Fifty Years...

Fifty Years is a very long time....

Fifty years ago yesterday Lynn and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple.  My Mother and Dad were there and my Aunt Dora Hartley.  Brother Smoot, who was one of my teachers from Orem High School, came, and was one of the witness, along with my dad.  I believe Lynn's Mother was there.

Lynn and I had planned on going out for dinner when this day came, but he has been quite ill and the last five days has been on oxygen day and night.  So we thought we would go later when he was feeling better.

Our neighbors, Marilyn and Cory Grua found out it was our Fifty Year Anniversary, and decided they were going to try to make our evening a little special. They ordered dinner from a Tie Restaurant, in Tooele.  They had to drive there to pick it up.  I had never eaten Tie food before...it was real good.

Bro. Grua suggested setting a card table in the front room with best dishes and a candle, something like you would do for valentine day.  I didn't have a candle, but the table was set,  I dressed nice.
The Grua's brought dinner including a coconut ice cream and a mango type of desert. The evening was spent in pleasant conversation.

 They were very kind to us, telling me over and over that we had to celebrate such a special day.
I am very Grateful for them and their caring for us.

Or this day would have been just another ordinary day.



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Nothing like Family...

I had a wonderful day yesterday, Sunday. James and Pauli, Jodie and Will came spent most of the day. James and Lynn BBQ Chicken and Corn on the cobs. James made one his famous potatoes. We had Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Honey Due, and olives. Will made chocolate dipped Strawberries, and we had for desert Strawberry Short cakes.

James, Lynn, Pauli, Will picked a huge bowl of Strawberries from our garden. They were sooooo sweet. and perfect for desert.

James is so good to come and fix dinner for us, and on top of that he cleaned the whole huge bowl of strawberries. He is so willing to help others, and mostly without being asked. He just sees what needs to be done and does it. James works full time, and goes to school at night. what free time he has is very little, and yet he helps others without hesitation...

A Gift...

I was describing to some of the Lady Missionaries at the Employment Resource Center the neet surprise my daughter and her husband had given us last year, hanging from the celling, hand cut snowflakes around the top of our Christmas tree.

I folded a paper and cut a snowflake, Sister Carter was delighted and asked to see how to fold the paper. As I was teaching the cutting of snowflakes we had some good laughs, I seemed to be the only one who had some experience, enjoying a good activity, we learned not to cut completely across the paper, (twice).

Most of the Ladies cut snowflakes, and even one visitor cut one which was of horseshoes and hearts. Pam Baily, loves and raises miniature horses.

Elder Paul Evans walked to the DI to look for some thread, and came back with some crochet thread which was perfect. Soon Lynn was hanging snowflakes from the celling around the room. It Looked Real Cool....they were all so different and neet. I taped the circle ones, to one of the office windows, filling one with a small snowflake, and added some other snowflakes. I told everyone that the circle one was a ice crystal.

The snowflakes added a nice touch to the Christmas season, along with the Christmas tree and pointsetta which were there.

Its hard to believe that I only have one more week of my Mission. Time has flown by so fast, I am feeling a little sad. I could extend, but I have to have surgery on my knee. So maybe when I get back on my feet again I can look forward to serving another Mission somewhere...

NOTE; The snowflakes had to be taken down from the ceiling and taped to the office windows. The movement of the hanging snowflakes during the night time, for three days, set off the building alarms.... lol

Remember the Fireworks...

I remember when as a family we would go to the grassy lawns, of Glendale Comiuty Collage, in Glendale Arizona. Hours before the fireworks. Our kids would often play games of catch with either Frisbees or lighted neckless. We would sit on blankets with the rest of the crowd of folks doing the same thing. Most all the kids around had lighted neckless that became neet flying objects high into the sky.

It was a good feeling, seeing my family having fun with each other.
Lynn would bring snacks, or go buy some ice cream at the snack trailers.

Sitting together watching the fireworks and greatly enjoying them. Once we saw the space shuttle, and something elts that had been hooked on the space ship flying across the sky. And one year we had extra fireworks, as a large lightening storm displayed itself in the background of the fireworks.

I miss my family, today all my kids have families of their own. This year Lynn and I sat in two lonesome chairs, on the side of a road, about a block away from the park where the fireworks were. With the Oohs and Ahas only to myself.
I watched the house behind us with their family, I felt lonesome for the lafter of my own kids.

I have learned to treasure the time you have with your little ones. They will be grown and gone before you know it.

Its never comes back, and you are left by yourself to try and be happy.

Happy Birthday, Mom...

I received a phone call from my brother Verl yesterday.... He had been down to the Provo Cemetery to see Mom's grave. And wish her a Happy Birthday.

Mom would have been 100 on the 4th of July.
Ivie Hartley Brimhall

It does not seem she could be that old. It gives me funny feelings inside when I think about it, as it relates to my self.

Just Funny...

Last Saturday I decided to take the car and drive over to Tooele, which is about 10 miles away from my home. It had been a while since I had been driving by myself, as Lynn is home mostly now, and he likes to do the driving.

I was going on my way, minding my own business, and enjoying the weather and scenery around me. We live out in the country, and not much car traffic. As I turned on to the main road to Tooele, I noticed I had a few vehicles behind me. This happens to be a rather long and straight road, and often folks like to go faster than the speed limit. And this seemed to be the case to day. I had a truck following close behind me, I thought he would pass by me as soon as he had a chance to do so, as I could see his hood and front window in my rear view mirror.

Soon a space came up, but not quite large enough, as the speed was 60 miles per hour.
The next car coming toward me passed by, but the space was still too small. The truck behind me, was now hugging my back bumper. Finally a larger space for passing came, and the truck behind me gunned the gas peddle and the motor roared loudly as the truck flew by me. Once past me he slowed down, and I soon saw a man's arm and hand pointing. Motioning for me to pull over and stop.

He pulled over, and I pulled over and stopped, and the car behind me pulled over and stopped, and the car behind him pulled over, and the one behind him, and also the one behind him stopped.

Then the door of the truck opened, and my son, David, jumped out. He was wearing his black Haidong uniform, from his martial-arts class. He explained that he had been following me from my house and was trying to stop me. He had come for a short visit, as he lives in Springville, and didn't want to miss me......I was surprised to see him...

I wondered what the other drivers must have thought, as this truck was trying to stop me, with flashing lights and strange driving....Perhaps, maybe, a Policeman?

But, they too, pulled over...


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A New Calling...

Coming to the end of one....and starting a new....
Today is both happy and a sad day, as we met with Pres. Steve Collings this morning in his office at the Stake building.

Happy because Lynn has received a new calling in the church. He has accepted the call of a Service Missionary.

And Sad because we were released from our Stake callings of working with the singles,
(18-110+) The last two, out of four years we worked with the Seniors. Also Lynn Conducted the monthly stake meeting, and I was the Secretary for the whole group.
I so enjoyed working with the singles. I think it has been one of the most rewarding calls I have served in, and I have gained many friends. I will miss being part of them.

When informing a friend of the change, she said "You will be coming to Family Home Evening, wont you? Your in that age group..." I don't know, I said, I am not a single.

Lynn and I will continue to be the Ward Reps for the Seniors, for our ward and the 13th ward, until they call some one to fill our shoes.

Surprise...

Both my husband and I attended church yesterday, being that it was Sunday. As Sunday school was letting out, I noticed that our Bishop was holding the door open for some folks and was holding it open for me. I am walking with a cane, so I walk slower than others. As I came close to Bishop Grua, he said "How are you doing.. WOM?" I was surprised he knew my nickname...then he added "I have read your blog!" Which surprised me even more....As soon as I arrived home, I brought my blog up to see what I had been writing and what he may have been reading....

First hot rolls....

Today was the Family Home Evening for the 50+ Singles in our Stake. Lynn and I have been working with the Single program for almost four years. Maralee, and Claud Parkinson who have been our leaders, were released this last month. Maralee has been making the rolls each month for the dinner. I volunteered to make them for the seniors, because it means so much to them.

After being taught by Maralee, and useing her recipe, I made two pans full. Each pan the size of half sheet cake, and holds 32 rolls.

This evening was centered around Thanksgiving. We were expecting about 40 people or a few more. We ended up with 62 people and 10 take outs, to the home bounds. We ran out of rolls, and Bro.Brown went and bought more.

It made me feel good as the folks felt that Maralee had made the rolls, and they were a big hit. I gave myself a small pat on the back, I had been compared to Maralee, and she is a Queen of Cooks, and a great teacher.

Fall...

I fell today, and it was not a good thing. I saw a black fuzzy jumping spider walking on my vaulted celling. Normally they don't botter me, but since I have moved to Utah the jumping spiders are larger, and more furrier than I have seen before, and they continue to grow. My concern also was for my birds. I didn't want them to get bit or scared.

I tried to reach the spider with my broom. He seeing a broom was after him, let himself down on a web string. Some how I lost my balance and started to fall. I grabbed the rocking chair that was close to me, but it couldn't hold my weight and it toppled with me to the floor. No one could hear me, and I couldn't get up from the floor. It may have been a good thing, because it forced me to sit still for a while. The bad thing is I landed on my left hip and leg. The one I had surgery on just 6 months ago.

I am puzzled as to why I lost my balance so easy...I had no sense of falling till I was in the middle of falling and then it was too late to do anything. I was not standing on anything, just reaching up with a broom, like you would normally do.

As I sat on the floor I watch Mr. Spider crawling all over a wooden kitchen chair that was holding my VCR, and some vidio tapes. Wondering where he was, and how was he going to get off these funny things... He was latter escorted outside by Lynn when he came in from tilling Fall leafs into the garden soil...

This is the third fall I have had since I have lived in Utah. One was while I was showering. The other was while I was sitting on the bathtub side. both were before I had hip surgery. But I don't know why I seem to be losing my sense of balance...

Halloween...

I Love the fall time of the year. Changes all around me, such as the turning of the leaves from green to orange, red, brown, and yellow. It seems that Mother nature has taken the time to paint fall time beautiful, the last glimpse of radiant color before the beauty of winter times begins.

I Love Halloween, Its the beginning of the Holidays. Mostly filled with beautiful keepsakes displayed within our homes. A time for making our family happy, watching smiling faces. A feeling of warmth and love.

These are some of my decorations for Halloween this year. 2 points for each spider you can find.

This is the first time I have put more than one photo on my blog at a time. I found it interesting that no matter how many times I try to make them perfect, the Computer puts them the way he wants them to go anyway..... I give up... Just enjoy. :)

Update: There are 8 spiders. Your close Mike....

Not a funny Halloween trick...

Its a scary thing to know you have just received your last paycheck... And the financial bottom of the stock market has just fallen out, where your retirement funds are... and your in your 60's but not 65 yet...

October... this is not a trick or treet for Halloween...

Our Small Garden...

This week I have been canning from our garden. It is small, but has been producing alot for its size. Today I have caned 24 pints, and 10 half-pints of Red raspberry jam. I would have done more, except my husband while trying to help me, burnt jam in the bottom of my pan, by accidentally turning the wrong stove burner on, and I have not been able to get it out yet.
I have chopped 14 and half cups of onions to be frozen, and 12 cups of green peppers to be frozen. This week we canned 27 quarts of tomatoes, and 7 quarts of peaches.

Its nice to have a garden that will give us enough to can from. I have canned pickled beats, and snap green beans. Not to mention that I ate to my hearts content on green peas.... I think we will have enough green snap beans that we can dry and give us seed for next years garden.

We even had the most sweetest cantaloupe I have ever tasted, and lots of them... The problem is, I only ate a quarter of cantaloupe and my sugar level jumped from 120 to 300 !!!... Lynn promised to find one that would not be soooo sweet for next year. I am diabetic and have to watch my calories.

Our Garden produced plenty of corn, which graced our dinner plates for a couple of weeks or so, and was soo good...

Nice to have a garden, even if you grow one in a pot...Its food you have grown, and the flavor is so rich and yummy...

After Conference, Lynn brought in a watermelon from the garden. It was a round green one. The insides was the color of orange and pink...It had been growing with the cantaloupe...but it was still nice and sweet!....

The Doe...

Doe is a nickname given to my youngest daughter by her nieces, Her name is Jodie, they started calling her Jo, and ended up with Doe, which stuck.

Several years ago when Jodie was about 16-17, I was waiting to drive her to school.
For some reason I grabbed a pen and wrote a list of what I saw about her, for she was a very colorful person, and full of surprises.

As I was sorting through papers today I ran across this list, it brought back memories. Try it sometime, and put the list away, or write it in your Journal. Its fun to remember how things were.

The Doe, a school day

. Yellow, blue ring
. sucking on a candy pacifier
. 3 earrings, one a loop
. a clear blue pager
. black knee high boots
. white long skirt with slit up to butt in back.
. black shirt, square neckline
. yellow vest
. black purse with sholderstrap
. blue bangs, and ponytail
. glitter eyeshadow
. beautiful smile
. blue bead neckless
. Chinese symbol charm neckless

Left Hand
. blue toothbrush
. white bead bracelet
. 2 rings, ctr and 1914 dime ring

Right Hand
. watch, clear plastic
. beaded bracelet blue and white
. 2 sparkle thin rubber bracelets.

This was only a minor day.
Jodie became very stylish, both in clothing and hair.
She was great with makeup, and always had an idea how to fix things.
She is warm, and people want to look like her. She loves to serve others.
She is always creative, and can not sit still....and still does....

If you happen to be driving down the street and a Paramedic Rig flys past you, with its lights flashing and siren going, and you think you might have recognised a face.... It could be Jodie on the job...

Florescence fad...

I have enjoyed watching the different "Fads" that come in my kids life. One of the fads that comes and goes is the wearing of florescence color. This was extremely important to my youngest daughter Jodie. Even though Jodie had several pieces of clothing that were florescence in color, she was focused on a pair of florescence pink socks that her older sister Jennifer had. Jennifer was seven years older than Jodie, and had told her no to the wearing of her socks.

One day as Jodie was on her way to school (about first grade) I noticed that she had Jennifer's socks on.
"Jodie, do you have Jennifers' socks on? Yes and I am going to wash them and give them back to her." I wasn't sure if Jennifer had given her permission.

Jodie came home from school happy as a lark......Later the rest of the kids came home from school. About dinner time Jennifer discovered two very wet pink florescence socks in her clothing drawer.....Jodie had very carefully, in her own way, washed the stockings and replaced them, from where she had taken them.

Counting blessings helps...

Sometimes Lynn and I just look at each other and shake our heads. I find it so incredible that we haven't drowned and died. Everything seems to be piling upon us. My hip replacement, 2 deaths on my husbands side of the family. Fighting with the insurance company that says we are not covered, in two issues, that had originally said we were. Which could mean, we could be thousands of dollars in debt. Lynn being layed off, with a year to go for retirement. And then there are the problems our children are facing. I often feel my prayers are covering the Lords door, so when he comes through it, he is snowed over by them...

I look out the window and take in the beauty of our back and front yards. Looking at the beauty of the flowers, and garden, and everything that is there. We have a nice garden, thanks to Lynn, who has worked very hard. 6 fruit trees, 4 ornamental trees, pine tree, grapes, blackberries, raspberries strawberries all in the back yard. and the lawn is beautiful.

this year I have enjoyed daffodils and tulips, and now Pansy's in the front flower garden. Our neighbor even planted 3 more roses for me... Our friends in this ward have been so unbelievable...I don't know what I would do without them.

Lynn works hard in our yard to make everything so beautiful, to help him and me to count the blessings the Lord has given us, and hopefully he (The Lord) will help us get back on our feet.

Sometimes it frightens me when my husband walks around in a circle not knowing what he is doing... He is on overload... and when Lynn gets that way it is scary.

Not only is he doing everything he has to do, but he is doing everything that I have to do, and then has to take care of me too. Hopefully in about four more weeks I might be back on my feet. And to top things off, he helps the family on his side, with the heaviness, because of the deaths. Lynn's parents are in their 80's, and alot of the weight is falling upon his dad.

( I just remembered, Lynn was asked to conduct a funeral on my side of the family just a couple of months ago.)

Lynn is doing a great job, and it is not easy for him...

Update:
I think Jerry Middleton, and maybe Kevin Brimhall's wife.

New Hip...

This time is full of surprises... not only that seems to be happening in my family, but also with myself.
We saw Dr. Douglas on Thursday, and had a fast hip replacement on Tuesday.
Another new experience......

My husband comments on how everything seems to be drowning us, we keep bobbing up and down in the waves... yes we have troubles, but the Lord seems to keep our heads out of the water. And we can count our blessings.... As an example, my neighbor keeps reminding me that I had the surgery, and it seems to be well done... and no body can take that away from me...

I have missed playing my harp...

Almost two years...

Its been almost two years since our first ward, Willow Creek Ward, was split, and we found ourselves in the new Grantsville 11th ward.

The funny thing is, this is a new area in Grantsville, and we are not even on a map.

Today Bishop Grua announced that papers have been sent in to SLC, to split the Grantsville 11th Ward, and a new ward will be made. This will be interesting to watch. Our ward building is new, it could hold three wards. I wouldn't be surprised, if in the next two years, a new building will be needed.

Wow...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LYNN, AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR HOUSE,
( house is 3 )... AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME :) :) :)

Spring is here...

Besides the Calendar stating that it is really Spring.....I saw 2 Robins this morning, and my tulip and daffodils leaves are poking up in the flowerbeds.

It is alot warmer outside today, not even needing a coat. I have opened the doors to let in a cool breeze. I saw a group of seagulls flying in circles high in the sky.

It has been a long winter, and lots of snow, which I think is beautiful....(I love the change of seasons,) but I am sooooooo ready for a change.