what a week

It has been great having Alashandra and Zeke here from Texas. I picked them up in SLC last Monday and they fly out again tomorrow. Zeke has really grown and changed since we moved them down to Texas. Beside having them here I have taken Grandma Janet to the Doctor for a UTI, and we go to a urologist on this Wednesday. We had Grandpa Dean into the Emergency room on Tuesday night, with high blood pressure, and another small stroke. It has taken us 3 days to get it down to an acceptable range. But we go see the Doctor tomorrow morning. Then last night was Dean and Janet Selman Christmas party. And I was in charge of it. We had it at Mitch and Morgans home. They were so gracious to let us have it there. There was the potential of 65 people. But we only had 50. Grandma and Grandpa Selman couldn't even come they were both sick. Grandma with the flu, and Grandpa with a headache from the high blood pressure. So we had odels of food. and I hope that everyone got full and had a good time. Well I havea head ache tonight so i guess that I had better get to bed. I have to leave here at 7:15 so that I can have Dean at the doctor at 8:15. You never know how the roads will be.
I will hate to see Alashandra and Zeke leave, but I think that Zeke will be glad to see his daddy. He is not so sure about the strangers that we keep seeing. Hope that they have a safe trip home.

Well I'm not one to talk about myself, so I guess that is why I don't blog much. But Monday night was the counties 4-H awards night. This was part of our committee that should up for the night. Chris was honored to receive his 20 year 4-H leader pin. Chris and I were honored for being the co-chairs of the 4-H state leadermete last March 12-14. What made it great was our committee of 25 wonderful volunteers that helped put this together. It is a state wide training for all 4-H leaders from throughout the state of Utah. We had 214 leaders attend. We had over 84 different workshops for them to choose from. We had a private showing of Beauty and the Beast at the Heritage playhouse in Brigham city. We had tours of various things in Box Elder County. We had 2 motivational speakers. An Awards banquet. A country western bad "Roughstock" to play after the banquet for dancing. It was a hectis wekk but very enjoyable. The county asked if we thought that we should do it again? We said definatly yes. This is the first time that BoxElder County has done this. I am looking forward to go to leadermete in Utah county this year. It should be alot of fun. There is always so many neat classes to take. wether you use them in 4-H or just in your daily life. I have been attending for three years, which I would have been involved long ago. If I can get the picture up I will show you some of leadermete.















Our theme for Leadermete was, Golden Spike Country We Train Leaders" We had a logo of two trains meeting at Promontory. This is a picture of the registration table. We built kind of old train platforms throughout the conference. The other is of the train platform that took you to the general meeting room. Each classroom was named a name of an old railroad stop from the old transcontinental railroad. Then we had a contest to see how well they paid attention at the awards banquet. It was alot of fun!! But we had a committe that work on this with us for 18 months, to pull this together.




























These are just a few pictures of Leadermete!!

Bandit, he his!!!

Well I guess I named Bandit the right name. Today I had made 2 1/2 dozen gluten free blueberry muffins for Tanya and Brittney, since they were both here. I left for town while they cooled on the counter. When I came back I accused the girls of only eating the tops and leaving the bottoms in the pan. They said they hadn't done that. So it was discovered that Bandit had done just that. Tanya found the evidence on his teeth, stuck blueberries. He had jumped up on a bar stool and then onto the cupboard. and had walked all the way around the cupboard to get to the muffins. Then a short time later we realized that all 4 of Grandma Janets homemade donuts were gone, that were also on the cupboard. So I guess I have a little Bandit on my hands.

Since we didn't go to the town trunk or treat, we only had 5 trick or treaters. They are they only ones that I planned on. they were 5 of my 7 adopted grandchildren. Okay, I had better explain. The 3 little neighbor girls, ages Jaylee 9, Skylee 5, Cassidy 2. Jaylee has called me Grandma since they moved in, 5 years ago. The other girls have followed suit since they learned to talk. Somedays they just need to come to Grandma Rains to play. They think that it is neat that they have 3 grandmas.

Then there are two boys. The family lived in the ward after they were married. When Dawson, the oldest was born, I was trying to befriend and fellowship this young family. In fact her mother use to babysit me. Since only one Grandma was around here. I was Grandma. I tended and they came to our home to meet with the missionaries. When employment took them to Ogden, They still come and visit and leave Grandma pictures. They have also had Lee Jay since they moved. I was invited to Dawsons Baptism the first part of September. I am excited that mom and kids are still semi active in the church after they moved.

Numbers 5 & 6 Soon to be 7 are 3 Brittany, and Racheal, and we think a little boy in November. They adopted me when we were helping at the deaf Branch in Logan. I am excited that they were just able to buy a nice home in Logan this summer. Thier real Grandmas live in Canada and Minnesota. So to far away to see very often. It has been fun to help teach them language skills since mom and dad are heard of hearing.

Matt my little knight and Maddy his Foxy lady came to see me before they went to they Real Soccer Game in SLC. Then Jonah was our little Toad. I haven't seen Garrison , the Crayon except in Pictures. And I haven't seen Zeke our little Bear. Him and his dad have been sick since yesterday. So he didn't do much trick or treating. Matt says that they have had swine flu at his school so we don't know what they have.

Enough rambling. Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween. And we get an extra hour of sleep tonight.

Bandit crying

Bandit cried when I left him with Tanya and Jonah today. Tanya said that it was hilarious. She laughed and laughed. Toby was so sad. She has several videos of him crying. Some at the door, in the front room, by the afghan that I was working on before I left. After I got home he started crying again and jumping up my leg until I paid attention to him. But we got a load of garbage hauled away from our yard. And we went to Ogden to deliver a locker lamb that I had sold. they live in south SLC so we met them at Riverdale Road. It will be nice to get it out of my freezer. We also say Justen, Laurel, and Garrison while we were in Ogden. Tomorrow we are going to Logan to listen to Brittney teach her Relief Society lesson. I hope that this video works, It didn't when i tried to upload it on facebook.

Thanks Britzy!!

Thanks to Brittney I was able to get 27 quarts of applesauce done today. Get Grandma Selman to the doctor. Make clam chowder for dinner. And we went and helped Mitch and Morgan finish putting up their fence. Bandit had a sulking session after I left to go take Grandma to the doctor. Then when I got home she kept jumping up on my leg, I was doing something and didn't pay any attention to him, so he let out a little howl. When I gave him some attention he was happy and went and laid down on the rug where i was standing. Yah for Jonah!! he army craweled over the boppy pillow three or four times today. That is progess.

Bandit update!

Bandit is a very different dog than Toby! He is very quiet. He hardly ever barks, Toby barked at ever noise, and went crazy when someone one came to the door. Toby was a very good lap dog, bandit will set by you but not on your lap. He prefers to lay at your feet. Toby was hyper. bandit is very mellow. Toby was to active to take time to learn anything. Bandit is very smart, and learns very fast. I have a team of dog trainers that live here now. Tanya and Dave have Bandit, sitting, Lie down, playing dead, Come, He is learning to bring back his little stuffed frog. We put him on his leash and open the kitchen door and torment him with the cats. Yesterday he bolted out the door to the cats when I went out to get something. So today we have been teaching him that he can't go out the side, or front doors, even to chase cats, unless he is on a leash and invited out. It will take some time but he is getting it. He is not use to sleeping in a crate. The first night i had to cover it with a sheet. I quess the biggest news is that he id definantly my dog. He follows me everywhere. While I was doing applesauce today, he would lay on the closest rug to me. if I went downstairs and didn't let him through the gate he was very unhappy. So i guess I have what i wanted. I good companion when i am home alone,which won't be for a while. and some to keep me company. By the way Bandit gets his hair cu next thursday. I gave him a bath today, and it was not a good thing, but he smells cleaner. He hated it. He jumped out as fast as I could put him in. I think that I got wetter than he was. But we made it through. I wonder if he has ever had a bath before. The groomer may have fun next week. I know he has had hair cuts but she would just slick clip him. It will be a while before he has long enough hair to have a decent looking show cut.

Well i did 15 quarts of applesauce today. And I hope to get that much done tomorrow. it would have been good to get the mess done all in one day but that was not to be. hopefully I will be able to finish it tomorrow, but I have to take grandma janet to the doctor tomorrow afternoon. So Brittney is coming over to help me. I hope to have it all done and in the hot packer when i leave then Brittney can watch it and finish it.

I had the opportunity to tend Jonah today. it was only for brief periods. but we got along great. When he was so sick I didn't dare tend him. but he is getting better so I dare do it again.

Bandit our miniature schnauzer

This is Bandit. I was missing Toby, so I started shopping for a new schnauzer. I found this one he is 8 months old, had previous owner, that couldn't take him to Alaska, then the breeder got him back and then they had to move so she had to get rid of him. He is about 15 pounds heavier than Toby. He probably would make two of Toby. His original name was Shadow but we are trying to change it to Bandit. Notice that he has a little black mask across his eyes. He is potty trained to a doggy door. But since I don't have one, we will have to be very watchful of him going to the door. I have only heard him make 3 little yips since we got him home. Jax is making more noise about a new dog in the house, than Bandit.
Today has been a long day. It started when I left to take grandpa Dean to the cardiologist. at ten this morning. After test there we went to PCMC to pick up perscriptions for Jonah. Then we went to West Valley City to pick up Bandit. We returned home around 3:45. So it was a lot of driving.