Our Hearts Are Full of Sorrow

My dear father-in-law passed away this weekend. We are all grieving. He was so loved by all of us. We are still in St. George helping. M.

Recommendations

• 
  Painting- can I just say it brings me pleasure. People always say to me that they just don’t have any artistic talent. I then quote one of my favorite quotes, "Creativity isn’t a talent like singing...you are born with or without it. Rather it is like cooking. Those who do it best, do it the most." I do believe anyone can learn to paint if they are interested. Art isn’t about selling or being famous or being in galleries. It is about self-fulfillment, self-expression, peace and meditation. It is about creating.

• 
  Horton and The Who. Went last night with Brandi and Ryan and the kids. It was so darling...I can’t wait to see it again. My favorite character, albeit in a minor role, was the female scientist with a lisp. From this movie we learn many great truths, like "A person is a person no matter how small." And can we add, no matter what he looks like or if the he is a she, or if they speak a different language or if they have crazy expanders in their ears or tattos up the yeah-hoo....yep, still a child of God......
• 
  I am a pack rat. A hoarder. My new motto, that I am trying to stand by is this- "whatever comes into the house, something needs to go out." This week I found 3 cute t-shirts on clearance...three old ones in my closet need to go out. I also bought a "Cupcake" cook book. Another cookbook needs to go out. I know this must seem like just a normal thing to most people but truly, I have a hard time getting rid of "stuff."

• Food storage. Get on it. Really, does the economy just scare you to death? But it is also a part of obedience. Self-reliance. Peace. We are so lucky we live in a time of incredible freeze-dried and dehydrated products. Our Ward has an awesome Home Preparedness committee (thank you Sammie Saucedo and Debbie Walton and committee!) Once a month, after our block of meetings, they serve about a dozen items of food storage foods for us to taste. Every month! Isn’t that great. So you can taste what you like and don’t like. It kind of drives the other Wards nuts, I think, but we do it anyway. It is important that people get on the bandwagon. Yesterday at Macy’s Food Store, I bought dehydrated sour cream! How awesome is that!

• 
  One of my favorite authors from years past is a man named Irving Stone. He wrote fictionalized biographies although he was given awards for how accurate his books were. I have decided I need to find my old books or go to the library or bookstore and re-read some of my favorites. Maybe his name doesn’t sound familiar but some of his titles will:

"The Agony and The Ecstasy" about Michelangelo

"Lust For Life" about Van Gogh (where I first learned to love this troubled man. Stone also wrote another book, non-fiction, called "Dear Theo" which was a collection of letter from Vincent to his brother, Theo)

He wrote a whole series of books about presidents of the US and other famous people and their wives. I particularly loved "The President’s Lady" (Rachel and Andrew Jackson), "Those Who Love" (Abigail and John Adams....Abigail was a woman ahead of her time. One of my heros!) And a real favorite "Immortal Wife" the bio of Jessie Benton Fremont, wife of John Fremont.

His list of writings goes on and on. It will be interesting to see if I love them as much as I did years ago. "Depths of Glory" about Camille Pissaro was another one I loved, and learned so much about Impressionistic painters. And this was before I was even painting.

• 
  Brandi told me that the hint I gave yesterday about getting the artisan bread, frozen from the bakery, at Costco is also available at Harmon’s. I bet you could ask at any bakery counter for their artisan bread, frozen, partially cooked....and you could always have warm, yummy bread with your meals! Oh-oh...just when I’m trying so hard to stay away from bread!

And another Suess-ism:

"You can get help from teachers, but you are going to have to learn a lot by yourself, sitting alone in a room."

Bumps

Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it. And then he feels that perhaps there isn't. Winnie The Pooh



Yesterday my dear friend,Joy, from Colorado and I were Instant Messaging on the computer when I wrote to her "Oh wait! The phone is ringing." And I looked at caller ID and it was Joy! We laughed...she said she can talk much faster than type. So we had a great conversation. We've been forever friends...our husbands were in law school together at BYU...and we've been in writing groups together......and then they moved. Darn!

One of the things that close friends say to each other, is, "How ARE you?" How many times do you answer automaticly "Great!" or "We're doing fine" when you really aren't. I even have the problem the other way....I really do feel happy and peaceful...which is strange because inside I still have a whole list of my "worries." Serious worries. Worries so serious that at another time in my life would have consumed me. Worries that I have learned that you have to hand to the Lord because they are unfixable to me and to the ones I love.

My prayer list is long. I just found out yesterday, that my friend Penny's little granddaughter, Brandon's daughter, just 9 months old, was diagnosed with leukemia. They are at a children's hospital in Kansas City. In two days your whole life changes. The Gwilliams are like family to us. Brandon was one of Ryan's best friends and we were neighbors for years. I was the boy's cub scout leader (when I learned the fine art of scraping your brains off the ceiling after every meeting!) and Brandon would always entertain us with his hysterical rendition of "Uptown Girl."
Now his little "Uptown Girl" needs our prayers on her behalf.....

Another neighbor from that era was John L., who took the missionary lessons in our home and was baptized. When John and Kim were married, I got to be John's mom in the temple! He is like one of our kids as well. And their sweet friends have a little one in Primary children's hospital with big time concerns. Kim asked for our prayers on their behalf as well.

Yesterday, Brandi shared that her sweet father-in-law, whom we all adore and worried and fasted for last August, has reoccuring cancer in his lymph glands. We're not sure where it is going. And Brandi's husband is having MRI's and all sorts of tests....again....because of horrible symptoms that previously manifested themselves before as a brain tumor. We are worried what is going on. Both need our prayers...

And the list goes on and on. Like Edward Bear, sometimes I feel like my head goes "bump-bump-bump" down the stairs. Do you ever feel that way?

And so when my friend Joy asked, "How ARE you?", I say "I'm good. Really, I'm fine." And I ask her "How ARE YOU doing?" (because she is taking care of a family member with mental illness which is a WHOLE other story) and she says, "I'm tired...but I'm doing okay".....we know what we really mean.

Because good friends understand......

More Ramblings

This is a picture from out my front door. Again. It looks like the other million pictures this year from out my front door. It is March 27th. I was suppose to have workers (myself included) working in the yard today. I'll have to call Ben to get the exact amount but Ben tells me there has been well over 540 inches up in his canyon (Little Cottonwood) this year. I'm happy for him. I'm about ready to slit my wrists though..... I REALLY DO love snow! I can't believe I'm actually bad-mouthing it.....okay, I'll quit.

And that is how easily I am talked into/out of things. Yesterday, after Creative Cooking, Valene and I were cleaning up. I was pooped and said, "I don't think I'm going to religion class today..." and she said, "Oh no! Come and go with me!" and immediately I said, "Okay!" She started laughing and said, "Boy, that was a hard sell!"

Here are a few pictures of the raclette cooker. It looks like a two-level grill. You put the smelly cheese (Raclette) into the little individual pans and slip them in-between the two grills. The cheese melts, and quits smelling, and gets bubbly.....

Then you slide the melted cheese onto your cooked potatoes (fingerlings in this case) or on some really good, crusty bread.My Home Ec. teacher would not have given me a good grade for this plate. This is something I always say at the dinner table. You are suppose to have at least three good colors on your plate. And the green and pink and blue flowers don't count. I would have put some Salad Maison on the plate but I ate all the leftovers. That's what happens when you're a glutton. You get a poor grade in Home Ec. I just realized that it isn't just reoccuring nightmares about not being able to open your high school locker that lingers with you....or the panic in trying to find a class in college that you haven't attended all semester and it is the final exam...and you don't know where the classroom is (since you never attended class....hmmmm...is this a nightmare or true story?????).........but also that you still get graded on your food presentation the rest of your life. Okay, imagine that the cheery yellow mum is a salad and just eat it. Get over it, Miss Moffit!!! And I still don't like putting in zippers either! So there!

Glad to get that repressed hostility off my chest.

Okay, I do have a great tip for you today. See that yummy bread on my raclette plate without the salad? It is that fabulous artisan bread (pugliese) from Costco. BUT.....my friend, Valene, the GCITW (greatest cook in the world), buys it partially baked, frozen from Costco. You can DO that! Just ask at the bakery counter. And then put it in your freezer and for Sunday dinner, pop it in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees and it comes out warm and heavenly! Instant gratification! I'm all for it!

During Creative Cooking yesterday, a new girl in our Ward started squealing,

"Marilyn, Marilyn! Look! Look! You have deer out your window!"

Everyone else started laughing. She didn't know they are my kids. She didn't know they live here. Well, in the whole area. They mosie from property to property. I hate to share but what can you do? But some of these are my babies born on the lawn last year. Mostly we have a herd of between 8 to 12. Just the moms and the kids. Only occasionally the bucks come around but they are always skiddish and don't pay attention when I talk to them. (sounds like someone else I can think of!)

They are my peace and meditation.....

I got a beautiful email from my Bucket friend, Sheron, with comments about yesterday's Philippine posting that I asked her if I could share:

I recently read this following comment from a BYU Devotional (Thomas Griffith, 2006) that ties in with your Easter thoughts, and wanted to share it with you:In the last revelation Joseph Smith received before he was permitted to organize Christ’s Church on the earth—in what was the capstone of Joseph Smith’s preparation to be an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ—the Lord gave the only first-person detailed account of the suffering He endured so that we would not need to suffer the full effects of our disobedience:

For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; . . .

Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink— [D&C 19:16, 18]

There is something curious about this narrative. Verse 18 ends with a dash. The Savior did not complete His thought. Why? I don’t know, but I am persuaded by the explanation that the Savior might have cut short His description of what He suffered because it was too painful for Him—some 1,800 years after the event—to complete the description (see Eugene England, The Quality of Mercy [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1992], 52). Now what kind of a God do we worship? An awesome God who wants us to know that His love for us is infinite and eternal. A God who wants us to know that His love for us gave Him the strength to suffer for us. Knowing this ought to be enough to move us to submit our lives to Him in obedience and gratitude.

Well said!

Post Easter Thoughts

I actually shared this with my other post of the day "Random Thoughts" but realized the tone was totally different than my other musings and so I thought I needed to separate them. This is such a serious topic that I didn't want to take away anything from my other "life is fun" meanderings.

David's parents went to the Philippines on a mission many years ago. They told me about a tradition that goes on there, during the week of Easter and again, I read about it in the paper recently as well. This is part of the article:

SAN FERNANDO, Philippines - Philippine devotees re-enacted Jesus Christ's suffering Friday by having themselves nailed to crosses in rites frowned upon by church leaders in Asia's largest predominantly Roman Catholic nation.

Fernando Mamangon, 37, was among the first of some 30 men scheduled to go through the Good Friday rites in three villages in northern Pampanga province's San Fernando city. Five other devotees, including a woman, were nailed to crosses in nearby Bulacan province. It was Mamangon's 13th straight year for the rite, which penitents endure to fulfill a vow or pray for a cure for illnesses.

"I started having myself nailed to the cross in 1995 because my eldest son got sick and almost died," Mamangon, clad in a maroon robe with a crown of vines and thorns, said minutes before he was nailed to a wooden cross on a dusty mound in Santa Lucia village.

He said his eldest son was cured of complications from measles, but his 5-year-old son Alex still suffers from a stomach ailment.

On Wednesday, Archbishop Paciano B. Aniceto of San Fernando city urged devotees not to turn Holy Week into a "circus."

Aniceto said he has been telling penitents "to take time to thank God for the blessings and never use their devotion for tourism purposes."

The yearly tradition has become a tourist attraction, especially in San Fernando's San Pedro Cutud village, which sometimes draws thousands of local and foreign tourists.

Aside from the crucifixions, scores of men pound their bleeding bare backs with bamboo sticks dangling from ropes in a flagellation rite meant to atone for sins.

Aniceto lamented that a surge of vendors and tourists has injected too much commercialism into Holy Week celebrations. But Mamangon vowed to continue with the practice handed down by his late father, who was nailed to the cross 15 times.

"After being nailed to the cross, I feel so refreshed, like all my sins are washed away," Mamangon said. "I will continue this until my son Alex is cured."

I bet when Christ looks down on situations like this, he just weeps. I realize that news media doesn't always tell the whole story but I think this man needs a religious leader who does more than "frown" on this practice! Christ came to earth to take upon himself our sins, wants us to turn away from them and turn to him so that none of us would have to go through that same misery. There is a beautiful scripture (that I can't find because I am having a brain freeze) that says that Christ has suffered so we won't have to do that "great suffering"....if we will do the little suffering (repent/do good).

It does sound like maybe these misguided people (and there are many more that do this!) are also gaining a lot of publicity. Maybe that is their motive. But if it truly is a "spiritual" quest, I really hope their church leaders step in (not just frown) and teach them correct scripture. That Christ atoned for our sins, because that was his calling, his direction by the Father. That when we ask in faith, God hears and answers our prayers for our children "as it is according to His will", not because we bargain with him. Heavens, there is enough suffering in the world without trying to beat ourselves up even more! Again, I am just so grateful to have an understanding of the plan of salvation. To know of Christ's incredible gift to us. He wants us to meet life's challenges with faith and prayer, not with self-imposed suffering.

Random Thoughts

I feel like I've been on some trip with major time zone changes since I don't know whether I am coming or going with blogging. I usually write in the morning. Sometimes I write at night and then post in the morning. Unless I have a busy morning. And afternoon. Then after a little nap (oh, the joys of being this age!) then I write and post whenever I want. Morning, night or both. So here I am. Almost four o'clock in the afternoon. Just got home from religion class to a kitchen that isn't quite put back together after Creative Cooking, eating a bowl of leftover Salad Maison that Valene made. Feeling full in all ways....physically (yummy lunch!) and spiritually (class) and socially (love my friends and neighbors.)

Here are just a few random thoughts that have been floating around in my brain:

1) I hear it is suppose to snow tomorrow. After I have scheduled yard workers to come. After I have put away my last snowman decorations. After I finally shaved my winter legs (oh, sorry, way too much information!) I hear it is suppose to snow tomorrow.....I'm plugging my ears!

2) Creative Cooking is just the funnest thing ever. We have a party every month and learn things to boot. Today was the last of the "Oohh-La-La" French cooking. During the past 3 months we have learned how to do: crepes (both dinner and dessert), cream of mushroom soup, French onion soup, 3 kinds of quiche, two kinds of main dish fondue and 2 desserts, Salad Maison, and now Raclette. (Every place I read about Raclette, it is spelled differently. Oh well...) I should have bought everyone pink boa's to wear. To celebrate the French woman in all of us! Valene, I love you!!! Thanks for being our guest chef! You ARE my favorite restaurant!

3) I just called David at work and he was in a deposition and couldn't talk and then I called my friend, Elaine, and she wasn't home, to get that great scripture reference I wanted for my Philippine post.....maybe, S.C., you can help me out.... and by the way, if you got yesterday's Deseret News, they did an article about Corby Campbell, serving in the war, recently deployed (AGAIN)...he is a seminary director here in the valley and Suzanne's husband, Brandi's brother-in-law. (http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,5143,695264443,00.html)






4) Class today with Michael Wilcox was wonderful. How many times can I say that? But it was. We are almost to the end of the Book of Mormon. Lots of thoughts floating around inside but I will save them for another day. But suffice it to say, I'm glad I live in Granite. David's been digging trenches down at the corrals (and killing his back, I might add!) and it is hard work, because of all the rocks. I mentioned to him that we "do" live in Granite. He didn't think that was funny. But the rock here is solid. That is the kind of foundation we all need to build on. Rock solid.


Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it, piece by piece -- by thought, choice, courage, and determination. H. J. Browne

The Bouncing Barn

Brandi's kids are off track so yesterday we invited Tenille and the kids to meet us at the Bouncing Barn for some cousin fun. I had never been there before and loved it! It has about 8 giant bouncing slides or jumping things inside and the kids had a ball. Well, most of the time. You know you've had a great time when all the kids have cried at least once! But everyone survived and can't wait to go again.

Addison wasn't too hip on bouncing or sliding until Aunt Tenille took her. Then she was hooked. Of course, her favorite thing was to be carried around by Aunt Tenille.

This would be a blurry Gracie. I'm sorry for the blur but the kids just went zipping down all the slides! SO FUN!

We had 3 adults and 9 kids. Does the word "chaos" ring a bell?

Here's the boy that made me a grammie.

This is Brandi who made the boy who made me a grammie.

This is Addison with her mommie! Addison is Brandi's baby girl and Brandi is my baby girl.

What goes around comes around.

Afterwards, we picked up lunch at McDonalds and headed for Tenille's for a picnic outside on the lawn. The sun was shining....I heard a few birds chirping.....it ALMOST felt like spring.
Afterwards, I watched some of the kids while Brandi went to work. I put Gracie and Hallee to work filling plastic Easter Egg, which I guess now should be called "Spring Celebration Eggs." We got 400 done! Yeah! Not even close to being finished but it's a start!

Today.....spring cleaning. I honestly cleaned for 8 hours straight today...and didn't even get my bedroom and the guest room done. Thankfully Jan was here for most of that time or I would never have been able to stay on task! Tomorrow is Creative Cooking and the last of our Oooh La La cooking. Valene is coming and we are doing a Raquellette party... with cream puffs and also the Chocolate Almond Pudding Fondue with fruit since I scorched it last month and so didn't serve it. Let's hope second time is the charm. If you haven't made it yet, too bad! You have no idea what you are missing out on!

"There is work that is work and there is play that is play; there is play that is work and work that is play. And in only one of these lies happiness." Gelett Burgess

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. George Bernard Shaw

Work and play are words used to describe the same thing under differing conditions.

Mark Twain

Monday Jabbering

What a great way to start the day....a phone call from my best friend from college....Peggy. You can read more about Peggy in my girlfriend tribute (Aug. 4, 2007) (for some reason, my link isn't working to just click on)....but to refresh your mind, she's who my husband was lined up with and couldn't go so I got him by default, she was a beauty queen, we had a whole list of jungle calls we perfected that neither of our husbands appreciated. That friend.

Anyway, we have talked all morning which has been so fun but it has also been my blogging time so I'll keep this short today (ha!)

Thoughts:

• I do believe that no one can talk faster, together, than Peggy and I. Really, I almost got the giggles once because she's talking a hundred miles an hour, then I am, then she is....David used to just roll his eyes at us. And her husband is the same way!



• Easter yesterday was just the best! I love the church services, the choir singing, seeing some people there that usually don't come. I loved my little kiddos in nursery and Sunbeams.



• Easter eggs. You know how I love them. Well, yesterday in my Primary class, I would ask each child individually to go and find a hidden egg and bring it back to me. Inside the plastic egg was a picture that was part of the resurrection story. The little kids anxiously awaited their turn to go find their treasure and then bring it back to me. I felt a little choked up inside and realized that in essence God says to us individually, "You go to earth and find the most important treasure. You'll have to seek it out. Then bring it back home to me." My lesson yesterday was "Jesus Loves Me." And yesterday I truly felt that....



• What can go wrong, will go wrong. I put two roasts with all their seasonings in the crock pot Sat. night when I went to bed, anxious to wake up in the morning to wonderful smells and meat that would just fall apart. I woke up...and no smell. That particular electrical outlet in the kitchen for some reason didn't work. @^%#@$#@^!!! But never fear, I hurried , changed outlets and turned the crock on high, thinking that 8 hours on high would almost get the job done. It would be cooked but maybe not tender- shredded like I wanted for French Dip. I came home from church 4 hours later to find a note from my boys (Tanner and Casey)..."Mom, the crockpot was bubbling over so we turned it down to low." @#^%$#@#^#$



• You know when I say !%!#%!#%$#%!....I'm really not swearing. I don't swear. I don't even use words that most people use because I am a reformed @#^#@$^@$#^'er....so I have to be extreme the other way. So when I say @#%#!$#, I'm really saying things like, "Gosh! Darn it! Oh Darn! Golly, gee whiz, rats!!!!" You know, words like that....



• I haven't made Pretzel salad for a long time. I think it was every one's favorite dish to eat....



• I loved having what family could come yesterday. We don't get to see Ryan and Marci and those kids enough! We had the best time with everyone. Travis and Tenille and kids came just for a pop-in visit before church and to bring us our traditional bunny cake (little cakes this year) that Rylee and her mom always make for us. We look forward to it! Then Ryan and Marci and kids, a friend of Casey's, Tanner's girlfriend, Brooke and her little girl, Annie also came for dinner. And Ben was here....Suzie for a little bit but she couldn't stay for dinner. I think they both got jobs in Stanley! A little closer than Alaska!

Thank you, Rylee, I LOVE our bunny cakes!!!

• So, time's up and I still have my tread mill waiting. Brendalyn and I walked on Saturday with Loretta. So fun, such a great walk although I whined the entire time. Before we walked, though, we had to wait at Loretta's for her to get ready and I had my camera in my pocket so I started rearranging things on her kitchen counter to take still life studies for my art files. They thought I was nuts. But the picture at the beginning is one of them and looks like spring! It makes me happy! If I keep saying that, maybe the snow will melt on my yard!

Exercise Daily....Walk With The Lord.

What?

Clean Hands

One of my favorite talks concerning the atonement is Elder Bednar's talk "Clean Hands and a Pure Heart." Oftentimes when we think of the atonement, and our part in it, we focus on forgiveness of sins. And, my, THAT is important. But Elder Bednar shares that having "no more disposition to do evil" is equally important....and replacing that with a desire to "do good."

Such a beautiful talk that I would recommend. Here is just a portion of it:


The gospel of Jesus Christ encompasses much more than avoiding, overcoming, and being cleansed from sin and the bad influences in our lives; it also essentially entails doing good, being good, and becoming better. Repenting of our sins and seeking forgiveness are spiritually necessary, and we must always do so. But remission of sin is not the only or even the ultimate purpose of the gospel. To have our hearts changed by the Holy Spirit such that "we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2), as did King Benjamin’s people, is the covenant responsibility we have accepted. This mighty change is not simply the result of working harder or developing greater individual discipline. Rather, it is the consequence of a fundamental change in our desires, our motives, and our natures made possible through the Atonement of Christ the Lord. Our spiritual purpose is to overcome both sin and the desire to sin, both the taint and the tyranny of sin.

Prophets throughout the ages have emphasized the dual requirements of (1) avoiding and overcoming bad and (2) doing good and becoming better. Consider the penetrating questions posed by the Psalmist:

"Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

"He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully" (Psalm 24:3–4).


Let me suggest that hands are made clean through the process of putting off the natural man and by overcoming sin and the evil influences in our lives through the Savior’s Atonement. Hearts are purified as we receive His strengthening power to do good and become better. All of our worthy desires and good works, as necessary as they are, can never produce clean hands and a pure heart. It is the Atonement of Jesus Christ that provides both a cleansing and redeeming power that helps us to overcome sin and a sanctifying and strengthening power that helps us to become better than we ever could by relying only upon our own strength. The infinite Atonement is for both the sinner and for the saint in each of us. David Bednar


Yesterday I was reading the paper and read an article about various Easter sermons that might be given fueled by the comments of Obama's minister, concerning racism among other things. One minister said that he was focusing his talk on the rock that blocked the tomb and that image has been in my mind every since. Today I will reflect on the rock (or rocks) that stand in my path, that block my opportunities to fully live again, that hinder my progress. When those rocks are removed from our lives, then more fully can we partake of being "born again"....of fulfilling all that the Father has for us.

Happy Easter! Don't you just love the Lord?

Easter Egg Hunt

I know this will come as no surprise.....but I ADORE Easter egg hunts. I still remember the excitement as a little girl....our Easter bunny hid the eggs outside in the flower beds among the iris and pansies. In Washington, where I grew up, we didn't have avalanches in our yard. It was just magical. And although a teeny, tiny part of me is sad that we didn't have our Steel Magnolia's party today, most of me is just plain happy that it will be a month later....when it is warm. So, this year I was back involved with the neighborhood Easter egg hunt in the gully. There were over a hundred kids and tons more adults....and while the eggs were being hidden, one of the "golden" eggs from last year (that had $20) was found! With the money still inside! The gal in charge said this year they had 1500 eggs. I just smile. I think of my 2000 eggs downstairs jumping in their bins....oh, I am an Easter egg crazy!

The weather was crisp and the noses were running. Here's Rylee ready for the hunt.

Boston is the man! He has more energy than all my grandchildren put together. Last night we went out to dinner with Travis and Tenille and the kids.....and it was like being in the middle of a tornado! Okay, a fun tornado, but a tornado nonetheless!

Okay, I should have had a panorama camera. I had to take 4 pictures just to get all the areas in.

Here is little Nash. He didn't care one bit about hunting eggs. He was just plain cold. He was trying to figure out what he did wrong to deserve being dragged out on a Saturday morning when he could have stayed in his nice warm jammies watching cartoons and having hot chocolate. Instead, he had to come to this old gully with a bunch of screaming kids with runny noses and it was just a little too much for him. See the little tear in his eye? That's how much he didn't have fun!

Sooooo.....today, after walking with Brendalyn I'm finishing the nursery and Sunbeam Easter baskets that Debbie Stowell put together. Only part of our family can come tomorrow for dinner and some will drop in later. I'm thinking we'll have Sophia's yummy french dip, salads and fresh banana cake or cupcakes (surprise!) for dinner. And we'll make bird's nests with the little kids.

Bird's Nests

1 can of Chow Mein noodles (the crispy ones in a can)

milk chocolate chips (I can't remember exactly how many)

Melt the chocolate carefully in the microwave. You know the drill....put the bowl in for about 45 seconds. Take out and stir. Put the bowl back in for another 45 seconds. Stir again. Until the chocolate is smooth and creamy and you just want to eat the whole bowl yourself. Then stir in the noodles. Let cool a titch. On waxed paper or parchment, let the kids shape bird's nest with the chocolate/noodle mixture. Coconut would be good in the mix as well. It makes a cute little nest. When cool and set up, fill the nests with little robin malt eggs (or any) and a little Peep bird sitting on the eggs. Nice and easy and cute. Not too complicated for the little ones.

Here's Sophia's French dip...I know I've posted it before but it is probably the best French dip I've ever had.

Crock Pot French Dip

1- (3 pound) sirloin tip or chuck roast

1 package Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing Mix

1 package au jus mix (Shillings Natural Style)

1 (10 ounce) can beef broth

1 1/4 cup of water

French bread or hoagie buns

Brown roast on all sides in fry pan. (I never do this and I doubt Sophia does as well. This recipe is also in the Ogden's Junior League cookbook and if you are in Junior League, you brown the roast. If you are just plain ol'folk like me, you don't.) Place in crockpot. Cover with all other ingredients. Cook for 8 hours on medium. Slice and serve on buns. I actually just put everything in the crockpot when I am going to bed the night before, and cook it all night on low. It should be falling apart in the morning and smells so good, everyone hops right out of bed. That's why I'm fixing it on Easter. So everyone is hopping. Cause I love Easter hopping. Bunnies rule.

I probably mentioned this last year at Easter but it is my favorite Easter memory. When Tanner was just little, I took him to the mall to see the Easter Bunny. It was in the same place where Santa Claus had been just a few months earlier. After he visited with the Easter Bunny, he walked away with a big scowl on his face. I asked him why? He said, "That WASN'T the Easter Bunny. I could tell he was wearing a mask. It was just Santa Claus dressed UP like an Easter Bunny!"

Oh.............you can't fool that kid!!!

Squash-Head, Utah

Yesterday Carolyn Campbell and I drove to Santaquin, Utah for lunch with Linda Midgley. We always have fun together...we talk about everything-writing, books, our families- at these get-togethers we have every few months. Yesterday was no exception. Linda has done some neat things in her home which was fun to see. She has made a lovely home for herself. And lunch was delicious and I just couldn’t wait to share two new recipes with you. These two ALWAYS have good recipes!

First of all, Linda made grilled sandwiches for us. Now you know I LOVE grilled sandwiches...they are a major comfort food for me. But this one....this one....this one is FABULOUS! We actually went to the South Ridge Farm that you can see from the freeway....they have wonderful dried tart cherries and all sorts of goodies inside....and that is where we also purchased the secret ingredient so I could make these for dinner for David and I last night.

I'll call them:
Linda's Fabulous Grilled Sandwiches
black forest ham (I just used the ham I already had)
smoked cheddar cheese (last night I just used cheddar)
apple butter (the secret ingredient!!!!)
good bread...Linda used sourdough, I used honey wheat because that is what I had on hand.
Butter the outside of two slices of bread for each sandwich and spread the insides of both pieces with apple butter. Then pile on the ham and cheese. Put sandwich together. Grill on griddle or in a Panini maker. The apple butter is such a delightful surprise!

Then for dessert, she served blonde brownies with a creamy maple sauce. Delicious!

Butterscotch Brownies
3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
½ tsp. vanilla
½ c. nuts
½ c. vanilla chips

Grease an 8 x 8 pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and add sugar. Cool slightly. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Add nuts. Pour batter into the greased pan, leveling the batter and then sprinkle vanilla chips on top evenly. Bake for 22 minutes. Top cooled brownies with sauce.

Creamy Maple Sauce

½ c. butter, softened
1/4 c. cream cheese
2 T. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
½ c. powdered sugarBlend all ingredients in a blender. Warm in microwave before serving.

I was curious about the name Santaquin and wondered where it came from. Apparently there was an Indian chief named, no kidding, Squash-head, who had a son named Santaquin. There was some ruckus....stories differ but the one I read online said that Santaquin was going to start a raid and Squash-head put a stop to it and saved the settlers lives. Then when Santaquin became chief, credit was given to him for the warning instead of his father. The real hero got the short end of the stick, but regardless, Linda said that she is glad that her town isn’t called Squash-Head. I don’t know....I think it has a certain ring to it!


"There isn't much better in this life than finding a way to spend a few hours in conversation with people you respect and love. You have to carve this time out of your life because you aren't really living without it."

"There was a definite process by which one made people into friends, and it involved talking to them and listening to them for hours at a time." Rebecca West

Oh My Gosh!

Can I just say......SSOOOOOO much fun? The girlfriend trip to St. George was perfect! We left here Monday morning and yakked the entire trip. Well, except when we weren't laughing.

The players were:

Valene- my friend that I went to France with, my friend whose house I call "my favorite restaurant", my friend that our daughters are the best of friends and were college roommates, my friend that gave me two pink flamingos with bobble heads for my yard. That kind of friend.

Elizabeth- her college daughter....darling, darling, darling. With Elizabeth, we shared how fun it is to have girlfriends and really, how terribly entertaining we can be....and then Elizabeth shared with us her "heart flutters" and all the romance in her life and we hung on every word and swooned at all the proper places. Did I say she was darling?

Kathy- I hate to always refer to Kathy by her husband's notorious jet ski slam into our ski boat (which was one of the funniest moments of my life)....because Kathy really is a constant flow of insane, incredible, off-the-wall moments. She is my claim to fame because someday I am writing a book on Kathy-isms. It WILL be a best seller. Everyone will think it is pure fiction but really it will be biographical.

And Me. Just along for the ride. Making sure everyone stays on course.

Monday, after checking in at Kathy's wonderful house that I covet, at Green Springs, right on the golf course, we decided our plan of attack. First day included eating at Sharkeys, which isn't called Sharkeys anymore but it is the same menu. Mexican food with a twist. Then shopping.

Before the sun went down, we got in our brisk walk (Ann, are you paying attention? Didn't miss a day!) before settling in for a BIG, LONG movie...."Wives and Daughters." Kathy and Valene always rave about this movie ... it is a Jane Austen-type movie. It starts just a titch slow....but then....you are hooked.....and the characters are so full of life and dimension......and we watched this all night and finished it the next morning. Wonderful movie. I can't wait to buy it for Marci, my daughter-in-law, who LOVES Jane Austen-like-movies. Oh, Valene made noodle bowls for dinner. Did I say she is my favorite restaurant? Lo Mein Chinese noodles (which don't have flour) in a big bowl, with strips of tri-tip steak and a variety of goodies on top and an oriental sauce. Delicious! And during the movie, I made cupcakes and more cupcakes for our "service" project. And, of course, during the movie, we had to sample one or two. Okay, three.

Tuesday morning we frosted all the cupcakes and made plates and decided who to take them to. We took 3 plates to the Family History Center in St. George for all the workers, since our friend Lois and her husband are serving a mini-mission there. Lois wasn't at work yet but we were headed to the temple and didn't want the cupcakes to melt in the car. And we came back later to visit with her. The day was just enchanting......I hadn't done baptisms for so long and all the workers were so darling. It was a wonderful experience to be there...and during the confirmations, I really thought I could see in my mind, this band of sisters, holding hands, stepping forward when their name was called to receive this great gift. A holy experience.
And all the trees along every street were in bloom. (the picture at the top of the page.) And it really looked like spring. And it really smelled like spring. And birds were singing and flowers were blooming...and there wasn't an avalanche of snow anywhere except where it belonged on the mountains, at this time of year.

This store, called Krumpets, was recommended by Mary Ann. It is SUCH a darling store...they actually have one in Santa Clara and one in St. George on Riverside. We got lots of treasures here.

Lunch was at the Pizza Factory....where they had these incredible bread sticks that Valene and I were trying to figure out how to make.


They were so delicious. The bread stick is wrapped on a stick and baked with a wonderful, yummy herb covering. After a fabulous lunch, we headed to Authentique Gallery. Jane, the owner was there and we visited for a long time. She's like this whirlwind, this charming, beautiful animated character that could entertain for hours. Unfortunately Zella's and my prints weren't signed as the artist, Julie Rogers, has a son in the hospital in Salt Lake and hasn't been available. So we'll get our pictures another day. We loved learning about all the new artists that she carries. I think my new favorite artist is J. Kirk Richards. (http://www.authentiquegallery.com/QueryArt.cfm?SearchType=0) His work is just so amazing.....I could have stayed and looked at his pieces forever. After art, we headed to Costco....to buy our "hot-off-the-shelf" copies of "Enchanted!" We were so excited. We headed home, and invited another friend that now lives in St. George (Carla Hanks) over with her daughter to watch "American Idol" and give her cupcakes as well. We had a great time catching up on her family and ours as well as all the people we have in common. After "Idol" was watching "Enchanted" again.....we thought we were part of the movie because by now we can all quote entire scenes. We are so glad we are so easily entertained. We hated knowing this was our last night and we tried to squeeze a whole week's worth of activities into the next day....more shopping, more delicious food, pool time, yakking. We actually had time to solve most of the world's problems (hardly!) and lots of spiritual moments and funny experiences.

We went on our last walk Wed. morning. Kathy, mind you, has had this house for 3 years now. We set off walking....and walking...and walking...going different ways....and walking....only to hear Kathy say (as she did about 50 times) "Now wait. this doesn't look familiar. I have no idea of where we are!" Surprise! This is totally Kathy! The night before she had to tell Carla to look for Valene's car..since she had no idea what her house number was. So, we were not surprised to be lost, wandering the streets and hills of St. George. We finally got to an overlook (exhausted) and saw the golf course they live on. Unfortunately we were on the "other" side of the golf course. Kathy has already had run-ins with the "Golf Course Police" (you know the scripture, "give a man a little authority....") since last year she hid all her grand kid's eggs for a giant hunt on the course. But, we hid behind bushes and waited until the current golfers passed us and bee-lined it across the greens. No one went to jail.

I could go on and on (now THAT would surprise you!) but today has already started. I'm actually picking up one of my writing friends (from when I used to actually write!), Carolyn Campbell, and we are heading to Santaquin to have lunch with the other part of our writing trio, Linda (of Tiger fame.) After this I promise I am going to seriously get to work and do something REALLY constructive. Well, like stuff Easter eggs. I have a box on my front porch overflowing with bags of candy since I was a drop-off house for the neighborhood hunt. But then I'm REALLY going to do something constructive. It is good to be home.

"May you live all the days of your life."

Random Thoughts

1- My girls and their girls all went to Princess Disney on Ice, compliments of their Poppa (David). The little girls all dressed in their favorite princess outfit...and since they were in the suites, got treated royally! It was magical and everyone loved it. The perfect girl’s date. I was so sorry to miss it...but I thought the wedding would overlap it but it didn’t really.....

2- "Enchanted" comes out this week. I can hardly wait to own my very own copy. "August Rush" actually came out while I was in Oregon. Tanner and Brooke watched it last night while I was typing this post. I didn’t dare watch it for fear of another break down! I did love it. I really did.

3- One of my Sunbeams today....a sweet little thing who doesn’t talk too much...but today just burst out with "I have a dinosaur egg at home that is going to have a baby dinosaur and then I’m going to be its mommy!" Obviously, she has never seen Jurassic Park! But after a long discussion, I asked her if I could be its grammie and she said yes! So, lucky for me, I’ll have another name to add to my staircase.....Dini. She’s already named it. Or him. Or her.

4- Travis and Tenille and family came for Sunday dinner. It was so fun to have them. We just don’t get to see them enough....Rylee has two loose teeth. She’s so excited (she’s in kindergarten) since cousin Gracie, the same age, has lost 7! Isn’t that amazing? The tooth fairy is going broke at her house! Ben and Suzie also dropped in yesterday which was great. They are thinking they won’t go back to Alaska if they can get hired at some Dude ranch in Stanley, Idaho. I can’t believe Ben won’t be mountaineering...maybe he is finally tired of the big black bear stalking him! They won’t know for awhile, though.

5- If anyone in the Ward is reading this, remember that the neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt is this coming Saturday at the amphitheater in the gully. I am a candy collector...so bring one bag for each child....and I should have it by Wed. for the Young Women (I don’t know which Ward) can fill the eggs. The hunt starts at 9:00 am sharp. If you snooze, you lose. Really, 9:05 is too late! It’s a riot. There will be a collection box on my front porch since.....

And I don’t dare say this.....

For fear somebody will just think I play all the time....

And never do anything substantial with my life......

But I’m leaving for St. George today with friends until Wed. night. Valene and her daughter, Elizabeth and Kathy Wilson and I. We are planning to:

1- laugh
2- watch chick flicks
3-share and laugh some more
4- make cupcakes and then take them to people we know in St. George
5- Go to the temple and do baptisms (Elizabeth isn’t endowed)
6- eat both in and out. Both Valene and I love to cook.
7- get some sun. Hopefully. My father-in-law said they got a skiff of snow this weekend.
8- do some heavy duty brisk walking.....Hello, Ann! I’m not forgetting our challenge! How are YOU doing?????
9- laugh some more
10- a little shopping and maybe some pedicures. Someone told me of a cute new store called Krumpets...on the road to Santa Clara. I see Krumpets in my future!
11- Did I mention eating?
12- art galleries. I’m picking up a couple of prints for my cousin and one for me...that artist Julie Rogers did of our Great-great-great grandfather and our great-great-grandmother (his daughter) that were in the Willie Handcart Company. I’m SOOOO excited!
I didn’t really think I should go since I knew I was already going to be gone this past week to Oregon and Washington but I was afraid that if I didn’t go, my friends wouldn’t know how to have fun without me! They insisted that they wouldn’t have ANY fun! So, instead of calling this a fun, girlfriend trip, I’m calling it a service-project....cause that’s just the kind of girl I am!!!!

"I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint- and that the bet way to succeed is discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you." Oprah

(no posts until Wed. night)

Thought of the Week-Creating Space

Remembering back over the week....a highlight was definitely the time spent with Cynthia....here is one of the centerpieces for the "Participa-Tator" evening.

Here is Papa Haydn's restaurant. I love their black striped chairs. I love their dessert case. It reminds me of France, except instead of individual pastries, they specialize in gourmet cakes and tortes and trifles. Each individual serving is enough to serve an entire family. A whole Ward party. I told Cynthia that we should just get one piece and share it. She gave me that "get real" look and said, "Oh, no, we have to have two different ones to share." That's one of the things I LOVE about her!

Here are the finished individual cake favors that we did for the Barnson wedding, which was last night.

They are filled with candy.....I love how they did the matching name plates. I loved being with David. It was a great date night. I've missed him. To sit at a table with friends and laugh and talk. We even danced. Well, one dance and it was commanded. It was an anniversary dance, which means all married people dance. Then the emcee calls out a number like 5 years and everyone who has been married 5 years or less then sits down. Then ten years, etc. The point was to get down to where only the grandparents were still dancing. And Jessica, the bride, thanked them for the wonderful example they have all set for them.

This is what I woke up to....although it was no surprise. It was a huge snowstorm when David and I were coming home from the wedding. I couldn't believe how much was dropping. I guess winter is on its last hurrah....only a few more days of official winter. I guess I am relieved that I changed our traditional Egg Hunt to a Spring Celebration scheduled for the end of April. Next Saturday, who in the family wants to, will participate in the neighborhood egg hunt that I've been a part of for years and years. It is huge...we used to do it in several yards in the neighborhood or cul-de-sac....now we do it in the gully at the amphitheater. It will work. I will survive.

I always tell my parents that we LOVE snow. We do LOVE snow. But now I am not saying it very convincingly.

My repairman came yesterday and fixed my washer and dryer so I spent the day doing laundry. I was so happy to do it, having both washer and dryer working correctly, I almost enjoyed laundry! That is unusual for me. Brendalyn and I also walked the nature trails for our 2-miles. I've conned her into if she doesn't achieve her exercise goals, I'm posting her picture in a bathing suit here as well!

Last week, before I left town, I got a darling note in the mail from my neighbor, Arlene. I've talked about her before...she's one of my hero's....one of my role models....one of my idols. I love her amazing optimism and her friendliness. I just plain love her. With the note, she also sent me this quote...which I have read and re-read. I love that it is by Henri Nouwen.....I've talked about him before. He is a Christian writer who was good friends with Mr. Rogers. And you know I love Mr. Rogers.

"When we honestly ask which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not-knowing, not-curing, not-healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness......makes it clear that whatever happens in the external world, being present to each other is what really matters." Henrie Nouwen

I loved this quote. I have someone close to me that is struggling within herself, fighting her own demons. This quote helps me realize that I don't have to make it better for her in trying to help her solve her problems. She just needs me to support her in the decisions that only she can make.

And since it is the Sabbath, can I just mention that it is so easy to read the scriptures when you make a goal of a chapter a day. Honestly, when you tell yourself that you can't go to bed...just like you wouldn't without saying your prayers, without reading. I haven't missed a day since January 1st and it has been such a joy to me. I actually prefer to read during the day when I'm wide awake and not hurrying. I'm in Mosiah 26....the exciting chapters of Alma and his people being led out of the grasp of the sleeping Lamanites. I have mentioned this before, but scripture reading, regular scripture reading brings power. Really, it does! So many times I've gone to the Lord and needed something "right now!" And I feel confident to ask. I feel confident that I will receive. There is power in obedience. And I am learning, learning, learning!

I'll end with another Nouwen quote that I love:

"I believe you can look at solitude, community, and ministry as three disciplines by which we create space for God. If we create space in which God can act and speak, something surprising will happen. You and I are called to these disciplines if we want to be disciples."--Henri J. M. Nouwen

Thank You, Ferrill!!!

A cute reader from Utah Valley designed this darling web page for me after reading that
1-yellow was my signature color (and she wondered why my blog was pink?)
2- I love sunflowers
and 3- I love bee things.

So, for my birthday, waaayyy back in January, she designed several templates for me to choose from! But, although she gave fabulous instructions, I had to wait until my son, Ryan, quit traveling all around the country (actually to other countries) and come and make the changes for me. And I LOVE it! Thank you, thank you, thank you! And funny thing, Ferrill, my son said he remembers you from BYU and the Kennedy Center! Ryan graduated in International Business. It is SUCH a small world, isn't it???

Did I say thank you? Did I mention I love my new do? My new look? My new template and my sunflower and my bee and yellow, yellow, yellow? Did I mention that?

Cynthia- Part Two

Annette B. is on the Young Women General Board. She is such a doll and I hadn't seen her in quite awhile until about 3 years ago, when we were attending some meeting at BYU. (We're now in the Bucket Group together.) She hugged me and told me that she had been re-reading her older journals, at a time when she was the newly called RS president. Late one night she got a call saying they needed so many sisters to be at the Welfare farm the next day to do something with peaches or apples. She called and called without luck getting many volunteers. The next morning she was at the farm, worried that no one would show up. But then, she said in her journal, "I looked up to see Cynthia and Marilyn walking through the orchards, laughing, coming to work. And I thought, "Of course they would come! They always come." She later sent me a copy of her journal entry.


Since I was just with Cynthia in Portland, I have had time to reflect on my friendship with her and how it changed my life. She taught me that anything worth doing is worth having fun with. That bigger is better. That we might as well go to Fred Meyer (when we had them...and they were called Grand Central) with my little kids and her little kids and all the little kids she babysat, for the blue light special, because "even though it was chaos, it would be chaos at home as well, so we might as well be doing something fun." That January was not too early to be hitting the gardening stores and planning our gardens. That whenever I would get too serious, she'd give me "the look" and I knew she was laughing at me and saying, "Come on!" Like, get a grip. And she was usually right! She was always including others in our circle of friendship even when I didn't want to include others. Which, she reminds me now, is such a switch. The other day, when I was catching her up-to-date on old friends, she lamented that she felt bad that she hadn't kept in touch with someone. But I realized God's hand in it, because this someone is a person that Cynthia took into our friendship. The girl was going through a terrible divorce and I think would have taken her own life. She was that depressed. Cynthia got her grounded again....and then Cynthia moved. This is who she was regretting that she hadn't stayed in touch with. But I said to her, "But don't you see, you saved her and also brought her into MY life....because Heavenly Father knew I wouldn't let go of her." And I haven't. And I have Cynthia to thank. We have so many good memories together. She is the one that taught me how to eat an artichoke, what liatris is (one of my favorite flowers.) She has what she calls a "Cake Ministry" for all the people she works with at the hospital "just to make people smile on their birthdays." One small act of service at a time to make the world a better place. She taught me that food at a Ward party should be over the top wonderful instead of predictable. That staying up all night putting together decorations for something, anything, was fun when we were doing it together. I loved being with her again....learning all about her new projects....and just reflecting on how lucky I was and am to have this great friend in my life! After being at her Ward Tuesday evening, I reflected that several people said, "Oh, what does a Ward do without a Cynthia?" I agree! After we were having lunch at Papa Haydn's....a classy restaurant on 23rd St. in Portland, we went in a couple of funky stores. I love cards and this one reminded me of Cynthia. It's HER fault I love to party, love to cook, love to eat, love to garden, love to serve.

Purse-uit of Happiness!

I had such a wonderful visit with my folks, my extended family, my friend, my new friends. This morning I got a lot of work done in the folk's den, to get ready for another computer table and computer. Did I mention my mom has about a thousand books? Really, books, books, and more books. During the week, Mom and I played 9 games of Phase Ten....she won....2. She was NOT happy! Last night we watched "Dan in Real Life." Such a good movie. Then today, my sister-in-law, Cher, took me to lunch (I know, AGAIN???) and then to the airport. Uneventful flight home. I am just finishing the 3rd book in the "These Is My Words" series called "Star Garden." I'll be sad when I'm done. You don't think it is possible for Captain Elliot to come back to life and sweep me off my feet, do you? Since I have been treadmilling, maybe. Since I have been out to lunch or dinner or both everyday for a week, maybe not.

Brandi picked me up at the airport and it is always wonderful when I get her to myself for a few minutes. David is at a roping so he won't be home until late and Tanner and Casey are off to Las Vegas for some ball game. Brendalyn and I have already made plans to walk the trails tomorrow.

I got the sweetest gift. A phone call from one of my Sunbeams to tell me that I am her best friend! Can you believe that? And I said, "Aubrey, I LOVE YOU!" And she said in her little voice, "You LOVE me????" Yes, I do! It was the sweetest gift of the day.

How happy I was when I got home to find some gifts in my email box. Lisa, the Homemaking counselor in our Ward, who I refer to as our Ward's Martha Stewart, knew I was bummed about missing our own RS birthday social the same night I was speaking in Cynthia's. She forwarded me these pictures of the table decorations, that went with the theme of "Purse-uit of Happiness." Each table was decorated with a purse filled with types of different things in a woman's life that bring happiness. Some were adventure, family history, service, motherhood, creativity, excellence, fitness, personal expression, knowledge and person interests. That was so thoughtful of Lisa to share especially since she knows how much I hate to miss a party!





Adventure Family History

Service

Motherhood

the back of motherhood....that is one of my Sunbeams on the right....love her too!

creativity

excellence

personal expression

knowledge

fitness

personal interests

And here are Toni, Rukie and Erin with Elsa in the background. Great ladies! Thanks, Lisa, for letting me feel like I was a part of this!!!

"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast--you also miss the sense of where you are going and why." Eddie Cantor