End of another year--2011

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted on here! At the near close of this year, I reflect back on the crazy year it has been! A lot has happened in our family--our oldest son, Tom, and his family moved to Montgomery, Alabama, for a job opportunity. My husband turned 65 and is now one of the Medicare set. I have been busy sewing and creating gifts for Christmas (which seemed to be a success) and I'm already thinking ahead to my next project(s), perusing the internet and the many talented crafters' blogs for ideas. My youngest, Cami, and her husband were able to come down for Thanksgiving for a few days and stayed with us. That was a pleasant surprise, but went by way to fast!! I am ready for a new and better year ahead...I am thankful for the generosity and kindness that has been shown to me and my family. I am truly grateful for and blessed to have the best family and friends! I love them all so much!

But, I just want to say that I am thankful for this Christmas season, where we have had the opportunity to commemorate our Savior's birth of over 2,000 years ago. He has truly changed the world! I am grateful for His example, His love, and for his Atonement and sacrifice in my behalf. May each of us remember to be kinder, more loving, and give service to those around us, as He did. It has been a hard year, but I know this next year is bound to be a much better one, in a lot of ways!

Relief Society Meeting on Gardening

Last night we had a wonderful class on Gardening taught by Brandy Simper. She did a great job and gave us a lot of information to help us catch the vision of following the prophets' advice to plant a garden! She brought with her some amazing fruits and vegetables that she had grown in her own garden. I added her link to my blog because it is very informative and has lots of fun ideas and helps on there. We had a good turn out and invited our husbands to attend with us. Our refreshments were cups of chocolate pudding 'dirt' and a veggie tray...simple fare to go along with the theme of the evening. I think that everyone was excited about giving gardening a try! Thanks Sister Simper for sharing your expertise and enthusiasm with us!

Next month Sister Simper will be giving us information on Food Storage. That should be very helpful as well, especially in these economic times.

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Fathers

Even though Father's Day has passed, I will not forget about fathers, especially mine. I have many fond memories of my dad, and I looked up to him...still do. He was such a good example to me and my siblings while we were growing up, and even more after we were all grown. He is my hero, though he's been gone for 14 years now. I remember sitting by his garden with him and having good discussions, playing music with him (he played harmonica and I played guitar) at home and in the Southern Utah Folklife Festival, singing duets in the car on trips or sitting at home, riding in the back of his blue 3-wheel Cushman scooter, and listening to stories of his experiences when he worked on the trails and tunnel in Zion National Park. He was an inventor, hard worker, carpenter, jack-of-all-trades, spiritual giant, great father, and wonderful grandpa! I learned so much from Dad and I knew I could talk to him about anything. I knew he loved me and didn't judge me. Everyone loved him, too. In my estimation he was perfect! He lived an honest life, and was rich in the ways that counted. He died a month and a half short of being 91. I will always miss his infectious laugh and good natured humor. Someone asked me if it was a relief after he died and I told them, 'No!' Just because he was older means that I had him longer to love and share memories with. If anything, I miss him more because I knew him better!  Happy Father's Day to all the fathers, even if it is a belated one! 

My family

MOTHER

It seems like a good time to write a few words about Mother(s). I am the youngest of six children and so I had lots of opportunities to babysit my nieces and nephews as I was growing up. I earned money babysitting for neighbors and friends, too, back then...a whole 50 cents an hour, and I felt rich!! I kind of got tired of doing it when I reached the age that I wanted to date. I married my sweetheart when I was 19 and had my first child at age 20. It was a frightening, exciting, but wonderful experience--being a Mother! Over the years I have looked back and marvelled at how well my children turned out, what with my being an amateur and all. I always loved being a Mother, even during the challenging, hair-pulling-out times. I still do. I will always be a Mother. But now I am also a Grandmother, and I love that, too. I didn't go to college for a formal education, but I have taken lots of classes along my journey and have learned oh, so many skills! I learned the hard way for some of those skills, through necessity. Overall, I think I did pretty well at being a Mother...if I do say so. My youngest child is going to have a family soon and I'm excited for her to be a mother as well. I had a wonderful teacher and the best Mother in the whole world! She taught me how to be a caring, compassionate, loving person, and hopefully the best Mother I can be. I miss her dearly, but the example she set will always be a reminder of what a Mother should be. Lots of dear memories!! So on this upcoming Mother's Day, I want to wish all the mothers out there a very Happy Mother's Day! Be grateful for this precious gift of being co-creator with a loving Heavenly Father (and Mother) and take care of these special little spirits. They are indeed blessings to us Mothers!

Easter Memories

When I think back on some Easter memories, one that pops out is that my mother made the cutest Easter egg tree that I've ever seen! She blew the eggs out and colored them. I don't know how she did it, but each egg was perfectly cut in half and dyed. She then got a branch (manzanita) and cleaned it up, put it in a container, then proceeded to decorate each egg half. Mom used rickrack, ribbon, lace and bows to fancy each little egg 'basket' to hang on the manzanita tree. She added 'grass' and even put a few jelly beans or candy in each one of the eggs, and tied bows on the branches as well. It was quite the centerpiece! Other memories are of picnics out in the hills, away from city life. The food she packed was so yummy (doesn't everything taste better on a picnic, anyway?) Sometimes we went to the mountains with our basket of goodies, but wherever it was, we enjoyed being together as a family to celebrate Easter. Some of the all-time-favorite food items were: potato salad, deviled eggs, and ham sandwiches. Usually there were pickles, olives, chips and some sort of dessert, too. It all makes me long for those fun times and my mouth is starting to water just thinking about the good food. I have tried to make the holidays special for my own children through the years, enjoying some of the same traditions. One that they will probably remember is the Easter egg hunts. We celebrated the 'bunny' on Saturday, saving Sunday for the real reason we celebrate this holiday. When I was teaching Primary, I found a cute idea and shared it with my class to help them remember the true meaning of Easter--putting a crescent roll around a marshmallow and baking it, symbolizing the tomb of Christ. When the roll is baked, the marshmallow has disappeared--He is not here, but has risen! I hope that we all remember the true meaning and thank our Savior for His infinite Atoning Sacrifice for us and resurrection that makes it possible for us to live again. I know He lives!

I love these majestic beauties...I also had purple irises earlier this year. Exquisite!

Just thinking...

The last few days I have been doing a lot of thinking. It must be that's it's Spring and renewal is in the air...or something like that. I have been reflecting on many things, but one in particular is personal revelation. In our Stake Relief Society, the theme for the year has been Personal Revelation: Scriptures, lamps, and liahonas. It is a time of learning how to receive and recognize personal revelation. Personally, I have had many experiences and cherish them all. Many miracles have come about in my life and the lives of my loved ones through the years, even recently. But it seems like the windows of heaven have opened up wide lately and have been pouring out blessings galore. I have really enjoyed perusing the internet and finding numerous blogs and testimonies of LDS women who share their knowledge and talents with the rest of us. I so appreciate them! General Conference was especially wonderful and personal this April, too! I love the gospel and its truths. I love that we can sit in the comfort of our homes and listen to a prophet's voice and feel the spirit and find peace in their wisdom. I love the knowledge that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are real and that they love each one of us and know us by name. I love that we can, with the click of a mouse, re-listen to the many talks that were given. The music was so beautiful and soothing and spoke to my soul. Visualizing the sound of people singing together in praise to Heavenly Father and wondering what the impact of that was/is, I can barely keep from getting emotional just thinking about that. We live in such a wonderful dispensation--full of hope, miracles, turmoil, trials, and privilege! I feel bad for the many people affected by the disasters throughout the world, but am so grateful that I live in this time when we have the restored gospel on the earth. I love the Savior and I'm so grateful for His love and willingness to die so that we might live! I can be reunited with those loved ones that have passed on and it will be a joyous occasion, let me tell you! There are so many things going through my head that I can't write them all, but I wanted to at least get these few thoughts down...to be continued, I'm sure. :)

Family Reunions

Today my husband and I attended a Family Reunion. It was a very pleasant day for spending time with relatives that we knew and those that we were priviledged to get to know. It turned out to be a simple, well-planned affair that was very nice. Upon arriving, we were greeted and registered by printing our names on a card bearing the specific line of our ancestor's name. We were given a registration packet which we filled out so we could have access to information via email, including pictures taken during the reunion. Then it was on to the lunch of sandwiches & chips, which was provided by those in charge, and supplemented with potluck salads and desserts--very simple, but good food--while visiting with each other. When most were finished eating, it was time for each family to stand and share memories of their ancestor(s) and stories--serious or comical. There was also some business matters discussed regarding fixing up the cemetery, etc. For those of us that wanted to, we got in our cars and drove the short distance to view the old original school house (where a few more memories were shared by those who had attended there), and then up the road to the cemetery. More pictures were taken for genealogy purposes and then we were free to return to the chapel where we first met up to visit more, or head home. It was a day well-spent and left everyone with a renewed resolve to remember our ancestors and do this again in a couple of years. It is our responsibility to keep our families close and to learn about our heritage. If we fail to keep the lines going, they will be lost and slip away. Our parents would be disappointed in us for dropping the ball, and we would miss out on getting to know our roots. It's important to know where we all fit in the big scheme of things--afterall, it's all about Family, isn't it?

The bulletin board at church with our Ward's RS theme for the year, based on the scripture found in D&C 109:8.

Bulletin Board at church for Dec/Jan

Painted tray for two of  my brothers, for their birthdays. (Since I didn't get them done for Christmas.) I did them both pretty much the same.

Bulletin Board for Feb/Mar at church

Valentine gift for my VT ladies made from : M&M's, Hershey's Kisses and and bath scrubby, a straw and pom-pom in a clear plastic cup. 

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! It's a great salutation for a special holiday, but everyday should be celebrated with loved ones. Not just one day a year so the companies that promote valentines make money off of our sentiments. I have a hard time with all the commercialism associated with all the holidays. Back when I was a little girl, I remember making our own valentines and doing special things for those we love...even kicking valentines. Kicking valentines meant that you dropped a valentine card sneakily (is that a word?) on the doorstep of a friend or someone special and then running and hiding before the person opened the door. It was supposed to be a secret admirer thing. Half the fun of the whole thing was not getting caught! In school it was fun and exciting making and decorating a card holder to put all the valentines in from fellow students and maybe even that one secret love. As I got older, I looked forward to watching a romantic movie, reading a good love story, or making a special dinner that included something red and heart shaped for the one I love.  Now that I'm even older I am happy to just get a greeting card (homemade or store bought), and maybe some chocolates or flowers from my honey. This morning I made pancakes and ham/cheese scrambled eggs for breakfast for the two of us. He bought me a Subway sandwich for lunch and we watched our daily favorite oldie rerun of Rockford Files while we ate it. It was good! We exchanged cards and I gave him a bag of assorted candy and he was happy. Tonight for dinner I'm fixing Taco Soup, as requested by my sweetheart. It's one of his favorites. We will probably have pudding for dessert and watch our usual shows on TV this evening. What more can I ask for? Hurrah for the routine of married life and comfort of consistency! Seriously, it's been a nice Valentine's Day and I even have clean laundry, too, because today is Monday (my regular wash day). Love is in the air!

"LOVE"

The word 'Love' evokes many thoughts and feelings. February is the month we celebrate it as a holiday, but what is love, really? Love should be second nature, but sadly it is not for some. When I hear the word love I think of Christ, my husband, my parents, children, siblings, friends, service, hearts, chocolate, and a miriad of other things come to mind. I just gave a lesson in Relief Society on Charity/Love One Another and the focus was more on the pure love of Christ and service. Sometimes we get so caught up with our busy lives that we don't really take the time to cherish moments of opportunity to serve others, especially those closest to us. I have a wonderful husband and family that I'm pretty sure love me. I know that I love them! I also love my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the gospel, the prophets, scriptures, temples and everything in between. I'm just happy that I live at a time when we have so many opportunities and freedoms. It is not always easy to serve when it is needed most, but we are so blessed when we give of ourselves and are following the example of our Savior. I find that I miss the times that I spent with my parents and their love more as I get older and realize what love is truly about. I hope that I have set a good example for my children and grandchildren to follow. I find it most gratifying to give of the talents that I've been given, by making and sharing things with those whom I love--family & friends. I love the idea of love and the feelings that follow when that love abounds in the world instead of hatred and crime. Yes, there are bad things in the world, but there are also good things in the world, and good people, and love is still alive and well! Smile and show someone that love...the simple things count, too.

November--December 2010

I haven't written a post for a while because it's been kinda crazy around my house, trying to get all the Christmas projects done! Phew! I made it though. I found so many cute ideas from all the fun blogs I have been checking out and links from them and finding more and more...I just had to make a ton of things!! It got a little stressful because I wasn't sure I would have time to finish everything. I have been busy with my calling in Relief Society (LDS church--1st couns) and family, visits, funerals, parties, service projects, etc. It was worth all the work and stress when everyone seemed to appreciate the gifts. :) My house really did look like a Santa's workshop at times. My thanks goes to my husband and family for being patient with me and helping when they were needed. I had thoughts of my own childhood as I tried to imagine my mother making doll clothes, sewing pajamas, making outfits, and baking all those goodies for us so many years ago. I truly appreciate the work that went into her efforts to make Christmas so special for me. I loved the homemade treasures that we got and still reminisce with tearful sentiment the holidays of my youth. My fondest memories are of the scents and feelings of home and growing up with all the love that was showered upon me and my siblings. We didn't have a lot of worldly goods, but were so rich in the things that really count! My wish for this new year is that my children and grandchildren will someday look back with fondness, and maybe a tear or two of appreciation for the love and memories of this holiday. May the New Year bring many more treasures of eternal worth and family closeness. When all is said and done, we can't take the material things with us, only our memories, so let's make them good ones!!

This picture was from a book I own, as well as the picture that follows. Another painted wood tray.

The other wood tray, actually the first one I did.

There were 12 marshmallow guns and tote bags to make. (found on http://www.mymixofsix.blogspot.com/)

From http://www.preparednotscared.blogspot.com/-- 5 Monkey Yatzee games...

5 sets of FHE and church booklets to share for each of our children and their families.

Lots and lots of coasters!! They were a big hit with everyone! (I found this one on

http://www.mycomputerismycanvas.com/)

4 sets of Ornaments with clip art decoupaged on, depicting the blessings each represented. (Idea found in GBP book) 

I Spy quilt_boy

Reindeer, Santa puppets

Family tree quilt--there will be a couple of hearts in the trees soon.

Painted wood tray...1 of 3