One Designing Woman

Nicholas and Mara Wed

2012-02-01T13:26:00.000-08:00

The Church

Our nephew, Nicholas, got married last weekend. It was such a happy and lovely occasion and they did a fantastic job of creating the perfect day to remember all of their lives. Nick and Mara met at work a few years ago and it has been magical ever since.

This Catholic church is just beautiful. Very European and gorgeous. The stained glass windows are magnificent and the ceiling really high. The statuary was really nice as well. It was so cold inside on the night of the rehearsal, but they did warm it up a bit for the wedding. The immensity of it just made it too difficult to warm. But what it lacked in temperature it more than made up for in beauty.

This area was just to the side of the alter area. The marble was exquisite. The soloist sounded like an angel for sure, it was very moving. She sang a lot and that made the ceremony very special. Jim and I were asked to read the Prayer of the Faithful and that was a sweet experience. We were honored to have been asked to participate. There were 53 people at the rehearsal and dinner and all of them had a part of some kind in the ceremony. This was the biggest wedding we had ever attended for sure.

Note the hanging chandelier above the alter.

A kiss for the Mr. and Mrs. while
awaiting photos after the ceremony.

A small part of the wedding party!

Steve and Emily's Family

Raul, Alesha (Our niece) and Samantha whom you cannot see in her mom's arms, Mara, Nick, Emily and my brother, Steve, with his new, high fashion, white hair..and their grandson, Sebastian.

Photos

This is just a bit of Mara's mother's side of the family. They came out in force for this great occasion! Nick married into a really nice family. We had several family members there but nothing to compare with her side.

The Angelic Grandma Gloria

This is Jim's mother with a halo! This is what our son, Chris did for fun while waiting for the wedding photos to be taken. Chris is a character and his Grandmother was eating this up, I can assure you! That big chandelier came in handy!

Uncle Steve and Chris

My brother, Steve, whom many of you prayed for all summer during his chemo, with our son, Christopher. It was so wonderful to have him home for a few days. It was a rare opportunity for him to come home with his busy life. We had a nice dinner at home the first night with some of the family that was not coming to the wedding. The reception was in this amazing winery. The happy hour was in this room that was wine barrels from floor to very high ceiling and then in the center they had these tall tables where you could set down your drinks and h'oeuvres plates while chatting. Or you could just sit and talk with people. It was really nice. They had an open bar so people could have whatever they wanted. Our whole table was drinking virgin concoctions from one of the bartenders. He did a pretty fantastic job of mixing different juices, and sparkly water or ginger ale and it was fun. All the food for the entire evening was five *.

The reception!

This shows a portion of the reception dining room. They also had great music and one of Mara's cousins sang two amazing songs for them. Nick also made a wonderful video to surprise Mara and they did all the traditional stuff, garter toss, bouquet toss, first dance, money dance, dancing with the parents, toasting by the best man and maid of honor and special words from Mara's father and Nick's mother, Emily.

They even had a professional photo booth set up for everyone at the wedding to get pictures taken of their group to take home. They were just supposed to be goofy fun photos, four in all with various accessories available to add to the gaiety. Our group was not really too with it in this department until it was over. They were just taking the photos so fast. And we were a little slow on the up take.

The Photo Booth shots

I was going to have a hot pink boa but the little girl in front of us was still trying to untangle herself from it when we went into the booth. C'est la vie. It was a fun evening. We were gone a total of ten hour from portal to portal...a long and memorable day!

The cake was beautiful as you can see
and it was very delicious as well.

They even had their names
projected over the bar in huge letters.

We hope you live happily ever after, Nick and Mara!
We love you both! Best wishes!
Your wedding was beautiful!
May your life together be even more so!

Happy Birthday Laura Elizabeth!

2012-01-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

December 2012

Our Baby is 34 today. These have to be the fastest 34 years of my life and yet it seem we have always had her. I would give anything to be with her today. It is just not right that parents and children be separated on their birthdays. Such an important day should be, at the very least, celebrated with the key players present at the blessed event, don't ya think? But I am so grateful that we got to be with her for an entire month...I shall not think to complain or feel melancholy on such a glorious day. There are some of you that do not know Laura's story that I published last year and how she and we are so blessed that she was born and survived a rocky pregnancy and that the Lord was watching over all of us.

♥Laura ♥

What fills my heart with sunshine to the bursting point today is this beautiful youngest daughter we have been blessed with for the past 34 years today. Happy Birthday, Laura! I think we should have named you Laura Jo, and then added a Y after the JO for JOY.

My blood runs cold every year on this day when I think how hard the doctors leaned on us to terminate my pregnancy due to complications from me getting the chicken pox in my first trimester. I have never been so thankful for saying NO to that, never been so thankful for making the right choice. Never been so thankful for being able to hear the spirit whisper to us to trust in God and go forward in faith, no matter the outcome. That sweet confirmation that we made the right choice came instantly and I will never forget it, or deny it. The trial of our faith has been rewarded everyday since by a daughter that has been nothing but a blessing and pure joy every day of her life. It is so nice to know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that kind of life and death choice is not our stewardship, it is God's. You can read more about Laura's story here. If you do go to this link at the end of the story is a slide show and you can watch Laura grow up right before your eyes. Fun stuff!

A year ago and a few months ago.

And look how that one great decision has multiplied our joy immeasurably since then! Realizing that all these blessing come from a Father In Heaven that is aware of us, what we need, what we desire is a blessing I can never take for granted, a gift I can never forget.

So I kind of feel that Laura's birthday, is more than a traditional birthday for me. It is a time for me to remember, and reflect and praise God for His help during that time I was carrying her. It is my time to remember the wonderful new people I had met that were Latter-day Saints and so compassionate and loving. They were the epitome of Christ's love in our life serving and teaching through their examples. When I think of Laura, the circumstances of her birth, the life she lives, the love she has given ~ I am overwhelmed and happy and grateful and there is sunshine in my soul today.

Laura has been the kind of daughter that has always been inspiring. She was born with a mature and compassionate spirit. She has always been able to read my thoughts... as a little girl she would give comfort to her frazzled Mommy on rough days, with a little handwritten love note tucked under my pillow. We laugh and cry together, we have fun and we are the best of friends. She is the epitome of a great daughter, wife, mother, sister and friend. What she does she does well and she is constantly learning and searching for better ways of getting the job done. She is very kind and generous with others and gives much of her time in service at church, the boys' school, the military groups and she is just deep down good. What parent could ask for anything more? We are privileged to be her parents.

Now some of you may be saying or thinking this woman is totally bragging about her kid here. You have probably even heard the saying.."To a mother every beetle is a gazelle." I believe that God children merely come through us and Laura was this beautiful person from the foundations of the earth. We just thank our lucky stars we didn't mess her up along the way. But we don't take credit for whom she has become. It has been her obedience to the Lord, her desire to make good choices and to be a good and kind person that has influenced who she is today. She works so hard and accomplish so much good. We feel it a great blessing to have her and to love her as we do.

You have brought a rainbow of beautiful color
into this world and blessed us all.
Wish we could give you what you really want
Your Sweetheart by your side today.

So Happy Birthday, Baby! Daddy and I love you with all of our hearts and souls and of course we will be thinking of you today, as we always do..but just rejoicing more in God's grace on your special day (and ours) for allowing us to have such a precious girl to call our own daughter.

XOXO times 34 plus one to grow on!

A Simple Woman's Daybook~January 26, 2012

2012-01-26T21:16:00.000-08:00

Taking a Moment to Contemplate the Journey!

Just For Today...Thursday, January 26, 2012

Our lives pass swiftly by!
I want to do something to remember
the everyday moments and my thoughts.
That is what this daybook is all about.
Focusing on the little things that become my life.
One week at a time.

Outside my window...it is pitch black out and 9:20 pm. I wasn't ready to go to bed so thought I'd try blogging for a big change. Honestly, I have been blogging like a maniac since 2007 and all of a sudden I have just really tapered off. I have just been so busy with other things. But back in the saddle right now so that is good.

It has been cold to moderately warm this week. We had a little rain but mostly it is what I call "Fling." Not winter for sure and a combination of Fall and Spring. Everyone is so worried but I think it will be OK. When it is well into February and still no rain then I will get alarmed but until then I am just enjoying the weather each day as it comes. I am hoping for snow for Utah though they are really needing it.

From the learning room...we as humans are capable of doing far more then we think we can with a little determination, faith, and tenacity we can even surprise ourselves. Something like that happened to me yesterday with genealogy and I was flabbergasted. I worked really hard at something for 6 hours and I was successful. I proclaimed myself as graduating out of being a beginner and into the realm of an intermediate genealogist. I was so excited, I cried. The thing about this that was so neat was that I was alone and on a research quest in Berkeley @UC. I was out of my comfort zone in so many aspects of the experiences of the entire day and as I prayed my way through it I was able to find every single thing I have set out to do. I am not a mechanical person at all and I was able to learn to use some research tools that required some coordination and mechanical skills. I did It! Woohoo. Never give up is all I can think, not if there a breath left in ya and if it is something you truly want, and you are willing to pay the price...it can be yours.

I am reading...scriptures, my class notes from all kinds of sources, online resources, all in an attempt to get a class together for the students at the Family History Center. This is a big deal to me because you cannot fake knowledge in anyway in genealogy. You either know it or you don't when it comes to any certain aspect of the research. Well, when you are just learning the thought of teaching it is pretty ominous.

From the kitchen...the kitchen is closed! Well, not really but I try not to think about it when I don't have to. Tonight we actually went out to dinner so that was great. We have had things in the freezer that we had made ahead so food was a non-issue this week. Yippee! Don't get me wrong we eat well, it is just I don't think about it once it is all planned.

I am missing...balance. I have to chill and figure out how I can get everything in that I truly want to do. Blogging is one of them but I just haven't had it lately. Could it be burnout after nearly 1600 posts on this blog alone? I don't think we have had a routine and normalcy since before Halloween. Maybe longer...I just can't remember back past when I started in with the fall decorating and since then....craziness and packed schedules daily. It is insane. I feel like we both need to just back away from the phone or something clever like that, if we want a moment to collect our thoughts. We have a knack for getting ourselves in this pickle semi-regularly it seems.

I am hearing...Michael Buble...The Best of Me. Love it. Music is my refuge, it is just such a happiness maker for me when I get stressed.

I am wearing...Smart Socks, love those things, blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a red boiled wool vest. Earlier I had a fun scarf on that our grandsons, Spencer and Ross gave me for Christmas. have since fanned the jewelry and the shoes.

I am quoting..."Music is what feelings sound like." So true.

Somethings that made me especially happy this past week...it has been a wonderful week. Our sweet nephew and his new bride got married over the weekend. It was the best and fanciest wedding I have ever been to, I think. It was one of those over the top, perfect days. We left home a little after noon and we did not get home until almost 10:15 PM. It was only 45 minutes from here so it wasn't like we were in the car much. It was all celebration. Nick is my brother Steve's son. Just seeing Steve there with hair and a smile on his face to see their son marry was wonderful after his bout with cancer this past summer.

It was such a joy to be with all the family and even our son Chris flew in and that was fantastic. Jim and I read the Prayer of the Faithful in the Catholic wedding ceremony and that was a real honor to be asked. We also did that when our niece, Alesha, got married. The rest of the week has just been full of things that needed doing and it has all been good. Family and friends have blessed me so much this week and grandkids have delighted us through photos and notes from the kids. And then there was my accomplishment, after a big struggle yesterday, and all is well for me! It was a week of miracles for both Jim and me in our work. And for you too I hope! And all these blessing have been divine. So, thanking God for it all.

I am going...to see my group of friends that I meet with each Friday morning and then I have a design consultation to do. I have gotten two appointments in the past week after not doing much in that realm of design for about a year. It is a sign that things are picking up with the economy some. I am also hoping to drop off a birthday gift for my sweet freind, Faye, who had a birthday last week. And if all goes well with all of that I am sneaking into a matinee tomorrow or Saturday afternoon to see War Horse finally. I cannot wait for Jim any longer, as he has been working so hard (14 hour days at the Temple) and so when he gets home he just needs to crash.

One of my guilty pleasures...going back to bed after Jim leaves for work..once in a blue moon I do it. Today was one of those days. It was nice. We have been up at 5:00 am for the past two weeks that he has been working everyday and I don't know how we did that all the time for years on end. Ugh. It feels like we are still on Eastern Time.

Pet Peeve...accidentally running out of milk. I always think there is some in our outside refrigerator and often I am dead wrong. Not a fun discovery at 5:00 am.

One of my favorite things...This funny, faux leopard scarf that I bought in Rhode Island. I was so darn cold and it is the coziest thing ever. It is kind of like a big scrunchy with elastic inside of it so it is fun. I just like to warp it around my neck and then I feel like purring. It is so warm.

An enjoyable movie I have watched lately...Zip! This weekend for sure.

I am curious about...how I am going to do all the things on my bucket list while I am so busy just putting out fires on a daily basis? I need a better plan.

If I could change one thing it would be...myself. Redefining times are here.

A few plans for the rest of the week...whoops, I think I said all that under, I am going...
I did miss one thing though. I am going with my good friend, Maureen, to the Stake President's fireside this Sunday night. It is an annual event where our Stake President from church and his wife speak to all of the women of this area. It is always the best. As much as I love our Stake President, the real treat is listening to our super sweet, friend, Faye. Geesh, I still have her birthday present sitting here. Must get my act together...seriously.

A photo and thoughts I'm sharing this week...

The San Francisco Bay and Bridge

One of the fun things our whole family loves to do is take photos. Photography is just such a multifaceted hobby. It collects favorite memories, captures the moment, preserves your family history and creates (on occasion) exceptionally beautiful art. This photo was taken my our son, Chris, last Sunday morning before the sun came up. We were taking him to the airport so he could fly home, but first he wanted some shots of the City. So up at 5:00, out the door at 5:30 and on the shore of Treasure Island before sunrise. That is when this beautiful blue hour photo was snagged. I do not know a lot about photography, but I do love taking blue hour photos.

They can be taken just before sunrise and just after dark. You can Google The Blue Hour and find out exactly which times during any given day you will get a shot at the blue hour by entering your zipcode. Such fun! This will always remind me of the great weekend we had with our son and how much fun it was to run around the Island in the dark with our cameras. Not surprisingly, we were not the only ones doing this at that crazy hour of the day. Memories captured~loved every minute of it.

A Simple Woman's Daybook~January 18, 2012

2012-01-18T07:19:00.000-08:00

Taking a Moment to Contemplate the Journey!

Just For Today...Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Outside my window...It was 32 degrees a few minutes ago when I checked. Jim tells me it is going to rain like crazy this coming week. We sure do need it. So it's a good thing. Right now there is not even a breeze. Perhaps it is the quiet before the storm? The sky is looking mysterious clear...hmmm. Maybe tomorrow....

From the learning room...the longer you are married the more similar you seem to become to your spouse. This is an odd thing when you usually start by being quite different. I always have thought of Jim being the hyper one, the one that does everything 200%, the one that is never idle, the one who rarely lets his fanny touch a couch. Hmm, just the other day when I was saying I have gone over the top crazy with Pinterest, our oldest said, "Well Mom you rarely do anything halfway." Moi? Wow, that shocked me. I usually feel like the lazy, laid back one when at his side. OCD+OCD=Frenzied Life! Gotta love the evolution of it all.

I am reading...all day long...most days.

From the kitchen...I am getting ready to go shopping to prepare some yummy stuff for our son's visit over the weekend. I am going to make beef stroganoff and serve over wide egg noodles, some kind of a dessert and some Red Lobster copycat biscuits for our dinner guests on Friday night. Of course we will have a veggie and a wonderful salad also.

I am missing...Robert, Sweet Robert. I think of him and pray for him everyday hoping the guardian angels are watching over our boy in Afghanistan. All prayers on his behalf gladly accepted!

I am hearing...My favorite playlist. Have you heard Micheal Buble's, "The Best of Me" yet? Such a bittersweet song. ♥

I am wearing...Jams but not for long. Friends coming over at 9:00, racing to get this done and be ready.

I am quoting... "Success~To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Somethings that made me especially happy this past week...Meeting our new neighbor, walking more days than not for exercise. Working at the Family History Library last night and talking with one of my really sweet new friends, Carol. Do love that lady! Had a wonderfully spiritual Sunday and it got me all motivated to be a better me. Love it when that kicks in, don't you? I feel like the excitement of a new year, a new beginning, etc. has finally sunk in for 2012. I feel like I am finally organized again after all the upheavals (albeit wonderfulness) of the holidays and traveling and and being exhausted. My energy is returning...woohoo!

I am going...to do all my 'to do' list with the enthusiasm of the Energizer Bunny today.

One of my guilty pleasures...I hate to keep repeating this but Pinterest.com. It is the perfect medium for a retired designer who loves photography, arranging things to create something fun and beautiful, is renewed by the beauty around her and who love the computer and staying home. And its free. Wow, whoever came up with it, hit all my buttons on the first try! When I have been doing a lot of black and white writing or researching family history it is the five minute commercial break time my eyes and body need to then get back to work. I can pin so many awesome things in record time. If I see it I know immediately if I will pin it. No dillydallying around...I have always been like that. I know what I like and I don't go back and forth on it.

Pet Peeve...I saw a cute quote on Pinterest this week. "I don't have A pet peeve, I have a whole kennel of them!" Haha!

One of my favorite things...Billy Joel's song, "Just The Way You Are." It is a sermon in a nutshell.

An enjoyable movie I have watched lately...Seems I haven't been watching a lot lately. Still trying for War Horse..has anyone seen it yet? I want to see the new Meryl Streep movie about Margaret Thatcher too. Gotta get to that soon.

I am curious about...where the country is going politically right now. Interesting and paradoxical and curious.

If I could change one thing it would be...what burns calories and how. That brain activity counted as much as physical activity in this department.

A few plans for the rest of the week...the big event of the week is Chris flying home on Friday for our nephew, Nicholas' wedding on Saturday, so I am getting the guest room ready, cooking, cleaning, and anticipating his arrival. Cannot wait to see him. It will be a fast trip but a fun-packed one. Today and tomorrow last minute stuff and then tomorrow night we are going to the rehearsal and the dinner. We have been asked to do a reading in the ceremony. They are getting married in a Catholic Church on Saturday midday. Mara, Nick's soon-to-be-wife is an absolute doll and has the biggest dimples on a girl I have ever seen. She is a beauty inside and out and we are just thrilled about this union. Jim has been working fourteen hours a day at the Temple this week on a special construction project. So I am on my own. Monday I am going to the Doe Library in Berkeley for our cousin, Stephen, and looking through old newspapers for some obituaries. Challenging to go without my mechanical husband, but I am sure I can figure out those dang film readers.

A photo and thoughts I'm sharing this week...Finding joy in the simple things.

This is the cupboard where we keep our everyday dishes. I want Jim to take the wood door off of it and replace it with a framed piece of glass. I also want him to replace the shelves with tempered glass so we can put in a light at the top and all the areas of the cupboard and its contents can be illuminated. I will admit it straight out..I am weird but I love these dishes and they bring me joy. Why? Not too sure, but when I was emptying the dishwasher the other day I just wanted to take a picture of them. I have a thing for glasses and stemware and I love this set of glasses. They make me happy every day. I know...I'm nuts but they really are a point of glee for me and I want to see them when I am just passing through without having to open the door. This might be a clue as to why I love Pinterest. I just love looking at pretty people, places and things. I am a visual person. Yep...I am. What floats your boat and makes you happy that is just simple, pleasurable and relaxing? Go ahead and tell me, I won't think you're weird, I promise.

With Love,

Laughing My Head Off

2012-01-16T10:16:00.001-08:00

Can You Relate?

Sustaining Healthy Habits

2012-01-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

Google images

Well, here we are a few days into the New Year and I am finally getting my current act together. I say current as I seem to always be reinventing "my act." You know how it is, "The best laid plans of mice and men," as Steinbeck once said. They say (whomever they are) that a good song needs a great "hook line," something catchy and easily remembered...something that makes the song stick.

I think good habits must be that way. You have to know what does and does not work for you. After scrutinizing all aspects of exercise and what I stick to, walking is my best option for success. My struggle is making it my choice on a daily basis.

I am not a gym person, I am not an exercise equipment person, I am not a yoga person. I am just a person who wants to be more fit, with what the daily minimum requirement standards extract from me, and I want to enjoy what I am doing. I am not out to prove anything to myself or the world, not interested even slightly in a marathon, half-marathon, mini-marathon, nope...none of the above. Just want to get a little stronger, a little more flexible and work the heart ever so slightly more than the computer allows in a physical way.

I am also not into group exercising. I know, I am pretty particular. The reason I don't like it is I don't want someone else setting my pace or waiting for me to catch up with them. And I don't want a gab fest either. Remember this is tiring to an introvert, not energizing. (If you are interested in an excellent article, read about extroverts and introverts here:

http://tinyurl.com/82h44yw

I just want to do the job, get it done and use that time to contemplate, pray and plan my day, projects, etc. Sometimes I just want to ponder and listen to music and I do not want to have a set time scheduled with another person, so I am best on my own. I just need that flexibility.

So here is the problem that all those conditions seem to place on my doing it all the time. After awhile I lose interest or motivation and then it is so easy to let other things smother the desire to make it a consistent effort. I hate that I am that way, but I am. I want to be like Jim and just do it rain, shine, sweltering heat, wind, sleet or snow. Out he goes. No excuses, no internal conflict, he just goes! I want this kind of discipline in this area of my life but I am beginning to wonder if it will ever come. But I will never give up trying. My spirit is struggling to do what is right, but my flesh is my weakness.

One thing I think helps is to realize that exercise is exercise and it doesn't have to be a 'put your stylish jogging suit and special walking shoes and sweat like crazy before your shower' type of thing. Exercise is moving with a little more effort than just strolling along for a sustained period of 30, 45 0r 60 minutes a day. That is it. Why is this so dang hard? I hate that thing that pulls me in the opposite direction of what is smart and good and best for me, don't you?

So here is what I have come up with to make this new effort more fun I am taking my iPhone/camera with me and snapping at least one picture a day of something I find interesting along the way. The first day I went to the mall to walk and I found some funny photos. Here is one I found in a store front window.

The caption is:
Walking is not on sale, it is free!
A little kitschy but it's a mall after all.

So since the photo ops are a little scant in the mall, I thought perhaps a neighborhood walk would work. So the next day I got this: I walked with Jim in the neighborhood. Here is my photo.

Here is my caption:
Solitude deceptive in this photo,
a neighbor behind every bush wanting to chat.
Set new rules regarding spousal walking...
No cell phone conversations please.

I think today I will try the mall again. Less beautiful but more fruitful-Day 1

Lovely outside, covered virtually no ground, like maybe an eighth of a mile. Saw and chatted with nice people. Spent some fun moments with James, a big plus. Nice, but not on target. Day 2

Day 3 yet to be seen but in the works. Wish me luck. A thousand mile's journey starts with one step. Or, so they say! My hook...the pictures. Know thyself and carry on.

A Simple Woman's Daybook~January 11, 2012

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Taking a Moment to Contemplate the Journey!

Just For Today...Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Outside my window...it is bright, sunny and cool. Not cold. Yay! We could definitely use some rain but I can remember that last January was exactly like this. Almost like spring leap-frogged over winter. But, alas, in February she returned and through May, made up for lost time.

From the learning room...one of the ways I learn is by listening and paying attention to the things that make me sit up and take notice. I call them ♥ print moments. Things that just stand out and resonate with my spirit on an everyday basis. This week I have had a bunch of them. The older I get the more I realize how important it is to surround yourself with people that lift and teach you and that you try to reciprocate to them and others. I think that when you get older your sensitivities to that sort of thing increase, while many other things appear to be on the decline. I feel that things that really matter, matter more to me now than ever before. These really can be your golden years if you take each day as it comes and without complaint...it is probably the best of times.

I am reading...lots of things, but non-fiction for some time now. I need to get back to that because I find it relaxing and enriching but other things just seems more important to me right now.

From the kitchen...all stocked up and ready to commence the fully committed time to get healthier and stay that way. I hate the derailment of the holidays and compounding that with travel, I had been rather cavalier about WW the past many weeks. But today..tracking, measuring again, less sugar, more fruits and vegetables more protein, less carbs...and taking it one day at a time towards my goals. God has been merciful over these weeks...up only 2.2 which is way beyond a miracle. I'll have that off within days. Woohoo. On the Road again...Never Giving Up!

I am missing...blogging. I have been so irregular in my posting these past months, more so than ever before in my blogging history. I am so grateful for those of you that have remained with me as I have been passing through this time of trying to find more balance in my life. For those of you that comment even when you have not seen me on your blog reciprocating...I love you especially. Marie, Susan, Nellie, Caroline, Deanna, Becky you are all amazing friends.

I am hearing...Kenny Rankin singing Regrets. I do love and miss that wonderful man who died about two years ago. As a singer he was once tagged as a human instrument. His voice is amazing.

I am wearing...Geesh, I cannot tell you at this moment. Pathetic...I quit right in the middle of getting dressed to tap out a few lines on this Daybook. I am decent of course but I would not want anyone ringing the doorbell right now.

I am quoting..."Love is not complicated. People are." So true.

Somethings that made me especially happy this past week...getting home and finding all well here. Feeling satisfied that we had had a wonderful visit with Laura and the boys even though we both miss them so much. Getting everything back in order in our home has been nice..dust bunnies captured, all the laundry and clothes back in their proper places, a month's worth of bird droppings cleaned off our cars (Thanks, James!) A month's worth of mail gone through, mostly tossed and bills all paid, only mildly disturbing thing was a jury duty notice for tomorrow. I don't mind doing my civic duty, in fact I want to...I just hate all the waiting around for the jury to be selected. Getting home to good friends and a routine...all pluses. It has been a good five days back in the saddle.

I am going...go for a walk today. Can't wait to get outside and breathe.

One of my guilty pleasures...creativity. I have to feel like I am creating something and although I love designing, I am not a crafty type person. If I glue it, sew, or "make it" I usually do not like it. But I am thrilled that I have my writing and photography and have found Pinterest to help me quickly and easily feel like I am creating and contributing something to the enjoyment of others while doing something I like to do too. Lately I have been creating these pins boards on certain colors. I really love them. They capture the beauty around us and I feel good when I work on them. I would love to know what you think of them if you are so inclined. You can find my pin boards here http://pinterest.com/onedesigner/ there is also a link on the sidebar of this blog towards the top that remains there all the time.

Pet Peeve...this may be revealing a little too much about myself but, we have these mesh type waste paper baskets we bought at Ikea years ago. They were cheapo and I have not liked them since day one...the reason...you can see the garbage in them when you walk by. Unless I am emptying them a few times a day my rooms always look messy to me. I know, anal...sorry. I should just put myself out of my misery and get new ones!

One of my favorite things...great hugs. We are huggers in this family and I enjoyed getting so many while on vacation. Did you know you need 7 hugs a day to be healthy? Those hugs among family and friends can convey so much. So affirming, which we all need, even if we don't acknowledge it. Increase your quota, enjoy your life more and bless and lift others too. What is not to love about hugging?

An enjoyable movie I have watched lately...Sherlock Holmes, getting ready to see the sequel.

I am curious about...How it is OK to be prejudiced toward Mitt Romney for his religion just because he is a Mormon. I can guarantee you with every fiber of my being that Mormons are, indeed, Christians. I am sick to death of the press calling the church, The Church of Latter-day Saints. It is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I wonder what this country would have done if this same nonsense was perpetrated towards Obama because he was black the last time around? How many demonstrations would that have engendered do ya think?

A decent and responsible person/voter will become educated about a candidate and what he/she has to offer before taking the lazy way out..prejudice toward them for their race or religion. This is not a slam on Mormons as much as it is just the same old stuff about the real problem...a country that does not want to see Christianity anywhere, especially in Washington. It is going to be an interesting year. I don't care who you vote for but I do hope you will be prayerful and "liberal" enough to consider the individuals and not the misinformation that will fly in your face all year. Prejudice is laziness. Go to the source...for your facts about Mormons http://lds.org

If I could change one thing it would be...read the last answer!

A few plans for the rest of the week...walking, tracking, hair beautification this afternoon, catch up some more with people that matter to me, including you. Jury duty tomorrow, Friday hopefully meet with my friends in the morning and a day with no other appointments. Saturday a funeral service and then dinner and a musical with Jim and his mom. Oh and I forgot...genealogy....lots of studying in preparation for teaching at the Regional Center far sooner than I feel ready.

Some photos and thoughts I'm sharing this week...Sometimes the opposition of having some of your best people far away is a blessing. Because every time you visit you have a truly special experience. Nothing that is precious and rare becomes ordinary. I find joy in that as I search for the silver lining in missing you and your places. These pictures bring tears of joy for all that we are blessed with...all the time. To me these places are sacred ground.

Utah

Laura's and Robert's neighborhood

Our beloved Tasso, Italy

The view I grew to love in New England this time from
the office where I occasionally wrote to you...
Places of beauty, memories and increased love for you,
our Father In Heaven and His goodness.

Love you, family and friends...Bonnie

The Ones

2012-01-10T12:38:00.001-08:00

Simply Stated...

Laura

Christopher

Jennifer

Julia, Jen and Piper
I couldn't find one photo of Jen and me so here she
is with two of her four girls a couple years ago.

Our Island Treasures

2012-01-05T15:46:00.001-08:00

Well, tomorrow we are going home! How can we possibly leave our sweet boys and Laura? We just have to, want to or not. I cannot help but think of Robert and how incredibly hard it must be to be away from his boys. I admire his courage so much. We must wait for our heavenly experiences I suppose, but, oh my, it is so hard when you get a taste of what it will be like along the way. Families can be together forever and for this I am so grateful.

Spencer 12, Ross 9

These are the photos that Laura took of the boys for their Christmas cards. I think she is an incredible photographer. It is hard to shoot a moving target and she has done a wonderful job with this series of photos. We have so many blurry photos of them as we have tried to capture a moment, but really these cannot be outdone.

Most boys do not like their pictures taken as you may have noticed if you have any. Most of the photos have funny faces or bunny ears or something that makes you grit your teeth and bite your tongue when you are trying to capture what they actually look like. Well,
Laura gets the prize on this series is all I can say. These photos depict them as they actually are. And they also capture their funny personalities and loving relationship. Capturing the essence of the child is what sets a great portrait photographer apart from a good one.

They of course have their moments, as all siblings do
but for the most part these guys are best buddies.

I have a feeling that at this point Laura was
trying to cajole Spencer into getting animated.

What I can pretty much guarantee here is that
Ross said something that cracked him up.

I love these two pictures because they
are giving us the real McCoy smiles.

We love these cute grandboys with all of our hearts
and sure are going to be blue for a few days!

But we will see them in the summer so already have that to look forward to as we head west tomorrow around noon ET. And we are thanking God there is no snow in Providence or in Chicago predicted for tomorrow. So we are very grateful for this fun time we have had and that we are going home and getting back to normal...whatever that is....? It has been a great Christmas season and a wonderful vacation. New England is still in our top five places to visit. Try it, you'll love it.

A Simple Woman's Day Book~January 2, 2012

2012-01-01T17:49:00.000-08:00

Taking a Moment to Contemplate the Journey!

Just For Today...Monday, January 2,2012

Our lives pass swiftly by!
I want to do something to remember
the everyday moments and my thoughts. That is what this d
Day Book is all about.

Focusing on the little things that become my life.

One week at a time.

Outside my window...it is 9:20 am and from the triple sliding glass door I am seeing a mix of Easter egg blue sky and silver and white billowy clouds. The temperature is warm, 43 degrees and the breeze is gentle at the moment. The thing about life on an island is that the weather changes faster than a woman's prerogative to do so.

I am thankful for...this opportunity to be on the east coast with James and Laura's family for this length of time. Being able to live life with them has opened my eyes to their life in a way you cannot get without doing it along side someone. Fun experience.

I am reading...genealogy lessons from my teacher. I am trying to get back in the swing of that since I need to start thinking about what classes I want to teach in this new year.

From the Kitchen..We have been trying out Laura's new grill and panini gadget she got for Christmas from Robert. It is really neat and we have had some fun sandwiches lately and a very nice dinner yesterday and so leftovers are the order of the day. Jim also made a big kettle of soup. So I cannot think we will be doing a lot of cooking anymore before we leave on Friday.

I am missing....home and a routine that makes me feel a little more productive. We have been having a lot of fun but meaningful work is important too. A month is a long time to be away from home even with the very best of the best people you want to spend time with, the suitcase take its toll.

I am hearing...Ross playing the piano and the boys chattering with each other. How wonderful that the kids have two boys. They just keep each other going all the time. Never a dull moment.

I am wearing..blue jeans, a rust shirt, a white furry vest and some jewelry that ties it all together. Some great shoes that have made my feet very happy on this vacation. The are made by a company called NAOT and are so comfy. They have been on my feet every single day on this vacation and I bought them in Utah. Absolutely no break in time required. Just slipped them on and walked away. LOVE them. They are a black, Mary Jane style and so they have replaced all the shoes I brought with me. I need to buy a brown pair for sure. Since they go with pants and skirts they are the best and most practical too.

I am quoting..."Never Give Up on Anyone, Miracles Happen Everyday." Anon

Some things that made me happy this past week...watching Lark Rise to Candleford with Laura, pinning a lot of fun things on Pinterest, going to Cape Cod with James for two days. Finding some good bargains after Christmas. Everything closes here for a few months during the winter so they were selling tons of stuff with 75% off tags. Playing with the boys, and just being with them. Talking to Robert via phone and Skype. Getting texts and phone calls from Piper and Julia and wonderful letters from Stephen on our shared family history.

One of my guilty pleasures...scarves. I have gotten some in the last few years and I totally love wearing them. They do keep you so warm. Most of them have come from lovely vacation spots so all have memories attached. I got several new ones this year from Laura and the boys for Christmas.

Pet Peeves...Picasa editing of photos. They need to talk to iPhoto!

I am going...to look for a couple of birthday gifts today while we are in Newport. We are going to a museum there with the boys and doing a little last minute stuff. Tomorrow the boys return to school. :-(

One of my favorite things...the vocabulary of both Spencer and Ross.

An enjoyable movie I have seen lately....well, we haven't seen it yet but will this week. War Horse.

I am curious about....how cell phones have changed our culture so profoundly. More specifically, smart phones. Media has taken over much of life. On the one hand, very neat to have and on the other hand very disturbing. Balance and perspective are the aspects that are challenging and also such a curiosity.

If I could change one thing it would be...all the things I want to put on my New Year's resolution list would be accomplished and a thing of the past by this time next year.

A few plans for the rest of the week..Some genealogy, some blogging hopefully, some creative graphic stuff with Laura, some movies, some running around the island and Massachusetts, putting Christmas to bed for this year, and packing up. :-0

A few photos and thoughts..I gave been trying to post some photos of Laura's very cool house but I am having trouble with the photos so I'll just add a few here.

Kitchen
The dining area off the kitchen.

The hutch use to belong to Laura's
great-grandmother and great-grandfather Ferrera.
She inherited it and painted it red.
I think it looks fantastic in her sunshine
yellow and red kitchen.

Kitchen corner

An artist's rendition of Positano, Italy
that they purchased when they lived in the old country.

The place where I have been writing overlooking the sea!

Part of the Living Room,
so pretty and comfy.

Our cozy spot while we have been here!

There are lot of other cool rooms in this house as well and a full basement that they have converted into a great family room, crafting area and play area for Legos, etc. The house has three bedrooms upstairs and 3 1/2 bathrooms throughout. This is a beautiful home and so spacious. This move was a wise one as their other house here on the island was pretty small with very little storage space. It is my favorite house they have had so far and I know I say that every time they move but it really is a nice one.

The best part is Laura always makes it such an inviting home and I think that gives the kids a real sense of roots no matter where they live. She was a great asset to our design business when we were working together. Simply put; she has the knack for making a house a home in every sense of the word. We are very proud of all she is doing to keep the home fires burning while Robert serves our country.

The Resolving Time Again...

2011-12-30T09:14:00.000-08:00

Smart: Be Specific

Measurable: Choose goals that have progress you can measure

Attainable: Is your goal reasonable, are you allowing enough time and resources?

Relavent: Make your goals something your truly want to do not just something you should do. The shoulds are not as motivating as the wants.

Time-Limited: Small steps work better for attaining and maintaining what you want.

By being SMART maybe I can attain all my goals this year. How about you? Why is it that good changes are so much harder than bad ones? Bummer! In a few days I will post some of my goals for the new year. Right now I am doing a study of all the aspects of daily living, like physical, emotional, social, educational, spiritual, etc and choosing various things to work on. Funny how a lot of the same ones keep resurfacing...wouldn't it be nice to put some of it on the completed shelf at the end of the year? I am feeling motivated this year...are you?

A Simple Woman's Daybook

2011-12-26T08:58:00.000-08:00

Taking a Moment to Contemplate the Journey!

Just For Today...Monday, December 26, 2011

Outside my window...I am viewing the beautiful ocean that surrounds this island. Where I am sitting is about the best place for a writer I have ever been with the exception of Yosemite perhaps. It is peaceful, quiet, private and glorious. What more could one desire for inspiration? It is a beautiful clear, windy day and I can see the white caps on the water from the desk. The water looks like a deep sapphire pool.

I am thankful for...all people in my life that have blessed me so deeply. Family, friends, leaders, teachers, parents, role models, children, grandbabies, siblings, siblings of different mothers or in other words the people that feel like siblings...neighbors, past work associates and clients, aunts, uncles, cousins, people with extreme faith, courage, talents and intelligence, people that have touched my life and those who have left us to return home to our Father. The ones that have made extreme sacrifices to make my own life better. I love them and am so grateful.

I am reading... Scriptures, the Pioneer Woman's Cookbook, Christmas stories and blogs and genealogy newsletters. Oh, and Rhode Island toursita info.

From the Kitchen...We are still eating leftovers from our Christmas Eve extravaganza. The whole family made a big dinner for some guests and we made a ton of the best Italian meatballs. We are still eating them. The boys enjoyed this, especially Spencer. He is becoming quite the little chef just like his Grampa, and his great, great, great grandfather before him.

I am missing....absolutely nothing except Robert. Our life is very full and we are so blessed.

I am hearing...one of my favorite songs..Celine Dion singing "Have You Ever Been In Love?" Well, have you?

I am wearing...black pants a dark teal shirt and a multi-colored scarf with mostly black and teal and a few other colors, black socks and shoes and jewelry, watch and ummm that is it.

I am quoting..."Never leave the house in sweats. A girl must be prepared to meet a dashing stranger or an old enemy!" I think this is funny!

Some things that made me happy this past week...getting ready for Christmas here in Rhode Island and being with Laura and the boys. Meeting their wonderful neighbors and friends and visiting the boy's school and attending their Christmas concert, having a caroling party and a dinner party with friends, attending their ward and several activities, hearing Laura sing and Ross play the piano and the watching the boys take a karate belt test and advance in their Marshall Arts skills with new belts, talking to Robert on Skype. Driving around the island as a family, shopping with Laura, lunch out with Jim and Laura on different days and once together. New England Fish and Chips and High Tea. Visiting the mansion in Bristol. A whole glorious day with Laura. Shopping with my girl. All things vacation and Christmas. Getting a peak at life in New England. Love it.

One of my guilty pleasures...drinking a glass of egg nog with Ross. Yummm. Even the lowfat is good.

Pet Peeves...schedules that are just too full. I am really enjoying the kick back days here on the island.

I am going...To write all day long today. What a luxury.

One of my favorite things...living in the moment and savoring it. Also daydreaming of the past and future.

An enjoyable movie I have seen lately.....I got the series, Lark Rise to Candleford for Christmas from someone who always knows exactly want I want...me. You should always buy yourself a present, don't you agree? Anyway, Laura has not seen it so we started it yesterday afternoon. I have been wanting to buy it since the minute I first got hooked on it. Now she is thinking of doing the same.

I am curious about....how I can listen to "Caruso" by Pavarotti a million times and never tire of it. Somehow this is true as I have put it to the test of time. It has become more beautiful over time actually.

If I could change one thing it would be...that earth life was more like heaven..peace, love, safety, wellness, extreme joy and in God's presence all the time.

A few plans for the rest of the week...Jim and I may go away to Cape Cod on an overnighter if the weather looks like it is going to hold in the non-snow pattern we have become accustomed to since our arrival. Laura and I are going to go on some more holiday home tours in Newport this week in the evenings, we'll do some fun things with the boys, there are probably a few movies in the plans, there is an ice skating party hosted by their school on the 30th and the night before we may all go to a string quartet concert in the Blythewold Mansion. Grampa has projects and adventures planned and Laura and I can probably occupy ourselves very nicely doing girl things. No plans for New Year's Eve yet. Probably just a quiet time with the family is my guess. The best part is I don't have to worry about anything but just being here and enjoying it. Who can complain? Not me. Life rarely seems this uncomplicated.

A few photos and thoughts...the other night we went for about an hour's drive to see the Catholic Shire of La Sallate in Massachusetts. It is something like their version of The Salt Lake Temple Square Christmas Lights, but much larger. It is several acres of lights and there is a large lake, concession stands, a merry-go-round and trolley car rides and the like. It was so fun to go out there and see so many people out with their families enjoying this lovely display that had to take weeks to put up and lots of helping hands.

They had an incredible number of creches that belong to the shrine that people have donated and that were fun to see. They were from all over the world and while some were very simple others were quite elaborate. Spencer enjoyed taking some photos of them. They also had a huge artists display of pictures of Christ.

There were thousand and thousands of lights
to illuminate the heart, night and the season!

Laura approved this photo to be published. So I am publishing it even though only she and Spencer photographed well here! Ha ha, she is her mother incarnate. Honestly, how does that happen? I thought no one disliked their own pictures less than me, but maybe she does. I tell her that she is beautiful in every photo but her response is often, "Mom, to a mother every beetle is a gazelle!" Love my silly, precious, very beautiful girl.

Blithewold Mansion and Gardens

2011-12-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas From Bristol

Blithewold Estate has a beautiful old Mansion, Garden and Arboretum in Bristol, Rhode Island. It was built in the mid-1890's by a family named, Van Winkle, and they had a fire a few years later. It was then rebuilt and stands today, as it was then. I learned of it last fall while browsing through the tiny city library when we visited Bristol and I knew that Laura and I just had to visit the mansion at Christmas one year. I didn't know it would be so soon.

It was delightful in every way and I got to go two times! One day with James and the very next day with Laura. We love doing Christmas home tours, especially the old homes of the 1800s. This is probably the best one I have ever seen. Design is totally in the details and this estate owner knew that from the beginning.

The architecture, the flow, the crown molding, ceilings and stairways and banisters are fabulous. Exquisite detailing on every level just make this home sublime. The thing that makes it a crown jewel is it was given in trust to the city, with the entire contents of the home included. This makes for an authentic, historic home viewing experience. Many of these types of homes are filled with period pieces that were never in the home originally. Sometimes the fit is awkward, but not here. Houses and their contents say so much about a family. Here is the real corker...admission $10.00. In CA it would be three or four times that.

James

Here we have the most perfect, gianormous Christmas Tree.
Should have had Jim stand in front of it for scale. Love it!

The back of the home

The lawn and view of the sea!

Laura's ready to walk in!

Foyer's two-stories-tall Christmas Tree
This year's theme...'bringing nature in.'

The grand Mantel in the Entryway about 6 feet 6 inches tall.

Details of the big tree. It was really a pretty one!

This is a tiny phone room off the foyer.
The amazing thing is the wall mural.
It looks like wallpaper when you first see it.

I loved seeing this in this elegant home~
We have something similar in our cottage!

The kitchens of today are a little more functional
for cooking but nobody has this beautiful
storage for their dishes, stemware and linens.
Love the butler's pantry attributes.

I'd give up my dishwasher and disposal
and Jenn-Air grill for this...any day of the week!

These Silver Candlesticks found on the
immense mantle in the formal dining room
are amazingly beautiful.

The silver was so highly polished and shiny it was hard to take a photo because the room was dark. We loved the tall, battery operated candles with the slender flames too. They looked very elegant compared to the ones you see so often. Here in New England the single candle in the middle of every window sill is popular, and very classy looking as your drive by at Christmas time when it is dark. It is a really pretty place, New England that is.

The Dining Room

It is a very formal room with dark wood carved paneling on the walls and a dark slate paint on the plaster. Both Laura and I agreed we would not have selected it but it was remarkably effective in creating a very elegant setting for the tea. The trees in this room were decorated with blue ornaments and a lot of silver and clear glass with white lights. Elegant.

The Tea

They had some wonderful chamomile herbal tea, scones, and sweet and savory bite size offerings on the tea menu. Most gentlemen would have wanted a bit more, but the ladies savored it and delighted in the nurturing of this exquisite setting and good conversation. I had such a sublime time with Laura we were out all day...breakfast, lunch and dinner, covered part of two states, lots of shopping and gabbing and mommy/daughter time. Nothing like it...pure heaven..I didn't get any sisters but the Lord blessed me with two wonderful, wonderful girls, a super daughter by marriage and five grandgirls to help fill in that void. Lucky me!

My Christmas Present..a day with my littlest girl, Laura!

The living room was divine. The mantel was amazing.
The trees on the side of the mantel were half trees.
A great idea and very effective on yet another
over-sized fireplace and mantel.

We spent some time checking out the garlands and how they made them. We love to do the garlands. They make all the difference in your Christmas decor. They are painstaking, labor intensive and take a long time, but they are sooo worth it.A Garland maker's best friend, wired, wide ribbons. Vintage Christmases without them are nearly impossible.

Jim discovered this little trick they used to double the lighting effect on your mantel. Line it with a shinny piece of transparent plastic and it acts like a mirror and illuminates everything twice as much. Love it!

I want Jim to make us some of these glass doors
for our bookcases when his shop is done. He said OK!!

Just a little quirky, no?

Some of the bedrooms in the mansion.

A Child's Room

The bath

We enjoyed seeing this bathroom with the double sinks and the claw foot soaking tub. Sadly the big bathroom scale. It has always been an issue it seems. One had to be able to get into those stays and tight dresses with the laces. The price of a little beauty is so high, isn't it?

We had a wonderful time doing this this week. I hope you have also had some fun pre-Christmas activities. Next week we are touring a bunch of historical homes in Newport. Not mansions just older, smaller houses from the 19th century decked out for the Christmas Season. Wish you could come too.

Merry Christmas to you and now I am off for a nap under a big furry blanket. Still freezing but happy! Santa has been very generous and I am pretty tired after only four hours of sleep. We went to a Midnight Mass last night at a local Catholic Church after a big fancy dinner party here earlier in the evening. And then presents and church this morning. Full day yesterday, plus running today = nap time now. Zzzzzzz..... Hugs, B

"It Doesn't Get Better Than This!"

2011-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! To Quote James exactly...."It doesn't get any better than this!"

http://youtu.be/SIuXRicwZK4

God's blessing on you and your family for the Best Christmas ever! And may your New Year bring you the blessings and treasures you seek in all your pursuits.

With love,

Bonnie & Jim ♥ ♥

Flash Back to Christmas In Italy 2009

2011-12-24T11:59:00.000-08:00

Presepe Vivente~The Living Nativity

The hills and valleys of Italy are filled with The Nativity. It is such a beautiful sight and it has made me realize that here in America, with all our our 'political correctness,' we are doing our citizens a terrible disservice. Not to be able to display the symbols of Christ at Christmas will never fly in Italy. For this alone, I love their country.

People need visual reminders and not a soul in Italy can miss the Christ in Christmas. No matter what their religious beliefs, the degree of activity in their church or the lives they are living~at Christmas time they are reminded over and over again what their compass should be. We need this here in America. I like the term 'political correctness' because that is exactly what it is. Political! It isn't ethical, or spiritual correctness and it has nothing to do with what is right or true or good for us, most of the time. In denying the public displaying of the Nativity, we as Americans are shooting ourselves in the foot, Big Time!

That being said and climbing down off my soapbox, I want to share the experience we had on the day after Christmas. In Italy they savor Christmas. They start early and end late with their celebrations.

Whoops, back on the box for a minute. Often times I have noticed the day after Christmas, all evidence of the money we have spent during the holidays is removed visually from the malls and market places. Poof, it is gone, that way we will continue to spend, spend, spend! And someone is working Christmas night to make it happened by opening time the next morning. It is all about the retail over here. Not so in Italy. The world should take a lesson.

So we planned to go to a tiny mountain town called Maranola, near Gaeta to see the Living Nativity the day after Christmas. While Christmas had already vanished in the US by the 26th, this was their opening day. We arrived early so we could stroll around Gaeta a bit.

The harbor walkway of Gaeta

One of the ships Robert has been to sea on while living here.

When we stayed here, a window in our hotel room
opened to a full view straight on of the back of the ship.
(Bow, stern, port? I never did know these!)

The kids arranged a tour for us through the military services to go to see the Presepe and we all bundled up, drove to Gaeta, jumped on a bus and off we went. We didn't have much of an idea of what to expect~except rain. Rain, rain, continual rain. We had pretty much acclimated to that, but had no idea what it would mean to have it raining on this particular night. Can I just say flat out, I didn't like it one bit?

This is a view from the head of the line,
it goes down a few flight of stairs to the bottom of the hill.

When we arrived at the ancient little town we saw a big line of umbrellas trailing up to the entrance to the little village. They only allowed so many people up into the village at one time. Crowding under the mass of umbrellas we waited and wondered what was ahead. Huddling under umbrellas that are overlapping and touching each other is a curious thing. I think you actually get wetter from the run off of the umbrellas around you. Arrrgh! Can we say... Grumpy Gramma?

Then the music started playing and that soothed me somewhat, even though I was already getting drenched. A man was playing some bagpipes for all to enjoy. It was nice. Moving as a crowd we made our way through the tiny streets. In spite of the physical challenges, it was wonderful to see the little vignettes they had put together to represent the life of the people of Bethlehem at the time of Christ's birth, as we climbed our way half way to heaven. Everyone in the village participates and it really an amazing sight. The ruggedness of the setting makes it seem so authentic. The steps up were very uneven, worn and extremely slippery and the streets that weren't actually stairs were very narrow and steep.

I had to laugh at the clothes hanging out to dry!
We were drenched to the bone! Seriously my hair
looked like I had just stepped out of the shower.
(No photos, thank you very much!)

We came across a little chapel
near the top of the mountain.

Jim in his glory when he met some
bonified, Italian boys scouts!

We climbed some more and came across
another ancient place of worship.
Check out the carving behind
Jim on the walls and the 3-D
fresco wall/sculpture below.

Wet kidlets!

What we came for at the very top of the mountain...

Presepe Vivente~the Living Nativity
with the youngest baby of the village
as the baby Jesus
and his parents as Mary and Joseph.
They had even hauled these big lumbering oxen up there!
Amazing and a great memory.

Once down we had our dinner while
waiting for our tour bus to pick us up.
If you haven't tried a picnic on a mountain,
at night, soaked to the gills,
in December, in Italy...you should!
It is a relief to say, "Been there, done that,"
and then to move on!

Looking back from a nice, warm, dry perspective,
it was a great experience.

European Christmas~Part 10 Swiss Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T06:43:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/QEQliJMvAe0

We Made Italian Meatballs Today!

2011-12-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

Fun video on how to make them!

http://screen.yahoo.com/the-perfect-italian-meatball-27096548.html

Here is how we slightly modified this dish:

3 lbs ground beef...1/2 of that the extra lean meat
4 shallots~chopped finely
2 Cups bread crumbs (We used Progresso Italian Seasoned)
2 Raw Eggs
8 Oz Ricotta Cheese
2 Cups Shredded Asiago Cheese
Seat salt and freshly ground pepper.

Everything else was just like the video! (Minus the Vino!!)

Le polpette sono molto buoni!

European Christmas~Part 9 Switzerland

2011-12-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/LhDGFQ5Y908

European Christmas~8 Italy

2011-12-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/UFEQ68K4_zs

Christmas Love

2011-12-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

The "W" in Christmas
A Christmas Story
by Candy Chand

"Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience.

I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending.

Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant."

I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to at tend that evening were welcome to come then.

Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor, and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats.

As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.

Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes, and good cheer.

So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snow caps upon their heads.

Those in the front row - center stage - held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song.

As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her - a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W".

The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W".

Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen.

In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.

For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:

Christ was

Love"

And, We believe, He still is.

The Temple of the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (The Mormons) in Salt Lake City, Utah

(I added in the photos)

European Christmas~Part 7 Austria

2011-12-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/EJFGwyH7wvM

European Christmas~Part 6 Germany

2011-12-20T12:01:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/xQfpf-7sqgU

Christmas Past

2011-12-19T19:49:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the things we won't have to put away when we get home. Woohoo! But I have to say I did miss decorating this year. It is funny how all the Christmas stuff just has so many memories attached to it. It is always so much fun to put it up but the taking it down is not my favorite. But we have truly enjoyed seeing all the pretty decorations at all the kids' houses this year. I'll have to post some of the photos of what they did. Very lovely. So here is my post from last year.

This is the new wreath that

Sydne made for us.

Believe me when I say if you love Christmas, love decorating, and have 43 years of things you have inherited, received as gifts, found at favorite shops and destinations, you can accumulate a lot of treasures. Sometimes I get mad at myself because we have so much Christmas stuff it is crazy. (Especially on the day Jim has to haul it all out of the attic and put it all back!)

But after putting this post together I feel better. So many of these things are threads in the tapestry of our lives and marriage..in fact all of them are. I love them all and the people that they remind me of, or that have given us these gifts and cherished times. They bring back such fond memories of Christmases past and places we have been together.

So these are just some things we love, that have been on the journey with us over the years or in some cases, have just come home to roost this year. It turns out I am not as much of a hoarder of Christmas things as I thought. I'm just a sentimental, lover of Christmas, family, friends and traditions. It's such a reminder of a wonderful life of many rich blessings, too numerous to count. I just don't think I can downsize, what would I give away? I don't think I can part with these things just yet...nor do I want to.

A Woodland Santa from a favorite
shopping trip with our girls in Utah

A metal art piece I love to hang in our
laundry room this time of year.
It had giant glass sparkles on it.

A metal angel that glistens in the
light of Christmas that Jen gave us.
With a little arm twisting I will admit!

Part of my pear collection that
I think looks Christmasy.

A lava light of glitter and candle to
lighten the antique kitchen cupboard
Uncle Tom made for me many Christmases ago.

Part of the mantel display with special ornaments.

More of the mantel

A red wooden bowl of metal
ornaments and balls and special bells!

The bells are from my father's sleigh
that he enjoyed at Christmas time
as a child, riding in a 'one horse open sleigh'
with his family, in the 1920s.

An ornament that reminds me so
much of Italy at Christmas time.

Beautiful Buon Natale Sign made for us by
our daughter, Laura. It awaited our arrival in
Italy last year in our beautiful comfy room.

A child's metal and wicker chair
with a cute Christmas pillow Jennifer made
and a bald Santa my mom gave me.

A beautiful, hand-painted,
German candle globe given to me last year
by Laura's husband, our son, Robert.
He found it in a German
Christmas Market in Munich.

Just our little family room tree where
we spend so much of our days and nights.

The beautiful paper flower, in my favorite color
and bedazzled by glitter, that Julia,
our granddaughter made for me this year.

The Lobster ornament given to me
by Laura as a remembrance of our trip
in New England this year.

The old jointed metal Santa
that has greeted guests at our backdoor
for years and years.

My new woodland Santa arrangement
made by Sydne that sits in a half bucket
to fit nicely on the window sill in our kitchen.

A beautiful gift tag from my friend
Becky's shop on etsy.
I love its vintage, simple look so I
hung it up to display this year.

I just love this glass and metal centerpiece
I bought at a garage sale years ago.
I call it my museum piece I have
been meaning to fill it with ornaments
but haven't done it yet.
(Realistic translation of that is..I probably won't!)

Those metal cherubs make it a museum piece, right?
Thanks to my sister-in-law, Gail, for that family discount!

My cute snowman and ice skater made
by my good friend, Lanette, years ago.

A pumpkin colored glittered Santa
that I love in our Tuscan Kitchen

The window sill pretties in my office area

My beloved carolers from my mom

More carolers. Mom use to give me one or two a year.

Our funky Christmas wreath with the lime green
bows, babbles and berries.

The sign Jim made for me with the red lettering,
lovely message and glimmering, glittery finish.

A music box and another gift
from my mom years ago.

Metal Merry Christmas sign, purchased on one of Jim's Birthday
get-aways, on a Thanksgiving Weekend in the Sierras.

Gold and white tiny nativity given to me
by my friend, Lee, many years ago.

Luscious large ornaments on a lacy plate
given to me by my co-worker and friend,
Barb at a work Christmas party back in the 90s.

Baby christening dress that hangs in our room with the
Crystal Christmas pin Jim once gave me.

My shopping snow girl with her
metal package tree and gifts.
They sit atop our china cabinet this year.

Another beautiful floral by Sydne.
I have attached a beautiful sparkly red
cardinal given to us by The Shanahans one year.

A skinny, tall Santa that I think has a cute hat!
And beautiful glass trees.

One of the nativity sets we rotate in each year.

Our lawn jockey usually sports some kind
of Christmas decoration. This year it
is a big bunch of pretty bells that
belonged to our neighbor of 30
years that died awhile back.

Our butler's pantry holds
our Christmas dishes, the first fun purchase I
made after going to work when Laura started school.
They have entertained many a loved one over the years.

A metal, glimmering sign on our front porch
to wish you well on this happy Christmas of 2010.

P.S. Self-discovery note: I knew I would say glittery a lot in this post but I am shocked by how many times I said metal! There is that thread of things we love in decorating, that I often tell clients about and I wasn't even aware I had this thread in my Christmas collection! Metallic, who knew??

European Christmas~Part 5 France

2011-12-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/KwAnG8k1bC4

European Christmas~Part 4 Norway

2011-12-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/__k8qIwWVdw

Rhode Island... Holding Its Own

2011-12-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Pinterest photo

When we arrived in Rhode Island on Tuesday night it was very dark. We had had a great flying day. When we were traveling to the Salt Lake Airport the weather was a little dicey with snow coming down lightly and the visibility was poor. But we jumped on and off we went after deicing. Not much turbulence and 140 miles an hour tailwinds out of Phoenix got us here nearly an hour early. That was a nice thing. It is always fun for us to see Robert and Laura's new house wherever they are stationed. They always have such nice and comfortable homes allowing us premier vacations in exotic places. How's that for seeing the silver lining in having them always so far away? When we returned to Rhode Island, I was a little leery as once you have been to such a favorite place you almost fear being disappointed the next time because of your wonderful memories.

But Rhode Island seems almost better this time except for Robert not being here. One thing is the kids moved into a bigger, really wonderful home so they have adequate space this time and to spare. I'll put some photos of the interior on my next post.
When we woke up and looked out windows, the first morning we saw this. Rhode Island is beautiful no matter what the season. As you can see the kids live very close to the water. It is actually a finger of the ocean although it is quite gray in this photo we are hoping for some sunny days starting tomorrow which will make it look very blue.

One of the things I love about this part of the country is the open space. There is just a lot of land that sits unoccupied by houses and cars and people's junk. No fences are my favorite thing and that the homes are placed randomly on the lots, not in rows with equidistant spaces between them like we are use to seeing in the west. It creates a feeling of neighborliness and oddly, relaxation that we just don't see much at home. This random placement of houses is actually a design principle for a more casual look inside a home and it works exactly the same way outside. For a more formal look you want a geometric or linear look and symmetry. Neat how that works, isn't it?

The part of the island they live on is rather hilly and this just makes it so interesting topographically. Driving into the little town you meander up and down and in and around these big, beautiful homes along the road. It is very picturesque and quaint.

The front of their house

Back of the house

View from their deck and also their study
on a sunny day looking east to the water.

Backyard

Neighborhood houses
Random houses along the way to school for the boys.

Love this one...
Their neighbors on the north side

So much breathing room!

So we are having a wonder-filled time and lots of school and church activities have kept us busy. But next week we can just do whatever we want and haven't even had time to plan that all yet. So until next time, hope you are all having a great pre-Christmas time and that you have all the hard stuff done ahead of time so you can just enjoy the spirit of it all.

Love to all, Bonnie & Jim

European Christmas~Part 3 London

2011-12-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/ZAhJ6StZuuk

European Christmas~Part 2 Bath

2011-12-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/qW6iI_BRObA

European Christmas~Part 1

2011-12-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/0Zh_sSAB1dU

Christmas Beyond Our Shores~Oslo Girls' Choir

2011-12-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

We have had the incredible privilege of going to Europe twice at Christmas Time. It is awe inspiring to actually see that our Savior has been worshiped in Europe for centuries. The beautiful traditions that have been developed over time and efforts and unity make being there to celebrate with them a wonderful opportunity to grow. Beholding a 700-year-old manger in St. Giles Cathedral on Christmas Eve in Edinburgh at the Midnight Service was an experience never to be forgotten or outdone! Christmas in Italy was also something that cannot be compared to anything we had experienced before it. The majesty of hearing the choirs in the ancient cathedrals and beholding the precepes (nativity scenes) everywhere in Italy was glorious.

When we saw the video presentation of Rick Steves and his family enjoying a European Christmas we thought what a fun gift that could be from us to you. It is not something you can unwrap but hopefully it will become a part of you as you ponder the joy of Christ in your own life and the wonder-filled things that make Christmas special to you personally. That is what this blog is about.

We have a series of travel videos by Rick Steves and this video was a part of one of them as an added bonus. Jim and I watch it a couple of time a year in our armchair travels. We were excited to see it is now available on YouTube in ten segments. So since Rick Steves has generously made it available we wanted to share it with you. (You can also buy it in its entirely and uninterrupted, and the CD of the music on ricksteves.com)

Hopefully it will be bringing joy into your heart because you and your family worship the same Babe in Bethlehem in a meaningful way. And we know this is important to you not only on December 25th but every day. That is what "Come Follow Me" is all about.

There is something so unifying in seeing how it is done in other places and cultures and although it is different, paradoxically it is also very much the same. The travel is exciting and the music a delight to our senses and hearts. Along with that we hope you enjoy the European traditions that are a visual feast for the soul.

In Europe we noticed a lot more emphasis on the Christ in Christmas which we truly appreciated. All over Europe the visual images and reminders of Christ prevail during the season. And whether or not you are a practicing Christian, in Europe you will be reminded everywhere you look that this belief in the Holy Christ Child is a big part of your heritage and culture. Oh, how sad it is that this is being lost in our country bit by bit every single year. The melting pot is getting kind of murky and yet is more divisive than ever. And the result is an angry and at the same time, an apathetic abyss. We cannot afford to succumb to the "whatever' mentality any longer. We have to work so much harder now to keep the truth and our faith something we love, honor and preserve for our posterity. Home and family and our allegiance to God are becoming more important with every passing day.

One thing I love about the video presentations is seeing how the hard work of maintaining the various cultural traditions in the families in Europe strengthens them! No wonder we are to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and vice versa! It is not just for the future....it is for NOW!

I have set this blog up so that you may enjoy the European Christmas videos all at once or for the ten days before Christmas one little segment each day as Christmas approaches. This is how it will appear on my main blog starting on December 14th. This will allow me to take a break from blogging while in New England if I choose, but I am pretty sure I will be adding things there too.

Clicking on the Christmas tree at the top right of the blog will bring you back to the beginning or top of the blog.

Hope you enjoy this and by the way, you are loved by Jim and by me...Merry Christmas. Thank you for being such a sweet friend and inspiring influence in our lives.

Here is a little preview of what is in store...

http://youtu.be/S0_Qer5f714

It's Snowing!

2011-12-13T07:17:00.000-08:00

Greetings from snowy Utah. Actually it just started snowing and so it is not sticking yet. We are heading to the airport and flying to Phoenix and then on to Rhode Island. We will arrive tonight. It is bittersweet, hating to say good bye to the kids here but we are looking forward to our time in the East. Cannot wait to see Laura and the boys. I sure hope you are all well and enjoying the Christmas season, Go over to our Christmas blog at http://averymerrychristmas.blogspot.com if you have a minute.We have had a wonderful time here these past few days.

Love to all of you! Bonnie & Jim

Christmas Card Greetings

2011-12-07T23:30:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up my Dad always did all the Christmas cards. I realize how unusual that was now and appreciate him for it. He wrote in each card, news of the family, extending our Christmas Greeting from our family to theirs. My dad also always decorated the Christmas tree. I think that was pretty unique also. My mom wasn't just sitting around watching TV and eating bonbons, she did her share too with the baking and cooking and shopping, etc. They just kind of divided it all up. Even in those days Christmas was a lot of work.

For as long as my parents were alive I loved reading their Christmas cards from old friends. This continued for me, long after I left home. I especially loved reading the ones with news of their family and what had happened in their lives that year. A lot of those old friends have passed on now, but I still remember reading their Christmas greetings with such fondness. Some people would hang theirs up on a door or a window like little badges of sweet friendships. We always had a basket near the door that collected the new ones each day during the season.

In those days some people did send family pictures and that was a really special treat. Some friends of my parents from Minnesota always had the postcard Christmas photo greeting, so popular today. I remember thinking then, "Wow, they must be so rich!" I can still envision the little black and white photo of their family standing by their piano each year. (A piano, a sure sign they were mighty rich!)

Years later when we got married, I tried to get Jim to send them out, didn't all husbands? I think he gladly would have, but somehow since he was in school, that fell into my lap almost from the get go. I would send out a bunch and try to hand write a note in each one. It seemed to take forever, but I remember never liking to get cards with just a signature because it always left you wishing they had given you more information about their lives. Instinctively, I found myself looking on the back of the card hoping for more....rarely finding it.

Then came the childbearing years and the hit and miss cards. Some years I would do them, sometimes guiltily, with only a signature. Then when things got really hectic and I was working...nothing at all. When people first started doing the typed letters I was elated. Now I could enclose something of substance and a signature.

I have this one friend, Linda Breedlove, who is from the south and a wonderful lady. She lived here for some years and then they returned to her home state, Mississippi. She was still writing personalized handwritten letters, 3 and 4 pages, on real stationary and inserting them into her cards! I felt so in awe of her and how she did it all, she had as many kids as I did. I just knew I couldn't do that anymore. {We are still good friends on Facebook some 30 years later...I think I'll have to ask her about that!}

I wanted to do an annual letter. I remember there was this man in our ward named Brother Libby and I once took my painstakingly, perfectly-typed, one page, single spaced letter and some red paper and he printed it for me in an old van he had set up in his driveway with a copier in it. This was so heavenly. 100 copies just like that, in about an hour. I stood and watched every one of them come s l o w l y out of that newfangled machine. And it was a cold, stormy night, but I was on a mission to streamline our cards and letters.

Next came that very impersonal era of printed signature cards. Those were my least favorite of all. What a disappointment to open a pretty card and see an embossed name and nothing more. A handwritten signature was better, by far. I am glad most people have discontinued that practice and left them for the business community.

Until the last three years I was pretty hit and miss on the cards. Mostly I did it though and with an annual letter included. But three years ago I had an idea to make an electronic Christmas Card on Blogger. I thought it would a fun project and one worth trying.

It seemed like so many of our family and friends were still wanting news of our grown kids. And heaven only knows the kids have a lot on their own plates and lots of friends of their own to worry about. So I now have this fun e-card with news of all of them. I am our self-appointed family historian. It works for me, there is nothing I love writing about more than our kids and grandkids and the things we find to be most important, as a family.

The Christmas E-Card in past years has been divided into posts about each family etc., so people that only know one of them can just read that or whatever they like. This year it is a little different. You"ll have to stop by to see it. I have used a lot of links so you can read as much or as little as you wish.

It is not easier than sending regular cards, in fact it takes a lot of time and endless editing while I am working on it. But once it is finished, I love it. There will be people that open it and say essentially..."Who cares about all of this?" But for me it is something special for our family, if no one else. I like to feature each of our kids and grandkids individually most years so they will know how important they are to us. You know how big and little people love reading about themselves. But this year it is a little different, shorter with the links. It is a piece of our family history that I want to share with our extended family and friends, while testifying of the truthfulness of Jesus Christ and his birth and purpose. It is my way of sharing that we believe. It is our way of sharing our love for those who do care.

When I went to get a name for this blog I was shocked to see that A Very Merry Christmas was actually available on Blogger. What, are you kidding me? I snagged it immediately and you can find news of our clan at:

http://averymerrychristmas.blogspot.com

This is the front of our Christmas Card this year.
Look inside!

To me if feels like progress, I hope y0u like it if you are so inclined to stop over. There is also a button for the Christmas e-Card on the top of my sidebar. If you know of anyone else who does one of these I'd be so interested to hear about it. What are your memories and traditions surrounding Christmas Greetings. Do you find them an important part of your Christmas?

A Catchy Merry Christmas Melody

2011-12-06T22:20:00.000-08:00

This is really neat, Susie, thanks for sharing it with us!

How Come?

2011-12-05T19:54:00.000-08:00

When I could be out shopping and looking at such beautiful things for Christmas which I totally love to do...like

Checking out Miso Lino in Walnut Creek!

And taking in the sites and thinking about
what to get you for Christmas if $ were no object...

Then ogling all the house bling...
Oooo, I do love this!

Or checking out the Byers Carolers~
There are practically a whole
city of them you know!

Or eying this small wrath that would look great in
our house and also empty our bank account!

But instead...

All I want to do is sink into this red leather
chair in Jim's office and stare into space.

Or

1. Write in my blogs or get emails from friends

2. Hang out at home in my jammies

3. Look at other people's Christmas
decorations on Pinterest.
Repin and stick a few of my own.

4. Cannot seem to have the energy
to read blogs right now.

5. Cannot arouse even a tiny interest
in Facebook.

6 Want to watch movies about
Christmas but not like usual.

7. Listen to Christmas music but
not all the things I normally listen
to at Christmas..
Just Josh Groban's Angelic voice
singing the classics and classical.

8. Sleep and rest and have some hugs.

After giving this some thought I think it might have something to do with this...

I am not worried I have faith that the Lord will protect him. But I just totally miss him and I miss him for us, for Laura, for his boys and for his parents and siblings. And the very worst of all...him missing his family and being so far away from those that truly matter most to him.

I need a quadruple by-pass on this one but, it is too late for intervention. The sadness is already lodged right there in the middle of my heart. Not even Christmas can budge it completely...but I am working on it. One of the perils of being a Mom, I guess. I have known double and triple jeopardy before but this is a quad. Holy Cow...too much and it really has kind of blind-sided me! Even the two year missions do not prepare you for this.

But do not worry about me, I bounce back fast. Mornings are a new day and I plan to take a deep breath, carry on and keep going. I just need a little carrying on the beach right now. And maybe some extra prayers for them right now too. Sigh.

The Real Gifts We Celebrate! 3 Of 3

2011-12-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Scenes from our front porch this morning~
It made me think about the beauty of no more weeping!
The raindrops were glistening like diamonds.

Who is this Christ of whom they speak? Who is this child born in a lowly stable in the hills of Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago of whom the world celebrates each day, not just at Christmas?

He is the Son of the Living God, our Savior, our Friend, our Brother, our Exemplar, our Healer, our Hope, our Redeemer, the Great I AM, the Prince of Peace. Do we have any idea really of His Greatness and Magnificence, His Power or His Glory? I wonder, do we know?

I really don't think she did know. She learned line upon line, precept upon precept just as we all must do. Learning to know of Jesus Christ is a life long pursuit, but learning to know Christ is really who He proclaimed to be takes but a moment, when the Holy Ghost testifies of Him to our hearts. When our testimony of that is born our life is changed forever.

To me the Greatest Christmas Gifts of Christ

to us are

His Promises and His Peace.

He promises us that we can live forever, which gives us undying hope that one day we will rest from all our labors and cares of this world and live with Him again. There will be a better tomorrow.

He has left us His promise that He has gone to prepare a mansion for us and that He will return again to rule and reign.

He has promised us that the home we long for, where things are perfect and just and good and right can be ours again. That longing that we experience here will be gone, we will be home and whole again. That emptiness we sometimes feel inside will be gone. Our rejoicing will be effortless, we will just BE joyful. The searching for it will be over.

He promises us we will be restored to our perfect frame, not a hair of our heads will be lost. We will be healed each and every one of us, and we will be perfect and our very best selves and we will be that way forever. We will never again be stricken with degeneration, illness or disease or infirmities or death. There will be no more sorrow, no more pain or loneliness. Can you even imagine such a thing?

He has promised us His Unconditional Love. We have it, it is ours now and will be forever. We should never feel unloved or unaccepted or isolated again. Why is this hard to remember and realize in our darkest hours?

He promises us, forgiveness if we repent, no matter how grave our transgressions. He promises us we can forgive also and he will heal our broken hearts through His atonement. He has promised us that we have the potential to change and grow and learn and become more like Him. He promises us that if we lay down our burdens, He will take them up for us.

He has promised us that He will never leave us alone or comfortless. He will help us with all we need. He will bless us through the countless kind acts of others, as well as, and through His Miracles.

He promises us that Satan can never win the war, that Heavenly Father's way will prevail and overcome all evil! We can find peace in knowing that although the battle rages, we can bet on the winning team and be a part of it.

We are promised that one day every knee will bend and confess that Jesus is the Christ. We are promised that wickedness never was happiness and that righteousness is God's plan for our happiness and joy. We are blessed to know that plan, the choices are ours through His gift of agency.

We have been promised that through prayer we can call upon God the Father at any time of the day or night, in any circumstance and He will intercede for us because He not only loves us but understands us perfectly.

We have been promised eternal life with all our family sealed together forever in His Love. There are no words to describe the joy of that.

We have been promised that our trials and tribulations are but for a moment and if we endure it well we shall be lifted up unto Him forever.

We have been promised that if we follow His plan of happiness and joy we will inherit all that He has.

And if all of that could be summed up in a phrase...He has given us His Peace for Christmas, which passeth all understanding.

And I think that is exactly what everyone really wants for Christmas. These are the things that the people (that were telling us what they wanted for Christmas on that street corner) were really seeking. Promises, Peace, and Joy like we have known and loved before ~ in our first perfect home.

As we long to experience that again both in this life and the next, may we be an instrument in His hands by remembering Him and bringing thoughts of His gifts to others, in our very human way, with our love and acts of service and with our traditions and symbols that serve to remind us of all these beautiful and eternal gifts of the Savior. In that way it truly can be a very Merry Christmas for us all.

An Abundant Mentality @ Christmas 2 Of 3

2011-12-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

flickr

One thing that is bothersome to me is when people say they do not like Christmas because it is so commercialized, it is just a money exchange, the real meaning is missed, etc, etc. Some of those things they complain about do miss the mark, but in reality I think they began with good intentions and an attempt to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas. These folks seem to throw the baby out with the bath water and keep a 'bah humbug' attitude in their hearts. What is to be gained in that? I think a person can both enjoy the traditions of Christmas and also feel deeply of the significance of what the traditions symbolize. There is always something to complain about but we have to find the good in this life.

One thing I have been noticing more and more is the disunity of our country, the lack of things that unite us. These traditions have united us in the past. Why are people and groups trying their best to divide us? The thought that a house divided against itself cannot stand comes to mind. The polarizing and the political correctness of every issue is destroying the very thing that once made this country so great. Maybe we need to remember what this symbol represents more than ever before.

I believe in religious freedom of expression but I do not believe is suppressing the right of Americans to celebrate Christmas as it has always been celebrated in this country since the day it was founded on Christian principles. Whatever your faith, have your celebrations but do not impinge on our rights to do so as well. So I am tired of people and groups that are trying their darnest to disrupt and divide us on any level. These are the United States after all.

Christianity is a religion of symbols. Sometimes I think we as Christians are a little too uptight about the cultural things about Christmas. We just need to allow ourselves to see the intended meaning behind some of the traditions of Christmas in ways that allow us to remember what is true. The symbols can testify of all of Christ's gifts in our lives. As the scriptures say, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." There does not need to be a struggle between our traditions and customs and the truth. It is not a one or the other type of thing. We can celebrate the fun of Christmas, as well as the JOY of it. The fun of it creates wonderful memories and lasting family traditions, the JOY of it gives us ALL we will ever need in this life and the next. All good things, right? What more could we possibly want or need? What is not to love about this beautiful season? For the people that get all caught up in "lying to their kids about Santa"...these kids are smart. Teach them what 'represents' means. Teach them what symbols are and then let them be a kid and enjoy what Santa represents and symbolizes. They can run a computer at 18 months, they'll get it.

Let's Consider some of the Symbols

The Evergreen Tree~God's Never Changing Love For Us, while other things come and go. He remains Constant and Unchanging.

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The Candy Cane~The Shepherd's Staff~Jesus Leading and Guiding us on our Way.

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The Wreath~A Sign of Eternity with no beginning or end.

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The Presents~Remembering the Love that God had for us in giving his Only Begotten Son and also the Gifts brought to the Jesus by the Wise Men. The Atoning Sacrifice of our Lord and Savior for us.

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The Star~The Night of Christ's Birth. The Brightness of His Hope.

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The Lights on Our Christmas Tree~ The light of Christ Shining Brightly Everywhere, even in darkness.

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The Carols~ The Heavenly Host of Angels Singing on that First Christmas Eve. Sharing the Good News with those around us. In the Doctrine and Covenants 25:12 we read " For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads."

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Family Gatherings~ Can remind us of the blessing Eternal Families

Sharing a holiday meal with loved ones~
Feasting on the things in life that are good!

The Important Thing to Remember is:
Seeing is Believing and Believing is Seeing.

All Good Things Testify of the Divinity of Jesus Christ.

What Fills Your Heart at Christmas Part 1 Of 3

2011-12-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

Here we are knee deep into "The Season" and hoping, that as Christians, we can keep the balance we need to enjoy the customs and traditions of Christmas while keeping a constant remembrance of what it is all about. Some years this seems to work better for me than others.

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As I have thought about Christmas, I have learned some things about it I had never realized so deeply before. I love that when we actually set aside time to allow the spirit to teach us, exciting things happen. Some new things have actually come that I had never even considered before. It has been an exciting time.

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While thinking about Christmas it has occurred to me that the one question we hear around us the most is, "What Do You Want for Christmas?" I imagined that I was a news person and was standing on the street corner in Any Town, USA with my mic and cameraman and could interview the passers by. I would ask them this same question..."What do you want for Christmas?"

The children would say things like:

"I want a bright, shiny, new, red bike!"
"Santa is bringing me a pretty doll with all the things to go with her."
"I want a Wii and some games for it"
"I am asking Santa for a Webkins and the Video Toy Story 3 for Christmas."

The teens might ask for new clothes, an MP3 player, a cell phone or a TV in their room, or a laptop.

Adults passing by might ask for the outlandish~ like a million bucks, a mansion to replace their tract house, or a fancy new car. Others would wish for presents for their kids, a big trip to Paris, or new tools or jewels, or whatever strikes their fancy.

Some would be even more sophisticated in their wishes and desire world peace, or a second chance at a relationship that meant a lot to them, a great husband or a baby they have been longing for, or that a family member or friend would be cancer free. Some would wish for the opportunity to be with all of their family in one place...this would make the perfect Christmas. Others would view a Christmas away from the family as the perfect gift! Some would wish for a job...just anything to support their family, as others longed for retirement and the time when they can finally do as they wish.

One thing would be clear from the interview on that street corner...everybody wants something. Everyone thinks that a certain something they don't already have will make them a little happier, a little more satisfied, a little more content and comfortable. We may reason that there is something out there that will fill that dark, empty hole within us and make us feel whole and satisfied again; wanting and needing nothing more at all.

Our church publishes a wonderful magazine each month called the Ensign. In it we have access to wonderful articles about Christ and His Gospel. Two years ago there was an article by Henry B. Eyring entitled Home for Christmas. You can click http://tinyurl.com/6mtbk8g for the full text.

In the article he tells of revisiting his childhood home as an adult. When strangers opened the door and invited him in, he was able to walk through his old home that he so dearly loved. He immediately realized that is wasn't the house he loved so dearly, but the lives that were lived in it. In recalling his memories of Christmas in that home, it was not the place, but the family and his desire to be with them again, enveloped in the love and light of Christ that meant so much. Those were the gifts that made him truly happy, not the earthly things. Those were the spiritual gifts they shared in that little house, they were what he longed for the most of all.

That story is what started me thinking about what we all want most for Christmas. We believe that our spirits are eternal. We lived with our Heavenly Father before we came here. Since our Heavenly Father is perfect, I am pretty sure we all came from a perfect place where we felt love, acceptance, comfort, peace, and the enjoyment of all good things. We had all the things that made us feel whole and complete there.

Now that we live on earth, we are unable to remember the particulars of that pre-mortal life, but perhaps we do remember on some level, the feelings of the peace and comfort of it. Just maybe the things we want and long for here on earth are, in a way, a longing for the return of that wonderful feeling of joy that we experienced there.

When we have that feeling that something is missing in our lives, maybe we are just missing our real home. And maybe the things the passerby were asking for for Christmas in the interview on that street corner, where simply earthly things they hoped would return that same feeling of our real home to their hearts. Once they have what they want, they feel they can know joy and peace in this life again.

Our Heavenly Home

We all know that the Savior gives a different kind of peace than the world gives. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27.

But we are mortals and it is natural for us to think as mortals. We know that the things of the world do not last, but they bring that momentary feeling of peace, comfort and enjoyment to us. They, in a very small way, may replicate that feeling of our real home where things were perfect and we didn't need anything more to make us feel better.

Think about what people want for Christmas. Do they not all fall into the categories of love, comfort, and the enjoyment of good things? Maybe the one word that could encompass all these things is ~ Peace?

When we give and receive gifts for Christmas, are we not just trying to make a person's sojourn on earth better, a little more joyful, a little more fun? No wonder we all like to give and receive gifts.

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We are spiritual beings having an earthly experience and that experience is not always pleasant or easy. Giving of our gifts is one way we can help our fellow beings to be lifted and cheered. It is a good thing to give and to receive and both make us happy. The happiness of material things is fleeting and maybe what we are really searching for is the joy that only Christ and His Gospel can bring.

We are trying to celebrate Christmas through our traditions and customs and sometimes it is hard to see the spiritual connection. We can tend to spin out of control and lose the balance in our trying to do too much. We are then focusing more on the "doing of Christmas" rather then on pondering the promise and peace of it. It is easy to do unless we take time to remember.

Giving from the heart, beautiful music, study and prayer, and pondering the gifts of Jesus Christ during quiet moments each day really help. By putting Christ first in our lives everything else will fall into place as we plan and prepare for a blessed Christmas.

Silver & White ~ Mercury Glass & Light

2011-11-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to have new room to decorate for Christmas last year. When you live in the same house for over 30 years, this is a good thing. How many way cans you say Christmas in designing the same spaces over and over? It can be a challenge, and a fun one at that. I decided to just use white and silver and tiny touch of red. By removing the Tuscan colors that are normally in here it was very easy to get a completely new look. This year I am reposting the decor from last year as this is a traveling Christmas for us and our Thanksgiving stuff will likely still be up in January when we return. Hopefully not, just sayin'...

It is kind of hard for me not to decorate even though it is a huge job, it is totally my thing. I love the transformation into this lovely, happy, festive time of year. I am a Christmas girl, always have been, always will be. I never bake a cookie but I do go all out on the house. I enjoy the warm embrace of being gift wrapped in Christmas in every room in the house. I enjoy the cookies too, but they tend to embrace me for the entire year. So, no thanks!

Where the sunflowers use to sit
I added this whimsical, sparkly tree.

I have had these guys for several years
and I love them in here!

This Moonlight and Roses Santa is new this year.
and is so pretty in this room.
moonlightandroses.com
is one of my favorite sites.
I love their things.
Vintage and glittery,
such bling for the home!

My funny angel and the white towels
with a simple ornament is fun!

Chrsitmasy things in the tub tray.

I am in love with the mercury glass
vintage look and
I loved the way the windows sills
have glistened.

A nativity I have had for a long time
now has a wonderful place to be.

A little present (just for you) in silver with a candle inside.

Love, love love, this tall reindeer and the candle holders.

I enjoy these whimsical kinds of
things especially at Christmas.

Love the corner window, in fact all of the windows.
The light in here changes everything!

A fun, little, vintage wall hanging I found!

Merry Christmas!

Laura made the Buon Natale sign.
It has a very pretty subtle glitter on it. ♥
(Missing everything "Italy" at Christmas for sure!)

We might try to make a few
this year in New England.
Hopefully we will have all kinds of time
for such relaxing and creative endeavors.

I have to kind of laugh at this notion because we have trouble watching a movie when we get together for all the busyness with boys and dads and activities. We like to go in her room on the bed with the laptop. (We snuggle up under the blankets with the door shut and watch chick flicks and laugh and cry...Pure mother/daughter heaven!) It might be our favorite thing to do...Well put that right below a girls' day out doing our thing..shopping, lunching and chatting our heads off and hearts into joy-filled oblivion. The only thing that makes that better is piling Jen on there with us! Yep, that is the best of the best. Definitely.....♥ ♥ ♥

A Simple Woman's Daybook~November 28, 2011

2011-11-28T07:17:00.000-08:00

Taking a Moment to Contemplate the Journey!

Just For Today...Monday, November 28, 2011

Outside my window...it is foggy, misty and one of those days that you wish you could just stay by the fire in your jammies all day. Most of the leaves from our big trees have fallen now but still some remain, almost as though they are reluctant to let go of autumn. Can't blame them, I feel the same. Winter comes regardless, putting to bed another year.

From the learning room...we should cling to the things that never change. Hold fast to them and hang on tight for the Mad Hatter's wild ride of living. And we should have the utmost of loyalty to the people who consistently love us over time and distance. The value of that is priceless, as is the gift of it. First friendship, then trust, then love.

I am reading...Team of Rivals about Abe Lincoln, Daughters of Heaven, Scriptures, Internet points of interest.

From the kitchen...It is time to make soup again. I have all the ingredients and just need to go do it sometime today. I have been getting the desire to learn some more about cake decorating. I haven't done that in years. The problem is we do not want to eat the cake. Hmmm..Pinterest is renewing my interest in cooking too. Who knew that could be resurrected?

Someone once said that cooking can be compared to the eggs of our ovaries. Each woman has only so many meals in her and then they are gone. Meal menopause...I use to have that but it may be disappearing. Could it be? What a hoot. Sure hope that doesn't happen in any other way!

I am missing...the extra month I need to get in the holly, jolly mode of Christmas. But time waits for no man, and along with that; neither does Christmas. We are so looking forward to our lovely New England Christmas and cannot wait to be with our RI kids. Just having that anguish about not being all together for the celebration of Christmas. If money were no object I wish we could buy that house we stayed in for our family reunion where there was a place for everyone to be comfortable and together. I am missing those few times over the years when that was possible.

I am hearing...Michael Buble singing his new Christmas songs. That is the only new music for the season for us this year.

I am wearing...A bedazzled black and silver shirt that has Italian sites on it and some black pants. And black smart wool socks. Freezing over here. Too much black but it was handy and comfy.

I am quoting... 2 for today..."When your ♥ speaks~take good notes." Anon. And from Les Miserables, "To love another is to see the face of God." I ♥ that.

Somethings that made me especially happy this past week...a lovely Thanksgiving with family we don't see that often, celebrating Jim's birthday and the first phase of the work shop project getting done in preparation for the spring and pouring the foundation, getting almost all of my shopping done for Christmas before Black Friday, avoiding the crowds and traffic over the four day weekend. We are getting that down to a science. You really can have relaxing, leisurely time outside your home if you know where to go and more importantly when to go.

I am going...try to hold off on cutting my hair myself until next week when I have an appointment. I'm holding off so I don't need to hassle with it during our trip, but it is a trial right now!

One of my guilty pleasures...Listening to Josh Groban singing just about anything. I think he must be an angel. Who gets a gift like that? Only him...Amazing. My new favorite song of his is Awake. I could literally listen to that all day long. Look it up on Youtube because seeing him sing is just a good as listening. His in depth emotional investment is so wonderful.

Pet Peeve...people that are hot and cold. I thrive on consistency in relationships, must be my insecurities or something but I like to know where I stand. Not in a needy way but in a relaxed and comfortable sort of way.

One of my favorite things... having the household in order...bathrooms, clean clothes, sheets, floors, pantry stocked, bills paid, dinner in the crockpot..just being on top of my game.

An enjoyable movie I have watched lately...An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving.

I am curious about...why if someone is in foreclosure in your neighborhood it should affect the value of your house? How is that fair or right in any way?

If I could change one thing it would be...that our family could all live on the same block. That someone would knock on our door and it would be one of the kids or grandkids just coming by to hang out with us or for some cookies and milk or to get help with homework or just talk. That would pretty much be heaven to me.

A few plans for the rest of the week...planning for our family get together with my brothers and their families on Sunday and doing all the shopping for that. Getting the very last Christmas gifts ordered today online...cyber Monday after all. Working tomorrow so prepping for that today, WW tomorrow morning, Wednesday visiting teaching hopefully, working on the tables and polishing the silverware for our dinner on Sunday, Friday, morning meeting, night a farewell party for some friends moving to Utah, Saturday cooking, Saturday night we are invited to dinner at Lee and Dave's, Sunday tithing settlement and church and the family dinner. Monday, stay in jammies all day and recover from the crazy busy week. (I wish!)

Some photos and thoughts I'm sharing this week...On Jim's birthday we took a short day trip for a picnic and landed up at St. Mary's College in Moraga. It is a small, private Catholic college and very pristine and beautiful. He taught graduate students there for about 5 years in classroom and behavior management. The crown jewel of the campus is the chapel. We hit it just right...we were about the only ones there as you will see from the photos. I love days like this.

This is kind of a goofy photo but I just love it. You know the kind...you huddle together and try to take a photo at arm length and it is always just a little short or crooked or something non- professional. They are somewhat reminiscent of the photo booth shots of old.

If you know me, you know I never love my pictures, but this one I do. It seems to capture on my face the exact feeling I was having. Happiness, relaxation, contentment, love of autumn and husband and peacefulness. It was the perfect alchemy of elements and my face captures it here. Never mind that Jim looks a bit like a morphed Stevie Wonder and Jack Nicholson with the head thrown back and the wrap around shades cuz this one is all about me! Oooo, I am so just kidding with ya! It is about him too of course. It is his birthday after all. You already know he's cute but just to make him feel better..here is the birthday boy!

Jim-Bob the Builder

2011-11-26T00:18:00.000-08:00

The Beatles, "When I'm 64"

Jim Bob!

Happy Birthday to My Best Friend and Husband! Today he is 64 and it is pretty hard to comprehend since the first time I laid eyes on him he was 16! There sure are a lot of things I could say about him after all these years. When I thought of this year I thought about who he has become and I have to say that one of the first things I thought of was Jim is a builder.

It is kind of funny but all his life he has been involved in academia and teaching and getting degrees and more degrees and building boys. Boys that haven't had the greatest starts in life or the best circumstances but, one by one, he has built many over his 39 of teaching. Many have been in trouble, serious trouble and with love and dedication and the principles of the Gospel he has helped them improve their lives and their chances.

He has built boys at work, at church, at Boy Scouts, on the trail, in the wilderness, in the mountains and many other places. At home he built our boy and our girls and even at our kids' homes he has helped build great grandsons and daughters. That kind of building he will never be done with but, now that he has more time he is also building other things. Here are some pictures of him building this past year.

He has been building a wonderful
retirement & future for us!

Last December Jim went to work at the Temple in the Engineering Department. He learned how to hang the thousands and thousands of Christmas lights, from a Gene boom lift, onto the palm trees and fronds. He was building memories of a beautiful Christmas for the many visitors that came to enjoy them on Temple Hill. This year he has done most of it himself.

Helping David build and paint a great workshop. I thing they just like dressing up in this stuff. Jim had plenty of paint on him when he got home even with the "protective" gear!

Yep, it is the outfit.
He is always building a better house for us.

Building endurance and a little craziness
in Park City, Utah on New Year's Eve.
He liked running from the hot tube to the outside where
the temperature was -8 degrees with Julia.

He built this shed for us to have an extra place to store things. It is super nice with electricity and even a little window. With his new tractor he had this whole thing graded and put together in less than a week. Yay, Bobcat and David thank you for all the help!

We went to St. Mary's college today and this reminded me he was a builder of teachers for five years at this amazing college as they took graduate classes from him in classroom management.

Building a better yard and garden even in the rain.

Building the community through Scouts
with this award for service &
Scouting for Food for the 15th year in a row.

Building the memories of the little kids
in our ward at Easter time.

Not sure who looks goofier here!

Organizing this big pantry at our family reunion house.
And building many wonderful meals this year.

Building perfect waffles with our new waffle maker that we love!

Building another generation of hikers
at our family reunion!

Building cousin memories for the grandkids
by letting them dress him up just for fun at the reunion.

Building camaraderie around the Barbie with our boys.

Building a happy family at our family birthday party!

Building a proper resting place for one of his ancestors
that didn't have a grave marker for over 100 years.

Helping to build brother-in-law relationships!
I should say brothers, as we do not have in-laws
in this family...just family.

Building a stronger knowledge of the Gospel
and his testimony of the Savior at Education Week

Building our boy into an incredible man!
Doing it one project and fun activity at a time.

Building a gourmet luncheon and
a bit of a spectacle at the Palace.

Building more picnics on the go.
More spectacles! More fun!

Building unity with his Mom
one Monday at at time and many other days too.

Day and night...Building a road to his new project and
his new workshop coming in the spring.

Building his road and relationship
with his best friend, David.

Building a barrier to keep me in the cottage with

40,000 pounds of gravel to block my exit.

Building Tasso Lane, his name for the new road.
It is the name of the village his ancestors are from in Italy.
And a place he has become much more familiar with.
He has grown to love his ancestors more
within the past year after our visit to Tasso in 2009/10.
Because of that trip, our calling in the genealogical library
and our cousin, Stephen's help,
he is building his pedigree and interest in his genealogy.

The muscles, strength and tenancy he has built
as he has completed the many, many
hours of work on this project are evident.

The section of Tasso Lane
behind his current workspace where he
built an elaborate drainage system
for the water run off down the hill.

Building and completing Tasso Lane just today!

Building a happy and productive life with me & our family!

Happy Birthday Honey!
We all love you, especially me!

Nourishment to Body and Soul

2011-11-25T04:51:00.001-08:00

Our ward has a unique tradition. We have a Thanksgiving Devotional every year on Thanksgiving morning with a very light and healthy refreshment time afterwards. It is fairly short, the program consists of prayers and songs and one speaker. Some times it is a ward member and sometimes we get a speaker from another ward or stake. I have done the talk twice over the years. It is a fun assignment.

The second time was about four years ago and that was when I started my favorite things list to help me think more about the big and small things that I am grateful for. Then I challenged the congregation to do the same. I don't know if they did, but I have been doing mine ever since and update it a couple times a year. It does tend to make you so much more aware of your blessings.

From the website incourage.com

The speaker this year told about the history of the first Thanksgiving and then talked briefly about the concept of Getting To Do Something as opposed to Having To Do Something and how when we consider what we have to do as an opportunity and a privilege and not an obligation and duty we are much happier. We can then eagerly look forward to the things in life that are ahead of us. It was a simple talk but very thought provoking. If you thought this way it could make a big difference in your life and how you live it.

I thought about how changing this one aspect of so many things could make me feel happier about the daily tasks I get through so I can then do something I enjoy more. The key word there is "enjoy" I need to try to enjoy the mundane a little bit more..for it is a big part of daily life and we should be thankful for it too. We like the concept and practice of feeding our spirit as well as our bodies on Thanksgiving.

Debbie and Judy did a wonderful job on the feast. We had a great time and enjoyed meeting baby Colton who is now 15 months old and a barrel of energy. None of the photos of the family turned out well.

I do have this one of Judy, Mickey and the baby.
He had just taken his first header on
the pavement so it kind of skinned up.
Colton is adorable.

And this one of Grandma Gloria and Josh
waving her Italian hands like crazy!

And Lastly, The Thankful Ones that Got Away

They have been hanging out in our yard all week.
They find it a safe haven apparently, just as we do!
No Black Friday shopping for us
we are hiding out in our own wildlife reserve.

And that is a wrap on Thanksgiving~the Holiday for 2011!

Defining Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

As Webster Defines It

As Historians Define It

As Norman Rockwell Defines It

As Nature Defines It

As Turkey Bowl Traditions Define It...

As Retail Defines It~Black Friday's Eve

As We Define It

As we think about Thanksgiving it bring to mind several things. All of the above which are all fun and wonderful traditions; the beauty of autumn and the Pilgrims' bounteous harvest, thoughts of family gatherings for their turkey and all the trimmings, the excitement of Christmas coming soon and getting gifts at door buster prices, and maybe even getting together to play flag football, often in rain, mud and even snow with family and friends prior to the feast. These are the things we do to bring unity to our families and communities. It is a time to stop and ponder and think about how good we really have it. Amidst all the horrors of the daily news, we can find peace on this day set aside to be grateful. We love that about Thanksgiving Day.

But the thing that troubles me about it is that each year it becomes more apparent that many have forgotten or dismissed whom they should be thanking. We are grateful that in our family and among our dear friends we have not lost sight of our Father in Heaven and all the bounty He has blessed us with on a daily basis. We are grateful for His love which makes us appreciate everything else more, even the refining purpose of the hard things.

Gratitude is a choice, like everything else we do. In our family we choose it and it makes us very happy to recognize and acknowledge the source of our joy. So while we are enjoying this special day we will carry that same prayer of thanksgiving in our hearts that is there every other day of the year. We hope your day is excellent, your feast is wonderful, and your company exceptional. And most of all we hope your heart is full of thanks to the Father of us all. Make it a great day, by filling it with love and gratitude and the making of happy memories! (#2 0f 2 posts today.)

♥ B&J ♥

Have a fun party with your special people
and check out the links below...enjoy!

http://tinyurl.com/3gkerl

http://tinyurl.com/y2fg33

Thankful In All Things

2011-11-23T22:45:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/yoygmylt2iM

"Thankful"

Somedays we forget
To look around us
Somedays we can't see
The joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Look beyond ourselves
There's so much sorrow
It's way too late to say
I'll cry tomorrow
Each of us must find our truth
It's so long overdue

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And every day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Even with our differences
There is a place we're all connected
Each of us can find each other's light

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though this world needs so much more

There's so much to be thankful for...

My Favorite Things~Version 4.2

2011-11-23T08:35:00.000-08:00

Currently my favorite photo from Pinterest.
It is called Falling into Winter

Our gifts can be big and small and we all have thousands of them. I have been working on this list for a few years now and today I am updating it again, the February updates for 2011 are in Red and Purple is used today since I am updating on Thanksgiving Eve. I will probably run out of colors before I run out of things I am grateful for in my life.

I have previously updated my favorite things blog post as follows: My updates in Orange 2010. Green in 2009 and maybe some Blue too. This is such a fun list to make...I hope you have one for the days when you are feeling down, or sad, or bored with a ho-hum life, it is a great pick me up! There is so much to be thankful for and so much to enjoy in this life. You may even find things on here twice! The original one was done around Thanksgiving 2008. I thought it would be fun to add these posts in combination with my on-going list of 1000 Gifts. It is a permanent and on-going list and found at the tool bar just below the header photo on this page.

Thanksgiving *

I know we are all thinking about Thanksgiving and the things we should be grateful for each day. I also know that for many of us, every day is Thanksgiving Day as we bow our heads and thank the Lord for his abundant blessings in our lives.

Finding Joy in the Big and Little Things of life

I am grateful for Friends that give a hoot about my favorite things in the first place, my Philanthropist husband Jim, being mom to three and then six, being the Gramma to 10 fabulous kids, Baby Hazel's much improved health, Hazie's first year of riding the bus to school and how much she loves going to school, beautiful interiors, answers to prayers, nicknames, black licorice, Will Smith, flower gardens, Netflix, memories of good days gone by, Hazie's New Scooter, computers (iMac in particular), Lowell, the iMac guru, red, uplifting and fun movies, Marie's good news, great books, San Francisco, days alone with Jim-Bob, rings, funny things the kids say, an eternal companion that is just plain wonderful in every way, the best friends, Just A Little Lowder came on the scene, linen spray, Laura's big hair obsession, North & South the mini-series, temple times, tinyurl.com, my iPod and the sweet brother that gave it to me, Camillia Tea Room in Benicia, blogs and bloggers, scrapbooks of old, chemo that actually worked on my beloved brother, thinking about our kids and how much we love them and their families, green; the way God makes it, Hazie's wheelchair all purple and sparkly, dimples, Europe, 7 cents a minute international calls, the families of our children's spouses, Diane Keaton, Il Postino ♥ it, having fancy dinner parties, girl time, Hilary Swank, Miss Vanessa's Fab Blog, bracelets, quiet restaurants, thinking about retirement and the freedoms of it, Farmer's Market, Amazon.com, Billy Joel, Blogging, blogging and more blogging, ethnic foods, Tom & Jean, photography, a great sense of humor, fabulous books, truffles, education, Education Week, art, home accessories, movie tickets, fabulous jewelry, revisiting places with nostalgic past memories, Pinterest.com~ oh yeah, WC III Ward, Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia), seeing friends from the past, Sky Room Memories of lunches with family and good friends, Palm Springs in January, Scottish accents, Opera revisited and refreshing renewed love for it, Jeffery Holland, God's mercy, love & grace, Thrift Store finds, memories of Mississippi before Katrina, no more math classes, salt and vinegar chips, normal body temperatures~no fevers for Hazel in two months now, Washington D.C., eucalyptus trees, pansies, fish; alive and in the pan, digital photos, Curiel lotion, Ann Voskamp's blog, the guys in the white hats, E-anything especially E-hats, Hazie in the pots and pans, creme soda, fried scallops and calamari, birds singing in the morning, frogs croaking at night, Facebook reunions, crickets chirping or whatever they do WHILE they are totally out of sight because they scare me, Room with A Past, Room With A Past with Maureen especially, shade, phone calls just to say hi, passionate causes, voting, laughing 'til tears roll down your face, a good cry, a gift for no particular reason~just because, Richard Gere, smiling when its hard 'til your heart believes it, waxing lyrical (per Jen's request), gifts that are priceless and cannot be purchased, hilarious comedians, Blogging Friends, Johnny Mathias, Uncle Buffalo, K.D. Lang, Nora Jones, Diana Krall, Thai Food. Studying the history of WW2.

Thinking about parents and grandparents, my great brothers and their families, plans to move nearer the kids or not depending on the economy and many other things but staying close regardless, New Orleans (pre-Katrina) in the winter, new friends, leather furniture, deer in the yard if they are not eating our plants, Jim on his Bobcat~cutest thing ever, electronic technology, the smell of steak on the barbie, Gordon B. Hinckley, tax deductions, summer evenings when it cools off, Chanel #5, cyber friends, Blissfully Domestic, summer mornings, Queen Latifah (she is so funny!), fire in the fireplace, fire on the TV on Fireplace The Movie, Letters To Juliet, Autumn/Fall?, teaching, the holidays, oddly enough...flying, our DVD collection, Lee, Barb, my Monday morning group of inspiring friends..past and present, courteous and friendly strangers, watching all the grandkids grow older and mature and develop their characters, Youtube, pictures of Cohen Romney, Robert hugs, designer paint, Pablo, white picket fences, beautiful kitchens and bathrooms, good health, magazines, family history, Google, so many fun days with Jim, shopping with my favorite females, snuggling with the babies, fabulous memories of all European travel, Val Wilcox, Connor's concertos, thinking about and planning actively for our mission for the church, laughing a lot, Mother's Day, cherry pie, Pad Thai, Tom Hanks, North and South, appreciation, my rockin' great time with Barbara on our road trip this summer~never to be forgotten, Louis Armstrong, garlic; on everything that doesn't have sugar, Perkins Cove~ Maine, memories of Chris & Laura in Pops Concerts, Lea Solanga, the Ensign, Old Glory, when your heart is so full that your eyes brim with tears and you wonder why you never a have a Kleenex, rainbows, houses, waterfalls, GPS, cracked crab, Jen's new paper flowers, great singers, New Hampshire foliage, Kevin James in Hitch, porch swings, Norma Bowerbank's pizazz, The fun we had at the General Conference Women's Broadcast this year leading to thoughts of Barbara, Beth, Ilse and how they made me laugh for days afterwards. (My lips are reverently sealed!)

Sunrise, sunset the events and the movies, Michael Ball, Stevie Wonder, Kenny Rankin, Kenny Rogers, Kenny G, Michael Buble, The National Science Foundation, happy endings, Big Band music and other oldies from my parents' era, our cousins, Silpada Jewelry, Bob & Beth, Scott's Restaurant's fried calamari, Christmas in Italy,memories of our good friends gone before us, Chinese Food, Elder Holland, Presidents Uchdorf and Eyring, Rossie's billion kisses, Angel wings and Miracles up close and personal, our cottage, clean sheets, Golden Girls Christmas Luncheon, disappearing into the matinée alone and not telling anyone where I am for a couple of hours, deep gratitude for our son, Robert, serving to guard us all against the terror of our enemies, bleu cheese, car trips with Jim, babies' toes, online shopping, driving right past the place I use to work, that four of our grandkids have blogs, The Gilmore Girls (miss), our good friend and mentor Steve, enjoying the wonders of nature and the beautiful world we live in, shopping in Italy, a full moon in October, Jim's cooking, James Franco movies, hot chocolate on a winter's morn, having a heart full of love for life as it is that is growing daily, Jeff Adams' knowledge of the Gospel, iPhone, ice, texting, Steve Martin, photo editing, air-conditioning, Real Simple, the excitement of falling in love and staying in love, Date Night, reliable cars, Josh ~~Groberg~~ Groban music, mad money, copper, cell phones, e-mail, abc.go.com, the heartfelt "I love yous" from the little ones, pancakes at Cracker Barrel, Olympics, Denzel Washington, the hopeful wisdom that come with maturity, the crow of a rooster in the early morning, The Kindle, Sausalito, gift cards to the movies, Itty Bitty Soap Company, my mercury glass obsession, the smell of pine trees and baking bread and the sea, our first and new waffle iron, Good Ole Days, Billy Crystal, so many British movies, baby's skin, inspiring friends, popcorn popping in the pan and on the apricot trees, no shower curtain or door, being alone, being together, Italian marble, when something I have written touches another's heart and brings tears to both of us, Cabot Cheese, a bright and promising future of service to the Lord.

The aroma turkey baking, a clean house, Matt Damon, anything Christmas, the forest, maple trees and leaves, our newly remodeled and spruced up house, driving through canopied streets, patio umbrellas, homemade ice cream, music, music, music, my Daddy's gentle ways, Patrick Swayze, being happier than I have ever been in my life...everyday, good haircuts, Newport, Rhode Island, manicure and pedicures and a great massage and reflexology, New England beauty, family photos, long time friends, giving gifts and service to my favorite people, Stefano, Judi Dench, our never failing Kim, mom's potato salad, apple pie and her nut bread, iPhone, getting to know Caroline and Faye so much better, Missy's great cooking, Moonlight & Roses, my Dad's garden and his ability to win every game he ever played, ~~Oprah~~, Paris, Larkrise to Candleford (British TV series) & that I am getting it for Christmas & that sometimes you just have to buy yourself a present and let your hubby give it to you! Win/Win for both. He doesn't have to shop & I get what I want!) memories of my brothers, Brighton, Steve, when Alesha & Raul got married and of Sebastian watching them dance and knowing he belonged to them, War and Remembrance the mini-series, The 2011 Family History and Genealogy Conference, sleeping with our granddaughter Julia Mae, our still new bathroom, concert memories, Muir Woods, black current and licorice sweet treats from Scotland, Concord II Ward, coming to terms with reality, James Taylor, Jen's cupcake obsession, drive-in movies, Newport mansions, one on one with our kids, Ross, Julia and Connor's piano playing, Google Translate, Lowell's Lost and his Mr. Bass Man, Nick and Mara's wedding plans, the way Tony Damiano teaches Sunday School, Yosemite, the sound of a push mower, Pier 1 Imports, the smell of freshly cut grass, Creme Brulee, faux grass, real grass, Restoration Hardware, Rick Steves, The Nut Cracker Ballet in SF, my Mom's unconditional love for me, days with nothing pressing to do, Marie and her Kitchen, chocolate, hyperlinks, Silpada, Brenden Frazier, Judi and Joel reunions, Friendship~Trust~Love, a good storm, bedazzlement, a fullness of joy, fun collections, flash drives, theater, concerts, Yale University campus, musicals, Christmas tree lights, Piper; our Scottish princess, Christmas in Scotland, croutons, cheese fondue, Rouclette, our sons, our daughters, the grandies.

good responsible people, Traci Hartman and her photography, a walk in Golden Gate Park, Mt. Timp, thinking about the blessing of having a husband that can do anything, answered prayers, old things, Piper in heels, new things, Linda Ann, glitter, Connor's vocabulary, double paned vinyl windows, memories of travel to Italy, Jim's tenacity and good work, working with Laura on houses, Lee's new fancy jewels and Dave~servant of the Lord, also Jim, Maureen and Emily, Scotland, my brother Steve's Airport Taxi Service, candle light, Orchard Nursery, Agent Baigent, Zach's charging hugs when we visit, clean windows, good jazz, memories of our 2011 family reunion in Sundance, Utah...the best ever time, the gift of Chloe Jane and her spiciness, Golden Gate Park, Paris, Venice, Orvieto, Florence, birthdays, the delete button, my new Rebecca Stewart, buying new clothes, Disneyland, New England in the fall, getting paid for what I love, When Mandy's Cohen age 3 asked her how babies come out of mommies' tummies and she wasn't answering him plainly enough, he told her to just look it up on the 'puter and read it to him. LOL!!, Robert Mitchum, salads, urns pots and outdoor statuary, road trips with the family, Muir Woods redwoods, the way Spencer could tell you all about the water systems of a city at 2 years old, grandboys holding the Aaronic Priesthood (what?), salsa, Sue Capson's amazing gospel doctrine classes, all things feminine, possibilities, getting a real bargain, Kenny Rankin's music, Google Reader, gel nails, Pavarotti's Caruso~so beautiful, Max Raabe, Aynlsee's beautiful stripped golden and apricot hair and sweet smile, Microfilm readers that work for old newspapers, hydrangeas, Nellie, Sister Susie, Maggie Smith, Day Trips with Jim, grandkids loving their cousins, vests for layering, Wrinkle Releaser for fabrics, Shaun, Root Beer Floats, Julia Roberts, Penfield School, going on Brokers' Tour to see houses others have staged, Tiberon harbor benches, punctuality, Filoli Gardens, writing, Manhatten, watermelon, Weight Watchers new program, the way Jen helped Laura after Katrina, Laura and Brandon's Life, the way Laura re-decorated the faculty lounge at Spencer's elementary school over a three day weekend to surprise the teachers, focusing on our health and seeing results, Verona, artichokes, everything genealogy, sunshine on my shoulders, Owen's sweetness, maple trees, our still new bathroom, garden tomato sandwiches, monochromatic white vintage decor, pandora.com, clean cars, friends that never let you down, Chris' career accomplishments, the quiet and peacefulness of cemeteries, hearing Laura and Ross speak Italian, adding to this list as things pop into my head, the tender heart of Dave Hopkins during Sacrament Meeting, Retirement, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Tasso, HomeGoods, box seats at an opera you have studied and understand before you go, Deanna's Christmas Blog and Old Radio Shows, reflexology, eTools, Christmas stockings, Presepes, garage sales, the love and lessons of Hazel, portable picnic table for gourmet picnics on the go (anywhere, anytime), the Rockies, knowing when enough is enough...well, almost knowing it anyway....! Ah, on second thought, maybe not! Definitely not!

Way more than anyone really wanted to know but great notes for my obit! My posterity may bless me for leaving all this lovely trivia someday. Yours would too.

I have noticed that the more I concentrate on gratitude the more I see. I could have kept going on the purple all day long. Funny how when God asks us to do something like be grateful for His gifts, obedience to that commandment reflects back on us even more blessings. I just had the thought that whenever He offers us a blessing and we step forth to receive it by our actions, it becomes like a covenant...a two way promise of His love. Happy Thanksgiving~ and may your feast be your gratitude.

*As seen in Country Living
and theinspiredroom.net
(2 more of my favorite things)