The Christmas Pictures That I Promised . . .

Here some pictures that I promised of the Christmas decorations in my home . . . and I thought I'd take part in this little "Holiday Home Tour" over at Mormon Mommy Blogs.




I am usually done decorating for Christmas by the end of Thanksgiving weekend - but I'll tell you later why it took me so long to decorate my home this year. . .

Our Christmas Tree

I was so ready this year for everyone to help me put up the tree and decorate it. After all, I am a Reformed Christmas Tree Nazi, after all, and "perfection" has taken on a completely new meaning for me. However, I think I was a little too late in reforming. The minute I mentioned that it was time to decorate the tree, everyone scattered. Just disappeared. The only one who'd help me was my 4 year old granddaughter Evalie, who obviously didn't know any better . . .

The Stockings . . .

Yes, I used to have all completely coordinating and matching stockings; green for the boys and pink for the girls.

A couple of years ago, I decided that we needed new stockings and that everyone was going to design their own, because they (the boys) always griped about how "girly" their stockings were. (The girl's stockings were definitely girly, but the boy's weren't!)

So this is our row of stockings, each reflecting the taste and personality of it's owner. . .

(I don't know how it looks on your screen, but on mine the wall color looks burnt orange. It's not. The color is actually a deep dark burgundy. For some reason it bothers me that the color reads differently)

My Favorite - The Nativity Scene

One Christmas, about 20 years ago, I was involved with a Relief Society project where we all cleaned and glazed these ceramic sets. Actually, involved is too mild a word. In Charge Of would be more like it. Thankfully, most of the women were not crazy like me and made only one set with the six main pieces.

Me? I wanted all 17 pieces, and I wanted to do a set for myself, my mom, and my mother-in-law.
Crazy, I know! But it was fun.

There is more to this story, but I will save it for another day . . .
. . . and yes, those hooks that the ornaments are hanging on below the mantel are really for the stockings, but my dear hubby has a phobia about them bursting into flames. Since after all, we really do use the woodstove that the mantel is perched above. And it gets pretty dang hot.


Isaac's project. He was getting into the Spirit of Christmas decorating -

This tower of plastic cups he created - many times and in many different places - until he was happy with the final product.


Then it all fell down, and he quickly realized that it wouldn't be sticking around too long. . .

Ok, Ok.

Here's the reason (well one of the reasons, anyway) that I didn't get around to decorating for so long.

On our return trip from Oregon for Thanksgiving, we brought back a full load of cows.

(You see, my husband's profession is selling real estate, and well, you know how that's been going . . .
So being the outdoorsy kind of guy that he is, and taking into account that we live in a rural area, he found a niche where he could buy nice milk cows from the diarys in Tillamook - yes, where that Yummy Cheese comes from. To try and make ends meet for us, he has been hauling them back here and selling them mostly to family farms and people who want to be more self-sufficient)

So, we got the cows back here and settled and got unpacked and things restored almost to normal here at home. That always seems to take at least a few days.

Then one of the cows had her calf right at the beginning of a pretty severe cold snap last Saturday. And after a few hours, it looked at though the mother's milk wasn't coming in. And that baby calf would die if it didn't get some milk and get some warmth.

So what did my hubby do? (And how could I object?)

He set up a pen for the calf in my family room - thankfully the floors are all state, and who knew that a giant water tub could serve another purpose!

He did find a buyer for her today, so my family room is back to normal now . . .
So, you know how I am always telling my kids to be good, mind your manners, and don't act like you were raised in a barn?


We-ell, . . . what can I say after this?

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL

If you go to this web site, LetsSayThanks.com,you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq .

You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!!

It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?

Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.

This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you.

Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do.

We can never say enough thank you's.

Thanks for taking to time to support our military!

(and thank you, Kirsten, for sending me this heads-up!)

Also,we are going to be making a bunch of these today. After we put up the tree. And "we" means me and my two youngest daughters. And we might let the boys help. A little.

If you are shocked, you have to know that this is a vast improvement of my Nazi tendencies towards Christmas Tree Decorating.

Will post photos promptly.

Have a great weekend!

(Don't you just love snowflakes?

I have snowflakes falling softly outside my windowpane right now . . . )

Giving Thanks Our Way. . . Did I Hear Anyone Say "QUELF?"

Recently we were introduced to the game of "Quelf" by some good friends. If you have never played this game, you need to, now! It is the perfect antidote for the stress that all of us have been under for say, almost a year now. . .

We took the game with us to Oregon to play after we had our Thanksgiving dinner.

(Our group was so large that we had to borrow the Cultural Hall at the church)

Isaac, me, my Dad (who was taking his traditional Turkey-day nap before his turn) and a friend of the family, Allison.

Yes - this is part of the game. And I was surprised at what a good sport my dad was. He didn't mind being a little silly . . .

Kept this (an improvised snorkel) in his mouth for the rest of the game, as the rules required. . .

Two of my 5 bros - Jim, the oldest, and Josh, the youngest.

Aunt Christina and Noelle, taking their turn.

Later in the afternoon my brother Jim, who is a contractor, showed us this poster that he had found recently, which was on a wall in a basement that was being remodeled. The Sheetrock that this was attached to was the only part of the wall left standing. The owner, who had just bought the house and had no idea what it was, graciously gave it to my brother.

What is it, you ask? A missionary dinner and appointment calendar, dating back to 1975. What made my brother notice it was that my dad's name was on it. Written in grease marker. Apparently they fed the missionaries as regularly back then as they do now. There were also several other names on it that we recognized, including the name of our current friends & neighbor's dad, who lived in Beaverton all those many years ago.

Small world!

We had a great time visiting with family and friends over the Thanksgiving weekend. I hope you did, too!

There's Nothing More That I Can Say . . .

These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read:

You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.

You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

Adrian Rogers, 1931

Thanksgiving . . .

TWAS THE NIGHT OF THANKSGIVING,
BUT I JUST COULDN'T SLEEP.
I TRIED COUNTING BACKWARDS,
I TRIED COUNTING SHEEP.

THE LEFTOVERS BECKONED -
THE DARK MEAT AND WHITE,
BUT I FOUGHT THE TEMPTATION
WITH ALL OF MY MIGHT.

TOSSING AND TURNING WITH ANTICIPATION,
THE THOUGHT OF A SNACK BECAME INFATUATION.
SO, I RACED TO THE KITCHEN, FLUNG OPEN THE DOOR,
AND GAZED AT THE FRIDGE, FULL OF GOODIES GALORE.

GOBBLED UP TURKEY AND BUTTERED POTATOES,
PICKLES AND CARROTS, BEANS AND TOMATOES.
I FELT MYSELF SWELLING SO PLUMP AND SO ROUND,

'TIL ALL OF A SUDDEN, I ROSE OFF THE GROUND.
I CRASHED THROUGH THE CEILING, FLOATING INTO THE SKY,
WITH A MOUTHFUL OF PUDDING AND A HANDFUL OF PIE.
BUT, I MANAGED TO YELL AS I SOARED PAST THE TREES....

HAPPY EATING TO ALL - PASS THE CRANBERRIES, PLEASE.
MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY,
MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP.
MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY HAVE NARY A LUMP.
MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS.
MAY YOUR PIES TAKE THE PRIZE,
MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER STAY OFF OF YOUR THIGHS!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

(poem from an email; author unknown - pictures coursesy of google images)

Why I Am Thankful to Live In Idaho . . .

Yes, I realize that lil 'ole Idaho has hardly any political clout.
But at least our Representatives have brains.
Even our lone Democrat.
This letter is from him. . .
(Even though he is optimistic about getting a good bill in the Senate - I'm sure not!)

November 23, 2009

Mrs. Loralee Carey
(address deleted)

Dear Loralee:

Thank you for contacting me about my recent vote on H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. Like you, I want to find smart ways to reduce the ever-increasing costs of health care, while making insurance easier and more accessible to all Americans. However, I do not believe that this bill was the right approach.

First, I believe very strongly that our government must show much more fiscal accountability. It is my responsibility as your Congressman to make sure we do not enact new spending programs which are not fully paid for and which worsen our already out of control federal budget deficit.

Second, I believe any reforms must reduce costs within our health care system. Unfortunately, this bill did little to do that, keeping in place a structure that allows doctors in states like Florida and New York to charge many times more for simple procedures than doctors in Idaho. Furthermore, a recent report by the non-partisan Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services concluded that the bill would actually increase spending by hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 10 years.

Finally, I oppose the creation of a new, government-run health insurance bureaucracy that will reduce competition, limit choices, and do very little to reduce costs within our health care system. We cannot afford to create a new entitlement program at a time when Medicare and other federal medical insurance programs are requiring ever increasing taxpayer support to remain solvent.

We must reform the insurance industry and demand accountability by passing some very simple measures. For example, we need to strengthen tort laws to discourage frivolous lawsuits and the practice of defensive medicine. We need to increase competition by allowing people to purchase health insurance across state lines. And we must guarantee that an insurance company cannot deny you coverage just because you have a pre-existing condition.

The vote in the House of Representatives was the first vote in the process for health care reform, and I am still optimistic that a bill will emerge from the Senate that I will be able to support. Please feel free to visit my website at http://minnick.house.gov for continued updates on my work, and do not hesitate to contact my office if I can be of assistance in the future.

It is an honor to serve you in the U.S. Congress.

Sincerely,

Walt Minnick
Congressman
ID, 1st CD

Hannah's 2nd Birthday Party!

Our beautiful little granddaughter, Hannah, recently celebrated her 2nd birthday

She seems entralled when we lit her candles . . .

Oops, got frosting on her hand-

As hard as we tried, she just did NOT want anything to do with blowing out her candles!

Big bro Dillon . . .

. . . and baby sis Brooke!

I just had to add this video from that same night . . .

(. . . where was I? How did I not know that my six-year-old had my camera? And this is what he catches with it. I never get good stuff like this - Dillon is way too shy in front of me!)

Evan Thomas' 2nd Birthday Party!

Is this an all-boy birthday cake, or what? Tom-Tom picked out the toys that he wanted on his cake, and his mom went to town decorating it.
We should've known-
Once Tom-Tom opened this present (a John Deere talking toolbelt, with an official John Deere hat) he didn't have any interest in anything else!
But when big sis showed an interest in his gifts, even clothes were a little more appealing to him. Sibling rivalry!

THE SEED

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to
choose a successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to
do something different. He called all the young executives in his
company together.

He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have
decided to choose one of you.

"The young executives were Shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going
to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED.

I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from
today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you.

I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will
be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received
a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped
him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.

Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After
about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about
their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.
Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.
By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a
plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had
killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had
nothing.
Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however... He just kept
watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company
brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.
Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot.
But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to
his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his
life, but he knew his wife was right.

He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed
at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were
beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes.

Jim put his empty pot on the floor and
many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young
executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back.. "My, what great plants, trees, and
flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be
appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his
empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front.

Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he
will have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his
seed
- Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and
then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief
Executive Officer! His name is Jim!"

Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a
seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back
to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was
not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers.
When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another
seed for the one I gave you.

Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with
my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief
Executive Officer!"

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust

* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends

* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness

* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment

* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective

* If you plant hard work, you will reap success

* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

* If you plant faith in God , you will reap a harvest

So, be careful what you plant now;
it will determine what you will reap later..

"Whatever You Give To Life, Life Gives You Back"

(Thanks Duane and Penny, for emailing this to me...)

What Primary (Still!) Teaches Me . . .

This week it was my turn to do Sharing Time for the Primary children. I love this part of my calling; even though I am not at all comfortable speaking in front of a group, it always helps my testimony grow when I see how much the Gospel means to those children, and witness the formation of their own testimonies.

This week the topic was setting a good example of service in our family. Which made me think of all the good examples of service that were set for me. I grew up in a wonderful family, with faithful parents who put raising their family first, who always helped those around them, and steadfastedly served in their callings. They were the greatest example of service in my life. And there were others who taught me by example, as well.

I remember the day, quite a few years ago, when I was called to be the Primary President. We had only been in the area for about a year, and our ward had just been divided. My only previous experience in Primary was as the pianist. I actually giggled when the Bishop extended the calling. (Me?) That might seem disrespectful or sacrilegious, of course unless you knew that the Bishop and his wife were good friends of ours.

I said "Are you sure? I have never done anything like that before." And all he said in reply was "Oh yes, we are sure". Somehow those simple words lifted me up and gave me courage.

But as soon as I stepped outside his office, I burst into tears. I was overwhelmed. How was I going to be able to serve in this capacity? My fourth child was a toddler, and my husband and I were trying to get a new business off the ground. The time commitment seemed overwhelming.

But as I prayed and pondered on how in the world I could fulfill this calling to serve these precious children, I was prompted by the Holy Ghost in two ways: to pick 2 specific women to be my counselors, whose talents and capabilities far exceeded my own, and most importantly, their strong testimonies would bring spirituality to the Primary where mine was so lacking. (My testimony wasn't weak, but my spirituality certainly was.) The second prompting was to draw on the experiences I'd had as a primary pianist.

In what way could I do that? Our prior wards had always had wonderful, spiritual, and accomplished women in the Primary. I had been given the opportunity during those years to watch and absorb each week all of the wonderful ways that they served in their callings. I drew so much from that as I struggled to fulfill my role. There were many times that I wanted to give up. But with the support and love of my counselors and the example of those previous sisters, I learned and grew in the Gospel.

I am so grateful for all that I learned from that experience. Now, about 12 years later, as I serve again as a primary counselor, I am thankful for the wonderful sisters that I am blessed to work with, especially our wonderful president. I know what she is going through, and I try to do all I can to lighten her load. I know that my Heavenly Father has given me these experiences to not only serve others, but to help me learn and grow.


And I carry with me the realization that I may be looked upon as an example to others, and that I have the responsibility to be the best kind of example that I can. A heavy load to carry, but I hope that I can in some small way, inspire others to love and fulfill their callings, no matter what they may be.

No calling in the LDS Church is insignificant. I have learned that firsthand.