This morning started out just as predictable as usual. 4: 50 am... I get up and open the bedroom doors to the patio. 4;51 Karl gets up, wanders to the bathroom, wanders back and takes a big chug of water from his glass on the nightstand. Suddenly there is a burst of thrashing and stomping and the light goes on, followed by more stomping.
This poor guy was just taking an innocent swim in Karl's glass of water. Luckily Karl caught a glimpse of him (very close up) just before ingesting him and flipped him on the floor instead.
Poor Karl...he is in fear if dying from cricket germs. Poor cricket...he got smashed on a sock. Poor me... no more sleep for either of us.
But we did make it to the gym 25 minutes earlier than usual :)
My fall wreath is finally hanging on our door. It was really fun to make and even more fun trying to figure out how I was actually going to do do it.Being mom Tobler I didn't want to just go buy a wreath. I didn't even want to go to Michael's and buy a bunch of supplies to create it. So I had to ponder this a bit.
The base needed to be made out of something natural and twiggy, since the foliage was going to be a bit sparse. I was missing the grapevines of Pasco about now, so I had to make do. Our yard provided some nice long sucker shoots off a stump, a rose bush and the dollar tree.
After a 24 hr. soak circled inside the bottom of a garbage can, these branches twisted nicely around each other to create the wreath base. To further help these twisted twigs retain their wreath shape while they dried I wound Jasmine vines ( leaves and all) around the wreath. The Jasmine vines will also dry into nice woody twigs. The leave will eventually dry and fall off but until then they add to the silk fall leaves. Of course the silk leaves were collected from garage sales of years past so I count those as basically free. It is still a work in progress as I might add a few touches to it... if I find some nice nut or berry laden twigs on our next hike to see the fall leaves up on Mt. Chareston.
I like my wreath and I especially like the price. Free + alittle creativity.
Oh yes, my wreath hanger...is a bent wire hanger :)
After a HOT summer I love it when the temperature finally cools down at night (and yes, dropping to 70° at night here in Vegas is so welcome).
We try to awake up at 5:00 am to open our bedroom doors so we can just lay in bed for about 45 minutes and just enjoy the cool breeze and the night turning to day. Sooo delicious. A great way to start another week.
Putting in our fall garden started out as this. Phase two...deepen our garden boxes.
Because of some late days at work...the first box got finished after dark. Saturday morning the second box got finished. After a quick trip to Star nursery for more "Pay Dirt" our little itty bitty fall garden is planted. This guy came up volunteer a few weeks ago. Don't know what it is...hope it's zucchini. We eat a lot of that. There's a whole box of peppers..all kinds, that survived the summer and are doing better than ever. Now to just wait see what actually grows. Gardening in Vegas, our form of gambling. Love, Mom Tobler
If life weren't rough enough for him :) poor Dad Tobler has developed an infected cyst on his gum. The dentist drained yesterday which only made his whole cheek swell up like a squirrel storing up for winter...Poor Dad Tobler.
My life has always been crazy busy. The past 34 years has been filled to the brim with the wonderful busyness of children, sewing classes, custom sewing, miscellaneous part-time jobs and church callings. Always crazy busy doing something for somebody else...and under time pressures to get it done ... yesterday.
When we moved to Vegas I expected a change...nope. Seven weeks after the move with boxes still stacked I was called to be Stake Relief Society President, a couple jobs fell in my lap and custom sewing stacked up. And Jake and/or Clark were still wandering about the house, peering in the refrigerator and saying "I need..I need".
But it all changed this year. I was released from Stake RS, the boys are all married and have wives to feed them and do their laundry. My little job and teaching cooking classes went away when the Bosch Store closed it's doors. And we are back from a crazy year of traveling to graduations, wedding festivities and reunions.
Suddenly I'm in this new life. My nest is empty. My to-do list is all personal /home projects. No job. (just waiting for the perfect opportunity to fall out of the sky) and my church calling (Laurel advisor) is wonderful...no extra meetings, no huge events to plan and carry out, no speaking in front of large groups. Okay I do have 3 (but only 3) alterations due out this week. and RS enrichment has asked me to do a few things. But suddenly, for the most part, my life is mine to chose what I want to do.
My list (just a faction of the actual epic length list): - Quicken caught-up/ Monthly budget planned and reviewed and the month isn't even over yet! - One file drawer/cleaned out. My 34 year collection of worthless papers...smaller. - Photos on computer...organized.
Next: Make a fall wreath for my door! I've wanted to do that for 34 years and today's the day.
I think I going like this new life... (I just hope it lasts for a week or two) .
I love fall. I am ready for fall. And real or imagined, I think it's starting to feel like fall here in Vegas. The air is a crisp 75° in the mornings and and stays a cool 98-99° during the days :)
But the days are definitely getting shorter and there is something that's reminiscent of fall... I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe I just want there to be.
Anyway I'm ready for fall foods. Those warm comfort foods. The yummy aromas in the kitchen. So today I made a pot of good ol' chicken noodle soup ( I even cooked it in the house...which probably kept my A/C going...giving me that cooler weather feel!) Beside Steph has been so sick, she needed the healing qualities of chicken soup. Of course today she is feeling so much better...almost a 100%. So I guess I can't claim my soup miraculously healed her....but it sure made me feel good!
Yesterday I went out to my little garden and found this. So I got looking closer and found this. Here he is up close and personal...just before he left this world for the next.
These guys can really hide... I found 7 little ones yesterday, 1 today and 3 of their great-big grandpappys last week.
But I also found this guy...Can you see him? He gets to stay.
What a great four-day weekend we had with no real obligations, just 4 days to do whatever we pleased! Here an accounting of how we spent our time...
Friday: We went running/slogging, then we puttered about the house trying to accomplish something. I cut Karl's hair. Spent the evening at the temple...ahhh...great way to end the day.
Saturday: Karl helps someone move and goes home-teaching. I go yard sale-ing with my neighbor, Rosanne. Our best deal was found bartering with an old cigar-smoking "had-to-have-been-a-retired-used-car-salesman-claiming-to-be-a-brain-surgeon" over a file cabinet! After a lot of haggling the crusty old fellow (generously) gives it to us for $20 and then continues to murmur about his losing deal as he throws in a blanket and a bungee cord...we're still laughing, ya gotta' love old coots like that.
I made bean salad and funeral potatoes...Karl tries to find somewhere to watch the BYU game.
Karl watches the BYU game at Rosanne's, while Rosanne and I swim, eat a "Man-Feast" of BBQ Ribs, and swim some more while we watch the moon come up. Karl is still rejoicing about the BYU game!
I'm going to miss Rosanne, she's spending a month in Pasco with her hubby who works there. We've told her about Fall in Pasco...the smell of the grapes in the air, the leaves actually turn colors, the mornings are crisp and the days are beautiful...she's excited, I'm jealous.
Sunday: We eat left-over ribs and funeral potatoes. Jake and Steph join us. Steph is sick with a body-aching flu (really, it's the flu!) Home-teachers come bearing my favorite Macadamia nut, white chocolate chip cookies...home made by Bro. Waggoner...he's a master of cookie making. I tried not to share! But someone noticed that I had carefully set them aside and foiled my plan. The cookies got passed around.
Monday: We both run the 5K at the Stake Fun Run. I shaved 2 minutes off my July fun run time...I've gone from "old lady shuffle" to just "old-lady slow". Karl added 30 seconds to his over-all time...he's bummed but I think a 9 minute/mile is pretty good for an old guy.
I savor the last of the Macadamia Nut Cookies and am forced to share again.
Take a nap. Putter about the house and yard making an attempt to accomplish something...some progress but nothing completed. Take another nap! Ahhh, the good life.
Grilled some hamburgers. Jake and Steph and the Dunsmoors come over to help us enjoy our last feast of summer. Sooo good! I tried Pioneer Woman's burger recipe with caramelized onions and blue cheese...delicious. But everyone else is scared of the blue cheese and goes the traditional tomato and pickle route. Except Steph. She doesn't eat much is anything. She's is still miserable and achy. Sis. Dunsmoor calls her doctor son. It's just another flu going around that lasts about 4+ days. Steph will live. Prescription...drink plenty of liquids. So we all have another round of lemonade.
Good bye summer.
Next goal...enjoy Fall and maybe finish a few of those projects we've started.
I can't believe I didn't take one picture the whole weekend but I did get a great camera case at a yard sale!
Well the last of the Jake & Steph wedding festivities are over after an open house last Saturday. Ahhh...the relief!
Initially we weren't going to do any sort of open house/reception here in Vegas. Who would come? Our unspoken thoughts were...if we didn't have one...then no one could not come and we'd avoid any emotional injury. But then we got thinking... the relatives, they'd be obligated to show up. Then Jake had a few friends that he wanted to share this happy time with. And then the ward members...some of them are so darn nice that they show up, just to be nice. So we decided to go forward.
Next challenge where? Our house...too small if some one actually showed up. Outside in someone beautiful yard...way too hot in August. The church gym ...too big for our expectations...but the price was right.
Next challenge how to make the gym feel inviting and special on a miniature budget and even less time. Plus gyms are known to swallow up token decorations making them look even more lame. Food I can handle...decorations were causing me to hyperventilate and sweat.
But in steps my wonderful friend Karla, who loves to decorate and had just done a wedding for her daughter. She had some great ideas! We pulled it together in a couple hours with just the things we had. Another friend Linda, a past wedding caterer, helped pull together beautiful buffet tables with her amassed collection of serving pieces. Thank heavens for talented friends...I want to grow-up and be talented too...just like them. (And collect beautiful things)
It all turned out very nice...simple elegance. With very little hyperventilating on my part. We did a Mexican Buffet which got very good review from those attending. A variety of desserts coutesy of Costco. A slide show of Jake & Steph's childhood pictures, engagement photos, Canadian reception and the SLC wedding entertained continually.
It was a wonderful evening... and people actually came!
The above specimen is to remain anonymous...like in one of dr. kyle's text books of acute medical conditions. But the said specimen is trying to count it as post-cruise weight lose. The condition has passed...and I've been vacuuming a lot more.
The Tobler Caribbean Cruise was amazing. Truly a dream vacation with 4 of our 5 boys, their wives and a few Shoemakes. We are all a little shocked that it actually happened.... but thanks to Janet our vacation was full of beautiful beaches, snorkling, a multitude of games and lots of relaxing. There was non-stop eating ...any time, any where. A few of us even ate too much and suffered because of it.We enjoyed romantic evenings......and it was a great way to celebrate our 34th anniversary.It was a perfect Tobler vacation...and Ken only got in a little trouble. You probably think this is the end. Nope!...there will be a slide show containing just a few zillion photos...so be prepared.
Being mom Tobler I didn't want to just go buy a wreath. I didn't even want to go to Michael's and buy a bunch of supplies to create it. So I had to ponder this a bit.
To further help these twisted twigs retain their wreath shape while they dried I wound Jasmine vines ( leaves and all) around the wreath. The Jasmine vines will also dry into nice woody twigs.
The leave will eventually dry and fall off but until then they add to the silk fall leaves. Of course the silk leaves were collected from garage sales of years past so I count those as basically free.
It is still a work in progress as I might add a few touches to it... if I find some nice nut or berry laden twigs on our next hike to see the fall leaves up on Mt. Chareston.
Sooo delicious. A great way to start another week.
He's also a little cranky, but definitely low-maintenance...
Phase two...deepen our garden boxes.
Now to just wait see what actually grows. Gardening in Vegas,
If life weren't rough enough for him :) poor Dad Tobler has developed an infected cyst on his gum. The dentist drained yesterday which only made his whole cheek swell up like a squirrel storing up for winter...Poor Dad Tobler.
A day we all remember where we were,
Beside Steph has been so sick, she needed the healing qualities of chicken soup. 
...just before he left this world for the next.
I found 7 little ones yesterday, 1 today and 3 of their great-big grandpappys last week. 
Can you see him? He gets to stay.
It could get a little "same 0ld, same old"
...but the belly dancers always keep it interesting!
This one was amazing...she moved like a cobra. And her costume was a bit intriguing too.
...smart
...fun
...beautiful
and she can keep up with the "best of 'em".
Truly a dream vacation with 4 of our 5 boys, their wives 
and a few Shoemakes.
We are all a little shocked that it actually happened.
... but thanks to Janet our vacation was full of beautiful beaches,
snorkling,
a multitude of games 
and lots of relaxing.
There was non-stop eating 
...any time, any where. 
A few of us even ate too much and suffered because of it.
We enjoyed romantic evenings...
...and it was a great way to celebrate our 34th anniversary.
It was a perfect Tobler vacation...and Ken only got in a little trouble.
