Ironing

My husband was in the military...he likes his clothes ironed...he likes them done the right way...hense, I do a lot of ironing. I also had a father who was in the military...he liked his clothes ironed...he liked them done right...hense, I did a lot of ironing growing up. When I would iron my dad's fireman shirts (He was on the fire department) and if I didn't get them just  right, I would have to do them over until I got them right. Doug is not that picky, but he does like them to look nice. I like him to look nice. I hadn't been able to keep up on the ironing lately and I decided on Saturday I would start to get caught up. Today, Tuesday, I finally finished. I think it was 34 shirts and 5 pants. In the middle of it this morning my iron died, so I ran to the store and got a new one. It was so nice. I didn't realize how bad the old one had gotten. Anyway, enough of my rambling. I just wanted to toot my horn that I got the ironing done and I am going to try to keep up with it.
Also, I am decorating for Halloween and I will soon post some pictures. It is so fun. Off to my Tuesday night meetings. TaTa.

October 2010 General Conference

Well, it is October already and General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints just got done. Wow, it was amazing. I loved all the talks and I am going to strive to change a few things in my life to become a better person and be closer to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. As I was listening to President Monson's closing talk today I started thinking of a picture I have of him. My Grandparents went on a mission to Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada in the 1960 to help build a church there. President Monson, then Elder Monson made a visit there and this picture was taken. My Grandpa Howard is the man in the tan shirt and pants, third from the left and Elder Monson is second from the right. How grateful I am to have been able to listen to a prophets voice today and to have had the wonderful Grandfather that I had.

September Morn

Wow, September already. This morning the air is cool, strong wind and clear sky. But September 1st is to soon in my opinion to feel like fall. We should have at least 3 or 4 weeks of nice weather. It is supposed to be better later this week. I hope so, Doug is taking the next 12 days off so we can get stuff done outside before Winter. This might sound strange, but I went Christmas shopping this morning. It feels good to get a few gifts out of the way and I will continue to do so each week until I am done. I am determined to be done with shopping and everything wrapped by November. Doug and I are going to the Temple in the morning than we are taking Payton to lunch and tending her while her mom goes to the Temple. That will start Doug's vacation off good. Then work, work work with some play in there. We want to go to Salt Lake to get some fruit and go for a nice drive through Logan canyon. Well, happy September, let's make it a good one.

What happened to the week

I am not sure what happens to my time. I know I have just as much as everyone else, but I can't seem to get things done like I would like to. Doug has been in Atlanta since Sunday on business and I had such lofty plans of getting a ton of things accomplished this week. Well, Monday I had a DUP meeting that I was at for about 3 hours, then I am not sure what happened to the rest of the day. I was taking care of Michelle since last Thursday when she had nose surgery, so I kind of helped her on Monday. Tuesday I got a lot done, I picked raspberries, mowed the lawn front and back, did several loads of laundry and hung them on the line, worked in my herb garden, had a presidency meeting at 6:30, talked to Doug when I got home. I feel I acconplished things but didn't. I still have a huge basket of ironing I need to do before Doug's work week starts on Monday. Wednesday is the day I spend with my sister and my mom. We usually go to lunch and run errands, shop, doctor appointments or what ever. Today we went to a new resturant called Buddies Italian Food. It was so yummy. After I left mom's at 5 I went and held our new grandson Ethan for a while, it's a grandma thing ;o)
Tomorrow I am hoping all the grandkids will come over and play in the pool. I won't get anything done in the house, but I will enjoy the day. I will post some pictures. As for the week, oh well. I always have next week, I hope.

Ethan Jimmy Hall

Welcome to the world Ethan Jimmy Hall!

Life has been so crazy here, I didn't get around to

Welcoming our little Ethan to the world.

He was born Friday, July 23rd weighing 6 lbs. 14 ounces

and is 20 1/2 inches long. He is such a good baby.

Laura and Jerry are such great parents. We love

this little guy so much already.

Welcome to our world Ethan, We love you.

The Boys

Last Thursday, my girls came over to finish up plans on a baby shower we did for Laura. It was so cold outside that the kids couldn't go out and play, so we brought the table and chairs inside and they had a picnic in the kitchen. This is a picture of Kyle and Jacob, both almost 2 1/2 years old. They are so cute and bring us a lot of joy.

Happy Birthday Douglas!

Tuesday was my sweet hubby's birthday. He makes my life so complete. Here is a picture of Doug with our son, Brian. My two favorite men. Happy Birthday Douglas, you aren't getting older, you are getting better. I love you.

Sunday

Doug got home from Gettysburg Friday and had a great time. It is always so good to have him home. It was a beautiful Sabbath day and it was even kindof warm. Supposed to be better tomorrow. The sun is setting and it is so calm and peaceful. Doug is making popcorn and life is good.

My Garden

I am so happy, my garden is planted. I am so late this year, but I got it done. Now I am going to shower, pop some popcorn and watch Sleepless in Seattle. Night all.

Yeah for June!

Well, I made it through May. Yippee!! I can't believe it. We got mom packed and moved into her new place and we all survived. It was a very long, emotional month, but I think she is fairly happy. I hope that she will get out and meet people and have fun. I mowed the lawn this morning and it felt so good to be out doing things in my yard. I have so much to do, but I am determined to get it done. I will return with pictures at some point. Yeah for June!!!

The Month of May

Well, I was going to be so prepared for a very busy month, and still try to keep up on my blogging, but that isn't going to happen. I will try to blog every week, not that anyone really reads it, it is just a good thing for me to do for ME. Last Tuesday night my mother fell and ended up in the urgent care. I thought she needed stitches, but the wound on her head was just very bloody. She hurt her arm pretty badly also. They wrapped her up like a mummy, so I told her I was going to call her mummy instead of mommy from now on. We were driving home at about 12:30 a.m. and I started to laugh and said, I'll bet we could scare someone this late at night if they looked in the car and saw you with your mummy wrap and blood all over your shirt. Here are some pictures of her injuries.

She is doing much better now, thank Heavens.

When my father passed away 25 years ago, the cemetary where he is buried had a rule where his plot is that the headstones had to be flat in the ground, and I mean IN the ground. If the grass was long at all, you couldn't see his headstone. Every spring my mom would complain about it, because other graves around it had upright headstones. So this spring, when she complained, Barbara and I took her to the monument store. We ordered a new headstone and they got it in last week. We had gone up the week before to take pictures of the old headstone, then Doug and I went up Friday to take pictures of the new one. What a difference.

This is the old one that was down in the ground. It is a beautiful stone, it just couldn't really be redone.

This is the new one. The front.

And the back.

I feel like we are finally honoring our dad the way he should be honored. It will be so nice to see it all decorated on Memorial Day. Love you and miss you dad.

Make-It Monday

For my make-it Monday, I am in the process of making a compost bin out of a garbage can. I have been reading up on it and it is so easy. So my first step is done. I went to Walmart and bought a black heavy plastic garbage can for $7.97. My next step is to drill holes in it for ventilation and then start making compost. How easy is that? Later this week, the drill comes out....I will post pictures.

Table Top Tuesday

Today is table top Tuesday. I am having fun with a theme every day. It helps me get things done too. Today I am showing to top of my piano. It might not be to exciting to other people but I love it. I need to appoligize to Laura and Jerry and Heather and Ricky, the reflection was just right and I couldn't get it off your pictures. I painted the candle sticks several years ago and of course I love the pictures of all my children.

Make-it Monday

Well, today for make-it Monday I am going to share my recipe for homemade daily shower cleaner. It is so easy and cheap to make and I love it. And, it smells good too.
You need:
6 /12 cups of water
1 cup rubbing alcohol
1/2 cup household cleaner (I use Mrs. Bonner's magic soap, my sister introduced me to it and I love it. You can get it at health food stores)
Stir all together and spray daily after you shower.

It makes 8 cups.

 

The final product fits perfectly into a 40 oz. spray bottle with a quart left for later.

The Joy of Grandchildren

 Our two granddaughters spent Saturday night with us. We had so much fun. We watched a movie, had popcorn and read books. They were so good. They went to bed at bed time and only got up once to go potty. Sydney is 6 and Payton is 2 1/2 and they are so cute. My two grandsons are adorable too, but they weren't here for the sleepover. I took some candid pictures of them that I want to show.They are so cute. I loved having them stay the night.

More May Day

You can probably tell that I love May. I am so glad it is here, although I about froze at my granddaughters soccer game this morning. The wind chill had to be in the 20's. Here is a cute picture I found on another one of my favorite blogs, twocrazycrafters.blogspot.com.

And here is a picture of my violets in my yard.

I hope you have a wonderful May Day!!!

May Day

Wow, it is May 1st already. The year is almost half gone. I love the month of May, but I already know this is going to be a busy one. I have some beautiful violets I planted last year by my front door. They were in bloom when the winter snow melted from them and they are just going wild. I love it. I will post pictures of them in the morning when the sun is out. But for now I want to post some things I found on one of my favorite blogs: bannerhaus.blogspot.com.

When April steps aside for May,

Like diamonds all the rain-drops glisten;

Fresh violets open every day:

To some new bird each hour we listen.

   ~ Lucy Larcom

 

 

Thrifty Thursday

"The Age of Asparagus"       I love asparagus. Love, Love it. When I was a child, each spring we would all pile in the car and head out "asparagus hunting". We would go out in the country and search the ditch banks for wild asparagus. We would come home with bags of it. What wonderful memories. It was not unusual to be going out to our grandparents and all of a sudden dad would bring the car to an abrupt stop and we would know to jump out of the car and go pick the asparagus. We can't find it like we used to, I think it is still out there, but there are more people on this old earth and they beat us to the wild stuff. I decided several years ago that I would start planting it in my garden so I could have it for free in the years to come, it is so expensive at the store. It takes about 4 years for asparagus to come of age, if you will, and I just got my first picking this week. I know, it isn't much, but it was about a cup full when I chopped it into 1 inch pieces and boiled it. It was sooo good. Several years ago, my sister, Barbara got this cute Asparagus set for me at a thrift store. I love it. It is a little bowl with a lid to serve your asparagus in and a butter dish. The bottom of the dish says "Lorries Design" and a little Japan sticker. I am for sure using it this year when the rest of my asparagus "Comes of Age".

Whatever Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday. It is windy, cold and spots of snow and rain today, but I am still happy. I refuse to let the wind get me down even though I don't like it very well. My Grandma Howard always said, "don't complain about the wind, it is just blowing in better weather". I hope she was right. I love working out in my yard this time of year. Tonight is a bridal shower for our sweet neighbor, Whitney. I am posting what I made for her. I think it turned out so cute. I saw something similar to this in a store for a huge amount of money and thought, hey, I can make that. The big H costed $2.99, the small o, m and e costed $1.99 each and the paper was $.99 each, I used one and one half sheets, so that equals just over $11.00. I love how it turned out.

Make-It Monday, Table-Top Tuesday and a little rambling

Okay, I finally got my new hard drive to work and I think I have salvaged most of our pictures from the last several occations and years. So I am a happy camper. I am going to show my make-it Monday, because I was to busy yesterday to put it on. Michelle's birthday was on Easter this year and she wanted to have a fish cake. Mind you, I am not a cake decorator, so this is what she got. I hope you can tell it is a fish.
Now, for Table-Top Tuesday, this is a table I have in my front hall. I bought the table several years ago from my neighbor for $10. I love the table and it is fun to decorate. I can do holidays and seasons or what ever I want. The little pictures on the top and bottom selves are some that Doug gave me for my birthday several years ago and they are some of my favorite.
Now for the rambling. Thirty years ago today I gave birth to my first child, Brian. He was 6 lbs. 13 ounces and was so scary to me. After I had him after 36 hours of labor, they took him and got me and him cleaned up and then they brought him to me. They had him in one of the stretchy, thermal baby blankets that they had wrapped around him and he was so tiny and all I could see of him was this tiny head the size of a large orange. We soon got brave and unwrapped him and counted his toes and fingers. Now he is a grow-up husband and dad and I am so proud of him. He just left today for a 3 week business to Singapore and Miliasia. That is scary to me as his mom, I still think of him as that tiny bundle brought to me 30 years ago.
They grow up so fast.

More Diligent and Concerned at Home

I just got done reading our Relief Society lesson for today from the November Ensign 2009. It is by Elder David A. Bednar titled "More Diligent and Concerned at Home". I love the talk, but it really got me thinking about when my 5 children were home and we were trying to run a smooth but busy household and teach the children well. He talks about when they would try to have family prayer, scripture study and family home evening with their 5 boys and they felt like failures at times. I know that feeling well. But Elder Bednar said if you ask his boys what they remember about the events it wouldn't be a particular event or scripture or activity, it would be that as a family they were consistent. We tried so hard to be consistent, that is good. We have to try our best. This scripture was in the talk and it is one of my favorites: "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great" (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33). I hope my children, now that they are starting families of their own will remember that scripture. It has been a constant for me.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! I have been meaning to plant my seeds for my garden for the past few weeks and I finally got it done on Earth Day, no less. I feel so much better now that I have them done. Now I just hope they germinate. I am still dealing with not being able to download pictures, so next week we will try again with the theme days.

I AM BACK

Well, my external hard drive died. I have lost tons of pictures. I have learned a huge lesson from this. Back-up. I just need someone to teach me how to do that. I am sad about my pictures but I can't sit and whine over it. Monday, I will be doing my weekly posts, I hope. Until then, I am going to enjoy the rest of my Saturday. We had a mini super Saturday this morning. It was great, but I was pooped afterward. Now we are off to celebrate our son-in-law, Ricky's birthday. Until Monday, good day...

Time

I still can't get my pictures to down load. I will try to have it fixed by next week. 

I found this poem that I wanted to share. 

Time

If I had time to find a place

And sit down, quietly and face

My better self, which cannot show

Because my days are crowded so;

And see my distant gleaming goal,

It might be I should find my soul

And even thrill with thought sublime,

If I could only find the time.

-Author Unknown

Make-It Monday

I can't get my computer to down load pictures so I can't do the Make-it Monday. I will try later.

Fun Friday

For my themed days, I chose Fun Friday for Friday's. Doug always has that day off and so we spend the whole day together since we don't get a lot of time during the week. Yesterday we had a wonderful lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, the Firehouse Grill. Then, since today is filled with a funeral, General Conference and getting ready for Easter, we had a lot of running around to do. When we got home, Valerie, Joe and Jacob came over for awahile. Sydney called since it was her spring break and wanted to come play, so she and Payton came over for a while and we played board games and put puzzles together. It was a very fun day.

One More Lamb

In my earlier post about Lambs I forgot a very important picture that I have in my kitchen. I love this picture. It is so calming to me. It is called the Shepherdess. Enjoy!

Thrifty Thursday

I was trying so hard this week to post a fun thing everyday. One of these weeks I will be able to make it. My name for Wednesday will be "Whatever Wednesday". But I just didn't get it done yesterday. I have decided to make Thursdays "Thrifty Thursdays". I love thrift store finds, I love free old treasures, and I love to try to be thrifty in my lifestyle, so who know what might come up on Thursdays. Today, I want to show a few finds I have found recently that pertain to Easter. I am really in love with Lambs this year. Usually I think of Bunnies for Easter, but for some reason it is Lambs. I like to think that is the Lamb of God that we are thinking and worshiping about at this time of year.
The vintage postcards above I found on some wonderful blogs. I love that I keep finding Lambs. The following are things I have come across. 

The first picture is of a cute tray with Lambs on it that I got a few months ago at Real Deals for $1. Maybe that is what got me thinking of Lambs. The little green tea pot next to it, I found at a thrift store for $1.75. I thought it would be so cute with the tray. The next picture shows another pitcher that is the same color green that I have had for several years. My step-father gave it to me. I know it is quite old. I love how the colors go together so well. The next one is so fun. Doug took me to an antique store a few weeks ago. I had gotten almost through the whole store without finding anything, then I spotted the two Lambs. The small one was on sale for $1.50 and the larger one was $4.  I love them both. The larger has an opening on its back that was probably for flowers, but I found these cute chocolate Lambs that I thought were perfect for him to carry.
The doll was my very first doll. I have kept it all these years. I was showing it to my granddaughters, Payton and Sydney today and realized it too had a Lamb on it. I could never quite understand why the leash had baa on it backwards but I still love her. Last but not least, is a picture of me when I was one year old. If you look closely you will see a Lamb on my outfit. How cute. I hope you all enjoy my display of Lambs.
I saw a very interesting thing on an e-mail that I received this week. The lady said to put a picture of yourself when you were little somewhere where you can see it often to remind yourself of who you are taking care of. It is so easy to put your family first and neglect yourself. This way, maybe you can remember to put you on a more equal footing. I am putting this little picture of me by my kitchen sink so I can remember there is a little person in there that needs some attention.

Tabletop Tuesday a day late!

I was going to do this yesterday and ran out of time. So  I will post this one this morning and something for Wednesday later today. Make sense?
Anyway, this is a little wicker cabinet I have in my living room. I always had a big lamp on it and decided I needed to change it up a bit. The picture is Doug's grandmother, Bernice Andrews when she was a child. I have always loved it and the frame looks so cute with it. Hope you enjoy.

Make-It Monday

I am trying to start to blog more and I decided if I had themes for each day, I might be more diligent. So I am doing "Make-it Monday", whether it be a craft, food, sewing, or just making it through the day, It will be "Make-it Monday". Today I am sharing a recipe I make that is Eye Make-Up Remover. I love it and I use it all the time. I used to buy really expensive stuff and I just couldn't see doing it anymore, so I went on line and found this recipe and I love it. It is so cheap too.
Recipe:
1 cup Water
1 1/2 Tablespoons baby shampoo (the tearless kind)
1/8 teaspoon baby oil (mineral oil)

Mix together and use at night before you wash your face. I hope you like it as much as I do.

I hope you enjoy this eye make-up remover as much as I do and the money it saves you. Happy Monday!

Easter Center Piece ("Trash to Treasure " kind of)

 I found this candleabra at a thrift store for 50 cents. I came home and decided it needed a face lift.

After a coat of paint, some candles, some decorations, a silver tray I already had some Easter grass and some Easter Eggs, I think it turned out pretty cute. Spencer, my fat cat thought he had to get in on the picture.

My Life Has a Purpose

This came in my e-mail today. It was so beautiful that I wanted to share it. It is from about.com Latter-Day Saints Guide. It surely made me think about life and what I am doing with mine. My life has a purpose. I love my life.
President Spencer W. Kimball, twelfth prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said:

"God does nothing by chance but always by design as a loving father.... We have purpose also in our lives.

"Surely such a loving Father in heaven, who gave commandments to prevent human misery, will not forget the needs of each of his children. William Law observed:

"'It is said that the very hairs of your head are all numbered; is it not to teach us that nothing, not the smallest things imaginable, happen to us by chance? But if the smallest things we can conceive are declared to be under the divine direction, need we, or can we, be more plainly taught that the greatest things of life, such as the manner of our coming into the world, our parents, the time, and other circumstances of our birth and condition, are all according to the eternal purposes, direction, and appointment of Divine Providence?'" ("There Is Purpose in Life," New Era, Sep 1974, 4)

You have a purpose! Your life isn't just some random event or some result of chance. God has a plan for you- and He knows and loves you.

It's a boy!!!

I just found out my daughter, Laura and her Husband Jerry, are going to have a baby boy in July.  We are so excited.

A Thought for Monday!

"We can do anything we want if we stick to it long enough." -Helen Keller

This is my motto for the week. I hope I can "Stick to it". 

Choice and Accountablity

Today in Relief Society class we talked about freedom of choice. It was so interesting, because several people brought up the fact that when we make the right choices we have a better outcome.  That we have a better life. Duh!!! It isn't really that Heavenly Father is blessing us more than those who don't make good choices, it is that we are trying to do the best with what we are blessed with on this earth. I am not a huge Dr. Phil fan, but I remember him saying this several years ago and I still remember it and repeat it often: "When you choose the behavior, you choose the consequence". There are so many people on this earth that think life is so hard and they deserve more and that the world owes them because they have had a hard life. They need to take a look at the person in the mirror and think about the choices they have made in their lives and the consequences that come from those choices. We are all put on this earth to make something of ourselves and we cannot blame others if we don't succeed. I am a strong believer that the choices we make in life have everything to do with how our lives turn out. We need to be accountable for our choices and live life to the fullest. I know I am rambling, and I hope those who read this understand where I am coming from. Have a wonderful evening my dears. I choose to do just that!

Posting Block

I haven't posted in awhile. Things in my life have gotten the best of me. I am hoping soon I will be able to gather my thoughts and post about some fun things that have been floating about in my mind. As for today, I am watching my two granddaughters, Sydney and Payton. They are a joy to me. I also need to go to my Daughters Of Utah Pioneers Meeting (DUP). Then when I get home, Sydney is going to help me cut out some skirts I am going to make for her and Payton. That is my plan and I am sticking to it. Until next time. Have a good day.

Proverbs 31

This is from a blog I read, it is: myheartisalwayshome.blogspot.com. It is so beautiful and how I feel so I am using it. I hope she doesn't mind.
She was listening to the radio and something caught her attention. There was a short segment about being a Proverbs 31 Woman. The woman on the radio was talking about how about how stressed and overwhelmed she sometimes feels. About her endless to do list and the schedule full of outside activities. About how at the end of the day or week she will feel like a failure. Sound familiar? She found this site and a list of The Seven Principles of the Proverbs 31 Woman

The Proverbs 31 Woman...

*Pursues an ongoing, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

*Loves, honors, and greatly enriches the life of her husband, encouraging and supporting his leadership within his family and his church.

*Nurtures the next generation, shaping and molding the children who will one day define who we are as a community and as a nation.

*Creates a warm and loving environment for family and friends.

*Is a faithful steward of the time and money God has entrusted to her.

*Speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction as she encourages others and develops godly friendships.

*Shares the love of Christ by extending her hands to help the poor and opening her arms to the needy.

This really struck me. I have been battling with myself about my self-worth. Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing. Am I really doing what Jesus would do in the situations in my life that I come up against. I love these 7 Principles and  I am truely going to follow them more closely.

Thank you so much to "My Heart Is Always Home". You posted just what I needed to hear. She said she will be posting more and I can't wait to read them.

Pleasant Dreams. Karen

Another Grandbaby!!!

Now that Laura has posted this on her blog, I can on mine. We are going to have another Grandbaby. Laura and Jerry surprised us Friday night with the news. We are so excited for them. They will be great parents. She is due July 21st. Yippee!!

Benjamin Franklin

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man"  -Benjamin Franklin

Or woman...I have always like Ben Franklin's quotes. He was a very  brilliant and insightful person. We should be very grateful to the men and women like him who founded our great country and for the freedoms we enjoy because of them.

Pleasant dreams.

Back to School

Well, tomorrow I move my baby back to school,

It has been a very hard decision for her with lots of tears shed

by her and me.

She will do great, I am just a mom and worry about her.

I will miss her terrible, wait, she will only be 30 miles away.

I will miss her terribly anyway.

Sign in my lilving room

I forgot to post the sign in my living room I talked about in my new year post.

I am such a bubble head at times.

It is hard to read it in the picture, but it is very lovely to look at in real life.

I am using it as my motto this year.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,

But by the moments that take our breath away."

Happy New Year!