Oh! What a Yarn

After learning about this darling pattern for knit hats with flowers and drawstring bags from my friend Julie, I decided to try my hand at making these projects of love for my granddaughters.

They were so delighted with these gifts. Big sister loved having a fun hat with a bag big enough to hold her toys.

And little sister loved having her own set of new hat and purse.

I was so happy to see their eyes light up when their gifts were opened because I did it out of love.

On a Whim

It is a rare occasion that my husband and I find ourselves all alone on a Saturday morning but that is how we found ourselves a week ago. So, on a whim we decided to head to the mountains and play for a little while. After all, we didn't have any children at home with which to experience the "value of work". Scott and I headed to Sundance for breakfast and a mountain hike. Perfect temperature and beautiful scenery gave us a lovely August morning together. It was so refreshing to break out of the Saturday morning routine and be spontaneous.

When we left the lodge after breakfast a dab of bright color caught my eye. I think these little leaves were feeling a little whimsical too, since green is the routine color for summer.

Speaking of Mail

A few months ago I was spending some R & R time in Barnes and Noble Book Store and found a book just calling out to me. The title -"Good Mail Day". Well, anything addressing the topic of good mail or happy mail catches my attention.

I thought I'd track down this book at the library, but it is not at the library. So after months of telling myself I don't need this book, I broke down and bought it online. You know what that means . . . the book was mailed to me. Yea! One day I went to my mailbox and there was this brown paper package (not) tied up with string and it was addressed to me.

This book is about making mail art and sending it. The idea is to make something unique and get it in the mail. There are chapters about making a mail art kit, getting inspiration for your art, refining penmanship & etiquette, etc. This is really a fun book.

"When you write to your friends, make your letters so beautiful in form and text that they will be read, re-read, and cherished a long time after as a fond memory. ~Book of Etiquette, 1922"

Rule #1 - to get a letter, write a letter.

I need to improve on rule #1. I have been rather distracted lately and always feeling too busy to follow through on thoughts of letters to write. So, of course, I am recommitted. My great aunt was a stellar letter writer. Whenever she met someone she asked for their address and said she would write. And write she did. And they wrote back. When she passed away she was corresponding with near 100 people on a regular basis. Wow! Now that's a lot of happy mail.

Happy Mail

I love to get, what I term, "happy mail"

Happy Mail: any piece of mail that is written specifically to me i.e. letters, cards, and the like.

I enjoy emails; they are quick and efficient. I love phone calls especially because I can hear the caller's voice, the inflections, the tone, the mood and I can exchange ideas and thoughts immediately. But I love mail!

I think I love mail because I can make it last. When our oldest 2 sons were serving on their missions they wrote letters. On the day their letter was due I would watch for the mail delivery. I'd walk out to the mailbox, open the door with excitement, sift through the pieces of mail with anticipation and smile when I saw that handwritten envelope from our son. Then I would walk, with a bounce in my step, back to the house, straight to the quiet, sun-filled living room, nestle into a wingback chair and open the envelope. I would stroll through each paragraph, savoring, stopping to sometimes reread or laugh, ponder and always enjoy.

Not long ago I had to forward some mail to our oldest son. I included a handmade card with Disney Princesses on it to our granddaughters. Shortly after the package of mail arrived to our son I was on the webcam with him and our 3 year old granddaughter came into the room.

"Hi Grandma" she said, "when are you going to send me some more mail?"

"Oh", I replied, "you like mail? I'll send you some mail next week."

And so I did.

Loving Happy Mail: something my granddaughter and I have in common.

Love and Marriage

On our refrigerator/bulletin board we have no less than 8 bridal and wedding announcements. I believe that August is the new June.

Yesterday I attended a wedding in the Salt Lake LDS Temple and I was so surprised at the many brides and grooms there. I truly thought that a Tuesday morning in August would find the temple on a quieter schedule, but no. Parking was a 25 minute hunt and we were taking numbers in line to take pictures on the temple steps after the ceremony. Though it sounds like the situation could have been frustrating, it wasn't. The day was beautiful, the feelings joyful, and the celebration grand.

As I sat in the sealing ceremony and listened to wise counsel uttered from the Sealer, my mind reviewed other wisdom heard in recent ceremonies just like this one. I thought I would share.

"You are now leaving the Garden of Eden (the engagement) and entering the lone and dreary world (marriage). This is when true courtship begins."

"From the beginning of eternity until now you have been a single spirit. From this point forward, you are a twosome, in every way, for eternity."

"You are now enrolled in the Fine Art of Marriage. It is a fine art. It requires determination, discipline, and considerable thought to come to a mastery of the skills in the art of marriage."

"I heard this quote given in a sealing session conducted by Pres. Hinckley. He said: Be anxiously engaged in the happiness and well-being of your spouse."

"In the days of Enoch, Enoch led a people to become a great spiritual society in the midst of a wicked world. Your role as the patriarch of your family is the same as Enoch's. You must lead your family in becoming a great spiritual society in the midst of the wickedness today."

"Your role as wife and possibly mother, is to be a homemaker. Many things are required in making a home and it is not casual work. It is the most important work you need to do."

"The covenants you have made in the temple are the tools to creating a celestial marriage."

Even after 30 years of happy marriage, I find great ideas and counsel in how to better my marriage from these kind and sincere Temple Sealers. I love listening to marriage ceremonies.

Healthy Living

A few weeks ago I had the chance to rub shoulders with some great people who are truly committed to healthy living. These people seem to exercise with understanding and eat with wisdom, both done with determination which results in achieving the best health their choices can bring about.

I would love to have my natural life style be like that; however, I love my treats too much to give them too much of a healthy flair, i.e. no/low sugar, no/low fat, etc. I am trying to reduce my frequency of said treats though and I DO like to find healthy ways to prepare food, especially keeping food as close to it's original state as possible.

My rubbing shoulders happened at Red Mountain Spa in Ivins, Utah. I went with my good friend, Ann Marie. I loved the week participating in hikes, fitness classes, cooking demos, health education classes, indulging on delicious food, making new friends and spending time with old ones. Ann Marie and I had a great time.

I was so pleased to find that at redmountainspa.com they have a recipe of the month listed. I tasted some of this great food at the spa. The Diablo Shrimp and the Spicy Pork Medallions were favorites. The berry sorbet and peach cobbler were excellent, along with Lime Pot du Creme. I hope they post that recipe. The breads were delicious and moist. I'm excited to continue on my quest to eat more healthfully with the help of these recipes.

How Sweet It Is!

We grow a small little garden every year. Last summer our granddaughter came to visit us in August and September--harvest time. It was so fun to go get snacks in the backyard; baby carrots, sun sugar cherry tomatoes, and berries, berries, and berries. Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries.

At Christmastime when Keilah was visiting she asked if we could go out and pick some berries. Ahh, the hope of children.

This past spring, Keilah and I planted green peas. She kept hunting for the berries but none were found.

A few weeks ago, Keilah went to a pick-your-own berry farm with her family. While they were picking the raspberries she turned to her mom and said, "this is just like at Grandma's house."

I love it. It warmed my heart to have "Grandma's" be a reference point for our sweetheart.

Crocheting Creations and Sewing Sensations

Talents are lovely traditions to pass from generation to generation. My Grandma crocheted a baby afghan for each grandchild and she made numerous other hats, gloves, and throws for gifts. I have made a baby afghan for each of my 2 grandchildren. It's a fun connection to family, past, present and future.
My friends have similar traditions going on in their families.

Julie has created an ensemble of "Grandma Gifts' for her visit to her kids and grandkids this month. There's a yellow hat and monkey for the "Curious George" fan. A dragon with a stomach pocket for eaten victims. And pretty purse and bonnet any girl would adore. Julie also crochets delicate snowflake tree ornaments for her family. Beautiful!

Sally sends the sewing machine whirling whipping up adorable Nursery fashions for her brand new granddaughter, Lola. I love this idea because it helps the new mother; it lets you be connected with the new baby; and you get to share your talents with posterity.
Inspiring friends!

Florida Snowbirds

Last month our family enjoyed a vacation to Amelia Island, Florida. It's our 2nd visit and, again, we just loved our time there. During our stay I definitely thought about all the 'snowbirds' that flock to Florida and I easily identified what draws them there.

The beaches are beautiful and the water is warm.

There's a list of very inviting golf courses beckoning.

Plenty of wildlife to see. There are plenty of wildlife refuges that are close by. We went to one, the Okefenoke Swamp in Georgia. Refuge or not, we definitely felt one with nature.

The food is fabulous and the town is charming and picturesque.

Scott and I have put coastal Florida on our list of places where we would love to retire. Of course, retire does not mean sittin' around. (wink)

America, America, God shed His grace on thee . . .

Scott and I have been moved to emotion this 4th of July holiday. Maybe that's something that happens when you come of (older) age. We have felt a deeper appreciation for the blessing this country has been to us and how that has made life good. We are seeing things in this nation change and change is not always welcome. But change always brings opportunity to reach deeper inside of ourselves to sometimes adjust, sometimes stand strong, but to come out better than where we started.

One of my favorite new traditions is to attend the Patriotic Service held the Sunday before the 4th of the July. This service stirs a reverence for all the good for which America and it's people stand. I love this country!

Wonder of the 21st Century

Do you remember the short film clips that forecasted the inventions for the new century? I remember seeing such a film when I was about 11 years old. One upcoming convenience was a kitchen where you typed into a panel the name of the dish you wanted for dinner and 'wah-lah' it would come out of a little compartment all prepared. Wow!! I could really use that miracle maker today. Another amazing invention was a phone where you would see the person you were talking to on a little TV screen while you were talking to him. My response to that futuristic gadget was, " ugh, I don't want to have to look nice just to talk on the phone". HaHa . . . oh my naivety. Recently I realized that, by way of my personal computer (which I don't believe was mentioned in the film), I talk and see who I'm on line with. Can you believe how convenient the future has become?

I love to webcam. Via web cam I can see our young granddaughter sing songs, turn somersaults and blow kisses to us. We watched some of her first efforts at walking, saying "I Love You", and showing off her new baby sister. In return Keilah hears our applause, sees us cheer and blow kisses back. Because of this live interaction we are familiar to her and that makes things comfortable between us, especially when she comes with her family to visit.

The possibilities for keeping the connection are numerous. We catch up on family photos our kids have taken on their jaunts around the countryside and the cityscape. We sing good-night lullabies to the babies, recite finger plays with them, read and show picture books.

The web cam is a wonderful thing. "It's the next best thing to being there."

A Perfect Day

What would you write down if you were planning your perfect day? My darling hubby, Scott, gave me a blank schedule for Mother's Day on which I was to plan and enjoy my perfect day. The idea was to do something for myself since, as a wife and mother, I'm focused on doing for family most of the time. What a guy. I felt completely spoiled. I thought of what to plan; there were so many ideas from which to choose. I soon saw that I have a long list of perfect days in my life and they're all different. You know, some are holidays, time with family, giving quiet service, feeling loved beyond words, relishing in the many wonders of nature and regular moments in a day that all add up to "perfect". I cherish them all.

For my Perfect Day in May I chose to bike down to Utah Lake in the morning. . . .

Then do some shopping at noon. . . .

I tried watercoloring for the first time in the afternoon. It was really fun to see what would come out on paper. Scott was my teacher and he told me I show promising talent. . . .

Then spent the evening talking, laughing, reading, relaxing at Sundance Resort with my "watercolor instructor". How perfect is that?!

Everyone needs time to rejuvenate. Sometimes we get an hour or a day. Sometimes just 10 minutes to listen to soothing music before we close our eyes at night. But it's important to take time somewhere. It gives a lift to our worn down spirits, it's renewing, it helps keep us young.

Almond Butter Joy Oatmeal Cookie

I love food from the top of the food pyramid. But as I get older and, especially, as I feed grandchildren who's parents are concerned with the kind of treats my sweet grandkids eat, I have tried to up the health factor on my own recipe for a delicious oatmeal cookie. I replaced the shortening with butter and almond butter. The trans fats are eliminated and the almond butter adds great protein, fiber and nutrients. On my next tweak I'll try switching some of the sugar with honey. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Cookies
Cream together: 1/2 c. almond butter
1/4 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla
Add: 3 c. oats
3/4 c. flour
1 small instant vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. craisins
1 c. white chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped almonds
or choose your own combination of mix in's i.e. golden raisin, toffee bits, chocolate chips
Bake on greased cookie sheets for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Do not overbake.

. . . and then, there I was . . .

Once upon a time I was a young girl of twenty. I met and married my "everything-is-wonderful-about-him dream guy. We've lived a happy life together, gone here and there, and done this and that. I bore and have loved being a mother to 5 great kids. Life has been good. We've learned, grown, been challenged, found satisfaction and joy.
After a few years our oldest child got married to a Perfect-for-him-in-everyway-gal. Love her! Then our second oldest child got married to a Perfect-for-him-in-everyway-gal. Love her, too! One day I went to the hospital with our first daughter (in-law) and watched a miracle happen--our first grandchild was born. I was at the birth of my own 5 children but things were different at this granddaughter's birth. Since I wasn't distracted by contractions or pushing, I just witnessed this little girl come into the world. I was in awe. And then, there I was, a Grandma! Two years later another "pink" baby arrived, (Smile), and we're just getting started with this next generation thing.
Not long ago my college-aged daughter asked me which I liked best, being a mom or a grandma. This was my reply, " I love being a Grandma. I feel like a grandchild's love is an extra bit of goodness in a parent's life and vice versa. But nothing beats being a Mom. You love, sacrifice, work, teach, and nurture your child and in return you are the center of his world. And that feels so good. Being a mom is the best! Being a grandma is magical!