Kensing Family

2011-10-25T20:38:00.001-07:00

Wow! Has it really been over a year since I posted? I'm so ashamed. I promised granddaughter Kate that I would start posting again, so here goes.

What a fabulous weekend! I helped host my 45th class reunion and we had a blast. Here is a picture of most of the classmates who attended. We are at Cooper's BBQ, right across the street from Billy Bob's. I'm on the front row, seated, far right. Can you tell that our colors were red and white?

Winter Wonderland of 2010 . . . .

2010-02-12T22:12:00.000-08:00

We were expecting some rain, and possibly some snow, but what a nice surprise this was! We received a 12" record-breaking snowfall. Needless to say, we've stayed indoors mostly, but today we took a walk. Here are pictures of our home and street. .

Evelyn's First Birthday Surprise . . . .

2009-11-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

It appeared to be a normal first birthday celebration with grandparents and small children galore. But something big was about to happen. After digging into her birthday cake, Evelyn had to go change clothes. When she came back out, with her mommy holding her arms just right, we could see she was delivering a message: "Big Sister in Training . . . Evelyn"

That's right, Evelyn is going to be a big sister. And we, who are much too young to be grandparents at all (hee hee) are expecting grandchild #7. Praise the Lord.

Do you think she realizes that her world is about to be turned upside down?

Trick-or-Treaters . . . .

2009-11-03T21:49:00.000-08:00

A kitty cat and a mermaid came to trick-or-treat at our house. Aren't they cute?

Goodbye to summer . . . . .

2009-08-23T16:06:00.000-07:00

Goodbye to summer. I remember dreading the end of swimming season and yet being eager to learn which teacher I had and whether my best friend, Dianna, and I would be in the same room. Dianna (on the left) and I went to Fannin Elementary from 1st through 6th grades. Here are my 2nd and 5th grade pictures - the grades our granddaughters will start this week.

School starts this week for three of our grandchildren, too, and they've been assembling their supplies. Smelling a box of Crayola Crayons transports me right back to Mrs. Stockton's third grade. School supplies consisted of a Big Chief tablet, a package of colored construction paper, some glue, scissors, two #2 pencils and a box of 24 crayons - oh, and a cigar box - a real cigar box.

Visiting in Tampa . . .

2009-08-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

Escaping the Texas heat, right into the Florida sun . . . well, at least it's been cloudy during my visit to see my little Tex-Floridians. We spent some quality home time. Here, Kate and Emma are watching one of the Princess Diary movies. Kate is recuperating from surgery so appreciates the diversions. I'm headed home tomorrow.

Our birthdays are only one day apart . . . . . .

2009-08-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! Look at all these birthday cards! Having back-to-back birthdays is terrific. These cards make up getting a year older. We celebrated with Marci and part of her family and with my twin brother, Mark. We don't get to do that very often, so really enjoyed it. What did we do? . . . . . We went out for Mexican food, of course!

A busy visit . . .

2009-07-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

Favorite daughter #1 arrived with family a few weeks ago. What fun we had: cooking (or, as they recalled, washing hands), Jenga, a piano recital, a class reunion, and then it was over with, much too soon. Still, we treasured every minute.

Celebrating a straight A report card . . .

2009-06-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

I made a deal with our grandson. Each time he brings home a straight-A report card, we have special date and it includes at least a fantastic dessert. Today we celebrated for the first time this year - he triumphed over that one pesky B. We went to the Rain Forest Cafe for its famous Volcano, then played indoor miniature golf and finally took in a movie, "Night in the Museum 2." We tried to do some shopping, too, but apparently 8th grade boys have no clothing needs. I'll bet our granddaughters won't need any coercion.

What's keeping me too busy to write?

2009-06-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

Alas, it's my home away from home. Here I am in my work station. They used to be called cubicles, but now they aren't even three-sided squares, so the name had to change. No one has offices anymore, at least not in the corporate environment; even our CEO has a station. I love my job, but it has kept me burning the candles at both ends lately. I pray for balance. Anyway, here I am . . . working away, instead of blogging. Stay tuned. I'll try and do better.

My new toy . . . .

2009-05-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

Gee, it's been a long time since I've written. What have I been up to? Well, for one, look at this! It's a White Rotary treadle sewing machine I purchased at our church's garage sale. Herb cleaned it up for me and we think it will work when we find or make a better-fitting belt. The machine and cabinet are both very simple - not as ornate as a lot of old machines. The White company is still in business, so I've emailed asking for help figuring out when it was made.

Other than that, let's see . . . we're planning a big Mother's Day celebration at our house. Two of our three sweet girls and families will be here, as well as my parents and one nephew.

St. Patrick's Day in Dublin . . . .

2009-03-26T21:59:00.001-07:00

Where better to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than in Ireland? Our trip planned for June was pushed up and it turned out to be just the right time. We took the Texas sunshine with us. Courtney did most of the planning and Shaun was our excellent wrong-side-of-the-road driver. We spent 8 days driving across Ireland. It was another "trip of a lifetime" that we never dreamed we would be taking.

It's hard to choose a favorite part, but staying at the Waterford Castle might win. Herb and Shaun played golf there. Courtney and I shopped and enjoyed the rooms. Evelyn turned out to be an expert world traveler. She was happy wherever she was, just to watch us and nap - and she drew lots of attention wherever we went.

We did all the touristy things: dined at pubs, kissed the blarney stone, toured the Guinness brewery, climbed castles, toured awesome cathedrals, drove out to the Cliffs of Mohr, attended a Dunratty Castle feast, and stayed in some charming bed & breakfasts.

Still, it sure felt good to get back to our beds . . . . . Are we getting old or what?

Haircuts and Projects . . . .

2009-02-14T20:40:00.001-08:00

After having long hair for a year, it was time for a trim, so here's new no 'do! The before and the after . . . . .

Now, for the big project . . . upholstering a window seat cushion for Marci's beautiful new kitchen. The work spanned three weekends, but we're finally delivering it to them tomorrow - hope they like it.

Our Christmas Pajama Tradition . . . .

2009-01-15T20:33:00.000-08:00

When we gather on Christmas Eve, after returning from our Christmas Eve service, we don our matching pajamas and sit for a photo. It was a little hard to get everyone together this year . . . and we especially miss our two sons-in-law who are serving overseas . . . . but don't we look grand!

The patter of little feet . . . .

2009-01-15T20:30:00.000-08:00

In addition to the six grandchildren, we were honored to be visited by all four of our grand-fur-children. Three of them pose for us here, along with Emma and Courtney.

Lose something?

2009-01-15T20:25:00.000-08:00

As if Christmas weren't exciting enough . . . Emma is ready to sing, "All I want for Christmas is my new front tooth!"

Chrismas Cookies . . . .

2009-01-15T19:49:00.000-08:00

Sweet smells wafted through our house on Christmas Day - finally our sweet granddaughters who love to bake arrived on the scene. We didn't have time to do it earlier, so we baked on Christmas Day.

Kate and Emma, our little Sunshine State granddaughters, baked and decorated, and decorated, and decorated. I miss our sweet little girls.

Christmas + Family . . .

2009-01-03T08:56:00.000-08:00

What better way to celebrate Christ's birth than by remembering what is important? As our family grows it becomes harder and harder to reserve time together, so this was an especially good Christmas. Only two of our sons-in-law were missing - both serving our country in the Middle East. We appreciate and miss them very much.

The house was joyously noisy, but our three daughters and all six grandchildren gathered for our annual Christmas Pajamas photo. Hmmm . . . while I look for that one, take a gander at our six beautiful grandchildren. I know the PJ picture is here somewhere!

Grandbaby #6 . . . .

2008-11-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

Well, would you look at this! Evelyn Renee made her appearance and now our youngest daughter and her husband are
officially a family of three (if you don't count the two fur-babies). Daddy is serving overseas but was able to join by webcam right after the birth.

She's beautiful and we are eager to get acquainted. Unfortunately we've been hit with nasty colds, so will need to wait a few days to see her again.

We thank God for this and all our blessings.

Babies and Ladies . . . .

2008-11-12T20:02:00.000-08:00

In a weekend of contrasts, Herb and I spent Friday evening with our littlest grandchildren ages 17 months and 3 months - both full of energy and smiles. They kept us busy.

Then the next morning our neighborhood ladies met for coffee - two hours of non-stop chatting - catching up with our lifestyle changes. Most have lived on this street for 20+ years, so we've been been through a lot together.

Our mini-reunion "The Burnet Reunion"

2008-10-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

My parents, two brothers and families try to meet at least once a year and this time was extra special. We rented two lake houses on Lake LBJ near Austin. Five loved ones couldn't make it, but still there were 26 present scattered among four generations. We enjoyed fishing, swimming, boating, a surprise birthday party and lots (but not enough!) family time. Here is our group picture on the porch of one of the houses. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Bragging time . . .

2008-09-17T20:34:00.001-07:00

Aren't they the cutest? These are our two youngest blessings, ages 17 months and almost two months. You sure find out that your house isn't baby-proofed when there's a one-year-old around. What an evening!

On turning 60 . . . .

2008-08-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! My twin and I "went up" another decade today.

It reminds me of when one of our granddaughters decided, at age 3, that she wasn't going to "go up" to 4. After much prodding, she finally agreed that she would go on up to 4 (possibly so as not to miss her party and gifts), but for a while her mother was worried about how this refusal was going to play out.

A heavenly bundle . . .

2008-08-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

Our new grandchild (#5) arrived last week, little Marley Faith. Each one has a distinctive personality and we can't wait to see what is in store with this one. Once again we have been blessed.

Here's her Hey-Dad showing her off - two days old. She looks just like her big sister, who looks just like big brother. We're waiting to see if she will have Mommy's brown eyes or Daddy's blue eyes. Either way, she's a cutie!

New York, New York!

2008-06-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

What an experience! It was a short weekend in New York, something we had been looking forward to for years. We should all experience how people live in other parts of the country (or world!) so we can better bloom where God planted us.

From riding the subway to seeing a show on Broadway (or maybe it was "off Broadway" since it was a block off) to touring Miss Liberty and the historic Ellis Island, . . . . we crammed as much living into a short time period as we could.

And we're still recovering!

Our cup runneth over . . . .

2008-04-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

Did we say we will be grandparents again this year? Well, how about twice this year? Our youngest daughter and hubby returned home from their three years in Japan and immediately announced that they too are infanticipating! We will be praying for healthy babies and mommies in late July and late November. Truly, we are all blessed!

Happy Thoughts come in Threes!

2008-03-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

Springs is bringing lots of happiness our way . . . . First, news of our youngest daughter and hubby's official return date following their two years in Japan - next week! Second, our middle daughter and hubby surprised us (and themselves!) with news that they are expecting another baby and she's nearly halfway through the pregnancy - so we'll be grandparents a fifth time by August! Third, we are setting our sights on a visit with our oldest daughter and family in Florida in a couple of weeks. We are truly blessed!

Movies . .

2008-03-14T20:19:00.001-07:00

A friend and I saw the best chick-flick today: "Definitely, Maybe." Go see it!

Snow in March . . .

2008-03-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

I drove home from work yesterday in a Currier & Ives Christmas card! Big, beautiful flakes and 2-3 inch accumulation in just a couple of hours. All I needed was the one-horse, open sleigh. But, alas, it's sunny and 50 degrees today. Another Texas snowfall is history.

Hawaii - a time of remembering

2008-03-05T22:17:00.001-08:00

What a trip! We spent nearly a week on the island of Oahu, staying near Waikiki Beach.

We toured the Pearl Harbor memorials and drove all over the island in our cute little Mustang convertible - sure brought back memories of the 1966 Ford Mustang we started dating in. We still had it four years later and brought our first baby home from the hospital in it. Sure wish we had it now!

Everyone should take this trip one time. If we ever go again, though, we will visit one of the quieter islands.

Help! Camera's on the blink!

2008-02-15T20:48:00.001-08:00

What a time for this to happen! Our camera is acting up and we're planning our first trip to Hawaii! It thinks its battery has run down, but it hasn't - must be some kind of connection problem.

We've manage to avoid the bugs that are going around, so hope we can keep it up through yet another COLD spell. Thank goodness for global warming - just imagine how much worse it would be!

Wintertime sets in . . .

2008-01-20T16:02:00.000-08:00

Brrr. It's cold this week, in the 20s at night with low-40s daytime highs. Watching the Green Bay vs. Giants playoff game reminds me that we are fortunate here in Texas, but we'll pay for it in the summer. I just had to write and say the Christmas tree is finally down. Yes, it's taken this long. We're expanding an experiment from years past (of not dissembling it) and this year left the ornaments on. We wrapped it in a flannel sheet and stuffed it into a closet. Not easy. Next year we'll know if it worked and if we miss the tree-trimming part of Christmas tradition. That's about it for now.

Getting ready for Christmas

2007-12-22T21:17:00.000-08:00

Taking home-baked goodies to the office is a tradition. I guess that's how we show our love for the ones we work side by side with on a daily basis. This year I baked oatmeal cookies, banana nut bread, and brownies - a very nutritious feast.

When I snapped a picture of our tree I didn't realize the camera angle would allow our little train set (its cars spell out "Merry Christmas") emphasize the "Christ." What a poignant reminder of the reason for the season.

Brookside Brunch Bunch

2007-12-15T21:52:00.001-08:00

The first annual Brookside Brunch Bunch met today - almost impromptu - it started out with the yoga group planning to go for coffee at a bakery, but then we decided to have a Christmas coffee break at home and see who else could come. Only a few were able, so we decided to document it with a picture and plan an annual event when more can come. Daughter Marci and granddaughter Havanna joined us, too, and provided some spice.

Playing House

2007-12-10T21:11:00.001-08:00

What Fun! We hosted part of our Sunday school class progressive dinner Saturday night, which gave us the opportunity to dress up the house and especially the table. I used the bowl of Christmas ornaments (a memento from Courtney's reception) and burgundy table runner and napkins. We dined on son-in-law JJ's delicious stuffed pork chops, enjoyed lively conversation with friends we've known for decades and generally had a good time. Why don't we do this sort of thing more often?

Trimming the Tree

2007-11-25T14:44:00.000-08:00

Sentimental I am. Trimming the tree each year brings back a flood of memories. I cannot toss the old ornaments, even though we now collect a new ornament on each trip and have too many. Each ornament brings back a memory. Someday the girls will have to make that decision, because I can't do it now.

Sometimes a new one will evoke a memory. Last year Kristi made some new ornaments that preserved some "famous" recordings she and Marci had made using an old cassette recorder they loved to drag around; sometimes they forgot it was running. One ornament has a picture of four-year-old Kristi on it. When you press the button, you hear her her sweet voice singing, "Buon Natale means Merry Christmas to You" - an English-Italian Christmas carol she learned at church in Plainview. The other ornament has a picture of two-year-old Marci on it and the recording is her baby talking and then plainly saying, "I have some scissors!" [pronounced "thih-thors"] That pronunciation is one we still use when searching for scissors.

Bless you, Kristi, for preserving our memories!

Pre-Thanksgiving

2007-11-20T21:01:00.001-08:00

We have so much to be thankful for this year . . . our health, three wonderful daughters and sons-in-law, four wonderful grandchildren, including a new one, our parents still active in their 80s, our jobs and the ability to continue working as we near retirement . . . . and we are thankful for the freedom we so often take for granted. We can worship God in any way we want. We can travel and do anything we are able and can afford to do. We thank God and ask Him to keep us mindful of our many blessings. We also thank our military, and their families, for standing up for us. Because they did, we are free.

This year our gathering will be small - only six of us. Marci and family will join us. And there will be something new in our den. After 17 years, we are getting a new high-definition TV - and if all goes right it will be installed in time for the Thanksgiving Day football games. Tomorrow, as soon as I get home from work, the cooking shall begin!

Grandchildren -a glimpse of heaven?

2007-11-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

Grandchildren. . . . . You can love them and re-live the happiest moments of parenthood - and conveniently forget the not-so-happy ones - and just watch them grow and develop their own personalities. Everyone always said being a grandparent was better than being a parent because you could spoil them and send them home. That's true, but that's not it. Here's the real bonus: If they don't turn out right, it's not your fault!!!! :-)

Halloween 2007

2007-11-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

It's Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf!

Alaska, July 2007 - 40th Wedding Anniversary Cruise

2007-11-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

How do you reward yourselves for 40 years of marriage? It has not always been easy and we felt the need to splurge and celebrate our victory. We had never taken a cruise and weren't sure we'd like seven days afloat, but were we ever surprised! It was cool, relaxing and glorious. Our daughters surprised us with wine and gifts on our arrival and the ship's crew treated us royally.

But it wasn't all ship time. We took side excursions: a float plane trip to a hunting cabin near the Taku Glacier, where bear cubs raided the salmon pit in broad daylight; panning for gold; a salmon bake; and high tea at the historic Empress Hotel on Victoria Island, Canada.

We can now highly recommend cruises and will definitely take another, just as soon as we recover from this one!

Cheryl's 41st high school reunion, July 2007

2007-11-02T21:03:00.001-07:00

Traveling in 2006

2007-11-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

Our First Blog

2007-11-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

Here we are in cyberspace at last. Our daughters challenged us to keep up with them, and we cannot NOT rise to the occasion.

We both grew up in Odessa, but now live in Hurst, Texas. Our three wonderful daughters (Kristi, Marci and Courtney) have grown, finished college, married, and launched into their own busy lives. They are providing us with terrific grandchildren (four, so far - we are their Gram and Hey-Dad). Herb retired as a biology teacher and athletic trainer after 35 years and continues to work part time as a trainer. I am a paralegal and, after nearly three decades of working in law firms, I chose the much tamer environment of a corporate law department to finish out my career.

We engage in numerous activities, all surrounding our family, our church, our jobs, and our friends. The world is opening up to us now. During 2006 we visited Courtney and Shaun in Japan (the island of Okinawa), then we toured England and Scotland with our church choir. During 2007 we cruised Alaska's and Canada's inside passage, then topped it off with two nights in Seattle.

Our lives may not be exciting - but excitement is way overrated. We are thankful for our health. We spend time with our family at every opportunity and we reach out to "old" friends, too.