock, AR
*Oklahoma City, OK
*Topeka, KS
*Sault Sainte Marie, MI
*Gilette, WY
*Granville, WV
*Porto, Portugal

Prize??? Let me think about that one. Now get to outing!!

To my best friend: Happy Birthday!

Today is Randy's 29th birthday. My heart is so full of gratitude thinking about him. We've known each other (& been together) for nearly 7 years now. I can't imagine my life without him. I really want to write some nice things on here about him, but my feelings are so tender and dear to my heart that I can't bring myself to do it today. So, Randy, thanks a million for all that you are. You mean the world to the girls and I, and you will always be my favorite.

Frosty fall morning

Just 2 Questions

How much did Jenna enjoy her dinner last night?

How badly did Sydney want me to take her picture while I was snapping away & laughing at Jenna?

Halloween

Jenna as Minnie Mouse & Sydney as a butterfly

I hesitated posting this picture because it is so blurry, but here are the girls. (Don't know what was up with my unsteady hands that night...or with blogger's formatting, for that matter.)

Halloween ended up being simple around our house. We had a festive dinner and then headed out to trunk-or-treating at our church. The girls made the rounds & we headed home for Sydney to make a trip around the block. I can't believe how much candy we got...it's kinda gross. Sadly, Jenna now knows what candy is and she whines anytime she gets a glimpse of the bowl. Good thing I set some aside for Christmas stockings! After dark, we headed over to the Adam & Julie's for a night of games. I'm not very good about hosting gatherings, but I love getting together with friends, so thanks for inviting us.

28

Since I'm all about revealing myself, I thought I'd follow up last year's list with another one this year. So, Happy Birthday to me!

1. I loved my landscape architecture class in college. I wish I knew more about plants & could design my yard better.

2. I went to a school counselor in 2nd grade for crying a lot. My sisters always called me a "cry baby". I get upset at Randy when he calls Sydney the same.

3. I don't cry nearly as much as I did as a kid. Certain situations do get me all upset & ready to cry, though, like having babysitters turn me down over the phone. Strange, I know, but it's true.

4. I prefer to socialize in one-on-one or small group situations.

5. I'm very insecure with relationships. I think it stems from having my best friends walk away from me--not just literally--so many times growing up.

6. I am quick to appoligize & don't hold grudges. When I'm mad, I just need my space for a little bit, and then I come out of it.

7. I like to plan. I started planning my garden for next year in September.

8. Unless I have somewhere to be, I don't usually shower until mid-morning.

9. I don't like to eat sandwiches on white bread (Wonder Bread type). It grosses me out because it is so easily squished & smooshed.

10. I make a "to do" list for each week. I never get everything done.

11. I prefer simplicy--household decorations, blog design, etc.

12. I wore my hair in a ponytail 97% of the time this past summer.

13. I rarely proofread. Can you tell? After I publish, I'll fix a mistake if I spot it.

14. I can and do pick things up with my toes.

15. I only drive with one hand...very, very, very rarely do I use two.

16. I've never really enjoyed watching cartoons.

17. I didn't like to play with dolls very often as a little girl.

18. I don't like to eat chicken on the bone. I can't stand the gristle & fat on any type of meat, so picking chicken out from between the bones is not my idea of a good meal.

19. Anytime I hear someone say a name that ends in the "airy" sound or that has a "k" sound in it, I think they are saying my name. I don't think I have very good hearing...

20. I don't kill houseplants, but they definitely don't thrive. I just don't have that touch.

21. I tend to overspend when buying gifts. I do think I've gotten better, though.

22. The first time I went to Idaho was when my mom and aunt (Dixie, did you come, too?) dropped my cousin and I off at college. Little did I know that I would spend nearly 6 years there and love it!

23. I want clean windows on my house, but am too unmotivated (lazy?) to do it by myself. Where's my birthday cleaning lady?!

24. The past 2 years have been the most difficult years of my life.

25. I enjoy eating salads, but really dislike making them. Needless to say, we don't eat as many salads as we should.

26. I'm very touchy-feely & always have been. I love hugs, kisses, back scratches/rub, etc.

27. After I got pregnant with Sydney, I started loving cream chocolates. Having fresh ones from Florence's really spoiled me. Orange, strawberry, and lemon are my favorite. Around that point, I also decided I don't really enjoy donuts a whole lot. Truffles, yum! Donuts, yuck! (Side note: I really shouldn't have linked to Florence's website. The English Toffee's sound so good right now! It's a good thing it would take me 4 1/2 hours to get there...)

28. I've had an amazing day. Randy cut me a vase of miniature roses from our yard, bought me a griddle (with a 20% off coupon!), did the dishes, let me take a nap, and made me a sweet card. I've also gotten plenty of phone calls, emails & comments wishing me happy birthday. And my Visiting Teacher just stopped by with a gift and card. I have the best husband, family & friends ever!!

Awww...

We went to the Real Salt Lake soccer game this afternoon as a family. It was perfect weather, the atmosphere was great, and Real beat Chivas USA (from LA) 1-0 with only a minute and a half left. We'll have to wait and see what their game next week brings to see if they advance further into the playoffs. I think Randy might be turning me into a soccer fan. Just don't tell him.

On the car ride home, Sydney said the following to me, "Mom, I wish you were 4 like me so we could be friends." Could she get any sweeter?

Heroes

This week has been an especially difficult one for me. I have had a lot of demands on my time & many, many things to get done. After spending a long weekend with Randy's family, I woke up Tuesday morning to a house in shambles. I've had a lot of compassionate service demands this week, too, it seems. (One that I still haven't taken care of....Sorry, Jen!) This was also my week to teach Sydney's preschool class, and I had a lot of last minute preparations to get done. (I'm soooo glad that's over for this week...I really, really don't enjoy it.) As I was teaching preschool Wednesday morning, I got a call from Randy saying he had been laid off. Since he had carpooled to work, I needed to go pick him up. That was an emotional day for me, but I'm doing better. I've been down in the dumps a lot this whole week being overwhelmed by everything, and have not felt like serving at all, but here are some heroes who have.

*Sandy. She called me Wednesday afternoon & said she wanted to bring our family dinner and dessert for my birthday. As a mom, my birthday is pretty much never special, and considering the news I had just gotten...well, let's just say I bawled.

*Amber H. I got an email or two from her. I won't got into the details, but it made me feel so good to talk to her.

*Sheldon. He's a guy I haven't seen since elementary school. Randy actually went to school with him & his wife. He's now friends/muscially involved with my mom. Again on Wednesday, he called my mom because he had just found our blog & didn't realize Randy was married to my mom's daughter. He asked how we were doing. My mom had just talked to me on the phone and knew I wasn't doing well, so she told Sheldon what was going on. A day or two later, Sheldon called my mom back. He & his wife had been praying for us & he was offering some contacts for job networking for Randy. Can it get more compassionate that that?

*My family & neighbors/friends. They have been so incredibly thoughtful in offering support and asking what they can do for us. We are truly, truly blessed.

*Great Uncle Ferrell & Aunt Nancy in AZ. I have so many family names to take to the temple & have tried enlisting all of my extended family. Some have responded, but most have not. Ferrell & Nancy were angels this week in asking for 40 names. My heart is full of love for them. :)

I'm sure I'm missing some, but these are the ones that come to mind right now. Who were your heroes this week?

Family & Services

This weekend has been spent with Randy's family. We were able to have Sunday dinner with his parents & all of his siblings before attending Grandpa's viewing. I don't want to be morbid, but I couldn't help but notice how peaceful he looked in his casket.

This morning was Grandpa's graveside services. He didn't want a funeral. The services were very nice & it reminded me of what a great man he was & the great character he possessed. Like he did with Grandma C., Randy was able to dedicate his Grandpa's grave...what an honor. Despite that sadness of Grandpa's passing, I am so grateful for the hope that there is in the gospel of Christ!

Grandpa C.

Early yesterday morning, Randy's grandpa passed away. I'm sure he had a wonderful reunion with his wife, who passed away 2 years ago this month. I'm sure Randy could give a much better tribute to him, but I wanted to post something. Here are the a memories I have of him.

*Celebrating his 90th birthday earlier this year.
*He was hard of hearing, but loved to have one-on-one conversations with me...or anyone else, I'm sure.
*The year that grandma died, he called me on my birthday. :) That meant a lot to me. Grandma had always been the one to send out cards.
*He was a very hard worker. It was difficult for him to accept his aging body. He still wanted to be climbing up on the roof to fix things long after he shouldn't have been!
*He loved to golf. Randy could always find a supply of golf balls in his garage that he had collected while at the course.
*He came to our costume party last Halloween!
*A little over a year ago, we went to a (mine & the girls' first) family reunion with Grandpa's family. It was neat to get to meet more of Randy's extended family, most of whom he doesn't even know.
*He didn't like war. At all. He lost a son (MIA) in Vietnam the day after Christmas in 1972. I know it still pained him greatly.
*Grandpa had lived in the same house since the 1940's, I believe. He has always lived in AF.
*He was born during the middle of a snowstorm. Someone had to send for the doctor, who came in a buggy to deliver him.

Farewell, Grandpa. We will miss you!

Idaho

I think I might have mentioned that we went to Idaho a few weekends ago. As usual, we took our camera, but didn't take any pictures. (What is wrong with us?!) So, thanks, Dixie, for the pirated pictures.

Sydney rode up to Idaho with Grandma & Grandpa. See that pink/orange/black thing? It's a caterpillar that Grandpa bought for her...He sure is a softie in his old age! Sydney played so hard with Jake & Lander. She and Lander are best buds. She even got to have a slumber party with them!

We were in Idaho for Jake's baptism. It was a cold, snowy day, but we were so glad to be there for him.

Randy, Keri, Dad, Mom, Alan (brother), Heather, Josh, Dixie (sister)--and Jenna at the very bottom

Thanks for the hospitality, Josh & Dix! You know I will never pass up the chance to visit Idaho. I love that place!

Gaming Girls

Jenna & Sydney are playing "video games".

Shhh...don't tell them their parents are nerds and those are really graphing calculators!

Sydney's the one with a very creative imagination.

And Jenna likes to be just like Sydney. Aren't they cute?!

Gratitude

I have so much to be grateful for today:

*This morning, my mom & brother, Mike, were in a car accident. They hit a deer while driving about 72 mph, somewhere between Kanab, UT & Page, AZ. Mike's car may be totaled, but neither of them were hurt. Chad & Tiff (brother-in-law & sister) were able to bring them a car from St. George so they could make it to NM. I'm so grateful that they weren't hurt!!! I have a fear of losing someone I love in a car accident, so I'm glad that wasn't realized today.

*I was stressed this morning as I was trying to get myself and the girls ready for church, prepare dinner, and make dessert for a neighborhood gathering. Sydney was assigned to give a talk in Primary & I hadn't even given it any thought. While I showered, Randy got Sydney & put a talk together for her. It was so sweet to hear them discussing it when I stepped out of the shower. :)

*And lastly, still on the topic of Sydney's talk...she did so wonderfully! The Primary was practicing their presentation in the chapel, so Sydney gave her talk in there. She did just as Randy had instructed her by walking up to the podium with her arms folded. After Randy repeated a line to her, she spoke clearly into the microphone. It was so precious! Knowing that her dad had asked for her input in preparing it, and that it was partially her words she was speaking made my heart melt.

What do you have to be grateful for today?

Farewell to my garden :(

Last Thursday and Friday, I mourned the impeding loss of my garden. A hard frost was predicted for the weekend, and we would be out of town with no way to offer protection. So, I did the only things I knew to do: picked what I could & took pictures. Surprisingly, some of our plants survived the several nights of freezing temperatures, but the zucchini, cucumber, and cantaloupe were completely killed. And I was just plain sick of the green beans. So, last night, Randy and I tore those plants out. We'll dispose of more as space in our garbage allows. In memorium of the wonderful garden that we had, here are some of my favorite farewell pictures, which are just a small portion of our garden. Enjoy.

'Detroit Supreme' beets

'Mr. Big' peas

Pole beans--can't remember the variety

'Anaheim' chile