PS

Giveaway at greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com.

Lucky Me!

Look! I got knee socks!!

I haven't had socks in years But these stretchy ones fit Don't you LOVE the stripes?

And the colors go so well with my Mary Engelbreit quilt that my daughters made for me!

And that tail in the picture?

It belongs to this creature,

Who belongs to me!

Aren't I Lucky?

In the Past Year I've...

Since I just listed my new resolutions, I thought it would be good to review what I've focused on in the last year, also. That way, next year I can review again and see how I kept my resolutions (part of my fantasy plan for being organized!). I'll include some major events in our year, also. Okay. In 2008 I . . . 1) Moved to a one-story, accessible home in a semi-rural area that I love!! 2) Married off one daughter and one son (to wonderful people!) 3) Started a Blog (betcha can't guess which one) 4) Got a doctor in Pocatello and broke him in ;) 5) Had a son join the Army and go to Iraq, and a niece go on a mission to Mongolia! Good for them! 6) Was gifted with another grandchild (Anya Meuzet) and two more on the way! 7) Got unlimited long distance calling (Hallelujah for that!) 8) Got the two horses situated with Ben and Linda's folks (and am looking for the horse papers, I promise!) 9) Found nienie and cjane, plus a bunch of other fun and creative people on the web 10) Got way thicker hair and strong finger nails (courtesy of Reliv :) 11) Was able to attend Book Club again - Yay! 12) Got most of my upper teeth pulled (and survived!) 13) Thirteen is the appropriate number here: Mark went through some really tough things this year, and he's coping well with them 14) Had my first ever bout with pneumonia 15) Got through Leto's major operation and recovery (whew!) 16) Entered my own creations in the state fair and got 2 firsts! 17) Finished Mrs. Cannon's necklace and got it sent (so glad I got that to her, finally!) 18) Was able to participate in doing my Aunt Evelyn's temple work (amazing!) I'll add more to this as I think of things to add. Please remind me if you think of them. (You'll notice that most of these are things other people did or got through - but I did drink the Reliv! ;)

Resolved To:

In addition to whatever crazy idea or self-improvement project I am trying at any given time, I'm making these resolutions for 2009 (so wish me luck!) : 1) Test my blood sugar twice as often, which means 4 times a day (boring, I know, but essential) 2) Prepare for Family Home Evening each Monday 3) Have glorious window-type boxes hanging from our front porch railing 4) Write a snail mail letter or card to someone every day 5) Continue with Experimenting Bonus Resolution: Be a Neatnik/Super-Organized Person. This is just a fantasy dream. Oh well. While I'm at it, I might as well add in Amazing Gardener, Crafter, and Chef... How about Published Author? House Historian? Treasure Hunter? Maybe I'll settle for just being a Nice Person. :/

Experimenting on the Word

Mark was waiting up for me, but I got carried away with entering a contest (link on cjane's blog, below right) and he fell asleep. I felt like I had failed in some way, but then I chose not to worry about it. That's right...I'm able to choose that. Isn't that nifty? It's a trick I learned in Alma 32, where he tells us to experiment with good things and see what they are like, nurture them if they enlarge our soul, and continue in that way till we can harvest the fruit. I know, sounds simple and you've heard or read it before; what caught me this time is the word "experiment." A couple of weeks ago, I woke up with that word on my mind. Then I kept opening the scriptures to that part, and all the talks, lessons, and songs in church that day kept referring to it. So I tried "experimenting" instead of feeling like I was doing something against my will - it was my own experiment! And I tried thinking in ways that I usually don't, just to see what it was like. I have to say, in all the little areas of thought and feeling that I've tried this, it has worked remarkably well for me. I don't feel pressure. I just think, "I usually think this way, so why not try something different?" I do this with thoughts and behaviors that haven't been serving me very well, but that I stubbornly cling to. Part of my trouble has been fear of being someone else, somehow Not Me. Fear of change. But Experiment? That sounds like a little test run, just to satisfy my curiosity. I can handle that. Clearly, this is blessing my life. Now I wonder just who it was that whispered that word in my ear?

Stuffs

First of all, on Chris (nienie's brother) Clark's web site, The Jolly Porter, he has a link to the LDS Film Festival at ldsfilmfestival.org. It's coming up this month, so you might want to hurry and check it out. :) Also, for twelve dollars each, you can buy the "Best of" DVDs from previous years. Sweet Sassafrass, that's exciting! Secondly, thank you again for your comments. I love reading them! Thirdly, check out this skirt Audrey is modeling below. Megan made it with material she cut in the size of a bandana (you usually make these skirts out of bandanas), with a tiny bit of other material for the border. Isn't it cute? (And the model, too.) Okay, that's all for the moment. 'Bye! PS And NieNie is posting again! Hurrah! Hurray! Triple Yipee!!!

A Study in Anya . . .

Puh-leeze!!

Until I get more pictures uploaded, please pretty please accept this as a posting, so that you can comment on my new blog background! I'm feeling needy and desperate. Also, if anyone has Justin's correct phone number, would you please call me so I can get it? Thanks! I have some cute pictures of Anya from last night, so I'll get them up here asap, okay? Loving You!

Call From Phillip and Happy Birthday, Aiden

First of all, happy 6th birthday to Aiden!! Secondly, we heard from Phillip! He called today and said he's doing fine, but it's really stressful over there, because you're always on, as in on duty or on call or on PT (physical training), and so on. I can imagine that. Being deployed to fight in a war is very grinding, to say the least. There are a lot of missions where you drive for hours and hours, where you get out and measure things, and there are so many, many aspects to it that are just logistical. He has one guy in his platoon that he knows from Basic, and he says his platoon leader and the officer he drives for are both cool guys. They rotate six days of missions with 3 days off, if I heard him correctly. The off days are filled with cleaning and keeping in shape, etc. I asked him if they get much mail or pkgs., and he said they don't, which is surprising to me. They are able to share a laptop, though, and check emails and blogs. He enjoys hearing about the little kids, he says. It's not really sandy or rocky where he is, a number of hours south of Baghdad. It only seems really cold when the wind blows, and he said there are tons of sheep, and many stray dogs. His group isn't interacting with the populace a lot right now, but staying with their platoon. He said there are mostly Shi'ites (sp.?) where they are now. That's so interesting! I'm going to try to find a movie he told me about, that he said is very realistic. I think he said it was The Freeing of Haseeza, or something that starts with an H. If I find it, I'll post the right title. Anyway, contact me if you still need his address, okay? I'm sure he'd appreciate anything that you could send him, by way of letters or packages. Also, email is very appreciated when he gets an opportunity to check it. Thank you!

P.S. to Farewell, Noel

Yes, there was a gap in my blogging there. I'm sure you noticed. Sorry, but I couldn't get the New Year's pictures to download, and I kept forgetting to ask Mark to do it. But you are right in your comment, Megan, in that I was taking it easy after the holidays. :) And I must say, it's been fun! I'm wallowing in the present, which is the time to think, plan, read, draw, and so on. I'm drinking plenty of Pero, and plenty of tomato juice and V-8, so I won't have any reasons to hit my forehead and make it slope back precariously. I sit in the sunlight from our French doors, or else by the fire, and we watch old A&E productions and Jane Austen movies together, punctuated by guy-flicks. It's loverly! Also, I said "Farewell, Noel" for another reason besides saying goodbye to Christmas - my aide, Noel, is moving back to Virginia, and I'll really miss her! Boo Hoo! Okay, enough of that. Mark is making parmesan noodles and I need to buckle up. So, Cheerio! And if you've any more comments to leave, please put them on my last post. This one didn't take any effort at all, and it doesn't deserve comments. Actually, I'm feeling quite silly, and if I don't stop writing like this, I'm liable to say something that will draw criticism from sterner quarters. It might even be injurious to the throne. Oh...you'll have to forgive me. We watched Edward and Mrs. Simpson the last few days, and I can't help myself. They do talk in circles around a subject, don't they? I'm of the opinion, I rather dare say, on the other hand it mightn't be that bad at all, and on and on and on. I pick up any way of speaking that I'm around. It's so embarassing!

Farewell, Noel

On New Year's Day 2009 we gathered 'round to celebrate. Justin and Phillip and Kattie weren't able to join us - We miss you Justin and Phillip and Kattie! Nevertheless, we played with the kids, ate some snacks, and had fun! Dallin courageously challenged 5-year old Aiden to a game of LOTRs Risk.

Haley, meanwhile, found a lamp she couldn't live without! Thanks, Mom!

And one 'Alaina Campbell' explored just about everything she could find.

Finally, though, Anya had enough of partying. Either that, or she was overwhelmed by Ben's beauty!

Imagine that!

Danny and Tristan took a Father and Son Orange Break together. How cool is that?

And Audrey busied herself reading a long novel

But soon despaired of ever finishing it. (Silly publisher!)

Aiden had Dallin stymied at Risk - Or didn't know the difference -

And Danny showed Linda how to find the Zone... Almost, almost - And there it is! Ahhh! Happy New Year!

Kati Cupcake

Hey there! Great news! Right over at Rigby, Idaho there is a Quilt Shoppe owned by our own Idaho blogger (Amy) at katicupcakequiltingco.blogspot.com. She is having a quilt giveaway, so I know at least one of you will want to go there to enter and give her your support. Maybe one of us could even win the quilt! Yay! Amy's new year's resolution is to blog waaay more in 2009, which inspires me to make resolutions for this new year, too. . . Ummm. . .I'll get back to you on those. . . (Really, I will)