Nancy Pal

Bear Lake

2011-07-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

You know it's summer when it's warm enough to spend a few days at Bear Lake.
Bill and Todd did an early morning bike ride.

The kids found a dead fish next to the shore.
And digging in the sand was a favorite activity.
We went to the Minnetonka Cave but had to wait an hour and a half before we could go in.
So we pulled out some lunch and ate in the hot parking lot.

Nice and cool inside the cave.
This was the only formation we were allowed to touch.
The scenery coming out of the cave was very pretty.
Loved the view of the mountains.
Very good friends of ours have a cabin and a boat and jet-skies, etc.
So we got to have the whole Bear Lake experience!!! So much fun!!!
The water was cold but the kids didn't seem to mind.
We all got sunburned where the sunscreen didn't get put.

Lots of good food, dutch oven, one night, etc.
Two of the evenings, huge clouds, wind, and rain decided to blow in.
But the mornings were pleasant. Umm, bacon's cooking and smelling good.

Pretty sunset after the storm left.
Had a great time with the family!!!

Beautiful Easter Sunday

2011-04-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

This year the weather cooperated for us.

Becky made her famous deviled eggs.
Dinner's ready, so I'll take a moment to sit before all the family arrives.
Allie and Isaac made these cute little Lego figures...an Easter basket and an Easter bunny.
After all arrived, the eggs were hidden and the hunt began.

Let's see, Emma, how many eggs did you find?

Ok, let's eat!
Lots of salads, rolls, ham, baked potatoes, and pies....ummmm.
So nice, some of the kids wanted to eat outside.
Glad we could all be together.

OUCH!

2011-04-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a Caribbean cruise a few days ago. I really was a one eyed Pirate of the Caribbean. I know now I'm getting old when not knowing the difference between saline solution and a cleaning solution for contacts (NOT FOR EYES). The containers look nearly the same and it was a different brand than I usually use, so without my contacts in, I didn't see the writing on top that said, "Do not put in eyes". OUCH! The first morning of our cruise in went the first tainted contact. BURN! I couldn't get it out fast enough! Anyway, I thought it would just be a matter of time and it would start feeling better. No, it got worse. Went to the ship's doctor to learn I had burned my cornea from one side to the other and at the first port which was a day and half later, we would probably have to leave the ship and go home for further treatment.

Bernell and our good friend traveling with us gave me a priesthood blessing. When I returned to the doctor the morning of our first port, he checked my eye and it was almost totally healed! He was speechless. We know the answer......

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-22T10:28:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to everyone as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior and Redeemer. Let us all be thankful for Him at this special time of year.

Camp Floyd

2010-09-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, our family got together at Lori's for Labor Day. Previous to our gathering at Lori's, we drove out to Fairfield so we could see the area where Camp Floyd was once a huge military base for Johnston's army in 1858 to 1861.

But the most significant thing about this place for our family is that Bernell's great, great, grandfather, John Carson, was the person who established this town in 1855 with his four brothers. The settlement was first known as Frogtown.
This tree we are standing in front of was planted by John Carson 152 years ago.
John Carson built this two-story adobe and frame hotel called the 'Stagecoach Inn' in 1858. It was the first stop south of Salt Lake City on the Overland Stage Route. It also served as one of 157 way-stations during the operation of the Pony Express.
It was one of the few respectable establishments in this frontier town. It lodged visitors such as Mark Twin, Porter Rockwell, Bill Hickman, and Sir Richard Burton.
It has been restored and John Carson's pedigree is framed on the wall.

In 1858 Camp Floyd was established near Fairfield with soldiers numbering 3,500. Fairfield became the third-largest city in Utah and the country's largest military post. Fairfield grew to 7,000 people and along with it many saloons, businesses, gamblers, thieves, etc.
The kids had some fun dressing up in military uniforms, marching, and learning some gun handling techniques.
Becca and Isaac look pretty sharp. Attention!!!!
What a great way to see some family history. Standing in the home where they lived 150 years ago and learning more about them was a special experience. Makes family history real!!!

Dusty Pictures

2010-07-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

About 2 weeks ago, Joy, my past stepmother, called and said she was in her basement in a part where the ceiling was unfinished. She looked up and among the boards was a cardboard box. She pulled it down and found some very old pictures that my dad must have stored there. She brought them over. Oh my, how dusty they were and what a fantastic find to see all these never-before-seen old photos of grandparents, great-grandparents, and a great,great-grandparent!

This first picture is my dad about 16 years old. He's standing next to my great-grandmother, Mary Pinkney Patterson Warford. She lived in town, Higbee, where dad had to attend high school so he stayed with her during the week since his parents lived out a few miles from town on a farm.
This next picture is of his (Dad's) parents, Nancy and Leonard, and his brother and sister. This picture was taken about 10 years before my dad was born.
This is a choice picture of my great-grandfather, James Warford, husband of Mary Pinkney. I've only seen one picture of him where he's much older.
This next one is a family picture of James and Mary with some of their children and grandchildren. My grandmother, Nancy Susan, is standing right behind her mother. I've never seen a picture of my grandmother at a very young age like this before.

This is a family picture of James and Mary with their 5 daughters and 3 sons. Nancy Susan is Dad's mother. I was named after her.

The next 2 are the most priceless of all these new photos. This is a picture taken around 1860 of my great-great grandmother, Nancy Catherine Maxfield. I had never seen ANY picture of her before.
Nancy Catherine was born in Kentucky. She married John Pinkney Patterson in 1864. He went off to fight with the Confederates in the Civil War that same year and never returned. 9 months later, my great-grandmother, Mary Pinkney, was born. I've had a picture of him, probably taken just before he went off to war so what a thrill to now have one of Nancy Catherine, too.
So glad you checked out the dusty box, Joy!

Spring Flowers

2010-04-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

I did my annual spring tour of the beautiful Church office grounds, yesterday. I met Becky for lunch at the Lion House and then we went out for some picture taking.
The tulips are at their peak. Just look at the pictures and enjoy!!!

Pretty huh!!!!

The wind started getting very strong so Becky went back to work and I left, too. The only damage we sustained during the night was the awning on our backyard swing flew off and over the top of the house. Bernell found it in the front yard this morning with broken hinges.

I guess the pretty tulips of yesterday will have to endure some snow today or tomorrow. Nice while it lasted.

Panama Canal Cruise

2010-04-06T18:43:00.001-07:00

We're back! We did a cruise through the Panama Canal and it was great!
Our dining room table was next to the back window of the ship so we captured some beautiful sunsets as we dined.
We left San Diego for 2 weeks of sailing. Puerto Vallarta was our first stop followed by Huatulco.
We just did a little shopping around here. Was very hot!!!
Next stop was Puerto Chiapas. Very hot here, too!!!!
Next stop, Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. We did a tour into the city of Antigua. Soon as we stepped off the bus we were surrounded by people trying to sell us their trinkets. Streets were very narrow, don't know how that bus driver made the corners. Saw a lot of poverty along the way. Made me realize how much WE have.
We sailed on to Panama and did a tour of the city but couldn't get good pictures because it was night time and too dark. Saw a lot of poverty in the old parts and then very wealthy high rises in the newer parts of Panama City.

Early the next morning we entered the beginning of the Panama Canal, first passing Panama City. We could see the temple very well up the hill from the ship.
After sailing under the Bridge of the Americas, we entered the Miraflores Locks. What a fantastic experience to see how they operate.

Standing on a higher deck, I took this picture of the nose of the ship as we entered the first lock. The water level rose and the gates opened; into the next lock we went. Very interesting to see!!!

A heavy rainstorm came and went in 15 minutes time but oh was it hot with 100 percent humidity!!!!! Felt like we were in a windy steam bath.

Next day we toured the city of Cartagena, Colombia. It's a large place with high rises stretching out among the long beaches with areas of poverty mixed in. And it was extremely hot and humid here, too!!!!!
A large cruise ship parked next to us in port.
We sailed 2 days up to Fort Lauderdale; then spent the day flying back home. There's no place like home!!!

Big Job

2010-02-22T14:22:00.000-08:00

I've decided to transfer all the many video tapes we have taken of the family for the the past 30+ years to DVD's.
Spent the past week doing the weddings. The computer's had some glitches with new programs and the overwhelming overload of work going into this project. Sure glad Bernell's been around to help clean up problems when they come (which has been all too often). We bought a 1Tb hard drive to hold all these video transfers, all my digital pictures for the past 6 years, and all the scrapbook pages I've made. It's already down to 850Gb. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd be doing stuff on a computer and need this much space. Be interesting to see how many more Gb's are used by the time I finish transferring all these tapes! A BIG JOB but think it's worth it...

2009 iMovie Done!

2010-02-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

I've finished making the 2009 Family iMovie. Took me most of January to finish it...but it's done!

Here's some samples.....

"Summer Fun"
"Bernell's 70th Celebration"
"Trip to Arnold's"

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T17:52:00.001-08:00

We always go to Lori's on New Year's day. After a nice lunch, the ladies, with the help of little fingers, tried to fit the pieces of a puzzle together as we talked, laughed, and just had a good time.
We didn't get too far on this one.
The older kids went sledding on a nice hill near Julie home. They had fun bouncing on the bumps.
As a kid, I loved to sled down the hills with my brothers and dad. Now the grandkids have just as much fun.
The holidays are over. With Becky's help, our tree got taken down and put away for another year. The front door wreath was changed, and the decorative lights outside are turned off.

Today is Monday. Probably a lot of moms were glad to send their children back to school. I remember when I was about 6 or 7 years old, I came home from school that first Monday and saw the Christmas tree gone from the living room. I asked my mom why was it gone and then cried. I didn't want it gone.

Well, like my dad always used to say on Christmas morning, "Only 365 days till Christmas!"
..............Gee, it's less than that already!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Pedal Cake

2009-12-26T15:31:00.001-08:00

I had mentioned in my last blog that I would take a picture of the "pedal cake" I made for Lynda's birthday. I big holiday called Christmas came up so I didn't get it in the blog the next day so here it is now.
It looks like flower pedals so I guess that's why I call it "pedal cake". My brother, Ken, calls it "shower cap cake" cause way back when, probably the '60's, I had a fancy pink swimming cap that looked like flower pedals all over it. Back in those days fancy caps were the big "in" thing to use.
Anyway this is it....aren't you impressed.......

A Second Daughter

2009-12-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrate our 2nd daughter's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNDA!
1972
I made her a birthday cake with Christmas decorating on it. After all it was almost Christmas.

On Christmas she loved to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Loveridge.
1973
Santa came again to her birthday party.
So did Grandma Ancell.
1978
Santa came again for Lynda's birthday party.
Santa liked to dance with all the cousins.

A cute doll and lots of toys were happily received by the birthday girl with aunt Sue looking on.

1979
Santa couldn't come any more to Lynda's birthday celebration. But her cousins still could even though they did miss the Santa visit.

I had fun decorating her cake copied after a drawing she previously made.
1981
Many cakes followed using her drawings.
I think I was more ambitious then. I'm bringing a cake to celebrate today but it doesn't have the cute drawings. I made a pedal cake. It looks like a big flower. We'll take a picture today and post it tomorrow so you can see what a pedal cake looks like.

November

2009-11-30T15:09:00.001-08:00

As this month of November draws to a close, I've much to be thankful for in this time of Thanksgiving.
The beginning of November displayed some fabulous sunsets right out our door.
Had to catch it quickly for the display was short lived, only about 10 minutes of vivid color.
The yard displayed it's vivid colors, too.
The reds and greens complimented each other in their own way.

I'm thankful for this beautiful earth.......
Lots of birthdays this time of year.
Emma turned 2.
I'm thankful for family........

Thank you, Julie, for having us over to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner together. It was delicious!
I even attempted to make mom's famous red cabbage dish. It turned out pretty good.
And Becky made the pumpkin pies, yummmm, wouldn't be Thanksgiving without them.
Lynda brought some great salads which added the finishing touches.

Family gatherings like this are what makes these times special.

Again, I'm thankful for family........
.....and this beautiful world in which we live......

What a Day!

2009-11-05T20:25:00.000-08:00

What a day Bernell and I had, yesterday. We were invited by an acquaintance (who is a prominate federal judge) to see his chambers and a tour of the Federal Courthouse. So we can say we went to court yesterday. It was a fantastic tour; first time I've ever been waved through a security check with purse in hand!
We were also invited to accompany the judge and his wife to the swearing-in ceremony of immigrants receiving their citizenship in the United States of America. A federal officer met us curbside and drove us to the theater where this occasion took place. After shaking hands with many dignitaries, we were escorted to reserved box seats and from there watched the proceedings with the judge conducting. Having never seen this before, I was very touched by what I saw and heard. About 190 people received their citizenship that day representing over 60 different countries. A person sang the Star Spangled Banner as part of the program and it triggered me off needing tissues to dry the eyes. The new citizens could raise their hand if he or she wanted to make a comment as the microphone was passed. I wish all Americans could have heard what I heard that day from these people. What a wake up call! Let's cherish our freedoms, liberty, and this great land. These people do. All that spoke were in tears as they expressed how thankful they were to now be called an 'American'.

I'm glad to be an American. I love this country and may God continue to bless it. We need His help and need to do our part in keeping it a land of freedom and opportunity. We can't let our new citizens down.

All Dressed Up

2009-10-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

It's that time a year again to get "all dressed up"..........for Halloween.
Lori had us all over for our annual Halloween party and the kids did a good job again arriving in their favorite Halloween attire.

This year I think auntie Annie and Suzy took the prize; the best witches I ever saw!
We ate our usual bread-bowl soup, dry ice root beer, vegetable tray, and donuts.
Out newest little goblin, 3 month old Mitchell, even seemed to have a good time
Combat games, swings, trampoline jumping, and busy little ones running around was activity of the day.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!
Fall is here!!!!!

Is it worth it?

2009-10-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

Summer's gone. Where did it go.......
I mowed the lawn Saturday between Conference sessions Saturday, one of the many weekly times since early spring. It's been a lot of work to keep it mowed and edged these past few months, especially when the days hit 95 degrees and above. When I was mowing the front, a neighbor walked past and made the comment, "You,re working too hard!" I made a comment back, "Yea, I don't know if it's worth it."
In the Spring, many flats of flowers and tomato plants were bought and planted in flower pots and flower beds. They had to be watered, weeded, tended and fertilized.

The garden grew, the flowers covered the beds and pots, the grass grew green. The tomatoes produced. Continual applications had to be made in snail control, weed control, pest control, deer control (they killed our weeping flowering cherry tree this spring) and whatever else it takes......is it worth it?
Last week the temperatures dropped.......really dropped......and the impatiens didn't like it. Color's gone, life's gone, stems drooping down, leaves are wilting; they're finished.
Becky kindly pulled them out....she wants to get more tulip bulbs and plant them.

Yes, I guess it's worth it. 4 months of color and the beauty of flowers makes us feel good, makes us happy, makes us love the pleasant surroundings this earth offers us. It gave us a sense of accomplishment. It gave us a pleasant place to host outdoor activities. It gave us enjoyment just to sit and read or have a simple outdoor lunch or dinner.

Yea, it's worth it.....can't wait for Becky's tulips next spring.

Used up 2

2009-09-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

I've used up 2 of my 9 lives this past week.
1st one:
Becky and I drove down to Julie's (Becky's driving). We're in the carpool lane and getting closer to our exit. "Shall we get out on this outlet or wait till the next?" "Oh, let's wait till the next." As we stayed in the carpool lane, a truck about 2 car lengths ahead of us in the center lane, which we would have been in if we had exited the outlet, dropped a canoe off it's roof. If we'd been behind him, it would have gone through our windshield!
2nd one:
These hamburger buns have a good story, too. Bernell and I went to the Wonder Bread thrift store near us and as I was picking up this package of buns, a huge crash sound came from behind me. A car had slammed into the building hitting a steel bar that supported the front between the large plate glass windows. If the car had been 1 foot to the right it would have gone right through the glass and plowed me and probably Bernell (he was a couple of feet away from me) right down because we were right next to that front window. I think it would have shoved us right into the twinkie-cupcake display and maybe at least we'd a died with a twinkie in our mouth. Well.....Bernell went out to see what happened and I looked out and saw the woman getting out of the car. It was Joy! Our own Joy, Dad's second wife. She'd stepped on the gas instead of the break. Well, fluids were leaking out of her radiator and the left front was bent in badly; a tow truck had to be called and a police report made. We drove her home and hour and a half later....glad we were there to help her.....I think.

Ensign Picture

2009-09-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Not often we get to see a picture of a family
member in a magazine. But this time
we get the honors of claiming Becky in
the October Ensign. She works in the
new Church History Library so they used
this one of her on page 40. Check it out!

Ancell Picnic

2009-09-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

We had our Ancell picnic this past weekend.
All of my siblings came and many of their children and grandchildren came.

Lots of good food was enjoyed by all.
The usual sitting around and talking took place while the children played on playground equipment. Nice fishing pond nearby so the little 2 years olds had to be watched, though.
Shannon, Garry's daughter, did a good job putting this together at a park near her home.
We all brought white elephant gifts.
Ken got the gift I brought. It was a picture of him with his 3 sisters. This first picture is the original. The one he got was edited a little bit.
I had some fun changing faces to different bodies.
I slid them all one to the right. Annette has Ken's (not sure I like her with a mustache), I have Annette's face and Susan has mine (can't tell the difference....well maybe), and then Ken with Susan's face (we'll leave this to our imagination as to what he or she looks like).

Julie's studying the picture, too. She's not quite sure about it either.

But it made for a good laugh.

That's what fun in getting together with family. Having a good laugh and just catching up on things.

Family, that's what it's all about!!!

Looks OK

2009-08-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

"Mrs. Loveridge, you can wake up now," I heard the Anesthesiologist say in the OR at LDS Hospital two days ago. Last thing I remember was the nurse stretching my right arm out on an extension from the table I was laying on. What an experience; thought I just blinked, but the mass removal which was deeply embedded in my right breast was all done. The best words I heard later were from Bernell, "The surgeon said it doesn't look like it should be cancerous, it looks OK." After 3 weeks of worry and getting my right side squished over 20 times in different positions on 3 separate occasions in radiology, what a relief to hear those words. My 2 sisters weren't so lucky. Both have had breast cancer removals and now Annette has to go in for a third time. Given this family history, the doctors acted quickly when an abnormality showed up on my mammogram. I give the nurses, doctors, and staff an A+. We do have the best care right here!

Family Reunion

2009-08-16T16:48:00.001-07:00

Our every-other year family reunion once again was enjoyable this past weekend. Arnold and Becky have already made a great blog of this occasion with great pictures and descriptions of the events. So I'll just post a few pictures and call it good. Read theirs'.

A family reunion wouldn't be complete without old pictures and albums to see.

The guys set up a screen Friday night to view a great DVD Arnold made of old family pictures. Many of them I'd never seen before! Just loved Reva and Elwood....miss them!

Mac, Chad, and Kami cooked us a delicious breakfast Saturday morning. Thank you!
Woody's family did a chili and stew dinner Friday evening. Saturday,Reva Beth's and Arnold's group made us lunch, and our family made a dutch oven dinner that evening. All were yummy good.

Thanks, Kami, for the fun jewelry party! Love the grandma necklace I made.

What a nice playground down the hill for the kids to play on. Liam loved the curly slide!

Oh, the hazard of being the 'little' brother. Liam loved following the big guys as they tromped through the trees playing war games. But sometimes he got left behind.

The bubbles were a big hit with the twins until Ava fell over the bubble bucket and it dumped all over her. Was kind of funny but she didn't think so.
Thanks, Becca, for keeping them busy.

Reva Beth kept the kids busy with crafts......
....the rock hunt and the confetti hunt.

Glad Arnold and Carolyn made the long trip from California to be with us.
Family, you're all great and we love you!!!!!

Windows

2009-08-02T17:20:00.001-07:00

Last week we finally replaced our old 42 year windows for nice new better insulation and also for a more updated look.

They did the finishing touches and now we can enjoy the view better inside and out.

I saw lots of life happenings through those old windows.
Watched the spring blossoms come out on the trees. Watched our then little girls swing and play in the backyard.
Watched them grow up out there.
The view out the front sometimes revealed our little girls riding their bikes, big wheels, roller skating, our Lynda pulling her little sister, Julie, in a wagon.
Even the annual neighborhood 4th of July parade was fun to watch going down the street.
Every morning I look out my bedroom window and love the sights of summer out the backyard.
Lunches and dinners on the patio.....watching Cosmo the cat chasing bugs or just laying around...

.....little Becky watering the flowers....
....a family fun time clear back in '76....
......Allie and Becky's backyard celebration in 2001....
....the old backyard pool in 1972.......ahhh, yes, what a view, it was right below our bedroom window....
....and this year celebrating Bernell's 70th birthday.

I watched the girls as they grew up wave good-by as a new school year came.

Watching the fall is always beautiful. Fall 1976, Lori, Lynda, and Julie.
Fall of 1981 with another little sister, Becky.
Watching the first snow fall out the front window made an end to fall and brought the winter season in. Viewing winter from a window is my preferred way to spend winter. Burrrr.....
Watching Lori experience her first winter in 1968. The view out the back was of the old original peach trees left from an orchard.
Now I can watch my grandchildren play out in the backyard snow like Lori and Isaac are doing here.

This old pine tree is gone now.
Can see out the front bedroom windows better.

........Wonder what I'm going to see through these new windows.

An Even Dozen

2009-07-12T16:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Julie gave birth to a beautiful little boy, Mitchell Jay Call. Congratulations, Julie and Todd!

My first time holding this precious little guy! So glad it all went well for Julie on this long awaited day.
Of coarse the grandparents are just a bit proud of their cute little grandson. So nice to hold a little tiny baby again. This grandma will probably be keeping the road from Bountiful to American Fork pretty hot to get those baby fixes in.
Now we have an even dozen grandchildren, 6 girls and Mitchell makes 6 boys.

45 Years

2009-06-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

45 years ago, February 1964, I went to a Valentine's dance with Bernell at BYU. I bought a new red dress for the occasion and had my hair done. This was the time we began to go steady.
We were engaged March 27th and the wedding plans began.

Our wedding date was set for June 25, 1964 in the Manti Temple.

After a long drive from Bountiful early in the morning, we arrived in Manti on a hot 98 degree day and were married in that sacred House of the Lord for all time and eternity.

So now, 45 years later, here we are; just a few (well many) pounds heavier, added some gray to our crowns, added experience wrinkles to our face, inherited some aches and pains, and raised 4 wonderful daughters.

What more could we ask for......not much. We've been so blessed!!!
45 years and counting.......

Celebrating His 70th

2009-06-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

Bernell had his 70th birthday this month! What a guy!!!! Happy Birthday to you!!!
Invited his brothers, sister, my siblings, our daughters, spouses, and older granddaughters.
What a special group to come and celebrate Bernell's day.
Had a nice buffet in the backyard.
Enjoyed some good roast, home baked french bread, and more.
Enjoyed visiting with Woody, Wanda, and Reva Beth.
Hi, smile, I'm taking your picture.
Weather's pleasant.........
Until the big black cloud came with all it's wind and rain........
Pick up your plates and head for the house........
In we go......

Look at that big black sky........
Ok, Lori's getting the buffet table cleared........
We'll finish in the house.
Bernell had a good visit with Woody and had fun showing off his new 'i Pod Touch' the girls and I gave him for his birthday.

Reva Beth was Megan's biology teach at Lehi High this past year. They had fun talking about experiences in class.

Lynda and Wanda had a good visit. I enjoyed the visit with her, too.
Well, with all the family and excitement of the evening, I think Bernell had a pretty good birthday....Love you, Bernell.

"Keeps Going"

2009-06-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I made a post. Time to catch up on all the events that just "keep going."

The day we returned from our Alaskan Cruise, Becky had a birthday party going at our home for her own and Allie's birthday. She did a great job in cooking, setting up, and being the hostess. When Bernell and I arrived the party was winding up, the grandkids were finishing up their squirt gun fights and we got a big welcome home!
Bernell's birthday was the 15th and I baked him his rhubarb pie. Really good! We're having a special party with family for him this weekend; it's his 70th.

Disneyland, what can I say. Saw lots of mouse ears on people's heads (wonder if they ever get worn again). Fun to go again with Lori and Bill's family. Been about 10 years since we last went.
I did the Tower of Terror drop. Not quite sure I should have but it was fun.
First time we've seen the California Park. Favorite ride, SOARING, I loved it!
Sea World was great. Shamu put on his best show for us.

A few days after our return, Stake Lagoon Day came up. Guess we didn't get enough rides at Disneyland.
Little Emma was so cute on Bulgy. Fun to watch her little head bobbing up and down.
The rain really got us that day at Lagoon. But some still rode the Tilt-a-Whirl before leaving.

A day at the mall the next week gave the kids a much dryer ride.
Sarah is all dressed up in her costume for the dance review. Grandma got to see all the little cat and bunny ear girls do their dances.

Did a visit one day at Lynda's. Was greeted by 4 or 5 buckets of tadpoles on the front sidewalk. Allie and Breton thought it was fun to hold the slimy things. Some were starting to grow legs.
They have some ponds near-by and gathered probably 75 to 100 if these pre-frogs. One of these mornings they will be waking up to their front yard hopping all over the place!

We celebrated Annette's birthday with a full day of shopping, eating, shopping, eating, visiting, laughing and fun.

We ended up in Lehi where Lori, Lynda, Julie, and Becky joined us for a girl's night out.

Lori requested the "shower cap" cake for her birthday. I've made it over the years for many birthdays but hadn't for quite a while so was fun to do one for her.
Lori's birthday fell on Father's Day so she had us all down. Don't know if that was fair to be the host on your own birthday but was nice for everyone.
Lots of cousins, 11 to be exact, played on the swings, slide and trampolene. By day's end, was time for all to call it a day till next time......it just "keeps going."

North to Alaska

2009-05-27T20:24:00.001-07:00

We're back from a fabulous cruise to Alaska. It was beautiful!!!
We enjoy cruising with our good friends, Beverly and Gary.
We went to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, cruised several glaciers and on to Anchorage.

The Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. Very cold there.
Another view of the Mendenhall Glacier.
Scenery was like a post card.

We took a sea plane ride over the mountains and saw a few glaciers from above. Fantastic!!!!
We landed in a lake and went to a lodge where salmon was cooked on an open pit BQ. The bears smelled it cooking and wanted some, too.
We spent 2 weeks in this beautiful state of Alaska and I'm ready to go back again. Loved it.

Met some fun people on the ship and ATE TOO MUCH! Well, that's what cruising's about.

Tulips

2009-05-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

I met Becky for lunch this week and wanted to see the tulips before they pull them out for summer planting.
Absolutely beautiful!!!!
What else can I say.....but BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Love the tulips, and green, and warm, and tree blossoms, and new leaves, and.....well....SPRING!

The Last Move

2009-05-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

We, along with Todd's parents, helped Julie and Todd move into their new home this Saturday. They're hoping this is the LAST TIME!!! cause it's the 6th time in 8 years.
But... something else made all 6 moves with them. The heavy, bulky, ugly monster of a desk. They bought it from a graduating BYU student so Todd would have something to use for his studies in the coming years. 1st move-Provo to Arlington, VA. 2nd move-Arlington to Oakton, VA. 3rd move-Oakton to Centerville. 4th move-Centerville to Minnesota. 5th move-Minnesota to Highland. 6th move-Highland to American Fork. The cross-country moves cost about 50 cents a pound. This thing probably weighs 250-300 lbs. Umm how much did this cheap desk really cost?
They tried to give it to "Good Will" in Virginia but "Good Will" wouldn't take it. So into the truck it went, cross country again. Now it's sitting on end in the basement of their new home. Let's hope it's not the desk's last move!

Driving Already

2009-05-02T11:02:00.001-07:00

She's driving already! I was at her home this week and Megan got into the car with her dad in the passenger seat, backed out and drove down the street.

Can I have a granddaughter old enough to be doing this already. Obviously, I do.

This picture was taken when we saw the spring flowers on the Church Office Grounds. Megan's just as beautiful as the gardens were.

Salt & Butter

2009-04-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

Why is it that things least good for us is the best tasting. Salt and butter top my list.

Today, for Sunday dinner, we had baked chicken breasts, boiled red potatoes in their skins, and broccoli. The potatoes were yummy with added salt & butter. The broccoli tasted good with added salt & butter. My chicken was a little dry so I drug a bite of it through some puddled salt & butter on my plate....oh it was good!

Well, what can I say.....ENJOY!....life is short!

Thanksgiving Point

2009-04-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

This week the weather was warm so I met Lori, Lynda, and Julie and we went to Thanksgiving Point to see the spring flowers.
The tulips were very pretty with many yet to bloom.

All the little pre-school grandchildren liked the stroll, too.
The waterfalls were a big hit with the kids.
Ava's taking time to smell the flowers.

"Let's see what's in the Secret Garden."

What a great day......I love spring!

Love the Ride

2009-04-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

Two of our granddaughters, Allie and Becca, LOVE HORSES!
They live for the times when they can go riding. Our good neighbor, Craig, down the street owns 2 beautiful horses so he gave them the opportunity to ride this past Monday. Wow, were they excited!
Even Isaac got a little ride. Thanks Craig, for giving them a special day!

Happy Birthday

2009-04-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

I had a milestone birthday last week.....the one where I now carry a Medicare card in my wallet. That's just for old people! Oh well, guess I'm old, too.

The celebrations lasted for 3 days. Wednesday, the 8th, we (Bernell, daughters, sisters, and brother) went to dinner at Little America (which has become a tradition on my big day). Thursday was spent at Lori's with daughters and grandchildren. They bought take out from the Olive Garden. Yummy. (Too hard to take all the little ones in a restaurant). Friday, my two sisters took the day off work and they treated me to a whole day of doing the girl thing, shopping, eating out, shopping, eating again, and did I say shopping. Lots of laughing and fun together.

I have a great family. This celebration would not have been anything without them.

Good-bye Janet

2009-04-12T20:19:00.000-07:00

My next door neighbor of 40 years passed away this morning. She'd been suffering from bone cancer since last fall. Janet and Les Kaas moved into their home about 2 years after us.

Going to miss her. She was a kind person, always had a smile. Our daughters loved to play over there as they were growing up. They could tell many stories of the mischief they'd get into when playing with their girls.

I last visited Janet on her birthday, March 31st. She's the same age as I. These are pictures of her that day as she enjoyed the many visits from family.

Good-bye, Janet....we'll miss you.

Breton's School Play

2009-04-07T09:49:00.001-07:00

Our grandson, Breton, was in a school play at his elementary school in Eagle Mountain.
Bernell and I went with his family to see it and see Breton do his speaking part. The singing was fun to hear and all the little children did a good job.

Breton looked pretty sharp in his white cowboy hat and overalls.
His little sister Ava and little brother Liam also kept us entertained in the
audience. Even Jonah, in kindergarten this year, got to sit with us and
see his big brother's play.

Grandparents Day at School

2009-04-07T09:06:00.001-07:00

Every year my grandchildren who go to Sego Lily Elementary in Lehi invite me to Grandparents Day. Since I'm the only grandma in the area, I get the privilege of being there and having all their attention! Isaac and Allie had a good time.

Many activities were planned for everybody as we moved from classroom to classroom.
Allie lead the way through the halls weaving in and out of all the many other grandparents and kids leaving this grandma in the dust. But eventually I'd catch up and join in and observe the next one. Things such as board games, coloring, video games, sing-a-longs, hand painting, etc. were done.

But I think the favorite was icing and decorating their own cookie. We made a return trip for this one. Allie and Isaac seemed to like it best, so did I! Ummm, good. Ahh the joys of being a grandma.

Still Running

2009-03-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

I had a load of towels to wash. Put them in and left the room. Came back half an hour later and the towels were still soaking in a washer full of water. OK, guess it's time for a new one. Been wondering how much longer this old thing would last. Bought it in 1972! Raised 4 daughters with this thing keeping their clothes smelling good. And this thing kept linens and rugs, etc. clean, too.
Well....Bernell took a look at it, pulled the front and back panel off, pulled the lead to each of the different controls in and out once, punched the controls and off she went, humming her good old tune again. Finished the load of towels and it's still keeping us clean! Who says a CAT has 9 lives?

It's Finished!!!

2009-03-05T13:11:00.000-08:00

I've finally finished making our
"2008 Family Movie DVD." Started it the end of January. After learning the new program, mistake frustration, pestering Bernell, and computer overload, I spent more than 100 hours putting it together.

I made one last year of the twins, Ava and Liam's first year, and decided it would be fun to make a new one of all the movies and pictures I took of family gatherings, trips, etc. Total time to watch - 1 hr and 15 min. A bit long but will be enjoyable for years to come.

Would love to have had this kind of technology when our daughters were growing up. Have to see if the few old fashion movies we have can be converted for use this way. Wouldn't that be fun!!!!

Trip to Sacramento

2009-02-27T13:19:00.001-08:00

We took a trip to Sacramento, California this past weekend. Driving from Bountiful to Sacramento took us just under 10 hours, so not too bad. We wanted to visit with Arnold and Carolyn. It's been almost 4 years since we made our last trip there.
Sunday evening we had a nice dinner and enjoyed the company of Lisa and Steve, Edward and Tiffany and their children.

We made a visit to an auto museum and it was like memory lane seeing some old cars we used to have years ago as children growing up. Shows our age! Saw an old Ford similar to a '39 model my dad had when I was quite small. And another Mercury like one dad bought in 1950. Wow, we thought that was the most beautiful car ever!
Next day, we went to the Stanford Mansion. Very beautiful place. Stanford was governor of California in the early 1860's. It rained all day but the green grass and flowers were a nice change from our drab Utah February.
We also toured a railroad museum and saw some very interesting old trains and learned a little history about them. I think we wore Arnold and Carolyn out. She still hasn't gained all her strength back from the cancer treatments yet, but didn't let that hold her down. Arnold's parkinson's is taking it's toll on his walking ability so he did more bench observances.

It was nice to see them again and we really appreciated their hospitality.

Our drive home went well. No snow storm over Donner Pass. Just wet. The rest of the way from Reno on was sunny. Heard on the news today the wind out of Reno was 60+ miles per hour and semi trucks were blowing over. Glad we didn't have to drive in that!!!

Birthdays

2009-02-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

A birthday celebration took place yesterday for 3 grandchildren.

Isaac turned 6, and the twins Liam & Ava turned 2.

We had all the family here together for dinner and a huge birthday cake.

This is the time when our house shrinks as the family grows. We love them all. Don't know what life would be without family.

Happy Birthday to you all!!!

Sisters

2009-01-19T17:47:00.001-08:00

I have the two best sisters in the whole world.

A week after Christmas, they, Annette and Susan, went for a mammogram.
Results:
Annette had to have surgery last week to remove a mass. Today we learned it was not cancerous, yea! But a year ago she had breast surgery which was cancer and had the radiation treatments, too.
Susan's having surgery this week. Her's is cancer. But they feel it's been caught early enough to be totally treatable.

I have two great sisters and I want to have them around for a long time!

Body Worlds

2009-01-09T09:23:00.000-08:00

Bernell and I went to the Body Worlds exhibit this week and found it to be very interesting and worthwhile. Real human bodies were used and displayed in positions such as dancing, sports, etc. The muscles, fat, tendons, bones, nerves, heart, arteries, veins, lungs, intestines, and other inner parts were exposed. Gave a very good perspective of how we're put together and how some diseases affect our bodies.

My problem, after the exhibit tour, was going to Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch and trying to eat a chicken leg. I looked at the meat (muscle), bone, tendons, fat and it did me in. Couldn't quite finish it. Should have chosen a pizza place.

December

2008-12-31T11:08:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving (it's almost December!) I start getting ready for the Christmas holiday. So first thing of course is getting the house all dressed up in the festive decor. Becky was a big help. She put up the tree, decorating it perfectly and hanging up all 20 socks. I spent the day figuring out what to do with the rest of the house. But when finished, we felt like, OK, it's really Christmas time now!

December......Ahh, the activities with neighbors, grandchildren, and family begins.

December 17.....
Our cute little Allie and Becca are in the Lehi Children's Choir so we've enjoyed seeing them perform for a few years now. Becca does a great job with her violin solo and Allie's got a voice that gets her solo parts, too. They even performed on Temple Square this year. Good job!
December 20........
Lynda's birthday's the 20th. What a special Christmas baby she was. We love her and went to her home to celebrate her day. Dianne, her mother-in-law made a fabulous dinner and the little kids maybe ate one bite of it. But all us oldies loved it!
Happy Birthday Lynda.......and Happy Birthday Mason. His was December 9th. Mason turned 4 and is quite a busy-body.
My Sister Susan also had a birthday this month. We (me, Annette, and Susan) celebrated her's by taking a whole day and evening and just eating lunch & dinner out, going to a movie, and shopping, shopping, oh did I mention shopping? Then we just talked and laughed till late at Annette's house.
December 23....
Megan's on the girls basketball team at Lehi High School, so thought I'd go see her make some baskets and she did! She is their teams best blocker. Never knew I'd see the day when a grandchild would be taller than me.

December 24.....Christmas Eve...
We went to Julie and Todd's home for Christmas Eve. Todd ended up working on call at the hospital all of Christmas Eve. Too many people were breaking bones on the ice, falling off roofs, or driving drunk. Kept him busy all night. Glad we could give Julie and the kids some company for the evening. Mason and Sarah sang some nice Christmas songs for us while sitting under the tree.
December 25.......CHRISTMAS DAY...........
After a nice traditional Christmas breakfast Bernell, Becky, and I opened some presents. Then the kids began to arrive and the gift opening continued.
Lynda, Joe, Liam, Ava, Jonah, Breton

Lots of picture taking took place. Always try to get family pictures in front of the Christmas tree.

Lori, Bill, Isaac, Becca, Allie, Megan
Becky, Bernell, Nancy..........Todd, Julie, Sarah, Mason, Emma

More company came, my sisters and brother with some of their families. About 30 people in all. This is the time when our house shrinks. Got noisy and busy with all the people but nice they all came. Can't imagine what Christmas day would be like without family here. Always have had a good crowd. Love them all!

It began to snow and storm as they all left that evening, so I worried about their drive home. Thank-goodness all got home safely but the roads were pretty bad.

December 26..........
Lots of snow to shovel.......Becky again coming to the rescue, Bernell had to work in the temple that morning; neither one of us can work the snow blower so it was a big job.

Becky's out with me as I try to take a few night pictures. The lights in the bushes glowed red but didn't show up in the pictures very well. Look hard and you might see a little pink showing in the mound in front of Becky.

December 29.....
Reva Beth had her traditional after Christmas family gathering in Springville. She made the best carrot pudding I ever tasted! Enjoyed visiting with Mac's family, Reva Beth's family and all our family except Lynda's came. (She had a bad cold).
December 31......
New Year's Eve.......
After this all the festive lights go out for another year. I'll miss them. They brighten the early dark skies of December. At least the days now will start getting longer.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

The Pink Jumper

2008-12-28T10:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas 1963.
My brother, Garry, was on his mission in Scotland so it was Ken, Susan, Annette, Mom and Dad, and me for Christmas morning. I was all of 19 years of age. My special present was a fuzzy wool pink jumper. I loved it!

I dressed up in it the next day so I could go to the Thursday night dance at the Terrace Ballroom.

The old place was located between 4th and 5th south on Main Street in Salt Lake City. I rode in the backseat of a Volkswagon with 2 other girls to the dance.

I really didn't like going to dances because I wasn't good at dancing and usually didn't get asked but this time it was different......

......a very tall guy wearing horned-rimed glasses asked me to dance and we got somewhat acquainted during the evening. At the conclusion he asked me out for New Year's Eve and I accepted.

My life changed after that evening wearing my new pink jumper to a dance. Six months later, I married that tall guy, Bernell.
Over 20 years ago this old ballroom was torn down. Made me sad. In the 30s it was called the Coconut Grove and changed to the Rainbow Rendezvous in the 40s. Mom and Dad met there at that time. In the 50s, changed to Terrace Ballroom. In 1963, here I met Bernell and a couple of years later after Garry returned from his mission he met his wife, Deanna, there.

Lynda's Birthday

2008-12-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

37 years ago today, Lynda made her appearance into our family. A second daughter! Wow, never thought I'd have 2 girls. Nice Christmas present; brought her home from the hospital in a little red Christmas sock the nurses made for all December babies. Lori wasn't quite sure what to make of this new little sister.

So we had a nice Christmas celebration with our family and our new little daughter.

1973 ----- When Lynda had her 2nd birthday, we decided to have Santa come and make it special. Lynda and Lori are having fun sitting on his knee.
1974 ---- Santa came again next year, too.
And again all the aunts, uncles, cousin, grandmas, and grandpas came. This is Lynda, Ken, LaRae, and Sue.
Here are Elwood, Reva, Dad, Mom, Woody, and Annette enjoying dinner at the pool table; we'd add the ping pong board top which then made a very large table in the basement for the numerous crowd.
1975 ---- Another Christmas birthday cake.
.......and again lots of family, cousins, and of course, Santa! Annette is sitting on the fireplace, and children of Arnold, Woody, and Beth look like they are excited to see Santa.
I've introduced our 3rd daughter, Julie, to Santa this year.

1976 ---- This is a special picture of Reva (Grandma Loveridge). It's the last one we ever took of her. She passed away only a few weeks after this birthday Santa party.
1977 ---- Lynda drew a Christmas picture of a snowman and an angel. When I decorated her birthday cake, I copied her drawing and iced the cake with the same figures.
1978 ---- Santa came one last time for Lynda's birthday. And again, everyone had a good time with him. We continued to have a big family gathering on her day celebrating her birthday and the Christmas season.

Lynda is a special daughter, now with a busy family of her own. I am so privileged to be her mom and love her very much.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNDA!

Grandma

2008-11-24T18:17:00.000-08:00

We celebrated cute little Emma's 1st birthday about a week ago. Nice to have both grandmas there.

As I've been planning and preparing for Thanksgiving dinner this week, I've thought about last year spending it in Minnesota at Julie and Todd's with Mason, Sarah, and tiny one-week old Emma. She was a beautiful little doll then. Now she's almost walking, still awfully cute, and is grandchild number 11.

All 11 of them are very precious, busy, smart kids. I think this is a good time to be thankful for this blessing in my life. Being a grandma is great! So fun to drive up to their houses for a visit and they come out glad to see you and give you hugs. What more could a grandma want!

Leaves

2008-11-11T16:49:00.001-08:00

I love the Fall colors and the cooler temperatures. October was just beautiful! .....But all those leaves have to come down, all how many billion of them. Three times the back yard has been raked up and there's still more and more leaves every day. My last clean up was Saturday. It doesn't look like I've touched it. Well.....I know what I'll be doing again this weekend. Good thing Fall is so pretty....that makes up for the full garbage cans of leaves.

Giant Pumpkin

2008-10-31T19:17:00.001-07:00

Our neighbor across the street enjoys growing giant pumpkins. He grew this one in his backyard this summer with much tender loving care and it hit over 600 lbs.

Julie, Emma, and Mason paid a visit earlier this summer and saw the giant still growing.

With much extra man power to move it out, the pumpkin now adorns the front for all to enjoy.

Happy Halloween!
Some of the little trick-or-treat goblins had their pictures taken with the "Great Pumpkin".
We also enjoyed 70 degree weather today, so was nice to see the cute little trick-or-treat visitors in their costumes not hidden under coats.

Back Home

2008-10-19T18:17:00.001-07:00

We're back home after a 10 day cruise in New England and Canada. I've wanted to see this area for a about 3 years now and we finally made it. Becky was interested in this one, too, so we were glad to have her come with us.

After boarding the ship in the Manhattan Port we sailed off watching all the great sights like the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Ellis Island, and the New York skyline fade behind us.

Our first stop was Boston. Never been there before but the stop was for only an afternoon so didn't get to see much.
After a day at sea, we docked in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Rode a double decker bus through town and walked the pier.
Took a tour to Peggy's Cove. A beautiful fishing village with picturesque light house over looking the Atlantic Ocean.
Another day at sea in the Gulf of St. Lawrence ending with a port in Quebec City. What a fun European, French experience this place was. We walked all over and wore ourselves out.
Our next port was at Prince Edward Island. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful......
Saw lovely countryside, stretching beach fronts, and made a stop at the Anne of Green Gables home. So pretty!

Another day at sea; then a day in Sydney, Nova Scotia. The Cape Breton Island (our grandson, Breton, is named after) is very beautiful with all it's lakes, colorful trees, rolling hills, and green meadows.

You can see here more of it's beauty. We took a ferry across this lake on a bus. Made me laugh sitting on a big bus being ferried across the water.
Had a fantastic lunch at a resort while on our tour outside the Syndey area.
This view was just outside the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. So pretty with all the fall colors.

Next day we sailed back to New York and disembarked. Our taxi ride which was supposed to take and hour to JFK airport took little less than half an hour. The driver scared me to death driving 50 miles an hour through Times Square weaving in and out of traffic and through a tunnel and on a freeway passing every car in sight! Whew, was I glad to get out of that taxi in one piece at the airport!

Glad to be back home. If anyone asks me where my favorite place is, I still would say home.

Once More

2008-10-03T08:24:00.001-07:00

Wanted to see the flowers one more time on the church office grounds. Lori came up from Lehi and we met Becky and Annette who both work downtown nearby for lunch and took a few pictures.
Conference is this weekend and soon after the flowers will be pulled out to make room for planting pansies. So we had to come ONCE MORE! Lots of conference visitors were already browsing the grounds and taking pictures. Saw a few brides, too. Perfect day for a wedding.
We had lunch at the Lion House. With temps still in the 80's we enjoyed eating out on the patio.
The geraniums along the street were just huge. Had to take one more picture before leaving.....until next spring....good-by to the beauty of colorful flowers.

The Lawn Mower Won't Start!

2008-10-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

How many of us have said this through the years, "I can't get the lawn mower to start!"
I did a couple of weeks ago after filling the tank of old reliable which started nicely for me for quite a few years. It just wouldn't start. Bernell came out and couldn't figure out what was wrong either, so he took it to Sears repair shop. They said he'd be better off buying a new one, so he did. Brought it home, filled it up; it wouldn't start either! Took it back, the nice salesman give him another new mower. Guess what, we couldn't get new#2 to start. Bernell removed all the gas. OK....it....was kerosene! Well......I started using gas from another red gas can in the shed but didn't know it wasn't 87 octane gas. Smelled the same to me. Needless to say, Sears now has a prefectly good old mower full of kerosene, a new mower full of kerosene, and we have a nice new mower that runs great! Bernell called Sears to let them know of his wife's "gas"tly mistake but the person on the other end's English was poor so don't know if they got our gas message or not.

My Friend Karla

2008-09-29T18:53:00.001-07:00

My friend Karla came and picked me up today for a luncheon date. We first knew each other clear back in 1955, 53 years ago. My family moved into a new house and she lived across the street.

We became good friends, played together and went to 5th and 6th grade together. This is our school picture.

My family had to move to California because of a job transfer and so our ways parted even though we moved back in only a year. Our lives were very different for the next 40 or so years, me raising a family and Karla teaching many hundreds of children in elementary school. But now we've resumed our friendship and occasionally do fun things together. Don't play paper dolls or jacks anymore but enjoy each other once again!
A true friend is person who will ALWAYS be a friend. Karla is a true friend!

An Apple a Day.......

2008-09-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well....we have enough to keep him away for quite a while.

This past week, Bernell and I picked about 7 or 8 bushels from our golden delicious tree in the back yard. Anyone for apple pie, apple cobbler, apple muffins, baked apple, apple sauce, or apple jelly? I made some apple-plum jelly yesterday. Bernell made some apple muffins this morning.
I took several large grocery size bags to all our daughters and Bernell's given some to friends.
These are some we still have left.
We also have a red delicious tree in front. They are just about ready, too. Anyone need some apples?
.....Maybe our neighbor across the street would like some. He can see this tree from his house and maybe he can enjoy some of these ....I hope so!

Plum Cake

2008-09-21T16:27:00.001-07:00

I baked a plum cake. We have a volunteer plum tree growing behind our garage. It grows purple plums about the size of large walnuts. Don't know what kind it is but they are good for eating and making plum cake.
My mom used to make this cake when I was a kid. She'd slice the plums in half and remove the pits. Then lay them in rows on top of a thick white cake batter; sprinkle sugar on top and bake. This is similar to what her's were like only she'd make her cakes a lot larger than this one. So plum cake makes me think of her..... I miss her.

My mom was a special person whom I loved and still miss all the time. She's been gone now for over 24 years. We did many things together such as going out to lunch for a hamburger or shopping or just fixing her hair. Her fantastic dinners were something to look forward to.
I made an apple pie the other day. Mom used to make a huge apple pie in a big rectangle casserole dish so they were actually apple squares. It's funny how certain foods will remind me of her.

Eating the plum cake, yesterday, made me think of her.

I still miss my mom......

Wind

2008-08-31T10:56:00.000-07:00

The wind blew all night long last night as I tried to sleep hearing it cause some apples to drop off the tree next to our bedroom window and listening to it rattle the blinds.
...........I don't like wind.

After arising this morning and getting dressed, I walked into the kitchen and saw out the back window the number it did on our peach tree. The wind took off a whole main branch.
...........I don't like wind.

Now Bernell gets to cut the tree down after the peaches on the remaining limbs ripen.

About 14 years ago, we had a good gust rip through our back yard taking the shed roof with it.

The whole thing lifted off and slammed into the fence surrounding the vegetable garden smashing it to the ground.
............I don't like wind.

18 years ago in 1990, Bernell and I went on our first cruise. Mac and Sue were with us and her sister and husband came . We had a great time. We went on the old Dawn Princess.

Like the similarity of my wind-blown hair to the trademark of the Princess cruises.

I guess sometimes wind can be fun but I sure had a bad hair day that day!

I guess wind can be romantic if you're on top of the Titanic with Leonardo DeCaprio and Kate Winslet.

Humm....do I look romantic here.......I think not.
Do any of us look romantic? Probably not...but the wind's great!
Well, I guess it might have some good things about it. Some people like to ride in convertibles and it's necessary for sail boating. Wind power can generate some electricity, and can clear out some haze from time to time.
But...........I still don't like wind.....

Gardening

2008-08-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

Was such a great day today to work outside. The temperature dropped to about 85 degrees. Perfect!
I spent the whole day mowing, edging, trimming, weeding, transplanting some flowers, and then just sitting with my orange juice-sprite drink admiring all my hard work.

Then dinner time came and Bernell, Becky, and I enjoyed eating out on the patio for a change. It's been too hot all summer to enjoy eating outside so this was a nice treat....except for the constant noise of the school's air conditioner which keeps running even after school hours and all night and all weekend. Good use of our tax money!

I decided to sit out on the patio and enjoy the great outdoors again this evening with my computer. Well, the school air conditioner is loudly still running and...the neighbor next door's decided to do some work with his table saw right next to our fence. Oh, yes, and a low flying helicopter's flying over now. So much for city life! At least the other neighbor's dog isn't barking right now.

Peach Pie

2008-08-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

I made a fresh peach pie. Does that mean summer is almost over? Peaches usually ripen at summer's end.

I heard the school bell ring this morning at the Jr. High behind our house. I think that's a good indication summer's winding down. We had a good one once again.

It usually starts with the Memorial Day weekend and we celebrate Becky and Allie's birthday with a backyard dinner, presents, birthday cake, homemade ice cream and lots of family.

Little Emma came for a visit with her mom, sister, and brother. She's cute even with lunch on her face!

Bernell and I had fun once again with the friends from Payson driving through the beautiful Canyonlands area. Going over Elephant Hill still makes me nervous after all these years.
Yard work kept me busy with the lawn mowing and weeding but I enjoy doing that over housework. I love flowers and all the green trees that come with summer. My brother, Ken, got a riding lawn mower this year for his birthday. He said he ended up driving it all the way home from the store after he bought it!
Another birthday celebration. This time for Lori. Happy Birthday!
Bernell's birthday and father's day came on the same day so we had another backyard celebration. Lots of grandkids with cute homemade cards wished him well.
He's a great dad and his four daughters love and appreciate him. How lucky we are to have you!
This backyard volleyball activity was in the huge backyard of Julie and Todd's place. Another birthday, Jonah's, was celebrated along with lots of our family and Todd's family.
Backyard gathering eating BQ sandwiches. Nice to have Julie and Todd back in Utah so they can do these things with us, too.
I'm so lucky to have great sisters and a wonderful brother. By the way, Annette's birthday was in June, too, along with Ken, Lori, Bernell, LaRae, and Jonah.
I really enjoyed the short trip with Bernell to St. George so we could see a couple of musicals at Tuacahn. They were great!
On the 4th of July, we went to Lynda and Joe's. Ava and Liam looked cute in their flag shirts. Ava found the chip bag and helped herself to the salty treats.
The grandkids got a kick out of seeing Grandpa riding the Ark float dressed up as Noah. They waved as he went by yelling, "Grandpa! Grandpa! Grandpa!" What fun.
Ahh, summer wouldn't be summer without a parade......
.......or without a day at Lagoon.
This was the day Ava and Liam made their debut on Bulgy the Whale. They didn't quite know what to think of it.
.... Isaac, and Jonah..... driving away....

Love the flowers at the church office grounds.

Today I ate a piece of fresh peach pie.

.......Yes, I guess summer is almost over......

20 Years Ago

2008-08-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about a special day 20 years ago this week (August 11th). It was the day our 1st daughter got married. Wow, this was a new experience for me to help plan a wedding for my own daughter. She grew up so fast and now she's a beautiful young woman and getting married!

It was a beautiful day and the ceremony in the Salt Lake Temple was very nice. We had a good time taking pictures on the grounds with all the many flowers and the temple in the background. The wedding breakfast was great and we had lots of family there.

Then it was time to begin the set-up in the backyard for the reception.

The cake got the finishing touches it needed.
The patio looked great for the refreshments.
The backdrop was in place for the reception line.
The entry way to the yard was ready with the table and guest book.
Tables for gifts were set up on the driveway.
The tables and chairs were all ready for the guests to use.
....Then the wind came up.....no, it was a MICRO-BURST! It came so fast and hard it blew everything down and all over the yard. The cake was leaning ready to fall and some center pieces were broken.
The backdrop went over and the wind just kept blowing as hard as it could.
.....So after waiting to see if it would pass, which it didn't, we packed up and went to the church for the reception. Thank goodness for some great ladies in the ward. They did all the set up in the church while we cleaned up.
We got off to a little bit of a late start but we survived.
Lori and Bill have survived 20 years of marriage and 4 great children!

Ahh...Summer

2008-08-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

Love summer and all the green and all the flowers and even the heat! Took some more yard pictures. About as interesting as a parade float without people on it or in it or whatever.
Backyard looks peaceful and quiet and a place you would like to spend some time.
More backyard shots. Well..... beyond the fence is a Jr. High School and they are adding a big addition to it this summer. Ahh, summer...TIME FOR CONSTRUCTION!

We like to sleep with our bedroom windows open at night but each morning between 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. the CONSTRUCTION BEGINS........BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! as the big machinery backs up and the SCRAPING, BANGING, or whatever, continues all day long.... So much for our peaceful backyard this year!

This is the lovely sight behind our fence. Be nice when it's done for the kids going there but don't see how it will be in just 3 weeks.

Another joy of summer is road construction. Getting around gets frustrating but I guess it has to be done sometime. Ahh....summer!!!

164 Dresses

2008-07-29T08:14:00.001-07:00

I put together a book of all the pictures of our 4 daughters in the many dresses and play clothes I had sewn for them in a time period of about 25 years. Many Easter and Christmas dresses, play clothes and later Prom dresses are featured in this book with the dates and occasions written by each picture. I couldn't believe how many there were until I counted them up! But my sewing days came to close about 9 years ago because interests have changed with the times.
Now I'm working on publishing a book of my ancestors with all the pictures I have of them including a few stories and memories. Now I see the reason why we should keep a journal! My dad is the only one who did some writing about his life. Wish I had more about the others!!!!!!

Noah Makes News

2008-07-22T08:50:00.001-07:00

For 2 days a display of all the floats for the Days of '47 Parade can been seen by the public in the South Town Expo Center.
Bernell didn't have to be there for these 2 days but we came to see the floats for a little while and it just happened the channel 2 news crew wanted to do a weather segment right then and use our float for it. Bernell quickly dressed up so Noah could make the local news!

Here's a movie clip of it...........

With all the heavy rains going on in some parts of Utah, Noah assured the newscaster no flooding would take place in Salt Lake City.

Dress-Up

2008-07-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

When the grandchildren come for visits, sometimes they like to play dress-up with some old clothes boxed with the toys in the play area. I took this picture of Becca dressed up in an old dress that I sewed for her mom 30 years ago. In looking through some old pictures, I found one of Lori in that same dress! Thought it would be fun to put the two of them together in a picture.

Busy Twins

2008-07-17T09:00:00.001-07:00

I had a busy day, yesterday, watching the twins, Ava and Liam. Lynda needed to visit the dentist with Jonah so Grandma watched these 2 busy ones for a few hours.
They are now 16 months old and Liam is beginning to walk. So cute to watch him do this. Ava is getting close but still hasn't taken any steps on her own. Ava loves to look at books with whoever will do it with her and Liam could care less about books. He loves to throw balls and chase them, kind of like a little puppy!
Fun watching 2 grow up together and see how different the feminine and masculine are from the very beginning. Don't know how Lynda gets anything else done around there because it takes all I have to keep up with these 2 little busy bodies!

Camp at Granite Flats

2008-07-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

Lots of good outdoor food, beautiful surroundings, good company, and perfect weather. SUMMER, my favorite time of year!

I'm holding our youngest grandchild, Emma. She's so cute! She likes summer, too, after living in cold Minnesota for her 7 months of life.

Lori and Bill like to take their trailer each year to Granite Flats up American Fork Canyon and camp for about 3 days. Lynda and her 2 oldest boys and Becky braved the tenting. The rest of us came up and spent Friday with them.
Joe came up later in the day with Liam and Ava. Don't blame them for not wanting to camp with 2 little ones this age.
Breton's having fun climbing a fallen tree.
Bill always brings up ATV's for riding in the beautiful high country. Sarah and Allie are having fun on this one.
Breton, Mason, and Jonah are taking their turn.

Bill saw this accident just after it happened while he was on the ATV. He said the woman was on the ground and the Life Flight helicopter was hovering over-head yet to land for her rescue.

We roasted hot dogs for lunch. Wouldn't be a picnic if we didn't do this, would it?

Roasted marshmallows are a must, too!
Good to have Julie and Todd back so they can do these fun things with us. They've been living away in DC and Minnesota for 8 years.
Julie, your hot dog looks like it needs more cooking!
For dinner, Bernell made his famous dutch oven potatoes with carrots and onion, meatballs in mushroom soup, and pineapple-up-side-down cake. Ummm, good!

Lori and Becky enjoying their Dad's good cooking.

We'll be looking forward to this again next summer!

Making News

2008-07-07T08:05:00.001-07:00

Looks like Bernell's Noah and the Ark float make the news in our local Davis County Clipper. Guess we can sometimes make the news even if it has to be dressed as Noah!
Lori's children, Allie and Becca, made the news this morning. As long as it is good news, it's OK.

This morning's Deseret News featured an article about children's decline of "free" play or unstructured play. More are spending their time in organized, adult-directed activities. The article gives some ideas for getting children to play outside (which they are doing less of). This picture is of our daughter's neighborhood kids playing "Ghost in the Graveyard" which is similar to Hide and Seek. Two of her children are in the picture out on their street getting ready for some fun after dinner, "free" play.

Enjoy your summer!

Before&After

2008-07-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Last summer (2007), we decided the old 50 foot pine tree needed to go because it was causing lots of root problems in the front lawn. We planted it in 1968 so it was 40 years old and outgrew it's yard space.
Let the cutting and work begin! Two hired guys came in 100 degree heat and started working at it.
They pulled and pulled; soon it began to tip.
Crash! Down it went with a bang. They hauled it off and were done in about 2 hours.
Then our work began for the remainder of the summer. I never took a picture of the 8 cubic yards of dirt we had brought in but it was big and seemed to grow as we moved it. This picture is from GoogleMaps and they have a picture of our front yard as it looked after we removed all the shrubs and ivy vines from the house front and after Becky and I moved the huge pile of dirt. We needed it to build up the front flower beds and level the area where the tree once stood. New grass was planted and all new scrubs were planted with Becky's help.
Next it's Bernell's turn. He removed the old porch railing and old outdoor carpet. The worst was getting all the old glue off the cement. He spent about a week working with that. Hard on the back and knees!
New vinyl railing was put in, Becky planted lots of pink/white tulip bulbs and daffodil bulbs so we could have a colorful spring.
And indeed we did. This picture is just the beginning of the many tulips that came up for us this spring.
Ahh summer, one year later, and no more yard construction! So glad it's done!

Noah and the Ark

2008-06-29T09:59:00.001-07:00

Saturday, June 28th, Bernell made his debut as Noah in a local West Bountiful parade. Our Stake was assigned this year to do a float for the 24th of July Parade so many people have spent countless hours designing and putting this thing together.

The elephants squirted water out their trunks, the giraffe moved up and down, and the hippo's blew bubbles out the back.
Bernell heard some parents say to their kids, "There's Noah." And he could hear the kid's reply, "No, that's not Noah; Noah's my brother."

Bernell will be Noah 3 more times-the Centerville (July 4th), Bountiful (July 23rd), and Salt Lake (July 24th) parades.

Guess we'll get our fill of parades this year!

Canyonlands

2008-06-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the confluence of the Green River and the Colorado River overlook.
Bernell and I went on our annual Canyonlands trip with the Utah County Jeep Patrol, June 5th to the 8th. They set up this huge army tent and cooked fabulous breakfasts and dinners here.
When out on the road, they'd bring this heavy grill and make hot sandwiches for our lunch each day. This picture show him making a steak-and-everything sandwich.
We drove Elephant Hill which was very rough and steep. That's Bernell hanging his head out the window.
The drive through the Needles area is beautiful. Lots of wild flowers and flowering cactus.
The drive through here is so narrow we had to fold in our mirrors and take it very slow.
Check out the right wheel in this picture. He had to slowly ease it down so his truck wouldn't tip hard and hit the rock wall on the side.
An ambush just waiting to happen. Lots of squirt gun fights and lots of fun!

It was a great trip!

.........Nancy

My New Blog

2008-06-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

I've just begun my own blog today and so I will be learning how it works. I've enjoyed reading Arnold's and Julie's so I'll give it a try, too.
Our latest adventure was a trip to St. George last week. We love seeing the Broadway musicals at the Tuacahn Amphitheater so we saw
Les Miserables first and The Sound of Music the next night. During the day, we visited the Brigham Young home, the visitor's center at the Temple, and the Jacob Hamblin home in Santa Clara. We ate lunch at a fun little old house converted to a bakery and lunch place called Tobler's in Santa Clara.
It was pretty hot, 103 degrees, during the day but the evenings were nice for the plays.