It's CHRISTmas

Today is the last Sunday before Christmas. During our church meetings we sang lots of Christmas songs, watched a video of the nativity, partook of the sacrament, listened to talks testifying of Christ, and felt His spirit. It was awesome.

I am reminded of the scripture from the Book of Mormon: " And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins...And now behold, I say unto you...believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul..." (2 Nephi 25:26,29)

I hope to carry the peace and hope and comfort and joy I feel today with me through this season and throughout the coming year. Because I do believe in Christ and I am grateful for a knowledge of His gospel and His plan for me.

May you remember Him and feel His love for you at Christmas time and always.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Diana

Today is Diana's birthday and so I've been thinking of her all day long.

Diana is my middle child, number four of seven kids and number three of the five girls.

She was born on a snowy winter evening in the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, UT. I had been to choir practice and came home well into labor. We left the other three children with a sitter and drove through the snow in our old car with bald tires. But we, and she, arrived safely.

Even as a baby, Diana was beautiful. Her skin was flawless and she had long slender fingers and toes. Her little feet were crooked and she had to have them in casts that were changed regularly to move the bones back into their proper alignment. She still carries a small scar from a burn received in removing one of the casts. (But they finished the process free of charge because of that!) She also had clogged tear ducts that a doctor cleared with a very long needle while I held her little head. THAT WAS SCARY.

Diana has always been adventurous. Once, when she was about five years old, Diana got left at home alone....long story.... Anyway, she knocked on the neighbor's door to get help, but no one answered. She proceeded to walk around a mile to the only other place she was sure she could get help--Anna Raun's house. She told Anna that she thought she was supposed to be at Grandma's and so Anna made a call and got her where she belonged. I was completely unaware of what had happened until we were back to pick the kids up several hours later. Well, ever since she's been an independent, resourceful, adaptable person.

Diana likes to try new things. She is creative. She sings well and is a good organizer. Diana is comfortable in almost any situation. She makes friends easily and is loyal afterward. Diana loves cats and has two, Zena and Xavier. Somehow, she became a city girl even after being raised in small towns. Diana is all the kids' favorite aunt.

In March Diana married Travis Thornton in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. He makes her happy. They live and work in the Seattle area.

I am thankful for Diana and so happy she is my daughter and friend. I am looking forward to having her and Travis here at New Year's with the rest of the family. In the meantime, happy birthday Sweetie. I love you.

Deck the Halls

No boughs of holly here, but plenty of icicle lights and nativities and advent calendars and stockings and Christmas trees and ANGELS.......

Yes. After a complete house cleaning (well, almost complete), I have been decorating for the Christmas season. It's taken me several days, but I have to say that our halls are now totally "decked" and things are looking very festive around here. The house is full of fun things to see and hear and taste and touch and smell.






















I love the smell of pine and peppermint and berries from lighting Christmas candles. It makes me want to bake and create and wrap and give. I get a kick out of the grandkids' delight in the battery-operated and wind-up toys that are scattered about. I really enjoy sitting in the darkened room, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket and drinking hot chocolate, just looking at the lighted tree. (That sounds pretty good. I might have to go do that and finish this later.) Remembering the story of each angel that I pull from the boxes brings me special joy.

Today the work is done and I am basking in the beauty of it all. I'm working on gifts and looking ahead to another wonderful Christmas.


So, if you haven't yet, start to deck the halls and you will find yourself full of Christmas spirit like me...............go on, do it. It feels real good.

Thanksgiving Again

It's been just over a year since I began this blog. It has turned into a rewarding outlet for my thoughts and experiences, a new way to share myself with family and friends.

So this Thanksgiving I want to express thanks for modern technology that opens the door to such a variety of communication lines: email and Facebook and blogs and web cams and instant messaging and cell phones with voice and texting. I will always love phone calls and letters as well. I am grateful that we can stay in touch no matter how far apart we are and how seldom we see each other.

Of course nothing replaces actually being together. And so this Thanksgiving I am also thankful for the opportunities I've had this year to be with each of you in your own homes and at important events in your lives. I look forward to any chance we can share time and experiences.

Thanks to all of you for being part of my life.

I have been blessed beyond measure. I am forever grateful to my Father in Heaven for my life and my family and my understanding of his plan. Every day is one of thanksgiving for me.

Life in Logan

I've been spending the last few days with three of my adorable grandkids: Rachel, Elena and Creed. Ben and Heidi took Cadence with them to visit Melody and Brock in Tennessee and I've been here to hold down the fort. We spent the first two days at their home in Logan and then made a run to Cokeville to see Mariah's high school's production of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and spend some time hanging out with Jason's and Sarah's families. Today we braved the winter storm to drive back through the canyon to Logan.

Rachel and Elena are both in school all day long, so Creed and I got to read books and color and watch shows and other such fun activities. At our house, he built things out of legos. Creed has lots of energy and, most of the time, a very cheery disposition.

The girls are remarkably self-sufficient, making their own lunches and doing their homework and chores unasked. They both like to read and play with friends. While we were in Cokeville, they made a chain for the days until Christmas. On the drive both ways we listened to "Wicked"; Elena knows almost all the lyrics and especially likes "Popular" and "Defying Gravity".

The only downside to the whole deal has been an ongoing bout with some kind of stomach flu, beginning that first night with Creed, then hitting Elena and I, and now Rachel....no fun for anyone! Luckily it is a brief (though wicked) flu and by tomorrow, I hope, we should all be well before Ben and Heidi get home again.

Taking the opportunity to spend time with the grandchildren this year has been a great way to get to know them really well AND give their parents a chance to get away to their activity of choice without worrying about the little ones left behind. This Thanksgiving I am thankful for my children and their children....what a blessing family is in my life.

Good things come to those who wait!

"Regardless of how much patience we have, we would prefer never to use any of it." (James T. O'Brien) That is me to a "T".

For many months now I have been making meals on the plywood counter tops of my partly remodeled kitchen. While I have been really grateful for the extra shelves Seth built and the greater space on the new counters, the process of clean up has resulted in a variety of painful slivers and a concern for the actual "cleanliness" of the rough surface. It is difficult to get spills out of plywood. And so I admit that I've grumbled a bit.

But this week I have new counter tops. What a change! I can't help but stop and just look every time I come into the kitchen. I find myself running my hand over the counter surfaces, admiring the newness and smoothness of them. It even inspired me to paint the kitchen walls. Seth also installed a new light above the island. It is like a whole new place.

As you can see from the photos below, we still have work to do: the cabinets need a veneer and doors; the table needs to be resurfaced, etc. But for those of you who know the before, you can't help but recognize the remarkable changes already made.

Yes, "patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet." (Jean Jacques Rousseau)
My gratitude abounds....and it's been nearly a week since I got a sliver wiping a kitchen counter.

I Love to Read

There is really nothing like reading.

I like to read a variety of things--mysteries, dramas, comedies, plays and biographies, fiction or non-fiction, silly or serious, fact or fantasy, poetry and prose, picture books and even encyclopedias. I read food labels and cereal boxes and instruction manuals and prescription information pamphlets. I read magazines and newspapers and letters, blogs and emails and web pages. I read scriptures and self-help books and classroom tutorials and cookbooks.

I am grateful for the ability to read. I thank those who took the time and put forth the effort to teach me this valuable skill. I can't imagine my life without it.

I am grateful for those who write. I thank those who take the time and put forth the effort to put into words their stories, both real and imagined. I can't imagine my life without them.

While television and movies are wonderful and entertaining, I still find that it is in the act of reading a good book that I find my greatest pleasure and most valuable learning.