TAMING A LITTLE GROUND

I love getting my Victoria Magazine.  Its lovely pictures always make me think, "this is how I would like my garden to look".  Or they just bring me a sense of peace as I turn the pages and read the captions.  This one caught my eye as the cold weather has kept me in doors this spring.  I would usually be outside doing  clean up and getting ready for the planting of vegetables and my flowers. I am afraid it is going to come upon us all at the same time.  But I will love every minute of it.  Finally, being outdoors, with the warm sun coming from behind these cold clouds that don't seem to want to go away. They will and the sun with all that it brings will come. Oh, those warm summer evenings.
Nothing better.

"But each spring...a gardening instinct, sure as sap rising in the trees, stirs within us. 

We look about and decide to tame another little bit of ground."

~Lewis Gantt

SHARING TIME

Last Sunday I was in charge of Sharing Time in Primary.  The subject was the Atonement and Repentance.  I found a way of teaching this online that I thought would help the kids understand.  I think the kids in the Sr Primary got it.  But I found out - thru Jake that maybe the Jr primary didn't quite get the concept.  Although I did realize that at least he was listening.  Here's how it went.  After a brief intro about the Atonement, I did a demonstration about repentance.  I had a child come up and (with a bowl underneath his hands) told him that a bottle of chocolate syrup represented sin.  The little kids didn't know what sin was so we went over that.  To them it was mostly hitting brothers or biting sisters or pushing friends.  So my little guy in the jr primary got a big squirt over clean hands (representing no sin) because he pushed his brother, then another big squirt of chocolate syrup for biting his sister and another for pushing.  Then he was told if he repented and never did it again his hands would be clean.  The kids thought it was fun - at least it held their attention.  
Move forward a few days.  I am tending Jake and Sam.  Sam has a tendancy to bite when he gets frustrated (we are working with him on this).  He bit Jake.  While Jake was crying and getting a love, he told me that Sam needed chocolate syrup all over his hands because he had bitten Jake. 
At least Jake remembered the lesson. Even if he didn't get it quite right.  You don't get chocolate syrup poured all over everytime you do something wrong.  But I was happy that he was listening, we can work on the understanding part - line upon line. 
After all, he's only three.

ALMOST COMPLETE

 Jim has been hard at work on this bathroom since January! Ripping everything apart, refinishing, and finally putting the new tile in. It's a good thing we've had such bad weather, because he didn't think this would take him into April.  He's just got to clean up, put the sealer on and we'll be ready to add the finishing touches!
We've still got to decide on a vanity and mirror, but we got our light tonight, so we should have it put together by this time next week! It's going to be beautiful and I'm grateful for all Jim's hard work and that he's such a perfectionist.  A professional couldn't have done a better job!
Hopefully by then the weather will turn nice and we can move outdoors and onto summertime projects. 
It never stops around here.

RELAX GRAMA

 Not very often do I have a day like yesterday.  I should have worn my combat boots.  My little ones are usually quite good.  We have good times. Yesterday,  the stars must have been aligned wrong, the universe out of sinc. Whatever.  It started out with Sam, who by the way has reflexes so quick, and who by the way, has taught me to up my reflexes a notch. I'm usually a step ahead of him. Not today! He needed a change, so I left Jake in charge of Dylan and off Sam and I went to the changing table. He was loaded! I had no sooner untaped his diaper (filled to the brim) when he snatched it and hucked it across the room! (contents flying everywhere) of course his little bottom was a mess and of course he was ready to jump off the table.  Legs flying, grama screaming, I cleaned him up, diapered him, put him in his crib, then went about his room gathering up the contents of the diaper. (hopefully Abby doesn't run into anything I may have missed).  After this adventure Sam decided to move and knock down all bar stools which ended up in the laundry room, while Jake was balancing himself on the back of the couch - as if it was a balance beam, when I reacted to this saying he might hurt himself Jake told me to, "Relax Grama". Then Jake's new Star Wars lego's started falling apart and Grama didn't know how to put it back together, at this point Jake fell apart sobbing - I suggested a nap and Jake asked me, "are you insane?" at which point I started questioning myself - am I? Sam went down for his nap - at last...it was exactly 20 minutes. So those two decided to cry the rest of the afternoon - together.

Dylan said "I'm not saying a word".

I came home and went to bed.

MAUDE AND MY LILACS

 Jim may be the landscape architect in the family, but his mom Maude was the true gardner.  The lover of all plants and flowers.  She could make anything grow.  I think of her alot at this time of year, because when our home was new and we were always planting something, she was the one who would help me decide what to plant and where to plant it.  She loved lilacs, snowballs and peonies.  She gave me most of those plants that I have in my yard.  I have other lilacs and snowball bushes, but for some reason, Maude's are the most beautiful.  She knew what she was talking about when she told us where to plant them. 

These particular bushes are right down where I like to sit on a warm spring evening (in the years that spring comes to us).  The fragrant scent spreads across the garden.  They are big now and give a great amount of shade.  A lovely place to sit and read, or think or just relax.  What a beautiful gift that continues to give me joy year after year.  I am grateful for Maude and how she taught me about flowers, and nature and all things that are simple and good.

JOLYN'S BIRTHDAY -APRIL 10TH

We just weren't that happy of a group until the day JOLYN ARRIVED!

 

 When I turned four, Jolyn made her appearance.  And her sweet smiling face made all the difference. 

 We couldn't help but smile with her around. 

And she continues to bring joy where ever she goes.

Which is a lot of places!

Jolyn has a great family.

Is generous and kind

Loves travel and adventure.

Have a Happy Birthday

and

continue to spread your beautiful smile

wherever you go.

MY MOM'S HANDWRITING

I think of all the belongings I have left of my mom, it is her thoughts written in her handwriting I treasure the most.  It is the connection I feel to her when I see something she has written. 
I am missing my mom right now.  I miss talking to her on the phone or running over to her house to see her.  We had such great conversations.  We could really talk about our troubles, feelings. We could laugh or cry together.  She could talk to me and I could talk to her.  At the end of a long phone call - mom would say, "it's so good to be able to talk to you like this."  I would agree.  We just got each other.  The worst part about her being gone after all this time - is that I still miss her, daily.  The best part, is that nothing was left undone in our relationship.  It was a good, loving relationship that I will be excited to take up where we left off when I see her again.  For now, I'll read what she has to say - and feel comforted by her presence.

BEING ELEGANT

 I have always wanted to be elegant.  Always wanted perfect hair, perfect skin, and I hate to admit it, but I love clothes -(for anyone reading that doesn't know this already).  And tell me, who doesn't fall for those ads about makeup~ you know the one's that say, when you rotate your hand just so with their product - you will look 10 years younger. That new haircut will make you look just like the girl in the picture and that new outfit will take pounds off - even if it is a size bigger than the last time you were out shopping.
I tend to get carried away sometimes with how I appear - wanting to be elegant and all.  When looking elegant is different than being elegant.  Coco Chanel said, "Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress, rather, elegance in personal style requires only that a woman major in the classics:  comfort, color, shape, fabric, value, and appropriateness.  Elegance means that clothes never eclipse the woman within but permit her inner light to shine."  This statement gets me down to what I really want to write about. 
I am surrounded by elegant women.  Women who are comforatable with themselves, who value themselves and what they do, who don't care about color or shape.  Their inner light shines constantly. 
To me, this is true elegance.  I don't live in a big city, just a simple neighborhood.  These elegant women are my friends, neighbors, sisters, daughters, mothers, grandmothers.  Lovely women, every one.  They are kind and good and have talents and are creative.  They share and serve and above all, they love. 
I think most of them like a day at the salon and a new dress. Who doesn't?  But none of them need it to be elegant. They all ready are.

They are simple, graceful, well-bred, they never over-power, but always strike the right note.  They are self assured.  Beauty, grace and elegance cannot be bought.  It is attained by how a person lives.  It has nothing to do with makup, hair or clothes.  It is letting the inner light shine through. 
These women have it!

FUN WITH THE KIDS

 Conference Sunday,  a lovely day -listening and watching great talks.  Spending time with Whitney.
Having fun with the little ones. 

 Can't keep from smiling when you see a face like this.

These guys help us from missing the PA gang too much.  Although we are looking forward to lots of baseball in May. 

 Can't wait!!!!!

A HUGE CHANGE IN OUR LIVES!!!!!

Ok - I don't think I can go another minute without letting people know what has happened in our lives.  I sat through lunch with my brother and sister yesterday and didn't say a word.  Can't believe it!!!
Jim has been asked to go and help with the landscaping at one of these beautiful spots.  We are excited beyond words.  Back east would be close to the PA Gang, yet the other places would be close to HEAVEN ~ SLC would be close to home.  Things wouldn't change that much.  Will write later with details.
What a beautiful Garden I would be able to enjoy everyday!!!!