New Cards and a couple of pics of the grandkids!

Ashley and the kids were at the house yesterday. We took some cute pics of Eli!
What cute grandkids I have. We were all together for Lyndon's birthday the 4th of September.

Delphia is taking a dance class on Tuesday's and she loves it. Here she is in her dance clothes.
Card I made with the mover and shaper for the big shot. Love it!
Inside of my haunted house card.
Front of my haunted house card. I did this with my Cricut and I think it turned out hauntingly cute! Hee! Hee!
I was tending Josie one afternoon and took pictures of her beside my English teddy bear! He really did come from England when we took a trip there back in 2003.
Last but not least another picture of my darling little Eli! He is such a cute little button and just smiles so easily. He is such a happy baby and I sure enjoy him. I loved having Ashley over yesterday and it was wonderful to be able to help her a bit, since she has broken her leg. She is a real trooper and really tries to do things that she is able. Ruby and Emma have been such good helpers to her. They are sweet little girls and I really enjoyed having all of them over yesterday. We had a lot of fun. Ashley even taught me a new game. It is Hand and Foot for two players and it is really fun! Now I have to teach it to Lyndon and my mom and my sister Cindy. They would love it! Good day everyone!

The garage is coming along!

Well we have been working in the garage still. I guess I should say that Lyndon had spent the most time on the garage. We have got the stud work almost finished and the pallat racking is now all up. We are going to get all the items that are on the driveway and patio back into the garage on Monday evening. It will be nice to get it all put back together. It has been a bit of a mess. It will be nice when it is done.

I went to Pocatello last Wednesday and spent three days with my mom and my sister Cindy. We had a wonderful time. We did a lot of paper crafting. It was fun! We went to lunch with Lisa and got to spend a few hours with her on Friday. I enjoyed myself and was glad to be away for everything for a few days. By Saturday morning though, I was ready to come home and be with my sweet Lyndon. We spent all afternoon trying to get the shelving on the pallet racking and bolting it down. It was hot and dirty work, but it is done! Yah! Then we got cleaned up and went to our ward movie night. It was fun and hilarious! Shane and Erin came with us and I think Delphia loved it. Well, I also heard they my sweet Ashley broke her leg, which made me really sad. It is hard to take care of little children with a broken leg, but she is in good spirits and is doing her best . I will be helping her during the next few weeks when I can. Jed has been so good to take care of her and the kids and keeping the house up. What a good guy he is. He will be back to work on Tuesday and so Ashley will need help. She has had lots of offers and she will need their help. I will be helping her as much as I can. She is a real trooper. I love her and all of my wonderful children and their spouses. I am truly blessed.

Huge! I mean HUGE! Garage cleaning out session!

Today we started cleaning out our big three car garage around 8:30 a.m. We cleaned out the kitchen cabinets from two years ago. You know... the ones Spencer smoke bombed! We borrowed a long trailer from a neighbor and hauled over half of them out to Shane and Erin's. They wanted them. It is nice to have them out of the garage. Then we spent the rest of the day moving everything out of the garage. We even tore down the shelving. We have dumpsters that the city provides once a year coming to our street on the 15th of this month and so we also have hugh pile of junk that will go into that along with all the old shelving. We still have a bit more to clean out, but not much. We hope to finish with that on Wednesday evening.

Then hopefully with some help from family we are going to reinforce the brick walls of the garage to make it more earthquake proof and keep the roof from falling down should the brick crumble. It has been a huge, dirty job, but someone had to do it and so the work of the garage project moves forward. It will be nice when it is all done. I will take pictures tomorrow.

I am working at the temple tomorrow morning and then at 11:30 a.m. I will be heading to the Murray Cannery to help with our stake's corn canning assignment. It should be a full day. I am tired and so the pictures will come tomorrow evening. I have never seen our garage so clean, but that is because it is all outside of the garage right now. Now everyone just pray that we don't get any unexpected rain storms before we get this project finished. Lyndon says he will cover everything with tarps, but I will just pray for no rain for a week or so. Well good night all, until tomorrow!

Sweet Grandchildren, Myself and Card Making Heaven!

Sweet little Josie! Such a little dolly!
Cute little Eli! His sweet little smile can charm the pants off you! I didn't get a real great smile here.
Silly Emma, Ruby and Delphia!
Here I am after a new hair cut. It is a bit short and I am letting it go gray for now. I kinda like it!
"Owl" you ready for a birthday?
Halloween is just around the corner and I am in the Halloween card making mood!
Mitzi the duck out to cure anything with chocolate!
Sorry about Dallen's naked upper body in this picture, but the pumpkins sure are cute!
Remember to give thanks in all things!

I have had another fun time making cards. It is relaxing to me. Now to find people with birthdays or just someone who needs a lift to give some cards to. It has been a busy week, but I have found time to do the things that I enjoy and that relax me. Have a great weekend everyone!

Oh! What a Beautiful Morning!

I have just loved the cooler weather we have been having the past couple of days! It is so nice!!! I went to work in the Draper Temple this morning, which is always a wonderful experience and it was so beautiful up there on the mountain. It truly is the Mountain of the Lord!

I am going to make peach jam today and I haven't made cooked jam in a very long time. It should be fun and interesting.

We had a wonderful time Sunday for Spencer's homecoming. We had 55 people at our home. It was a bit crowded, but so much fun to see family and get to visit a bit. Spencer is a busy young man with spending time with his girl friend and getting ready for school, which starts on Wednesday. I don't see a whole lot of him. Life is good and I enjoy this stage of my life. It is wonderful!

Hurray! My Missionary Son is Coming Home!

Tomorrow at 8:44 a.m. my son Spencer, is coming home from his mission. We are so excited and happy to see him! Two years is a long time, but it truly has gone by fast. It will be fun to get to visit with him and hear more about his mission than what we heard through short emails.

I am a little nervous and yet excited! I hope he is as excited to come home as we are to have him home. I think that he is excited to come home. Less that 24 hours to go!

"The Girl in a Whirl!"

Today I checked out a very happy, humorous book. It is called "The Girl in a Whirl" by Victoria Gunther. I just started reading it and it is so good. It is a book that will give you a HUGE dose of vitamin H and can be reapplied as needed. I hope the author doesn't mind my sharing her poem in the first of the book.

The Girl in a Whirl

"Look at me, look at me, look at me now!
You could do what I do if you only knew how.
I study the scriptures one hour each day.
I bake and I garden, I scrub and I pray.

I always keep all the commandments completely.
I speak to my little ones gently and sweetly.
I help in their classrooms! I sew all they wear!
I drive them to practice! I cut all their hair!

I memorize talks by the General Authorities.
I focus on things to be done by priorities.
I keep our home organized, clean, and attractive.
I drop by with goodies and see the less active.

I play the piano! I bless with my talents!
My toilets all sparkle! My checkbooks all balance!
Each week every child gets a one-on-one date.
I attend all my meetings (on time! Never late!)

I'm taking a class on the teachings of Paul,
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all....

I track my bad habits til each is abolished.
I floss every day! And my toenails are polished!
Our family home evenings are always delightful.
The lessons I give are both fun and insightful.

I do genealogy faithfully, too.
It's easy to do all the things that I do!
I rise each day early, refreshed, and awake.
I've learned all the names of the youth in my stake!

I read to my children! I help all my neighbors!
I bless the community, too, with my labors.
I write in my journal! I sing in the choir!
Each day, I write "thank you's" to those I admire.

I exercise and I cook menus gourmet.
My visiting teaching is done the first day!
(I also go do it for someone who missed hers.
I love filling in for my cherished ward sisters.)

I chart resolutions and check off each goal.
I seek each "lost lamb" on my primary roll.
I bottle our produce each summer and fall.
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all....

I went back to school to update my degree.
My studying earned me a new Ph.D.
I split with the sisters who cover our ward
To spread the glad truth that the gospel's restored.

I go to the temple at least once a week.
I make my girl's prom dresses - modest, yet chic.
My sons were all Eagles when they were fourteen!
My kids get straight A's! And their bedrooms are clean!

I have my own business to help earn some money.
I always look beautifully groomed for my honey.
I grind my own wheat and I bake all our bread.
I plan our nutritious meals six months ahead.

I make sure I rotate our two-years supply.
My shopping for Christmas is done by July!
(It's out of the way early on for a reason
I then can prepare for the real Christmas season.)

These things are not hard. It is good if you do them.
You can if you try! Set goals and pursue them!
It's easy to do all the things that I do!
if you plan and work smart, you can do them all too!

"It's easy!" she said.
And then......

....she dropped dead!

I love this poem because it reminds me that I will never accomplish all of this at once and that I am certainly not perfect. I love the scripture in Moroni 10:32:

"Yea, com unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny
yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves
of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and
strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace
ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are
perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God."

So his GRACE makes us perfect in Him! Thank goodness for
the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his perfect plan! I know that
if I do all that I can then, he will do the rest. Being a woman
and a mother in the church is a blessing and a challenge, but
it is so worth it. So ladies lets all keep on keeping on and will
all make it there together. Remember to laugh today and have
a sense of humor. Have a great day everyone!