What it all boils down to,

Happy Birthday

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to our grandson, ASHTON, who turns 9 years old today. When we called to sing Happy Birthday to him, we asked about the 130 chocolate donuts they had made for his birthday (using the babycakes machine). He said he had only eaten 5 of them, because they were for his friend party and his family party tomorrow. Gary quickly threw out a math problem to him. "How many dozen cupcakes would there be if you had made 144?" He didn't even miss a beat, and said, "That would be 12 dozen." I've told Tiffany that she needs to write a book of all the cerebral things Ashton says. He is so insightful, observing, and smart.

We love you, Ashton, and wish we were there in person to give you a hug.

As for now, this will have to do!

Among Friends

2012-01-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a "mock" Caldecott Award event.   I knew that it was a book award, but didn't know that it is an award for illustrations in children's books published the previous year. Donna, who works at the Provo City Library, brought about 30 books that were eligible for the award. It was really interesting to learn how the whole judging process works. The official winner was announced earlier this week, but Donna had told us not to find out what the winner was beforehand.

It was fun as we sat in a circle and had 1 minute to look at each book and then make a note about it. It is really hard to judge a book in 1 minute, but there were some definitely some illustration styles that appealed to me more than others.   We each voted for our top three, and then narrowed down, and voted again. I'm glad I'm not really a judge, because it would be really hard to decide.  Our final winner was not the same as the official one, and in fact the winner didn't even make our first cut.

The reason I labeled this entry as "Among Friends," is because I was glad I was among friends.  As it began, I accidentally bumped the table that held the books that were standing upright in rows. They went down in almost perfect domino style.  (In fact, I couldn't have placed them better if I had planned it.)  But I obviously hadn't planned it, and would have been very embarrassed, had I not been with friends.  As it was, we all laughed and moved on.    It's nice to feel that comfortable with people.

I am so

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excited for the new job I am starting!

My document management work has died down to just about nothing, and I've known I needed to bring in more income. I set a goal that after Christmas that I would get serious about job searching. As I was talking about doing that, Tiffany reminded me of something I had told her after we went to Gary's family reunion last fall.

Lynn, Gary's cousin and our friend, had mentioned a business that his daughter-in-law had started. He explained that she, Loralee, was always putting on elaborate parties and had decided to make a business of supplying products for themed parties or events. My first response to him was, "Do they need help?"  Talk about a dream job!

Anyway, to make a long story short, I emailed them and we have been communicating back and forth about what they need and what skills I have that could fill their needs.  They are crazy busy with their young family and their expanding business, and they have been needing to hire help. It seems like the timing is perfect for both of us.  They are such nice people, and I feel very blessed.

I meet with Loralee for the first time on Thursday to discuss the project they are working on now.  I will be able to do much of the business side of the job from home.   But when they need help with projects, I will be involved in whatever way they need.   Did I already say, "Talk about a dream job?"

The products she has produced are beyond amazing. Honestly. I am in awe. Here is a link to her Etsy shop. http://www.etsy.com/shop/LoraleeLewis    They are undergoing changes on their website and blog, so I'll keep you posted on those as they get up and going.

I am so thrilled. I will have much to learn, but I can guarantee I'll have lots of fun learning it!

After much experimentation . . .

2012-01-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

I bit the bullet and painted the bathroom today. Painting is not my favorite activity in the world. Especially in a room where there are so many small details. I really like how the color turned out, but I am a little nervous about taking the tape off tomorrow. I hope there is not a lot of trim redo. (Pictures are taken tonight, so the light is not great.)

There is a certain satisfaction in finishing a job you've been putting off.

Christmas 2011

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I posted so few pictures over the holidays, and I want to remember the highlights. Here are pictures of when the Bishops pulled in on December 26. What a joyous feeling (other than some trepidation at seeing Jackson driving). We were also relieved that the "Wonder Car" made it with no problems.

Don't drown.

2012-01-19T21:47:00.000-07:00

Gary and I are sitting here in our two recliners, with our laptops on our laps (where else?), watching one of our favorite shows, the "Mentalist." This warning keeps streaming across the screen:

"National weather service has issued a flood warning for the following counties . . Cache. . that will expire at 4 am. If flooding conditions are encountered, be prepared to seek higher ground. If traveling, remember turn around, don't drown. Stay tuned to . ."

We're not laughing at the flood conditions, but the phrase "turn around, don't drown," strikes us as a little funny. I think from now on when I encounter difficult situations I'm going to say to myself, "Turn around, don't drown."

Profound, don't you think?

A little late,

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but Happy Birthday to our son-in-law, Dan. He turned 40 on Saturday (Yikes!). Misty threw him a surprise party, which ended up being "kind of" a surprise. She had sent emails to friends and family asking them to send in memories or thoughts about Dan, and then she compiled them in a book.

The number one thing I mentioned that I love about Dan is what a good father he is. He spends unlimited time coaching his children in sports and in life. Here is a perfect example of how much his kids adore him.

Marshall in picture where Dan is holding him.

Marshall in picture where we've taken him away from Dan.

I did just remember one thing though, as I was looking through the pictures, that makes me wonder about him. We played a few games while they were here. Risk is always a must do game to play.

And then on the last night we played sequence.

(Check out the look on Jackson's face, we should have known something was up.)

The women won that game series 4 games to 3. Little did we know, until Jackson gave the family prayer and asked for forgiveness for texting with his Dad during the game, that they had cheated! Hmm . . . maybe I should retract my comments about what a good example he is! Or I guess we can look at it as an example that cheaters never win. That works. We love you, Dan!

I'm not sure

2012-01-13T22:57:00.001-07:00

if it's true or not, but David Letterman just said in his monologue that "Hostess" is going belly-up. If it is true, then I am protesting. That is un-American. I grew up on Hostess cupcakes. They were my guilty pleasure any time I was craving chocolate. I remember stopping by the store just for them and a Coke. Great nutritional combination don't you think? Sometimes I would pair them with milk to make it a little more nutritious.

I haven't bought them much in recent years, since there have been more sophisticated choices. Maybe I contributed to them going out of business because I stopped buying them so often. But still.

My Aunt Merlyn was addicted to Ding-Dongs. In fact, at one of our Hall reunions we had a ding-dong eating contest in her honor. I won. If the rumor is true, then I am going to the store, buying some, and putting them in the freezer. For a rainy day. When I yearn for the good old days of hostess chocolate cupcakes, Twinkies, zingers, snowballs, and ding-dongs.

I guess I better check to make sure it's true. It's too late to go to the store now, but first thing in the morning I'll be there.

Getting ready for

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family pictures took all morning on the 29th.

Tiffany was the designated hairdresser.

Jackson was wondering if this was the shirt that he was supposed to wear.

Just a few of us in the bathroom.

Should Tiffany wear her outfit with the belt

or without it?

Should it be worn higher or lower?

Luci asked why Grandma's

hair looks like the Grinch people.

But all the preparation was worth it.

Encouragement

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to be happy.

Usually I don't need to be encouraged, because I know how blessed I am. But sometimes it almost seems wrong to be happy when you know there are so many who are facing very difficult circumstances in their lives.

Tonight we had, for our Relief Society activity, a presentation by Kelly Ogden about his book, "Happy Like Jesus." He gave numerous examples of our leaders who constantly urge us to have a "brightness of hope." One of my favorite quotes is from President Hinckley: "Be believing, be happy, don't get discouraged. Things will work out.” He brought out the point that those who are happy, in spite of difficult circumstances, see the big picture. Well, there is no doubt that Jesus saw the whole picture. When we are discouraged, we hang our heads down. He encouraged us to hold our heads up and to look upward. I like that, because just the act of lifting your head and looking up makes you feel better.

As I was putting away Christmas decorations (yeah, I got started!), I saw my two containers of "bee" stuff. I have quite a bit of "bee" and "hive" decorations. I had been thinking about how to decorate the refreshment table for our activity tonight, and when I saw the containers it triggered the idea to make use them for the centerpieces. "Bee Happy." A little cheesy, but since I have them I thought I would use them.

I love these little bee aprons on my apron girls. I took some dish clothes that Mom had made for me when we I got married (that were threadbare), and used pieces of them on the aprons.

The little pin flower centers say "bee happy."

Then I had my beehive cake stands and beehive water dispenser.

I didn't use my beehive candle holder, or beehive tablecloth, or beehive birdhouse, or beehive pillow,

but I did use my "Bee Happy" bowls.

So, if you learn nothing else from reading this,

then please learn to "Bee Happy."

I was glad

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the Idiarts brought their wii game.

There was lots of crazy dancing going on around here over the holidays.

I've been

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feeling a little under the weather this last week, so I haven't even begun taking any Christmas decorations down. It's so fun to put them up in anticipation of the fun, but not quite so fun to take them down. As a result, I've found myself procrastinating by organizing and trying to clean everything out to make more room to store them. But, my new years resolution, as of right now, is to have them down by the end of this week. That and post pictures from the holidays.

In the meantime, I had a lot of fun putting these little boxes together for my RS committee. I've kind of gone crazy with this little project I saw on Pinterest. They are made with one 12x12 piece of cardstock. Instructions here: Gift Boxes I made a bunch of them for Christmas giving and have collected a lot of cute paper to make more.

I've been looking

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through the many pictures and videos we took over the holidays.

This one makes me laugh.

Like grandson like grandpa.

Or is the other way around?

I don't even

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know where to start.

So I won't.

Other than to give a Happy Birthday

greeting to our Grandaughter, Eliza.

We said good-bye to her this morning

and she arrived at her home this evening.

We love you and miss you already,

Eliza.

(we celebrated our birthdays together)

May you feel the

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peace and love of the holiday season.

I've had several happy things

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happen today.

First, I got a call from my niece, Leslie, that Gary seems to be responding much better today. He is really tired, but is responding to and asking questions. They feel like it is a Christmas miracle. My heart feels so much lighter. I'm just praying that it continues this way.

Then, "miraculously," my bathtub is looking much better. The rest of the bathroom isn't, but the bathtub is. I'm so excited.

Then we got this big Styrofoam container delivered to our door.

I've never gotten a package like this before, and I am so excited about it. We couldn't imagine who had sent it, but when we opened the card, it was from Tom and Lynn. It is from "Omaha Steaks"

and has pork chops, bacon wrapped filet's, steak burgers, chicken breasts, stuffed baked potatoes, and Carmel apple tartlets. Wow, what a fun gift. Thank you!

And the last good news is that Tiffany and crew are driving in tomorrow. If the weather cooperates they will drive straight through. I can't wait!

Tonight we had

2011-12-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

our annual gingerbread house activity (though we do it with graham crackers). We had Natalie and her friends, Trent and Kelly to dinner. I think Misty and Tiffany will especially appreciate these pictures. They've never seen Natalie's friend, Trent.

Then we had them pick out candy from the candy store for the houses.

Then the fun started.

Gary kept harping on making them structurally sound, and as much as I hate to admit it, I should have listened. My cute little cottage collapsed and I made it into a snow covered Y mountain.

Kelly's ended up looking like an ark, so she added the very clever animals to finish it off.

Natalie made a very innovate home with lots of cool details.

Gary made a very unique structure with snowmen coming down a fire pole.

Trent made a tank, complete with rotating turret.

It was a very fun evening.

Thursday night

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Margie and Lance came in from Arizona. We always enjoy visiting with them. They left this morning to go home. We were able to go to lunch with Gary's other sisters, Geniel and Janice, and their husbands on Friday. We also went to the new "Sherlock Holmes" movie and the Extended Ashton family Christmas party on Saturday.

Saturday morning I went up to see Gary again. There has not been any change really, but the plan was to bring him down to a rehab center today. I haven't heard from Lynn if that has happened yet. She seems so exhausted, but is keeping her hope up as best as possible. I have been feeling such anxiety about him. I was so glad I went up to see him and came home feeling a little more peace in my heart. I was able to go to lunch with Lynn and figure out which of Gary's hearing aids worked and which batteries were good. I don't know if that will help him, but a big concern I have for myself is that I will be in the hospital someday with my hearing aids not working. When Mom had her heart attack and was not responding to instructions and was very agitated, I realized she didn't have her hearing aids in. When I put them in, she calmed right down because she could hear what was going on. So, anyone who is with me if I'm in the hospital, please remember to check my hearing aids.

I gave a big sigh of relief after the Studio 5 "skype" segment on Thursday. I was glad Margie was here to give me moral support. They said it would help to have the TV on so I could see what they were showing, but I think it confused me more because of the time delay. I can't believe I actually brought that upon myself by submitting the idea. Never again, believe me.

I'm looking forward to finishing some Christmas preparations in the next few days. I'm also looking forward to spending more time on the spiritual blessings of the season. So far I've focused far too much on the physical. I'm also looking forward to having the first of our Christmas guests, the Idiarts, arrive toward the end of the week. I'm really praying for good traveling weather, too.

I'm feeling

2011-12-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

a deep sadness right now. I just got off the phone with my sister-in-law Lynn.  My oldest brother, Gary, is in the University hospital. They've determined that he has a form of Parkinsons called Lewy Body. They think he may have reacted adversely to a drug he started last week, and that it may have triggered this episode of confusion and dementia like symptoms. When we stopped by last night to see him, he seemed to know us but was definitely not himself.   They expect that he will improve some, but they have told them not to expect that he will get completely better, as it is a degenerative disease. Lynn is such a positive person, and she said that while it is not what she wanted to hear, that they will be fine. She said when she asks Gary if he is happy, he says, "Yes, I'm very happy."    I'm so glad their son, Cory, drove in yesterday, as he is a big support to Lynn.  Gary will probably come home tomorrow or Saturday.

So, I'm very stressed and sad about that. I'm also distressed about a fall that my friend had. I had just dropped her off from a luncheon, and as I was getting back into my car, she fell.  She had to go to the emergency room and get stitches. I feel so badly that I didn't walk her all the way into the house.

And I'm stressed about a Skype video call with "Studio 5" tomorrow. You know that show I get so many good ideas from?   Well, they have "happy home" segments, and they ask viewers to send in pictures of things they do to make their homes a happy place. I was on their website a few days ago and decided to send in a picture of the "Candy Store."    A little while later I got a call from the producer saying they would be interested in having me talk about it on a video call. I wasn't expecting that.  I thought they might share the idea on the show, but not the video part. Anyway, she called tonight and asked if we could do it tomorrow.   I'm afraid I will freeze up and be tongue tied.   But, I guess the only thing I can really do is make a fool of myself. And, on a scale of 1 to 10 (in comparison to the other problems I've been writing about) that is just a 1.

We've been partying

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a lot the last few days. On Friday, we met with my siblings (which you were here, Tom) in Salt Lake for dinner and a quick ride on trax down to temple square.

Remember in my last entry when I mentioned my feeling of happiness from my childhood? Well, I still feel it.

On Sunday morning we had two young couples over for breakfast. Gary worked with the men in the scout program. They are such cute families. I thought this would be a good test of just how child proof my house was with these 3 little boys. I think I've done a pretty good job of simplifying. I guess Marshall will be the ultimate test.

Last night we had two of the children of our friends, Matt and Merlyn, I still feel such sadness that Matt is no longer with us. But when I am with his family, I think of how proud he must be of them. They brought that beautiful floral centerpiece for us.

As thanks, we had them fill up at the candy store.

Life is good

when it is filled with people you love.

The other morning,

2011-12-11T21:53:00.001-07:00

I tuned into a segment of "Fresh Take" on BYU television. I didn't see the beginning of it, but it was a discussion on employment and finding a job that is fulfilling.

The moderator suggested that you remember back to your first happy childhood memory. Once you identify the memory, then to ask yourself how and why it made you feel happy.  He suggested that if you ask yourself the right questions, and answer thoughtfully, that you will not only discover what type of job will bring you fulfillment, but also discover what drives you -- or your personal purpose.   An interesting idea.

I thought back to one of my first happy memories. I remember sitting in the chapel of our 19th ward church and listening to the mission farewell of one of my brothers. I'm not sure if it was Gary or Richard's farewell, but I remember feeling so proud and happy as my brothers spoke from the pulpit.   When I ask myself why I felt happiness, I suppose the answer is that I felt a sense of belonging and of being a part of a loving family.  I probably didn't identify it as such at the time, but I'm sure I was also feeling inspired by, and felt, God's love.

Perhaps this little thought exercise has some merit to it.  Trying to create that feeling, for myself and others, really does bring me fulfillment.  Maybe that's why I love being a mom and grandma so much. As far as employment goes, though, I've always gone in the direction of secretarial and business. Maybe in my next job, I should look in other directions.

Give the little experiment a try. It is quite enlightening.

I tried these

2011-12-08T21:26:00.000-07:00

cookies today.

I saw them on "Studio 5." Next time I make them, I'll put less cookie batter around the mint, as they were very large. I didn't know how I would like the cinnamon that is in the batter, but you really don't taste it. If you make them, grab a glass of milk to drink along with it.

I learned something from this recipe and it was reiterated in a recipe in the Deseret News (Mrs. Fields Clone Cookie). Both recipes suggest freezing the cookie dough mounds for 30 minutes or so before baking so they keep their shape and height. It seemed to work.

Here is the video of the segment:

Double Chocolate Stuffed Peppermint Cookies

And here is the recipe:

Double Chocolate Stuffed Peppermint Cookies

Ingredients:
•1 c. (2 sticks) butter, cold
•½ c. sugar
•½ c. brown sugar
•2 eggs
•⅓ c. half and half
•1 t. vanilla
•2 ¾ c. flour
•½ c. cocoa
•1 t. baking powder
•1 t. baking soda
•1 T. cinnamon or Wise Women of the East
•2 c. dark chocolate chips (60% cocoa or half semi sweet and half milk chocolate chips)
•12 small York Peppermint Patties (dark chocolate covered) You may need more.

Method:

Mix together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir until combined. Cut your cold butter into tablespoon pieces. Then using a pastry cutter, work the cold butter into your flour until it becomes "pea" sized.

Whisk together vanilla, eggs, and half and half. Pour into flour and butter mixture and combine, until all ingredients are formed together. (Dough will be thicker and sticky. Shape dough with medium cookie scoop and flatten dough with your hand into a thick disc. Place your mint patty in the center and shape the dough, sealing the patty. Then shape your stuffed dough into a round ball and place on a cookie sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used. Freeze for 20 minutes to allow butter to chill.

Remove frozen cookie dough and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Last night

2011-12-07T23:44:00.001-07:00

we had our Christmas Relief Society Activity. It was a potluck dinner (sweet and savory). I'm always amazed at the delicious dishes that are brought. The program was entitled, "The Women of Christmas." It featured singers portraying Mary, Elizabeth, Anna, and the angel Gabriel. I'm am always in awe of people who have wonderful voices, and this program was beautifully performed.

On Sunday, our Relief Society lesson was on the Christmas hymns and their meaning to us. A point that was made was that many scriptures and hymns mention "heavenly choruses" that sang in joy when Christ was born. What was also brought out was that we were likely a part of that chorus. I've never thought of that. It brings me joy to think that I was part of that heavenly choir. I also like to think that I had a beautiful voice as I sang. I don't have that gift now, but I have to assume that all angels must have beautiful voices. Or even if they don't, I'm sure none of the others would have cared (or been annoyed) if someone was off-key.

I told Santa

2011-12-06T23:26:00.000-07:00

that Gary has not been a very good boy lately.

Us at Timpview Christmas Party on Monday

I only occasionally forget to throw away paper towels in the kitchen, but Gary still shuffles through papers at church with regularity. And it really, really annoys me. I mean really. It feels to me like he is deliberately doing it just to annoy me. Can you tell I'm annoyed? If you wonder what in the world I'm talking about, read this previous blog entry (Paper towel -- rustling papers pact)

I guess I need to do a little repenting, since I am allowing myself to be so annoyed. I especially don't like feeling annoyed at church when I'm striving extra hard to feel God's love and extend it to others. Annoyance and love really don't go hand in hand. So my goal is to quit being annoyed. Even if I feel justified in being annoyed, I should not allow myself to feel annoyance.

(If the haven't noticed, the word "annoying" is really quite annoying.)

Remember when I was so

2011-12-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

proud of my bathtub refinishing?

Well it was a quick fix, but not a long one. This is how it looks now. Peeling off, ugly, and gray.

So last week we went out to Lowes to check out new bathtubs. Gary thought this one was a good choice, since our bodies seem to be telling us that we're getting older.

The point of this blog entry is to say, "Don't refinish your own bathtub." I guess another point is, "Sometimes the band-aid approach just doesn't work." And the last point is . . . Well, I can't really remember what my last point is (I identify far too well with presidential candidate, Rick Perry) Anyway, I don't want my grandchildren bathing in this bathtub. So I 'm looking for other alternatives.

I was without

2011-12-02T20:38:00.001-07:00

a car for three days this week, because Gary's car was in the shop. It's amazing how much you can accomplish if you're not tempted to go on a few errands (that turn into a whole day of activities). It was nice for a few days, but I've been making up for it yesterday and today.

Last night we had our annual Amies Toujours party. I remember thinking that anyone who had been out of high school for 40 years was really old. Well, we don't feel or act old. I've written about the group before, and we have so much fun together and appreciate each other's friendship so much.

We had the party At Mary Anne's house in Salt Lake. She has an amazing style. The food was delicious as were all the decorations. Here are a pictures of the decorations, food, and best of all, friends.

An amazing brownie sundae presented beautifully

Mary Ann made these

Beautiful place settings and beautiful friends.

Every where we looked there was unique decor

The nut ensemble.

I've been asking

2011-11-29T08:41:00.001-07:00

myself the last few days, as I've switched from decorating the house and creating our Christmas newsletter, Why am I doing this?

The decorations this year have actually been fun and easy. Believe it or not, I've really simplified. I've been telling my self, "Just because you have this decoration, it doesn't mean you have to use it every year." Quite liberating, actually. I remember last year, when the whole family was here, that everything was way too cluttered. So my goal this year is to have nothing sitting on the floor and to make sure it is all functional. I'm doing pretty well so far.

It's the newsletter that is driving me nuts. Twice I've gotten corrupted files and had to start over. Will someone please remind me to be savvy at photo shop by this time next year? It would simplify things a lot. As to the question, "Why am I doing this?" I can't decide. Is it ego and pride? Is it a desire to reach out to friends and family? Because it's tradition? It is probably a combination of all.

Anyway, I'm actually running off the newsletter, so it's too late now to fuss with it any more.

In the meantime . . . the part of the house I have been most excited about is this:

I just need to make labels for the jars.

If you live nearby, please drop in to our

"Grandma and Granpa Country Store"

I'll give you free tokens that you can redeem

for a treat of your choice.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T06:18:00.000-07:00

I'm wondering if I'm actually up before my sister, Charlene, this morning! I can tell I'm excited about the holiday preparations, because I normally never wake up at this early hour (4:30)

We've had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. In the newspaper, there have been several articles about the importance of gratitude on your physical and emotional health. I agree. Anytime there are obstacles in life that seem overwhelming, counting your blessings gives you a new perspective. I have so much to be grateful for, that I don't even know where to start. I want to make more of my blog posts "gratitude journal entries." One thing I'm grateful for is the family I was born into. I have wonderful memories of feeling loved and secure.

My niece, Leslie, called me on Wednesday night and asked if I wanted to go through Mom and Dad's house with them the next morning. We sold that house after Mom and Dad died, and I haven't been in it since (1995). To give a little background on how we had permission to go through the house: A few years back, Gary and Lynn were sitting next to a women at a BYU symposium. As they talked, they realized that she was from their daughter, Leslie's, ward in California. The woman said she had bought a home up here and lived in it part of the year. She said it was on Cedar Avenue in Provo. Gary and Lynn were, of course, familiar with Cedar Avenue, so they asked her what the address was. They were pretty amazed when she told them it was 1012 Cedar Avenue (our family home from 1962 to 1995). Small world, isn't it.
So Leslie had gone up to see the house and their friends had said we could come through. Gary and Lynn, along with Leslie and Cory were there. It was very nostalgic. Cory had a video camera going almost the whole time, and we were all sharing memories from the house.

Front of Home

Back of Home

Front room fireplace next to built in shelves and cupboards. Mom and Dad kept our high school senior pictures on that shelf.

Gary, Lynn, Me, Gary

Gary, Lynn Leslie, Cory

Living Room

Mom and Dad's room. Mom was always sitting in her chair by the window.
She would crochet, embroidery, and talk on the phone for hours there.
When anyone visited, they would sit in the chair to the right of it.

Back bedroom that became a TV room once I got married.

Gary and I showed the front door and window that I would stand at while I waited for him to come by. I would stand there and wait for him to pull in to the cul-de-sac right across from the house and give me "the signal" (flashing his car lights right at the house and turning them on and off). If I was home and he could come in, I would flash the porch lights on and off. I usually stood there a long time, as he was usually late!

Front hallway door

Hours spent looking through door window
waiting for "signal" from Gary

Really, the only area that is not recognizable is the basement. They've totally remodeled the basement. It now has halls dividing it into 3 bedrooms that is shared with the basement rental area. The washer and dryer are in the old storage room. Dad's workshop is a bedroom. The basement is really not recognizable.

It was fun to reminisce with everyone and remember those good times. What good times to you remember at Mom and Dad's house?

I've been

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searching my computer for my picture files. When my computer crashed back in July, I thought that with the external hard drive I was using that I could just pull everything up with a click. Not so. I guess it was not configured that way. Anyway, it is frustrating, to say the least.

I'm been searching for 2011 pictures that I can use for our Christmas letter. I'm not having a lot of luck. So, I came to this blog to see what pictures I've posted that I could use. I got pleasantly side-tracked with the pictures from last Christmas.

As I looked at them, my heart filled with love, and I was reminded of the joy I feel when family is together. Not that I need reminding. It's just that I don't dwell on the missing them, or I would feel constant sadness at the distance between us. I'm just so grateful that we are able to see them as much as we do. Needless to say, I'm getting very excited for Christmas. The Idiarts are coming a few days before Christmas and the Bishops will be here a couple of days after. Our house bursts at the seams when 13 extra bodies come to sleep, and my heart does too.

I can't wait!

It's been a good

2011-11-20T00:07:00.000-07:00

day.

We started out by going to the temple. Then we went to Maglebys for breakfast (buttermilk syrup, YEAH). Then we came home and I worked on organizing "the deep" for almost 4 hours (yes, I was organizing it again).

As I was doing that, I thought a lot about Dad. When we moved into this house, the 4th level was unfinished. Dad custom built all the shelving in the part that is storage area (aka "The Deep"). Then he custom built the table that runs down the middle of it. He made drawers and shelves and large slots for poster boards underneath the table.   He also created a pull down bar that holds wrapping paper and ribbons.  If you could imagine it, Dad could create it.

I guess I go into these details, because it helps explain Dad's personality. He wasn't a big talker -- he let Mom do that. But he listened. And, as he listened, you could almost see the wheels turning in his head.  The wheels would turn as he thought about ways he could "custom" fulfill your desires and needs.   My home is full of reminders of that.

Anyway, once I had the space all cleared and everything put away, it was pure joy wrapping the wedding gift for the reception we went to tonight.  Sometimes I get so accustomed to the many blessings I have surrounding me, that I forget to appreciate them.

Finishing . . .

2011-11-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

more and more unfinished projects. Some that have been unfinished for a long time. Like "Table Topics" games for the girls. Glass tile necklaces for gifts.   Packaging and for the key fobs.  It feels good to get them done, but I'm too tired to take pictures tonight.

Still on the list: Aprons and more aprons. Christmas place mats. Christmas pillow cases for my last 3 grandchildren. Tags for the Christmas scarves we've cut out for Relief Society (160 of them).   Family Christmas Letter, etc. etc. etc.

I think I'm through thinking about it tonight.

Well, it looks like the vote

2011-11-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

is unanimous that it is not Grandma. Thanks for your votes. I agree with all of them, but agree with Misty that if she were wearing a mu-mu it would be a no brainer!

Speaking of pictures, Tiffany is putting together some project that she needs pictures of our family when all the kids were home. Then she needed pictures of my family before everyone left home. We didn't take pictures back in ancient days like they do now. I was able to find a few where either Richard or Gary were missing because they were on their missions. I found one with all of us, but it had been in a magnetic album and was torn. Finally I found this one. It was after Gary and Lynn were married, but we're all together.

L to R, Dad, Mom, Richard behind, Tom next to Richard, Lynn, Gary,

Front L, Me and next to me holding Lynn's hand, Charlene.

Those were happy times.

I wish I could get out of Tiffany what she's doing with all these pictures,

but she's being very secretive.

Is this

2011-11-13T22:04:00.003-07:00

my Mom, Charlet Hall Anderson,

or not?

Yes ____

No ____

What is your vote?

I got a call from my cousin, Stanley, yesterday morning. I was sure someone had died and that he was calling to give me the news. He mentioned that he didn't think he had ever called me on the phone before, but wondered if I had seen a picture of Mom that is in the mall. He said that Nancy, his wife, had seen it in the Forever XXI store and had taken him to see it. They were sure it had to be Mom. He explained that it is a picture of people riding bicycles in some kind of parade and that it is a continuous and repeating mural. He described where to go in the store to see it.

So, Gary and I went out. I spotted her (or her double) in a second. It seemed surreal.

Here is a wider view.

and a wider view,

and an even wider view (far left).

All logic tells me that it isn't Mom. First of all, I can't imagine her riding a bike in a parade. But, I could be wrong. Stanley said he wondered if the picture might be from the archives of Springville City.

I would judge the woman in the mural to be somewhere in her 40's. Just as a point of reference, here is a closeup of Mom from my wedding, when she was 58. (Now that seems surreal, too, since I'll be 58 in another month.)

Let's just say, if someone had given me a copy of the picture shown in the mural, I would have picked Mom out right away. But, in this setting, I'm not so sure. That's why I'm putting out a call to all people who knew Mom. Is it or isn't it her? What do you think?

(Either way, it's pretty amazing)

We took a break

2011-11-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

from Park City yesterday, to attend the Timpview Semi-Final Football game. Because Gary does the stats, we got to sit in the U of U press box. It is quite an impressive view.

Unfortunately, Timpview lost the game. But it was definitely positive thing to make it that far. After the game, we went to dinner in Salt Lake and then headed back up to Park City. We got home this afternoon.

It has been a summer and fall filled with lots of little trips, but I think we're home for a long haul now. Being the homebody I am, I'm actually happy about that.

I'm sitting

2011-11-10T12:00:00.001-07:00

in a beautiful condo in Park City. Gary is at a conference. I brought with me a bag full of articles I've clipped out of newspapers or magazines. When something I read inspires me, I want to remember it, so I clip them out for future use. Unfortunately, that is about as far as it goes. So while I'm sitting here, I'm finding the articles online so I can have them easily accessible.

One I've come across, is an article from the Deseret News newspaper. Here is a link: It's Not the Play-dough that I love

The author is telling about how she really doesn't enjoy play-dough, even though her son wants her to play with it with him. To quote from the article:

"I've always assumed that "other moms" love the sometimes-mundane intricacies of motherhood – chasing toddlers across the swing-y bridge at the park, listening to every single detail about the latest episode of "Phineas and Ferb," spending three hours looking through racks of colorful T-shirts while preteens deliberate what will look best to their school friends – but as I watched Spencer's sheer delight at smashing the reds, yellows, and blues into every shade of the spectrum, I came to understand that naturally loving the details is irrelevant. It's the feelings about our children that matter.

When I read it, the part I've underlined truly touched upon my feelings as a grandmother. At the time, Tiffany and the kids were visiting, and Ashton was very into Pokemon cards. He wanted someplace to store them, so we gathered some plastic baseball-card sleeves that I had sitting around (from a long ago project), and we put them in a binder. We looked through that book many times and I heard a lot about Pokemon cards and who is the most powerful, etc. I think most of it went in one ear and out the other, but the memory of sitting and watching his face and hearing him tell me about them will stay forever.

The following Sunday, there was a lesson on showing love in a family. When asked what some of the most important ways to show love in a family are, this article came to mind. I thought to myself, "I don't love Pokemon cards, but I love Ashton, so I want to spend time hearing about them from him."

Really, the best thing we can give someone and show them our love, is to give them our time, attention, and listening ear. I often forget that when I'm so involved in the minutia of every day life. Sometimes it takes more mental or physical energy than I want to give. But this article is a wonderful reminder of where we should place our priorities.

I'm really enjoying

2011-11-08T22:55:00.002-07:00

the Pinterest site (thanks Sharilyn!). They say "a picture's worth a thousand words," and it truly is for me. I have bookmarked so many recipe and craft sites, but just looking at the title of the bookmark doesn't really tell me what is there. With Pinterest you actually see the pictures of what you've saved. Because the things I've "pinned" are so easily identified with the picture, I've used these three different ideas during the last week.

This one:

this one:

and this one:

:

You create your own "Boards" or categories, and pin those things that interest you to them. You can follow your friends or just people who have the same interests as you do. I can tell Tiffany is my daughter, because I usually want to repin to my boards most of the things she pins to hers.

If this is making no sense, just let me know, and I'll send you an invite.

I'm so glad

2011-11-07T09:58:00.001-07:00

we did the yard clean-up on Thursday. It feels so good to "put the garden to bed."

I loved finding the evidence, hiding in the bushes,

of the grand children's visit this summer.

I also found further evidence that our neighbor's

chicken had been in our yard.

Either that, or I'm miraculously growing eggs.

I'm especially grateful we got it done last week, because on Saturday I fell in a parking lot when I tripped on a speed bump. It was one of those really dumb moments that go in slow motion. My left knee took the brunt of it, and it has been really painful since. I wasn't about to let the fall stop me from visiting Richard, but I stayed home from church yesterday and stayed off of it and iced it all day. Gary came home from church and cleaned up for me, and when Natalie came she cooked eggs and made a yogurt parfait. I don't like being down, but they were very sweet to me.

I've spent two days babying it, but now I'm going to put it to the test by using it. I've promised Gary that if it still hurts in a couple of days, that I'll go to a Dr. I just really don't want it to be an injury, so I'm thinking positively.

I got a call from

2011-11-05T21:30:00.000-06:00

my sister-in-law, Laraine, on Friday morning. She left a message, and I was very grateful that she began it with, "Richard is OK."   Because then she said, "But he had a heart attack last night."   When I heard it, my heart sank, but the fact that she said he was OK help soften the blow.

Nine years ago he had a clogged artery and had an angioplasty and heart stint put in.  When he started having chest pains at about 9 pm on Thursday night, he kept thinking they would stop. He didn't wake Laraine until he had been having them for about four hours. By the time the paramedics arrived, they said that one a scale of 1 to 10, that he was at about a 9 as far as seriousness was concerned. His blood pressure was 60 over 33. Once at the hospital, they discovered that the same artery had become completely clogged again, so they repeated the same procedure. They also discovered another artery that is 80% blocked, which they will repair in 6 to 8 weeks.

Procedures have changed dramatically since Dad had his bypass surgeries.    He had his first heart surgery in his late fifties and another ten years later.  At that point in time (in the 70's), they opened the chest and pulled the heart out to repair it. Recovery was difficult and painful.   Dad also got hepatitis from a blood transfusion he got during that time.

We were amazed when we went up to visit Richard at the hospital this afternoon, We knocked on the door, and he was the one who walked over and opened it. It was amazing how well he looked and acted.  He is feeling great because, as bad as he was, once the blood flow was opened everything started to function normally.

He could have suffered some serious heart damage because he waited so long to get to the hospital, but thankfully he did not. They said that there is a four hour window of time from when a heart attack starts before permanent damage can occur, and his was longer than four hours. He's gotten a good chastisement from all of us about waiting so long to alert Laraine.

Richard has been on my mind a lot this last week, and I've thought about calling him. This whole experience has been a reminder to me to follow those promptings and not put things off when I get those nudgings. I feel very grateful that he is doing well.

Here we are partying in the hospital.

Richard is on the far right next to Gary, Lynn, Kylee, and me.
Laraine is in front.

Here is Gary being funny and pointing to the big fabric flower that came off my purse. It really wasn't up that high, but when the nurse opened the door to come in, she stopped, looked puzzled, and pulled the fabric flower off the door frame. It wasn't the first time that my flowers, that are held onto my purse with magnets, have migrated to a stronger magnetic force than are holding it onto the purse (which the door frame obviously is). Gary is mystified as to what motivates me to keep doing such things.

My brother,

2011-11-02T20:27:00.002-06:00

Gary, has been wanting to get together with Kay and Maisel, our cousins that live down the street from me. Our fathers, Golden and Arch, were brothers. Since I was feeling a little more free and easy (with our RS activity from last night over with), I called them up and arranged it. It is always fun to get together with them.

The conversation turned to attitudes about speaking your mind, being yourself, and not worrying about what other's think. Kay said her Mom, Aunt Melba, drilled into her mind the phrase, "You're as good as any and better than most."   I think I've heard a similar phrase before, but hearing it in this context was very interesting to me. Basically it's saying, "Don't let anybody put you down."

It reminded me of a comment I heard "Jimmer" Fredette give this last mother's day. He was being interviewed and was basically asked how his mom raised him to be such a nice guy. His response was something to the effect that she would tell him, "You're not that special."    That seems to come out as being negative, but he was complimenting her for keeping him grounded. She was basically saying, You're good, but don't think you're any better than others because of it."

Those two phrases, while they seem to be espousing opposite points of view, go hand in hand to me.  They emphasize the two extremes of emotions that we as humans tend to feel -- inadequacy and superiority. I know I'm guilty of both sometimes. Once we start comparing our thoughts, accomplishments, weaknesses, and strengths with others, it is easy to make judgments.

So, when I'm feeling inadequate, I'll say to myself, "You're as good as any and better than most." When I'm feeling like I've done something better than someone else, I'll say to myself, "You're not that special."

Omelet in

2011-10-31T08:23:00.001-06:00

a bag.

We used to do these "omelets in a bag" quite often a few years ago, but I had totally forgotten about them. Last night we were having our Halloween breakfast of french toast, pancakes, and buttermilk syrup. I was thinking about what kind of eggs to make, and then I remembered these. Since they sometimes come out in strange shapes, I thought they were just right for Halloween.

Omelets In A Bag

1. Have each person write their name on a quart-size freezer bag with permanent marker.

2. Crack 2 large or extra-large eggs into the bag (no more than 2). Shake to combine.

3. Put out a variety of ingredients such as cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns,

4. Each person adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag. Make sure to get the air out of the bag. and zip it up. Shake.

.

5. Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes.

6. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water. Open bags and omelet will roll out easily.

Then you are ready to sit down.

And when you bite into them, you will think

(like a black and white movie era actress):

Go Cardinals!

2011-10-28T18:55:00.002-06:00

We've been very into the Baseball World Series the last two years. Last year we followed the San Francisco Giants as they progressed into the series. Justin, Tiffany's husband, grew up in that area he and his family are avid Giant's fan. We were celebrating right along with them when they won.

This year we are following the Cardinals as they've progressed in the series. Dan, Misty's husband, is from the St Louis area and they live there now. Of course, being the baseball family they are, they are very excited about it. What a game it was last night, with an 11 inning game and a home-grown boy hitting in the winning run. They're playing game #7 tonight, and Gary is very unhappy that he can't be watching it. He's doing the stats for Timpview's quarter final game. So, I'm watching the series, making cupcakes for the BYU Soccer team, and recording the BYU game and the World Series for Gary. Quite a sports themed day.

I hope the Cards win!

P.S. A few hours later, They won! When I texted Misty to say "Yeah, Cards," she texted back:

"Yes. Go Cards! Dan's miffed because he had to wake me up to celebrate. I had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Can you imagine the travesty?"

Well, Misty, you were probably worn out. I happen to know that she has been substitute teaching the last two days, as she has several times each week since school started -- that in addition to her already very busy life. So, you deserve a nap, even if the timing wasn't the best.

This is my latest

2011-10-27T22:05:00.001-06:00

culinary quest. Making donuts in "Baby Cakes." I first saw them demonstrated here: Baby Cakes on Studio 5 I made the buttermilk ones that came with the machine and also tried the pumpkin spice recipe from the website.

At my meeting last week, I put them on the "cat," with the long tail for donuts, that dad made me many years ago.

I've got to figure out how to make the glaze or frosting so it hardens and doesn't make them soggy.

This week I tried them with my pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe. They were the best yet.

You just pour the batter in a Ziplock bag with a hole in one corner, pipe it into the mold, and cook them for 3 to 4 minutes.

I went to DI yesterday looking for some cheap shelving for my pantry (anything to get away from the mess I was in). I didn't find any shelving, but I did find an older version of a mini-donut maker for $3. Next time I make them, I'll see if it works. If it does, I'll be able to whip them out in no time with both of them.

Here's my favorite Pumpkin Chip Muffin recipe (adjusting for the donuts by using small chocolate chips)

Pumpkin Muffins (18 muffins)

1 1/3 cup sugar
5 1/3 tablespoon shortening
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin ; canned
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
chocolate chips
5 1/3 tablespoon water ; hot

Cream sugar and shortening until fluffy. Add eggs and pumpkin. Add hot water. Sift together dry ingredients together and add to mixture. Add choc chips. Spoon into muffin cups.

Bake at 375 to 400 degrees for 17-18 minutes.

I've lived in this house

2011-10-26T21:42:00.001-06:00

for more than 26 years. I'm mentally trying to figure out how many times I've cleaned out the pantry, reorganized it, and been convinced that this time I had it organized so it could stay tidy.

I can blame the lack of being able to keep it organized on many things.  The bad design of the pantry is one.   It has very deep shelves, and I know that many of my neighbors (that have the same floor plan) have completely redone their pantries and made more shelves that are less deep. Then there are the larger quantities I buy at Costco that take up large amounts of space. But really, the only excuse I have is that it is a dumping ground for everything I want out of the way.

Well, I gave it another shot today. I ended up pulling everything out while making a huge mess. I tried to rethink the whole organization. I've got it nearly done, with the exception of some containers that are in the dishwasher.   It looks pretty good right now.   But I'm not deceiving myself into thinking it will stay this way.

I have thought of one thing that might help. Maybe I should commit to posting a picture of it once a week. Here it is today.

Wow, when I look at the picture, it still looks messy.

I guess I have more work to do tomorrow.

Our (now) teenage

2011-10-23T23:04:00.002-06:00

grandaughter, Lydia.

We've been in Park City for the last few days with our friends, the Adairs.

I wasn't able to log on with my computer, so I missed blogging about Lydia. Yesterday, the 22nd, Lydia turned 13 years old. I've been looking at some pictures of Lydia, and they bring back so many loving memories. They also make me miss her even more.

Here she is at 2 with her little brother Hyrum.

Here are Lydia and me exactly 5 years ago, on her 8th birthday and day of her baptism.

For her birthday this year, she wanted a new quilt, because the baptism one she is holding in the picture is too small to cuddle in now. She wanted a another pink one, so this is the one I sent off to her last week. (I really wish I had a picture of me hugging her with this one, too)

Here is grown up Lydia, with Gary, when she visited this summer. We talked to Lydia on our way to Park City, and she and Gary were still "arguing" about "banana whacker" rules and who won.

I love you, Lydia!

And, I'll always side with you on "banana whackers."

I went to

2011-10-19T23:36:00.000-06:00

see my friend, Dianne yesterday. I had to take pictures of her front doorway. She always does the most creative and amazing decorations. The pictures really don't do it justice, but notice the details.

Spray painted dried "Allium" (I think)

Dianne holding the "Paper Lanterns"

(these are all from her garden)

"Paper Lantern" pods over the lights

Fake crows

All the signs

When I first began my interest in gardening, Dianne was my advisor. I would have her come down to tell me if what was coming up in the ground was a weed or a flower. Now that's a friend!

I hope she will let me come up and snap pictures of her next holiday doorway. If she doesn't, I'll just wait till she's not home and take them anyway. Isn't that what friends do?

"Good, Better,

2011-10-17T09:11:00.003-06:00

and best."

My mind has been weighted down lately with thinking about how I use my time. I am reminded often of the short scriptural account of Mary and Martha in the New Testament.

"Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:38-42

I can relate so well with Martha. I do feel "careful and troubled" about many things. But they are generally not the things of importance. (Things like, why did the cupcakes I made last night fall in the middle?). In fact, I often think I fill my life up with busy work to avoid feeling overwhelmed with the needful things. The better things. But when I start thinking about all the needful things, the things that truly impact lives, I get overwhelmed with the "overwhelmingness" of it.

Then I am reminded of the story of the man walking along the shore throwing starfish back into the sea. He is questioned about what difference it made to throw one back into the sea, when there were so many more he did not save, His answer to that was something to the effect of "Well, it made a difference to that one."

I think it gets back to my "all or nothing" mentality. If I can't make it all better, then why try. I hold back from giving or being a little involved, because then I will see more that needs to be done, and it will consume all of my time and thoughts.

Yes, I do feel careful and troubled. But I'll work it out. It's about balance, and priorities, and choosing the good part.

Anyone who

2011-10-13T08:56:00.001-06:00

knows me or reads this blog, knows that I am a mess in the kitchen. Actually, I probably shouldn't limit that comment to the kitchen. Let's just say that I make a big mess anytime I am cooking or working on any project. And usually it is not limited to the one room the project originates in.

Anyway, as I spent the day yesterday cleaning up from the cupcake class, I was reminded of a comment Tiffany made in August. While we were cooking in the kitchen she said, "Mom, I'm proud of you. I've noticed that you haven't left any paper towels (wet ones, dry ones, messy ones) in the sink or laying around on the cupboard."

I laughed and told her why I was reformed in that aspect of messes.

Gary is the Ward Clerk in the ward, and because he has a lot of papers to deal with, he was always rustling through them during Sacrament Meeting. It was distracting and noisy and was taking away from the reverence of the meeting (along with really annoying me). After being annoyed by it enough, I called him on it. His response was, "Ok, I'll quit doing that if you'll quit leaving paper towels on the stove and in the sink and on the cupboards."

Fair enough. I took the challenge.

And the result is: He doesn't rustle papers in church any more, and I don't leave paper towels around anymore. And Tiffany even noticed.

I guess we should use that kind of bargaining power (or is it competition?) more often. It gets results.

A friend asked me to

2011-10-10T23:09:00.007-06:00

teach a "Cupcake" class for her Relief Society tomorrow.
She wants me to give tips and tricks, recipes,
and demonstrations on piping on frosting.
So today I've been baking cupcakes
(and ruining one batch of cupcakes because I forgot to add the flour).
So here are the tips I wrote down.
Now if I would just follow them.

Cupcake Making Tips I've learned

from lots of Trial and Error!

• Trial Cupcake: If using a new recipe, fill up just one cupcake liner and bake it. This way you can know how much batter to put in the cups and how long to bake them (without ruining a whole batch). Do the same if you are using a different oven than you are used to. Baking time can vary as much as 5 to 10 minutes depending on the oven and altitude.

• Assemble all ingredients: Measure out all ingredients before you begin adding them. (I've had far too many experiences where I've left something out). Crack eggs in a small bowl before adding them to the batter to avoid getting any shell pieces in it.

• Prevent Sticking: Once you have the liners in the cups, spray Pam over the whole pan. Then fill the cups with the batter. This will make it much easier to remove the cupcakes if they spill over a little.

• Scooping Batter: Use an ice cream scoop to put the batter in the cups. It makes less mess and helps make it easier to get consistent cupcake sizes.

• Always let cupcakes completely cool before frosting.

• Salted Butter? Many recipes call for unsalted butter. If I only have regular butter, I reduce the amount of salt called for in the batter by at least ½, and it seems to work fine.

• Buttermilk Substitute: I seldom have buttermilk, and many recipes call for it. A buttermilk substitute is to put 1 Tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a one cup measuring cup. Add milk to fill to 1 cup. Let sit for 5 minutes (it should look like it is curdled) before adding to recipe.

• Soften Butter: Make sure butter is soft before mixing into batter or frosting. If I haven’t remembered to get it out of the fridge, I soften it by putting it in the microwave at half power, starting at 30 seconds, checking it, and doing more in small increments if needed. You don’t want it to melt.

• Most Common Problem: My most common problem is sinking in the middle. Possible reasons for this are: over-mixing the batter (once the flour is added); too much baking powder or soda (measure carefully); overfilled batter in the cups; or oven temperature too hot. You may need to experiment and adjust one of those

• Perfect Frosting: Follow frosting recipe directions. Consistency is important for piping on frosting. Add more liquid or powdered sugar in very small increments, if it is too runny or stiff.

• Shortcut to Piping Frosting: You don’t need fancy tips or bags to frost the cupcakes. You can fill a freezer bag with frosting and cut a small hole in one corner. Hold it over the cupcake and start squeezing it in a circular motion, starting at the outside and ending in the middle. You can also buy large tips, for as little as a dollar, if you want it to have a more decorative look.

• Cupcake Toppers: Picks can easily be made to place on top of the cupcakes. You can run off small pictures, cut any shape, or run off any message and punch out into a shape. Then you can glue a toothpick between two sides and stick on top of the cupcake. You can also add a something on top that shows what type of cupcake it is (lemonheads, strawberry slice, chocolate chip, etc).

• To Share a Cupcake: One fun way (especially if it didn’t turn out perfectly!) is to layer it in a jar. Cut the cupcake in half, pipe some frosting in, put the other half in, more frosting, and more cupcakes and frosting until the jar is full. You can use a cupcake liner over the lid and tie a spoon to the jar.

• Freezing: Cupcakes can be frozen easily. When completely cool, place them in a single layer in a zip lock freezer bag. They can also be frozen with the frosting on, as long as they are in a container where the frosting does not get smashed and it is made airtight. I also freeze left over frosting in zip lock bags. I hate running out of frosting and having to make more, so I usually make extra and freeze what’s left.

• Just Have Fun! There are so many cute and elaborate cupcakes that can be made. You can search for, and find, directions for just about any theme you want. Those are fun occasionally, but I prefer simple piped on frosting, adorned with sprinkles or a pick.

Thanks to Misty and Tiffany
for helping me proof-read these tips.

Anyone have any more to add?

Some of the documents

2011-10-08T23:20:00.001-06:00

I have been scanning in:

Grandfather Edward Owen Hall

Grandmother Pearl Averet Hall

Favorite Poem of Grandmother

(I did the calligraphy for our family reunion)

Mom

Mom's obituary

Mom's Funeral Program

Dad's obituary

I'm glad to be getting these scanned in. More to come!

I feel like I got a

2011-10-05T22:37:00.000-06:00

"get out of jail free" card today.

Let me explain.   About a year and a half ago I got a call from a son of one of my great-uncles (his Dad was my grandpa's brother). I had no recollection of meeting him, though I must have at his parent's funerals. He's been by several times to bring copies of documents, and he is such a nice guy.

Anyway, he is an avid geneologist, as was his dad, Uncle Theron.   To make a long story short, I volunteered to type in indexes that could go on the website that he and his nephew were developing for the Hall family. He didn't ask me to do it, I told him I wanted to help and volunteered.

Well, all this time later, I was only into the "C" last names. It had taken me hours just to get that far, and it was very tedious. But that is no excuse. I spend hours on many things that are tedious, but frivolous. While this geneology project is something that does matter and is long lasting. It has just not been a priority to me.

So, everytime I saw his name on caller ID, I would cringe. Sometimes I wouldn't answer, because I felt guilty about not spending any time doing it.   Then I felt badly about not returning his calls, but I was tired of hearing my own excuses. Finally, I decided I was going to answer his calls, but I wasn't going to make any more excuses.  He's never once pressured me, but just calls to report on the exciting things happening with the website. So I talk with him and truly am excited about what is happening.   I just quit making excuses, because none of them are valid. After each phone call, I would be motived to work on the index more, but that would last about one day.

Anyway . . . He called last night and left a message and said he would call back. He called today, and I cringed, but answered it.  We chatted for a minute, and then he said, "I feel badly telling you this because of all the work you've done on the index, but we've found a way to put a search engine on the website. So if a name is searched it will take you to everything about that person (including the the information on the indexes.)" He felt badly that I had done "all that work," and that now we didn't need it.

Wow, I was so glad I answered today's call. I didn't tell him that I felt I like I had been given a "get out of jail free" card, but I let him know that the news made me very happy and that he had absolutely made my day. I also told him that I would scan in and send him more pictures and documents of my grandparents, so he could put on the website.  That is a commitment I plan to keep.   Really.   To prove it I'll post them on the blog as I do it.

In the meantime, here is a really cool website (that I've contributed very little to).   http://josephsmithhall.org/

I'm feeling very

2011-10-04T23:28:00.002-06:00

relieved. This was one of those events that involved a lot of planning, and also a lot of emotion.

We were asked to put on a fashion show that emphasized modesty.
The difficult part was deciding how to present it without hurting feelings or appearing judgemental. It was completely out of my comfort zone, and I struggled with it. But, there were many, many women who pulled through by finding the models, performing, planning the meal and decorations, and putting the program together.

It's amazing what the energy of willing people will do for you.

I'm so grateful for them.

I'm also grateful for the 80 plus people who attended and supported it.

I love Racheal and Kori, who were willing to to put their inhibitions aside and play the part of news reporters with me. What a boost.
They made it fun and comfortable.

The highlight of the evening for me was when Mona, who is 94, came out modeling a beautiful dress and blew kisses to the audience. What an inspirational lady.

We had the lighting dimmed, so I've had to "auto adjust" the pictures so they could be seen. But, here are some of the other pictures from the night.

Here's the table Donna put together for the necklaces we made.

(By the way, Valerie, thank you for sharing the idea with me and Tiffany!)

Gary knew how worried I was about it, so he was interested to hear how everything went. Then he, very nicely, happened to mention that as he'd walked through the house and observed that I had been in project mode. That is a kind way of saying that every room in the house looks like a hurricane hit. I can't disagree. That's what I'll be working on tomorrow.

Let me just say,

2011-10-03T23:29:00.002-06:00

that I'll be very happy when tomorrow night is over.

I've seen these

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"Cupcakes in a Jar," several places.

This is my first version of doing it.

I ran out of time, but I've seen the lids tied with twine and a spoon attached. Here's a link: (Studio 5)

The cupcakes aren't baked in the jars, they are placed in it and layered with frosting. Each jar used 1 and 1/2 cupcake. The top is actually a cupcake liner. (I adhere to the wisdom on the bottom of this liner.)

I love this idea because you don't have to worry about smashing the frosting or keeping it looking nice.

Now I just need to find some good deals on 1/2 pint canning jars.

Glass Tile Pendant Tutorial

2011-09-28T23:19:00.001-06:00

Last night we made about 90 of these necklaces. It is really so simple and easy. Here is my effort at providing a tutorial!

Materials needed:

Glass tile (7/8" x 7/8") I ordered the tiles, bails, and necklaces from BottleCapSupply and Laguna Craft Supply.

Paper (scrapbook paper, scraps, photo)
Dimensional glaze (I used Glossy Accents)
Bail (what you attach to back to hand chain from)
7/8 inch punch is really nice to have – but if not, you can just cut the squares
Glue (to attach bail – I like 527 glue)
Modge podge (if you have some already)

Step 1 - Choose your paper. You can see through punch to decide what design you want. Or you could do any picture or saying.

Step 2 - Apply a dot of glossy accents on back of the glass tile (the flattest side). Place your piece of paper face down over the glossy accents and rub paper gently around so all of the paper is coated and will adhere to the back. It is best not to use a brush, as you can see the brush strokes. Push down to tightly to remove any air bubbles.

Step 3 - Repeat this process to cover the back of the tile, so both sides have a design or writing. For the Relief Society ones, we had the saying “Of Good Report." This may not be necessary, but I then added a layer modge podge over the paper on the back. It makes a firmer surface to apply the bail on with the glue. Apply the bail to the pendant with glue (I like 527)

And there we have it!

Tonight I had

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a dinner and planning/work meeting here for our Weekday Relief Society committee.

I borrowed these cute little tasting dishes from my friend, Dianne. I don't know what it is about the little glasses that appeal to us, but it must date back to our tea-party days as a little girl.

Here are the desserts.

Layered Strawberry Shortcake

(pound cake, coconut, whipping cream, strawberries)

You can't really see the "cupcakes in a cup,"

that are under the cake dome.

But they were made with cupcakes (that kind of fell)

cut in half and layered with frosting.

Here is the first course:

Carrot and Celery in ranch dip,

Broccoli salad,

and Frozen Fruit Salad (frozen in muffin tins)

The main course was soup and bread.

We also made 80 necklaces (tutorial tomorrow), and finished most everything for the fashion show, which is next week.

You would think

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we were party animals, or something.

We've been traveling all over the last few weeks, and this weekend was no exception. We met in Kanab for a reunion of Gary's Lewis family cousins. It's been a long time since they've gathered, and it was really fun to visit with them and with Gary's sisters.

Gary with sisters, Janice, Geniel, and Margie.

With all of the inlaws.

Gary and I feel very blessed by the families we were born in to. Both of us were the youngest in the family, and some may even say we were spoiled. In this case, I would have to agree. Being the youngest, when you follow such caring and loving older siblings, does qualify us for being spoiled.

As far as being spoiled in other ways, I'll quote what Gary always says to that. "You're only spoiled if you don't deserve it." (And of course, he deserved it?)

"Out of the

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mouth of babes."

A couple of days ago we got texts from both Misty and Tiffany.

Dan won a raffle and got 4 tickets (right behind the dugout) to a Cardinal's baseball game. It was on Hyrum's birthday, so Misty, Dan, Hyrum, and Harrison got to go.

Misty sent this text:

"Waiting for game to start and Harrison's getting impatient and says,
"Why do they even have big people baseball?"

(You have to understand that this boy wants to be part of the action, not just watch adults do it).

Text from Tiffany:

"Shopping at Costco with Luci,

and as we go down the aisles she says, to just about everything,

"Grandma has this, grandma has this . . ." :)

(Oh, Oh)

Today is

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our grandson, Hyrum's, 11th birthday. Hyrum is such a delight. When I think of him, a smile automatically comes to my lips. He loves CANDY, art supplies, and is an excellent athlete. I can totally relate to thim with the candy and art supplies, because Hyrum has stashes of both just like I do. Hyrum is also very kind and thoughtful. I've often seen him reach out to someone who is having a hard time.

I love you, Hyrum!

(Misty keeps amazing me with her creative cakes. When Hyrum told me he wanted a "tank" birthday cake, I couldn't even begin to imagine how Misty would pull that one off. But she did, and with flying colors!)

Week long

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memories.

Gathering in St. George at Charlene and Greg's condo.

enjoying the majestic Grand Canyon.

Charlene, Richard, Tom, Annette, Gary

Siblings with Acrophobia staying back from the trail.

Brothers Gary and Richard standing in building

they worked in as teenagers more than 55 years ago.

Gary (husband) couldn't come until Friday,

so he wasn't able to come to the Grand Canyon.

I missed him.

Zion's Park with the Siblings.

Zions Park with the outlaws.

Every time we get together, I always feel so blessed.

I've been

2011-09-18T22:31:00.001-06:00

a little AWOL.

For a good reason, though.

Let me just say
that I feel very blessed .

Pictures later.

Tutorial on necklace (in last post) later, too.

When Tiffany was here,

2011-09-13T13:39:00.002-06:00

we made a lot of these glass tile necklaces

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the cute ones Tiffany made.

But here are some of the 7/8 inch square paper pieces

I plan to make more necklaces with.

And of course my favorite,

the cupcake ones.

Gardens

2011-09-11T23:06:00.000-06:00

I love the gardens at this time of year. The maintenance is minimal, but the flowers are still blossoming.

We went to a wedding of my cousin's daughter that was held in a very amazing and beautiful back yard. It had so many little spaces in it with beautifully arranged plantings. I was visiting with my cousins and couldn't figure out where Gary was. Then I found him hiding out in the gazebo.

Tonight Natalie went out in our garden to get flowers for our centerpiece.

She definitely has artistic talent.

I wouldn't have been able to put one together like this.

I've been watching

2011-09-10T21:26:00.006-06:00

some of the programs commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack on our country. I look at the images now, and it still feels as surreal as it did when it was happening.

But as I hear the individual stories, it is far from being surreal. It is far too real for them. My heart breaks as I listen to the stories of the wives and husbands who were able to have one last conversation with their spouses by cell phone. There must be such haunting memories for those who were there. Yet, there are so many stories of courage and kindness. It seems that the worst actions of mankind can also bring out the very best in mankind

This morning

2011-09-09T21:20:00.000-06:00

I got up and got right into making flower pins for a cousin's wedding. A few hours later, I turned on the television to watch "Good Things Utah" while I finished them. I was sure the TV was broken. Even when I turned the volume up as high as it would go, I could only hear a little noise when I put my ear right up to it. I tried adjusting the volume with both the remotes and checked to make sure the mute buttons weren't on.

Finally, I thought to check my ears. That's when I realized I hadn't put my hearing aids in. No wonder it was so quiet in the house. Once I put them in, I heard the TV blasting so loudly that I had to quickly turn it down.

Can I say how grateful I am for hearing aids? Hearing the TV is good (and I also love closed captioning), but I'm particularly grateful that I can hear the voices of the people in my life.

I'm reminded of the

2011-09-08T23:43:00.001-06:00

advertisement on television that says something to the effect of,
"A body in motion tends to stay in motion, while a body at rest tends to stay at rest."

I'm living proof of that, both in the blogging arena and the physical arena.

What I'm trying to say is that blogging was easier when I did it every day. When I was "in the groove," so to speak. I was much more aware of my feelings, surroundings, and activities because I knew I was going to write about them. And I was committed.

In the physical area, I have exercised only a few times all summer. And my body feels it and looks it. I feel sluggish and lazy and have gained weight. I have only gone to yoga a couple of times this summer, and my joints are letting me know that they miss it. So, I'm going to try to stay in motion. I need it both physically and emotionally.

Tomorrow is another day.

As for the blogging, here goes.

That is what I've been doing this week since we got back from California.

It's ridiculous, really, that it takes me so long to put something like this together. But the thing I keep reminding myself, as I'm thinking it's silly, is that I really do enjoy the creative process. I spent time searching for ways of making the "lollies" or pin-folded flowers. I want to make a banner of them, and I got lots of good ideas. I've experimented with different fonts and cricut cartridges, many of which didn't work well. But they are things I've wanted to try.

Here's the front of the invite.

When Gary had the car lot (a whole 'nother story) he ordered some cards that said, "An Invitation" on the front. On the inside there was writing inviting the recipient to visit the car showroom.

I've held on to a hundred of those cards that I have no use for. So, it feels good to recycle them in a useful way. I cut out the silhouettes on my Cricut machine. Then we'll staple the vellum over it and paste our printed invitation over the one that is there.

It feels good to be in motion again.

Wish

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you were here . . .

. . . planning in the shade

with us!

Enjoying the cool breeze . . .

And watching the sunset, too.

Here's a priceless

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picture taken Sunday evening.

We had a family party celebrating the birthday of my granddaughter, Lucienne (who turned 3), and my brother, Gary (who turned 74). They share the same August 29th birthday, with 71 years in between. This picture is a very poignant reminder to me of the cycles of life.

Here are pictures from the party and from the last week with Tiffany and the kids.

No Words Needed . . .

2011-08-28T23:18:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe

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we have a 36 year old daughter.

It seems like yesterday that we were that age.

Tiffany put together this cute folding scrapbook of pictures

of her and Misty together from 1977 to 1983.

In honor of Misty's birthday, I took pictures of all the pictures. (You may notice that Natalie is not in them, but don't feel like she was neglected, she just wasn't born yet)

We love you, Misty!!!

PS -- here's a full view of what Tiffany is wearing when she's holding the photo album. I picked it up at the swap. It is an authentic "Swirl" brand that's got to be from the late sixties, early 70's. It looks like one of my old outfits.

I'm trying to capture a few

2011-08-21T21:58:00.001-06:00

of our activities, but we are so busy doing our activities, that I don't have time to take pictures or blog about them. Here are a few, though:

Resurrecting the "slip and slide"

(Giant slug found under the "slip and slide")

S'mores in the fire pit.

School Shopping

Eating

Baking giant donut cake.

Waiting to devour it.

I heard some very interesting things today

2011-08-19T21:52:00.000-06:00

on my lunch date with Lucienne.

"Me does not like that girl"

"Me does like this girl." (Smurf)

"But me does not like that girl."

The truth of her feelings became even more apparent to me

when she didn't even play on the toys because "she" was sitting there.

I also learned something else when we went to JoAnnes Craft store. Lucienne told me, not very quietly or confidentially, that they have this, and this, and this, and this, and basically everything in the store at home. This is quite startling news to me. I always thought Tiffany was quite frugal. After listening to Luci, I'm a little concerned that she may have become a compulsive shopper.

We have been doing

2011-08-16T22:34:00.001-06:00

lots of fun things, like going to Trafalga and Seven Peaks.

But one of my favorite activities is this one:

Making paper dolls, with my cricut machine, for these excited little girls.

Sometimes they dictate to me exactly what they want.

Other times they want me to surprise them

and we play a guessing game about what it might be.

I wish I could "bottle" that kind of excitement.

I can (and have) spent hours sitting back in my little cubby hole, enjoying every minute of it. Not only because it makes them so excited and happy, but also because I agree with the saying that goes something like "Grandma's are little girls at heart." Who wouldn't like creating and dressing paper dolls? Especially when you have such enthusiastic playmates.

Last Tuesday

2011-08-14T20:55:00.000-06:00

I was just getting ready to post this "waiting" pictures,

when the Idiart family came running in from their long ride from Oregon.

Here are just a few pictures taken since then.

Anniversary Memories

2011-08-08T21:04:00.003-06:00

One of our activities at the Hall reunion was an "Oldie Wed Game." Gary and I didn't do too well, actually. One question was,

"What did you do on your first date?"

My first thought was of Halloween, 1967, when we were "trick-or-treating" with a group of friends. He tore off a piece of his brown paper bag, rolled it into a ring, and asked me to "go with him." We were way too young for that, by the way (just 13).

His answer was, "Going to the movie 'Where Were you When the Lights Went Out." That was technically true, in that it was the first time he actually asked me to go somewhere with him officially.

Another answer I was going to give, but didn't, was "At the hospital." I guess that wouldn't qualify as a date, since we were just a few days old, but it would have been the first time we were together here on this earth. We know we were in the nursery together, because he is only three days older than me and back then our mother's stayed in the hospital for 10 days. We also speculate that we may have been right next to each other, being as both of our last names started with an "A." (Just as a side note -- Mom always joked that Gary must have been the baby that was screaming all the time.)

We meet up again at Wasatch Elementary in the fifth grade. (Second row down, far right)

My mind is on many of those memories, as today is our 37th wedding anniversary. We figured this morning (after he had very sweetly made me oatmeal with blueberries) that at this time 37 years ago, we were on our way to the Salt Lake Temple for our ceremony. I have only the happiest of memories of that day. It could not have been more perfect. I guess the only negative thing I can remember is that it was the day President Richard Nixon announced he was resigning as president. We were having a hard time getting the family to come get their pictures taken because they were outside listening to his speech on the car radios.

I don't have a lot of early pictures of us together, but here are a few I've found from our Jr. High yearbooks.

(Right by each other again)

Romeo and Juliet

Hall Sisters

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This last week we've been up to West Yellowstone for a Hall Family Cousin's Reunion. Mom was one of 6 girls born to Edward Owen and Pearl Averett Hall. One daughter, Fern, only lived for a couple of months. The 5 sisters were always very close, and we grew up sharing many good times with our cousins. All of the sisters and their husbands have passed away, but only one of first cousins, Wally, has died.

It is pretty amazing that nearly 122 years since my grandmother's birth and 50 years since her death, that 16 of her 24 grandchildren were able to come to the reunion this year. We range from age 76 to 50 years old. It makes me hope that the sisters and our grandparents were able to catch a glimpse of us together, and that they feel happy we are still gathering.

Here are the 5 Hall sisters. My mom is Charlet, the one in the middle.

Ruth, Beth, Charlet, Ione, Merlyn

Life keeps

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constantly reminding me that you can never know, from simple appearances, what a person may be going through (or has gone through) in their lives.  It is good to be reminded, as it is so easy to become judgemental, or even indifferent, to the people we associate with.

Today in Relief Society a new neighbor told the story of her struggle with getting and overcoming her addiction to prescription pain medication.   This woman is probably one of the most out-going, friendly people I have ever met. From the moment she moved in, she become every one's friend. It would be easy to assume she always had that sunny-happy outlook. Now, knowing her story, I admire her even more.

The fact is, everyone has a story. And, outward appearances seldom tell it.   I'm glad life keeps reminding me of that so I can try to keep learning from it.

I can hardly

2011-07-28T23:04:00.000-06:00

believe that our oldest grandson, Jackson, turned 15 today. When I hear his deep voice, with its Missouri twang to it, saying "Hi Grandma," my heart melts.

Today when we called to sing him Happy Birthday, he told us that he made the Team USA in baseball. He is one of 16 others in the Midwest region that get to play in a tournament against other Team USA regions. He loves sports of all kinds and is dedicated to doing what he needs to do to excel. I'm very proud of his accomplishments, but most of all I'm proud of the kind of young man he is and the man he is becoming.

We love you, Jackson!

I won't take

2011-07-28T09:05:00.000-06:00

a picture. But for the last 3 days my face, neck, and arms have been covered with hives. It's a little better today, but I'm going to the Dr. anyway for my yearly physical (fun), so maybe she can help.

My best guess, as for the cause, is that when I got my hair cut and highlighted on Monday there was something in one of the hair chemicals that I reacted to. It's never happened before, though. Last night when Natalie called, I told here that I had been thinking of her, because she is allergic to many things and has that happen a lot. So, Natalie, I now appreciate what you go through more than ever.

We went to

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Park City on Monday to meet the Adairs for dinner. As we sat waiting for them to come, I asked the waitress to take our picture.

Park City is meaningful to us, because almost 37 years ago (August 8, 1974), we spent our honeymoon there. My friend Kim Thomas' parents had a condo they let us use. Here is a digital scrapbook collage I made of our honeymoon.

We've changed a little (Ok, maybe a lot),

with a few more wrinkles and quite a few more pounds.

But the same love is still there,

but now it is mixed with a lifetime of memories.

That's what matters.

I feel very blessed and lucky.

(Though I wouldn't complain if I had that body back!)

In honor of

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the "Beehive State," which Utah is called, I've been making these cupcakes.

I wanted to show a picture of them so Misty's kids could see what they looked like. I had to send several things that Lydia left, so I put a dozen of these in with them. Apparently it has been so hot in Missouri, that they kind of melted and fell apart. She said they tasted really good, though.

I asked Tom

2011-07-23T09:25:00.002-06:00

how much he would like me to write about his trip here this week.

He said "Zero."

So I'll just post a couple of the comments that have been floating around.

"Staying at Bunny Hollow has been a real bummer."

"This trip to Utah has been a pain in the butt."

I think that just about says it all.

I hope he'll soon forget his experiences, or we may not get him back as a visitor. That would make me very sad. I always look forward to their visits and cherish the time spent with him and Lynn.

While Tom's been a little

2011-07-20T19:43:00.002-06:00

down and out, Lynn and I have been experimenting

with a few of the recipes from the cookbook,

"Best Bites. Mormon Moms in the Kitchen"

So far, we are very impressed.

All three of the recipes we tried were excellent.

Here are the pictures from the cookbook.

Here are our versions.

The photography is not that great,

but the food was.

These will definitely be on the menu again.

(We are feeling very proud of ourselves)

Cousins

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I love to see nieces and nephews and cousins and second cousins getting together. It always makes me think how happy Mom and Dad would be that we get together.

Misty was thrilled last week when Angie and Ken and their three girls paid them a visit in Missouri. Here are a few pictures she sent me.

Where's your MuMu, Angie? Do I need to make you one?

I heard Ken loved the 100 degree heat with 99% humidity.

2nd cousins having fun.

Here's a picture of Tom and his family as they headed out to watch Jennie's daughter, Brooke, at her soccer camp. I love having them here.

We've been having such

2011-07-16T22:41:00.000-06:00

a nice afternoon and evening with Tom and Lynn. We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner, and sat visiting for a long time. But, we realized after Tom fell down the stairs when we got home, that he must have been feeling neglected and wanted more attention. As we tended to him, and had Personal over to help give him a blessing, he had us as a captive audience.

Seriously, though, we were a little concerned for a while. He started shaking and we were afraid he was going into shock. We think he probably has a broken toe and sprained ankle at the very least, and his knees and body are very sore. I'm making light of it, but I feel really badly and am concerned for him. I hope he is able to move without too much pain tomorrow. They have a lot of activities in the next month and a half, once of which is a trip to Italy. Not fun.

We spent most of the

2011-07-15T11:42:00.001-06:00

day yesterday celebrating the wedding of Lauren and Jacob. Lauren was begat by my nephew, Cory, who was begat by my brother, Gary, who was begat by my father, Golden. Just a little genealogy there (where are the women who really begat them in that equation?)

The ceremony at the Mt. Timpanogos temple, the luncheon, and the reception were all wonderful. At the reception they had a place to write your advice or congratulations. My advice was, "Always look each other in the eyes the way you have today." I loved watching them look at each other with such adoration. I know I feel that way, but I'm not sure my face always shows it. Here are pictures from the day.

Jacob and Lauren outside the temple.

Gary and Lynn at the Luncheon

All of Cory and Stacy's family.

4 Anderson siblings, minus the black sheep (Ha, got you, Tom)

Natalie and Gary

Gary, Lynn, Natalie, Richard

Me and Gary

Gary and Natalie Dancing

Natalie and Gary dancing

The grandparents, Lynn and Gary, dancing.

Me and Gary dancing.
I think I can't look him in the eyes because he is too much taller than me.

It's a small world! Lee Lewis, the son of Gary's cousin, Lynn, came up to us at the reception. We haven't seen him since his wedding reception 7 years ago. It turns out that Jacob is doing his internship with Lee's insusrance company. It was so fun to visit with him.

Jacob and Lauren came out to leave with all of us holding sparcklers.

I've never seen that done, and it was so fun.

Let's

2011-07-13T21:55:00.001-06:00

see. What has been going on since I last posted.

We cleaned up the back patio really well on Saturday, and got rid of two old filing cabinets that have been there for 20 years. We didn't get rid of what was in them, but the patio looks much better and cleaner without the rusty old filing cabinet decor. I'm not sure what Gary's going to do with the 3 large bins of files and papers we filled with the filing cabinet contents. I'm particularly wondering what he's going to do with the one big bin that is filled with all his baseball game plans and practice notes from 30 years ago. But he says they will be important some day for writing his personal history. Interesting? I guess shouldn't be one to talk about saving sentimental things. Basically, between the two of us, we are a hopeless case.

Duke hauled the stuff we were getting rid of to the dump, and then we had the Norton's over for an impromptu barbecue. It was fun. It makes me realize that we should do spontaneous things like that more often.

Sunday after church we had an Anderson style shower (with the whole family) for Gary and Lynn's granddaughter, Lauren. We were going to have it here, but Gary and Lynn offered to have it at their place as the first official family get-together in their newly remodeled home. The way things worked out, I was very glad that I didn't have to get the house ready along with the gifts. Their house is beautiful, and it was fun to be with everyone. Unfortunately, my camera battery went out, so this is the only picture I have.

Then Monday was spent trying to get the house and yard ready for the Relief Society activity being held here on Tuesday. It turned out that it was a good thing I got most of it done on Monday, because on Tuesday our refrigerator died. I didn't realize it had until I saw some puddles of water on the floor. When I opened the freezer, everything was thawed. That was definitely not on the agenda. I was going to make a different treat for the party, but when I saw the bag of Rhodes rolls soft and pliable and ready to roll out, I made cinnamon rolls instead. Then Gary and I had to go out to find a new fridge that could be delivered today. That was definitely not in the budget. But the weather cooperated and the party called, "Sit and Chat and Finish That," was very fun.

So, today I'm very tired. I'm feeling all "funned" out,
and am determined to get to bed before 10 pm.

So, I've got 6 minutes. Good night.

Why do I run

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around like a chicken with it's head cut off? Gary asked me this afternoon (after seeing piles from sewing, recipe card making, scrapbook making, and baking) if it really helps me to leave my messes all around. Well, obviously, the answer is no. But, I don't have time to clean it up or I won't be able to finish the next thing in time. One of these days . . .

We've been missing having Lydia here. We took her to the airport on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, we ate lunch at Ripple's.

Then went to to the movie with Natalie. When we got home, she and Gary were sitting in the car for a while. Lydia had decided that she was going to write up the rules for slug-bug, banana whacker, and whatever other slugging games they had been sparring over all week. I think she came up with a pretty good legal document.

As you can see, it was pretty serious business.

I am so

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frustrated! Last week my hard drive crashed. I had a new hard drive installed, and thought I would be able to get my files from my passport back-up device. It is not that simple. In fact it is very complicated. Supposedly it has been backing up every night, but it is in formats that do not now work. I've spent two days re-installing my programs, only to find that the back-up files can't be opened. Even with Gary's help, it is not happening. I'm frustrated with myself, too, for not backing up on a thumb drive. I've been able to get most word documents, but not from the last few months. Sometimes it seems so nice to not have hard copies of pictures and documents, but in the long run, it is probably smart to have them for everything that is important.

Catch-up!

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It has been a whirlwind few days celebrating the 4th.

Making cupcakes.

Taste testing two different vanilla cupcake recipes.

(I'll post the winning recipe later)

Going the the Freedom Festival Stadium of Fire

I can't envision a more beautiful view.

The parade.

Lydia mimicking Grandpa as he was explaining the ebb and flow of the parade. These two need to go to time-out sometimes. Grandpa does everything he can to annoy Lydia, and she responds in kind.

The last entry of the parade. I bought these shorts for him as a joke 2 years ago, and he now wears them a lot, especially on the 4th. Lydia is mortified and Gary is elated.

Preparations for our own Stadium of Fire

(held at the elementary school).

Cupcakes!

The highly trained Pyro-technicians

The only damper on the evening was the rain that came down right during the fireworks. But it wasn't cold, so it was OK. Natalie made a play list of patriotic music, and Gary had a PA system we could hear the music and his commentary. We really appreciated the Roylance family who helped us set up and clean up the tables and chairs. It was fun to see many of the kids who grew up in the neighborhood come back with their wives and children.

Family

Some random shots of friends who came.

I'm grateful for the poeple in my life.

A few more adventures with

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Real Live Lydia.

Shopping at Costco (essential)

Going to Pirate's Island and listening to Natalie Sing with Karaoke.

Natalie spending the night and day with us.

Lydia Performing the Rejuvenation Ritual

that we made up

(basically throwing flower petals on yourself or others)

Try it, it works.

Gary wasn't quite so sure.

He was more concerned about who was

going to clean up all the flower petals.

A little more pampering.

Can you guess which hands and feet are Lydia's?

Lydia staking claims to my "Friend," when I die.

Not that she's hurrying it along or anything.

In fact tonight as we were sitting outside, she randomly said,

"You guys are never going to die."

Very sweet.

This T-shirt

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of Lydia's says it all.

Lydia has to be the most patient sister in the world. She sits through ball games all summer for her three oldest brothers. When Marshall is old enough, that will make four brothers she is following. That's why we felt she needed a little girl pampering.

She is a delight!

Remember the

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Adventures of Flat Eliza?

Well, this week we will follow the adventures of "Real Lydia."

She arrived by air tonight, all by herself.

Where she was greeted excitedly by Us.

She arrived at Bunny Hollow Bed and Breakfast at about 10:30 pm,

Where she tried out the amenities in her room

(like the vibrating chair pad).

That is until Grandpa took it over,

and we had to kick him out so she could go to bed.