The Talens' Tales

Bailey Craig has been running from her past for many years now. But when tragedy strikes, she is forced to go back to the small town in Alaska and face the ghost of her past. And Cole McKenna, the one person she most desperately wishes not to meet again, is one of the first people she runs into. The two are forced to work together when it appears a murder is one the loose and Bailey could be the next target. Submerged by Dani Pettrey is a great beach read for the summer. High energy action, interesting location and just enough romance to keep anyone turning the pages. I also liked the bit of history and folklore that was mixed in. The characters may have been a bit farfetched at times, but they are likable and most will find one or two characters to relate too. If you are looking for a book that will draw you in on the first page and not let go until the end, this is the one for you. I would certainly read the books that are to come in this series. If they are out this summer,...

Thanks to some wonderful friends , Joash has a new car! I had intended to show it to him after breakfast, but I did a poor job of hiding it. He spotted it and wanted to play with nothing else. He wouldn't even get off to eat his breakfast. So, I let him eat it while sitting on the car. How nice that something so simple can bring so much joy.

 M(om): Hello my 20 month old boy! How are you today? J(oash): I am pretty good mom. There sure is a lot of excitement and things happening aren't there? M: Yes there is Joash. We have been busy with your Tante Reina's prom and graduation and now we are busy getting ready for the weddings this summer. Plus the farm and the garden need to be taken care of. But, what have you been up to? J: I have been busy too learning new words and how to do different things, like ride nicely in a wagon for the wedding.  M: You have an important role in the wedding and I know that you will do great. What things do you say now? J: Oh all sorts of things. I know lots of words like "milk truck," "grape" and "calf." I sometimes can put to words together and say things like "more juice" at snack time or "other baby" when playing with the dolls. M: It is fun to hear you talk. What else is new? J: I am pretty good at running and I like...

Well, Joash has now decided that spaghetti is a good thing to eat for supper, which is very nice. It is  so easy to hide vegetables in the sauce, so I am pretty happy when he eats his supper. The other night we were having spaghetti, but Joash refused to wear his bib. So, we just took his shirt off and then put him in the tub right after supper. He had a great time! "Spaghetti is yummy!"

Joash really is quite the talker. But, he is also a bit shy, so not everyone gets to hear all of the great things he says. We also just wanted to have a record of that days when you had to inhale at the end of the word "juice" and "house" was two syllables. So, here is a little video for you. Enjoy!

Redemption is the key to a Christian’s life. It is also the key to Bryan Clay’s life. Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, Clay clearly shows how it was only through the redemptive power of God in his life that he has risen to be known as the World’s Greatest Athlete. Clay was born into a fairly loving and stable family. But after his mother becomes a Christian, things quickly fall apart and his father leaves. Clay reaction to this is to strike out in anger and violence. A wise counselor tells his mother that Clay needs to participate in sports of some kind before it is too late. Giving the choice to swim or run track and field, Clay chose the track and found his calling. Through the ups and downs of a normal athletic career, Clay learns time and again to give his best and trust in God to take care of the rest. I enjoyed reading about an athlete that so clearly thanks God for all of success. Clay is eager to point out that he is wrong body type to be a decathlete and yet...

Joash had his biggest day of discipline ever yesterday. Yesterday we were outside and Joash continually went to the garden because he loves dirt. He has a different spot of dirt that he can dig in, but of course the garden looks better. And now the plants are starting to come up and he thinks it is fun to step on all of the plants. So, when he went to the garden, I went after him and said, "No" firmly and took him out of the garden. This of course was funny,  so he immediately ran back to the garden. We did this game a few times and then I set him on the step for a time out. It sort of worked and then I took him to another part of the yard to play. Later on in the day, he was playing with his truck and banging it into the closed door of the bedroom because it made a cool booming noise. Again, I told him, "No" and put him in time out on the step inside. This one worked a bit better. After he got up, he went back to the truck and the door and again banged the truc...

Last week, I had a little get together with some friends. It was a lot of fun to do, especially since our new house is a bit more suited to entertaining. I do enjoy having people over and making great food for them to enjoy. A few people wanted some recipes, so here they are. Rhubarb Torte Crust: 1 cup flour 2 T. sugar pinch of salt 1/2 cup margarine Combine ingredients. Press into a greased 8X10 pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 325. Filling: 2 1/4 cup chopped rhubarb 1 1/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup heavy cream 2 T. flour 3 egg yolks Cook ingredients until thick. Pour over crust Topping: 3 eggs whites 6 T. sugar 1/4 t. cream of tartar Beat together until stiff peaks form. Spread over filling, Brown 10 15 minutes at 325. Heavenly Bars  These were very popular bars in Edgerton, so I made sure and got the recipe before we moved away. 1 pkg (4 serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix. 2 cups brown sugar 2 sups peanut butter 1 cup corn...

Joash has a big green ball that he likes to play with outside. Most of the time we just kick it around. Often this turns into a game of fetch where mom kicks the ball, Joash runs after it, picks it up and brings it back to mom. I keep encouraging him to kick it, but he likes to carry it around.  Then Joash decided that the ball would be really fun to sit on. So he tried...  And tried... This may look like is getting hurt or something, but he was laughing the whole time. He thought it was great fun to try and sit on the ball only to roll off.

That's right, we now live in a house with a dishwasher. For our almost 6 years of marriage, we have never had a dishwasher...until now! And it is great! I am enjoying doing dishes only once a day, rather than 3-4 times.  Joash is enjoying the new dishwasher too. It came a nice box, so we cut out a door and some windows. He enjoys his little house. Sorry for the non smiling pictures. Like I said in a previous post, it is really hard to get a good pictures of him smiling these days.

 M(om): Whoa! Joash you are way past your 19 month birthday! J(oash): I know Mom. And you are really late doing your interview. Here is a cheesy smile with my eyes closed. M: Umm... thanks. That seems to be about the only sort of picture I can take of you these days. And I know I am late with the interview, but we moved and then didn't have the internet for a while.  J: I know mom, so lets do it now. What would like to know? M: How do you like your new house? J: It is great. I love being so close to the farm and Opa and the tractors. I like seeing everything that goes down the road. It is fun to have a new house and yard to explore. M: What other things do you like to do? J: Well, I also like watching the birds out the window. But why do they always fly away when I walk up to them? M:  You are a lot bigger, Joash. J: I also have 10 teeth now, with more on the way and I am getting good at running. I am having a bit of a tough time  falling asleep...