Beautiful faces

I've got to show you 3 of the most beautiful faces in the world...my grandsons!!




William Clifford King IV is my oldest grandson, and will be 6 years old October 6.

He lives in Bentonville, AR with his daddy Cliff.

He just finished his 2nd week of school and still wants to go back this week!








Gavin Sawyer Carson-King is my second Grandson, and turned 1 year old July 24. He lives in Searcy, AR with his mommy Laura and his daddy Levi. He's getting ready to be a big brother at the end of October!

Isn't that a precious face?!




Camden Ryder King will be 6 months old September 5. He lives in Centerton, AR with his mommy Crystal and his daddy Carl.

I just got this picture this past week...it's his first time eating green beans...he looks a like he's got something to say to mommy about them.

Don't you love his little cherub face?






And last, but certainly not least, is our brand new grandbaby that's not quite "done" yet. We will get to see this sweet baby's face sometime around October 29.

Levi and Laura are the expectant parents and Gavin will be the big brother!

(I copied this picture from Laura's blog, so I hope it's o.k. that I posted it here).



I miss all of my babies SO much and can't wait to be with them again on my next visit north. I can hardly wait to meet this new member of our family, and you can be sure I will post pictures as soon as I've got them!

Zeke #5

I'd like you to meet our youngest son, Zeke (Ezekiel). He and I are both the 5th sibling in our families. I had a younger brother, but Zeke was the last in our tribe. He has always wished he had a younger sibling and felt it was very unfair that he was the last one to get picked on by the big boys. Zeke is a very easy going, generous and loving man. It's hard for me to think of him as a man since he's my baby, but he is out on his own and making his own way.

Zeke is our song bird...he has a beautiful baritone voice. This picture was taken shortly after a concert at UCA last year.

He sang at Carnegie Hall in New York City in March 2007 with the Bentonville Chamber Choir. To hear their performance, go to: www.npr.com In the search box, type Bentonville Chamber Choir. When the page comes up, click on either of the two songs. They are beautiful! There are also several articles about the event if you are interested. His Aunt Betty and I went to NYC and had a great time, but the concert was the main attraction and we weren't disappointed!

Here's Zeke, Levi and William at IHOP in Searcy, AR which is now William's favorite restaurant! He noticed and commented on every IHOP restaurant from Bentonville to San Antonio when he drove home with us a few weeks ago.

While he was here, Zeke and his girlfriend Sadie came down for a visit. If my camera hadn't drowned at Sea World, I'd have some pictures to post of our visit. We had a really good time, hitting Sea World twice, the Alamo, the River walk a couple of times and some of Zeke's favorite restaurants that aren't in Bentonville, like California Pizza Kitchen and Joe's Crab Shack..yumm-o! The crab legs were out of this world! All three of them drove back to AR together...I was sad to see them go, but had a lot of great memories to help me through until I see them again.

Zeke is traveling around Missouri and Arkansas with his job right now. He lives in Bella Vista with his brother and best friend, Andy. The last 2 years I lived in Bentonville, Andy and Zeke were the only two that still lived at home. It was very rewarding to see how the youngest two sort of became the oldest two in the way they stepped up into the role of head of household and watching out for me.

He's sweet, loving and searching for his place in this world...and isn't he gorgeous!?! By the way, did I tell you he's my favorite?

Light Night

The Church here has something they call "Light Night". It's sort of a "let your light shine" event one Monday night a month in the summer, and every Monday night through the rest of the year. The group meets for dinner at the fellowship hall and then works on various projects around the building and community. The dinner is prepared by women of the congregation in the fellowship kitchen, and anyone who knows me very well, knows that's right up my alley. The woman who has been "in charge" of the meal for the past year or so was out of town quite a bit this summer, and between my travels in and out of town, I was privileged to step in. This past Monday night, we fed 65 (66 if you count the meal I took home to Bill), and then cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom (one of the projects on the list this month...thanks Doug!)

On the menu was Smokey Citrus Pork Tenderloin and/or Smokey Citrus Chicken, Roasted Potatoes (red, white and sweet), White Bean Cassoulet and Creamy Cole Slaw. Desserts are provided by a couple of different Bible classes and are always the highlight of the meal! Especially this past week with German Chocolate Cake, Texas Sheet Cake and Texas-sized chocolate chip cookies among the delicacies. Of course, I had to bring a sampling of each of those home to Bill too...you know how he LOVES sweeets! Guess that's why he likes me so much!! He is working 2nd shift this week so he couldn't join us for dinner.

Anyway, it was fun and I'm already dreaming up the menu for next month...

More knitting...

A few more knitting projects I've been working on...


A felted nic-nak container to hold my needles, etc. Same yarn as scarf.




























Baby hats...hmmm



















Try to imagine a little
face on the ball of yarn.

Cliff #1

Named after his Dad and Grandfather, William Clifford King, III was our first son, born the day after our first wedding anniversary. We couldn't have received a better gift!


Here he is Thanksgiving Day 2007 stretching out after eating a great meal at Vi Carson's house. She is Laura's mother and has welcomed us into her home for the past 2 years and we love it! (Laura is Levi's (son #3) wife for those of you who are keeping track.)





Cliff has one son, William Clifford King, IV. As you can see he is a little monkey! He will be 6 years old on October 6, 2008. It's very hard to believe how fast he's grown.

He started kindergarten this week.








And in true King fashion, he and his daddy both have their own dirt bikes!



Here's William giving Papa Bill a ride.














Cliff and William live in Bentonville, AR. They make quite a team taking care of each other. William did tell me on his recent visit however, that "Mala, sometimes you need to wash daddy's mouth out with soap!" We are able to keep in touch daily with text messaging and cell phones.

Cliff likes motorcycle riding (dirt bike and street), and when he is stressed, he finds inner calm riding jumps on a dirt track. He also enjoys Playstation, watching racing on tv and football. Mostly though, he spends his time taking great care of his son, taking him to Bible Class, teaching him the best he can, and introducing him to all sorts of animals and critters in the fields around their house. (They have 5 turtles and 2 frogs)

This picture is a couple of years old, but I don't have many of the two of them like this and it is one of my favorites. We love him and are so proud to call him Son...by the way, did I tell you he's my favorite?

Knitting project

I thought I'd post some pictures of the knitting I've been doing...or as William calls it "yarnin'." Please don't look too closely at the model...it was Saturday night out in the garage and I was hot and tired!




This is the mitered square scarf...first time I've ever knitted mitered squares, and I love the colors and the way it came out.











I've really been into "felting" (when you wash loosely woven yarn in extremely hot water causing the fibers to grab hold of each other transforming into a dense fabric-like item). I didn't really get a good picture...it's really beautiful vibrant colors...more vibrant than before felting.


And then I stretched it to make it even longer...




















The colors really are beautiful, but the phone camera just didn't do it justice. I've already picked out the yarn I want to use to make the next one. Making the mitered squares was really fun.

I'll post more later...

Andy #4

I thought it would be a good idea to introduce my kids to those of you who have never met them. We have 5 sons, so I'm going to highlight a them one at a time. I decided to start with son #4, Andy who lives in Bella Vista, AR with his brother Zeke.
He loves anything to do with motorcycle riding. He has been dirt bike riding since he was about 5 years old. Bill and the boys took many camping trips, loading all the dirt bikes so they could ride all day. The only breaks they took were when they were sleeping either in a tent or in "big blue", our 15 passenger van, or eating. His pet project right now is resurrecting a 1991 Honda XR250l that his dad gave him. He tore it down all the way to the frame and has rebuilt it so it looks like a bike again. He plans to ride it to work and do some light dual sporting on the weekends. Since he is in North West Arkansas, great mountain roads and trails are not far away.


A few riding pictures from last summer. He sold this bike earlier this summer because he fractured his wrist out riding with his brothers and cousins in May and couldn't ride for the summer. His "new" bike will serve as a road and dirt bike.





















He fractured his wrist out riding with his brothers and cousins in May, so he sold this bike since he was out for the summer and working on the "new" bike that he can ride on the road and in the dirt.







He has a great sense of humor and since he was a little tike, he has kept us in stitches! He's kind, loving, generous and his nephew William adores him. His dad and I do too...by the way, did I tell you he's my favorite?!

It's raining!!

It rained for a few hours today...I just wanted to stand out in it with my arms up and praise God! The air is cooler and smells like it's been washed clean. I drove Bill to the Men's prayer lunch at church (he's on 2nd shift), and ran some errands. He really enjoys the fellowship with the guys and gets to go once a month when he is on 2nd.
I also went looking for knitting supplies...the first shop was closed, and the second didn't have any lights. Usually the lights wouldn't have been such a problem because there are windows on 3 sides of the store, but since it was cloudy and raining, it was very hard to see. They were passing out flashlights and everyone was making the best of it. It's a fun little place. I will post some pictures of knitting projects soon...wonder what color I should use to make something for that new grandbaby that's coming in October??

Some pics

Here are some pictures of our house at 7600 Forest Fern.

We have been here since mid-May. It's a very nice neighborhood and friendly. (No wacko's across the street like the last place!)









This is the back porch and deck (on right). After I saw this picture, I decided to trim some of the shrubbery and thought I'd take another picture. Well, Terry called and after I talked to him, I was talking to Jill and my phone went dead (I guess pictures drain the battery?). Then I smashed my thumb with the pruner and decided this picture wasn't all that bad! After all, it's a rental!






This is the railing you can see from the last picture that goes across walkway along the back of the house.

This is where I sit in the mornings, drink my coffee and read, knit and pray. It's really much more appealing and peaceful than it looks here.






This is our new grill! We have only had it for a couple of weeks and are very excited about it. We use it about 5 days a week...sometimes more than once in a day.

Like Crystal says, "everything tastes good when it's grilled."

It's not as big as Levi's, (your Dad REALLY liked yours!), but it will do.



Well, I hope you've enjoyed these first pictures. As you can see, it's still somewhat green here, but it would be a lot prettier if we could get some rain! I'll post some of the inside of the house as soon as Bill vacuums! ;)

New phone!!

I finally have my new phone..yea!! My number is still the same, so resume the calls and texts. We had to drive 84 miles to find an Alltel retailer. Fortunately for us, we enjoyed a beautiful drive north through "hill country" and I saw some scenery I hadn't seen before. We also ate at The Bluebonnet Cafe, this fabulous family-owned restaurant which has been open since the 30's. I had roast beef that tasted just like my mama used to make...it was even called "Mama's pot roast!" It reminded me of the Sunday's we went home after church and had open faced roast beef sandwiches with mashed potatoes in the middle and gravy over all of it (yeah, that rich dark brown velvety gravy!). It wasn't served with the bread, but I did endulge in the mashed potatoes. It was even better than Millers in Newark, OH. Also had saurkraut soup, which was out of this world! Don't knock it until you've tried it. I actually bought their cookbook, and I don't buy many cookbooks because I like to make up my own recipes, or pick one from my memory. Bill had the "mile high meringue" coconut cream. It's just a good thing they didn't have butterscotch meringue or I'd have had to try it!! There were lots of awards and plaques from USA Today, Southern Living and the like on the walls, but you felt kind of like you were sitting in Grandma Perdews kitchen/dining room. Evoked lots of good memories! We came home a little different route (Bill is so good at that), so we got to see more beautiful country and quite a bit of livestock. It was a fun day and riding in a cool air-conditioned car sure beat being out in the 103 degree heat! Bill really wanted to ride the motorcycle, but I weaseled out of it fearing the extreme heat. Maybe in the fall?

We will dig out our camera software soon so we can add some pictures to our blog. The one we have posted right now is the only picture I have of Bill and I together, so it will have to do for now. Until later, I love you!

Terry update

Terry is still in CICU, but hopes to be moved out today. Seems like you hear alot about people in the medical profession making the worst patients...well, according to his wife Jill, he is proof that perception is true! I'm just so glad he went to the doctor quickly (somewhat out of character), and got the best treatment quickly. He isn't one to take lying down without a fight, and hopefully the fight will aid a quick recovery.

Thanks again for your prayers, and keep them coming (and don't forget to pray for Jill too!)

My brother Terry

These past few hours have been spent in prayer for my brother Terry who had heart by-pass surgery this morning. He lives with his wife Jill, in Zanesville, Ohio. After mowing his lawn Monday, he realized he wasn't feeling "right", so set up a Dr. appointment. He had a heart catheterization yesterday morning where they discovered 5 blockages and saw evidence of previous heart attacks. This morning they fixed 4 of the 5 blockages, and he is resting comfortably now. Jill says he looks better than he has in a while. She and Jessica (their daughter) will be able to visit with him tomorrow when he will be off the respirator and awake. Thanks to those of you who prayed for his recovery, I really appreciate every one of you. I didn't even get to tell most of my kids about what was going on since I didn't know until fairly late last night. I'm glad to report good news!

It's really hot here!! Jill asked me last night if we were in the wet and ravaged part of Texas or the hot and dry part...HOT and DRY! Bill and I hope to go to Sea World either tonight or tomorrow night. This is the last week they are opened after dark, and we'd like to enjoy it in a little cooler temperatures than full sun daylight.

Hopefully I'll have a new cell phone tomorrow...

OK, here we go...

This may be rough, but I want to get started and then will try to get the rest of the bugs out later. I am so excited to be able to let you all know what we are up to here in Texas. Some of it might be pretty boring, but I love the idea of sharing our new friends and experiences with all of my family and friends. Thank you Laura and Levi for pushing us over the edge and into blogging. When you said you wanted Gavin to be able to see us and hear from us on a daily basis, it really made me think. That is exactly what I love about your blog and Carl & Crystal's blog, is that I can look at my grandchildren every day and watch them grow.
I have had somewhat of a somber day today as a very good friend of mine died. JoAnn Davis was a true friend and blessed my life in so many ways. Our Lord has welcomed her in Heaven as have my Mom and so many other brothers and sisters of Christ. I will miss her presence on this earth, but I rejoice as she walks with God.
We had a great visit last week from Zeke, Sadie and William. I will write more about it at a later time, and hopefully have some pictures to post. William was actually here for 2 weeks!! He was very homesick for Daddy by the time he went home, but we did have lots of fun together. He, Zeke, Sadie and I all went to Sea World twice, and on the first visit, my cell phone drowned in the wave pool. I haven't replaced it yet, but hope to this weekend.
Check back soon, I'll try to update with more of their visit soon!