Hunting for Spring

Service

 Our Relief Society kicked off a new super service projects that will go for 6 months.  Love the theme represented by the desserts- Raising the Bar (get it- bar cookies) to Help Refugees.  We are going to make 300 hats (not me!  I am a terrible crochet-er!  Where is my mommy???), and 300 quilts (can be fleece blankets (that I can do) and 1000 receiving blankets to swaddle and burp cloths.  I love being a part of something big to get my mind outside of myself.

The Savior's Invitation to Make a Difference

In a world of constant change and commotion, we may often feel like strangers. All around us we hear of distress, tragedy, and hardship. We live in a time of uncertainty and unrest. Many around us live in fear of an unknown future. What can our role as women be in the last days to prepare the earth for the coming of Christ? What can we do to reach out, to love, to nurture, and to minister as He has invited us to do?

We each have the invitation as women and young women to open our eyes and our hearts to see those among us who may feel alone, afraid, or uncertain so that we are no longer strangers  (see Matthew 25:35–36, Ephesians 2:19} We are invited to share our love, our confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, and our hands to strengthen others and love them as the Savior would have us do. This is not a program; it is who we are.

Cousins!

 Last week we had a cousins lunch at Zella's.  Cousins Patty and Kathy were in town and Zella invited her girls and Patty's daughter, Heidi- and we just had the best time ever!  I was in awe of Patty and Kathy when I was a little girl- they were older and cooler.  They still are!(ha!)  Love Zella's girls- and finding out what they are all up to.  Their family does a service project every Mother's Day- and this year they rallied friends and family and had about 400 purses filled with essentials and make-up and a gift card and earrings, scarfs, etc.  AMAZING!    They were delivered to refugees and to several states for various groups.  How cool is that????

 Cousin Kathy has a lovely farm in Washington that has a huge antiques fair twice a year.  She's a designer....and her house has been featured in several magazines including a Christmas edition of Country Sampler.  Here are some of the amazing pictures!!!!

We all didn't really see each other (cousins) growing up- Zella was raised in Boise and Patty and Kathy in Bountiful and myself in Washington State.  But my first trip to Lagoon was with Patty and Kathy...and then for dinner we had Chinese take-out in little boxes (my first time) and I thought that was beyond cool.  I was about 9 or 10- and they were teens so I'm sure they thought I was a pest....but I think they like me now!  And man, I LIKE them too!

Mother's Day Love

So this is the first Mother's Day David and I have had without our moms.  A little bittersweet because we miss them so much...but so thankful that we got them for so long- and the love we received from them.  We both won the lottery with our moms!

My family pampered me, church was amazing, and I loved being surrounded by my kiddos in the afternoon and evening.  I am SUCH a lucky mom!

Brandi shared with me a new grilled chicken recipe called San Diego Chicken and we barbequed and had all sorts of yummies to go with it. 

Recipe on the cooking blog.

One of the speakers in church told about how they had a baby that experienced problems at birth and was in the NICU.  The parents would take turns being with him...speaking love through the windows and holding his little hand.  As they looked around the room, they saw lots of babies in crisis situations and close by were loving parents ready to do anything for them.  He felt comfort knowing that that is probably how Heavenly Father feels with each of us- sees us in need and is always there for comfort and  healing and the best possible care.

Hunting For Spring

The second Saturday in May we had our repeat of our 10th annual (last year's got rained out) Eggstravaganza.  The weather during the day was hot, hot, hot.  But luckily the cloud cover that came in cool things down to perfect.

The night before,  we had a  Father and Sons campout in the yard with son Ryan and grandson, Josh's Ward.  I think the boys had fun swimming and riding horses and game playing.  When they come, they always want to end with a service project.  I thought it would be great if they hid all the Easter eggs. Last time that is going to happen.  It was too early and all the chocolate was melted within the hour!  Oh well, live and learn.

Our menu always consists of ham and cheese sliders, salads, chips and fruit and cookies.  There were some yummy recipes I'll share later.

Just a lovely evening with a menagerie of old friends, new friends, family, neighbors and lots of kiddos.  It's a perfect celebration of spring!  It's my love gift to my grands.


It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want — oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain,

I Heart Bucket!!!

Last week we had Bucket at Karlan's beautiful home.  I had to spend a few minutes outside, alone, on her balcony...just to savor the beauty of her backyard.  Truly a haven.

Karlan's family motto is "No Empty Chairs."  Lots of meaning goes into those 3 words but I truly love that each of her chairs have a family name on them!  (well, except one child- but that is another story...)

Karlan's table was beautiful and springy and like a breath of fresh air.

She served mini quiches, Cranberry Almond Spinach Salad, fruit and yogurt- then a Three Fruit Tiramisu for dessert.  For our activity-- we brainstormed about where we are in our "emergency preparedness"  and shared some good ideas for this stage (almost 100) of our lives.

Recipes, as always, on the cooking blog.  But my recipe for a marvelous day is to just hang with my Bucket friends.  Libby is the matriarch of our group- and she is starting to have memory problems and her hubby has recurring skin cancer.  We are a happy place for her.  Diana just got home from several weeks in the Netherlands on a Viking Cruise with her hubby. Valene and I both lost our moms and are dealing with that.  We are all busy with life and running in different directions but it is so nice that once a month, we all run to each other.

Fairies

 Last week after I got home from Women's Conference, Hallee Babe and I had a date to go to Orem and see Heidi starring as the Fairy Queen in A Midnight's Summer's Dream.  Yes, the Fairy Queen is the one who falls in love with a donkey.  Heidi and all the cast were amazing!  I couldn't even believe the dialogue they had to memorize.  So proud of this girl who LOVES the stage and this was her dream role!  These two cousins have always been besties and about the same size.  Look how Hallee GREW this year!!!!  (Heidi is our 4th of July Firecracker!)

Every man's life is a fairy tale written by God's fingers. Hans Christian Andersen

One in Charity

Last week Brandi and I and Valene and her daughter, Jenny, aka one of Brandi's best friends got to go to BYU's Women's Conference.   We had such a good time together and were able to attend amazing classes and to be a part of a HUGE service opportunity.  We laughed and brisk walked our buns off all around campus for classes and were fed spiritually and temporally. 

We helped make 340,000 meals for those in need!!!  Wow!  That felt awesome!  I loved the superhero capes for kids in the hospital, procedure dolls, scarfs and blankets, teddy bears and dozens of other projects. 10,000 plus women making a difference.

 Some thoughts to ponder:


When you are looking up, it changes perspective.

Be the comforting voice when someone needs to be lifted.

Sometimes the best rescue is not rescue.

How can I redirect my focus to be the source of power, love and truth?

We need women who know how to receive personal revelation.

A sister's calendar had the initials E.C. all over it.  When asked what it meant, she said, "Eternal Consequences."

C.S. Lewis- Courage is the turning point of every virtue.

We are not saved in isolation.

Christ didn't heal everyone who lived in Judea but he healed everyone who came to Him. 

We may pray for a cure when we really need healing. 

When is your spring of the day- your time of replenishing and renewal?

We each need to reclaim our sacred grove.

The scriptures make a great traveling companion.

We did not come to this earth to stay.  It is a weigh station.

Heart so full of gratitude for this time with Brandi and friends!

Fly Like an Eagle

So proud of my grands- Conner and Parker for getting their Eagle Scout award on Sunday.  Actually, Brandi got her Eagle....but that's another story....

5% of Scouts get their Eagle- so this is a big accomplishment.  They did an awesome service project.  Conner collected bikes for refugees.  Sometimes they take a bus to work...after they have walked 40 blocks to catch one.  Parker then organized clinics for the scouts to learn how to fix them- and taught the skills to the refugees as well.  When David was the Scout master in our Ward, he actually took Parker on lots of their camps and hikes- including the 50-miler!

Connor is an awesome artist- he drew this picture!

I bet there were more than 250 people there.  4 boys were getting their Eagle.

Dessert was milk and cookies.  I love the hole in the cookie for the straw.

My first encounters with faith came about the time I was a Boy Scout, at about 14 or 15.  I made the logical deduction that they really operate the same way. I treated my faith like earning a merit badge, and everything about Christianity was about earning merit badges.  Max Lucado