It's Worth WHAT???

I've been collecting model horses since Santa brought me one in 1963. (His name is Brownie, he's a Japan china riding pony complete with tack, and he's been broken and repaired more times than I can count. Yet he sits in the china cabinet in a place of pride.)

I have about 700 pieces, most of which are on display in my office. Like this:

A bear to dust but I truly do enjoy them and love having them around me when I work in my upstairs office.

Recently an extensive new value guide came out for the Breyers by Lynn Anderson, who has been tracking values since the mid 1990s. She knows her stuff and is reputable among the hobby. So, not having valued my collection since well before we moved back to Indiana in 2006, and knowing I would have some time on my hands as I healed from my surgery this summer, I decided to purchase her guide and see how much my Breyers were worth.

My estimate? Between $10,000 and possibly $15,000. After all, I have some early pieces which are quite valuable (a bonus from having collected so long) plus some unusual finishes and such.

 Like the buckskin Indiana Pony with warpaint.

The early glossy dapple grey Clydesdale.

The black Grazing Mare and Foal plus the stretch Morgan with old-style black hooves.

 A rare chalky (made during the 70s oil shortage when Breyer changed its plastics recipe.)

I've got a pearly finish Lying Foal (alongside a regular one.)

I've got old models with eyewhites and other oddities (none of which did I count into the value - I strictly did the value of the piece in a regular finish.)

After going through all my Breyer pieces one by one, pulling out boxed up ones in the closet, and recording them in the value guide, I tallied up the value and was stunned to see the figure.

$27,945.

Yes, you read that right. BIG GULP. Even more sobering is that I did not value my Hartlands, my Hagen Renakers, my Beswicks, my North Lights, Japans, or any others. This is just the Breyers. And, just like the Breyers, since I have been collecting so long, I have some really old and unusual pieces among the other brands.

I am thinking it might be a good idea to look into insurance for my collection.

"I Love the Temple!"

Got this picture from Sarah today along with the message, "I love the temple!" They are in Denver visiting friends, and took a trip to see the Denver temple.

JC & Trinalee at the Denver Temple.

The Importance of the Family

Once again I am reminded of how lucky we are to have a wonderful family. Even though we've had our share of bumps and bruises, we love each other - unconditionally, no matter what. And maybe we sometimes take what we have a bit for granted. It can take someone from outside the family to bring home just how blessed we are.

A middle school friend of Sarah's posted the following on Sarah's Facebook page, and Sarah forwarded it to me.

Took a drive down Michigan Ave before I leave town again, and seeing the house still brings tears to my eyes. Ya'll were family when I didn't know what it was supposed to be. I carry ya'll in my heart always.

I had no idea. Thanks, Sarah, for the reminder. We truly ARE blessed.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Addie!

(I know, I am late, but since we celebrated early during Groompa Camp, they balance out, right??)

Happy Birthday, sweet girl! Your Grammy loves you! (And notice the horse her Grammy has given her. Heh heh heh...)

Another horse lover in the family!

Classroom Progress

I drove out to Hershey early this morning to check on the painting and cleaning progress. As soon as I opened the door, I heard fans running - the carpets had been shampooed! That means on Monday the custodians will put all my things back in place and I will be able to get ready for the opening of school (just a few short weeks away!)

 Now that all the panting equipment has been moved, I can get a better idea of how the walls really look.

 Initially I wasn't too thrilled with the taupe color, although it was better than that horrid green, but I am changing my mind. I like it more and more each time I see it.

Blackboards and whiteboards are washed, the sink is cleaned, everything has been dusted - I am looking forward to Monday morning and getting started!

Louisville Temple

Since the Chicago temple is currently closed for maintenance, Craig and I decided to head down to the Louisville temple. It took us about three and a half hours to drive (with two stops) but compared to Chicago's traffic, a straight shot down 65 was a piece of cake!

 We were surprised at how small the temple grounds were. It's not seen in these photos, but we were right next to a stake center when these photos were taken. The temple and the church share a parking lot. (Wouldn't that be wonderful?)

The main entrance of the temple.

We left home at 7:15 this morning and got home at 5:30 in the afternoon. It was a long day, but a good day! (I can't wait for the Indianapolis temple to be built - it is only 65 miles from our home - a much shorter drive!)

New Paint - Finally!

Four weeks after the expected start day, the painters finally showed up at Hershey. And, they started in my room! This is what I saw when I walked in this afternoon:

 I would have preferred a lighter shade of taupe, but I am not complaining - it is far better than the sea green that formerly graced the walls.

 They just began painting today, so I was surprised to see that, aside from clean up, the walls looked finished.

 Some of my things are still on the floor in the room, and the painters are working around them.

 Most of my stuff is out in the hallways with strings of masking tape grouping it together to separate it from other teachers' items. This way, the custodians know whose things are whose.

 I extend down two halls!

 Boxes of books are stuffed under the cubbies.

As soon as the painters are out of my classroom, the custodians will shampoo my carpets and move my things back in. And then, I can finally begin prepping for the 2011-2012 school year!

Groompa Camp - Days 5 and 6

Friday was the last full day of camp. Sarah says Groompa Camp is the highlight of her kids' summer, and Ashley shared some comments from Trinity with me that support that. Trinity said that when she grew up, she hoped her parents did Groompa Camp for her own children. Then she suggested to Ashley that she do it for Braden and Addie's kids!

Trinalee (as Braden calls her; I think it's a beautiful name) asked if we could go up and see the horses again. Craig had taken the day off, so he came up with us.

 JC is really fond of Skippy and made a special effort to make sure Skippy got some treats down by the garden.

 Skippy has been blind from birth and has artificial eyes for cosmetic purposes.

 We had originally planned to go to Delphi to see the Wabash and Erie Canal Interpretive Center with Granny Slash, but changed our plans because the museum was not open until the afternoon and there were no barge rides until the weekend. But Craig really wanted to go see the area and maybe walk some of the paths, so since we were close to it anyway, we drove on up. JC and Trinity explored the model barge as soon as we arrive.

 JC tries out the slide inside the barge.

 There's a little cabin village on the grounds. Trinity works the grindstone.

 The barge was not running, but there were paddleboats! We decided to give them a whirl.

 JC and Boompa paddled for us, while Trinity and I enjoyed the sights from the back.

 Then we explored Nobles Bikes - unusual bikes you could rent and use for sight-seeing.

 JC and Boompa try out the bicycle built for two.

 The museum docent saw us outside and opened early for us. The kids LOVED it. Here, JC plays with the miniature canal, barge, and locks.

 Playing checkers in the re-created  barge sleeping accommodations. 

 Trinity and I play cards.

 Then, later in the day, one of the BIGGEST aspects of Groompa Camp - camping out in the backyard with Uncle Curt and Aunt Vanessa! They were pretty squished since it was a two person tent with four folks in it. We watched a movie inside and had some ice cream, and then the campers headed outside about 11:00 PM. After some ghost storytelling, they all fell asleep. They had lovely weather for a campout!

 This morning the campers came in and got some breakfast and packed up the camping gear. Craig and I packed up the kids' things and loaded the car. I was sad to see Groompa Camp coming to an end! While hanging out this morning, Trin and Curt made a spiderweb out of Magnetix.

Another shot of the Magnetix web with Curt working on it.

We left home about 10:15 and met Sarah at the Shelton Fireworks to give her back her kiddos. Craig and I were bummed to see it end - it has been such fun! We were so blue that when we got home, we sat down in the living room, looked at each other, and sighed. After having Kyle and his family, Sarah and her family, and Cole and Emily, and Curt and Vanessa in and out for the past week, our home seemed awfully quiet.

Back to normal, I guess. But what a wonderful week it was!

Happy 30th Birthday, Kyle!

Happy Birthday, Kyle! Even though I just spent a week with you, I still miss you.

Groompa Camp - Day 4

Wednesday evening Vanessa came over and played charades with us. She wins hands down for the best imitations all evening long! Can you guess who she is here?

 Hedwig, Harry Potter's owl!

 Kyle turns 30 on Saturday, so I baked him an early birthday "cake" - cherry pie!

 Boompa purchased four new marshmallow shooters. Thursday morning was the great marshmallow fight. JC and Trin shoot from the stairs.

 Braden wears protective eye gear (from JC's Nerf shooting set) as he reloads his shooter.

 Then he catches Boompa with a spray of ammo - look at it all over the floor! (We sure could've used Zeus on clean up!)

I also helped Ashley with my old sewing machine. The thread was breaking when she sewed on it, so I took a look at it at her request. My grandparents gave me this machine for my high school graduation in 1975 and I sewed on it for 25 years. It's an old friend.

Kyle and Ashley left for Florida at noon, and then the four of us took naps. After that, Boompa and JC went to the grocery while Trin and I drove out to Hershey to get some books and play on the playground.

JC chose dinner - popcorn shrimp, Cheddar Bay biscuits, and watermelon - yummy! And then we wrapped up the day by watching How to Train Your Dragon together while eating ice cream and Oreos.

Kyle called in the evening - his car had died at a rest stop 30 miles north of the Tennessee border. Traveler's Aid came to look at it but could not get it started, so they had their car towed to Bowling Green, Kentucky and Craig found them a motel online and made them reservations.

I hope they get good news today!

Groompa Camp - Day 3

For Wednesday, we planned a morning trip up to Brookston to see Great Aunt Leslie's horses. We took a big bag of carrots to entice them up to the gate and then to keep them interested in hanging around with us.

 The horses were way out in the field, so JC went down to the gate and called them while the rest of us whistled. I thought they might gallop up, but they sort of meandered and took their time. The waiting was tough!

 Loomis nibbles from Trinity's hand while Beau eats Addie's carrot spaghetti-style.

 Kyle helps Braden give Loomis another carrot.

 Beau and I getting chummy.

 Trinity looks thrilled and Loomis looks relaxed and basks in the attention.

 Skippy, who is blind, came over to the garden fence for his share of carrots.

 By the garden fence, JC noticed a monarch butterfly caterpillar working on some milkweed.

 Skippy wanders off after we run out of carrots.

Loomis, a Standardbred who used to race,  has been pin fired. I wish that "remedy" would be outlawed.

 We discovered a large snapping turtle in the road on the way home, so we stopped and Kyle got out and helped it across the road so it would not get hit by a car. He didn't realize it was a snapper, nor had he ever been snapped at, and was he surprised at how fast that turtle could snap! Also seen by this marsh were two great blue herons in flight, and an Eastern Kingbird, a bird I had never seen before.

 Our living room is covered in Legos and Barbies and Magnetix and dolls and play food and... But we don't mind a bit! Here Addie plays with her aunts' old Barbies.

 For dinner, we celebrated Kyle's 30th birthday - shish kebabs and cherry pie! We grilled tons of food. I think JC must've eaten 6 skewers himself! He also helped Boompa grill.

 Braden enjoys a skewer. Since he has a severe milk allergy, I make sure EVERYTHING we eat when he is here is milk free. That means he can eat without worrying and feel like everyone else.

 Kyle chowing down. (I didn't count the number of skewers he ate.)

Ashley and JC enjoying dinner together.