THE BOY SCOUT CAKE AUCTION!

Every year for a Boy Scout troop fundraiser, we put on a dinner and cake auction.

For this dinner, we provide a Baked Potato Bar, Nachos, and salad. We have those who attend just come, or they can bring baked potato topping. We have the scout boys and their parents make cakes to auction off at the end. Considering we have all boys, we have been a part of this for a long time, even longer because Scott was a scout leader before our boys were old enough to be in scouts!! Fortunately, because all of our boys are now out of scouts, we just have to make 2 cakes now. (When they were all involved, and us, too, we had to make 5 and we spent a lot of time planning out our super, incredible decorated cakes! Not anymore!)

This year we wondered how well it would do because of the economy.

And once again, everyone pulled through! We ended up with 18 cakes, 2 brownie dessert treats, and 2 pies. And the best thing of all..........the Scouts made $901! WAHOO!

OKAY...SO ON TO SEEING SOME OF THE CAKES!
We were set up to buy this cake! And it was one of the High priced cakes!

Oh, well, it's for the Scouts, right? :-)

There was another like it for the other missionary from our ward.

Yes, his parents were set up ,too!

There was some delicious cheesecake in the mix!

Our very simple cakes in the back row!

A happy little guy after winning this cake!

(I have to say that Scott and I have this dinner and fixings down pat....I think we have been in charge of it for over 15 years! So next year around this time...maybe you'll read a similar post!)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

A NICE SURPRISE!!!

I just had a nice early Valentine's surprise!

The doorbell rang...

I answered to find this leaning against the wall:

I opened it up, and arranged it to get this:

And attached to the box was this:

What a GREAT SURPRISE!

I LOVE YOU TOO, STEVEN!

(Maybe I better go do something nice for him

like clean his room! :-)

Blog Slacker!!!

So, this past month has been incredibly busy and I became a "Blog Slacker"! One of the reasons....I became a member of FACEBOOK! Yes, it is a distraction, and an addiction, but it is so fun to talk to family and friends, some who I haven't had contact with in years! It is a great way to reacquaint with them and to find out about them and their families! So, yes, I think I am addicted to FACEBOOK! I tried to resist, but it happened! So...BEWARE OF FACEBOOK!

Now....I have lots to catch up on so, I'll be adding a little bit at a time.....

This past weekend, Scott and I made a quick trip to Utah to meet our grandson, Dallin Michael Allred. He is the sweetest baby! We had so much fun with him and Sage, and Michael and Kim, too! Scott and I really wished they lived closer so we could see them more often. But they don't so plane trips make it really nice! While we were there, Dallin was blessed, and his name was put on the records of the church. Michael gave him a beautiful blessing! What a thrill it was for Scott and I to witness this special occasion.

We had a great time visiting with Michael and Kim and their family!

We just love being grandparents! Our grandkids are the greatest!

(Utah and my hair do not get a long!)

Scott and Sage had a lot of fun playing and singing "Popcorn Popping"!

My Uncle Willie

On January 28th, my uncle Willie, my mothers brother, passed away. This brought much sadness to me, as he was such an amazing person, who had lived through so much tragedy. (His brother Raymond died at 18, of bone cancer. His Brother Albert died at 28 from an accident in an oil tanker. His sister Agnes, my mother, died at 36 from cancer. His mother died from complications from childbirth from having my aunt Dorothy. His father died in a plane crash over the Atlantic Ocean.) He was a man full of love and devotion to family. He was the key for me in having contact with my mom's family. Fortunately, I was able to attend his funeral in Winnemucca, Nevada on Feb. 3, 2009, and renew family relationships with my Aunt Dorothy and many cousins. It was a day of heartache and comfort, too.

UNCLE WILLIES OBITUARY:
Jacobus W. "Willie" Hooft
Jacobus William “Willie“ Hooft, 85, passed away January 28, 2009 at Humboldt General Hospital. Born July 21, 1923, in Secaucus, New Jersey, to Willem and Gertje Hooft, he and his family moved to Salt Lake City where he lived until the age of seven. In 1930, the family moved to Winnemucca where he was raised and educated. As a young boy he worked in the Humboldt Bakery which was established by his father in 1935 with a 25 dollar loan from a friend. He continued working at the bakery through high school while playing football, basketball, track and tennis. He was a member of the high school band where he played several different instruments despite not knowing how to read music. Following graduation, he joined the Navy where he served in World War II aboard the USS Goss from 1942-1945. Upon returning to Winnemucca, he continued working at his family's bakery. In 1952, he married Antonia “Tony“ Barinaga in Winnemucca, where they raised three sons, Jim, Raymond and Robert. In 1958, his father was killed in a KLM airliner explosion off the coast of Ireland, at which time Willie took over the bakery and a short time later renamed it “Hooft's Bakery.“ Willie, along with his sons, spent many long hours at the bakery creating incredible pastries and breads, earning Hooft's Bakery a reputation both locally and regionally. With a passion for flying and aviation, Willie not only held a private pilot's license but was also a certified flight instructor. He flew for the Bureau of Land Management scouting wild fires. He owned and operated the fuel operations at both locations of the Winnemucca Airport for many years. He also loved music and dancing and while a young man was the drummer of the popular Ferris Trio, that played at local dances and other functions. In addition, he loved to play the harmonica. In 1998, Willie retired from the bakery he had owned for 40 years and worked in for 65 years. He spent his days enjoying time with his many grandchildren. He also spent time with his special friend, Aaron Garrison, a young boy who he met in physical therapy. Willie was a Boy Scout leader and an organizer of youth activities. He was a former member of the Lion's Club, a School Board Member of the Humboldt County School District for two decades, a board member of the Friends of Nixon Hall and a board member at the Senior Center where he enjoyed eating lunch and visiting with friends. He orchestrated an annual donut sale fundraising event for the Lowry High School Honor Society where many high school students took part in a very early morning of donut making. Willie was a kind and generous man with a big heart who donated frequently to local churches and other charities. Willie is preceded in death by both his parents, brothers, Albert and Raymond and sister, Agnes. Willie is survived by his wife of 56 years, Tony; his sons, Jim Achabal, Raymond Hooft, M.D. and Robert Hooft (Marie); sister, Dorothy Leonelli (Sam); sister-in-law, Delores Link (Albert); brother-in-law, Kay Johnson (Agnes); grandchildren, Kyle, Aubri, Mary Kate, Joe, Therese, Stephanie, Isaac, Austin, Anneka, Jessica, Raymond and Sierra; great-grandchild, Donovan; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Thank you, Uncle Willie, for the example of family unity, unconditional love, and caring that you showed towards my sisters and I and our families. You will be missed terribly! There will never be a baker as wonderful as you in my life!

Thanks for the legacy that you have left for me and my family in your simple words:

"As you rumble on through life

Whatever be your goal

Keep your eye upon the donut

and not upon the hole"