The Gingerboard Man!

While here for a visit Duncan brought a piece of cardboard that had hit the front of their car and stuck.  He told me he had always wanted to make a big person and would I help him.  I asked if he would be willing to make a big gingerbread boy and he was happy with that so we began.  I did the drawing, he did the adjusting he wanted, I cut it out and we both had to tape a part of the head back on.  Once he liked the look he got out markers and decorated it.  I got busy with something else and he went off with his new creation.  A few minutes later I noticed that the gingerbread man was in the fireplace.  I asked him why and he replied, "I'm cooking him in the oven!"  How could I argue with that.

I know every grandparent thinks this but the truth is--I have the smartest grandkids, the most clever grandkids, the sweetest grandkids, and the kindest grandkids, in the WORLD!!!

Fondant

 Ava and I ventured into making Grahams' birthday cake this year because they were coming to California to visit.  The cake was a hit and Ava and I had a great time making our own fondant out of marshmallows and powdered sugar.

Selective Service Draft Records

I have been indexing the Selective Service information from World War II that was done in California.  It is some of the best information I have seen on any individual in all the indexing information I have put into the Family Search records.  In the Draft Registration information they list the name of the man enrolling, where he is living at the time he gave the information, where he was born, his age and his birth date.  He had to put the name of the person who would always know where to reach him and their relationship to him.  He also had to list the name of the company or business he was working at.  Included on the form was his height, weight, complexion, eye color, hair color, and then any scars or marks on his body (such as a tattoo).  If you have a relative who signed up for the draft in the 1940s you will soon be able see all the information that I have talked about.

It has been interesting to think about this collected information meant to so many families.  Did they actually get drafted, did they survive?  What horrendous things did they see during the various battles they may have been involved in. The ages of those I have indexed have been from 18 to 42.  Can you imagine being drafted when you were in your 40s with a family that you will leave behind?  Can you imagine the false bravado of these young 18 year olds sure that they would save the world but entered a frightening experience that they had not been prepared for.  I was touched by the number of young men who listed their grandmothers as the person who would always know where they were.  The sad ones were the those who didn't list anyone who would know where they were or who could be notified if something happened to them.. A number of men were born in other countries but were now American citizens and willing to fight for their new country.  I hope they all came home and continued living the lives they had envisioned before this terrible war changed everything.  Only their families will know the answer to that!

Elder Duncan

I have to share this.  Perry and his companion made a pinata for their zone conference.  His mission president and his wife are completing their three year assignment over the Kentucky Louisville Mission at the end of June so at their last zone conference Perry made this for him.  Love these missionaries!

Cheesecakes

Although we have finished our regular cooking classes Ava and I have plans to get together on a regular basis and do some cooking.  I told her that she needed to decide what she wanted us to cook.  This time she wanted to make cheesecake so on Thursday we spent the day making four flavors of cheesecake.  It wasn't so much labor intensive as it was time intensive but the end results looked really good!

Blueberry Cheesecake

Toffee Cheesecake

Lemon Glazed with Fresh Berries

Samoa Cheesecake

We invited her family over for dinner and after a salad dinner we all tried out our creations.  Although I am not a big lover of cheesecake the end results were pretty tasty!

Activity

 The anxiety that Scott often feels makes me search for things that he can do.  After a trying afternoon I had an idea of bringing out the blocks in the playroom and I set them on the table and encouraged him to see what he could build.  It worked for about a half an hour and he intently picked out the blocks he would use and put together a creation.  The best part was that Angela and the kids stopped by for a few minutes and I said to Caleb, "you are just in time to see what Grandpa built."  He walked into the living-room and when he saw it he excitedly proclaimed, COOL!  I looked at Scott's face and he had a smile on his face.  I haven't been able to have him try again but it was a brief respite from his anxiety.

I Love This Guy!

In spite of all the things that are happening with Scott's illness it seems that every day I am reminded how much I love him.  Because much of his memory is gone he often does interesting things.  He always says to me, "I need to do something!" and so I try to find little projects for him.  Like vacuuming which he was always the best at.  On Friday morning I was cleaning bathrooms, doing laundry, and just doing some general cleaning when he came and asked what he could do to help.  I mentioned that he could vacuum.  I then got the vacuum out and plugged it in and told him where I would like him to vacuum.  I then walked down the hallway to the bathroom but didn't hear the vacuum so I went back.  He was in the living-room just vacuuming away but hadn't turned it on.  Today I had a few mini oreo cookies in my hand and he asked what I was eating.  I replied that they were cookies and would he like some.  He said yes but not very many.  I gave him two.  Later as I was preparing dinner I opened the refrigerator door and on top of a pat of butter sat a tiny little oreo cookie all by itself!  When he said not to many-he meant it!  Another cute thing he does is each day he takes a walk a short distance and then back to a car.  Although I told him not to go off the sidewalk he gets to the spot where he is suppose to turn around and come back he walks down the slope and reaches up and embraces the brick cornerstone before coming back to the car.  I know as you read this you probably feel sad and that is okay because it is.  But in spite of that I love all the things he does in spite of the incredible obstacle that has been put in his way.  I have said it many times and I hope I will be able to say it many more time--he is so kind, and I love serving him because he is serving me with little snippets of joy each day.